Chapter 192: Turmoil

When the explosion occurred at Club Chloe, Edwin Antonio was reviewing accounts in a private booth inside the club. As the deafening blast rang out, shattering all the glass doors and windows within the club, he immediately narrowed his eyes and looked toward the door.

Soon someone entered to report: "Boss, the explosion happened in a trash can in the back alley. Someone placed at least 20 kilograms of C4 inside for a directional blast. We lost two men, and one wall collapsed. Luckily, the building is a frame structure, and the internal magical defense array held up fairly well."

"Who did it?"

Antonio had just uttered these words when his expression shifted: "It shouldn't be just Chloe. Ask the men below if there are other incidents."

Just then, a cell phone rang in the booth. A burly man in his thirties, wearing a black trench coat, answered first, then solemnly handed the phone to Antonio.

"Boss, it's Chief Ryder of the East District Police. He says that in the past five minutes, there have been four shootings across the eastern suburbs. Two of our seafood stores were destroyed, twelve people killed, six seriously injured. There was also an explosion at the Arazzo strip club."

"So, including Club Chloe, we've lost fourteen people in one go? Quite an aggressive move."

Antonio, instead of getting angry, laughed and brought the phone to his ear: "Do you know who did it, Chief Ryder?"

"How would I know?"

The voice on the phone was frantic and furious: "Do you know who it is, Antonio? Someone is declaring war on you? Are you turning the East District into a battlefield? Four shootings and three explosions in ten minutes—how am I supposed to explain this to the public?"

"Hey, Mr. Yves Ryder, calm down! Calm down, Chief. We're the victims here, alright? What's the use of yelling at me?"

Antonio's tone remained indifferent: "The most important thing now is to find the culprit. I'll help you, Mr. Ryder. Atlanta hasn't seen such heinous criminals in a long time."

"Just help?"

Yves Ryder snorted on the line: "Remember this, Mr. Antonio! The Atlanta city elections are coming up. If you don't want me to lose my position as chief, and if you don't want the councilmen to lose votes in the East District, then take care of your opponent as soon as possible, understand? By any means necessary."

"You're putting me in a tough spot, Chief Ryder."

Antonio frowned, his voice turning slightly serious: "Ryder, I can't promise you anything. Whether there will be more shootings depends on the opponent. I'll do my best. Within an hour at most, the entire Blood Hand Gang will mobilize to help you find these lawless thugs."

"I'm not asking for your help, nor am I negotiating with you!"

Yves Ryder's voice was still seething with anger: "Shit! Do I need to remind you, Antonio? Since the beginning of the year, there have been forty-seven murders related to your people in the East District! That's the limit of my patience. Don't force me to move against you, Antonio."

"All I can say is that those murder allegations are unfounded."

Just then, Antonio heard another buzzing in his ears, and the ground trembled slightly.

He knew another explosion had occurred nearby, and a hint of anger finally showed on his face: "See, Chief? Someone is clearly targeting me by any means. As a victim, I certainly want to resolve this as quickly as possible, so you don't need to tell me to go all out. But I'll need your help too, Ryder. I won't let you down."

"Of course. I'll have all precincts in the East District increase street patrols and vigilance. The Major Crimes Unit and the Anti-Gang Unit will also mobilize. So behave yourself during this time, understand? Antonio?"

Yves Ryder's tone softened slightly: "I expect the mayor's call will come soon. I'll buy you some time, Antonio. Is ten days enough? As for public opinion, you'll have to handle that yourself."

After hanging up the phone, Antonio looked at Cajerun, who had just hurried in through the door.

"Cajerun, you know who did it, don't you? I'm guessing it's not Nathan's Hand. They wouldn't be so gentle."

"It's definitely not Nathan's Hand."

Cajerun shook his head: "I found a few witnesses to the shootings. They said the attackers were masked and fully armed, with no discernible physical features. My men also found a pickup truck they used, abandoned in an alley. Notably, the truck was stolen, reported to the police at seven in the evening."

Antonio raised an eyebrow: "What does that suggest?"

"I suspect it's Andrew Lee Wiltonstein, but I can't be sure."

Cajerun said gravely: "You met with him yesterday afternoon, and afterward, he was recruiting at the Red Sparrow Club."

"Lucky Andrew? Him?"

Antonio looked incredulous: "But that's too fast? That kid probably hasn't even gathered enough men yet. Even if he does, he'd need time to integrate them, or they'd just be a rabble. Could he have hired mercenaries or assassins?"

"From what I've gathered, he hasn't contacted any mercenaries. None of Atlanta's major assassin organizations have received any large-scale orders either."

Cajerun shook his head: "But his father is Li Chunchu, the boss of Rising Sun Corporation—no ordinary man. He runs smuggling operations in Southeast Asia and has a considerable business in Antolia, reportedly supplying three major hunting groups there. It's perfectly normal for him to leave some men for his son after his death. Of course, this is just my speculation. At this stage, there's no solid evidence. We can't rule out other forces using Lucky Andrew as a cover."

"Aha, this is getting interesting."

Antonio leaned back on the sofa and put the cigar back in his mouth: "A sheep provoking an elephant—what a ridiculous picture. Richard, notify the family's executives to come here as soon as possible. We'll hold a meeting here. The club is already like this, so it can't operate until it's renovated. Also, get the men moving. I want them all on the streets. I don't want any more losses on the nineteen streets under the Blood Hand Gang's control. And I want more detailed intelligence. Whether it's Lucky Andrew or not, for now, let's treat him as our enemy."

At that moment, his eyes were filled with icy murder: "That little punk thinks he's safe because he's backed by the Nathan Group, doesn't he? We'll make him pay. A heavy price."