The Black Swan Behind (Beauty of Fire)

166 Cooperation and Plans

It turned out that the other Black looked more mysterious.

Marcel nodded in understanding. So, the short one was the leader, “All right.” he replied casually. “It happens that we’re going to start attacking the Creeper base in a few days. Maybe you guys can come along,”

“You’re going to attack right away?” Emma asked.

Marcel nodded, “Of course. Especially if Black has joined. I’m sure we’ll win easily.”

“Do you know how many Creeper’s men there are?” Rachel asked.

Marcel frowned, “You guys sound the same. It confuses me.” he said honestly. He also couldn’t see who was talking because both of them were wearing masks that were completely covered up to their mouth.

Actually, Emma felt sorry for Marcel who became confused by them. But she couldn’t do anything. By only in this way, her identity could be protected and Emma decided to ignore Marcel’s complaint.

“Creeper has nearly eight hundred members. Did you know that they have one more base in Chingsu District?” Emma asked.

Marcel nodded, “I know they have a branch in that area.”

.....

“Branch?” Rachel repeated with a slight laugh, “That’s their main base. All the strongest are gathered there.” she continued.

Marcel’s brows furrowed. He looked directly at Kenny meaningfully.

Emma laughed, “Looks like you guys don’t have much information. Or perhaps.. your spies aren’t doing their job well?”

“Don’t underestimate my spies. We investigated those who were intruding on our area and it only showed Creeper in Greenvalley.” Marcel replied. Now his face turned serious. It turned out that this was the reason why he had had a hard time taking down Creeper, which for some reason become weak in one time and become strong in another time. It seemed like it was because they have extra people who only showed up when they were cornered.

“I have information that seemed quite important to your group. If you want that information, we must make a pact.” Emma said.

Marcel and Kenny didn’t seem to like Black’s statement. It seemed that Black was the same as any other rogue group that ultimately wants RJC’s property.

“If you want it, you must follow my plan.” The continuation of Black’s sentence immediately broke Marcel and Kenny’s prejudices.

“What do you mean?” Marcel asked confusedly, trying to get more explanation.

“We have our own plan to destroy the Creeper. It’s a plan that we think is the best and most effective. So, if you want this collaboration, you must throw all your plans and follow ours.” Emma explained in her robotic voice.

It was the strangest condition Marcel had ever heard. It seemed like Black was the kind of person who liked to rule and didn’t want to be ordered around. He was a very superior figure. But what Black asked really took Marcel, Kenny and Renu by surprise. Instead of asking for money, Black just wanted himself to be obeyed.

Marcel narrowed his eyes and looked at Black suspiciously, “So we have to go with your plan?”

Black nodded firmly, “Without exception. I don’t want any later disobedience. You don’t have to worry. It will be over when the Creeper is down.”

“Are there any other conditions?” Kenny asked.

“Other conditions.. huh?” Emma mumbled.

Then Rachel immediately raised her palm, “You guys also have to help us free the victims of the Creeper crime.”

“You mean the victim of a robbery on the street? Isn’t that what you guys always do?” Marcel asked.

Rachel shook her head, “They also carry out scams under the guise of lending money to extort their victims. We plan to release the people who have been tricked by them. You don’t have to worry either because this doesn’t cost you a dime.”

Emma smiled inside her helmet. Rachel seemed to be able to quickly realize that Marcel loved his treasure very much and didn’t want to share it with anyone. A man who loved money.

Marcel fell silent. He was contemplating whether to accept the offer or not. Actually, if Black asked for material rations for their victory later, it was a natural thing. He also would not mind sharing the results. However, this unusual request made Marcel suspect that Black had other plans that he was not aware of and that might even make things worse for RJC.

Marcel’s assistant, Kenny Brown, seemed to be thinking too. While working in the gangster world, he had never faced or even witnessed an incident like this. For everyone, wealth and power were everything. In collaboration, the distribution of the final results usually would be a problem, where each party wanted to get the biggest and most profitable share.

But there was one thing that Kenny knew from his life experience. Someone smart would usually refuse a small prize in order to get a much bigger one.

In the end, all of their guesses were just guesses that were either true or not. They had absolutely no clue about Black’s true intentions or plans. Let alone those things.. they do not even know their real face. They didn’t know the purpose of the little man.

Kenny cleared his throat and whispered something to Marcel. The nice skinned man listened intently and nodded once as the assistant stood up straight again.

“Okay. I’ll see what your plans are. But...” Marcel emphasized his tone, “You’re only going to take care of the Creeper attack plan. But my property is mine. You still have to get my permission if you want to use my men.”

Emma smiled, “Well, looks like I’m just wasting my time by coming here. Then we’ll excuse ourselves,” she said by standing up. She was so annoyed with Marcel.

It turned out that Black was a very strict person. Marcel silently chuckled as he watched the two below average sized men get up from their seats and walk towards the exit. He really couldn’t pass up this opportunity. If he only needed Black’s ability to fight, he could still let it go. But the problem was now that he found out that Black had very important information about the Creeper.

Seeing the figure of the duo Black almost reaching the door, Marcel finally threw away his ego, “Wait,”

Emma stopped in her tracks. Behind the mask, she smiled lopsidedly again. Likewise, Rachel was finally able to heave a sigh of relief knowing that their move had worked.

“All right. You are free to use my men,” Marcel said in a muffled voice. He felt his pride was tarnished.

Emma finally returned to her seat, followed by Rachel.

“You are so strange. What should I expect from joining your group, other than borrowing your power? If I can’t get the power from you, then what’s the point of me joining here?” Emma said quickly. Her mouth was already itching to scold the shrimp-headed Marcel.

For some reason, Marcel couldn’t reply to Black’s tirade that humiliated him as if he were a child who had just made a mistake. Even though his pride had been hurt in front of dozens of his own men, Marcel felt unable to resist Black’s words.

“Shut your mouth. I’m already agreed to lend you my men that you can use to launch your plan to defeat the Creeper.” Marcel said.

“That’s exactly what you should do. If so, it looks like we’ve found an agreement here.” Emma replied, folding her arms in front of her chest.

Marcel nodded once, “Agreement has been made. Now you can share information about the Creeper.”

“Wait,” Emma folded her arms, “Does the agreement just like this? Where’s the agreement latter that we have to sign?”

Marcel, Kenny, and Renu looked at each other confusedly. Exactly what kind of madman Black was?

“Our agreement was witnessed by many people and the conversation was also clear. Why should we still need the latter?” Marcel asked in disbelief.

“Of course it is necessary. Any agreement must use evidence. I need something definite, not just words.” Emma retorted in annoyance, followed by a nod of approval from Rachel.

All the men in the room couldn’t believe their ears. What the hell was that? In this world, a man’s words could be kept. If a man had made a promise, it was forbidden for him to break the promise, especially if it had been witnessed by many people. That was where authority could be proven. If a man denied the words he had said in front of his own people, he would lose honour and be considered unworthy to be a man, let alone a leader.

Kenny grabbed Marcel’s shoulder and squeezed it a little. He knew his boss was already feeling very annoyed with Black who was a bit crazy. But they needed what Black had right now, which was information. If they had to, they didn’t have a chance but giving in and do what the man with the mysterious identity wanted.

Kenny snapped his fingers and a man walked up to him respectfully, “Ask the office to make an agreement letter.”

“Copy, Commander.” The man replied.

But Emma was not satisfied with Kenny’s orders, she finally added, “Make the letter into three copies and bring your group stamps too.”

Marcel immediately frowned, “Stamp? We don’t have it.”

“You have a building of this size, a financial management office, and a lot of assets. Your office section should have a stamp used for official administrative purposes.” Rachel replied. Then she turned to the man in charge of going into the office, “Just tell the ‘back office’ what we’re asking. They’ll understand.”

The subordinate blinked in confusion and looked at Kenny who was his superior. Kenny just sighed tiredly before nodding as a sign for him to do what their guest asked.

The subordinate man nodded once with a polite gesture, “Understood,” then he immediately went out of the room.

“Please be patient. I will share the information once everything is clear in black-and-white.” Emma said by crossing her arms again in front of her chest while leaning back.

Marcel shook his head in disbelief, “I’ve never met a man as troublesome as you two. Don’t you guys trust your own dignity?”

“Dignity is one’s own responsibility. But an agreement between two parties must have definite legal proof. I will never accept the slightest risk of betrayal.” Emma answered.