When Max had communicated with the Black Hounds about coming to one of their events, they had only received a location and a time. They didn’t receive anything else, so Max himself had no idea that it would be on a ship of all things that would be going out into the sea. This surprise setup immediately changed the tactical scope of the night.
’I wonder how far out it will go, it can’t go all the way out to the point we can’t see the city, right?’ Max wondered, trying to anticipate the limitations of the Black Hounds’ plan.
There were a few tourist ships that would go out and come back, and in total that would take an hour or so, but the whole event was meant to last a total of four hours. Guests got there an hour beforehand, then enjoyed the main event for two hours and then there was one hour cooldown in the end before returning.
With that timing in his head, Max was trying to time things and calculate the risk involved in being isolated on the water for such an extended period.
"It does make me wonder whether they did this move on purpose?" Max said out loud, voicing his suspicion. "Maybe they were a bit worried that we might try to strike them, so this way we can’t."
"We’re pretty defenseless as well," Darno added, concurring with Max’s assessment of their vulnerable position. "If my teacher was here, he would tell me to never put myself in such an unfavorable position."
Max did have to agree. Certainly, if he was back in the White Tiger he would have never entered into someone else’s den, and that’s precisely what this felt like. A deliberate trap designed to remove their advantage.
But there were some things that were different for Max this time. Mainly, he really needed to make money, and he was weighing up the risks against the necessity.
’If I was running the Black Hounds right now, what would I do?’
This was the thought that Max would constantly have in his mind as he was planning his own steps, and thankfully he had this approach to his advantage. Although not everyone thought the same way, there were just things particular people did when in certain positions that made sense for an Underworld leader looking to preserve power.
For instance, right now, the Billion Bloodline group was technically on the level of an Organized Group just like the Black Hounds. A full-on war, even if the Black Hounds thought they would win, just wasn’t favorable to them, not unless they were sure there was more to gain and no one else would get involved. The risk of exposing their operations was too high.
"We’re not going to back out now," Max said with finality as he went ahead and placed the mask on his face.
It was the same one that Max had worn when visiting Bobo at her facility, the distinctive mask marking him as a wealthy, established entity. He didn’t think it would be a problem if anyone recognized him because there would be wealthy individuals here tonight, all wearing their own symbolic facades.
Darno also placed a half-faced mask on his face, covering the top half, which looked like a pair of red wings.
As for Stephen, he wasn’t wearing anything because he would be the one doing the fighting. And unlike the others, Stephen was wearing his Bloodline Jacket, representing the red color of their gang and clearly representing the group all the way. He was the overt statement of intent.
As they walked over to the ship, Max walked ahead and handed an invitation to the man right by the docks. All three then walked up the platform and entered the venue.
They had been told that as soon as they entered, they should look for the host, and he would welcome them and explain the venue.
When they entered though, they were too busy looking at the dazzling lights and the venue itself. It was fancier than they had been expecting from an underground fighting ring. There was a certain red and black theme throughout the ship, making the atmosphere both luxurious and intimidating.
However, there were large decorative pieces even here on the bottom floor. They passed by impressive Ice sculptures, canapés that were ready to be handed out, and even in one section, there were large chairs where people were getting massages.
Most were wearing masks, the standard attire of anonymity, with a few people who didn’t bother. Unlike the other venues, there wasn’t a separate place for fighters to get ready, so there was a mix of looking people that were all over the ship. Even on the base floor there were two bars, and from the sounds of it, there was even a band that was playing music on the second floor.
"Now this type of lifestyle really suits my taste," Darno said, appreciating the opulence as he was staring at many of the beautiful women present. He quickly noticed that the truly beautiful women were the staff members, and Max could see exactly what Darno was doing.
"Careful to not get tangled up with the staff," Max warned sharply, cutting off Darno’s train of thought. "All of them are members of the same group that we had a scuffle with." He pressed the warning home. "If they find out who you are, I’m sure some of them might even want to beat you silly, who knows, those guys you fought might even be on this ship."
That made Darno think twice about doing anything silly. His immediate self-interest won over his distraction.
Just then, a man with a question mark masked face, a uniform identical to the host at the bank venue, had spotted the three of them that had entered.
He raised his hand, touching the side of his mask, communicating with his colleagues.
"They’ve arrived."
***
For updates on MWS and future works, follow me on my social media below.
Instagram: jksmanga
P.a.t.r.e.o.n: jksmanga
When news drops about My Vampire System, My Werewolf System, or any other series, you’ll hear it there first. Feel free to reach out, if I’m not too busy, I tend to reply.