Gary's body stiffened up, and he was like a statue frozen in place, the only thing moving were his eyes, fixed on the packet of crisps he had dropped. He didn't know whether to jump back, pick up the crisps, or at least say something to break the awkward silence.
That was when Xin, who was just about to sit down, suddenly took a fighting stance, her eyes fierce and ready for action.
"Calm down, you two," Apollo said, still sitting and gesturing with his large hands. "Do you really think this is some kind of trap? That I would make things harder on myself by bringing you two to this room? I wouldn’t have even approached you like this if I had any ill intentions.”
"And besides, what's the big deal? I knew who you were, Gary. It doesn’t matter if I’m from the One Gang or not. The two gangs aren’t against each other, right? We’re just meeting as old allies."
As Gary thought about it more, he realized Apollo was right. No one knew the real reason why Gary was here. No one even knew that Xin and Jayden were related, let alone the story of why Gary opposed Apollo or that Gary wished to help Jayden. To them, they were just two people from different groups, like people from different countries. Their gangs weren’t at war, so there was no reason for hostility between them.”
“So, the One Gang,” Gary said, picking up the crisps from the floor and immediately resuming eating.
“You can open a new packet, you know,” Apollo said.
“It’s okay,” Gary replied. “I hate wasting food, and it’s still in the packet, so it didn’t really drop on the floor. Anyway, how did you end up joining the gang?”
Xin was also curious and went to sit on a single-seated sofa a little away from the two, positioning herself at an angle so she could keep an eye on the door, just in case.
“Right, I mean, even if you are a member of the One Gang, it’s not like just anyone in the gang can get a room like this,” Xin said.
“You’re both right, and naturally, as someone from another group, you’re curious,” Apollo answered. “My father’s gang was part of a Tier 2 city. They were already under the One Gang’s control technically, but not directly. As you know, I joined the AFC, and I stood out quite a bit.”
“It’s a regular thing for Harvor to select his members from the AFC after seeing their skill, but because of my father, I had a more direct route. You know my strength—I’m not just anyone from the AFC, so I was invited into one of the Twelve Zodiac positions.”
“These Zodiac positions are what members of the group fight over and are considered the highest positions under Harvor. You weren’t the only one making a name for yourself and being busy, Gary. So, I’m quite a big deal in the gang,” Apollo laughed.
Learning that Apollo was one of these Twelve Zodiac members didn’t make Gary feel any better. However, he imagined it was the same with the Howlers and its core members.
“I’m sorry that the story isn’t anything special. I’m just strong and work for a very strong person.”
“It’s alright,” Gary answered. “It did come as a surprise, but like you said, we’re not enemies, so let’s just enjoy the fight today.”
———
As time went on, more and more people started to fill into the stadium. The normal guests were entering, and excitement was starting to fill the air as a number of press and more arrived. Several news channels were covering the event, including AJ Entertainment. The person they had sent was none other than Clem, who had become a superstar in her own right.
She had a camera crew with her, and they were live-streaming the event to the whole world.
“As you can see, things are still being set up, but the tension in the air is already electrifying,” Clem commented. “If we look into the stands, you will see every so often these large glass booths. Those are the special VIP booths, and we can only guess who is beyond the glass on the other side.”
——
At the same time, in a special CCTV room for the event, several workers were monitoring the screens, and a particular man with square-shaped glasses in a purple and white tracksuit was overlooking everything.
“Sir Stanley!” one of the men said, clicking and typing away. On one of the larger monitors, a screen displayed the inside of a particular room.
“It appears the representative from the Bree Family has arrived.”
“Good, I never expected Bree to come herself, but for them to send a representative is certainly interesting. And what of the other VIP members as well?”
The man clicked around once again, and another screen appeared. This time it showed a room with fully cloaked men sitting around. They were clearly members of the Dark Guild. The screen changed again, this time showing Apollo.
“Who’s that with Apollo?” Stanley asked.
The camera zoomed in, showing the female.
“That’s Xin Clove. I didn’t realize the two of them knew each other.”
The camera then changed, and started to concentrate on the other guest that was in the room.
“ I can’t recognize the other guy.” Stanley said.
“Apollo did ask to bring in guests, sir.”
“That’s fine, just keep a note of it and I’ll inform Harvor, continue through to the other rooms,” Stanley instructed.
Clicking away, the worker moved to the next room. There were more than just one high ranking person and one of importance that the One Gang were keeping track of, and there was an interesting one they were looking at today.
“That’s the representative from the Lupus Gang, correct?” Stanley asked.
*****
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