Chapter 262 - 27: The Mole

When Duan Fei and Cuihua arrived, they found the warehouse fire still raging. The Godfather’s recently purchased Queen-brand potatoes had been burned to cinders, and with them, tens of thousands of dollars had vanished like an Assassin’s smoke.

The Godfather, who had arrived with them, lit a cigar and turned to a nearby gang member. "What happened?"

The man was one of the warehouse guards.

He was now lying on a stretcher, both his arms broken and his face wrapped in bandages.

In response to the Godfather’s question, he struggled to sit up, but a powerful hand pressed him back down.

"Don’t get up. This is no time for formalities. Just tell me what you saw."

"A blonde girl. She was pretty, but I got a bad feeling about her. With her was a Maid who was always squinting. It was the Maid who attacked the warehouse and set it on fire."

Hearing this, Duan Fei interjected, "Wait, are you sure?"

"I’m sure. That Maid was incredible. She kept pulling all sorts of cleaning tools out from under her skirt. She took us down before we could even react. I’m sorry, Godfather."

"It’s all right. It’s not your fault."

The Godfather raised his hand, about to issue a kill order, but Duan Fei, standing to the side, gave him a subtle look.

Thanks to Duan Fei’s earlier advice, the Godfather had already secured government backing by passing off his goods as mashed potatoes. As a result, he held Duan Fei in high regard.

Seeing the signal from the man he had come to favor, the Godfather gave a slight nod. He gestured for the others to take the injured man to get medical attention, then walked over to Duan Fei and said politely, "Mr. Duan, let’s have a drink nearby."

They walked into a small bar next door. Upon noticing the Godfather’s intimidating presence, the other patrons quickly left, leaving only the Godfather, Duan Fei, and the men guarding the entrance.

Watching the patrons leave with a pained expression, the Godfather muttered, "I didn’t want them to go."

"Isn’t it safer with them gone?" Duan Fei asked, confused.

"It’s an unspoken rule. I have to cover their tabs, and on top of that, I have to pay the owner double. Oh well, can’t complain since I made a killing today."

Sighing, the Godfather took out the required amount and gave it to the owner, not a single cent more.

’He wasn’t going to leave a tip, either!’

After ordering two "Baltic Times" from the owner, the Godfather pushed one glass to Duan Fei and asked, "You know those two?"

"Yes, you could say I invited them. But we have no way to contact each other. This instance has blocked our messaging system."

"I don’t understand all that, but I get that you’re having communication problems. I need you to understand one thing, though: they touched my people. I can forget about the warehouse of potatoes, but they hurt my men."

The Godfather took a sip of his Baltic Time. The taste of sea salt mixed with the tartness of pineapple calmed him slightly.

Putting down his glass, the Godfather continued, "We’re all brothers here, all of us from Sisyphus. That young man is my nephew. His father took three bullets for me, died right in my arms. I swore I’d protect him, but now your companions have made me break my word."

"I’m sorry, but I’m not yet certain they *are* my companions."

"Then go and find out. I’ll give you five hours. You’re my friend, too, so that’s the only concession I can make. If you can’t give me a satisfactory answer by then, I will use every means at my disposal to hunt them down."

Duan Fei took a drink as well. He looked at the Godfather and said, "I understand. I’ll make good use of these five hours. But if I can’t resolve this, I’ll use my own methods to protect them. I’m the one who brought them here. I will protect them, and I will stand by them."

"Even if that means war with us?"

"Yes."

"Is that so... Then all I can do is pray. Pray that our friendship doesn’t end here."

"You have time to pray, but you don’t have time to send some men to help me look?"

The Godfather silently took a drink, then nodded. "You have a point, but I don’t like your tone."

"What’s more important, my tone or our friendship?"

"Your tone."

"And the mashed potatoes?"

The Godfather swirled the drink in his glass, his resolve finally crumbling. "Fine. I’ll send men to help with the search. Good luck, Mr. Duan."

"Got it."

Stepping out of the bar, Duan Fei called over Cuihua, who was standing guard at the door, and they began their search.

With no one else around, Cuihua could finally speak more or less normally.

Gazing at the still-burning warehouse, Cuihua listened to the full story and then asked, "Guild Leader, do you have any leads?"

"A few, but not much to go on. First off, if it really was Flora and the Maid who burned down the warehouse, do you think they did it on their own?"

"No. So, you’re saying someone put them up to it?"

"Yes. And it was probably one of the other two gangs. On top of that, there must be a mole among the Foreigners. Otherwise, they couldn’t have located the warehouse with such Precision and attacked."

"That makes sense. So what’s our move?"

"The two of us aren’t enough. I’ll summon some backup."

Duan Fei pulled out his Character Card and immediately summoned Hancock.

This area restricts inventory items, weakens the effects of most Skills, and significantly reduces the duration of Character Cards.

After summoning Hancock, Duan Fei discovered he had shrunk.

Hancock was now only the size of his palm, with an adorable, chibi-like appearance. Lying perfectly still, he looked just like a little clay figurine.

Grabbing Hancock, Duan Fei wasted no time and rushed back toward the warehouse.

This batch of potatoes had been acquired just this morning. Not many people knew they were here, and every one who did was an elite among the Foreigners.

After quickly reviewing the list of names, Duan Fei thought for a moment, then said to Cuihua, "Come on. We’re going to the hospital."

They jumped into a nearby Beetle, and the gang member at the wheel sped off, taking Duan Fei and Cuihua to the hospital. There, they found the Godfather’s nephew, his wounds freshly bandaged.

The young man was covered in bandages, sitting on the edge of his bed and gazing at the night sky.

Duan Fei pushed the door open, walked in, and looked at him. "How much did they pay you?"

"What are you talking about? I don’t understand," the nephew asked, looking confused.

Duan Fei picked up a Crowbar. He looked the nephew in the eye and said grimly, "The Godfather knows. He sent me to deal with you."

The nephew glanced past Duan Fei, signaling the gang member behind him with his eyes. The members at the door slowly began to draw their guns.

But just as they pulled out their pistols, an incredibly hard Katsuo Stick appeared before them, knocking them both to the ground in a single, swift motion.

Within seven paces, a man is faster than a gun!

Seeing his accomplices taken out, the nephew’s expression finally cracked.

He threw his hands up in the air and said in resignation, "Alright, I’ll talk! I’ll talk, okay?"