"Everyone, give me a number. I need an inventory of all available personnel."
"I am taking temporary command. Any defiance or desertion will be dealt with on the spot!"
Though disgruntled, Zulu and Dino still carried out Putato's orders.
As the final headcount was reported by Zulu, Putato finally heard the sound he desired. The Work Card's judgment operated according to Khaji's thinking.
This guy was difficult. He wasn't entirely supportive of a leader seizing power through coercion or building his own Syndicate. He needed the majority of the Syndicate members to clearly express their approval of the promotion's legitimacy.
A temporary leader is still a leader!
[Congratulations on your promotion in Stray Dogs]
[Acquired Work Item: Violent Knuckles]
[Description: Adornment is not just about appealing to others, but also about displaying oneself.]
[Effect 1: These knuckles will amplify your intimidating aura.]
[Effect 2: These knuckles come with additional impact force when swung, determined by your violence index.]
Violence index?
Putato touched the cold knuckles in his pocket and immediately understood. It likely related to slaughter, torment, and evil deeds. He felt that both talents and items were highly correlated with the leader's style of the organization.
"Putato, what exactly do we do now?!"
Dino crossed his arms and spoke irritably. Gyeong-mi, however, had been settled in the underground room, and he actually seemed to be recovering well.
Putato, regaining his composure, clenched the knuckles. He didn't feel any domineering aura radiating from himself, yet the disrespectful gang members below all grew solemn. Even the two Executives were forced to stand firm by the invisible pressure in the factory.
This isn't bad! It'll be easier for him to climb higher in the future!
"Of course, we'll retaliate fiercely! Even if Gyeong-mi were awake, he would definitely do the same!"
"Contact everyone for me!"
While they were wasting words, Putato wanted to contact Molar Office, but unfortunately, Olga said the core mission of Myn Church couldn't be taken by an Office.
Unlike Syndicates, which relied on looting and burning, Office rules were relatively strict. Arbitrarily killing people brought them no significant profit. No commissions meant no Fixers would work.
"Putato, there's something I need to tell you. Do you want to contact Zwei Association?"
"Speak in detail."
Seeing Zulu approach and speak in a low voice, Putato immediately became alert. It turned out that Stray Dogs had some dealings with Zwei Association South Section 6, which was responsible for security.
Each Association basically divided into different branches, and under each branch were several departments responsible for different duties, with Section 1 usually being the strongest.
"That guy is the Director of Section 6, a Grade 5 Fixer named Walter. He previously paid us to provide a culprit for some cases he was investigating. He's very concerned about his achievements."
"I mean, should we make a deal with him? After all, Myn Church has a lot of members."
"Communicator."
Putato didn't hesitate to call. He cared nothing for the other party's Director title, nor for Stray Dogs.
"Gyeong-mi, my dealing with you doesn't mean we have any friendship, am I right?"
A haughty middle-aged man's voice came through. This guy must be Walter, even more arrogant than Gyeong-mi. It was hard to imagine how the two managed to strike a deal.
"Careful, Walter. Yesterday, a Myn Church You You You priest was brought to the commercial district, right?"
"I don't care about such trivial matters, nor am I interested in discussing family affairs with you. Let Gyeong-mi answer the phone if he's speaking."
"Now, another priest has brought a bunch of wolf-men over. They definitely aren't going for coffee. I remember that place is under Zwei Association's jurisdiction, am I right?"
The other end was silent for a moment.
"Who are you? Do you think I'm so easily intimidated? You want to use me as a tool, am I right?"
"Haha, well, the unlucky bastard who can't protect his territory and gets reprimanded won't be me then. You should also be able to find someone to take the blame. Since we're not very concerned about this, then goodbye."
"Wait! What's the location? How many of them are there?"
Putato coldly described all the cult members he had just encountered, adding that Gyeong-mi had even been knocked out by that priest.
Even if Walter despised Syndicates, Gyeong-mi's strength wouldn't change because of others' opinions. This cultist incident would be very difficult to resolve, but it was also an opportunity.
"Hmph, kid, I really dislike dogs, because they'll bark indiscriminately without any self-awareness. Do you think I'm right?"
Before Putato could retort, this old Association member proactively hung up, not even waiting for him to prove the reliability of his information. To be honest, it was Putato's first time experiencing such harsh words, and this guy was truly irritating!
However, this fellow was too obsessed with achieving merit; he would at least send people to investigate. This way, the commercial district could hold off the two You You You priests.
Putato believed that even within Myn Church, there wouldn't be many individuals with transformation abilities. Otherwise, they could simply mass-produce them and violently seize territory instead of proselytizing.
"Then the bear-man will be dealt with by Zwei Association. We leave now!"
The Stray Dogs clamored onto their vehicles, calling out to friends and allies, creating a formidable presence. As a Syndicate affiliated with the Thumb, Stray Dogs commanded high rallying power in this regard.
"But where are we going? Are we attacking the cult's headquarters? Do you know how many crazy believers there are?"
"Of course not. You'll create chaos in the cult district, while I'll personally infiltrate the grand cathedral to find the antidote."
"Possible."
"Say no more, my mind is made up!"
Who cares what you think? Dino merely felt that Putato alone wouldn't be able to infiltrate the Me Me Me grand cathedral. Suddenly, Putato pulled out his communicator. It displayed a message from Olga.
[Olga: Vanda, don't get hung up on this cult mission. I heard Full-Stop Office took on the assassination mission for the Me Me Me Pontiff. I really envy those guys with connections in the Association.]
[Vanda: Really? It won't be today, will it?]
[Olga: Of course. Otherwise, why do you think we take on these missions? It's just to clear the path for those connections first.]
[Olga: But who can blame them? They have both strength and professional matching. Tsk tsk tsk, Offices that can use specialized firearms also make me envious.]
[Olga: Oh, your Grade 7 license is coming down soon. I'll treat you to drinks then.]
Alright. Putato ignored all that, feeling that this operation was blessed by the heavens. Today, he would investigate the truth of Myn Church.
"Here."
Putato got off the car and saw a part of The Backstreets completely different from other places.
Cats and dogs ran everywhere, and the ground was covered with unprocessed feces and urine. Even so, there were many crude sewer cat dens along the roadside.
Putato frowned, trying to ignore the pungent mixed smell, and was surprised to see people who didn't bathe or wear clothes at all.
These crazed, devout followers simply didn't belong at a dinner table. They desperately wanted to conform to their dogma and embrace the light of freedom.
A man huddled in a corner was merely kicked, then sprang up neurotically, huffing. He slapped his assailant, only to have his throat angrily bitten out in return.
"What the hell is this place?!"
Even the gang members stared blankly at the absurd scene unfolding before them. The next moment, the worshipers, sensing intruders, gathered like packs of stray dogs.
Putato felt the name Stray Dogs was more fitting for them.
"Feigning ignorance is useless! Attack them all!"
Ducking to narrowly avoid the feces and urine thrown at him, Putato immediately felt this place was fraught with extreme danger, simply a biological refuse pile!
Upon first entering, they only encountered minor harassment. But as they pushed towards the edge of the grand cathedral, they immediately met with massive resistance.
"Lift up all these paper box rooms and wooden plank rooms for me!"
"I'll leave this to you. I'll contact you with the communicator later."
Putato hastily retreated, dodging a forklift that collided onto the path beside him. Those guys immediately blocked the road with the forklift, apparently very skilled at dealing with intruders.
No one stepped forward to communicate. The crazed cultists, with metal finger caps installed on their fingers, immediately lunged forward, their posture suggesting they wanted to tear the invaders into eight pieces.
BANG!
Zulu punched one to the ground, then looked down disdainfully at the bloody mess at his feet. Turning, he single-handedly hoisted a fuel barrel and swung it forward.
CRACK.
He pulled out a lighter and lit a gasoline-soaked torch, then nodded towards Putato.
"Go. We'll hold the line here, but you need to be quick. With so many people, there's no way we can hold them for you for three days and three nights."
Zulu immediately swung forward with immense force.
BOOM!
The billowing heat made Putato squint. He hastily ran towards a nearby alley. The fighting here was truly too wild. The explosion even stirred up a gust of foul, hot wind.
Putato suppressed the urge to vomit, scrambling up the short buildings. He quickly traversed the rooftops, only then realizing that the tallest houses here were no more than two stories high.
Large sections of architecture resembled perilous Domino constructions made from haphazardly stacked building materials. Putato merely misstepped on a piece of cardboard, falling to the ground, and the flimsy house collapsed, followed by others.
"Damn it, there's not even a proper path! These cultists exploit people to the bone, too viciously!"
Putato's foot landed on an earthen wall smeared with vibrant paint. Crude, abrupt lines depicted a middle-aged man's face. Irregular blocks of color, constrained by minimalist lines, created a sense of explosive visual impact.
Lifting his other leg, Putato leaped onto a red-and-gray mottled rooftop. He looked up and saw a grand cathedral of immense scale in the distance.
Looking down, he saw the cluttered residential areas brutally divided into districts by roads. All those cultists remained in their own territories, observing the commotion from afar.
"Those guys really treat themselves like dogs, very territorial."
"Even more insane than Backstreet 23!"
In such chaotic circumstances, the madmen in other territories didn't dare to venture out. Thus, the road at this moment was wide open and unobstructed, if one ignored the excrement.
Putato gritted his teeth and sprinted down the road. As long as he moved fast enough, no one would persistently chase him.
"Ooh-aah!"
A disheveled, filthy woman, clinging to a broken streetlight, shrieked at Putato. As Putato crossed the intersection's bloodstain, she hunched over and lunged.
The putrid stench, combined with the woman's sharp, rusty claw-caps, made Putato pause. Then, he decisively pulled out the newly acquired Violent Knuckles. With a dazzling golden flash, Putato swung his fist with all his might.
BANG!
To Putato's utter surprise, the enormous impact force directly sent the woman slamming against the wall. Putato stared dumbfounded at the struggling woman stuck in the wall's indentation, then at his own golden knuckles.
"Damn, is this power?"
Reacting, Putato was overcome with wild joy, running even faster and with more power. Nothing could stop his violence!
After vigorously pushing through three squares, Putato finally arrived at the foot of the Me Me Me Grand Cathedral. There were no buildings or people nearby, evidently to avoid taboo.
Crude, reinforced concrete pillars were brutally driven into the central open ground. Sixteen sturdy columns held the inky black grand cathedral stably in the air. Large steel beams intersected between the columns, forming a forest, which left Putato utterly shocked.
"What kind of paint is this? It's so black?!"
Putato could only vaguely make out the cathedral's exterior by daylight. The conical cathedral was covered in various unsettling holes. Its unusually irregular surface entirely lacked any sacred religious aura.
More like an ant's nest pushed up from the ground than a place of pilgrimage, Putato's thoughts were quickly cut off by the numerous wolf-men climbing down between the sixteen columns.
Putato hastily huddled against the wall to hide. The peculiar structure made infiltrating the cathedral alone an impossible task. There wasn't even an elevator; how were the believers supposed to go up?
Surely one didn't have to transform into a beast to have the right to climb up and meet the Pontiff.
"Putato."
Clutching his Violent Knuckles, Putato turned to swing his right fist, but surprisingly paused his somewhat reckless movement. The person who arrived was Elena!
"Why are you here?!"
"I, I wanted to watch you."
What kind of monstrous cat is this?!
A chill rose from the bottom of Putato's heart. He immediately remembered that Elena seemed to have developed a taste for this since the Prosthetic clinic, and hastily pressed his bewildered questions.
A phantom-like Bloodfiend cat was constantly following him. How was Putato supposed to defend against this? No one could be vigilant 24 hours a day; Putato wasn't a cyborg.
"So, what did you see?"
"Just you."
Elena was completely oblivious to Putato's strangeness. She took cat-like steps, leaping onto Putato's shoulder, intimately nuzzling against the exposed blood vessels on Putato's neck.
"I have important business; I don't have time to play with you here!"
Gripping the hilt of Honesuki with his left hand, Putato irritably snapped. He then heard a loud crash from within the grand cathedral.
Was it the Full-Stop Office's assassination?
Putato leaned out, only to realize that all the wolf-men swinging between the columns were now climbing up in single file, scurrying into the grand cathedral through various holes on its exterior. Their roars instantly filled his ears.
"Good opportunity! Elena, you stay here for now. We'll talk about drinking blood tonight!"
"Wait."
Putato turned and impatiently glared at Elena. If this Bloodfiend became any more irritating, he would seriously act.
"You want to go up?"
"Nonsense!"
The next moment, Putato felt cold darkness engulf him. His collar was immediately seized, lifting his entire body into the air.
Putato focused, only to realize that Elena had, in broad daylight, transformed into a massive, crimson beast, precisely holding him aloft. Her crimson, translucent pupils watched him.
Her eyes were so translucent that Putato could even see his own reflection. He then became excited.
However, before Putato could speak, Elena completely swallowed him. The thick scent of blood enveloped Putato from all directions. He could only clench his teeth and endure.
Putato struggled to control his balance, feeling lightheaded. The intense shaking and spinning made him feel like he was about to vomit. This was even more uncomfortable than Olga's drinking sessions.
A large swath of white light appeared.
Putato, spit out, leaned against the inky black cathedral's corner and gagged. Behind him, Elena, swaying her black cat tail, seemed to be laughing.