Chapter 185
Chapter 185
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 185
Chapter Title: A Changed Presence (2)
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"Good work, Mr. Dave."
A suit with a subtle sheen. Perfectly styled hair. Murphy, transformed beyond recognition, spoke politely.
He had become an entirely different person.
Just when they first met, he had been scheming to set up a bootleg distillery in a warehouse. Now, he had evolved into a wealthy businessman, successful enough to rent office space in one of the rare high-rises in District T.
To think all this came from the power of magic liquor. Business truly was something else.
"Once you hit the jackpot, life changes completely. Of course, if you fail, you lose everything and go bankrupt flat broke."
As if reading Oliver's thoughts, Murphy chuckled and poured magic liquor from a crystal bottle on the table, offering it to Oliver.
Liquor remade by mixing in potions.
Oliver took a sip and nodded.
"It's good."
"Thank you. It's a new product for export. I'm honored you like it."
Murphy's appearance had changed dramatically, but his attitude toward Oliver remained the same.
Of course, it wasn't purely goodwill. There was a calculating motive tying Oliver's abilities to his own business.
Even so, kindness was kindness. Oliver responded courteously.
"Here, take this."
Oliver handed over a worn notebook. It was the magic liquor recipe obtained during the raid on the bootleg factory.
The quick-witted Murphy's eyes lit up as he accepted it.
"This is...?"
"The magic liquor recipe you asked about. I got it while taking down that Aidri fellow."
Murphy was delighted.
"Oh... Thank you. I asked just in case... Was there anything else?"
"I acquired a magic bag, money, magic books, and research journals, but I'd like to keep those."
"Ah, yes. Sorry. I phrased it poorly. I meant to ask if there were any other recipes. Of course, those are your rightful spoils."
"Thank you for understanding. That's all the magic liquor recipes there are."
"I see... And the bootleg factory?"
"I blew it all up, as requested."
"Hah... Got it. Now I can sleep easy for a while. You did great. I'll make sure you receive the success fee and the bonus for the recipe within the promised timeframe."
Oliver nodded. The haul was quite substantial.
The success fee alone was a hefty sum, and now there was an extra bonus. Plus the other loot.
But the true goal of this commission wasn't this.
"By the way, any word on that other request?"
Oliver asked, and Murphy nodded as if he had anticipated it, pointing to the black wooden desk.
"Of course. I've looked into it. It might take a while to explain, so would you mind sitting down?"
Oliver sat at Murphy's invitation.
He had accepted this commission for several reasons: decent pay, a chance to test the cadaver puppets, building rapport with Murphy, and more. But the most crucial was information.
About Intruders 1, 2, and 3 from the Subrepto Grand Museum.
He had met Marie there, pushing them to the back of his mind somewhat, but Oliver hadn't forgotten them.
It wasn't easy to forget the bizarre black magic they used.
He had gone to the trouble of collecting a sample of the crumbling flesh. It would be a shame if he learned nothing from it.
So, in exchange for taking the job, Oliver had asked Murphy to investigate. As an insider in the Crime Firm, it seemed easier for him.
Murphy spoke gravely.
"First, keep in mind that I can't guarantee this information is 100% accurate. The atmosphere lately is tense, so us underlings have to watch our step, which limits investigations. I appreciate your understanding."
"That's fine. I didn't expect you to push too hard. Is something going on?"
"There's always something in this business. Just when the city's crackdown eased up, the holy knights started causing a ruckus, arresting black magicians we were dealing with. Auctions got canceled... Everyone in distribution took massive losses."
"Ah..."
"On top of that, they're creating this scary Security Bureau for 'city safety' up top, while unaffiliated gangs run wild below. It's getting harder for honest gangs like us to survive."
Oliver gauged Murphy's emotions before asking. It felt more like an attempt at humor than a lie.
"...A joke?"
"Half serious. We pay our taxes properly, after all."
It wasn't a lie. Laundering massive black money was one of the Crime Firm's main businesses, and that process involved paying hefty taxes.
"Ah... Funny joke?"
"All my friends laughed."
"Hm..."
Oliver made a mental note of the joke.
"Anyway, back to the main topic. There's quite a bit to cover."
Murphy opened a hidden compartment in the desk and pulled out a paper envelope stuffed with documents.
"What's this?"
"It's a summary of the info you requested, plus some related details I thought you'd find interesting. I considered explaining verbally, but there's too much, so I organized the specifics in writing. Don't get your hopes up too high, though."
Murphy downplayed it humbly, but his emotions suggested otherwise. It seemed like solid intel.
Oliver read the documents.
The very first page caught his eye.
"The intruders are with the Black Hand?"
Black Hand. A massive, secretive crime syndicate made up of black magicians.
Murphy nodded.
"Yes, and it looks like the Cannibal Chef faction."
"Cannibal Chef...?"
"One of Black Hand's fingers, the high-risk criminal Cannibal Chef."
"Ah..."
"Butcher knives, disease-based black magic, nasty temperament—cross-referencing that, I got some info from Galros Police Department. Not direct disciples, but disciples of disciples."
"Galros Police Department?"
"Yes... Oh, you didn't know. Cannibal Chef's main turf is Galros, not the Alliance Kingdom. It's marked in the documents I handed over."
"Ah..."
Oliver read aloud from the relevant section. Cannibalism, ability enhancement through it, secular crime organization, and more.
"Police intel, so it's reliable enough."
Oliver nodded and asked,
"...So, does that mean the Crime Firm plans to go to war with Black Hand?"
Since Black Hand operatives had raided a Crime Firm business, Oliver asked just in case.
Murphy shook his head.
"From the current situation, I don't think so. I agree with that assessment."
"Any reason?"
"Crime Firm and its affiliates are gangs, sure, but we're businessmen too. We use violence when necessary, but we don't enjoy it."
It was half a lie, but Oliver let it slide.
"No one wants to start an unnecessary war during the end of a downturn and hurt business—especially against foes across the sea in another country."
"I see."
"But that's just for show. Truth is, we're scared."
"...?"
"Crime Firm is a profit-driven enterprise, but Black Hand? Hard to gauge. More unknowns than knowns about their scale, location, members, goals. No point fighting them and taking losses. Better to grease palms and let others handle it."
"Others?"
"Police, military, holy knights. They all need to eat, so a kind word and some sincerity, and they do our bidding."
"Ah... I see."
"Yes. Profit—money—is Crime Firm's top priority. But things are shifting lately."
"What do you mean?"
"With the city creating this Security Bureau, talk inside Crime Firm is turning to building our own armed force. We have muscle, but it's not organized—each group handles their own, so limited utility."
Murphy smiled as he said it.
He seemed to have something more to say, but held back.
Just like the people secretly watching from beyond the wall.
He pondered silently for a long moment before giving up and asking,
"Any other questions?"
Oliver asked a few more questions and then left.
Murphy saw him off and sat alone in the office. But not for long.
The secret door at the back of the office opened, and out came the people who had been eavesdropping.
Aunt Maggie, cousin Morrison, Morgan.
All members of the Kimbel family and executives in the Kimbel Family.
Classic nepotism management.
Though somewhat diminished in Crime Firm amid immigrant gangs and corporate-style outfits, it was the most traditional structure.
"Why didn't you tell him?"
Aunt Maggie, the family's finance head, asked quietly. Regret tinged her voice.
"Tell him what?"
"If Mr. Dave would work with us."
Instead of answering, Murphy pulled a small socket from his pocket.
A storage device for info, received hours before meeting Dave.
Click!
Murphy pressed the button on the socket. Mana flowed, projecting an image into the air.
"This is...?"
"The bootleg factory you asked him to destroy. It's gone now."
Before Murphy played it, cousin Morrison spoke up. Unlike the steadfast security chief Morgan, he was a flexible salesman who opened sales routes.
Playful and unserious, but a real operator who cracked overseas markets.
"Bro, in hindsight, was wrecking that place necessary? With that setup, we'd have profited more taking it over."
"Looks that way, but it was built entirely on debt disguised as investments. Destroying it lets investors grumble without real trouble, but occupying it? They'd find excuses. Plus, it's in a no-development zone. Cleaner to blow it up."
Morrison nodded, convinced.
Murphy pressed the button to advance the footage.
The bootleg factory and surrounding facilities exploded, gangs panicking—then an intruder charged from the front.
Processed footage made outlines crystal clear despite the night shoot.
"What the hell? Multiple arms?"
"Cadaver puppet. You've seen them against black magicians scavenging battlefields."
The footage continued.
The eight-armed cadaver puppet wielded multiple guns at once, sweeping gangs aside in seconds.
One unit matched ten men's firepower, with pinpoint accuracy—highly threatening.
Gangs fell without proper resistance, proof of it.
If one grabbed an ankle, it shredded them with sword-off shotguns in both hands.
Boom!! Boom!!
More like small cannons than guns.
"Hold on."
Murphy manipulated the socket, switching footage.
There was more to see.
From the back, a bald man with a tonfa and a four-armed black magician sneaked in.
"That too?"
"Yes, another cadaver puppet."
The two puppets coordinated, silently neutralizing gangs focused on the front gate.
Black magic obscured vision, bald man closed in for one-hit kills.
One per strike.
One might dismiss them as alley trash, but per Murphy's intel, some were skilled—plants by an investor under Aidri to prevent mishaps. All died meaningless before the intruder.
Meaning the puppets were exceptionally strong.
Murphy agreed: each puppet was elite, far beyond typical fixers. Proving it, the factory—80-ish gangs plus a magic tower wizard—fell quickly.
Then Dave walked in. No need to watch further.
Click!
Pausing the screen, Murphy spoke.
"...See that? Took the factory without lifting a finger. How do you scout someone like that?"
Maggie and the others fell silent, agreeing with Murphy.
Even if organizations craved strong talent, it had limits they could handle.
Dave far exceeded that.
Just days ago, one of many dark horses in Landa. Now, beyond that.
A one-man army with power to claim any mid-tier exec spot if he wanted. He seemed unaware, though.
'Or maybe uninterested...'
"How'd you get this?"
To Maggie's question, Murphy replied,
"Heimdall. Requested from one broker. Barrier hack, recording, editing—options cost a bit, but worth it, right?"
Money-savvy Maggie nodded.
In this world, info rivaled money.
One tidbit could mean life or death.
"...Beyond imagination."
"Yes, way beyond... I get why you wanted to recruit him, Aunt. We've grown beyond recognition..."
Murphy paused, then continued.
"But Dave's on another level. Auction incident aside, even as a gang... We can't handle him. If he wants an organization, he could build his own. Better to treat him well and keep the relationship than risk ruining it with a bad pitch."
Maggie silently agreed but still regretted it.
"Still worrying. His rep from the auction's drawing offers everywhere. What if someone snags him? We need to bolster our strategy."
Force strengthening. Priority one for families with some pull.
This mad city grew harsher by the day—even for gangs.
Kimbel Family had grown rich near upper echelons lately, but lacked standout fighters.
Ex-military swelled ranks for good organization, but no front-line face. Urgent issue.
They needed power that deterred trouble just by existing.
"Don't worry too much. Dave doesn't seem the type to join anyone."
"Got some ace up your sleeve, bro?"
Morgan, Kimbel Family's security head, asked. He was deeply impressed by Dave.
"Nah, just think no organization in this city could contain him."