Chapter 05: Gang Fight

Two groups of people with various expressions were facing each other in an alleyway. They held various objects that could be used as weapons and some of them you wouldn’t even expect to be possible to be used as weapons, like a spoon. The atmosphere was really heavy and any passerby would immediately run away if they saw these people.

“Hey Shark, aren’t you guys being a little bit too suicidal? Out of all groups in this city and you chose us to fight? You should go back and suck on your mom’s tits eyy?” a man with tiny eyes wearing a blue bandana said to a man who seemed to perpetually have a cigarette in his mouth.

Shark simply stood there unmoving with a hand in his pocket grabbing onto something while the other was holding the cigarette in his mouth. His scarred face was really intimidating that the weaker people in the enemy camp were a bit scared especially with his inaction after the provocation.  Jay, the person who taunted him, had a vein bulging on his forehead but he knew that the person opposite him not someone to be belittled. When the cigarette in Shark’s mouth almost finished burning, he flicked it upwards and said a word with a flat tone which prompted the violence that’d soon occur, “Kill.”

The two groups finally clashed with the other and a bloody battle commenced. A man on Shark’s side swung the pipe he was holding and managed to hit his opponent right in the face but the next instance, he was stabbed at the ribs with a karambit knife and blood started gushing out. Mustering what strength he had left in him, he grabbed the attacker’s hand and pulled him close before biting his neck.

On the side of this carnage, two people stood unharmed and stared at each other. It was an unspoken rule in the underworld for other people not to interrupt a fight between leaders hence there were an empty space around the two.  Shark, though a quiet person, was never a patient one. Not standing the inaction, he finally took out the knife he had been holding since earlier and dashed towards the bandana guy.

The guy smiled as he saw Shark coming but rather than facing off against him, he fled backwards towards where the crowd was fighting. Shark frowned at this but he followed nevertheless.  People tried to stay clear of their fight but some just don’t know their place and attacked Shark but he easily took their lives with a slash to the neck or a stab through the heart. When talking about precision in a knife fight, Shark was the best in his gang. Even Anna had to rely on outside factor to win against him head on.

Seeing that people were dying one after another after approaching Shark, others who had any ideas on killing him retreated as they knew they stood no chance against him. Shark chased the bandana guy until they reached inside a narrow alley. The place was behind an apartment complex and on the railing leading upstairs stood a few people who were definitely someone from the enemy side.

Shark had a feeling that this was a trap but he followed bandana guy nonetheless. As for what might happen, as long as he’s cautious enough, he’s confident in winning the fight. About ten metres away from shark, bandana guy turned around and and smiled widely at Shark.

“You’re really confident aren’t you? Well whatever. Makes things easier.” in his hands, bandana guy wielded a pair of brass knuckles. He had learnt boxing since he was little so he’s more proficient with fist fighting rather than using other weapons.  His attacking range may be short but his lethality was definitely no less than someone using knife or steel pipe.

With his cowardly opponent finally meeting him face to face, Shark didn’t give his opponent any chance to run away again and leapt at him. He made a downward slash which was dodged by bandana guy. He moved his body to the left and then used his left fist to punch Shark’s elbow.

Having used to fighting, Shark’s senses helped him avoid a fatal blow by pushing to left with his right leg and while he was at it, he raised his left leg and made a back kick to bandana guy’s stomach. Bandana wanted to block it but he was half a step late.

“Guh.” Bandana guy staggered backward and Shark took this opportunity to make some distance between them. His shoulder was still hurting and was almost dislocated so he twisted them a bit which made cracking sounds to prevent any unwanted injury.

“Heh. As expected of someone known as the Combat Demon. It’s really a waste for you to be in the Red Demon gang.” The bandana guy held his stomach with one hand but he was still laughing despite the pain. An insignificant pain this won’t make a veteran fighter like him cry like a baby. “Why don’t you join us, Shark? It’s far better than you following that immature little girl who knows nothing about the world. In fact, isn’t it better if you’re the one leading the gang? Why don’t you just kill her off and assume the leader position?”

Shark, who had a calm countenance during the whole ordeal, was suddenly angered after hearing bandana guy’s insult to his leader. Outsiders may not know this but Shark, the first person who followed Anna, was clear of how much she had sacrificed in order to get this far. She had also told him the reason why she’s doing this and since then, he had made a vow to himself to help Anna until she reach her goal. As a person, she truly was someone to be respected and Shark won’t allow anybody to taint her reputation.

Bandana guy who saw Shark’s reaction after his taunt sneered in his heart, ‘It seems like what boss said was right,’ he felt really nervous since he knew when Shark became enraged, even a hundred men may not be able to stop him, let alone a lone man like him. He may be good at fighting but when facing a monster like Shark; he would be overjoyed if he came out alive.  Nevertheless, they were at a place where he had set his trap so he was assured of his life. He raised his hands to as a signal to the people that had been hiding here.

Ten men holding handguns suddenly appeared from the apartment’s balconies. Nowadays, the distribution of guns is extremely strict. Even high-ranked policemen wouldn’t necessarily be given one, let alone a normal civilian.  All guns production was handled by the government and others that were found making them would be sentenced to death, no exception. After the apocalypse, people deemed that guns were only for those who were worthy of them thus limiting the

Yet now, there were ten people with guns at this one place. Even the experienced Shark was shocked at this scene. He knew that bandana guy had brought him to a trap but he didn’t think that there would be guns. He himself knew how hard it was to get a hold of one and even then he didn’t manage to get it. His connections were unable to help procure one for him. This made him think about the bandana guy’s boss, leader of Empty Box.

From the stories, he rarely showed himself but when he did, there would definitely be death. Another reason for Anna choosing Empty Box as their current target was because the fear instilled into the masses by the gang leader. Thinking that if they were to eradicate Empty Box now, civilians would not cause much trouble in their expansion. She always said that matters of the underworld should be done in the dark; the masses should not be involved unnecessarily. Even their businesses, only people who were doing something ‘out of sight’ would get involved with their gang. For things that are in the gray area, she approved some of them and otherwise for others.

Faced with ten guns, Shark couldn’t just resign himself to fate, no. He’d been living by relying on himself, winning battles that should have killed him countless times. He’d be damned to give up right now. When there is life there is hope. Seeing bandana guy with a smirk giving the signal, Shark sprung towards him. Bandana guy didn’t expect that and barely managed to retaliate with a punch to Shark’s chest. Ignoring the pain, Shark took hold of bandana guy’s collar and made him into a meat shield.

One of the gunners seeing Shark’s action immediately released a shot which was according to Shark’s plan. The bullet hit bandana guy’s arm, eliciting a shriek from him. Being shot was even more painful that being stabbed by a knife. Not only was his body intruded upon, the impact of the bullet when landing felt as if he was hit with a cannonball, not that he had been hit by one. This error made the other gunners hesitate but remembering their boss’ order, they decided to sacrifice bandana guy in order to kill Shark.

Things were going smoothly for Shark but he didn’t expect that these people would be so merciless so as to kill a top dog in Empty Box. To think that his life was more important than their own member’s. The only thing that he could do for now was holding on to his meat shield and hope that no bullet would hit him.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

A few more shots resounded and three of them hit bandana guy, ending his life in a moment. Blood flowed at where the bullets grazed on his body but a minor pain like that was nothing to Shark. As much as he hate owing anything to luck, he got to admit that he really was lucky that none of the bullets landed. He hoped that this would last while he retreated slowly outside of the alley but life just decided to put a stick in his ass at this moment.

Three of ten gunners moved their position so as to hit Shark from behind. They jumped from one balcony to another and one almost fell but grabbed on the railing before starting to move again. “These bastards,” Shark cursed at them, his face distorting into a scowl.

Just as he was about to attempt a last-minute effort which would leave his back wide open, he heard a youthful voice yelling probably to him, “Scarface, jump right!” With him having no more idea on what to do, he decided to just follow it. He might die anyway so why not just do it? Who knows that maybe his life might be persevered? YOLO!

Letting go of the body, he pushed himself according to the voice; a bullet hitting the ground right after an exploding sound reverberated. Guessing the trajectory, Shark knew that had he not moved, his head would’ve been splattered by now. He saw that one gunner that was moving earlier already reaching a position ideal for killing him but thanks to the voice, he barely escaped death. He didn’t know who the voice belonged to be he felt that it was not an enemy, hopefully.

The gunner was shocked that his shot missed but remembering that someone had warned Shark, he turned towards where the voice came from and roared, “Who’s there! Fucking show yourself!” To his frustration, nobody replied and the darkness was not helping either. He was so close to killing the target but because of someone stupidly interrupting, making Shark dodge, he had lost his chance to rise in rank. And it sounded like a kid too! He swore that if he found that bastard, he’d skin him alive and hang it on his wall.

Hiding beside a dumpster pinching his nose was Ray. He had been walking around for the whole day and for every moment that passed, the giddier he felt. He knew that something was definitely happening and finally he stumbled upon the scene where Shark was fighting the now dead bandana guy. A feeling of apprehension appeared when he saw the gunners but he composed himself, thinking that he was not the target and so he focused solely on the scene with his head peering out a bit from the dumpster.

When the one who aimed at Shark from behind released the shot, Ray experienced a bizarre sensation. It was as if the world was moving extremely slowly. He could see the expression of Shark that was borderline despairing but still persevered until the end. He turned to look at the ground near his feet and could clearly perceive each and every grain of pebble and sand. Thinking that the scarred guy would die if he does nothing, he immediately shouted to warn him before that sensation disappeared.

He wondered why that happened. It’s on a different level than when he was in the training room. Was it because he was using his power as an observer rather than for himself? A few more questions popped up but he doesn’t have the time to dwell on them. Shark had escaped the bullet but more were coming and he had now lost his shield.

Three people pulled their trigger and everything slowed down again for Ray. He immediately shouted at Shark to leap backwards, and that’s exactly what he did, successfully dodging the bullets. The sensation was now gone again but this time, Ray felt his head throbbing from a headache. He knew that something this convenient would come with a price and this headache was definitely it. He felt that he could trigger the sensation again but not for much more.

Not wanting to waste any more time, he started shouting commands to Shark that would hopefully help him escape after activating his ability again, this time with his own will. “Forward! Look out from above, run!” his eyes started straining with the headache worsening. Seeing Shark already running towards him, he let out a smile but it stiffened when a bullet shot Shark’s leg, launching his body forward.

Now, he was only around ten metres away from Shark though he was currently out of the gunners’ sight, he won’t be able to help Shark unless he revealed himself and the gunners had started getting closer to them, not wanting Shark to get out of range.

“I don’t have a choice do I? Fuck it! Let’s just do this.” Activating his power one more time, he sprinted towards Shark and tried lifting his body but was barely able to do so with his meagre strength. The gunners were getting closer so he decided to just drag Shark’s body out of the alley.

Bang!

A shot missed them but it did graze his shirt. He blanked out for a moment but soon realized that he had no time to waste unless he wanted to die. Dragging Shark who was groaning from the pain almost took everything he had.

The person who shot Shark in the leg was happy that he would at least get some credit for killing Shark but he didn’t expect that someone would suddenly appear from behind a dumpster and rescue him. That person moved so fast that their shot could at most graze him with none hitting the target. He felt cheated, like he had won the lottery but the money was stolen right after he claimed it.

Ray felt the headache worsening and he was no longer able to control that sensation anymore. A screen suddenly appeared but he had no time to read it so he pushed it aside. They were almost out of the alley and though there might be less people outside considering the time, it’s safer to be on the main road rather than in an alley.

“Finally. Made it.” He dragged Shark into a nearby 24/7 convenience store and finally took a long and deep breather to calm his nervousness. The clerk inside was surprised to see them appearing with one being dragged in. When he saw the bloodied Shark, his face showed terror but he tried and made as small of a reaction as possible. Ray had a feeling that this person might have experienced this kind of thing at least once before.

Shark noticed where he was in and said to the clerk while suppressing the pain, “Get me antiseptic… and some bandage too.” He then turned to Ray and thought that he had never seen this person before in the gang. If so, why did he save him? Or was it an enemy trap? When this thought came to mind, he immediately guarded himself.

Ray seeing Shark glaring at him simply shrugged and took a bottle out from the fridge before putting money on the counter. When the clerk came back to the front, he handed Shark the thing he wanted and resumed his work. Seeing the money on the counter and the bottle Ray was holding, he just kept in inside the cash register, not even bothering to give Ray the balance, he was too scared to think about it.

Shark rolled up his pants to dig out the bullet in his left leg. It wasn’t buried deep but doing so would still hurt. Pouring antiseptic on his hands and the place where the bullet was, he then dug it out barehanded. Hissing in pain, the bullet was successfully extracted and he poured another batch of antiseptic before bandaging it. Taking a few breaths in, he then calmed his mind before facing the person who just saved him. He was curious as to why he had done so without any reason, or perhaps there was. The only thing to make sure of it now was to ask, politely or not.

“Why did you save me?” Shark asked.

Ray looked at him for a moment before replying, “Immediately getting to the point I see. Not that it matters.” Bringing the bottle closer to his mouth, he took in another gulp. “I did it because I wanted to. No other reason.” He smiled at Shark which only made him feel apprehension.

Shark stared back incredulously at Ray. In all his life, never had there been someone who involved himself in a gang fight just because. Betrayals were the norm in the underground world so Ray’s words were incomprehensible to him. Nevertheless, this youth had saved him so would first confirm his purpose before deciding what to do.

“By the way,” Ray started, “why are you guys fighting anyway? I’m not one to bother with this kind of thing until just recently. Mind sharing with me?” his eyes looking at Shark sparkled in pure curiosity.

Since this matter was pretty much an open secret, Shark told him about his gang, Red Demon, wanting to expand and in order to do so, they must take hold of another gang’s area of influence. They planned to control the underworld and become the top-ranked gang. Ray listened carefully and nodded his head in understanding, becoming more and more interested in the underground world.

After his story ended, Ray’s eyes were practically glittering with a wide smile on his face. In his mind, a few choices appeared. First was joining an existing gang which would help him learn more about the underworld bit by bit, though he’d have to start as a grunt which was not something he wanted. Another was to create his own gang and try ruling the underworld like what Shark’s gang was planning but then he’d have to do management work, which he has no interest in. Lastly, he could become a support for an existing gang, like an investment, and help the gang grow.

It didn’t take him long to choose and so he decided, “When everything’s over, would you mind bringing me to your leader?” he told Shark of his intention. Shark looked at him weirdly but then he just nodded in agreement. They traded their contact info before Shark said he needed to go back to support his gang.

When the clerk saw Shark leaving, he breathed a sigh of relief but was still alert since Ray was still there. The conversation of the two scared him shitless but with his professionalism, he kept silent during the whole time. Ray glanced at him and put a finger at his lips while smiling before leaving the shop.

Outside, he stretched his body and finally remembered the screen that appeared earlier while he was running away. He focused on it again and what he saw made him surprised, happy and made him nod with understanding.

New Ability Gained 

Extreme Perception 

Using the holder’s mental energy, perception would be increased to an extreme level which would enable the holder to see everything in existence in perfect clarity which causes the holder’s sense of time to be distorted.

He now understood the sensation earlier. There was one thing that puzzled him though. The notice didn’t appear during the first time he activated the ability. It appeared when he was going to save Shark. Thinking it carefully, he hypothesized that it would only activate once he had an inkling of understanding about the ability.

Then what about the first time he got his abilities?

Shrugging, he propped it to the choker showing him what he could do with it. Even if he wanted to research more, it’s not possible with the lack of research subject. He opened his status screen to see how much mental energy the skill used.

Status

Name: Ray Starlight

Race: Human

Age: 18

Sex: Male

Faction: N/A

Guild: N/A

Strength: 9

Agility: 9

Intellect: 50

Dexterity: 20

Stamina: 14/77

Mental Energy: 83/250

It looked like his walk these few days had been worthwhile. His strength had increased by one and his stamina seven. From the decrease of mental energy, he felt that each activation required 50 mental energy and if he sustained it longer than a certain period, it would drain each mental energy by the second.

All in all, this night had been fruitful to him. Not only did he get a new ability, he even got a connection with a rising underworld gang. As for how their relationship will go, he’d have to wait until the gang fight ends.

He went back home with his “babysitters” following him in the shadows. He wondered why these guys didn’t help him. Perhaps it wasn’t in their contract? Whatever. As long as they didn’t hinder his plan, he didn’t care about his parents’ arrangement.