Three-way talks

Meteor City, council of elders hall.

The hum of the central air conditioning echoed beneath the vaulted ceiling, while a bronze chandelier spilled cold white light across the long walnut table.

Seated at the head of the table, Vincent rubbed the droplets of condensation on the rim of his gilded teacup. The side of the cup reflected the distorted faces of the other two elders.

A month had passed since Hao's phone call, but his plan was still progressing at a pitifully slow pace.

But Meteor City had a population of several million. How could it be so easy to reduce?

If this went on, his offspring might be in trouble...

"Vincent? Vincent!"

A rough voice rang through the hall.

Vincent turned toward the voice and saw Pike waving at him from his left.

"What is it?"

Regaining his composure, Vincent slowly asked the question.

Meteor City had seven elders, each with their own duties, none interfering with the others.

When matters arose, they voted and made decisions together on the many affairs of Meteor City.

That was what Meteor City told its residents.

In reality, Meteor City had only three true decision-makers: Vincent himself, who represented the official forces of Flint City; Pike Cake, who represented the mafia families; and Borso Hoffman, who represented the many recycling companies.

They respectively controlled Meteor City's overt armed forces, its underground armed forces, and its human organ trade.

The other four elders were merely there for appearances.

"What is it? Don't you think you picked the wrong time to cut the food supply?"

"We usually start in October. What do you mean by starting two months early?"

Pike slammed his fat palm on the conference table, making the tea set rattle. "Food prices on the black market have tripled! My casino's been robbed four times this month!"

The tattooed viper on his neck writhed with his bulging veins. "Those starving wild dogs have gone mad. They even dare bite the black market guards!"

"I'm putting all those losses on your tab!!!"

"This is Mayor Hao's wish."

Having someone suddenly point a finger in his face and curse him out was a feeling Vincent hadn't experienced in a long time. He froze for a moment, but quickly recovered.

"If you've got the guts, go talk to the mayor!"

Vincent slammed the table and shot back without the slightest courtesy.

He worked for Mayor Hao. Here in Meteor City, there really was no one he didn't dare offend!

Never mind this fat pig trying to hoard food-even Borso would have to consider his own standing before causing him trouble!

"The mayor's wish..."

Pike's bluster faded at those words, and much of his desire to seize the opportunity to gain some benefits faded with it.

The mayor of Flint City wasn't someone the leader of a minor mafia family like him could afford to offend.

A single hair from the man's leg could easily crush bugs like them.

"Organ transplant orders are down thirty-seven percent this month!" Directly opposite Pike, Borso's platinum cufflinks gleamed coldly among the stacks of reports.

"Vincent, was it really the mayor's wish for you to put the famine contingency plan into action two months early?"

As the representative and a shareholder of all the recycling companies in Meteor City, he was very curious about what the new mayor really thought.

Although he had personally traveled to Flint City eight months ago to attend the reception for the new mayor, he had only gone to present a gift.

Given Borso's status, the most he could do was catch a glimpse of the new mayor from afar. He had no chance whatsoever to approach him.

"If it weren't the mayor's wish, would I have taken it upon myself to do this?"

Vincent glanced at Borso's platinum cufflinks and sighed.

"Weren't all the previous mayors the same?"

Hao had said so much over the phone, issuing both threats and warnings.

But in the end, it all came down to one word: Jenny!

And where could the Jenny come from?

He was simply hinting that they should squeeze it out of the lowlifes!

"The mayor needs to see our sincerity." Vincent's voice mingled with the cold air from the air conditioner and went straight into the other two men's ears.

Borso and Pike exchanged a glance, both feeling a jolt in their hearts.

"Then let's pay double the taxes. It hasn't been easy for any of us to build up what we have. There's no need to actually destroy Meteor City," Borso said first.

As the representative of the many recycling companies, he could accept an appropriate loss and treat it as the cost of buying protection!

But if too much of the population was lost, the entire recycling industry would inevitably be thrown into turmoil. That was something he couldn't accept!

"At least triple it. Let those lowlifes suffer a little."

"Mayor Hao has taken office, and we in Meteor City haven't given him a gift yet. This is the perfect chance to make up for it!"

Vincent shook his head and spoke sincerely.

Borso glanced at him but said nothing more.

After all, the newly appointed mayor was backing Vincent. A minor representative like him couldn't afford to offend him.

What if he said too much and brought Vincent down on him?

"Sigh..."

Vincent lowered his head with a bitter smile.

They had been old friends for decades, and he knew his actions were very damaging to his reputation...

But he had no choice! Someone had his offspring in their grasp, and there was nothing he could do...

"I agree."

"If there's nothing else, let's end the meeting here."

After a moment, Pike suddenly yanked his tie loose. Two cufflinks popped off and struck the bulletproof glass.

The tyrant who controlled Meteor City's underground arms trade now looked like a snake with its fangs pulled out. "My men will help you keep the situation in Meteor City stable."

Vincent's meaning was clear enough. He simply wanted to bleed Meteor City a little and use it to feed the new mayor!

He had called them here specifically just to give them advance notice.

After all, with the man backing Vincent personally coming out to support him, how could minor figures like them dare say no?

Borso took his time straightening his collar, its white pattern resembling an anatomical diagram in the cold light. "Starting tomorrow, the Hoffman Medical Group will do everything it can to buy up all kinds of fresh organs."

"Very good!" Vincent nodded in satisfaction. With his two old friends' cooperation, his progress would surely speed up.

"Let's end today's council meeting here!"

Having gotten the result he wanted, Vincent quickly spoke up.

He was the one who wanted to bleed Meteor City and harm the two men's interests.

He was also the one who had called the council meeting and used his backer to pressure them.

Now that things had come this far, why keep them there any longer?

At his words, Borso promptly stood and picked up the golden cane beside him.

"Scrape..."

A chair scraped against the floor.

Without hesitation, Pike stood up as well.

The two men soon left the council hall, one after the other.

Vincent watched them leave and remained motionless for a long time.

Borso's crocodile-skin shoes crossed the light reflected in the bulletproof glass. His pace was unhurried, but the crisp tap of his golden cane against the marble echoed down the corridor for a long time.

Pike tugged at the creases in his suit, where dark red bloodstains had soaked into the fabric-remnants splattered there three days ago when a rioter was shredded by bullets during the casino riot.

"Sigh..."

Vincent let out a long, heavy sigh and leaned weakly against the back of his chair.

He undid the button at his collar, his aged fingers brushing over a mark on the edge of the conference table. It was a scar of corrosion left ten years ago, when Pike's Nen Ability, Fang, had gone out of control as the three of them swore a blood oath here.

The crack had since been mended with gold, but the friendship between the three of them seemed to have changed...