Under the Veil of Night

"He looks so peaceful when he's sleeping. Did the Ainge Clan push him that hard?" Kanae looked at Tommy skeptically. Seeing the boy sleeping so peacefully in the backseat, she doubted that he was sleeping properly.

Shiro nudged the boy and then sighed. "I don't think he's sleeping that well. He's already used to being active at night and sleeping during the day, so it won't be that easy for him to adapt to his new sleeping schedule."

"I see."

"It has been some time, though."

"He'll be fine after a while," Shiro assured them as a doctor.

"That's good."

"By the way, I have been wanting to ask this for a while. Shouldn't the two of you be very busy with your own work? How did you spare enough time for this drive?" Shiro looked inquiringly at the two of them.

Jason steered the wheel to drive off onto a different road. "It's a long explanation, but if you want the short story, you can say that I'm just pushing off my work for now."

"I already took care of the necessary paperwork for today. There might still be a lot to review, but I can do it tomorrow," Kanae smiled cheekily. "Even if I don't, I'm sure that Brother Jason will help me out."

"Ey, I asked for your help in the first place because I can't do it at my place."

"Tsk, you should deal with the surveillance more quickly then, Brother Jason. It's inconvenient for me to do your work."

Shiro raised his eyebrows. "Can I take it as Kanae has been doing your work for the time being, Jason?"

Jason smiled wryly. It was not like he wanted to keep Kanae busy doing his work, but there were some things that he wanted to keep away from his family no matter what. If he handled it at home, he was sure that the spies that his family sent to watch over him would be able to see through his attempts to hide it.

For the time being, he would have to rely on Kanae to finish these matters.

"Don't worry. I didn't overwork her and only asked her to handle small jobs. When the situation turns better, I'll take care of it again," Jason explained.

Shiro nodded. He looked back and forth between the two of them. "You two should pay more attention to what the government has been doing for the past month. They seem to be moving at high speed seeing from how they directly destroyed an entire clan just like that."

"Right, if they start to set their sights on the four big families too, it won't be peaceful in this city anymore," Kanae rubbed her forehead. She thought about the invitation letters to the school's opening ceremony that she and her sister received just a few days ago. 

She was not sure if it would be safe for them to come into contact with the government again. After she had the true nature of their experiments back then, they had left a bad taste in her mouth. If it was possible, she didn't want to meet with them at all.

"Did you get the invitation?"

���Not me, my sister."

Jason's face turned dark at the mention of Laura. "Are you saying that they're targeting her too?"

"I don't know. If they really want to crush the four big families, well it's only three now since the Aida Family self-destructed, they will target one of us. There's no way to be sure which one they want to eliminate first," Kanae replied.

There were still three big families in this city. The Wells Family was still leading at the front with the Nali and the Doha Families tailing behind them. There would be a big problem if any of these families were to be destroyed because it would destroy the balance of power between the families and the government.

"Will our Fiore Group start moving on the street again? There are a lot of things we can take over especially since the Tamari Clan is now out of the way," Shiro asked.

Kanae shook her head. "I'm sure that Kevin won't take things lying down. The Ryukalin Clan has already started moving to take care of the mess. Without a central power taking care of the chaos in that area, a lot of things will collapse."

"Yeah, you're right."

The balance of power in this city was not only upheld by the government. Even though the government was the one controlling things from the shadows, it couldn't move by itself and needed help from others. At the forefront now was the three big families and also the three large clans—wait no, there were only two clans left in this city:

The Ryukalin Clan and the Souhon Clan.

The Merion Clan's actions had directly affected a lot of matters in the underworld. The three clans had been working hard to maintain a balance, but with the Tamari Clan's collapse, things were difficult for the two clans left.

"We all know how the Souhon Clan is declining," Kanae rubbed her forehead. "The previous battle had directly affected their position, so there's not many powerful people who can take charge."

"A lot of places have turned unlawful again, and the Ryukalin Clan has stepped in to help. However, it's going to be very difficult to restore things to the way they used to be," Shiro sighed and leaned back into his seat again. He spaced out at the gray roof of the car above him, feeling tired despite not having to deal with the matter directly.

"Things won't stay the same anymore unless a new clan with comparable power emerges, but I highly doubt it."

The number of experts in the underworld was limited. Not many people were willing to step up and create a new clan from scratch anymore. Some existing clans might try to step up, but there was still the question whether they had enough power or not.

Jason steered the car back to the Black Street area. "I can't understand what the government is thinking by making so many problems for us. But if they wish to weaken and split up our forces, they have succeeded since we still have to take care of numerous people's lives in this city."

Those big families were only seen as prominent and rich families, but they were actually the ones who helped keep the people's lives in order. Without the work that they gave and the circulation of money they controlled along with investment in public facilities, this city wouldn't be able to stand upright.

They were the pillars in the light that supported the city.

On the other hand, the clans supported the city from the dark making sure the people of the Underworld followed regulations. They also limited these rich people's assets with the taxes that they have to pay the clans.

But now, things have turned complicated. With the clans unable to function well, there would be some people trying to get out of the system. This would undoubtedly create chaos in the city.

"I wish you two good luck," Shiro glanced out the window and noticed that they had arrived by his clinic. "I'm not interested in the power struggle, nor do I really have the talent for that. This doctor will just try to live quietly in this city."

"Take care of yourself, Shiro."

"Yeah."

Shiro dragged Tommy out. Afterwards, Jason continued to drive with only him and Kanae in the car. He looked at the girl. "Will you interfere in the government's plan?"

"I don't have the power to directly attack their base," Kanae admitted. "But if they try to hurt those dear to me, I'll not step back."

"Indeed."

The two of them didn't have to say it out loud, but they knew that they would have to fight the government sooner or later. The problem in hand was the fact that the other party has started to make their move and they have to follow suit.

Or it would forever be too late.