"Knock, knock, knock."
The sudden sound outside the door interrupted Ismael's thoughts.
He quickly closed the ancient book, carefully locked it in a hidden compartment, then composed his expression and pushed the door open.
"Captain, come get something to eat!"
An Intergang mercenary stood outside the door, grinning.
Ismael nodded, resuming his usual air as a grim, cold-blooded gang leader.
"Let's go."
The two walked through streets and alleys thick with dust and gunsmoke. Along the way, his subordinate began to complain.
"Captain, the higher-ups have been pushing harder and harder lately, making us round people up to mine Eternity Stone every day. The boys barely have time to catch their breath. When are we finally going to take over Kahndaq for good?"
"Soon. Once the time comes, Kahndaq will return to its rightful master."
Ismael lowered his voice. A barely perceptible flicker of fanaticism crossed his eyes, but he quickly concealed it.
"Let's fill our stomachs first."
The two entered a shabby restaurant run by a local. It was deafeningly noisy, the air thick with cheap tobacco smoke and the gamey smell of grilled meat.
Ismael had just sat down at a corner table. The food had arrived, but before he could eat, he heard several dust-covered local miners talking quietly at the next table.
"Did you hear? There was a collapse in the western mountains this afternoon!"
A one-eyed man lowered his voice conspiratorially.
"What's so unusual about that? Intergang blasts those mountains with explosives every day to mine Eternity Stone. It'd be stranger if they didn't collapse."
Another man took a dismissive swig of cheap beer.
"No! This time was different!"
In his excitement, the one-eyed man unwittingly raised his voice.
"My cousin was right there in that mining area! He said the collapse opened up a