The Journey Of The Wretched Spring

The First Hurdle

The First Hurdle

The day passed, and I'm here drinking my black coffee with milk like a normal citizen. It's almost time; I should finish this coffee and order another one before he comes.

"One more black coffee, ma'am."

"Coming!"

It's already my third coffee, and that bastard still hasn't come; maybe he can't do it?

"Hey, Gareth! Sorry for making you wait."

"It's alright; I've just arrived."

It seems like a lie."

"Let's start."

"Wanna hear from the top or the bottom?"

"Top."

"The top gang that's ruling the downtown is the North Kind. Their boss is called Nilo; I don't know about his full name, but he has dark skin, a tomato nose, is 6'5 tall, and has a scar on his cheek. They are located at the north end of downtown." (Tomato nose —button nose)

"Nilo, huh?."

"The second one is the high horse. Their boss is called Timothy Novak; he has white skin, a long nose,* 6'2 tall, and, uh, this is quite interesting."

"Continue."

"He's 17 years old; I don't know, but he had the gang under his control. I heard his father gave him that position since his father was already old."

"17 huh? Alright, who's next?"

"Yep, they are located near the train station; they own all the gambling sites and drug dealing in that area."

"The last one is called banana papaya."

This bastard's laughing right now, even if we are talking about a serious matter. How childish. Why did they name it Banana Papaya, though?

"Sorry—sorry! That caught me off guard, so they named it Banana Papaya since they are from the rural area and I am also a former farmer. Contrary to their weird name, they were ruthless and savage when dealing with serious matters, and North Kind avoid having a beef with them."

"That's what you expect from the rural area gangs; it's natural for them."

"Their boss is called Barry, short for barbaric. Tomato nose, brown skin, 5'9 height, and many scars on both his arms."

"They are located near the abandoned building on the west, and they made it their hideout. They collect protection fees from stores; they also owned gambling sites, but they avoided and prohibited dealing drugs."

"That's it; you don't need to bother about the others since they are just small fries. After we conquer the so-called Big 3, they'll eventually surrender on their own."

"Alright, nothing else?"

"Nothing else, but you should consider attacking the banana and papaya first if you can swallow them whole. Then the rest wouldn't be too hard, but it won't be easy."

"Nothing's easy in this world."

"Well, you're right about it. Oh, I almost forgot! Beware of North's boss; he's cunning and a coward. People often called him the Sage, but no, he was just using every means to escape and using people as meat shields. When we confront him, don't get distracted by small fries; I'll take care of it. Just go straight into him and beat him up like crazy."

"Alright, that sounds like a plan for me."

We move to the west of the downtown area, where the Banana Papaya Gang is located. As we moved closer to the area, it smelled more like a rural area. Ambient scents of farmland—I didn't know there was a place like this in downtown.

"Hello guys! Is this the Banana Papaya Gang's hideout?"

"Ha! This man's brave to ask like it's some kind of tourist spot."

"Hey, kid. Get out before we mess with your face."

"No can do! We are here to beat you all!"

As the mobs crackled like we were a joke, some were offended and some took it as a prank, but their eyes suddenly turned cold, and their gazes felt like we were pricked by some kind of ice spike.

"Call the boss; it seems like some idiots thought they could do anything they wanted."

"No need; I'll take care of them myself."

Jaymar whispered to me.

"Hey Gareth, that huge one. That's their vice boss! He handles any kind of dirty work, his name is Wilbert, so be careful. I'll take care of the others."

*BAM*

As Wilbert started to move forward, I dashed and hit him on the chin. He suddenly kneeled and dropped to the ground.

As Jaymar saw Wilbert drop unconscious on the ground, he crackled.

"He can't even take a hit from my brother!"

I saw people waver as I moved forward.

"Hey, bring your boss. Right now."

"Bring him down! Don't falter! Don't let him meet the boss!"

"Well, it's my turn now! Hey Gareth! Lend me a hand; I can't fight this many!"

After what you said, you'll take care of them. You sure are shameless.

We were almost done after an hour of fighting them, but we were flustered when we saw some innocent old women, and children rush towards us to stop our rampage.

"Dear, please stop this! What do you want from us?"

"I have nothing to do with any of you, I just want to talk with your boss."

"Our boss isn't here! Please stop this conflict!"

"Then, we will wait for him here."

"Thank you. Everyone! Tend the wounded and bring some water here!"

I saw how painful it is for the children to see their older brothers, uncles, and their father lying down on the floor. However, I won't apologize; they know that this could happen to them, or even worse, they could die.

"Dear, what do you want to talk about with my son? Did he cause you a problem?"

"No, I just want him to make him my subordinate and unite all the gangs downtown."

"For what purpose, dear?"

"To lessen the conflicts, avoid unnecessary hurdles in the future, and use them to subdue the corrupt and those who abuse their power,"

"Dear, please don't include my son in your pointless revenge!"

"Pointless, huh? But no, he's necessary for my plan. If I can't make him my subordinate, it's better to end him now."

"Please, dear. Anything else will do! But promise me, my son won't be killed just because of your revenge! If my son dies and your plan fails, no one can protect this neighborhood from the other gangster who wants to exploit and demolish our homes for their business plans!"

"Don't worry, my plan is flawless."

"Oh dear, I'll help you convince him; just make sure my son and his gang won't be killed in action."

"I will."

So that's why they never expanded their influence, and the majority of their gang consisted of old men. So they've got something to protect.

Jaymar came to me after he helped tend to the wounded; he seems apologetic about it.

"Here, water."

"Thanks."

"Wow, you were thankful when I handed you a mere water bottle, but you never thanked me when I gave you some intel."

"Never mind that, how's it going?"

"How's it going? The old women are mad and their children are crying, you idiot!"

"They knew it could happen to them; they just couldn't accept it."

"How heartless. Of course, what are you planning when you meet Barry?"

"I'll try to talk to him and make him my subordinate."

"As if that would work, if that's how easy it is. Then everyone can ask anyone to become their subordinate, even the president."

"Then, we will talk using our first."

"Tsk! Make sure you won't lose."

"That's a given."