A few days later.
Dirk Street, a bar.
"Boss, we got it! The Jack Gang has been taken care of!"
Inside a bar owned by Hogg United, Aman slammed a blood-stained box onto the table in front of Qingshui.
Qingshui opened the box.
Inside was a human head.
After comparing the facial features to a photo of Jack next to him, Qingshui waved his hand at Aman.
"Well done. You can split the cash from the Jack Gang yourselves. The rest goes to the public fund. Then, go to the accountant and get another three hundred thousand dollars to split according to the rules. For the next few days, you can enjoy yourselves."
Qingshui smiled, watching the rapidly filling progress bar on his panel.
"Thank you, Boss!"
"Thanks, Boss!"
"Woohoo! Brothers! Tonight, I'm getting ten hot girls! Ten!"
After bantering with his subordinates, Qingshui tossed the box with Jack's head to the subordinate specifically in charge of such tasks and went up to his office on the third floor.
Hogg United's current sphere of influence was now quite significant among the second-tier gangs in Gotham.
The accountant had found a way to bribe a detective inspector in the Gotham City Police Department, and it was rumored that Gordon had already noticed Hogg United, a gang that had risen so quickly.
"We need to lay low for a while to avoid causing too much trouble. Getting the attention of the Gotham City Police Department can be dealt with in many ways, but if Batman and those Bat-brats notice us, it might be detrimental to our future development."
Qingshui tapped his fingers on the desk, waiting and contemplating with his eyes closed.
"Moreover, just getting involved with an inspector who's only recently entered the mid-level of the local police department isn't enough. We also need to build good relationships with high-ranking officers like superintendents and deputy chiefs, as well as political figures in Gotham."
Many of these figures were protectors and collaborators of Gotham's underworld, and they received a fair amount of tribute from Gotham's criminal organizations each year.
They not only needed wealth to maintain a lavish lifestyle but also substantial wealth to maintain their status and power.
The lines between the criminal underworld and legitimate society were blurred and tangled.
Hogg United had now reached a point where it had to engage with these people.
Without certain connections in the legitimate world, one couldn't truly become a top-tier gang boss who could navigate both sides of the law.
It was a shame he wasn't like Harvey Dent, who used to be Gotham's District Attorney, nor had he cultivated his influence for years like Falcone or Penguin.
In terms of that kind of foundation, Hogg United was still far behind.
Hogg United's current status was achieved by his superhuman combat power; he only had a few genuinely capable subordinates.
Hogg United now needed to lie low, consolidate its strength, recruit new members, train existing ones, and secretly develop affiliated gangs.
Just like the Sons of the Scepter were to Falcone, or the Kohl Gang once was to the Two-Face Gang.
This allowed for a relatively covert expansion of influence and also provided a pool from which excellent members could be drawn into his own gang at any time.
…
It was time!
Qingshui's eyes snapped open.
His main body in the Naruto World also temporarily stopped its work of accounting in the warehouse.
After Hogg United had annexed so much territory and initially consolidated it, the progress bar was finally full!
"Hoo…"
Qingshui let out a long breath and rubbed his hands.
"What? Are you tired?"
Pakura, who was beside him, asked with concern.
"A little. I'll go back and rest. I'll rely on you for now. Next time, it'll be your turn to rest, and I'll take over."
Qingshui rubbed his temples and stretched.
The last time he projected an Avatar, he felt quite listless for a while, and it would probably be the same this time.
"These tasks are indeed not easy, but compared to our comrades fighting on the front lines, we are very fortunate."
Pakura sighed and stretched as well.
"Yes, that's why we need to get stronger as quickly as possible. If we could also have strength as powerful as Master Chiyo's, the village would lose far fewer people, and the war could end sooner."
Qingshui patted Pakura's fragrant shoulder.
Then, an awkward moment occurred.
Perhaps because of her previous stretch, Pakura's shoulder strap was a bit askew, and when Qingshui patted her, it slipped down.
And as everyone knew, Pakura liked to wear backless light purple outfits, so a small, almost imperceptible amount of skin was revealed.
"Ahem, sorry, I didn't mean to."
Qingshui turned around awkwardly, coughing twice.
Pakura's pretty face flushed red as she fixed her shoulder strap.
Good thing Baki had gone to the warehouse to move things; otherwise, it would have been even more awkward.
"Um… you should go back and rest. I'll watch things here." Pakura said, trying to act nonchalant.
"Alright!"
Qingshui fled back to his tent as if running for his life, lying down on the small bed he'd made using Earth Release combined with chopped wood.
Current Progress: 0.58%
Worlds Unlocked: 2
The second world had indeed unlocked!
Qingshui didn't dare to delay, mentally tapping the button.
A black vortex appeared, once again engulfing a wisp of Qingshui's consciousness.
...
...
Mountains loomed majestically, and a gentle breeze caressed the air.
Soft sunlight streamed into the antique room, awakening the young man.
"My name is still Qingshui, Uesugi Qingshui."
Qingshui rubbed his temples, sorting through some of this Avatar's memories. He glanced around, then at his body, finally catching his reflection in the glass window.
He looked older than his original body but younger than his DC Universe Avatar, around sixteen or seventeen, and quite handsome.
Feeling the smooth, comfortable fabric of his clothes and seeing the meticulously decorated courtyard outside the window, Qingshui could at least confirm that this body's family background was likely quite good.
"Uesugi Qingshui, Koga City, Konan Town… My dad's the town chief?"
This body's origins were indeed quite favorable.
The Uesugi Clan was an old, established family in the Koga region; their ancestors were daimyo during the Warring States period, and Qingshui's branch was still quite prominent.
His father, Uesugi Shin, was the chief of Konan Town and also served as a local council member for the Koga region. His eldest uncle seemed to be a high-ranking official with significant status in the police system, and his third uncle was a well-known wealthy merchant in the area.
As for him, Qingshui, he was Uesugi Shin's second son, sixteen years old. He had a twenty-three-year-old elder brother, Uesugi Shirakawa, who was not yet married and worked in business. With the family's support, his business was quite successful.
Below him was an eleven-year-old younger brother, Uesugi Itta, who was still in school and excelled academically, consistently ranking first in his grade. His mother had died in childbirth when he was born.
In contrast, Qingshui seemed to be the least promising of Uesugi Shin's three sons. Not only had he dropped out of school early, but he also spent his days carousing with a bunch of riff-raff, causing trouble and often turning Konan Town upside down.
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