Jill Young didn't show any special expression; she just looked at Cake Dog calmly. Cake Dog, on the other hand, instinctively dared not act up. He straightened his face and solemnly said, "To be honest, I don't know. I couldn't stop him at the time. He was fierce, just a bit weaker than you, unstoppable. He broke through my blockade to chase the Syndicate, even briefly took control of the cockpit. Then I heard the announcement over the intercom, and heard your conversation. Just as I was about to intercept, I heard gunshots."
Up to this point, everything happened just like that day. Jill Young nodded and said, "And then?"
"Then I don't know," Cake Dog replied. "The Syndicate showed up, safe and sound. Derek Cheng never appeared again. Honestly, I don't think the Syndicate has the skills to take down Derek Cheng, but that's how it went. I'm not lying."
Everyone in the room fell silent, exchanging looks without saying a word.
After a moment, Xiao Di lifted her head from Jill Young's embrace. There were no tears on her face, but her eyes were bloodshot. "I want to give him a grand funeral. Tomorrow. Start preparing right away." Xiao Di's voice was heavy.
But Jill Young shook her head. "No."
Xiao Di stared at her in disbelief and screamed, "What did you say?"
"I said no!" Jill Young grabbed Xiao Di's shoulder, gritting her teeth. "What we need now isn't a funeral, but revenge! Find the Syndicate, catch him, kill him, and then—then it's time for a funeral! Only then..." Jill Young patted Xiao Di's head gently and said softly, "Only then do we have the right to put up a tombstone, write his epitaph. Right?"
Xiao Di stared blankly at Jill Young. After a long pause, she nodded hard, and the light seemed to return to her eyes. "Right!"
"Alright, time to get to work." Jill Young let go of Xiao Di and walked over to Cake Dog. Looking down at Cake Dog, who was sitting on the floor, Jill's shadow—cast by the chandelier—loomed large and long, swallowing up Cake Dog's entire view. "I don't have to kill you," Jill's face got close to Cake Dog's, wearing the same look villains have in movies when they catch an underground agent. "But you know what you have to do, right...?"
"I get it, I get it!" Cake Dog swallowed nervously and nodded like crazy. Some people, even when their whole worldview has crumbled, are still worth fearing.
In the days that followed, No One Under Heaven pulled off a series of moves that made all of Steelbull City stop and stare. This gang, barely out of diapers, launched another massive campaign in no time, swallowing up scattered blocks and taking huge bites out of the old Dog Squad’s turf. Normally, a newbie gang like this—even if they’re full of energy—shouldn’t be this trigger-happy. Outsiders were buzzing, totally baffled by what Jill Young was up to.
The Syndicate’s a cautious bunch—they’ve got cameras in every base. The day Cake Dog went down, the boss saw everything and immediately put someone else in charge of the Dog Squad to handle the showdown with No One Under Heaven. All those elaborate plans—baiting Cake Dog, undercover ops, double agents, counterspies—ended up dead on arrival.
They didn’t catch the Syndicate boss himself, but the operation to cut his wings never stopped. With Cake Dog—the deadliest traitor—on board, the Dog Squad barely put up a fight. And with Morning Star, another big Syndicate crew, jumping into the fray, Queen’s District turned into a full-blown war zone. In these battles, Xiao Di was always the first to charge, fearless and relentless. She poured all her hate into her fighting spirit, often ending up covered in scars. At night, she darted through gunfire; by day, she kicked off a wave of assassinations. The hospital Eternal Night Holdings bought? She was a regular.
It didn’t take long for her to become a legend. As No One Under Heaven’s vanguard, everyone knew her name—and as the Queen’s merciless sword, everyone feared her. Jill Young noticed something was off, but hey, raging emotions need an outlet. Xiao Di, who’s danced with death for ages, isn’t the type to break down and cry like a regular girl, so she vents through explosions and bullets instead.
Someone else also stepped into the spotlight thanks to these fights. Enter: Cake Dog, rocking a dress, high heels, and heavy makeup, swaying with every step—pure diva mode. After a short meltdown, Cake Dog rebuilt his worldview: he’s now all-in on the True*Queen path. He switched sides to No One Under Heaven, started fresh as a grunt, and shot up the ranks fast.
As the Dog Squad’s original boss and founder, his skills were leagues ahead of the Syndicate’s new guy. No One Under Heaven had brains and brawn, but Cake Dog’s arrival plugged their intel gap big time. His info was always spot-on, steering the gang’s firepower exactly where it needed to go.
When the dust finally settled, Queen’s District was split in two. Eight blocks went to No One Under Heaven. The other eight? Morning Star’s turf. Without Cake Dog, the Dog Squad wasn’t the Dog Squad anymore—the once-mighty gang didn’t survive the showdown.
Morning Star and No One Under Heaven both realized the other was no pushover. Morning Star’s crew were tough fighters, but No One Under Heaven’s top guns were downright scary. Fighting more wouldn’t get them anywhere, so they called it quits—for now.
Of course, a bunch of other wannabes tried to mess things up too. Drug dealers, gambling rings—anyone whose business got hit wanted a piece of No One Under Heaven. The Syndicate probably made shady deals with their bosses, but none of these little schemes worked. All crashed and burned.
See, during all this chaos, Jill Young never left her command post. No matter how wild things got outside, No One Under Heaven’s four core blocks stayed calm as a lake. Jill was like the anchor keeping the storm at bay—nothing shook her.
Honestly, it’s pretty wild. Jill Young isn’t the type to put on a show just to keep morale up. She just does her thing—eats ice cream at her favorite dessert shop, strolls through her usual garden, chats and jokes with her crew, or waves cash around to expand Eternal Night Holdings’ turf. These everyday moves kept those four blocks rock-solid.
Ask Jill Young, “How’d you pull it off?” and she’ll just look confused and ask back, “Pull off what?” Yep, that’s her for you.
Finally, the chaos faded. Queen’s District was peaceful again—well, for now. That day, Cake Dog had scooped up loads of intel, Xiao Di had cooled off a bit, and Pierce had cornered the district’s drug trade. On that day, the No One Under Heaven higher-ups got together for a meeting.
Of course, they didn’t meet in Xiao Di’s ex-boyfriend’s crummy apartment anymore—it was now the Dog Squad’s rooftop villa. The building sat squarely in No One Under Heaven’s turf and had become their new HQ, no questions asked.
"Got any intel?" Jill Young slouched into the couch. "We’ve stirred up the pond so much, all kinds of fish have surfaced. Any sign of that old turtle, the Syndicate boss?" The whole point of the chaos was to flush him out and clean up unstable factors—otherwise, Pierce wouldn’t have had such an easy time.
But Pierce just shook his head. "Nope. The Syndicate’s old fox is slippery as ever, hiding out with no trace at all."
"So you’re telling me all my near-death heroics were for nothing?!" Xiao Di slammed the table, fuming.
"Easy, easy, it wasn’t for nothing!" Pierce wiped sweat off his brow, trying to calm her down. "I did figure something out: the Syndicate boss is basically a businessman—a tycoon, not some warlord. He runs a bunch of gangs, sure, but he doesn’t care about turf. As long as people keep spending, he profits off the business. Headquarters? Hideouts? Doesn’t matter. Syndicate Tower’s just a building—he could go ten years without stepping foot inside."
"So you’re saying we’ve been hammering away at a nail, but turns out it’s just a lump of Play-Doh?" Xiao Di grumbled.
"Pretty much. We’ve been swinging at the wrong target." Pierce shrugged. "No matter how much turf we grab, it doesn’t touch his business empire. He can just lay low in the background."
"So what you’re saying is—" Jill Young snapped her fingers, looking suddenly enlightened. "All your life-or-death brawling was less effective than me playing around buying up shops?"
"Uh..." Pierce and Xiao Di exchanged a look, smacked their foreheads, and reluctantly nodded. "As much as we hate to admit it, your shopping spree actually hit the mark."
"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let’s keep going!" Jill Young jumped up. "If you want to kill a snake, go for the seven inches; if you want to take someone down, hit their weak spot. All we need to do is hammer the Syndicate’s financial lifeline."
"Hold up, don’t rush off yet. There’s something important I need to tell you." Pierce quickly stopped Jill Young, looking deadly serious. "I’ve got a major mission for you."
"Major mission?" Pierce had never talked to her like this before—not even when they climbed this building last time—so Jill Young raised an eyebrow. "How major?"
"Life and death major." Pierce might as well have "serious" written on his face. "Do it right, and you’ll soar to the top. Mess it up, and you’ll crash and burn—no comeback."
Jill Young perked up—she lives for big missions. "So what’s the job?"
Pierce answered solemnly: "Babysitting."
Jill Young’s eyes narrowed instantly, scanning for something handy. Hmm, that marble ashtray looked pretty solid.
"Wait, wait, boss, let me finish!" Pierce panicked, launching into a rapid-fire spiel: "Not just any kid—the most powerful, influential kid in all of Steelbull City! That girl’s not even legal yet, but every move she makes has a thousand eyes on her. If she nods, a third-rate gang could skyrocket overnight and rule the block. If she frowns, a crew like Black Pearl could collapse before sunrise! Now she’s named Queen’s District as her destination, and No One Under Heaven as her host. Only you, boss, have the clout to greet her!"
"Oh? Sounds pretty intense." Jill Young put down the ashtray for now, squinting. "So who is this little terror? Some lunatic’s kid?" In Steelbull City, only maniacs get that kind of privilege.
But Pierce shook his head, his face all serious again. "She’s got an even bigger background—way bigger. Maniacs are tough, but they’ve got nothing on her. She’s the heir of Steelbull City’s last overlord, the sole inheritor of the boss’s bloodline. Folks call her: Lady of the Night."