Chapter 90 - Radicals

<---Chapter 89 - The Mole|Table of Contents|Chapter 91 - To The Table--->

The atmosphere was tense, as Gunther heaved a bag full of pellets and rifle parts into a dusty corner, panting slightly while he tried to catch his breath. His other followers who escaped with him were equally exhausted, some collapsing onto the floor of the derelict hideout room, the door locked tightly behind them.

His followers were compromised of those who knew the real inner workings of the union, those who were loyal to Gunther. Many had participated in the executions and beheading themselves, using the union as a means to bring their shared vision into reality.

However, this setback had them reeling. No one spoke a word as they reorganized their stuff, Gunther himself boiling with frustration as to what had happened. "Where is Long Hua? He should have been here before us. Did he leave?"

"No sir, the hideout was completely untouched when we first arrived." One of his followers answered him. "The door was still locked exactly the same way we left it."

Gunther cursed under his breath, wondering what happened before the leader of the strike force entered the hideout along with another small group of workers, having just escaped the Seven Snakes district. It was painfully obvious from the look on their faces that not everyone had made it out of the ensnaring net.

"What the hell happened, Ki Hwang?" Bronco pressed as he stormed up to Gunther, asking the question that had been on everyone's mind for the last few hours that they have been running. "We had control of the whole union! We could have fought off anyone who was coming to capture us."

"Not when the union council has been corrupted." Gunther seethed. "Those spineless compromisers, they were planning to round all of us up at the morning council meeting!"

"Who?!"

"Who else? The fucking cocksuckers who spent their time at the Seven Snakes pub and casino every night these past few weeks!" Despite Gunther's external show of disdain and anger, internally he was far from furious about the betrayal of Culo and the others. He had never expected them to really be on the same page as him, even with all their talks of unity and solidarity.

He used them just as much as they used him. As Gunther looked around the temporary hideout, he was buoyed by the fact that he had already grown his original following to a near hundred now, armed to the teeth with military grade weapons and armor pilfered from the factory stores at no additional cost.

"Fucking traitors..." Bronco gritted his teeth, kicking a nearby crate. "We lost our power - reduced to a skeleton of what we could have been! The whole factory! It could have been the start of something fresh, a true revolution! "

"And it still can be. We still have multiple stores of weapons and supplies to continue the fight."

"Then we should hit the Seven Snakes as soon as possible. The moment they drop their guard-"

"No. It's all a ploy by that accursed Kyle." Gunther clenched his fist. "He knew exactly what was going to happen, and he played us all for fools!"

"What do you mean? How is that possible?"

"I felt it the moment he instantly agreed to all our demands, as if he was already expecting it to happen. The council may have already been infiltrated even earlier." Gunther began to pace the hideout, checking all of their remaining food and water. Perhaps even Culo was on their side from the beginning.

"You're right, it was strange for us to have successfully rescued all of the prisoners without a single casualty. But I don't understand, what is the overall motive?"

"It does not matter - as long as we still live, the revolution lives on through us. Gather everyone who have proved their loyalty once they are settled in. Contact Wrent and inform him of what happened." Gunther ordered Bronco.

While Bronco rallied the men, Gunther was not as disinterested as he seemed in Kyle's motive, trying to compile everything he knew. As he watched his men scurry about, reorganizing the hideout once more, it was like lightning striking the ground when the pattern began to emerge in his brain, the path obvious to him.

It was already clearly obvious that controlling the union was the desired outcome for the Seven Snakes, and it had been achieved through the corruption of his allies, but it failed to explain just why they did not crush the union outright. If they were able to capture Guang Hwa so easily, then there was an underlying reason why they did not capture me yet.

Gunther knew he was the highest profile target - for all his disguises and machinations, he had no doubt Kyle would have captured him instantly the moment he was revealed. Which means I still served a purpose, up to today.

As what was left of the workers continued to reorganize their equipment, Gunther spotted Bronco's hand shivering slightly, Bronco taking out a smokepipe and stuffing a few grounded Euria Seeds. "Since when did you smoke?" Gunther squinted in suspicion.

"I..." Bronco himself wasn't quite sure. "I just saw this among the stash of the factory managers, seemed about right to use it."

"You don't look too well."

"I'm fine, I'm perfectly fine. What, you going to tell me I can't smoke now?"

"Of course not." Gunther didn't particularly care about Euria smoke, it was just another hobby to him. Yet he saw quite a few people smoking as well within the hideout, the distinctive blue plumes wafting to the ground.

"Hey, there's an announcement by the union on the radios!" One of the men remarked, tuning the radio only to earn a slap in the head from Bronco.

"What fucking use do we have to listen to the traitors? Fuck all of them!" Bronco reached forward to grab the radio, but Gunther stopped him.

"No. To know our next move, we need to know our enemies. Play it."

[-And the union will no longer tolerate those who seek to undermine and threaten the stability of society. The union is committed to ensuring peace and prosperity, for those who are willing to put in the effort. We now represent all workers in the district, if you choose to join us, in working hand-in-hand with the enforcers and the business owners.] Culo's voice rang clearly through the hideout, antagonizing Gunther's followers who were listening in.

"Fucking bitches! They compromised with the landlords and the Seven Snakes! They betrayed the workers!"

"Gunther, we should go in and kill all of them. The only thing worse than a landowner is a traitor!"

Gunther's followers were already seething, shouting over the announcement until Gunther raised his hand, earning a silence while Culo continued to speak.

[Our former leader, Gunther, has been revealed to be the mastermind behind the beheadings and executions, attempting to frame others. The union vehemently denounces all forms of violence and offensive actions, and are purely committed to a peaceful negotiation with all business owners. We do not seek revolution, but reformation. Together, we can all work towards a better future, hand-in-hand without conflict. In order to do so, we have implement a few changes to the union.]

"FUCK YOU CULO! NO CHANGE WITHOUT STRENGTH!" One of Gunther's followers hollered, earning a wave of agreements and shouting.

"Disgusting slimeballs who suckle their masters' toes!" Another heckled. "And I bet the first change they did was to rescind the double wages."

[As such, effective from today, the union will be enforcing new rules and legistation to ensure the well-being of every worker of the union. First and foremost, double wages of the current prevailing market rates are in place, to be revised every three years under a progressive scheme.]

"What?!" Gunther's followers were befuddled beyond belief, their anger overridden by confusion. Many of them turned to look at Bronco and Gunther, only to see that the two were equally flabbergasted as well.

As Culo continued elaborating on the changes, it became painfully clear that all of the benefits that the union had earned was not going away at all. Bronco pulled Gunther to the side angrily:"This runs contrary to every other business owner we have dealt with before. What is the Seven Snakes even aiming at?! How are they sustaining double of the market rates?! And to even suggest that it would be revised regularly? If anything, Kyle should have crushed the union instantly to save costs!"

Gunther's eyes flickered to the pipe still in Bronco's hand, the realization striking him. "You, you and the other prisoners. You're addicted to the Euria smoke, aren't you?"

"What? How does that matter now?"

"The workers left behind, they are fueling their addiction by buying drugs from the damned Seven Snakes. The money never ever leaves their system, it just circulates! That's how they are funding the double wages, because the workers are going to spend it on them anyway!"

Bronco started to come around a little, but was still a bit confused. "But they still need money to produce the drugs, it can't be that profitable for them!"

[Finally, for workers who have suffered financial difficulties, we are proud to also consecutively announce a loan program with low interest rates from the Golden Snakes Construction Company in order to cover your expenditure. This offer is unique to workers within the union only!] Culo's final change had a resounding applause on his side of the radio, but Gunther's followers were deathly silent in the hideout.

At this stage, Gunther didn't need to bicker any longer, Kyle's plan laid bare for all to see. "He's milking them dry through never-ending interest. If they are as addicted as you, they would spend their entire wage on every single drop of Euria they can get their hands on, even going into debt!"

"Then they will be forever indentured to the Seven Snakes." Bronco concluded as he tossed his Euria pipe to the side in disgust. "All while the workers think they are protected and supported by the union. He played us like puppets!"

"Like puppets indeed." Gunther clenched his fist in anger. First the Red Lions, now the Seven Snakes. I had enough of being used as a pawn!

The announcement ended, leaving Gunther's followers waiting for an answer while they bickered among each other, some reconsidering whether following Gunther was the right thing to do or not. "Maybe if we had just compromised, we would have been able to achieve something greater. Culo is doing exactly what a union should be doing."

"Are you crazy? The union should have zero diplomacy with the business owners - don't forget the Seven Snakes imprisoned and experimented on our brothers. They treat us worse than cattle!"

"That's right, no quarter should be given!"

"But Kyle gave in to all of our demands!"

"That means he just has an ulterior motive. It's clear he is the ultimate beneficial owner of the union now, pulling all the strings. Who is to say that he won't twist it for his own nefarious means in the future!"

"It does not matter what he wants, or why he wants it." Gunther interjected, stepping into the very center of the hideout. "What matters is that the union under Culo has lost their path. They have become enchanted, led astray by the naive belief that working with those who seek to own us would ever lead to a positive outcome. This is only a false cover, an illusion to make it seem like the Seven Snakes is walking the path of moderation."

"But the fact is, the workers did get a better job and safer working conditions." One of the more hesitant followers pointed out.

"Then inform me, and the rest of us here: who put them into that situation in the first place? Who created the working environment from scratch? Molded it, designed it? Was it us?"

“Those above us who have forgotten their roots." Bronco and a few others chanted in response.

"Culo and the traitors paint us as radicals, as extremists who only know violence. We have lost our base of power, our support, our former brothers and comrades. But when our suffering and pain is inflicted through violence, what other recompense do we have? Does a pig bend the knee in order to prevent being slaughtered? Does a dog not fight back when others seek to maim it? And when ur fellow chickens sprint for the ovens, shall you follow them? No! We will fight, fight for our right to get what we deserve from those who seek to rip that away from us!"

"And so they shall return to dust." More began to join the chant.

"The business owners establish their rule through the use of force, in the form of enforcers or gangsters. Thus, the use of force is necessary to overthrow said rule! There is no other alternative, no other compromise. A revolutionary does not maim himself in search of a better future, he struggles and fights with every ounce of energy within his veins, within his muscles. And while he may not live to witness the future, he knows that it is what must be done in the present, in the here and now. For great men suffer for a goal they may never see realized."

"So our children can be reborn anew." The followers were starting to come together, united under a banner.

"To a better world, a world without exploitation, servitude, a world without class, a world without nobles and their ilk, a world without suffering nor pain, where every man, woman and child will be afforded his due rights according to his true ability rather than the nature of his birth."

"So our world will be made united."

"This setback is but a minor dip, but it only hardens our resolves and threshes the dregs from our cause. Here we remain united, stronger than ever in our bonds. Those traitors do not deserve our help, nor will they receive our sympathy. No longer shall we run, no longer shall we hide."

"For men of equal shall inherit the world!"

"Gather everyone who is willing to fight for the cause, to fight for the freedom that we all had ripped away from us the moment we were born into this cruel society. Recruit the lost, the forsaken, the downtrodden, and rise up! Rise up stronger than ever before, rise up burning with vengeance in your heart, soul and mind! The revolution can be only be paved in blood, for all men are equal!" Gunther roared at the top of his lungs.

"And so they will die equal!"

***

The galloping of horses thundered across the tracks, only matched by the never-ending shouts and cheers from the audience. Many of them clutches slips of papers in their hands, their hearts palpitating in line with each gallop the horses took.

[Angel's Venture is leading the pack right now, but Team Crimson is catching up real fast, it looks like its coming down to the wire!] An upbeat announcer's voice belted out commentary through the various arctech radio speakers mounted on the ceiling of the stands, invigorating the audience even more.

[AND UNBELIEVABLE! TEAM CRIMSON IS THE WINNER BY JUST THE TIP OF ITS NOSE!]

"THAT'S BULLSHIT!" An angry audience member wagged a clenched fist in the air. "THEY WERE CHEATING!"

"Sit down, old man, you just betted on the wrong horse!"

"Fuck you!"

As the audience broke out into equal mix of cheers and tears, a entourage of Red Lion bodyguards surrounding a VIP lounge area showed no emotion at all, much less the man that they were protecting. Instead, the man was focusing far more on the words that were being whispered to him.

"There has been no contact with Wrent since the announcement by the union. We suspect the Seven Snakes may have captured him." A Red Lion officer reported to Leo who was still staring intently at the chaos unfolding in the stands. An eerie silence reigned in the air, the officer's leg shivering slightly while he watched Leo's every movement.

"I don't want suspicions, I want information. Do they have him or not?" Leo spoke with an icy tone, his anger clear as day.

"His last known movement was to secure an informant of the name Guang Hwa, who used to be the CEO of the Golden Snakes."

"Then it's likely our motives and plans have been compromised. The Seven Snakes must be aware of our plans. How fast can we move?"

"We're not done with the distribution of weapons and armor collected by Wrent. It would take a day or two to have every leader and their district geared up again." The officer reluctantly informed, risking earning the ire of Leo. However, he would rather not end up like Wrent - honesty was the best policy when it came to the Red Lions.

"Mock up a reduced attack plan with a smaller strike force. Once approved, distribute it to all leaders for execution. Who's left in the Left Paw?"

"The next ranking member is Lionel, boss."

"Have him assume the position of the Left Paw."

"But boss, Wrent might still be alive. If we replace him now, it would go against years of tradi-"

Leo glared at the officer. "Regardless of whether or not Wrent is alive, he is a dead man to us. I do not tolerate failure twice. Carry out the promotion, effective immediately."

"Understood, boss."

Leo sighed, adjusting a leather gauntlet that masked his entire left forearm. "The attack must be lightning quick. Have Lionel take over from Wrent for the Left Paw. I will take command as soon as the strike force is organized. We must burn every Seven Snakes business to the ground before they can fortify their defenses."

"Of course-" A sudden gunshot interrupted them from the front of the stands, the audience collectively shouting in unison, Both Leo and the officer immediately exchanged suspicious glances. "Who's in charge of security here?"

"I'll ring him up." The officer quickly tuned the arctech radio strapped to his belt, only to met with static.

"Mobilize anyone who is still remaining. We will immediately retreat to our nearest hideout." Leo motioned with his hands, having the entourage move in tandem with him, forcing their way through the panicking crowd.

As the bodyguards pushed and shoved the audience members aside in a bid to get to the exit, a sudden glint of metal flashed into Leo's eyes, the sharp blade of a knife gutting a unaware bodyguard from amdist the crowd. "They are onto us!" The Red Lion officer cried out, drawing his handgun and scanning the crowd for the hidden assailant.

Even Leo couldn't tell who was the enemy and who was just a fleeing audience member. "Clear out the crowd, NOW!"

The bodyguards complied, firing into the air and forcing the innocent audience members to scatter away from them suddenly. But before some of the bodyguards could react, they were immediately met with a barrage of pellets, most of which tore through their steel plates like a hot knife through butter, butchering their organs in a mist of blood.

Leo ducked low while he was escorted out of the racing arena, pellets zinging in the dense air when a sudden explosion rang in the distance as others screamed and ducked, running for cover while smoke billowed from the nearby factories.

"Who's attacking us?" Leo demanded, but the bodyguards around him were far too preoccupied to identify their allegiance. Only from the corner of his eye did he spot the silhouette of the assailants, though it was not enough to determine who it was.

As the firefight continued, the Red Lion bodyguards fell one by one in their attempts to bring Leo to a safehouse along the wide streets filled with panic and devestation. They cowered behind smoking husks of arctech wagons and toppled billboard signs, firing back randomly at the general direction of the enemy.

"Boss, we're going to make a run for it over into that shop and hole up until further reinforcements come - you two cover us!" The Red Lion officer barked, Leo complying and sprinting as fast as he could under suppressive fire.

Soon, they were in the still pristine shop filled with silk and luxurious cloths draped on rails and manniquins, the workers frantically hiding in the safety of their counter.

"Get into the back!" The Red Lion officer waved his handgun frantically, forcing the workers into the storeroom behind while Leo himself began to shift a few display cabinets towards the door, shoring it up before taking stock of what they had on hand.

"Boss, you can have my handgun." The officer offered it to Leo, only to be rejected.

"I have my ways of defending myself. Get in contact with the other members, have them encircle the enemy now."

"But boss, if you use it, your body will not be able to-"

"Did I ask you to question me?!" Leo snapped, prompting the officer to hurriedly tune the arctech radio, trying to hail the other Red Lions.

Another explosion reverberated through the shop, the mannequins rattling violently along with the flimsy glass pane that shielded their storefront. Leo could only watch as his bodyguards were pinned down under the sheer firepower of their attackers unable to stop them at all.

Suddenly, he noticed another glint of metal from a second-floor window opposite the store, a strange looking spearheaded projectile aimed right at him. His muscles tensed as he instinctively lunged towards the officer, dragging him down onto the floor.

Within a split second, the projectile had launched forward, billowing a dazzling green trail of gas before shattering the storefront's glass pane and smashing a mannequin in its way, lodging itself into the fake wooden flooring of the fashion store.

Leo struggled to rise to his feet, while the far more sturdy Red Lion officer attempted to hoist him up. However, a sudden churning sound erupted from the strange projectile, heralding a thousand sharp fragments of metal to explode with force. The fragments ricocheted across the store, damaging and shredding the various strips of cloths apart while the officer fell to the ground, dead from a searing fragment that had nailed him right between his shocked eyes.

Leo scrambled to the counter at the far end of the shop, taking cover behind the sturdy wooden walls of a wardrobe while a squad of five union fighters stormed the entrance, hacking and kicking apart the temporarily placed display cabinets. "So those above us remember their roots." The squad leader chanted, motioning for the others to sweep the store.

"And so they shall return to dust." They responded, hoisting their rifle to bear, carefully stepping over the pieces of broken mannequins and torn trails of clothes billowing amdist the smoke and devastation of the

"No use hiding, Mane of the Red Lion. No one shall stand above the union any longer!" The leader of the union squad taunted. "Come out and we may grant you a quick death."

"Fools, I was the one who funded you! I supported your cause!" Leo roared from behind the cover, his eyes darting about as he searched for a way out.

"I would be a fool to believe your words - you imprisoned Gunther and my brothers too! No doubt you had nefarious means for us, using us to your own benefit. We will no longer be your puppets!"

"Then you leave me no choice." Leo grunted with effort, removing his leather gauntlet on his left forearm to reveal a wretched, shriveled black hand, from which a sickening red gas began to seep out of every pore, snaking through the debris like tendrils that seeked out the fighters.

Before any of the workers could react, the tendrils of gas had spiralled up into the air, coiling like snakes and drilling right into their nose, their harrowing screams filling the air as their bodies was hoisted and flung through the store, their skin ravaged by multiple lacerations from the various sharp glass fragments around.

The squad leader was frightened, hurriedly firing as many pellets as he could muster at the incoming tendrils. Yet the pellets had no effect on the gas, only forming swirling holes of fumes as it passed through harmlessly. Three tendrils lunged towards him, two grabbing his two arms and locking him down to the ground, while the last one jabbed right into his eyes, his eyes squished into a pulp as blood streamed down his face.

Blood began to pulsate, swirling back through the tendrils towards Leo's hand, his original shriveled blackened skin beginning to regain its original color and skin tension. In exchange, the workers' body began to decay rapidly, the flesh deflating like a balloon as the life was sucked right out of them.

The leader still struggled while Leo walked towards him, confident as ever as a deadly red aura surrounded him. Without a single word, Leo flicked his finger upwards, the tendril that had latched onto the leader's eyes began to pull even harder, turning the leader's face inside out in an gruesome form, the red raw flesh within brought to the surface in a twist of skin and meat.

The tendrils dropped the leader, leaving Leo alone in a sea of carnage as he stepped over the desiccated corpses, heading out into the street where a squad of Red Lions were already rushing over to him. "Boss, are you alright?" The first started, only to see the bodies behind Leo as the answer to his question.

Leo ignored the concern of the member, instead ordering the Red Lions to launch a counterattack on the union immediately. "The union has far outlived their usefulness - it's time to cull the herd."

<---Chapter 89 - The Mole|Table of Contents|Chapter 91 - To The Table--->