Starting from that day, in a tiny residential block of the Queen's District, a gang called No One Under Heaven started making waves. In Steelbull City, gangs pop up every single day, and just as quickly, they get wiped out. Like last night, when three guys cleaned out those wannabe punks who tried to take over a neighborhood—yeah, that was probably a gang too. But gangs here sprout up like weeds, and just as fast, they get yanked out. Rarely does one actually break through.
But No One Under Heaven? This gang was different—they were rising fast and loud.
Day One, Night:
"You guys are the ones I picked, so don’t embarrass me, got it?" Xiao Di barked at six or seven of her crew, who stood stiff and silent, clearly having been put in their place. "Tonight’s target is that turf over there. Work hard, or get lost!" She waved her hand. "Let’s roll!"
Jill Young stood off to the side, saying nothing and keeping her hands clean—she just wanted to see what her fresh batch of recruits could do.
Day Two, Daytime:
"Pierce, buddy, the price I gave you is already fair. If it’s too rich for your blood, fine—don’t buy. Go find another supplier. But remember, if you get your stuff from someone else, don’t even think about selling on my turf. Otherwise…" A short, chunky guy slapped Pierce’s face. "I’ll mess you up for good."
With a belly laugh, the short guy drove off from the underground garage. Messing with a former big shot gave him endless satisfaction. No matter how strong Pierce’s old connections were, they couldn’t protect him forever. Now, nobody cared about him—perfect time to kick him while he’s down.
Pierce watched the taillights fade away, pulled out his phone, and said, "Go time."
Bang! Out of nowhere, a garbage truck barreled across and slammed straight into the short guy’s ride. A runaway heavy truck smashed into the sedan—just like that, a wreck happened. While the garbage truck driver panicked and flailed around, it took a whole fifteen minutes before they finally dragged the short guy out of his mangled car.
"I’m not gonna kill you. I want you alive," Pierce muttered, watching the ambulance scream away. "Stick around and witness me climbing back to the top."
Day Three, Night:
Jill Young was having a blast on the pirate ship swing in the middle of the neighborhood. This was the same turf Jill snatched on day one. Back then, only those punky wannabes could play here—regular folks weren’t allowed. Today, when Jill showed up, she found a seven or eight-year-old girl in pajamas already swinging away, her sky-blue hair catching everyone’s eye.
The little girl was sharp—playing but always keeping an eye on her surroundings. As soon as she spotted Jill, she bolted. Two minutes later, Jill grabbed her by the collar and hauled her back. First, the kid tried the puppy-eyes routine, but when that didn’t work, she switched to kicking and punching. Jill just flicked her on the forehead and tossed her right into the pirate ship swing.
Ten minutes later, the two of them were having a great time—or more like, Jill was having a blast, while the little girl looked pale, since Jill was swinging way too high.
During their chat, Jill found out the kid’s name was Little Blue—probably for her hair. Little Blue was the ringleader of the block, gutsy enough to play where the punks used to rule. If she thought it was safe, she’d call her buddies over. If not, she’d bail instantly. Six years old and never missed a beat, so all the kids under twelve looked up to her as the boss.
"Are you... are you the new boss here?" The little girl stared wide-eyed, a little nervous but also curious about Jill. This lady was nothing like the old bullies. Her bright white hair floated in the night air, dreamy as could be.
"Nope," Jill replied, catching the girl off guard.
"No?" The little girl blinked, confused. "Then how come you’re playing on the swing here?"
"Boss isn’t my thing, so I’m not taking the job." Jill ruffled her blue hair into a bird’s nest. "From now on, you’re the boss here. All the kids are under you. Tell your crew—they can play whenever they want, no need to hide from anyone."
Jingle-jingle, her phone rang—Xiao Di had just bought her a new one, a knockoff almost as good as an iPhone 8S. Xiao Di’s voice came through: "Just got word, there’s a crew heading your way—" Two gunshots popped, Xiao Di paused, then kept talking: "Anyway, that’s it—busy over here."
Jill hung up, waited for the swing to hit its highest point, then did a backflip and landed perfectly on a pull-up bar. She listened—footsteps, at least twenty or thirty people closing in on the street corner.
Twenty or thirty? No big deal. Unless they’ve got heavy firepower and a bunch of folks as tough as Xiao Di, it’s not even a threat.
Jill figured out where they were coming from, hopped off the bar, and strolled away like it was nothing. Little Blue’s voice echoed from behind, swinging up and down with the motion: "If you’re not the boss, what should I call you?"
Jill didn’t look back: "Call me Queen."
"Queen..." Under the platinum night, she looked like some kind of mesmerizing spirit, leaving the kid a little starstruck.
Day Four...
Day Five...
Day Seven, Early Morning.
The darkest hour before dawn. Jill Young and Xiao Di stood at the mouth of an alley, backed by over thirty crew members. The alley looked ordinary—red brick walls on both sides, barely three meters wide, just like any random backstreet in the city. But insiders knew better: this alley represented a whole block, one of the wildest, most chaotic neighborhoods around.
This block was crawling with crooks and gangs. Nobody respected anyone else, so this chaos alley became the symbol of the whole neighborhood—the biggest, baddest hotspot for shady business around.
The block was starting to feel like a mini commercial strip. Shops lined the main street, which meant more protection money to collect. And this alley in the back? Prime spot for recruiting new crew. That’s why Xiao Di picked it as No One Under Heaven’s tenth conquest.
Jill and Xiao Di faced a packed alley—everybody in there was ripped and had that look in their eyes.
"Wh-why..." Xiao Di squinted at Jill. "Why do they look so ready for us? Like they’ve teamed up against outsiders?"
Jill shrugged, totally unbothered: "Oh, I dropped off a challenge letter here two days ago."
Xiao Di’s eyes went wide. "A challenge letter?"
"Yep. Found the boss of one of the bigger gangs, ambushed him, stripped him down, painted a few words on his chest in bright red, and tossed him at the alley entrance." Jill nodded, chin in hand. "Looks like it worked—everyone showed up."
"Worked? Are you nuts!" Xiao Di nearly lost it, grabbing Jill by the collar and shaking her. "You think this is ancient history? Dropping challenge letters? You’re out of your mind! I just set up a plan for a lightning raid, and you blew it!"
"Chill, chill." Jill patted Xiao Di’s shoulder, trying to calm her down. "Your way just kicks them out. Then they’ll hate us, harass us, and keep coming back for trouble. But I don’t want to just occupy—I want to conquer. When they’re all ready and we crush them head-on, all they’ll have left is fear and surrender."
Jill pointed at the crowd in the alley. "This is our recruitment center—like a cathedral in Steelbull City. We gotta be so strong nobody dares to argue."
"You’re a real piece of work!" Xiao Di gritted her teeth. (Author’s Note: Overtime today, got home late, sorry! Another chapter coming soon.)