Grey Elder X Three-Way Standoff X Changing Times

Jiang Ye leaned against a broken concrete pillar, Divine Dog: Totality's enormous body lying quietly at his feet like a breathing black hill.

A fire crackled in the middle of the ruins, illuminating the tense faces around it.

Iron Wall stood beside the fire, his rough fingers unconsciously rubbing at his cuff.

"Besides the Rust Bone Gang, what other forces are there in District 13?"

Jiang Ye asked casually.

As a drifter, he actually knew very little about District 13.

Iron Wall answered at once, his voice low.

"Besides us, there are the Shattered Iron Group and the Gray Rat Squad."

He paused after speaking, his gaze shifting toward the fire.

"And... Grey Elder."

"Grey Elder?"

Jiang Ye raised an eyebrow.

He had never heard the name before.

Iron Wall's Adam's apple bobbed.

"Grey Elder is District 13's acting elder."

"Officially, he doesn't belong to any gang, but in reality, every gang in District 13 has to pay tribute to him to keep its territory."

At that point, he lowered his voice.

"Every elder is appointed by the Meteor City Council of Elders and is responsible for maintaining order in one area."

"Grey Elder has been in District 13 for over ten years."

"No matter how the people below him fight or steal, he won't interfere as long as they don't cross the Council of Elders' bottom line."

"But if any gang expands too far, he won't leave any survivors when he makes his move."

Iron Wall looked up at Jiang Ye as he said this.

"That's also why District 13 has remained in a three-way standoff all these years."

"None of the Rust Bone Gang, the Shattered Iron Group, or the Gray Rat Squad can swallow either of the others."

Jiang Ye listened silently, tapping his knee twice with his fingertips.

The Council of Elders.

Meteor City's nominal highest governing body, with twelve elders each controlling a separate area.

Grey Elder was the elder of District 13, which meant that the Rust Bone Gang's territory, the Shattered Iron Group's territory, and the Gray Rat Squad's territory all fell under Grey Elder's jurisdiction.

Officially, he was neutral. In reality, he was the ultimate arbiter of District 13.

Dodge wanted to be elevated to the position of elder so the Rust Bone Gang could go from being controlled to controlling others.

Unfortunately for him, he had failed.

"Then did Dodge's cooperation with the Nostrade Family have anything to do with Grey Elder?"

Iron Wall nodded, concealing nothing.

"It did."

"Grey Elder kept Dodge in check and wouldn't let him expand."

"Dodge made contact with the Nostrade Family because he wanted to break free of Grey Elder's control."

"The Nostrade Family has its own connections in the Council of Elders. They could help Dodge take Grey Elder's position."

Hearing this, Jiang Ye understood at once.

No wonder Dodge was so certain when he said the Nostrade Family was backing him before he died. He'd staked all his plans on this one move.

As long as he became an elder, the Rust Bone Gang would no longer be just an ordinary medium-sized gang in District 13, but the one in control of the rules.

Unfortunately for him, his plans had run into Jiang Ye.

In the end, they had come to nothing halfway through.

After thinking for a moment, Jiang Ye asked curiously.

"Didn't you ever think about taking more territory?"

Iron Wall shook his head with a wry smile.

"It's not that we never thought about it."

"But every time we made a move, the Shattered Iron Group and the Gray Rat Squad would join forces."

"And Grey Elder would send people to warn us off, too."

"Dodge tried several times, but he was stopped every time. Only then did he decide to take the Nostrade route."

At those words, Jiang Ye fell silent for a moment.

A log split with a crack in the fire, sending up a cluster of sparks.

He slowly raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the faces of Iron Wall, Gray Beak, and Shattered Eye.

"I don't care how Dodge did things before."

His voice was calm, but it held an unshakable certainty.

"From today onward, there's only one thing the Rust Bone Gang needs to do."

"Expand!"

Iron Wall's brow twitched sharply.

"Boss, this..."

"If you have something to say, say it."

Jiang Ye leaned back against the concrete pillar, his tone indifferent.

Firelight shone on the side of his face, casting the contours of the twelve-year-old's features in flickering light and shadow.

Iron Wall took a deep breath and poured out everything he had been holding back.

"At the Rust Bone Gang's current size, even with those fifteen children, we only have fifty-five people in total."

"If we move against either the Shattered Iron Group or the Gray Rat Squad, the other will definitely step in."

"The three sides keep each other in check. If one moves first, the other two will swallow it together."

"And..."

He paused.

"And Grey Elder won't stand by and do nothing."

Iron Wall lowered his head, unable to hide the heaviness in his voice.

"Dodge tried to expand back then, too."

"He once had more than eighty people under him, far stronger than the Rust Bone Gang is now."

"But Grey Elder only had someone deliver a message... if we crossed the line again, there would be no need for the Rust Bone Gang to exist."

"After that, Dodge never dared entertain thoughts of expansion again."

Jiang Ye was in no hurry to respond as he listened.

Iron Wall looked up at him, then added another sentence only after confirming he wasn't angry.

"Grey Elder has his own people."

"They aren't a gang, but he can mobilize more people than the Rust Bone Gang, the Shattered Iron Group, and the Gray Rat Squad combined."

"He holds the power of the Council of Elders. All he has to do is give the word, and any gang in District 13 can be wiped out."

After saying all this, Iron Wall followed his heart and chose to shut his mouth.

The fire continued to crackle, making the silence around them feel even more oppressive.

Jiang Ye didn't respond immediately. Instead, a faint smile appeared on his lips.

At the sight of that smile, Iron Wall felt a sudden chill down his back, and a bad feeling rose in his heart.

The next second, Jiang Ye spoke slowly.

"The things Dodge didn't dare do..."

Jiang Ye stood up and brushed the dust from his trouser legs.

"I, Jiang Ye, will do them."

He took two steps forward, his feet making distinct sounds against the rubble-strewn ground.

"The forces Dodge didn't dare expand, I'll expand."

"The people Dodge didn't dare anger, I'll anger."

"The people Dodge didn't dare kill, I'll kill!"

As his final words fell, Divine Dog: Totality slowly stood up.

Its enormous body cast a shadow over half the ruins in the firelight, and a low, oppressive sound rumbled from deep in its throat, like muffled thunder rolling through the clouds.

Hearing those words, Iron Wall lowered his head instinctively, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

Jiang Ye turned and looked north, toward the place swallowed by darkness.

The Shattered Iron Group's territory, the Gray Rat Squad's territory, and the depths of District 13, where Grey Elder held sway.

His voice was still calm, yet it pierced everyone's heart.

"In short."

"What Dodge could do, I'll do."

"What Dodge couldn't do, I'll do all the more!"

The fire crackled and split beside him, sparks bursting into the night sky.

"If they can stop me, then let them come."

Jiang Ye turned and glanced toward Iron Wall, the smile on his lips growing even wider instead of fading.

"I'll be waiting for them here."

Iron Wall opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing.

He forcibly swallowed the emotions surging inside him, not daring to let out a single word.

Gray Beak and Shattered Eye exchanged a glance, each seeing the same thing in the other's eyes.

Awe!

That night, on the eastern side of central Central City in District 13 of Meteor City, a twelve-year-old boy spoke a few words in the middle of the ruins.

Those words had yet to spread, but they were destined to sweep through every corner of District 13 before daybreak.

The Rust Bone Gang's world had changed.

District 13's... had changed too.