The clearing remained eerily silent for a brief mont, a fragile pause hanging in the air as everyone still processed Liam’s ridiculous declaration.
Then—
A single snort escaped from one of the masked n standing nearby.
It was subtle at first, barely noticeable, but then another mber let out a short chuckle, and before long, the entire group erupted into laughter.
It started as quiet, restrained amusent, but quickly grew into full-blown mockery, their voices echoing across the open space as they struggled to contain their disbelief.
Liam, however, remained completely unfazed.
He simply stood there, watching them, waiting, his expression unreadable.
It wasn’t the first ti people had laughed at him.
And it sure as hell wouldn’t be the last.
anwhile, Lilith, unlike the others, did not laugh.
She rely stood with her arms crossed, her piercing eyes locked onto Liam’s face, her expression a mix of amusent and curiosity.
She found him... entertaining.
There was a certain recklessness in him—one that bordered on insanity.
And insanity was always interesting.
Tilting her head slightly, her lips curled into a smirk as she finally spoke.
"Tell , kid—why do you want to join?"
Her voice was smooth, almost mockingly gentle, as if she were speaking to a child with a death wish.
Liam didn’t hesitate.
His gaze hardened as he t her eyes and spoke with absolute certainty.
"I want to kill everyone in the Crimson Hand."
The mont those words left his mouth, the laughter from the Black Lotus mbers intensified.
The very idea was so absurd, so unbelievably foolish, that they couldn’t help but react.
The first man who had laughed earlier nearly doubled over, his shoulders shaking with amusent. Another one clapped his hands together.
One of them, unable to hold back, finally spoke.
"Does this kid think the Crimson Hand is run by high school students?"
More laughter followed, filling the air with a chorus of mockery.
But despite the ridicule, Liam remained completely still, his expression unchanging.
Lilith, on the other hand, simply watched him with an amused smile, her eyes flickering with intrigue as she took a step forward, closing the distance between them slightly.
"If you want to kill everyone in the Crimson Hand," she said, her voice carrying a note of curiosity, "then why don’t you just do it?"
She raised an eyebrow, studying his face carefully.
"Why join my gang?"
Her smirk widened slightly. "If you’re as capable as you claim to be, then you should be able to handle them on your own. But let’s say, hypothetically, that you actually succeeded. Then what?"
She paused, letting the words settle before continuing.
"If you wipe out the Crimson Hand while under my gang, it would be seen as the Black Lotus breaking the rules of the underworld. The higher gangs would consider it an act of war. And trust , kid—there are people out there you don’t want to pick a fight with."
She cocked her head slightly, as if challenging him to see if he had thought that far ahead.
The smirk on Liam’s face only grew wider.
"That’s exactly why I won’t be joining as a mber."
His words made the laughter from the surrounding gang mbers begin to die down slightly, curiosity replacing amusent as they listened.
"I’ll be a private contractor instead," Liam continued, "soone who works for you under a contract for a set period of ti."
Lilith raised an eyebrow but said nothing, allowing him to explain further.
"That way," Liam continued, "if I manage to eradicate the Crimson Hand, it won’t backfire on the Black Lotus because I was never officially a part of you. The higher gangs won’t be able to bla you for my actions."
The smirk on Lilith’s face didn’t fade, but the amusent in her eyes was now accompanied by sothing else— interest.
The mbers of Black Lotus, however, weren’t as entertained anymore.
The way Liam spoke was too confident, too certain, too detailed.
He wasn’t just talking out of his ass.
He had thought about this.
And that was dangerous.
Still, Lilith wasn’t done testing him yet.
She let out a small chuckle before speaking again.
"That still doesn’t answer my question, kid."
Her eyes glead as she took another slow step forward.
"If you supposedly have the power to take down the Crimson Hand, then why do you need the Black Lotus?"
Liam didn’t hesitate.
He t her gaze directly, his expression unreadable.
"For protection."
Lilith’s eyes narrowed slightly, her curiosity growing.
Liam continued.
"Right now, I have no reputation. If I start making trouble, the police will arrest before I can even do anything significant. But if I have the backing of a gang, I can move under the radar. My actions won’t be questioned, and I won’t have to worry about interference from law enforcent. In other words—"
A smirk spread across his lips.
"I need Black Lotus as a shield while I do what I need to do."
For a brief second, the entire clearing fell into silence.
No one laughed this ti.
Instead, all eyes were on Lilith, waiting.
Was she amused?
Was she considering it?
Or was she about to put a bullet through his skull?
Dickson, anwhile, rubbed his forehead aggressively, a deep sigh escaping his lips as he shook his head.
"I should be ho watching Flora Jensen’s new album release," he muttered to himself, his voice dripping with exasperation. "But no. Instead, I’m here, listening to Liam spout absolute bullshit for the hundredth ti."
Liam ignored him.
His focus was entirely on Lilith.
And her reaction would determine everything.
Lilith let out a long sigh, the kind that carried both boredom and mild amusent, before fixing Liam with a sharp gaze, her arms still crossed over her generous chest.
"And what exactly do I gain from this deal of yours?"
Her voice was laced with casual indifference, but her eyes told a different story. She was testing him, asuring him, waiting to see if he would stumble over his words or if he had actually thought this through.
Liam, of course, was ready.
He straightened his posture, exuding as much confidence as he could muster, and t her gaze directly.
"Simple."
A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Whenever you need soone to handle a quick job, I’ll be just a call away."
For a brief mont, there was silence.
The n standing behind Lilith exchanged subtle glances, their skepticism practically radiating from them.
And then—
"Pass the suitcase."
Lilith’s voice rang out clearly, smooth and commanding.
Every single Black Lotus mber stiffened in visible shock.
What the hell?
Did they hear that correctly?
She’s actually giving this kid a suitcase?
Even though their faces were hidden behind their black cloth masks, the disbelief in their body language was undeniable.
For years, Lilith had been notoriously selective about who she placed her trust in, and yet—this nobody, this reckless kid, was suddenly being handed sothing?
It was insane.
It was ridiculous.
But they knew better than to question her orders.
Without hesitation, one of them quickly grabbed the suitcase they had been carrying and stepped forward, holding it out toward Lilith with both hands, as if presenting a sacred artifact.
Lilith took it smoothly, barely sparing the man a glance before turning her attention back to Liam.
With one swift motion, she extended the suitcase toward him.
"Everything you need is inside," she said, her voice cold and impassive. "Open it when you get ho."
Liam’s heart pounded in his chest.
Was this it?
Was he in?
Was he actually accepted?
So. Fucking. Cool.
Suppressing the urge to grin like an idiot, he reached forward and took the suitcase, feeling its weight in his hands.
This was real.
He was holding sothing from Black Lotus.
Before he could get ahead of himself, however, Lilith’s expression turned ice cold again.
Her voice ca out sharper, a dangerous edge laced within her tone.
"Now scram. Both of you. Before I change my mind."
Liam didn’t need to be told twice.
Hugging the suitcase tightly to his chest, he turned on his heel and rushed toward the cliffside, not even glancing back as he scaled the uneven ground with quick, eager steps.
Dickson, on the other hand, took his ti.
He shook his head, letting out a long sigh before finally following Liam, muttering under his breath about how ridiculous this entire situation was.
By the ti they reached the top of the cliff, passing by the row of black SUVs once again, Liam’s excitent had only grown.
This was huge.
He had officially secured a deal with Black Lotus.
And not just any deal—a contract with Lilith herself.
As they approached Dickson’s car, Liam was still buzzing with adrenaline, practically radiating excitent as he hugged the suitcase like it was the most precious thing in the world.
But just as he was about to open the passenger door—
Dickson dropped a bomb on him.
"What if that suitcase is filled with explosives?"
Liam froze.
For the first ti since receiving the suitcase, he actually hesitated.
Dickson leaned casually against the car, his expression dead serious.
"Think about it," he continued. "What if the mont you open it at ho, you just... boom?"
He made a small explosion gesture with his hands. "Instant fireworks. Ga over."
Liam blinked.
Then—
"Pfft—"
A laugh bubbled out of him before he could stop it.
"Nah, there’s no way." He waved a dismissive hand, his confidence quickly returning. "Lilith wouldn’t kill ."
Dickson squinted at him. "And how the hell are you so sure about that?"
Liam smirked, running a hand through his hair. "Didn’t you see it? She was totally chard by my face."
Dickson scoffed, shoving Liam’s shoulder.
"Charm my ass, bro. That woman would’ve blown your brains out if I hadn’t arrived when I did."
Liam grinned but said nothing, still holding onto the suitcase like a prized possession.
Whatever was inside, he would find out soon enough.
And if Dickson was right—
Well.
At least he’d go out with a bang.
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