Dream and Reality

Mira Peng had a dream. He dreamed he was happily playing with his youngest daughter when a mob of thugs suddenly charged out from all around them...

Just as he shielded his daughter in despair, a handsome, fair-skinned young man and a vicious-looking bald man suddenly descended like divine warriors. Not only did they swiftly cut down every thug, they also sliced off that bastard Gato's head as he knelt and wailed for mercy!

"Bet you never thought this day would come!"

Mira Peng picked up Gato's head with both hands, his face full of hatred!

But just then, Gato's head actually broke into an eerie smile-and started talking?!

"The world suffers, but the Evil God endures! Come serve Lord Jashin with me! Hahahaha!"

With that, the head opened its mouth wide and swallowed him whole...

"Ah!"

Mira Peng jolted awake, the bedding already soaked with his cold sweat.

He had not had a good night's sleep lately. Today, he had finally managed to fall asleep, only to have another nightmare, somewhat different from the earlier ones, and wake up in fright.

"So it was only a dream..."

Mira Peng could not help murmuring those words, unsure whether he felt disappointed or relieved.

But as he sat up, his expression suddenly froze!

He discovered that he was holding... a severed head in his hands!

And it belonged to none other than Gato, the man he hated to the marrow of his bones!

The head seemed unable to rest in peace, its eyes still holding the fear and bewilderment of his final moments.

The sight bore an unsettling resemblance to his dream, reminding him of Gato opening his mouth wide to swallow him. He shuddered all over, let out an involuntary cry, and flung the head away.

I'm dreaming. This is a dream...

After instinctively repeating that to himself twice, he finally noticed the blood on his hands and the surroundings.

"This... isn't a dream. That villain Gato really is dead! Those two men from the Jashin Cult actually did it!"

Mira Peng muttered to himself in disbelief, recalling what the two men had said before leaving earlier that day. "...Just find somewhere to sleep. By the time you open your eyes again, everything will be over."

It was over!

This time, it really was over!

The nightmares that had kept him from sleeping were over too!

But then he suddenly realized something even more terrifying. If the Jashin Cult's men could kill Gato and silently deliver his head into Mira Peng's arms, they could certainly eliminate him the same way.

So this head was not merely a "gift." It was also a warning!

Remembering his earlier dissatisfaction with the Jashin Cult for sending only two men, Mira Peng could not help smiling bitterly.

Now even he no longer knew whether getting so deeply involved with the Jashin Cult was good or bad. He could only take things one step at a time.

"Someone, come here!"

At Mira Peng's shout, the bodyguard stationed outside immediately pushed the door open. He saw his boss sitting on the bed with bloodstained hands, along with the severed head that had rolled to the doorway.

"Go prepare a banquet, and make it as lavish as possible! Also, bring out all the fine aged liquor from my number one storeroom. Invite the most beautiful geishas in the city as well. Money is no object!"

"What are you standing there for? Get moving!"

"Wait. Take that head with you too. Hang it from the highest flagpole in the courtyard for now. Make sure it's protected. Don't let any crows carry it off and eat it. In a few days, I'll use it to honor my daughter's memory."

The bodyguard hurriedly picked it up and replied respectfully, "Yes, sir!"

Gato was dead, which meant that the balance of power in the Land of Waves, already halfway overturned,

was about to shift back. There was no telling how many more people would die next, especially those who had underestimated Mira Peng's family and chosen the wrong side.

While Mira Peng was having the banquet prepared, news of Gato's murder was already spreading rapidly.

Some of it came from people who had discovered the truth, while some had been deliberately leaked on Mira Peng's orders.

But what truly caused an uproar was, of course, the head hanging high from the flagpole!

This war between the uncrowned kings of the Land of Waves had ultimately ended in Mira Peng's victory, much to many people's surprise and astonishment.

As for secretly killing a rival outright, most of those who knew the circumstances saw nothing wrong with it.

After all, Gato had been the first to break the rules, hiring wandering ninja and other armed forces to assassinate members of Mira Peng's family.

If Mira Peng had not been lucky enough to survive, with his youngest daughter taking the fatal blow for him by a twist of fate, he would probably have died long ago. Gato would then have dismantled his entire family in no time and devoured everything they had, leaving nothing behind!

So to many people, Mira Peng's actions were merely a counterattack, an act of revenge.

You could hardly expect someone to try reasoning with a murderer who had already started slaughtering his family.

Another reason was that Gato was far too overbearing and cruel, destroying people's homes and families at the slightest provocation.

By comparison, people naturally hoped that Mira Peng's family, whose reputation was considerably better, would prevail.

And so, everyone rushed to kick the fallen man.

Before Mira Peng could even send anyone to act, infighting broke out among Gato's subordinates.

Some planned to grab the money and flee. Others rallied their fellows under the banner of avenging Gato, hoping to take his place. Still others proposed simply joining Mira Peng's family...

Before their squabbling could produce a result, the villagers they had previously oppressed had already gathered, spurred on by certain people, and begun storming the Gato Company's various businesses.

Among them were people eager to kick Gato's men while they were down, others seeking revenge, and no shortage of opportunists looking to profit from the chaos.

Like the final straw that broke the camel's back, this brought the enormous Gato Company crashing down in an instant!

Even Mira Peng was stunned when he received the news. He had originally worried that such a powerful organization might linger on even after its leader's death, and had been calculating how to absorb the Gato Company with minimal losses.

Now he had been spared the trouble. Once the villagers finished venting their anger, he could effortlessly take over what remained.

Looking at the whole picture from his position, the money Gato's men had run off with and the goods the villagers had looted amounted to nothing. Once he consolidated all the resources, he could earn it all back hundreds or thousands of times over. That was the difference in perspective.

For now, his more important task was to properly entertain the two men who had killed Gato, prepare the supplies, and maintain good relations with the Jashin Cult.

He needed the Jashin Cult to act at the appropriate moments and eliminate any potential threats for him.

The Jashin Cult likewise needed substantial funds to expand.

Their relationship was therefore mutually beneficial, with each getting what he needed.

At least for now, they were still in their honeymoon period.