Tote City, Colton Manor.
Vivian sat at her desk, holding a thin document in her hand.
The paper was only a few pages long, but she had been reading it for a long time.
Dean stood two steps behind her, hands folded behind his back, as silent as a sculpture.
He had been standing guard here for nearly an hour, motionless, even keeping his breathing very light.
Vivian finally set the document down.
She rubbed her temples and closed her eyes.
The pages made a slight rustling sound on the desk before falling into silence.
It really was Blake, one of the Ten Dons and the true backer of the Douglas Family.
She had long suspected he was the one pulling the strings; from the day Douglas suddenly expanded their recruitment, she knew that without the Ten Dons' support, Belloc couldn't possibly be so bold.
But suspecting was one thing; obtaining evidence was another.
This intelligence arrived in a strange way, through a special channel and from an unknown source, making it impossible to even trace.
It had appeared out of thin air outside her manor, like a beautifully wrapped gift waiting for her to open it.
Vivian opened her eyes, her gaze falling on the document.
Black Spencer.
The name was printed clearly on the page, with detailed lists of financial transactions, weapon shipments, and personnel deployments between him and the Douglas Family below it—each entry verifiable, precise down to the date and amount.
With this, she could shut Gavin's mouth.
It wasn't that she, Colton, wanted to pick a fight; it was Blake's people who had made the first move.
She gave a cold laugh.
Gavin Lowell was also one of the Ten Dons and the nominal backer of the Colton Family.
Every year, they offered up vast amounts of wealth to them, only to be abandoned by Gavin just like that.
It was impossible for him not to know who Douglas's backer was; every move in the entire underworld couldn't escape their eyes.
Could he really not know?
But he said nothing and did nothing, allowing Douglas to expand their forces and prepare for war, and letting Colton's assets be eroded.
What did this mean? It meant those two old ghosts had reached an agreement long ago.
Gavin had abandoned Colton, giving Blake the tacit approval to swallow her territory, her business, and her everything.
Allowing the Douglas Family to attack the Colton Family without worry.
Even if the Colton Family withstood the Douglas Family's assault, the Ten Dons could still dispatch their direct assassination unit—the Shadow Beasts—to carry out assassinations against the Colton Family.
There were ten Shadow Beasts in total, the unit the Ten Dons were most proud of, and every Shadow Beast was a Nen User.
Whenever a mafia Family opposed the Ten Dons or violated their orders, the Shadow Beasts would be sent to carry out a murderous punishment.
This elite squad of Nen Users was the truly lethal threat; a normal mafia Family couldn't possibly stop them.
Once Colton could no longer hold out, she would have no choice but to seek help from Gavin. At that point, Gavin could rightfully step in, swallow her assets, and take away the business she had painstakingly built over the years.
Their calculations were certainly shrewd.
Vivian's finger tapped lightly on the desk.
They had overlooked one thing—she didn't need to ask the Ten Dons for help.
Douglas had outside help, and so did she.
During this time, Goreinu, Kastro, and Nico had already pulled one of Douglas's fangs for her.
The Carlson Family, the Gang that controlled the smuggling channels.
The leader was dead, more than half of the core members were killed, and the rest had scattered like rats from a sinking ship.
Vivian had the Lancaster Family directly take over Carlson's territory and assets, moving so fast that even Douglas couldn't react in time.
Afterward, Belloc called to interrogate her, his voice carrying an irrepressible rage.
Vivian only replied with one sentence.
"Carlson made the first move, and Lancaster was merely seeking revenge. It's only natural; the Carlson Family was too foolish, they can't blame anyone else."
Belloc was speechless and slammed down the phone.
From then on, both sides stopped showing restraint. Their subordinate Gangs clashed in countless street battles, resulting in casualties on both sides and reaching a stalemate.
Recently, Goreinu's trio had been eyeing the Griffin Family, the last capable subordinate Gang under Douglas.
If Griffin also fell, Douglas would be nothing more than meat on the chopping block.
But the person who sent her the intelligence... Vivian's gaze fell back onto the document.
Who was this person? Why were they helping her?
Was it because they couldn't stand Blake keeping everything for himself, or did they have other motives?
To be able to obtain this level of evidence right under the Ten Dons' noses and deliver it to her unnoticed, this person's power and methods were far beyond her own.
Dealing with such a person was more dangerous than going to war with Douglas.
Vivian was silent for a moment, then thought of someone.
That white figure emerged in her mind—quiet, composed, and powerful. She still had an ace up her sleeve.
Her true trump card.
She took a deep breath and opened her eyes, her gaze becoming clear and sharp.
"Dean."
"Here."
Dean stepped forward.
"Send out the word. We go to all-out war with Douglas tonight."
Dean didn't hesitate and nodded in response.
"Understood. Everything has already been arranged; we were just waiting for your command."
He paused.
"Do we need to inform Mr. Goreinu and the others?"
Vivian thought for a moment and nodded.
"Inform them as well. It's better than them being caught off guard. If they are willing to take action, their commission will be calculated separately."
"Very well. I'll get right on it."
Dean turned and left, his footsteps quickly fading outside the door.
Silence returned to the study. She lowered her head, looking at the document on the desk, her fingers unconsciously stroking her ring.
The silver surface of the ring glinted with a cold light under the lamp, rubbed over and over again by her fingertips.
She didn't know who the person who sent the intelligence was, nor did she know what their plan was.
But she knew one thing—she was going to win this war.
Gavin, Blake—those two old ghosts—if they thought the Colton Family would fall just like this, they were wrong. It was impossible.
We'll just see who gets the last laugh!
Milko City, on the outskirts of the Griffin Family's stronghold.
The night was equally heavy, but there was no quiet manor here—only dilapidated factory buildings and crisscrossing alleyways.
Most of the streetlights were broken, and the remaining few swayed in the wind, casting flickering light and shadows on the ground.
Goreinu crouched behind a low wall, holding night-vision binoculars. His gaze passed through a gap, landing on a dusty four-story building three hundred meters away.
The Griffin Family's headquarters was right here. On the surface, it was the office building of a logistics company, but in reality, the two basement floors were filled with armories and interrogation rooms.
Kastro leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, his entire being blending into the shadows, his breathing inaudible.
Nico crouched next to Goreinu, a laptop on his knees. He had turned the screen's blue light to the lowest setting, so only he could see the information on it.
"The Griffin Family's defensive strength is a bit stronger than Carlson's."
Nico lowered his voice, his fingers sliding across the touchpad.
"There are twelve core members, three of whom are Nen Users. The leader is named Griffin, an Enhancer. I heard he fought in underground pits for a few years when he was young before Douglas took notice of him, and he climbed up to this position step by step."
Goreinu put down the binoculars and looked back at him.
"Total numbers?"
"Over two hundred direct members. Including the peripheral ones, they can mobilize about four hundred."
Nico pulled up a structural diagram of the stronghold.
"Normally, there are over a hundred people stationed at the headquarters, and the core members are there most of the time. But in wartime, Douglas will likely redeploy them to support the front lines."
Goreinu nodded, his mind already beginning to run simulations.