Two more days passed.
The event some had been eagerly anticipating finally unfolded.
As a certain faction was leaving town, a conflict erupted with the Mayor's forces over "road tolls." The skirmish ended with casualties on both sides, acting like the first firework in a display - triggering an incredibly intense chain reaction.
The Mayor's faction never expected anyone to actually fight back. Since Mayor Ruby took office and crushed all dissenters years ago, this was the first organization brave enough to bare its fangs—and actually bite.
What's more, it was just a small, nameless group.
To ensure they could finish "harvesting the leavings" and to reassert their authority, the Mayor's inner circle immediately mobilized their troops to suppress the resistance at their headquarters.
To their surprise, while the resistance fought back fiercely, they secretly dispatched a task force to raid the Town Hall.
As plumes of black smoke spiraled over the Town Hall, countless onlookers wore expressions of sheer disbelief. The sheer audacity of the group led many to believe they had truly lost their minds.
No one could fathom where they found the courage. Were they truly unafraid of death? Or did they have someone backing them?
Soon, when another group appeared wearing strange attire, that question was answered
----
The Underdome.
As the younger brother of Duking, the uncrowned king of Pyrite Town, Silva ran an identical arena in the Underdome, though he had always remained much more low-profile than his brother.
Who could have guessed he would take the initiative to clash with the Mayor's faction this time? And his reasoning was rock-solid:
"To resolve disputes, the Mayor's faction is hereby ordered to provide a reasonable explanation for the recent extortionate fees and the disruption of Pyrite Town's peace and order."
The implication was clear: spit out everything they had swallowed and offer a formal apology.
This threw the Mayor's lackeys into a panic. They frantically tried to contact Mayor Ruby, who was currently "cooling his heels" far away in Phenac City. Unfortunately, the Mayor couldn't rush back, and he certainly didn't realize that the "small profit" his subordinates mentioned was actually a massive fortune.
He only learned the true extent of the situation from Silva's mouth.
Ruby initially tried to contact Silva's brother, Duking, but the latter refused to pick up the phone. Left with no choice, the Mayor was forced into an awkward long-distance negotiation with Silva.
Silva, however, gave him no face at all. He demanded not only the return of all the wealth extorted over the past few days but also a public apology from the Mayor and everyone in the Town Hall.
There was no way the Mayor could accept this. It wasn't just about losing face; if he actually did it, his political career would be over—and he might even lose his life.
After all, the Town Hall symbolized the prestige of Es Gan, the Mayor of Phenac City. It was the physical manifestation of his will imposed upon Pyrite Town.
In his desperation, Mayor Ruby chose a single tactic: "Stall."
Stall until the higher-ups were willing to see him. Stall until he could return to Pyrite Town to handle things personally.
But he didn't realize that his "stalling tactic," which had been invincible in the past, only served to show other organizations how "feeble" the Town Hall had become.
Many organizations in Pyrite Town harbored old grudges and new hatreds. The only reason these hadn't exploded into large-scale conflict was because Silva and Duking had allowed the Mayor's forces to suppress all dissent.
Now that the Mayor's faction looked weak, and seeing Team Snagem growing fat and wealthy from recent events, many organizations were consumed by uncontrollable envy.
Who wouldn't want to make a fortune over the corpses of others?
Team Snarl's internal split wasn't over yet; they were still in the middle of negotiations with Team Snagem. This led many to feel: If Team Snagem can do it, so can we.
An eerie atmosphere began to brew within Pyrite Town.
On the other side, a stalemate formed between Silva's Underdome and the Mayor's forces. The small organization that had started the conflict managed to survive in the cracks, leaving many dumbfounded.
But why was Silva doing something so thankless?
The fundamental reason was that the two brothers chose to stay low-profile because they hoped for Pyrite Town's stable development. They truly didn't want to go back to the era of gang wars every three days. The Mayor's recent actions were undoubtedly destroying that stability, so they had to step up.
However, there was one more crucial point.
"Silva is on our side too?"
"In terms of stance, he indeed stands with us. He truly hopes we can bring a brighter future to Orre," Yamamino explained to Kashiwagi. "But we can't rely on him too much. His main responsibility is to pin down the Mayor's forces and his brother."
"Duking's history is quite complicated," Yamamino continued. "Once he realized that no matter who replaced the leaders of Orre, the result was always the same, he completely gave up hope for Orre's revival. Because of that, he's extremely stubborn."
"I see..."
"Someone is going to snap soon. Just watch."
The day after Yamamino said those words, Pyrite Town fell into chaos.
The organization belonging to that "Rap Guy" Kashiwagi had once fought declared war on a rival group they had a long-standing grudge against, launching an invasion of their territory.
This move drew everyone's eyes toward the two largest powers currently in a stalemate.
When people realized that neither side was truly intervening—only issuing hollow warnings that the groups "firing the first shot" shouldn't let things escalate beyond the surface—the city went wild.
The chaos that would engulf all of Pyrite Town had officially begun.
----
The Office Building
"In two days, Team Snagem will begin its further encroachment into Team Snarl."
Ryuka stood at the front, addressing the group. "Gemat has been successfully recruited by the Crystal Unit. When the time comes, he and his subordinates will coordinate with us from the inside to launch a surprise attack on Roki's territory."
He glanced at Kashiwagi and added specifically, "During the mine dispute over a week ago, Roki dueled Boss Soshiro. Soshiro won by trading blow for blow, and Roki has been bedridden and unable to leave his room ever since returning to Team Snarl's base."
"While this wasn't part of our plan, it has further fueled the ambitions of Team Snagem's Rock and Crystal Units."
Holy cow! Kashiwagi thought.
Talk about a godsend! He was quite surprised; he didn't expect Team Snagem to have such good luck. He just wondered if Soshiro had recovered yet; he looked pretty banged up the last time Kashiwagi saw him.
"Roki has a fiery temper and is highly likely to make unwise moves. Our primary objective is to ensure Team Snagem successfully takes Roki's territory and to bait the Crystal Unit into testing the territory of the other Top Executive."
Ryuka spoke softly as he handed out documents. "These are your basic assignments. I will adjust them based on the situation on the ground."
"Understood!" came the synchronized response.
Kashiwagi looked at the file in his hand. It clearly recorded his tasks: "Defeat official Team Snarl members, persuade peripheral members to surrender. Prioritize your own safety first, then ensure the safety of the general public."
The general public... Right. This wasn't a raid on a mine; it was a move against territory within the town. It was only natural that civilians would be caught in the crossfire.
The more chaotic Pyrite Town became, the higher their chances of success, but it was unavoidable that ordinary people would be affected. Such was the reality of their limited strength.
"It's impossible to account for everything. All we can do is grit our teeth and keep moving forward. As for right or wrong, we can settle that after the dust has settled," Frobo whispered, as if reading his mind.
"Yes. If a peaceful transition were possible, no one would want it to come to this. But the root cause lies in the greed and predatory nature of those people. We don't have the right to decide for everyone, but we also can't sit by and watch tragedies continue to happen," another member added slowly.
Kashiwagi looked at them. He didn't see any sign of "passing the buck" on those faces. Instead, he saw a profound sense of mission—as if they were ready to shoulder all the responsibility themselves.
This was a team with unshakeable convictions, unafraid to sacrifice themselves.