Steven tossed the remaining grenade to Alan and charged forward, leading the way. The others followed closely behind. Steven held a knife in one hand and a gun in the other as he stormed up to the third floor. Sam's henchmen were disoriented by the sudden explosion of the grenade thrown by Steven. Before they could react, Steven and his team were already upon them. Sam's henchmen were frightened and scattered in all directions. Watching his panicked henchmen, Sam remained silent and sat on the ground.

Steven approached Sam, kicked the gun out of his hand, and then pointed his gun at Sam's head, "Sam, you've lost!" Sam suddenly raised his head and asked, "Who are you?"

Steven pulled a long black card from his pocket, with a red "Kill" word prominently displayed in the middle.

Sam looked at the card and exclaimed, "The Black Card!! You're Nightmare!" Seeing the confirmation from the other side, Sam closed his eyes, seemingly resigned to his fate. Steven slowly began to squeeze the trigger.

Just then, a small dagger fell into Sam's hand from his wrist, and in the instant that Steven pulled the trigger, the flying dagger shot toward his throat.

Steven thought that Sam had given up resistance, but he didn't expect that he could fight back. He just instinctively turned his upper body to the side, and the dagger flew out against his neck. Steven touched his hand and found a two-inch-long gash on his neck, and blood stained his hand.

While Steven was evading, Sam swiftly ran downstairs. The others were chasing Sam's henchmen and were caught off guard by this sudden turn of events. Sam crawled and rolled through the crowd and made it to the second floor. Alan, holding a machete, blocked his path. Sam shouted, "Get out of my way!"

Alan smiled faintly and said, "Sam, today is your ending!" He swung the machete towards him. Sam dodged it and tried to create some distance to continue running, but Alan's blade didn't let him succeed. Alan followed up with a swift backhand strike, the blade whistling towards Sam. Sam screamed and tumbled on the ground. Just as he was about to get up, a black card fell from above.

The card slowly descended before Sam's eyes, and a dark barrel pointed right at him. The person holding the gun seemed to have three eyes, and it was none other than Steven, whom Sam's flying knife had failed to kill. But he didn't have a chance to ponder the identity of this person. Steven pulled the trigger without hesitation, a gunshot rang out, and a bloody hole appeared in the center of Sam's forehead. He fell to the ground lifeless, and the black card landed by his feet.

Alan looked at Sam on the ground and then at Steven, noticing the injury on Steven's neck. He hurriedly asked, "Are you hurt?"

Steven shook his head, used a handkerchief to cover the wound on his neck, and sighed, "Sam was quite a character!" Alan smiled and nodded.

The two quickly cleaned up the scene and had someone carry the injured person out of the gambling city. Steven approached Louis's car parked at the door, opened the door, and said softly, "Louis, it's over!"

Louis smiled, picked up his phone, and called Dante, "My business is done. You can send your people now!"

"You're finally done. The police have been calling nonstop. They'll be here soon. Get out of there quickly and avoid being seen!"

"I know. I transferred two hundred thousand to your account this morning. You saw it, right?"

"I saw it!"

"Alright, that's it then."

"Okay, goodbye!"

Louis hung up the phone, and once Steven and Alan were in the car, he signaled the driver to go. The car headed straight for Ghost KTV. The others took the injured to the hospital and, to avoid suspicion made up an excuse that they were caught in a gang fight. These individuals were not quick to reveal they were collateral damage.

When Louis and the others arrived at Ghost KTV, it was already crowded with Nightmare's guys. The key members of the club had already completed their assigned tasks and had come back early to wait for Louis and the others. In their anxious moment, when they saw Louis and Steven return, they urgently asked, "Louis! How did it go?"

Louis looked at everyone and loudly exclaimed, "From now on, Sam's territory is ours!"

After hearing this, the crowd fell silent for a moment, and then Jack screamed, lifted Louis up, and shouted loudly, "Long live Louis! Long live Nightmare!" Others joined in the cheering. The atmosphere in the KTV suddenly became electric. The joy in everyone's hearts was indescribable. The gang not only defeated a formidable enemy once again but also finally opened up the route to the central region. They wouldn't have to hide in this remote corner of the south anymore.

While one side celebrated, the other side mourned. Tonight, was a sleepless night for Nightmare, but it was the most painful night for Tiger. Five of their territories were attacked by Dragon suddenly, causing heavy losses. Then they received the news of Sam's death, leaving them without their only ally. Tiger's leader, Abel, was furious and cursed his subordinates, holding a grudge against Dragon.

That night, all the police officers worked night shifts, and the entire city was under strict security. They checked all motor vehicles entering and leaving the city. Dragon decided to withdraw its members as well. Tiger had wanted to pursue them, but with the police all over the city, they had no choice but to give up.

Sam's group suffered heavy blows from Nightmare in a single night, with eight of their establishments being hit. The remaining remnants of Oxe, who had scattered, disappeared forever with Sam's death. The other four factions were also shaken by Nightmare's lightning-fast attacks, except for Liu Qing, and everyone felt vulnerable.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

On the second day, Nightmare officially took control of Sam's territory, and in no time, Nightmare had gained eight more territories, including the underground casino in the Northern Hotel. Louis didn't dismiss the employees of the original casino; instead, he allowed them to stay and maintain the casino's business, announcing a three-fold increase in wages for those willing to stay. These people had been making a living here, and although the owner had changed, the fact that the new owner not only didn't kick them out but also raised their wages made them happy. None of them left, and the casino continued to operate.

In this battle, Nightmare suffered more than twenty casualties, including three deaths. Louis allocated five hundred thousand to compensate the families of the deceased, and the injured were also compensated. Nightmare took five days to reorganize the newly acquired territories.

During this time, Dragon and Tiger had several large-scale conflicts. Later, Emmanuel sent out invitations to the leaders of influential gangs, inviting them to a gathering hosted by Dragon. Given Dragon's prestige, everyone attended, except for their arch-enemy Devil, and of course, Louis was there too.

During the meeting, Emmanuel angrily accused Tiger: "Tiger is, after all, an outsider gang. Not only have they failed to follow the rules, but they have also repeatedly stirred up trouble. We all witnessed the mysterious death of Oxe's leader. If we don't unite to strike against Tiger, what happened to Oxe today could be our fate tomorrow!"

The leaders of the various gangs whispered to each other when they heard this. In truth, there were very few among them who hadn't been bullied by Tiger. Because Tiger was too powerful, they dared not speak out and could only endure. Emmanuel's words struck a chord with them.

Louis knew that this was the time for someone to stand up and speak, to motivate others. So he stood up and said, "I'm the youngest one here, a junior, and I shouldn't have a say, but I also want to say a few words. I don't know if anyone objects?"

Louis spoke politely, but his strength was evident. No one dared to underestimate this young man, and the others said one after another, "Louis is a young hero; of course, he has the right to speak!"

Louis nodded to the crowd, then looked at Emmanuel, who gave him a subtle nod of approval. Louis spoke, "Regarding Tiger, I agree with Emmanuel. The Russian mafia is looking for a foothold for smuggling, and they won't tolerate the presence of the J City underworld for their convenience and to eliminate competition. If we keep retreating, the only outcome will be our destruction. Oxe's downfall is not the end, but just the beginning. The next Tiger might target any one of us."

Louis paused, looked at the others, and noticed some sweating on the foreheads of the bosses. He continued, "In truth, there's nothing to fear about Tiger. Strong as they may seem, they're just an outsider gang with no roots here. If we can unite and collectively declare war on Tiger, the day they leave won't be far off!"

The crowd nodded in agreement, finding Louis's words to have some merit. However, they still had reservations, considering Tiger's power had become deeply entrenched over the past six months. Seeing everyone hesitating, Louis exclaimed angrily, "Are you all afraid of Tiger just because they have the Russian mafia backing them? This is no longer a simple gang dispute. Others have pushed us to the edge, and our peers from all over the province are watching us. If you want to play it safe, go hide like turtles. I'm announcing it now: Nightmare officially declares war on Tiger starting today!"

Louis's words were a mix of sincerity and frustration. While he may not have been a patriot, the timidity of those around him had ignited some anger within him. For the first time, Louis, usually well-spoken, used strong language in his speech.

The audience turned red-faced, and one of them slammed the table and stood up, saying, "Louis is right. I may not be a hero, but I have a sense of honor. From today, we declare war on Tiger!"

With one person taking the lead, other gang bosses began to stand up and declare their intent to wage war on Tiger. Following Emmanuel's proposal, all the gangs present at the meeting formed a temporary alliance, which would dissolve automatically after Tiger's defeat.

After the meeting concluded, the underworld experienced an unprecedented upheaval. Apart from a few small and isolated gangs, all the organized crime groups in the city directed their focus toward Tiger.

As the meeting adjourned, Louis and Emmanuel, in a silent understanding, stayed behind. After the others had left, Emmanuel extended his thumb and said to Louis, "Impressive, your speech back there moved me."

Louis shook his head and replied, "It was somewhat from the heart. These people are too timid, and they won't resist unless they are pushed to the limit. It's frustrating."

Emmanuel sighed, saying, "It's a common flaw in most people." Seeing Louis was in a bad mood, Emmanuel smiled and added, "Anyway, today we did quite well, and your reputation and influence among the gang leaders will rise. Today was indeed an exciting day. Come on, let's have a drink, just the two of us!"

Louis felt a sense of camaraderie with Emmanuel and grabbed his hand, saying, "Alright, we won't return until we're drunk, but you're treating!"

"Deal!" The two walked hand in hand towards the exit, with laughter occasionally echoing from a distance.

After the showdown with Sam, Nightmare expanded its territory by eight more districts, making it one of the most powerful gangs in the city, second only to Tiger, Dragon, and Devil. People from far and wide came to join during the five-day reorganization period, numbering in the thousands. Louis realized that with the expansion of their turf, they needed more manpower, so he assigned Steven, Alan, and Jerry to recruit new members, emphasizing the need for quality over quantity.

The three of them took Louis's instructions seriously, and out of the over a thousand applicants, only a hundred were accepted. Jerry, being the first to choose, selected twenty of the most promising individuals, saying, "I'm sorry, but I've set my sights on these twenty; they'll be under my training."

This decision left Steven and Alan dissatisfied. Steven exclaimed, "You've chosen already? These twenty are the best among the recruits. Why do they all have to go to you?" Alan nodded in agreement.

"Louis said I could freely pick talent within the gang," Jerry retorted, leaving Steven and Alan without a response. Jerry then led his chosen twenty members away, leaving Steven fuming.

Angrily, Steven picked thirty individuals from the remaining pool of recruits he deemed suitable and rushed off without saying a word. Alan was left alone, frustrated by the situation. He selected twenty individuals from the remaining recruits and told them firmly, "You'll be under my command from now on."

When Jack and Henry arrived, they were surprised to see only twenty-something recruits left. Jack questioned, "Where are the others? Weren't there supposed to be a hundred?" Henry also found it strange that there were only a few recruits remaining. One of them spoke up, "There were originally a hundred, but over seventy of them were taken by others."

Jack exclaimed, "They've taken recruits so quickly! Steven, Jerry, and Alan are going too far!" He then grabbed Henry and said, "Let's go find them and demand recruits!" Before leaving, he shouted, "The rest of you, follow me!"

A recruit asked, "What about me?" Jack replied, "Henry, didn't I just help you get some recruits?" Henry hesitated but eventually said, "...Shit."