novelraw Chapter 69: Big News
Chapter 69: Big News
The sudden appearance of the golden-haired woman plunged the Black Rabbit Gang's meeting room into momentary silence.
The golden-haired woman leaned lazily against the sofa and said:
"Why so quiet all of a sudden? Weren't you going to explain something about the Blackfin Crew? Go on then?"
The newcomer's aura marked her as a first-tier superhuman.
One brave gang member violently kicked over his chair and aimed a black pistol at the woman's head:
"Dare to barge into our important meeting? You've got a death wish! Brothers, get your weapons!"
Smack!
The next second, the gang's deputy leader, the bespectacled man, suddenly stood up and delivered a resounding slap that knocked the gang member to the ground.
"Lost your damn mind?"
Then the bespectacled man straightened his suit and whispered to the gang members:"She has powerful backing we can't afford to offend. Bear with it."
Under the lights, everyone finally got a clear look at the intruder's face.
Golden short hair, cat-like blue pupils, and a camera in hand.
This was no ordinary person - it was Pelu, the star reporter of Moonstone City's White Pigeon Times, known as the Miracle Reporter!
However, Pelu currently looked disheveled with dark circles under her eyes.
In Moonstone City's underworld legends, although Pelu was only a first-tier superhuman, every gang that opposed her paid a terrible price.
Despite constantly causing major incidents, someone always cleaned up her messes.
People speculated wildly - perhaps she was a mad princess exiled from Beiguo's royal family, a witch with demon blood, or the daughter of an asylum director.
Urban legends about her were endless.
Facing Pelu without powerful backing meant resistance was suicidal - either submit to the interview or flee.
The bespectacled man knew this well and bowed deeply at a perfect 90-degree angle:
"Miss Pelu, apologies for my subordinate's rudeness. Please forgive us."
"At least someone here has manners."
Pelu walked forward, scanned the room, then sat in the most luxurious chair.
That was their gang leader's cherished seat!
Only the Black Rabbit Gang's leader dared sit there.
The gang members were shocked - their boss had only been dead for one day, and already someone else was sitting in his chair.
Crossing her legs, Pelu casually took out her notepad and pen:
"Let me remind you, something very serious is happening right now, so you'd better cooperate with this interview."
Something very serious? Had something happened to the guards outside... The bespectacled man slowly straightened up and asked:
"Miss Pelu, may I ask what this serious matter is?"
Pelu used her pen to scratch her ear:
"Today... I'm in a very bad mood."
"......"
The bespectacled man choked.
A bad mood counted as a serious matter?
The next moment, Pelu frowned at the dim images on the projector screen and said:
"You know, I've spent three days searching for the Flower Witch, only to find the barest clues.
Meanwhile, that bastard at the office who only draws male and female figures broke sales records, nearly surpassing me.
After three sleepless nights, I wanted to eat some Moonlight Fish made by my dear fan at the seaside, but that guy disappeared somewhere.
A superhuman chef who isn't professional or money-hungry - how absurd!"
Her tone clearly conveyed her irritation.
The bespectacled man suppressed his anger:
"With the Dimensional Tide arriving, Moonlight Fish ingredients have indeed been scarce recently. That is quite unfortunate."
"Exactly! But the worst part is I haven't had any good news stories lately.
So here I am, interviewing you about your dealings with the Blackfin Crew. Let's hope your pathetic affairs are newspaper-worthy."
Pelu tilted her head and poised her pen over the paper.
The normally composed bespectacled man clenched his fists.
The gang's kidnappings, protection rackets - these crimes were tacitly permitted by higher authorities.
As long as they didn't cross lines, District Three's law enforcement turned a blind eye.
But colluding with pirates was entirely different!
Not just any pirates - the most notorious of the Four Pirate Emperors, the Blackfin Crew!
With the navy reorganizing to reclaim Beiguo's maritime dominance...
This was the worst possible crime at the worst possible time!
They could face punishments worse than execution - becoming test subjects for Beiguo's special agencies.
They couldn't reveal this lightly.
Pelu yawned:
"Hurry up. After this interview, I need to submit the draft to the review team before going home to sleep.
Oh, and I still need to grab a meal somewhere. Time's precious."
The bespectacled man bit his lip, hand hovering over his gun, deeply conflicted.
This arrogant woman, despite her powerful backing, was just a first-tier superhuman!
This was their turf.
Flesh and blood like anyone else - a bullet through her head would make her just another corpse.
If their boss were still alive, even if killing her brought retribution from her backers...
They could escape to the open sea, beyond the law.
And the Black Rabbit Gang would become infamous in Moonstone City for killing Pelu.
If their boss hadn't encountered the Coastal Apex Predator... If he'd sailed on a different day... If he were still alive...
They'd have the courage to act.
But now, with the Black Rabbit lost in a storm at sea...
Their boss wasn't coming back.
The Black Rabbit Gang existed in name only. Killing Pelu - even killing a civilian - was beyond their capacity now.
They could only kneel and submit to Pelu's whims.
No room for resistance, no bargaining chips... Recognizing this, the bespectacled man slumped in defeat:
"I'll talk.
Three months ago, our leader Black Rabbit met the Blackfin Crew's Madam in the red-light district. At her suggestion, we considered joining them.
The Blackfin Crew told us the seas would undergo dramatic changes in about three months. To show the navy who really rules the Witch Sea, they needed manpower and made us an offer.
Under Black Rabbit's arrangements, we began preparing to set sail."
"Madam? That pirate who keeps a harem of a hundred pretty boys? Your leader finalized your gang's recruitment in the red-light district with her? How many were involved?"
"Ten people - all our gang's officers. We nearly got caught by a navy officer too."
#Gang Members and Pirate Madam Commit Forbidden Acts in Red-Light District, Drawing Naval Attention#
Pelu wrote this headline, then reconsidered.
As Moonstone City's top-selling reporter, she didn't need clickbait titles.
Resting her chin on her hand, she twirled her pen:
"So the Blackfin Crew knew about the coming Dimensional Tide three months ago? Interesting - even Beiguo's meteorological bureau didn't predict that.
What else?"
The bespectacled man swallowed:
"That's all. Black Rabbit handled most arrangements, but... he met his end at sea."
"Blaming everything on a dead man.
By the way, his death at sea - sure it wasn't faked? Nothing more... interesting?"
Many gang leaders fake their deaths before leaving to avoid retaliation.
Pelu leisurely jotted notes.
Truthfully, the Black Rabbit Gang wasn't the only one collaborating with the Blackfin Crew.
Other newspapers had reported similar cases.
This was small news at best.
The bespectacled man said helplessly:
"It wasn't faked. The Black Rabbit encountered the Coastal Apex Predator - Black Sludge. We have evidence. Perhaps this is just our fate as gang members."
"The Coastal Apex Predator and Black Sludge? The odds of encountering both are astronomically low. Your gang's luck is truly special."
Pelu's interest was piqued. She walked to the projector.
The screen kept replaying the maritime footage.
The dark sea, howling storm, tide-like Black Sludge, and terrifying Coastal Apex Predator.
Far more interesting than these boring gangsters.
After watching intently, Pelu asked:
"Hey, was there any chance of mutiny on the Black Rabbit?"
"Mutiny? Unlikely. Why do you ask, Miss Pelu?"
The bespectacled man looked puzzled.
Pelu bent forward, eyes glinting.
"Shipwrecked, were they?"
She replayed the footage, scrutinizing every detail.
"No, no."
She murmured:
"The footage is blurry, but many people are clearly looking at something - something that terrified them.
The Black Sludge on deck shows signs of being trampled in a short timeframe.
And at the edge of the frame - a fleeting human figure.
Your fallen leader... besides the sludge, I can vaguely see blade wounds..."
The gang members listened uncomprehendingly.
"Miss Pelu, what are you implying?"
Pelu's eyes flashed as she voiced a shocking theory that stunned everyone present:
"Someone was on that ship who took advantage of the chaos... to murder your Black Rabbit Gang."