In the northern suburbs of Gordo City, the sky was overcast, and thick layers of clouds pressed down upon the hilltops.
Leo stood by the roadside, hands in his pockets, gazing at the distant hills.
Douglas Manor was situated there, its gray walls flickering in and out of sight amidst the trees like a curled-up beast.
The wind blew down from the hills, carrying the scent of earth and fallen leaves, along with something else—the faint smell of rust, but Leo could detect it.
Goreinu walked to his side and followed his gaze.
"That's Douglas Manor. Are we really just going to charge up there?"
He paused.
"I think it's too dangerous."
Kastro stood on the other side, his eyes scanning the woods flanking the road before looking toward the winding mountain path ahead.
"On our way here just now, we didn't see any of the Douglas Family's men. It's strange."
Leo didn't speak.
He glanced at the mountain path, then at the woods on both sides, before withdrawing his gaze.
"They didn't hunt you down because they were likely waiting for me to come to them."
His voice was very calm.
"But I don't care. Whatever trick they're playing, they're all going to die!"
He had a rough idea of what game they were playing.
The mastermind behind the scenes knew full well that Kastro and the others followed him. They stopped the pursuit because they wanted Goreinu and the rest to call for backup.
And the greatest reliance Goreinu and the others had was Leo.
They had killed the Doctor not long ago and submitted the post-battle report; the mastermind would definitely review that report.
With a little more investigation, they would know that Leo was the backbone of this group.
The person behind the Doctor was someone of high status and power, and the Ten Dons were also controlled by high-level officials from V5. These two groups likely had connections, or might even be the same group of people.
Leo was seventy percent sure that the mastermind wanted to use this opportunity to deal with him. Because he had killed the Doctor and ruined their plans—costing them so much investment and time—it was impossible for them not to retaliate.
He had originally thought these guys would move against him quickly after he dealt with the Doctor, but Leo had waited this long without seeing any movement.
So they were waiting for him here. It would be easy for those rats behind the scenes to dig up information on him.
By creating trouble for the Colton Family, they forced the Colton Family to seek his help.
Leo let out a cold sneer.
All this circling around for just this?
To want his life with just this bunch of trash—they underestimated him far too much.
However, this suited his intentions perfectly.
He would see exactly who this person hiding in the shadows was.
He set off, walking toward the hill.
Goreinu and Kastro exchanged a glance, took a deep breath, and quickly followed.
Douglas Manor, Study.
The curtains were drawn tight, with only a single desk lamp turned on.
Belloc sat at the desk, the expression on his face as gloomy as the weather outside.
His fingers rested on the tabletop, tapping rhythmically. The pace was slow, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet room.
A confidant stood at the door, holding a walkie-talkie. He looked up after listening to the report.
"They're here. Estimated arrival at the designated location in fifteen minutes."
Belloc's finger paused for a moment before continuing to tap.
"The Shadow Beasts are also ready."
The confidant's voice dropped a bit lower.
"They instructed that all of our men must take action; no half-hearted efforts allowed."
Belloc waved his hand.
"Go. Tell the men below to follow the orders of those monsters."
The confidant nodded and retreated.
The door closed softly behind him, and silence returned to the study.
Belloc's finger was still tapping the desk, once, then twice.
His gaze fell on the photo frame on the desk—his son, standing at the manor gates, wearing a Blake suit with a smile on his face.
That was taken two years ago, the first time he attended a formal occasion after taking over the Family business, full of high spirits.
Now he was dead.
Belloc didn't know who the killer was.
When the news arrived, he was in the study reviewing documents.
The confidant had pushed the door open, his face as white as paper, taking two tries to find his voice.
He listened, still holding the documents, not processing a single word.
He vaguely guessed that he had become a pawn.
When Blake was backing him with massive amounts of money and military equipment, he thought he was being appreciated, that they valued his abilities and wanted him to serve them better.
Thinking back now, he had been too naive.
The Ten Dons must be involved in his son's death.
Blake, Gavin, those people sitting on high, moving chess pieces with their fingertips—they never cared about a pawn's life.
Belloc's fingers tightened.
The edge of the photo frame dug into his palm, but he didn't let go.
And then there was the Colton Family.
That woman, the one who snatched his territory and his business, making him huddle in this manor like a stray dog.
He wouldn't let a single one of them go. If they wanted his life, let them come.
He placed the photo frame back on the desk, leaned against the back of the chair, and closed his eyes.
The light from the desk lamp filtered through his eyelids, casting a dark red glow in his vision.
Footsteps came from outside, chaotic and numerous, with people shouting things.
He didn't move.
At the foot of the hill, Leo walked past the final stretch of the slope, leaving a trail of corpses behind him.
From the moment he stepped onto this mountain path, Douglas's men had surged out in wave after wave.
They rushed out from the woods, poked their heads from behind roadside cover, brandishing guns, aiming, and howling as they launched their attack.
Leo didn't stop; ordinary firearms were completely ineffective against him.
He simply threw punches and kicks at will, and those people fell, never to rise again.
The three people from Meteor City, hidden among the mafia thugs, intended to ambush Leo.
But they had long since been detected by Leo's En. With ease, he dealt with them with a single punch.
Goreinu and Kastro had almost no chance to act.
Every time someone rushed in from the side, before they could even turn around, Leo had already finished them off.
His movements were so fast they were a blur, so fast that the screams of those people were cut short the moment they began.
They could only follow behind, watching the increasing number of corpses on the road and Leo's back as he stepped forward through the gunfire.
The last person fell.
Goreinu glanced around; there were at least three hundred people.
Lying haphazardly on both sides of the mountain path, blood seeped into the soil, staining patches of the gray road dark red.
A continuous warmth came from the back of his hand.
[Rank: 78 (70%) → (83%)].
Leo stood before the main gate.
The gate was grand, made of wrought iron with intricate carvings, and the gateposts were set with bronze lamps; it was clear a lot of money had been spent when it was built.
The gates were tightly shut, but it was quiet—so quiet it didn't seem like a manor housing hundreds of people.
But Leo's keen senses clearly felt that five or six hundred people were hidden inside.
Mixed in were over a dozen people with powerful auras, likely that group of Shadow Beasts.
They were well-ambushed, their breathing suppressed and their Nen retracted until it was almost undetectable.
They wouldn't have expected Leo's perception to be so powerful; their plan for a sneak attack was destined to fail.
Leo spoke to Kastro and Goreinu beside him.
"Stay far back. There's an ambush inside; you'll die!"
Hearing Leo's warning, Kastro and Goreinu didn't try to be brave; the two of them consciously retreated dozens of meters.
Seeing that the two had hidden themselves well, Leo raised his foot and kicked out.
Boom—!
The two gates shattered directly into pieces.
Metal fragments flew everywhere, and the bronze lamps fell from the gateposts, rolling a few times on the ground as their glass covers shattered.
Dust and smoke rose everywhere.
The sound echoed across the hills for a long time before slowly dissipating.