Chapter 35: A visit unknown

Dori stood in the center of the expansive living room of the Barton City penthouse, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

Sitting awkwardly on the expensive, pristine furniture were two men who looked like they belonged in a back-alley brawl, not a luxury high-rise. They stared at the polished hardwood floors, entirely out of their element.

She pulled out her phone and opened her chat with Karl, her thumbs flying across the cracked screen.

{Dori- Who are these guys standing in the living room? You said guests, but they look like they got lost on the way to a mugging.}

{Karl- They are the first round of recruits. Fill-ins.}

{Dori- They look weak. We don’t need them here.}

{Karl- Hiding alone won’t work long-term. We need a layer of protection on the ground, people who can operate while I figure out the best way to structure this. They are just there as a fill-in until I sort it out.}

{Karl- I need you to train them. I trust you to handle this.}

Dori stared at the glowing screen for a long moment.

Initially, she had been entirely hesitant, finding the men completely unworthy of occupying the same space as the person who had saved her life.

Why would Karl, someone who could casually dismantle trained fighters and pro gamers alike, need these street-level thugs?

But as she read his final message, the hesitation evaporated. *He trusted her.* She had promised him in that cold plastic castle that she was his now, that she would never leave him.

She had desperately wanted a purpose, a way to repay the life he had handed back to her.

This was her chance to be of actual use to him. She would take these strays and turn them into obedient guard dogs, utilizing every brutal lesson she had learned while surviving under the Black Snakes.

She slipped the phone into her pocket and turned her sharp gaze on the recruits.

The thugs shifted uncomfortably under her stare. They were clearly confused and a little scared of the sudden shift in atmosphere, but the promise of high pay kept them rooted to the expensive cushions.

"Alright, listen up," Dori snapped, her voice carrying a cold, uncompromising authority. "You work for him, which means you answer to me. First rule: run down the stairs to the lobby and back up. Now."

One of the recruits, a heavier guy with a shaved head, let out a dismissive scoff. "No offense, sweetheart, but I didn’t sign up to take orders from some girl with pink hair."

Dori did not even blink.

In one fluid, utterly ruthless motion, she closed the distance, swept his leg, and pinned him face-first into the hardwood floor.

She twisted his arm up until he gasped in blinding pain, demonstrating the exact same ghost-like efficiency she had used to shatter a massive man’s wrist in Yajn’s hideout.

"Do I look like a sweetheart to you?" she whispered near his ear, pressing her knee harder into his spine.

"N-no! Got it! I got it!" he choked out, his face pale and sweating.

She released him and stepped back, her expression entirely bored.

The other two thugs were staring at her in absolute, terrified silence. Their confusion had been completely overridden by fear, and they were now perfectly obedient.

As they scrambled to their feet to begin the stair drills, Dori crossed her arms, genuinely wondering why these soft idiots had even accepted such a dangerous job to begin with. They had no idea what world they had just stepped into.

---

A few blocks away, near the central plaza, Karl stood in the quiet, warmly lit hallway right outside an upscale apartment building.

He had just sent his final text to Dori, his thumb lingering over the screen for a second before he slid the phone back into his jacket pocket.

He trusted her completely.

He knew the recruits would be in safe hands with her leading them. If anyone could whip a group of uncoordinated thugs into a functional, disciplined layer of protection, it was the former Black Snake assassin.

Suddenly, the familiar pale blue interface unfolded in the center of his vision, interrupting his thoughts.

[Quest Update: Establish a Syndicate.]

[Condition one: Gather loyal subordinates - Fulfilled.]

[Reward: Pending...]

Karl let out a slow breath, dismissing the translucent panel with a mere thought.

He was officially building a gang.

The system had demanded it, and he had set the foundation in motion. He didn’t have time to navigate the menus to check exactly what the system was rewarding him with just yet, because right in his hand, he was holding the sleek, black room card Miss Vera had slipped into his pocket back in the empty classroom.

He stepped up to the heavy wooden door of her apartment and, rather than using the card immediately, opted to knock politely.

A few moments passed in silence. Then, a sharp click echoed from the lock.

The heavy wooden door swung inward, but only by a few inches at first. Standing right there in the narrow gap was Miss Vera.

She looked absolutely stunning, dressed impeccably in an elegant, high-end evening outfit that clung perfectly to her figure.

The silk fabric draped beautifully over her curves, featuring a tasteful yet alluring neckline. However, what immediately caught Karl’s attention was the stark contrast to her usual serene, calculated demeanor—she looked genuinely flustered.

A somewhat panicked look flashed across her face as she peeked out the door.

Her hands were hurriedly smoothing down the sides of her dress, and her fingers quickly adjusted the collar, as if she had been caught completely off guard.

"Karl?" she breathed, her eyes darting up and down the empty hallway before locking onto him.

The sheer, unadulterated panic twisted her usually perfect features for a fraction of a second before she forced a strained, breathless smile. "You... you’re early."

"Am I?" Karl asked, keeping his voice even, though he noticed the slight flush coloring her neck. "I apologize. I can wait in the lobby if you need more time."

"No, no, don’t be silly," she said quickly, pulling the door open wider and taking a step back to let him in.

She ran a hand through her perfectly styled hair, her chest heaving slightly as she gripped the edge of the door with white-knuckled intensity.

"I knew you were coming, of course. I was just... in the middle of preparing a few things. I wasn’t expecting you for another half hour."

Karl stepped past the threshold and into the apartment.

The interior matched the prestige of the building—high ceilings, minimalist modern art, and the soft, ambient glow of expensive lighting fixtures.

The faint, intoxicating scent of her perfume lingered heavily in the air, mingling with the rich aroma of something roasting in the kitchen.

Miss Vera closed the door behind him, leaning against it for a brief second to compose herself. She adjusted the waistline of her dress one last time, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves.

"Make yourself comfortable," she said, her voice finally dropping back into that familiar, smooth cadence, though a faint trace of tension remained. "Can I get you a drink while I finish up in the kitchen? You certainly know how to catch a woman by surprise, Karl."

Karl stood in the center of the plush living room, observing her carefully. Whatever she had been doing before he knocked, it had completely rattled the usually unflappable school nurse.

"A glass of water would be fine, thank you," he replied calmly, his mind already spinning with questions about what exactly he had just walked into.