The Syndicate Building was planted right in the flashiest spot of Queen's District. Steelbull City was full of skyscrapers, but this one was a show-off: it looked like a giant red crystal shooting up from the ground, all sharp edges and glossy faces, towering over everything else. This was the Syndicate’s HQ—the economic engine of Queen’s District.
But even though this was the HQ, the Syndicate himself was like a ghost—blow up the whole building and he wouldn’t lose a single hair. Today, though, the Fox Sisters had been called in. Their mission? Figure out if the Syndicate’s big boss was actually inside. If yes, they could send out the signal.
Fifteen minutes after the Fox Sisters slipped inside, a signal zipped out—a green square popped up on the receiver. And then, in broad daylight, someone smashed the glass high up in the neighboring office tower. Four grappling hooks shot out, punched straight through the Syndicate Building’s glass wall, and nailed themselves into the fiftieth floor.
Four figures zipped across sixty meters of rope—leading the charge were Jill Young, Xiao Di, Pierce, and Cake Dog. In a blink, they’d crossed the urban canyon and busted right into the Syndicate Building.
If things went smoothly, the Fox Sisters had already taken care of the Syndicate. For women like them, taming a guy who’s itching to hand out 'rewards' is basically a warm-up.
But when Jill Young landed, rolled, and looked up, what she saw was the Syndicate chilling on a distant high platform, not a care in the world. The Fox Sisters? Each had a beefy dude twisting her arms behind her back.
"Well, look who showed up—all three bosses of No One Under Heaven, plus my three traitors." The Syndicate shot a nasty glare at Cake Dog and the Fox Sisters. People kept pouring in, but the Syndicate just sat there, unfazed. Once the first wave was inside, he snapped his fingers—bam! Armored panels slammed down. Every window, every door—sealed tight. The Syndicate Building turned into one giant cage.
"So this is a trap, huh? Gotta say, your acting’s not half bad." Jill Young didn’t flinch, just glanced around—No One Under Heaven had about thirty people here. They were in a circular hall—well, more like a vertical pit with a ceiling so high it might as well be dozens of floors up. Each level had a ring-shaped balcony, so the whole room looked like a deep well wrapped in circles, with Jill and crew at the bottom.
"Life’s just a big show, and it all comes down to acting," the Syndicate puffed his cigar. "If I couldn’t act, I’d never have spotted those two backstabbers. If I couldn’t act, how else could I lure you all in? If I couldn’t act, how would I win?" As he spoke, armed thugs popped up on every ring-shaped platform, guns aimed right at the No One Under Heaven crew.
"Win?" Jill Young didn’t even blink at the guns pointed her way. "You really think these clowns can stop me?"
"You’ve got some skills, I’ll give you that—managing to turn three of my own people against me. These two are born double-crossers, but you whipped them into shape. Just now they tried to bluff me, so I had to send the signal myself. But—" The Syndicate took a drag, pointing his cigarette at Jill Young. "You’re also easy to read. Gather a little intel, and your whole playbook’s laid bare—hot-blooded, impulsive, always charging in first. And your crew? All the No One Under Heaven folks love to rush in headfirst, like a bunch of maniacs. So I set the stage, and you walked right into it. I’ve got your number—how could I not win? Wipe you out, and I’m still the king of Queen’s District!"
"Hmph, as if." Jill Young pointed at the gun-toting thugs. "If you’ve really studied me, you think these goons can hold me back?"
"Enough chit-chat, let’s take him down!" Xiao Di couldn’t help herself—she raised her gun and fired two shots. But the bullets just sparked off the air three feet in front of the Syndicate. Turns out, he was sitting inside a glass dome—so clear you’d barely notice it. And those bullets? Didn’t even leave a scratch. That glass was seriously tough.
The Syndicate just grinned even wider. "All those pro killers couldn’t do it, so you lot sure can’t. But did you ever wonder, if I could’ve lured you in earlier, why did I wait seven whole days?" As he spoke, heavy footsteps echoed—thud, thud, thud. On the third-floor platform, a shadow appeared.
Seeing that figure, Xiao Di and Pierce’s faces changed. "What the heck is that?" Pierce muttered.
This guy was over two and a half meters tall, built like a brick wall—huge head, massive shoulders, muscles so pumped he barely looked human. Cake Dog was already pretty buff, but next to this dude he looked like a chihuahua. Even the Green Tyrant veteran was twisted, but compared to this meat mountain, he was practically a fitness model. Honestly, this beast could cosplay as a Warcraft abomination and wouldn’t even need makeup.
Whoosh—the meat mountain leaped down from the third-floor platform, smashing into the ground so hard the concrete cracked. He stood there, bare-handed, glaring like a predator about to pounce. "Hahaha! Queen's District only has one Iron Testicle, but Steelbull City’s got more! This is my brand new secret weapon—Mighty Physique!"
Flashback—seven days earlier.
In a mysterious office, the Syndicate was on a video call. On screen was a blond, middle-aged guy—looked pretty refined, but his eyes were sharp as knives. "Mr. Syndicate, you’ve already talked to Lucas, right? But if I’m not wrong, even if Lucas agreed, he’d only do it if he got control of Queen’s District. Am I right?"
The Syndicate snorted, "That’s not part of our deal."
"No, Syndicate, it’s all connected. You have to gather all the info and analyze it if you want to stay ahead." The middle-aged guy said, "Lucas is a fool. He doesn’t get how important it is to keep balance with a boss in each district—blind expansion just brings disaster. He also doesn’t know what a pain No One Under Heaven is. That gang won’t compromise or back down, so it’s tough for anyone to get along with them. If possible, for Steelbull City’s sake, both those gangs have to go."
The Syndicate raised an eyebrow. "So you’re saying you’re giving me the loan?"
"Agreed. I’ll give you a big, low-interest loan to fund the final stage of your Mighty Physique project. Only with Mighty Physique can you go head-to-head with Lucas and his Fist of Slaughter. But there’s one condition—once you’ve got Mighty Physique, you have to go after Lucas and stop him from grabbing more than one district. If you don’t agree, the deal’s off." The financier sounded totally chill, like he didn’t care if the Syndicate refused.
And he had every reason to be confident—the Syndicate really didn’t have a choice. "Fine, I agree," Syndicate said, knowing he couldn’t negotiate. "Like I have any other options. You’re the King of Finance."
Back to the present—Meat Mountain hit the ground like a gladiator entering the arena. The Syndicate burst out laughing, "Time to taste real despair!" He waved his hand, and the Fox Sisters shrieked as they were shoved off the third floor. Xiao Di dashed in, sliding across the floor to catch them just in time. Meanwhile, Meat Mountain started charging straight at Jill Young.
Bang bang bang! The No One Under Heaven crew opened fire—a hail of bullets rained down on Meat Mountain. But the light machine gun rounds barely did a thing. His skin was tough as leather; bullets just left little red marks, like that shark from Reliable Adventure. Cake Dog screamed and charged, muscles bulging, landing a brutal kick to Meat Mountain’s face. The guy barely flinched. Next second, he swung his beefy arm and sent Cake Dog flying.
"This guy’s body is tough, but he’s not exactly quick." Jill Young had seen this kind before—whether it was eunuch bruisers in the martial arts world or Green Tyrant veterans, they all chased brute strength and sacrificed speed. Sure, he could sprint in a straight line, but stick him in tricky terrain and he’d be lost.
Jill Young had nothing but contempt for this kind of power-up. It’s like pitting a eunuch bruiser against a super assassin—unless the conditions are freakishly specific, the bruiser’s toast. Jill was an old hand at handling these types; she had a million ways to win as the underdog. But this time, she went for something new—she whipped out her pistols.
The Syndicate, watching her closely, sneered. Mighty Physique was his secret weapon—if machine guns couldn’t do much, what could a puny pistol do? But Jill Young just calmly aimed at Meat Mountain’s giant head and squeezed the trigger. Bang! The shot echoed through the hall, muzzle flash blazing two feet long. Even Jill’s hands trembled a bit from the kick.
The shot hit home—Meat Mountain’s forehead sprouted a charred hole, and the back of his head exploded in a mess of red and white. Thud! He hit the ground, his massive body sliding a few meters before coming to a stop right at Jill Young’s feet.
"No way!" The Syndicate shot to his feet, so shocked he could barely speak.