A change in leadership of such a magnitude was naturally impossible to keep under wraps. Information was being passed around among the local gangs who continued to spread the tale far and wide.
Over the span of a couple of days, everyone in the underworld was aware that the Howlers had taken over the Scatterbugs. A Tier-3 gang from practically a no-name time had managed to expand into a Tier-2 city in under a day. Such a thing was thought to be impossible, and were it not for all sources reporting the same, it would be even more unbelievable given that the Scatterbugs strength and influence had been rumoured to be on par with some of the Tier-1 gangs.
Given that it was impossible to hide the truth for long, Kai had expected some faction to challenge them, yet not a single one, not even from a Tier-1 city, had come forward. Rather, from what Kai had gathered through his information channels, the price for any type of information about the Howlers had become a hot commodity.
——
The news had spread out, into all corners of the world, with each person reacting to it slightly differently. In the town of Slough itself, there were those that were beyond surprised at what happened.
"How is this possible?!" Ben Clove tensed his fist and lifted it up in the air. Moments before he slammed it down on his desk, he managed to stop himself. The mayor had been forced to replace his desk far too often in recent times.
'When the hell did they manage to grow so strong? It feels like yesterday they've barely had the power to manage to take a piece of Slough, and now they're expanding into Tier-2 cities. This has to be some sort of sick joke. Their group isn't even that large to begin with, yet expanding bit by bit.'
The more Ben thought about it, the more he was kicking himself. He started to really miss the days when his only worries had been the Underdogs and the Grey Elephants.
'With the income from Notsburg's casinos, they will have no problem funding a campaign for a candidate of their own choosing. If they choose to do so, it won't be too hurt to replace me with one of their own. I'm not even sure if Jayden can do anything to stop them now.'
Nevertheless, Ben Clove didn't want to admit defeat, not yet at least. He felt like Slough had practically been in his grasp, and he was unwilling to give up on it. Fortunately, there was still some time before the next elections, so until then, he just had to bide his time. After their expansion, he was sure that soon enough someone would appear to take care of the Howlers. They might be able to defend themselves, but as long as they would be busy, it meant they wouldn't focus on him…
——
Similarly, another Clove member had learned about what had occurred in Notsburg.
"Holy crap!" Jayden exclaimed as he was resting in a dressing room, checking on the latest news involving the Howlers. He was in the middle of getting a photoshoot for a new skincare product, his white skin that was almost illuminated was always perfect for advertising products as well as his fame.
'I always knew you were crazy, Gary, but I appear to have severely underestimated you. Next time I see you, I have to ask what made you pull such a stunt? Just what could have happened to make you choose this path? When I told you to come and reach me, I expected you to do so through the AFA ranks, not by going down such a dangerous road that might turn you into the enemy of all the Kings.
'Still, I'm sure you have your reasons for doing so. Perhaps our lives will intertwine more, sooner than I thought.'
——
Then there were those that were keeping an eye on Gary that even he wasn't aware of.
In the AFA room, Professor Humfree sat at his desk, stroking his beard.
"It can't be a mere coincidence that this has occurred during the same time as his leave of absence. We've all acknowledged his potential, but his growth keeps exceeding our expectations. I wonder what he will choose to do next. Given his power, it's only a matter of time until he graduates, and he might very well change the lives of those he is close with in the academy itself."
——
In the academy, it wasn't only the professors ho were keeping an eye on Gary, as Apollo was sitting with his two close friends, Snow and Wu.
"Has your father told you to do anything?" Snow asked.
"Ha!" Apollo laughed. "You've met my Dad. Did he strike you as the type who would tell me to make friends with him? I've always known there was something special about him, and now he's proven me right once more.
"Based on how Sty and his father were, something like this was bound to happen sooner or later. The only surprising thing is that it was the Howlers who acted, whereas we were the bait would be taken by another King. After finding someone as great as him, I should have guessed that there would be others just as great as him.
"Anyway, all this means is, if me and him don't end up clashing in the academy, or in the AFC, then we will do so outside of it."
Apollo was without a doubt looking forward to the return of Gary.
———
In a city, where the sun shined the brightest station by the seaside, the well known King Sin was standing on his balcony looking out from his villa. His time enjoying the scenery was interrupted when a couple of men entered the room, wearing dark red clothing, that reached their shoulders.
It was the uniform of the gang members that worked for the Rising Phoenix gang.
"Sir, we have brought in the two that you have asked us to."
Soon, two men entered, one looked to be in his mid-twenties while the other was clearly a teenager. They immediately got down on their knees and placed their heads down.
"Excellent." Sin said as he turned around and walked toward the two of them. When looking at them, neither of them looked special but he had called them here for a specific reason.
"The two of you haven't been in our group for too long, but from what I hear, both of you have proven yourselves useful to us, so I would like to thank you for that." Sin stated with a smile.
The two on their knees weren't so sure but it felt like the floor was getting a little hotter, and it felt like it was coming from Sin himself.
"As long as you keep up the good job, and show your loyalty to the gang, your treatment will reflect your standing. Alright, enough of that, I have called you for a different reason. The two of you come from the town of Slough, and I happen to have an interest in it. What can you tell me about the Howlers?" Sin asked the kneeling Raven and Gil.
*****
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