"Welcome to Bloodthroat Channel 3! Today's topic: The Murder Specialist Gets Murdered." On the TV screen, a chatty fat guy rambled on: "Last night at exactly 10 p.m., the Reliable Party hosted by Mr. Reckless kicked off once again. In this latest Madman Domain event, the plan was for Queen's District's rising underworld star, Inkster, to drive the Catmobile, finish the murder game, and then escort Mr. Reckless to the theater for a tap dance show—just another simple, straightforward Reliable Party. But today, something unexpected happened. When Mr. Reckless issued his third kill command, the target turned around and killed Mr. Reckless instead! What do our guests think of this?"
A bunch of guests flashed across the screen—none of them looked like saints: "Stupid." "Ignorant." "Big trouble." "Must be some country bumpkin fresh off the boat in Steelbull City, zero common sense." "Let’s see how she dies." "Pretty face, shame if she croaks." "I think it’s kinda cool." "The last few Reliable Parties have been boring anyway."
"Alright, thanks for sharing, everyone. Across the city, Die-hard Loyalists are outraged—this vicious incident is intolerable and must be punished. They’re mobilizing to avenge their idol. As one of the main players in this mess, Inkster, what's your take?"
A black woman with a bruised face popped up, snarling, "I’m gonna find that chick and tear her to pieces! Us Black Pearl girls absolutely—"
"Alright, thanks for your input." The fat guy cut her off without hesitation, stealing the spotlight: "Now, let’s hear what Mr. Reckless himself thinks."
On screen appeared a cat-person, identical to the one from last night, Reliable Talisman stuck to its forehead. The cat said nothing, just grabbed a cane and started tap dancing, spinning in place a few times before pointing at the camera—waggling its finger, or maybe its claw.
"Mr. Reckless says..." The fat guy pondered for a moment, then declared, "Probably means ‘No big deal, just messing around.’" Guess he was just winging it. Wiping sweat from his brow, the host nodded to the camera: "We still don’t know who this gutsy lady is who dared to off Mr. Reckless, but we’ll keep following the story..."
The TV switched to a bunch of ads, and the three people in front of it sat in silence for a moment. The platinum-blonde woman in the middle pinched her chin: "So it was just a decoy, huh? No wonder it barely fought back—I knew these so-called madmen couldn’t be that lame." That was Jill Young.
Xiao Di couldn’t take it anymore and slammed the table, yelling, "Day one—the very first day we get to Steelbull City—and you stir up this huge mess! Weren’t we supposed to lay low? Weren’t we supposed to keep a low profile? Now we’ve got at least a district-level gang and an army of Die-hard Loyalists sharpening their knives!" He flopped back onto the couch, exhausted. "Honestly, maybe we should just go back to Gundam City..."
"Don’t be so dramatic." Someone tried to comfort him, but it wasn’t Jill Young—it was the third person. He was a skinny Black guy named Pierce, Xiao Di and Derek Cheng’s old friend, now hustling in Queen’s District. He dabbled in all sorts of work, but his main gig was the drug trade. Xiao Di had been waiting for this old buddy, supposedly someone you could trust completely.
Half an hour earlier, Pierce was running late. Xiao Di, knowing the area inside out, led Jill Young through the nearby alleys—and sure enough, they spotted a fight. Five or six guys and girls were ganging up on one person, fists and feet flying. Xiao Di nodded at Jill Young, who grabbed a stick and jumped in. With one sweeping strike, she sent the whole group flying, then hauled up the battered dude from the ground—yep, that was Pierce.
Looks like Pierce isn’t doing so hot these days.
But according to Xiao Di, Pierce is the slickest, most well-connected old fox around. He’d even made it to district boss once, but got washed out in the ebb and flow. Still, getting knocked down in Steelbull City without losing your life? That’s some serious skill.
After that, the three of them came to this little hideout. According to Xiao Di, it was her ex-boyfriend’s place. Where’d the ex go? Xiao Di didn’t say—just told Jill Young to settle in. The place was a real dump, though—chunks of plaster raining off the walls. It took ages just to scrounge up three things to sit on, and the TV was an ancient box with rabbit-ear antennas.
So, after a bunch of banging and fiddling, they finally got a signal, and the TV started playing that Bloodthroat Channel 3 show.
"If you ask me, getting on TV is never a bad thing," Pierce said, smooth as ever. "If you want to run with the gangs, you need little brothers. How do you get little brothers? You need a reputation. The bigger, the better—infamy’s best. That’s how you attract top-tier crooks to join up."
"Oh?" Jill Young asked, curious. "Getting on a madman’s bad side can actually help?"
"Of course it can. Acting wild isn’t a crime—being weak is." Pierce pinched his nose. "And for those madmen, this kind of small-time drama doesn’t even register. They probably don’t care at all."
"So what you’re saying is, our enemies are a bunch of nutty Die-hard Loyalists and some random Black Pearl chick?" Jill Young shrugged. "Doesn’t sound too tough."
Just then, the TV switched scenes and that fat guy popped up again: "Thanks for staying tuned to Bloodthroat Channel 3! We just got a message—Syndicate Group from Queen’s District has issued a notice. The Syndicate says the Gunfire Angels from Gundam City cost them a ton of money, and now there’s a bounty. Anyone who delivers her alive to the Morningstar Gang gets five grand. Take a look at the photo—yep, it’s the lady who offed Mr. Reckless last night. Turns out she really did just get to Steelbull City. And to Syndicate Group I say: Five grand? Cheap!"
The three stared at the TV. Pierce’s face twitched: "So you guys pissed off the biggest boss in Queen’s District too..."
"That’s all small stuff," Jill Young stood up and looked at the other two. "Enemies, trouble, whatever—those are problems for another day. What matters now is this: I’m gonna take over Steelbull City. Maybe it looks hopeless right now, but I know I’ll make it. So, are you in or not? Give me a straight answer."
Pierce and Xiao Di exchanged glances. Pierce shrugged: "I’m in—why not? You’re young, got skills, got guts, and you’ve got drive. You’re boss material. If someone wants to lead, I’m happy to follow. Plus, time’s ticking, and I’m not getting any younger—I’d like to see the top for once. Besides, if Xiao Di vouches for you, I’m in. So—count me in."
Xiao Di rolled her eyes: "Just so we’re clear, I’m not calling you ‘boss’ or ‘chief.’ Gunfire Angels may be full of losers and jerks, but there’s still Derek Cheng. Only when I find him and talk things over will I make a final decision. For now, let’s call this a partnership."
"So, are you in or not?" Jill Young pressed, impatient.
Xiao Di was about to lose it: "Fine—fine! I’ll roll with you for now and see how things go! If it gets sketchy, don’t blame me for bailing!"
"Haha, then starting today, you two are officially my crew!" Jill Young declared, triumphant.