"Allow me to introduce myself. I am the one who invited all of you here... and the president of the Workers—a group many of you aren't fond of. My name is Eugene. Nice to meet you." Eugene smiled as he descended the stairs.
He stopped in front of Samuel, Mandeok, and another unknown man wearing dirty clothes and a cap. "We are Gangnam's Workers."
His smile widened. "I know you're all busy, so I'll make this quick. We mustn't fight among ourselves. I'm sure you know the four major crews were created by Charles Choi to fund his business. Now that he's established himself, he's looking to eliminate all of us. That man is insane—he wouldn't hesitate to kill for it."
He clasped his hands behind his back and raised his head. "But the Workers can protect you. After all, we know his weakness. I want all of you to cooperate with us against Charles Choi. Not for free, of course."
Mandeok produced a briefcase and opened it, revealing stacks of cash. "Ten billion won for each crew head." Eugene pointed at Big Deal. "So, will Big Deal cooperate?"
Jerry started to protest, but Jake stopped him. "Big Deal will cooperate."
Right now, Jake's only goal was to save Sinu Han. He would do anything for that.
Eugene clapped his hands and turned to Hostel. "Next is Hostel. Will you cooperate with us?"
Eli sighed. "Hostel isn't like you. We're a family. We won't work with people like you."
Eugene removed his glasses and began cleaning them. "I expected as much. I didn't think you'd show up. My mistake."
He turned to Johan. "White Tiger Job Centre's manpower... Is God Dog willing to cooperate?"
Jason whispered to Jake, "Boss, do you think he'll cooperate?"
Jake shook his head. "No. The man backing him is terrifying. As long as he has that support, Johan doesn't need to join any alliance."
Johan sighed as Eugene extended his hand for a handshake. He grasped it, and Eugene smiled. "Just as I expected."
But Johan didn't shake—instead, he used Eugene's arm to pull himself up. He patted the dust from his pants. "President Eugene, I heard the Workers had dealings with the Pungsun cult. Did you know about that?"
Eugene smiled. "Yeah. We had some dealings."
Johan grabbed Eugene by the collar. Eugene's smile held, but Johan didn't punch him—he simply walked past. Eugene's expression faltered. Without looking back, Johan said, "Don't always look down on others like you're some god. There are plenty of demons out there who can butcher one."
Mandeok blocked Johan's path. Eugene moved behind him while Samuel and the man in the cap closed in from the sides.
"Where will you run now?"
Johan sighed and jumped. Mandeok grabbed his leg, but Johan twisted his body, stepped on Mandeok's face, and launched himself higher.
Warren walked in. "Oi, glasses. You're pretty ignorant. You gonna attack us now that we've declined?"
Eugene just smiled. Warren glanced at Jerry beside him. "...Oh. Now that Big Deal's joined the Workers, you're gonna fight for them?" He threw a one-inch punch at Jerry.
Jerry blocked with his forearm, but Warren's knuckles left an imprint.
Eli decided to join the fray. Suddenly, Jason and Brad from Big Deal jumped at Max and Derrick from Hostel. Both pairs fought evenly, though Jason and Brad seemed slightly superior.
Jake confronted Eli, throwing a straight punch. "I heard Gun trained you. I have no ill will toward Hostel, but this is important for Big Deal."
Eli ducked and grabbed Jake's collar in a feather choke. Jake started suffocating. Suddenly, Samuel jumped from behind and drove both legs into Eli's head.
The warehouse exploded into violence.
---
Johan landed on wooden crates after using Mandeok's face as a springboard. His vision suddenly blurred.
Mandeok cracked his neck and approached.
The man in the cap remained silent, dropping into a low stance with his hands in an unusual guard.
Mandeok charged with a punch. Johan shifted left. The fist smashed through the crates, wood exploding everywhere.
The cap guy was already moving, sweeping low at Johan's legs. Johan jumped and twisted mid-air, hitting the man's shoulder with a spinning kick, but he blocked it with his palm.
Mandeok didn't stop. He drove his fist into Johan's ribs. Johan's vision blurred as he took the hit, feeling the impact reverberate through him.
The force sent him sliding backward. Johan coughed, tasting blood. Mandeok's face was serious. "I am dissatisfied."
The cap guy rushed in with rapid strikes. Johan slipped the first two punches, but the third caught his cheek and snapped his head sideways. His blurred vision made it impossible to see clearly.
Johan's eyes flashed with anger. He drove his knee into the cap guy's stomach, lifting him off his feet. Before he could follow up, Mandeok grabbed his shoulder and hurled him across the room.
Johan crashed into metal containers.
---
Warren said, "Alright, let's end this quickly. I'm a busy man."
Jerry's jaw clenched. "I won't let you interfere."
Warren grinned. "I've wanted to face you for a long time."
They moved simultaneously.
Jerry's punch came at Warren. Warren sidestepped and drove hooks into Jerry's ribs and liver.
Jerry absorbed the blows. His face twisted in pain but he didn't fall. He grabbed for Warren with both hands. Warren ducked under and came up with an uppercut that connected with Jerry's jaw.
Jerry's head snapped back but his feet stayed planted. He swung a backhand that Warren barely dodged.
"Jerry Kwon, you bastard," Warren said. "Are you holding back because of Jake?"
Jerry charged, trying to corner Warren against a pillar. Warren slid between Jerry's legs at the last second and came up behind him, hitting his kidney hard. "You call yourself a man? You're avoiding me because of something like that? You're pathetic, Jerry." With that, Warren turned and walked away.
---
Eli released the choke when Samuel's kick hit his head. He stumbled forward and Jake gasped for air.
"Thanks," Jake wheezed.
Samuel was already past him, focused on Eli. "Were you the reason Gun didn't approve of me?"
Eli rubbed his head. "Why didn't he approve of you? I think I know the reason."
Samuel's eyes widened. "SERIOUSLY?!"
Eli's eyes went cold. "Yeah." Then he punched Samuel in the stomach. "Because you're just brute force."
Jake glanced at Eugene, who was clearly enjoying everything. "This was your real plan, wasn't it? To eliminate the competition."
---
Jason moved quickly as he fought Max, throwing a fast right that Max blocked. Max countered with rapid punches.
Jason drove forward with a shoulder tackle that sent Max stumbling. He followed with a knee that Max barely deflected off his ribs.
Nearby, Brad circled Derrick. Brad rushed in with a punch. Derrick ducked under it, grabbed Brad around the waist, and slammed him down.
Jason saw his partner go down and moved to help, but Max hit him with a flying knee to the chest. Jason caught Max mid-air and slammed him down next to Brad and Derrick.