Under the Veil of Night

Kanae waited until Kano finished briefing his men. In the middle, she heard this upright man yell towards his subordinate in indignation. The camera footage for that day was erased, so there was no way they could investigate the robbery.

"Can't you recover the video?"

"There's a virus that destroyed the data. Unless there's a way to reconstruct scattered information, there's no way this data can be recovered."

Kano sighed in exasperation. "What about the footage of Tom? Is that still here?"

"There is none."

In his heart, Kano sighed again. He knew that Fiore Group was only famous recently, but their work on Black Street was always without any evidence. If not because of its registration and the news of people on the street, no one would know about this group's name.

The very first time they appeared with a splash was during that big battle, but even then, the videos were scarce. There were only some blurry images of the members and the one that could be seen clearly was only the picture of Tom. Even then, they only saw his side profile after he had finished the battle.

It was scary. The man was not that big, but he seemed like a battle soldier that was ready to charge, even though he had just finished a tough battle. That scar on the right eye was apparent, and it made him look like a seasoned fighter. At the same time, his skin looked like that of a young man, so they were clueless about his real identity.

"Even the government is trying its best to unveil the real identity of Fiore Group. As of now, there are almost no clues."

Kano nodded his head. "Do your job well. Also, don't forget to make the report to the clans. This is inside their territory."

Hearing Kano mention the clans, the police officer shuddered. He felt that his grave was being dug for him when Kano mentioned that. After all, the one who held the authority on the street was mostly the clans and the four big families. As for the government, they loved to take a back seat and let the people mock them.

"Sorry Kanae, did you wait for long?" Kano asked the girl standing on the side.

Kanae shook her head. "It is fine, Inspector. I don't have work today, so I can spare some time."

"I'll take you to a restaurant. I'm sure you didn't have dinner yet."

"Thank you, Sir."

"Don't worry. I just want to have a talk with you."

Kanae nodded her head. She was not sure what this man wanted to talk with her about. It could be related to the incident today, but it could also be related to Misae. She was the close friend of Misae and Kano would spare no expense in inquiring about his daughter.

"I hope you don't mind a small restaurant."

"I don't mind, Sir."

They sat down and ordered some food. Kanae ordered noodles while Kano ordered fried rice plus fried chicken. While they sat, Kano took out his cigarette.

"It was truly tiring work today."

"Sir?" Kanae asked confusedly.

"Kanae, the streets are dangerous. You should consider your safety more when you're outside. I don't want to see you get involved in another case again. It's dangerous."

Kanae smiled wryly. She too didn't want to get involved in a case that the police handled. It was harder to maintain her secrecy if she got involved in something that would go on the news. She preferred the Black Street more where she could move more freely.

"Sir, believe me. I too don't want to get involved."

"I know," Kano sighed as he tapped his cigarette on the ashtray. "But you got involved in far too many incidents lately."

Kanae was speechless. What was this man talking about? The last incident she remembered was the one at school and there was no way she could not get involved unless she had skipped school that day. Oh wait, did he mean the one in the cruise? That was a complete accident too….

"They're all unwanted incidents," Kanae wore a wry smile.

"Anyway, the clans are not going to stay idle this time. There are a lot of incidents inside their territory, so it's better if you don't get involved in them."

"Clan's territory?" Kanae asked.

Kano nodded his head. "Yes, you should know about the five big clans, right? Their territory is not something you can view lightly. Even the four big families have to be careful when dealing with them."

"I know."

Even if the clans were not viewed as honorable, the people in this city held a certain esteem for them. The entire city always had a clan overseeing it, no matter which part it was. Inside their territory, ordinary citizens didn't have to worry about anything, but for those who built companies and other organizations that involved a lot of money, they had to pay "respect" to the clan.

Only five clans held the biggest share of the territory, which earned them a lot of money from collecting tax. Ordinary citizens only needed to pay taxes to the government, but the rich had to also pay taxes to the clans. This was the rule to make sure that the rich still knew their place.

While the clans were the 'true leader' in the shadows, the big families were the real one in the light. Every time people mentioned the clans, they would associate them with the underworld. On the other hand, the four big families had existed for a long time and were known to be the leaders of various fields, especially in economics.

In addition, they were sometimes called nobles because of the long history of their families and the fact that they were rich.

However, they were not invincible. Even the four big families had to pay a certain amount of taxes if they had their companies or something inside the territory of the clans. Since nearly all places were inside their territory, they usually had to pay up money here and there.

It might sound annoying as they had to pay a lot of money, but at the same time, they gained protection. The clans were powerful and even those professional bodyguards couldn't necessarily stop the clans' elites. Some of the clans might experience downfalls occasionally, but if they managed to keep their territory, that meant they were still powerful.

"If a crime happens in their territory, what will happen?" Kanae asked.

"Those criminals better hope that the police rather than the disciplinary force from the clans find them first," Kano answered. Their fate would be unknown if they got captured by those from the clans.

"This area is the Souhon Clan's territory, right?"

"No, this is not theirs anymore. They experienced a bit of a setback, and this place's owner is now the third biggest clan."

Kanae was stunned. The race between the five big clans was not apparent outside, so she didn't know that the area's owner had changed. It seems she had to pay more attention outside. The second and third clans were always having a close race and so far, Souhon Clan led. However, she was not certain this would continue as the Souhon Clan has weakened greatly.

The food came and Kanae ate delightfully. She was hungry and getting a free meal would certainly be very welcomed.

Kano thought about something else. "How's Misae in school? She seemed to return to her usual state."

Kanae nodded her head. Misae was no longer troubled with the fact that Jay came from the Souhon Clan. That girl was already getting mischievous and bold again.

"Misae is doing alright. I'm sure she won't have much trouble interacting with clan members if they're her friends. Misae treats Jay like a normal classmate. Not as close as before, though."

Kano nodded his head. "I should just worry about her meeting them outside then. Please take care of my daughter, Kanae."

"Sir, she's the one taking care of me."

Hearing that, Kano laughed. He has already observed them from a long time ago and 'interrogated' Kanae a few times.

"If it's not enough, you can order more."

"Then I won't be polite."