BXBX NOVEL Chapter 219: Bullets have no morals. [2/2]
It only made sense. If the fighting would eventually reach Earth, hoping that it wouldn\'t was nothing but pure madness.
\'Right, getting a mafia family under my control would be useful. And if they end up betraying me, I have no qualms about killing them all.\'
I had already made up my mind, but I wanted to prod Vincent further.
"Does your master know that you are looking for reapers?"
"He may or may not, at the moment he pays little attention to anything but sex and drugs."
"If I help you and he comes, what will you do?"
"Raymond Gertrude never earned the loyalty of my family in the first place. He merely forced us to follow him. Despite the blood we shed on his behalf, my master sees us as nothing more than fodder. If we do not leave now, we will be destroyed by his senseless whims."
"And you think I would be different?"
"Yes," Vincent said with certainty.
"Why?"
"My lord, for the Formless Reapers you fought a Revenant. Instead of forming armies from the strong, you deliberately uplifted the weak. As a gangster, I have a good eye for people. I am sure I am not wrong."
"Ho? Then what do you think of me?"
"You are merciless and domineering. Your 26 murders are proof of that. Yet you would die for those you consider your own. And I can feel the storm brewing, and you are at the center of it, my lord."
"If I asked your family to give up a life of crime. Would you listen?" I asked curiously.
"Yes, my lord. As the current head of the Deryck family. I declare that we are willing to follow you for a chance to become Reapers."
"You should know how the life of a reaper goes. Just because I give you my protection does not mean that your family will survive in Hellsgate. You should be aware of that, right?"
"Yes, my lord."
"If you were to betray me, I would not only slaughter you, but also your entire family. If that were my condition, would you still agree?" I threatened, invoking death resonance.
"Yes, my lord. We are prepared."
"Last question, how did you know I was in Phoenix?"
"My master gave me access to your records. We have been looking for you since you were recruited. Your adoptive family, the Simmons, and your ex-girlfriend, Caroline Fisher, have been under surveillance for a week now.
"When you finally returned to the Simmons, we tried to find a way to contact you. Our records showed that you once rode a Cadillac Escalade and liked it. So we found all the Cadillac dealers in Phoenix and bought them all."
I knew he said they were part of the infamous Gambino crime family. But this bastard just revealed that not only had he been stalking me and my family, but he even had records of my preferences.
\'He must have read Aira\'s records. Aira was the one who recommended the Escalade to me in the first place. But why the hell was this information given to Raymond?\'
Annoyed, I gritted my teeth and sighed in defeat. It was nothing but a waste of energy to scold a gangster for acting like one. If even Noelle could find me, there was no reason a mafia family with resources could not.
"Fuck, all this trouble because I didn\'t want to use an Uber anymore."
Like a giant hamster, Vincent remained prostrate, waiting for my words. I used {Listen} to hear his pulse, and it was extremely fast. I watched his body for a few seconds and noticed how tense his body language was.
\'That is the feeling of being the one with the power. If it was the other way around, I would be the one sweating bullets and trying to sell myself for a chance to survive.\'
I then got back in the chair and sat down.
"I\'m willing to give you a chance. Prove to me that you bastards are more than just talk and I will become your handler. Stand up."
"!!!!"
Seemingly overwhelmed, the big man quickly stood up with deft movements. He then bowed in reverence as he spoke words of gratitude.
"My lord, I am truly grateful. We will make sure that you don\'t regret trusting us. Please don\'t worry about my master. I will arrange our exit. Once we distance ourselves, we will prepare our side for Hellsgate."
"Sure, whatever. Is my car ready?"
"Yes, my lord. Your car was ready before you entered this building."
"What do you mean?"
"The data the reapers stored on you included a list of Cadillac Escalades you might like. We prepared 21 models, so no matter what you chose, it would be ready in five minutes."
"If you knew I was already in the area, why did your receptionist not know I was Limitless?"
Perhaps because my voice sounded annoyed, Vincent bowed with clasped hands as he answered.
"My lord, all we had of you were photographs of you as a human. Since there was no way to predict what you would look like, any Reaper could have been a suspect. So we literally tried to find you among all the reapers in Phoenix."
"And why would the reapers even pay attention to your fat ass?"
"My Lord, being a family known to serve a Specter has its advantages. You, on the other hand, are one of, if not the only one, who could care less about my master\'s rank."
"Then why didn\'t you just come for me somewhere else instead of waiting for me to buy a car? It all sounded stupid from my point of view."
"My lord, according to the records, you often decide to shoot first and ask questions later. Unlike reapers, we would die if we got shot. So, we decided to make our case slowly rather than interfere with your affairs."
"Did you know about my duel with Aki?"
"Yes. After you left for Hellsgate, Lady Aki noticed us immediately and threatened to kill us all along with our families. A list of everyone hunting the Simmons family became the only reason she granted us mercy."
Hearing the actions of my bladed kitsune, my mood brightened considerably. That meant the reason she couldn\'t follow me was because she took care of the problem.
"How reliable," I commented with a smile.