"How's the man... they couldn't save him?"
"I understand. Take good care of his wife and daughter. Tell his wife not to worry about money—I'll support them until their daughter finishes her studies and can live independently."
"I'll handle the Red Fang Gang myself."
"And at Reginald's funeral… convey my sincere apologies."
---
Night had fallen over an abandoned office building. Jiang Ge stood outside, speaking quietly into his phone with his informant.
He hadn't expected the Red Fang Gang to respond so quickly. It had only been a few hours since he'd sent word that morning—and yet, their reply had come in a most brutal form.
They hadn't sent a message.
They'd sent a corpse.
Reginald, the informant who had delivered Jiang Ge's proposal, had been captured, tortured for hours, and left half-dead—all to force out information about "Good Enough."
Reginald was no stranger. He was one of Jiang Ge's earliest operatives—loyal, capable, and sharp. Though he had never met Jiang Ge face-to-face, his work had earned the latter's respect. It was largely because of him that "Good Enough" had managed to make contact with the Red Fang Gang so quickly.
Who could have predicted it would end like this?
By the time the other informants tracked him down and broke into the gang's temporary base to retrieve him, it was already too late. Reginald died en route to the hospital.
Even as his consciousness faded, he had clutched one of their hands and whispered—over and over—that he hadn't revealed a single word about Jiang Ge or Good Enough. His final request had been for Jiang Ge to look after his wife and daughter.
The Red Fang Gang, meanwhile, had already begun spreading the word: they'd killed one of Good Enough's men. It was a deliberate move to show dominance—to tell the city they were not afraid.
Maybe they thought Jiang Ge had gone soft. Maybe they believed that the man behind Good Enough was content to let his underlings handle everything while he sat behind a desk, collecting money.
If so, they were about to learn how wrong they were.
After wiring a large sum of money to the team that had retrieved Reginald's body, Jiang Ge told them he would personally handle the matter from here on out.
Now, he stood outside the building where Reginald had been tortured—the same place the Red Fang Gang had taken over as their temporary base.
Even from afar, he could see their members patrolling. Jiang Ge adjusted his coat and calmly walked toward the entrance.
When the thugs noticed him, they moved in fast, surrounding him. Jiang Ge tugged his hat lower, hiding his eyes beneath the brim.
"Hey, where the hell do you think you're going?" one of the gangsters barked. Judging by his tone, he was probably a mid-level lackey. "You've got guts walking onto Red Fang turf this late at night."
Jiang Ge smiled faintly. "Tell your boss, White Miguel, that the head of Good Enough is here to see him."
For a moment, the thugs just stared. Then, laughter broke out around him.
"You? The Boss of Good Enough? Sure thing, old man. And I'm the chief of public security!"
"You can call yourself whatever you like," Jiang Ge replied calmly. "But hurry up and fetch your master. Dogs shouldn't keep their betters waiting."
That hit a nerve. The minor leader's grin vanished as his hand went to his weapon—but something in Jiang Ge's demeanor stopped him.
No sane man would walk into Red Fang territory alone, unarmed, using the name of Good Enough—unless he had absolute confidence. Either this man was suicidal, or he was dangerous beyond reason.
The leader hesitated, then scowled. "Fine. You wait here. I'll call the boss."
"Hm. Seems there are clever dogs after all," Jiang Ge murmured.
"Shut your mouth," the leader snapped, but he still barked at his men, "Don't touch him. Not a single finger!"
After a few tense minutes, the leader returned, motioning Jiang Ge to follow.
"The boss will see you."
Without a word, Jiang Ge walked past them, his pace steady, forcing the others to rush to keep up. They entered the building and took a creaking elevator to the 19th floor.
The place was a wreck—cracked walls, broken windows, and the faint stench of blood. Clearly a temporary hideout.
When the door opened, Jiang Ge found himself facing a white-haired man in a tailored suit lounging in a chair. Around him were at least a dozen armed men, their eyes cold and hungry.
"My, my," the man said with mock surprise. "So the legendary mastermind behind Good Enough honors me with his presence. Please, have a seat."
Before he even finished, Jiang Ge had already sat down without hesitation. The gesture wiped the smirk right off White Miguel's face.
Still, he recovered quickly, plastering on a grin. "So, to what do we owe the pleasure?"
Jiang Ge ignored the pleasantries.
"I'm here for two things," he said flatly. "First, to ask why you killed my man. He was only delivering a message."
White Miguel let out an exaggerated sigh and dabbed fake tears from his eyes. "Ah, you mean Reginald! Such a stubborn one—refused to say a word, even under torture. A loyal subordinate indeed. You must be proud."
He glanced at Jiang Ge, hoping to see anger, grief—something. But the man before him only smiled.
It wasn't a pleasant smile. It was cold, lifeless… the kind of smile that made the hair on the back of Miguel's neck stand up.
"My question," Jiang Ge said quietly, "was why. Don't change the subject."
Miguel's grin faltered. "M-Mr. Goodenough, you see, small organizations like ours have it hard. When he said he was working for you, we got scared—someone panicked, and… an accident happened. That's all it was!"
Jiang Ge said nothing. He just watched him, smiling faintly.
The silence pressed in. Even surrounded by his own men, Miguel felt sweat running down his back.
Finally, desperate to break the tension, he barked, "Then what's the second thing?"
"Hand over the item you stole."
"Give it to you?!" Miguel laughed, but it came out strained. "Do you have any idea how much effort it took to get that thing?"
"If you hadn't touched my man," Jiang Ge replied, voice as calm as ever, "I would've been willing to negotiate—pay a fair price, even. But you don't seem to understand the phrase harmony brings wealth."
Miguel grit his teeth. "That— that was—"
Jiang Ge raised a hand, cutting him off.
"You're probably wondering why the Boss of Good Enough would show his face in person, aren't you? Why risk it?"
Miguel's eyes widened slightly.
"Simple," Jiang Ge continued. "Those who've seen my face are either my closest allies… or dead men. Which one do you think you'll be?"
Miguel understood instantly. He drew his pistol and leveled it at Jiang Ge's head. Every gangster in the room followed suit.
But Jiang Ge didn't even blink. He only muttered softly, almost to himself—
"Guess I'm using this one again. A sledgehammer for an ant, really."
"What did you just say?" Miguel snapped.
Jiang Ge smiled.
"I said—Firefly Type IV, activate."
In the next instant, Miguel's world shattered.
The figure before him shimmered and transformed—a silver-haired girl stood where Jiang Ge had been, her face blank and emotionless. In her hands was a compact, humming device.
A beam of fire roared upward, blowing apart the ceiling. The explosion ripped through the floor, turning every scream into silence.
Before his body hit the ground, White Miguel caught one final glimpse of a massive, silver-white mecha standing in the wreckage, its visor glowing red.
A cold, synthetic voice echoed through the burning ruins:
"Mission One: Secure the safe.
Mission Two: Eliminate hostiles.
One hundred and fifty life forms detected.
Execute Scorched Earth Protocol."
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A/n: While I am a new translator, I have a Patreon! While it may be a bit empty right now both this and the other book on my page has advanced chapters posted on patreon. Set up for my web novel will be 2 chapters for every book a day and if you go to my patreon you'll see the set up there.
patreon.com/deadlygoober