The memories seemed less confusing while he dreamed; recollections of when he saw his first piece of magic mechanics—his mother's music box. He stayed there, watching that beautiful blue macaw dance among the rotating branches.
A light emerged from above, as if the sun were consuming the memory. The light intensified until his eyes snapped open; he was slumped in a chair, one arm over the backrest and his legs sprawled out. Vincente had his back to him, and there was a bothersome thumping sound behind them.
— "What happened?"
— "Look at that! Sleeping Beauty is awake!" Vincente turned and smiled. — "So, you don't remember anything?"
— "Only a lot of blood."
— "It really is a lot of blood!" Vincente said.
— "What did I tell you, Gantz?"
— "About what?" Gantz replied. His voice was raspy, and he rubbed his face, trying to ease the nausea he felt.
— "Let's recap. I TOLD YOU NOT TO FUCKING KILL ANYONE!"
Vincente lunged forward and grabbed Gantz by the shoulders, jolting him awake with his enraged shout.
— "I'm sorry! I didn't have a choice! He had a knife!"
— "Oh, it's fine then! Just say sorry and everything is resolved! Don't fuck with me, Gantz!"
Vincente picked up the knife and toyed with it. He brushed his finger over the button, and the blade nearly sliced him before Gantz kicked it out of his hands.
— "That's an AKS, a magic vibration knife. It cuts through steel like butter."
— "Since when do you know about magic weapons? Never mind."
Vincente pulled a pistol from his back—a square weapon with a brown leather grip at the end like a completely enclosed handle.
— "Do you know the name of this one?"
— "It's a Viper 467 semi-automatic with a sensitive trigger and mana-reading safety lock."
— "Spot on. It's not cheap, but it definitely won't let you down."
Vincente pointed the gun at Gantz's head.
— "What the hell is this, Vincente?"
— "Someone has to take responsibility, and that person won't be me. This hurts me, friend, but we're in the world of crime, not a playground."
Time seemed to stop. Gantz was shocked, sad, and enraged by the betrayal. At the same time, he regretted getting into this mess; his mother had always told him not to get mixed up with people like this. He looked down the barrel of the gun. He knew the shot traveled at over four hundred meters per second—no room to dodge. He didn't know if the Dark Matter could block a bullet at point-blank range; most likely not. Even if he succeeded, he would surely have to defend against more shots.
Time seemed to resume when the click of the trigger rang out. He closed his eyes and waited.
— "Look at this idiot's face!" Vincente uttered, laughing while clutching his stomach. He was nearly falling over from laughing so hard.
Gantz was speechless, his legs felt like jelly, and his eyes were red. He was completely bewildered.
— "Did you really think I was going to kill you?"
— "You really looked like you were going to kill me! Dammit, Vincente!"
Vincente laughed, but as he did, he rested the arm holding the gun on Gantz's shoulder.
— "I wanted to use this moment to remind you: this isn't a game. People here will kill you for very little reason, so don't lower your guard and don't fuck up! Come see."
Gantz was dragged by Vincente to a large wooden table where a man wearing only an apron was swinging a cleaver. A shiver ran down his spine; his face went white, and the smell made his stomach nearly heave. He had to use the Dark Matter to avoid embarrassing himself.
On the table, the naked body of the man he had killed was being butchered. Fingers, hands, etc.—being severed at the joints and tossed into a grinder that poured the minced meat into a bucket on the other side.
— "Don't tell me they sell human meat here?"
— "No, it's to feed the dogs. But I wanted to show you this so you don't get delusional. This isn't a fairy tale. If you don't watch yourself, you'll be on that table being chopped up and turning into dog shit."
Vincente patted Gantz's shoulders and waved as he left.
— "Come on, the boss wants to see you! You've been promoted!"
— "What? How? Why?"
— "A few reasons. You scared everyone, and now nobody is trying to run. Plus, people won't come around here anymore if you're there."
— "Let's go. Better not be late."
They followed the same path, but unlike before, they went to a warehouse instead of the office. Gantz looked at that massive metallic structure, gleaming in the sun, and entered.
The place was dark, the floor wet, and Gantz could see a large catwalk running along all sides of the warehouse. He couldn't help but wonder if this time he really was going to be killed. Further back, the sound of chains clinking echoed with a certain frequency. Then, a strong smell of metal and urine hit his nostrils. He saw a long chain hanging from the ceiling, and fastened to it was a naked woman. Her hair was wet and draped forward; her white skin was marked by bruises, and blood ran down her legs.
— "What did she do?" Gantz said unintentionally as he approached.
— "She tried to rob us," a voice said from the side. The Dwarf appeared in his sharp suit with a smile on his face. — "Unfortunately, some people don't value what they have, always wanting more and more. I gave her a house, food, clothes, and she only had to work in exchange. But well, that's life. Right, Brat?"
The Orc lifted the woman's head by her hair; her mouth was leaking blood, and her eyes were rolling. Brat raised his arm to deliver another punch when the Dwarf told him to stop.
— "I'm in a great mood today, despite everything, of course. Gantz, my friend, have I not introduced myself?"
— "No, you haven't told me your name, sir."
— "My name is Jévan. And I'm going to give you the privilege of solving this problem for me."
Vincente handed the gun to Gantz, now loaded. He looked at the woman for a second before firing at her three times. The first hit her abdomen, the second the middle of her chest, and the third penetrated her skull, making her head fall back.
— "Excellent! Business settled. Let's talk about your promotion."