Chapter 117: Bloody Hunt, Begin
[Heartless] sat in The Seven's conference room, his face a mask of contemplation. Homelander sat at the round table near the window. While the table was meant to symbolize equality, Homelander's dark, brooding presence had made his seat the clear head. Even Queen Maeve was just sitting there silently, not saying a word. The Deep and A-Train, who were already terrified of Homelander, were even more silent.
"This incident... is deplorable," Homelander finally said, defining the situation.
He didn't actually care what [Regenerator] had done, or how evil he was. Whatever Regenerator had done, it was nothing compared to the things he had done. But Homelander cared very, very deeply about his approval ratings. He had seen that because of the [Regenerator] incident, his own ratings had dropped 1.2 points. This put him in an exceptionally bad mood. His eyes were red, and he looked like he was suppressing the urge to use his heat-vision.
[Heartless] saw an opening. "I think someone is pulling the strings. A low-level street gang couldn't possibly kill [Regenerator]. Perhaps this is the work of that specialist I mentioned, the one who…"
BZZZZT!
Homelander's heat-vision seared the table directly in front of [Heartless], who immediately fell silent. A-Train watched, mocking the new [Translucent]'s naivety. Still trying to use The Seven to kill his personal enemies? The Seven weren't stupid. They had all known for a while that this guy, who had a similar power to Translucent, was just using them to eliminate his own rivals. But Homelander had needed a new [Translucent] to keep the team's roster stable, so he had allowed it.
But now, Homelander's own interests had been affected. To bring it up now was just asking to be killed.
Homelander's jaw twitched, as if he was fighting the urge to murder him. He held up one finger. His voice was soft, but everyone in the room strained to hear the tyrant's words.
"I said, this incident is deplorable. Some low-life scum are trying to fight back against us. This," he said, "is not allowed."
He had seen the discussions online. [Regenerator], a hero marketed as "immortal," had been killed by a low-level gang. This had sparked a massive public debate about the actual combat capabilities of heroes. People were even starting to discuss how many men it would take to kill a member of The Seven.
In Homelander's view, this was the ultimate transgression.
"I need you all to immediately... dispel these unrealistic ideas from their heads."
Vought's president, Madelyn Stillwell, was busy running between media interviews, trying to salvage the company's image. Vought had already withdrawn all lawsuits and had completely cut ties with [Regenerator]. They had released a statement claiming that their oversight had been lacking, that they had failed to discover his evil deeds, and that Vought had, in its own name, paid the family of "Little John" a sum of one million dollars to cover the medical bills for "Mrs. Darcy" (his mother) and the educational futures of him and his sisters.
But by now, the story had taken on a life of its own. The internet was flooded with so many voices that placating one family was not nearly enough to fix it. All across the country, other communities were speaking out. Stories that had once been suppressed were now being exposed, one after another.
In this incident, a sharp contrast had been drawn. On one side, the "Hero" [Regenerator]. On the other, the B45 gang, who had "bravely fought the powerful Supe to protect their community." A rumor had even spread that "over 30 brave men" from the gang had died to finally kill him. This narrative inspired countless lower-class citizens, and street gangs across the country were benefiting from the surge in anti-Supe sentiment.
After the [Latin Kings], the largest gang in the city, had released a public statement "supporting the stabilization of their communities," a massive number of gang members began to speak out. They were banding together, finding a temporary unity. Many poor, disenfranchised teenagers were now trying to join the gangs. This was sparking a whole new social-media-driven-movement… and a massive new social problem.
Kaito Shirogane sat on the balcony of the second-floor villa, watching the information appear on his phone. His lips curled.
[You have gained Revered reputation with a gang of over 1000 people.]
[You have unlocked a new Faction: New York Gang B45.]
[Main Quest 1 has been completed. You have gained 1000 Dimensional Points.]
[Main Quest 2: Bloody Hunt, has been unlocked.]
[Objective: Hunt and kill at least one core plot character or Reincarnator from any other faction.]
[Reward: Based on completion rating (Base Reward: 1 E-rank Singularity, 2000 Dimensional Points).]
The Nexus had not only recognized his completion of the quest, but it had also recognized the B45 gang as an independent faction, saving him the trouble of having to join the [Latin Kings]. This was the first time Kaito had tried to create his own faction. He also discovered that the Nexus didn't really encourage this; the rewards were low. Joining an established faction would have unlocked a reputation store. This did not.
But in exchange, he had gained incredible convenience and the power to influence the plot on a macro level. He had a foothold. And, if his theory was correct—just as his Shinto reputation from the Demon Slayer world had carried over—if he ever entered another world with a similar "modern-day" background, this [B45 Gang] faction might still exist.
"Boss," Bobby said, now dressed in a tailored suit (though he still wore his gold chains), "the media is here again. They want to interview us. They also want to visit the families of the 'brothers who died' fighting Regenerator. Should I turn them away?"
The gang had received a lot of money in the past few days. Many people genuinely wanted to believe that a gang of "noble outlaws" existed, and they had donated generously. Kaito hadn't stopped it. A good show had to be complete.
"Turn them all away," Kaito said. "It's time to move to the next step of the plan."
He felt no emotion. Even if his next move would get a lot of people killed, he felt no guilt, nor any joy. He didn't kill for pleasure, but he also felt no moral burden in causing death.
"Go. Announce to the press that B45 is going national. We will spread the spirit of 'mutual aid' to every 'warrior' still struggling at the bottom, in every neighborhood in America."
A short time later, Bobby was standing in front of the cameras of several major media outlets, giving an impassioned speech. Ance and George stood on either side of him, ready to "clarify" his wording. The two of them had discovered that their true talents lay not in fighting, but in this line of work. They were naturals.
"We in B45 have been humbled by the help we've received from good people all over the country," Bobby said, reading the script. "But we must see that America has more than one B45! And America has more than one kind, good-hearted kid like Little John! We must bring this spirit to every community! To every oppressed person!"
A reporter from the New York Times stared, wide-eyed, at the live broadcast. She knew this was getting out of control. This wasn't just some ignorant gang that would take the money and shut up. These guys... they were playing a much bigger game.
Kaito watched from the balcony. He wasn't trying to start some red revolution. His goal had always been singular. He was creating a tidal wave of public opinion, one that even Vought couldn't escape, one that would put even a powerhouse like Homelander in an impossible position.
Only then, when the [Vought Faction] was in chaos, would the [9527] survivor, [Heartless], be stripped of all his protection.
Of course, this chaos would inevitably lead to conflict and death—gang members, heroes, and civilians caught in the crossfire. Kaito looked at his milestone list. This world was shaping up to be a bountiful harvest. It was rumored that when you collected enough milestones, you could combine them into a unique [Title]. It wasn't one of the unique, powerful titles granted by the Nexus, but it would still give you a powerful ability.
Kaito sat there, the calm eye in the center of the storm he was creating. He looked at his [Anti-Hero] milestone, calmly calculating which member of The Seven would provide the highest "reward" for his new main quest.
With his [Death-Taint] passive, he was, in the right circumstances, capable of killing any of them. Even the "invincible" Homelander. He just had to create the opportunity.
Of the Seven, [The Deep] was undoubtedly the weakest, at least on land. Kaito was confident he could kill him in a head-on fight. [A-Train], [Homelander], and [Queen Maeve] were much harder targets.
He thought for a moment, then added a new element to his plan. [Kalpa] and [Bad Kid] had been quiet for the past two days. They were clearly hiding. But given the three-day time limit on Main Quest 1, they must have made some move.
Kaito smiled. It was time to eliminate one of his competitors. Let's just see which one of them is the fool…
[Kalpa] was relaxing in a bar, surrounded by women. The Japanese Triad (Akai's gang) was serving him well, swapping out the women every few hours.
Akai, dressed in a sharp suit, entered the room and waved his hand. His men immediately dragged the naked, unconscious women out. "Kalpa-sama. This B45 gang is getting out of hand. I was hoping to borrow your power to... quiet them down."
Kalpa opened his eyes. He looked at the Supe, who was reasonably powerful, and said, "B45 is not an easy target right now. The whole world is watching them. Whoever moves against them becomes the public enemy."
Akai knew this, or he would have killed that idiot Bobby himself. "Surely you, Kalpa-sama, do not care about being a 'public enemy'?"
"You're planning to leave this country after you find your target anyway. And as it happens, the Triad, through our recent partnership with Vought, has found some... information... we'd like to share with you."
The Japanese were always so polite on the surface, but so ruthless underneath.
Kalpa's interest was piqued. He sat up on the waterbed, grabbed his monk's robe, and chanted a quick prayer. "You found him? The one who has disguised himself as [Translucent]?"
He sneered. Kalpa wasn't an idiot. He had only been "ambushed" by Kaito because he'd been caught off guard. His "teammates" had just been cattle he was "farming." Their deaths meant nothing. He had used the Triad's resources and had long since figured out that [Translucent] was still active. He'd also heard that a kid named Hughie, who should have been the one to kill him, had quit his job after a "disturbance." He was certain the new [Translucent] was his target. He also knew that the force behind B45 was either [Mercenary Tao] or [Bad Kid].
Akai, seeing his information was already known, played his trump card. "We can help you draw [Translucent] out of Vought Tower. In exchange, you must eliminate the man pulling B45's strings."
Not all the gangs were benefiting from the "gang-demic." The ones who were really profiting were the low-level, neighborhood gangs. The large, established, international syndicates like the Triad and the Latin Kings were actually being hurt. Their territories were being challenged by upstarts who were now, thanks to Kaito, full of confidence. The Triad, the Latin Kings, and even the Chinatown tongs all wanted Bobby and his mysterious boss to disappear.
Kalpa looked at Akai. It was the third day. His Main Quest 1 deadline was looming. He knew if he refused this offer, the Triad would likely turn on him. He relented. "Fine. Let me help you through this kalpa."
As he stood, he spread his hands, and a golden, chakra-like energy began to radiate from his palms. "But… if you fail to deliver on your end of the bargain, a simple 'dogeza' won't be enough to save you…"
The golden light hit Akai, and the powerful Supe felt his skin prickle with pain. He stepped back, his eyes full of fear. This man was difficult. Bulletproof, strange abilities, and physically untouchable. He was even harder to deal with than The Seven.
~~~
Guys We cross the 900 power stone goal and as promise here the bonus chapter
Next goal 1000 power stone,come on guys you'll can do it, good luck.
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