"Fuck, I'm tired." Max groaned as he slumped into his bed, utterly exhausted, his muscles screaming from the strain of the day. He turned his head lazily and watched Jake walk into the room.

It was another day, and they had just returned from completing yet another mission that had dragged on longer than expected.

"Man, how long till the uniform gets completed though?" Max asked, his tone carrying both impatience and curiosity as his eyes followed Jake, who was taking off his shoes one after the other.

"It's ready. I already collected it," Jake calmly replied, neatly setting his boots aside. "I'm just waiting for the right operation and the right time for us to make use of it."

"What is our operation? What do you want us to do?" Max asked quickly as he sat upright on the bed, his brows furrowing with anticipation.

"Don't you think we need more members first?" Jake asked, raising a brow as his gaze met the dragon's.

"Yes? So?" Max replied, tilting his head slightly with a questioning look.

"So I was thinking…" Jake began slowly, his voice thoughtful, "we hit up a town that isn't too large, a place with its own gang ruling over it. We take them down, seize their business, and in turn gain control over the town." He leaned back with a small proud smile, clearly liking the plan that had formed in his mind.

"Hmm… so what's now the delay?" Max asked again, rubbing his chin while already trying to picture the fight.

"The delay is in the fact that I haven't found the perfect town yet," Jake explained with a sigh. "I need a place where the ruling gang isn't too strong, and most importantly, where they don't have the backing of a much larger gang or faction. I don't intend to step on anyone's toes at this early growing stage of ours." His tone carried the weight of someone who had thought this through over and over again.

"Huh? A gang not being backed by a bigger one, huh…" Max muttered as he stroked his chin repeatedly in deep thought, his mind flashing through countless images of past battles and the brutal fights he had survived.

"So you see, that's my dilemma," Jake continued, dragging a hand down his face. "It's what I've been working on these past few days."

"Idea!" Max suddenly snapped his fingers, a wide grin flashing across his face.

"Let me hear it," Jake muttered, narrowing his eyes at the dragon who had already jumped to his feet. Max walked to the corner of the room, grabbed a chair, and dragged it across the floor before setting it right in front of Jake with a thud.

"I want to confirm something first. Every single gang, even the smallest one, has a leader and a vice leader, right?" Max asked.

"Yes?" Jake responded cautiously.

"And if something happens to the leader, the vice leader would officially take over as the new boss of the gang, right?" Max pressed again.

"Yes. But where exactly are you going with this?" Jake asked, his confusion growing by the second.

"The town I came from, Greenwood," Max began, his tone dropping lower as he leaned forward, "it had a gang ruling over it. They call themselves the Gray Bulls Gang. I got into a scuffle with them, and it turned out their leader was a demon vessel."

Jake's brows shot up slightly at that, but he stayed quiet as Max continued.

"After a lot of struggle, I managed to kill him. But I fell unconscious for a few days afterward. So, I honestly don't know what happened to the gang once I was out." Max explained, his eyes narrowing at the memory.

Jake nodded along, slowly piecing things together. "Alright. And where are you headed with this?"

"What I'm trying to say is simple," Max said with confidence. "If the gang didn't want to lose their grip and their money, the vice leader would have picked up the reins by now. And I'm sure he already has because I've been gone from that town for weeks since I came here."

He leaned back against the chair, a smirk spreading across his face as he added, "Our town isn't big, and naturally, the poorer areas exist. In fact, the slum side is where most people who can't afford to live in the nicer parts end up. That's the perfect place to tighten our grip first."

Jake rubbed his chin thoughtfully as Max's words sank in, and for the first time in days, a small spark of excitement flickered in his eyes.

Now, even the nicer part of town wasn't all that good. The roads weren't smooth, the cars weren't many, and the few that existed broke down almost every time. But that didn't mean the place wasn't liveable or manageable. People still went about their lives, struggling, surviving, and making the most of what they had.

"Anyway, so my point is this. If we can defeat the gang and the vice leader, we take over the reins and make them submit to us," Max added firmly, his voice carrying a weight of certainty.

"And what makes you think they would submit to you?" Jake asked, narrowing his eyes as he leaned forward. "Number one, you just said you had beaten them once. Number two, you killed their leader. Number three, you're talking about beating them again. Even if they submit, what's the guarantee they'll stay loyal to us?"

At that, a sly smile crossed the dragon's face.

"Who said anything about getting them to be loyal?" Max replied, his grin widening. "I don't need them to be loyal… not for now. If we manage to take them over, we'll have shown them what we're capable of. That alone will be enough."

Jake tilted his head, listening closely as Max leaned forward.

"All of them are humans. If a hybrid suddenly shows up, defeats them, takes control, and then promises them protection… what do you think they'll do?"

"They'll be inclined to join," Jake muttered, realization dawning on him as a small smile pulled at his lips too. "Especially if it's a hybrid that crushes them. They'll probably assume some powerful corporation is backing you. And if we pay them well enough, they'll have no choice but to fall completely under us."

"Exactly!" Max exclaimed, leaning back in his chair with a wide grin stretching across his face. "But there's one thing though. Actually, two things."

"And what's that?" Jake asked, one brow raised.

"Firstly, I don't want our gang to be like the typical ones," Max said with a long sigh.

"Meaning?" Jake pressed, his curiosity piqued.

"Though we'll ask for money from the residents, it won't be anything exorbitant, especially from the slum dwellers. Life is already tough for the people in that town. We can't make it harder by extorting ridiculous amounts from them. The money we collect will strictly be for protection. That way, they'll know they're paying for safety, not just being squeezed dry. And once they learn a hybrid is the one helping them, it'll mean even more." Max's tone was firm, carrying both ambition and a strange hint of responsibility.

Jake slowly nodded. "Okay, that makes sense. And the second thing?"

"I want to head to the town alone," Max replied without hesitation.

"Huh? Alone? Can't I come with you?" Jake asked, his brows knitting together in confusion.

"Why do we need both of us to take down a gang of regular humans? Don't you think that's overkill? Besides, I'll need you all to cover for me in case a mission suddenly pops up while I'm gone," Max reasoned calmly.

Hearing his words, Jake let out a long sigh. "Fine. I hate when you make sense." He clicked his tongue in annoyance. "So, when are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow," Max replied just as calmly, his eyes already carrying the weight of decision.

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