Plan one X gangs X starting with the White Eagle Society

The night was ending, and dawn was approaching.

"I'll blend in with Wennide's men and go to the eastern district with you."

A-Wu's voice roused Qi Zhou, whose mind had been left almost scattered by the poison's onset.

"...Mm-hmm."

Qi Zhou took a moment before answering lazily. The dull ache throughout his body made him disinclined to think or speak.

"I left five men in the eastern district before. They didn't come with me. They must have been sent to the fighting zone as cannon fodder by now," A-Wu said calmly. "I don't know if they're still alive. I'm going to look for them."

"...Mm-hmm."

"I hate socializing, but I'll still need some manpower if I want to get my things back." A-Wu stared at the languid Qi Zhou.

"Let's set a small goal first. Within a month, we'll deal with the White Eagle Society and make Wennide its president. Then we'll do our best to bring the White Eagle Society to Chelsea Taber's attention."

"...Mm-hmm."

"If the plan goes smoothly, when Chelsea Taber attends the council of elders in early May, we can blend in with the entourage and go along."

Qi Zhou opened his eyes and asked curiously, "Then what?"

"Why aren't you saying 'mm-hmm' anymore?" A-Wu frowned.

"Mm-hmm."

"..." A-Wu's face darkened.

"Since it's a council of elders, that nominal brother of mine will definitely be there too."

At that moment, Qi Zhou sensed a surge of killing intent in A-Wu's Nen.

A-Wu smiled, his two little canine teeth biting his lip. "Then, once I kill my brother, I'll be an elder."

Qi Zhou: "..."

In the early morning, the temperature on the garbage mountain was pleasant, and the air smelled better than it would once the sun was fully up.

A-Wu and Qi Zhou crawled out of the garbage heap and climbed to the top of the mountain in the faint light.

"Speaking of which..." Qi Zhou turned to A-Wu and asked:

"You know so much about the White Eagle Society. Did you have your men look into it? Had you already planned to make use of the White Eagle Society's power?"

"Yeah." A-Wu nodded. "On the border between District Nine and District Five, the White Eagle Society is the only force worth considering. There's no other choice."

Qi Zhou was puzzled. "Don't those two men of yours know Nen?"

"The elders of the eastern and western districts have always been at odds. That's why I came to the western district, so my brother couldn't reach over so openly."

A-Wu explained calmly, "Anyone who knows Nen would draw attention with the slightest rash move, so my brother couldn't easily send many Nen users over. But at the same time, if I were protected too conspicuously and the western district's elder noticed who I was, things wouldn't end well for me either."

A-Wu stared at his hands and said softly, "Besides, even without all that, I wouldn't feel comfortable letting just anyone protect me."

Qi Zhou asked, "Is there something wrong with those two?"

A-Wu replied, "They were sent by my father's former butler."

"They're supposedly here to protect me, but they're just as obviously watching me. The butler's position is fairly neutral, though. Even if my brother relies on him quite heavily now, he doesn't want me dead, whether because of my father's last wishes or some other consideration."

A-Wu summed it up with a cold laugh. "So he'll take pains to maintain a situation where 'I don't know Nen and can't leave, but won't be killed by my brother either'-that's the 'balance' he wants."

A-Wu fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Are you asking because you want to learn more about 'Nen' from those two?"

Qi Zhou smiled. "Of course. Knowing only half the story can cost you dearly, and I've already paid dearly once. If I don't get a clear understanding of this 'Nen' business, I really won't be able to sleep soundly."

"Really? You seemed to sleep pretty soundly at night to me."

A-Wu feigned puzzlement. "Honestly, you're the first person I've seen in Meteor City who could sleep that deeply at night."

Qi Zhou said, "...That was because of the pain. Don't talk nonsense."

"Heh." A-Wu smiled disdainfully, Do you think I believe you? written all over his face.

His expression grew a little serious, and he said slowly, "Those two are under orders not to let me come into contact with anything related to 'Nen.' But after I took out my brother's men, they should know I've already learned Nen."

Qi Zhou tilted his head slightly and asked, "Will they report it to the butler?"

"I don't think so. After all, the butler isn't a good person either."

A-Wu smiled coldly. "If they let me die, they fail their mission. If they failed to keep an eye on me and let me learn it, that's a failed mission too."

"Failing their mission means certain death, so they might as well throw in their lot with you completely?" Qi Zhou understood. "Who knows, they might even rise to the top someday."

A-Wu nodded. The two exchanged a knowing smile.

"Ha." A-Wu stood up. "Let's go find Wennide first. There's no rush to catch you up. Wait until I get back from the eastern district tonight."

Qi Zhou stood up as well, and the two sped toward District Five side by side.

The two arrived outside Wennide's base.

A-Wu signaled to Qi Zhou that he would hide nearby. Qi Zhou nodded, walked up to the entrance, and looked inside.

Wennide stood in the middle of the open space, his men and a group of minor bosses behind him, facing off against a burly man.

The burly man was one of the division heads Qi Zhou had seen while spying on the White Eagle Society's meeting.

Quite a few people stood behind the man as well. He grinned ferociously and clenched his fists, his knuckles creaking. "Wennide, I'm doing you a favor by asking to borrow your men. Don't fucking refuse a favor when it's offered."

"I'm telling you now: whether you like it or not, you're lending me those men."

Wennide's face was livid as he glared at him, but his gaze passed over the burly man and landed on Qi Zhou standing by the entrance.

Qi Zhou gave him a slight nod, signaling that he could take care of the man.

Wennide's expression immediately softened, and the gravity in his eyes faded.

"Division Head Bayer, we're all in the same gang. Naturally, there's no problem with going over to help you."

Wennide smiled politely. His words made his men and the minor bosses' expressions change drastically-they weren't part of Bayer's original crew. If Wennide "lent" them to Bayer, their only fate would be to be sent to the front as cannon fodder.

Bayer's smile faded too, and some of the mockery in his eyes disappeared.

The acting division head he had always looked down on had flatly refused to cooperate one moment, only to change his tune the next. The contrast struck him as deeply suspicious.

"You see, I've only just taken up my post, and the brothers under me aren't entirely convinced by me. How about this: as long as you can win them over completely, Division Head Bayer, and they're willing to serve you, I absolutely won't say a word against it."

Wennide politely stepped half a pace back. "What do you think?"

As Wennide spoke, Qi Zhou slowly walked into the courtyard and looked up at Bayer. Seeing the man's gaze abruptly darken, he curled his lips and gave him a friendly smile.

He was indeed being friendly, but Bayer didn't see it that way.

"Wennide! Are you fucking making fun of me?!"

Bayer stared at Qi Zhou. The kid, who might not even be ten and didn't come up to his chest, was standing brazenly before him. Bayer felt more insulted than he ever had in his life.

He cursed angrily, strode over to Qi Zhou, and raised his hand to smash a vicious punch at him.

As his fist cut through the air, a bloodthirsty gleam flashed in the eyes of the minor bosses and underlings behind him. They couldn't wait to see the head of this kid who didn't know his own limits smashed open.