4,49 €
Mehr erfahren.
- Herausgeber: Podium Publishing
- Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
- Serie: My Werewolf System
- Sprache: Englisch
One young man tries to maintain his humanity . . . while controlling the beast within . . . in the third installment of this action-packed cultivation fantasy. Having been gifted (or cursed, if there's a full moon) with a powerful Werewolf System, Gary is beginning to grasp the consequences of his new existence. And he has plenty of other things to deal with as well. At school, he's still trying not to stand out too much while keeping his friends in the dark as to his feral nature, navigating the completely foreign arena of romance with the cute new girl/mayor's daughter, and confronting one of the most dangerous (and annoyingly cool) Altered humans in the country. As if all that weren't enough, Gary's street gang, just starting to get a foothold, is making much bigger plans for the future, which means surviving a massive impending gang war, claiming other gangs' turf, and then eventually taking over the world. And Gary's animal instincts may be the only thing keeping his fellow Howlers from the slaughter. But perhaps worst of all, the most feared and ruthless rival gangs are looking for Gary. They know his name. They know his reputation. And they know exactly how he became the lethal teen wolf that's taken the Tier 3 town of Slough by bloody storm. Suffice to say, they won't hesitate to rip him to shreds to get his system for themselves . . . The third volume of the hit progression-fantasy series—with more than five million views on WebNovel—now available on Audible and wherever ebooks are sold!
Das E-Book können Sie in Legimi-Apps oder einer beliebigen App lesen, die das folgende Format unterstützen:
Seitenzahl: 751
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024
Ähnliche
JKSMANGA
This book is dedicated to all my readers.
Though none of my family or friends have ventured into these pages, your support and enthusiasm sustains my passion for writing. It’s because of you that these stories continue to unfold.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission from Podium Publishing.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living, dead, or undead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2024 Kawin Jack Sherwin
Cover design by Husa
ISBN: 978-1-0394-5442-2
Published in 2024 by Podium Publishing
www.podiumentertainment.com
CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1 GETTING STRONGER (PART 1)
CHAPTER 2 GETTING STRONGER (PART 2)
CHAPTER 3 A TEAM UPGRADE
CHAPTER 4 A SECOND CHANCE
CHAPTER 5 WHY ARE THEY HERE?
CHAPTER 6 THE CULPRIT
CHAPTER 7 THE NEXT STEP
CHAPTER 8 A NEW TRANSPORTER
CHAPTER 9 BAD NEWS
CHAPTER 10 THE TALENT SHOW STARTS!
CHAPTER 11 THE STORM OF THE RED GANG (PART 1)
CHAPTER 12 THE STORM OF THE RED GANG (PART 2)
CHAPTER 13 THE STORM OF THE RED GANG (PART 3)
CHAPTER 14 BLAME HIM!
CHAPTER 15 STAMPEDE
CHAPTER 16 NO MORE OF THIS!
CHAPTER 17 THE LONE WOLF
CHAPTER 18 THE WRONG GIRL
CHAPTER 19 ONE OF THE FIVE
CHAPTER 20 TWO THE SAME
CHAPTER 21 COLLISION
CHAPTER 22 FIGHTING AN ALTERED
CHAPTER 23 BEAST'S POWER
CHAPTER 24 NO CHANCE
CHAPTER 25 THE TURN
CHAPTER 26 THREE VS. FIFTY
CHAPTER 27 BREAKTHROUGH
CHAPTER 28 SORRY MEANS NOTHING
CHAPTER 29 LIFE WORTH LIVING
CHAPTER 30 A CHANGED PERSON
CHAPTER 31 GOING DOWN A TIER
CHAPTER 32 A NEW LOOK
CHAPTER 33 PAWN POINT
CHAPTER 34 A RED PLACE
CHAPTER 35 TAKE OVER! (PART 1)
CHAPTER 36 TAKE OVER! (PART 2)
CHAPTER 37 A "HAPPY" ENDING
CHAPTER 38 THE TRUTH
CHAPTER 39 HOW STRONG ARE YOU?
CHAPTER 40 TWENTY MINUTES
CHAPTER 41 SIXTEEN MINUTES
CHAPTER 42 ZERO MINUTES
CHAPTER 43 SYSTEM ERROR
CHAPTER 44 BAIT
CHAPTER 45 AN UNBREAKABLE PROMISE
CHAPTER 46 NOT JUST A GIRL
CHAPTER 47 ANSWERS
CHAPTER 48 KEEPING SECRETS
CHAPTER 49 THE KRAKEN
CHAPTER 50 THE HOWLERS TAKE OVER
CHAPTER 51 BLACKMAIL
CHAPTER 52 POOL OF BLOOD
CHAPTER 53 AN EXPERIMENT
CHAPTER 54 AN ALPHA WOLF IS BORN
CHAPTER 55 PACK RULES
CHAPTER 56 A CHALLENGE TO THE ALPHA
CHAPTER 57 SPREADING THE NAME
CHAPTER 58 REWARDS FOR THE ALPHA
CHAPTER 59 THE ALPHA TITLE
CHAPTER 60 A WORSE SECRET
CHAPTER 61 WE NEED A LAWYER
CHAPTER 62 BETA TRAINING
CHAPTER 63 A MESS
CHAPTER 64 A BETTER LIFE
CHAPTER 65 PAWN UPGRADE
CHAPTER 66 A BAD DAY
CHAPTER 67 NOTHING TO LOSE
CHAPTER 68 SMALL TIME IS OVER
CHAPTER 69 CLACK CLACK
CHAPTER 70 PROTECTORS
CHAPTER 71 MEETING THE PARENTS
CHAPTER 72 THE CLOVE FAMILY
CHAPTER 73 THE MEAL (PART 1)
CHAPTER 74 THE MEAL (PART 2)
CHAPTER 75 THE MEAL (PART 3)
CHAPTER 76 THE AFA
CHAPTER 77 A SPECIAL MEETING
CHAPTER 78 THE PAST RESURFACES
CHAPTER 79 A SPECIAL MEETING
CHAPTER 80 AN ANNOYING RETURN (PART 1)
CHAPTER 81 AN ANNOYING RETURN (PART 1)
CHAPTER 82 THE MEETING (PART 1)
CHAPTER 83 THE MEETING (PART 2)
CHAPTER 84 THE MEETING (PART 3)
CHAPTER 85 THE MEETING (PART 4)
CHAPTER 86 BECOMING AN ALTERED (PART 1)
CHAPTER 87 BECOMING AN ALTERED (PART 2)
CHAPTER 88 PRIME SUSPECT
CHAPTER 89 THE START OF ALTERED (PART 1)
CHAPTER 90 THE START OF ALTERED (PART 2)
CHAPTER 91 UNDERDOGS GIVE UP?
CHAPTER 92 THE WORST NIGHT
CHAPTER 93 WHAT WOULD INNU DO?
CHAPTER 94 NO ESCAPE!
CHAPTER 95 SOMEONE, HELP!
CHAPTER 96 THE START OF IT ALL
CHAPTER 97 EVERYONE INVOLVED
CHAPTER 98 YOU CAN'T DIE
CHAPTER 99 THE UNDERDOGS' STRONGEST SQUAD
CHAPTER 100 CLASH OF THE BEASTS
CHAPTER 101 ANTIHERO (PART 1)
CHAPTER 102 ANTIHERO (PART 2)
CHAPTER 103 A TRUCE? (PART 1)
CHAPTER 104 A TRUCE? (PART 2)
CHAPTER 105 THE RED BLOOD STREET
CHAPTER 106 TWO ALTERED CLASH
CHAPTER 107 WE CAN'T HELP
CHAPTER 108 THE FINAL MARK
CHAPTER 109 UNDERDOGS VS. HOWLERS
CHAPTER 110 THREE-WAY GANG WAR
CHAPTER 111 BIG CAT FIGHT
CHAPTER 112 KING OF THE JUNGLE
CHAPTER 113 THE ALPHA HOWL
CHAPTER 114 WEAPON DUEL
CHAPTER 115 ONE DOWN
CHAPTER 116 A TRUE LAST STAND
CHAPTER 117 THE WINNERS
CHAPTER 118 ESCAPE
CHAPTER 119 STAY WITH ME
CHAPTER 120 BODY OF AN ALTERED
CHAPTER 121 THE WHOLE WORLD KNOWS
CHAPTER 122 THE START OF THE END
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CHAPTER 1
GETTING STRONGER (PART 1)
The sun had barely risen, leaving the town of Slough covered in a gray mist. It was an unusual sight for three students in particular because they had never woken up this early in their lives, much less come to school at such an hour.
Innu was groggily walking up the stairs to Westbridge’s roof; he saw the door just a little ahead. The teenager was still in the middle of a stretch, yawning so wide that he could have fit his fist inside his mouth. As he opened the door, he was surprised to see that he was apparently the last one to arrive.
“You’re late,” Kai stated, not even turning around as he continued to look out from the roof’s fence. The blond teenager was staring into the distance. As to where exactly, only he seemed to know, for all Marie and Austin could see was the school field, which was currently empty, as well as the shapes of a few buildings. They had seen Kai do this several times in the short amount of time they had known him.
“Late?” Innu checked his phone, which revealed that it was five past six in the morning. “Oh come on, it’s only by five minutes.”
Under normal circumstances, he would have still been asleep. At this hour, the only person one might expect to see at school was its caretaker. However, Innu lacked the energy to argue right now, so he silently moved over to his fellow Howlers members. Marie and Austin looked just as tired as he did, their bodies slumped over.
How did Austin manage to get here before me? He doesn’t even live in this area or go to the same school, Innu thought.
“Aren’t you worried you might be late for classes?” he eventually asked Austin, who was fixing his hair.
“Worried about the classes I never go to? At a school that will never get me anywhere in life? I thought joining this gang made it pretty clear that I have nowhere better to go.” Austin gave Innu a look that made him feel like an idiot.
Just as Innu was about to say something back, Kai stopped staring outside and turned to look at his fellow gang members.
“Enough with the chitchat. After our fight with the gray color gang, each one of you came up to me individually. You all told me how useless you felt when faced against those freakish twins … Well, I felt the same way. Which is why we can’t stay the same. If we do, then there is no hope for us.
“Our gang is small and has only just started, but I hope that soon enough it will be the Howlers instead of the Underdogs that people associate with the town of Slough. Once we have achieved that, we can go for the county, then the country, and finally the whole world.”
It should have sounded crazy, that type of talk coming from a teenager, yet somehow, when Kai spoke about his ambition, none of the other three felt like laughing, or that it was unrealistic. They might not yet know how, but he seemed determined enough that he would come up with a way to achieve that goal.
“Of course, if it was that easy, anyone could have done that already. Along the way, we will face countless enemies who will make the gray color gang look like a bunch of clowns in comparison. I won’t sugarcoat it, we’ll eventually have to deal with Altered, and I mean real ones, not whatever those twins turned into!
“So I want you to never forget the fear that you felt that day. How it was mostly luck that we even made it out alive …
“Now, I’ve come up with a strict training regimen for all of us. We’ll be practicing two hours each day before school starts,” Kai explained with a sadistic smile.
Everyone had their fists clenched tightly, and it looked like they were ready. The little pep talk had almost gotten rid of their tiredness, and everyone was put into action.
Innu and Austin were told to start with some warm-up activities. The idea was to build up their basic stats. The two of them were talented and although Innu trained, he had nearly always done so alone. Austin was the opposite, never having attempted to push his body to the limit but always getting in fights.
The two teenage boys began running around the roof a few times, increasing their basic strength with push-up workouts and more, and eventually they finished up with a few spars here and there. They were learning a lot from each other, and their competitive nature made each one try to outdo the other.
“Forty-five!” Innu loudly announced how many push-ups he had already done, sweat dripping down his forehead, falling on his chiseled abs, as he had long since taken his shirt off, same as Austin.
“Bullshit, you call that a push-up?” Austin sneered, as he demonstrated how to do it correctly. “If you can’t do it with proper form, then that means you’re done, don’t try to force it!”
“Talk to me about form once your bum isn’t all the way in the air!” Innu argued back.
Next it looked like the two were moving on to squats; however, they weren’t regular squats—at least for Innu, who placed one of his legs straight out and was going down using only the other leg. Seeing this, Austin attempted to do the same, but his balance was horrible.
When he got down to the bottom, he attempted to push off but he had never done this before; his whole body was shaking, and just when he was about to fall over he felt Innu grab him to steady him.
“It’s harder than it looks,” Innu said. Austin was expecting a smile but Innu didn’t give him one as he lifted him up. “You’re a strong hitter, and I’m surprised you have punches that strong while having such weak legs. If you strengthen your legs, then your punches will have even more power in them.”
As he walked back to do his exercises, Austin studied the sheer size of Innu’s legs. His thighs were thick like tree trunks, and it looked like there was no space in his trousers for them to breathe.
I thought Innu was just naturally strong like me, but it looks like he put in a lot of hard work, Austin thought.
CHAPTER 2
GETTING STRONGER (PART 2)
Kai didn’t care that the two boys were bickering; as long as they were working hard, they could do whatever they wanted. Meanwhile, he had come over to Marie to give her special training. She had never been much of a fighter, so doing the same as the boys wouldn’t help her enough.
When she came to him with her request, Kai had been reluctant. In the past, he had always been there to take care of any problems she might have. However, he couldn’t argue much, once Marie had confessed that she was worried she might get kidnapped again.
Coming toward her, Kai opened a small suitcase that contained two four-inch knives.
“Wait, you want me to use these? How did you even manage to get your hands on weapons?” Marie exclaimed, a little shocked, pushing the box back. Immediately she regretted it, because Kai obviously had jumped through some hoops to acquire them.
“Yes, I want you to use them,” Kai answered, annoyed. If anyone understood what he was proposing, it should have been her.
“You want to fight like the others, right? Let’s not kid ourselves, we both know that you’re no fighter, Marie. You neither have the body to compete with fighters around our age, much less adult men, nor do you have the experience or skills to make up for such a deficit.
“There are only two ways for you to catch up quickly. Either you use weapons … or you become an Altered. The latter option is pretty much impossible for us, so we can only go with the former. Trust me, there are psychos out there who will use weapons against you without giving it a second thought. We’re talking about your life here. Forget about holding on to some stupid pride, thinking that using weapons is wrong. Don’t die because of that.”
Marie looked at the two weapons again, and this time she took them out of the box and held them in her hands. It felt natural to hold them by the handle, similar to how one would use them in the kitchen.
But the knives weren’t like kitchen knives, as there was a guard to keep her hand from touching the blade, but they weren’t like daggers either, as the ends were rounded, not pointed.
“It’s not pride,” Marie finally replied, looking into Kai’s eyes. “I just don’t want to kill anyone. I know what you’re saying, and maybe one day if it’s their life against mine I will fight to the death, but these weapons could kill someone.”
Kai grabbed both the knives from Marie and stood a distance away from her, so she wouldn’t get hurt. He then held the two knives in a combat position, so the blades were sticking out from the backs of his hands rather than from his palms like a pair of daggers.
He looked like one of those secret agents on TV who fought in the jungle.
“You don’t have to use the weapons to kill. You will be using them to cut, not to stab,” Kai explained. He started to move about with the blades, spinning his body as if he were going up against an opponent. As Marie watched, he seemed to be shadow fighting against more than a single opponent.
Kai’s display was so impressive that Innu and Austin couldn’t help but stop their warm-up to observe him. He was smooth and quick, but most of all, he was confident as well. When the demonstration was over, the two boys felt motivated to work even harder.
“When you stab an opponent, you risk losing your weapon. You might be unable to pull it out from their body, or worse, they might use it against you. Either scenario gives them a chance to retaliate. Doing it the way I’ve just shown you is far better for you, especially given your current strength.”
Marie took the blades back and nodded. Kai went on to slowly show her the movements one by one, explaining in great detail the best thing to do, step by step. He even had a pair of fake wooden blades as well. Of course, Marie was finding it difficult, but she had never expected things to be easy; she knew that it would take time.
After an hour and a half passed the group decided to take a break, all but Kai huffing and panting, meeting up in the middle. Marie had brought some sandwiches she and her mother had made, and the group happily dug into them.
They ate silently, although all of them had questions they wanted to ask. After seeing what Kai had done, the two boys were interested in knowing more about who he was. But they were more interested in learning what exactly Gary was, since their vice leader seemed to know. But they continued to eat until Marie eventually broke the silence.
“You really like it up here, don’t you, Kai? We could have trained somewhere else, but this is still your favorite spot.” She smiled.
“‘My’ spot.” Kai chuckled. “Well, I guess it is mine now … but I used to come up here in the past and there was always someone else up here looking out at the field; I wonder where that person is now.”
The others looked at each other strangely as he was reminiscing, but in the end, Austin was the first to speak up, unable to hold it in any more.
“Kai, I want to know more about who you are. I think after all we’ve been through, we deserve to know!”
CHAPTER 3
A TEAM UPGRADE
The group had been sitting on the floor with Marie’s basket of sandwiches in the middle. They were nearly gone, and Marie thought that training would soon start up again—until Austin asked his question.
As soon as Austin had finished speaking, Marie gave Kai a look. It was clear that she knew something and was wondering whether Kai would tell them.
“I guess you guys got curious after seeing me fight and use the knives back there, huh?” Kai smiled, unfazed by the question. On the other hand, Innu’s face was a little red, though he wasn’t exactly sure why he felt embarrassed; they had only been caught peeping.
“You’re right, you do deserve to know more about me. I don’t explicitly want to hide who I am from you guys … but now’s not the time. I promise I will tell you everything once we’ve taken over Slough. Just trust me when I say it would do you more harm than good right now.” Kai sighed. “Besides, our great leader isn’t here, and I don’t want to have to repeat it. When I do tell you, I’ll tell all of you at once.”
Of course, Kai’s cryptic answer just made them more curious, but by now he had earned their trust. The bond between all of them had grown greatly after the events at the gray color gang’s hideout.
“Speaking of which, why didn’t you invite Gary here? As our leader, shouldn’t he like, you know, lead by example?” Innu asked. “Also, why did you send me a message telling me not to pry into his matters? I assume you told the others as well, but … when he went in there with those twins … you saw what he did with them. How’s that even possible?”
Another fair question, even though half of them knew the answer to this, though Marie had come to the wrong conclusion.
“If you’re really curious, you can ask him yourself, but he’ll more than likely lie to you.” Kai shrugged. “Besides, does it matter? He saved us back there, risking his own life. Just like any of you, he has his own secrets. I feel that it’s best to let him choose to tell it to us on his own.
“As for the reason I didn’t call him … well, you saw what he did to those twins. Do you really think the kind of training we do will be effective for him? He doesn’t need to take part in things like this.”
The others agreed, especially if Gary was keeping something from them. Just one of those twins had been too much for all four of them to take down, yet their leader had taken them both on, at the same time no less. What’s more, he had spent suspiciously little time … not to mention the state they had been left in …
“About the things you said to Marie.” Austin spoke up. “This training is great and all, and I think we will improve … but I don’t think it will be enough. Sure, we can get stronger, so that we can be on par with those highly skilled real gang members and not the color gangs—maybe even to the point where even the real gang members will be scared of us, but it’s nothing in front of Altered. From what I’ve been told, only one gang in Slough has one … but if that’s enough to take over this town, what will we do if someone else comes along?
“I don’t know about you, but I don’t like just relying on Gary. He might have been able to deal with those twins, but we don’t even know if he can do the same against an actual Altered.”
Austin was looking Kai straight in the eyes as he posed his question. Surely, their vice leader must have realized this problem as well, so he was hoping Kai had already prepared an answer to this.
“You’re right, Altered aren’t called superhumans for nothing. While I have a solution … it’s unfortunately not something we’ll be able to get anytime soon.” Kai stood up and walked toward the corner of the roof. He opened his school bag and took out a laptop before coming back over.
“Initially, I had believed that we’d only have to deal with Kirk when taking over Slough. However, that was before we fought the twins. Now, I’m honestly afraid that the Gray Elephants gang might have more of that strange solution that turned them into those beasts. If they start to target us, we’ll seriously be in trouble …
“Just another reason to take this training seriously. If possible, we should also try to team up so we don’t get attacked when we’re on our own.” When Kai said that, he couldn’t help but look at Innu, unaware that the Billy issue had already been solved.
After typing a few things on his computer, Kai spun it around. The others saw a mostly black screen with a name at the top, and a date underneath it. The name was Dark Guild Auction House.
“What is this?” Innu asked. The date was two weeks from now, but there was no other information. “What’s with the name ‘Dark Guild’; did an eighth-grader come up with that?”
Kai closed the laptop as he got ready to explain.
“As stupid as the name might sound, those guys are legit. They’re one of the biggest gangs in our country, and what’s more they’re led by one of the Kings. They’re one of the richest gangs there are, if not the richest. The sums that change hands at their auctions are rumored to be enough to upgrade all Tier 3 towns and below to Tier 1 cities.
“Pretty much every major gang in the country knows about these auctions. They all attend, and from what I’ve heard, it’s not even rare for the Kings to come and bid as well. Those auctions are announced on the website. They don’t have them all the time, but it’s a big deal whenever they do.
“Unfortunately, with our current funds, we wouldn’t even be able to pay the entrance fee for a single member. Even if we had the funds, they might deny us access, simply because we’re too small-time at the moment.
“I want us to keep this in mind for the future. We will expand our business and bring in more money, and when we finally have enough we can head to the auction house. Their merchandise appears to change each time, but … from what I heard they’re most famous for one thing … Altered DNA!
“And I’m not talking about regular Altered, but quite exotic Altered. Ones the public doesn’t even know about. That will be our key to rise to the top! With enough money, we could literally buy ourselves the power to rule the current world,” Kai explained with grandeur.
CHAPTER 4
A SECOND CHANCE
Not much happened that day. The news had announced the death of Billy Bruntin and had reported that it was due to the Altered Hunters. Nothing big had happened with Gary since then, and even when he saw Blake the two of them seemed to act normal with each other.
There was one change, though; after Amy had returned to school, Stacy was nowhere to be found. When Amy had asked their homeroom teacher about it, she didn’t know any of the specifics, having been told that Stacy had transferred somewhere else.
Whether Stacy had told her parents about everything or insisted on moving, who knew? Perhaps she was even still in Slough, just in a different school. In the end, Gary was happy that at least it was a problem Amy didn’t need to deal with, but now there was no one close to watch her over at school.
Still, although there were no worries with how things were progressing, one annoying thing remained in front of Gary.
16 days until the next full moon
Gary stared at the message the next morning as he leaned back on his chair during class, balancing on two legs as he went forward and back.
This month has gone by quickly. I’ll soon have to start dealing with the “blessing” of the full moon again, and my bloodlust will increase. However, if my theory is correct, as long as I burn through most of my Energy beforehand, to the point that I won’t have enough to transform, I should be good. I might be irritable the entire day because of hunger, but if it’s just one day, I’ll be able to hold out.
Gary suddenly felt a vibration from within his pocket. Pulling out his phone, he read through the message, which put a smile on his face.
“What’s the good news?” Tom asked. He had been less involved in his friend’s life. For now, Gary had been in a good mood, so Tom decided he would stay in a good one as well and not put a damper on things.
“The repairs are done. It looks like I’ll be able to work again starting today,” Gary whispered. “Do you wanna come to our grand reopening?”
“Sorry.” Tom sighed as he stuck his head back in his books. “For once, I’ll be the one who will take the rain check. These days, my parents want me to brush up and help with some of their research. You know how they want me to follow in their footsteps. I think my dad plans to bring me along to their lab during the holidays to help out, and I really don’t want to embarrass them. Apparently, he can bring me on as some type of intern. Oh, and don’t worry, I’ll ask him that question you want to ask as well, about those beasts.”
Nodding along, Gary was happy that things were getting back to normal. At least, as normal as they could get, anyway.
“All right, everyone, I know that you’re all eager to go home today, but I’m reminding you that even though it’s Saturday tomorrow, Westbridge’s talent show is a mandatory event. Now, I don’t want to have to send any of you to detention.” Mr. Grey said, standing at the front of the class. “Xin, as the new class representative, would you kindly pass out the flyers?”
Xin did so, and nearly all the boys had a huge grin on their face when she came to them. It had only been this morning that she had been announced to be their class’s representative.
As the new girl, she hadn’t expected to be elected. It was a mostly unimportant role, and the only reason she had even thrown her name into the ring was to follow her father’s suggestion. According to the mayor, it would look good on her future résumé, though she suspected he also saw it as a chance to brag about her accomplishments to his associates.
She had run against Tiffany, and she had won thanks to the major support she had received from the male half of her class. Many of the girls had been split between her and Tiffany, who at this moment was biting her nails as she stared at Xin.
As pretty as Tiffany was, the boys just didn’t like her attitude. On the other hand, Xin treated them nicely and it was easy enough to talk to her because of her interest in fighting, especially Altered fights. Unlike the class diva, Xin didn’t just assume everyone who was talking to her was hitting on her.
After everyone received a flyer, she began to assign different tasks to her classmates, as they were also supposed to help out with the event, by creating things or setting up the room, among other duties.
Xin … she still looks gorgeous. I haven’t really talked to her … well, since she kicked my butt, Gary realized. He wasn’t really listening to her instructions; he was just happy to hear her voice after so long. Now that he didn’t have to worry about a bloodthirsty monster, his brain had time to focus on more important things. Come to think of it, didn’t she say that she would date whoever could beat her? I’ve gotten a lot stronger … should I give it a try?
Although … would it be fair? Me, a werewolf, beating her as a human? … No, the important thing is getting that date! Then we can get to know each other! I’ll finally have the chance to enjoy my life like a normal high school boy! I can’t just think about fighting forever, Gary thought as he hyped himself up, ready to ask Xin for a rematch.
The after-school club classes had been canceled for the day because of the talent show tomorrow. Tom was heading home as he said he would.
“Are you ready to head to the Wolf’s Pool Club?” Innu asked, since he too had received the news.
“Errrr …” Gary hesitated, as he looked out of the corner of his eye and saw that Xin was already leaving the room.
“Oh! I see! You horny dog, you!” Innu punched him on his shoulder. As he did that, Innu realized just how solid Gary’s body was, which honestly surprised him.
“All right, go ahead! I’ll tell the others you might be late. Afterward, I’ll be the one to swoop in after she gets frightened that a broccoli head asked her out.”
With that said, it was time for Gary to make a move to advance his love life.
CHAPTER 5
WHY ARE THEY HERE?
Since Innu had volunteered to inform the others, it was time for Gary to initiate his plan. Right now, he was waiting for the right moment to talk to Xin. First, he had to catch up to her, and she had a bit of a head start.
While following Xin, he found it a little strange that she wasn’t heading toward the school’s front gate but toward the back of the school. The more he thought about it, the worse the feeling in his stomach became.
Eventually, she went past the school athletic field and headed straight to the back fence. This fence went around the whole school, with gates here and there along the perimeter.
Gary had stayed quite far behind, because the two of them were the only ones going toward the back of the school. He felt that it would be strange if she spotted him; he worried that she might mistake him for some type of stalker.
Still, he had come this far, so it seemed stupid to turn around now. He assumed that she might head to a main street from the back. In that case, he could pretend that it was a coincidence that they met. After going through one of the gates, Xin continued on into some trees on the other side.
Meanwhile, Gary ran across the field and went through the gate after her, then quickly hid behind one of the trees. His eyesight and sense of smell allowed him to keep track of her.
Nice going, Gary, hiding behind a tree … why would anyone ever think of you as a stalker? he thought, chastising himself. Looking ahead, he saw a parking lot behind the school.
The area was close to several giant trash containers, just one of the “perks” one had to accept when living in a Tier 3 town, and they had been set up in a very strange way. They placed in certain parking spots, almost as if they were blocking the way to the nearby shops.
Now what are the chances she’s just come here to enjoy the scenery? Gary thought as he carefully kept watch, curious about her reason for going there.
“Come on!” Xin shouted, tapping her foot impatiently. “I followed the instructions in your stupid note. I came here alone, so just tell me what you want. Just give me back my stuff, and I’ll be out of here.”
Earlier in the day, after Xin had been called to the teacher’s lounge to be introduced to her new job as class representative, she had come back only to find her school bag missing. It wasn’t just that; someone had cleared out her school locker, taking everything including the special kit that she used for karate.
Although it wasn’t really much trouble for her to just get a new bag and clothes, it would be a pain. At the same time, it didn’t take a genius to figure out who was behind all of this, and why. Xin found it hard to believe that Tiffany would actually care about such a stupid thing.
But instead of the class diva, four young adults came out from around the bins. They didn’t look friendly, and at a glance she could tell exactly who they were. Each one wore a different item of clothing with one very prominent color: red.
Xin was a little taken aback, and her calm demeanor was gone.
I was expecting her to be with her goons, maybe some people from our school, but other gang members? she thought.
“Thank you for confirming that you are the one we were looking for,” one of the men said; he wore a sleeveless shirt and had two large caterpillar-like eyebrows.
“Why would you do her bidding? Who cares; if she sent you, then I guess I won’t have to feel so bad about hurting you.” Xin got into a fighting stance and hopped forward to get within range.
Immediately throwing out her leg, she kicked the bushy-browed gang member in the head. Seeing this, the other color gang members rushed in, and Xin attempted to kick one of them in the stomach, throwing her other foot sideways.
Unfortunately, the man’s reaction was quick; he caught her foot just in time, but Xin was expecting it. She spun her body around to free herself and kick the man in the head once again.
Before she could deal her kick, a green-haired teenager came out of nowhere and planted a heavy fist right into her attacker’s head. It was a strong hit that chucked his body into one of the metal trash containers, and he fell to the ground.
When Xin looked for the other two attackers, she found that they had been knocked out as well.
Did Gary do all of this? But how? I saw his skill. Sure, he’s resilient, but to take them out so quickly? He must have beaten them all with one hit.
“Come on, let’s get out of here; clearly they don’t have your stuff.” Gary hurried her along as they turned around and headed back toward the school. Eventually they reached the main building, and they took a second to try to figure out what had just happened.
“Thanks for your help back there,” Xin said to Gary, to show him that she appreciated his help. “What were you even doing back there? You must have been watching me for a while, if you heard about my missing stuff.”
Right now, Xin was suspicious of everyone who was trying to get close to her. Could it be that for once Tiffany was innocent, and this boy had set up everything? Given his green hair, maybe he was one of their members, and he had asked his buddies to create this scenario so he could swoop in and play hero? She wouldn’t put it past him since she hardly knew him.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry,” Gary said, rubbing the back of his head. He saw no way to lie his way out of this one, at least not without making it sound too weird. He thought the truth would actually be the best option. “I was actually going to … ermm … ask you about that duel from before. Last time you said that … you would go on a date with me … if I could beat you in a match … and … well, I’ve been kinda working out …” Gary stammered, his face turning beet red, and judging by Xin’s face, she hadn’t quite expected this type of explanation.
“Oh, okay. Sure, I’ll go on a date with you,” Xin replied.
CHAPTER 6
THE CULPRIT
For a while, Gary had been playing out scenarios in which he would ask Xin out. How to make it sound casual and cool, and not at all desperate, needy, or obsessive. Unable to find a solution, he had been lagging behind as he followed her.
However, when he saw that she was faced with four men belonging to the red color gang, he just had to act. Afterward, Xin had demanded an explanation as to why he had been there … so he had admitted to the truth.
Time seemed to have slowed down, his heart beating faster as he nervously awaited her answer. Still, he had finally done it. He had asked her out … well, technically, he had asked her to fight him again. In his head he had convinced himself he was just asking her to a fight and that was how he had finally said those words.
What he didn’t expect, though, was the fast reply.
“Oh, okay. Sure, I’ll go on a date with you,” Xin had replied, after only a few moments of thinking things over. Gary’s brain was unable to process the words. If he had been a robot, he would have surely short-circuited. Shaking his head, he just had to ask for clarification.
“I’m sorry, are you saying yes to a date? Don’t we have to have a match first?” Gary asked.
“Given your little performance, I think we can skip the duel. You helped me out back there, and it doesn’t seem like you were lying about the liking me part. Besides, I have taken a bit of an interest in you myself ever since your rugby match performance.
“I don’t see any harm in getting to know each other better. But, errr, let’s schedule things another time, all right?” Xin said, looking behind Gary, as she could see that her father’s after-school escorts were getting a bit restless.
After what had happened in Cipen, her father had sent out more guards to look after her, and considering how long she had been gone, they might start a manhunt any second now. It looked like Xin was about to set off, but before she did, Gary wanted to know one more thing.
“Wait!” Gary called out. “Why were they after you? The red color gang, I mean!”
She would like to know that as well. Unable to answer, she just continued running off toward the black cars.
I guess the life of a mayor’s daughter is tough. Did someone send them after her? But then who took her bag that she was talking about? Gary wondered.
He had knocked out the red color members so fast, he was hoping they hadn’t seen him. After all, he was already having trouble with the Gray Elephants as well as the Underdogs; no reason to add another color gang on top of that. With them working with the gray color gang that night, he was sure they had some tie-in with the Gray Elephants, which was why he wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible.
A date … I really got a date! This has to be my luckiest day ever! But … I don’t have her number! I guess I’ll just get it tomorrow, Gary thought, smiling to himself as he headed to the Wolf’s Pool Club.
A little while later, the embarrassed red color gang members were getting up. They looked at each other and wondered what had happened. For three of them, their jaws hurt like hell and they wouldn’t be surprised if something was broken.
They had all been so focused on the girl that they hadn’t seen the other person coming. None of them had any memory of what the person looked like.
“Man, how the hell are we going to explain to Riv that we couldn’t even get one girl?” the bushy-browed leader wondered aloud, rubbing the side of his head where he had been kicked.
“You’re right, how are you going to explain this to me?”
They didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. They all recognized the voice of their leader. Straightaway, they got on their knees to apologize, although they were already on the ground.
“We’re sorry, we came out when she appeared to be alone, but she had a guard nearby,” Bushy Eyebrows started to explain.
“I thought you were going to get someone reliable,” a female voice pouted as the girl appeared behind one of the other trash containers and immediately grabbed Riv’s arm. “I took her bag, and we even told you guys to set up this place. She’s not an idiot; something like this is not going to work again.”
She stomped her foot several times, and it was clear she was annoyed.
“Hey, don’t worry, Tiffy, we will have plenty of chances, trust me. I’m not just anyone. You’re talking to the leader of the red color gang as well as the newest senior member of the Gray Elephants gang! A few guards won’t be a problem, we just have to wait,” Riv said, trying to appease her.
It was a strange sight to behold, and the rest of the gang members honestly found it a little disgusting; they had never seen their leader act so lovey-dovey. Not only that, but he was being apologetic, and why did it seem like she was actually the one in charge?
All four of the gang members shared a common thought about their leader: whipped.
“No!” Tiffany shouted back like a spoiled princess. “Every day I have to see her, I want to claw that girl’s eyes out. She embarrassed me not once but three times! You keep bragging about how great you are, but I have yet to see any of that! I don’t want to date a loser!”
Once again, Riv started to pull a sad baby face, which churned the other gang members’ stomachs. It seemed as if their leader had forgotten that they were still present.
“You have my word that she’ll pay, my little pumpkin. I promise I will do whatever’s necessary.” Riv then turned to his subordinates on the ground, his face changing to the cruel one they were more used to.
“Gather the red color gang! Tomorrow, we’re going to cause quite a mess. Bring whoever you can; it will be a great opportunity to prove that we’re not the same losers as the gray color gang.” Riv smiled.
“Trust me, Tiffy, I will keep my word. If you want her dealt with as soon as possible, then I will get her in the one place she can’t get away from! For you, I’ll take down the whole school if I have to.”
CHAPTER 7
THE NEXT STEP
Walking down the streets of Slough, one particular teenage boy was getting strange looks from the passersby. All because of the look on his face. Right now, Gary was sporting a grin so wide that his eyes were almost closed, and one couldn’t help but look and wonder if he was actually okay.
Funnily enough, Gary didn’t notice any of that. Right now, he was in his own world, feeling better than ever before. As he entered the Wolf’s Pool Club, the first thing Gary did, without even looking inside, was to announce, “Today’s a great day!”
The other Howlers had opened the place a while ago, and a few customers were already inside playing pool and eating snacks, though the majority were from Austin’s school. They glanced at Gary, then quickly carried on doing what they were doing before.
One person, though, noticed the smile and almost dropped the tray in his hands.
“No, it can’t be … she actually said yes?” Innu’s mouth was wide open.
Gary didn’t say anything, but just put on an apron as he went to ask people if they wanted anything, making sure to praise the club’s membership program, trying to win them over as loyal customers.
Meanwhile, Innu needed to sit down for a bit, and he chose a seat on the stool by the counter. Although he didn’t know Xin very well, she was a pretty girl, and, as mean as it might sound, he had actually made a few plans for what he would do after she rejected Gary.
Sitting with his head down, the last thing Innu expected was to be pulled by the hem of his shirt, nearly getting dragged across the counter.
“Would you elaborate on that bit about someone saying yes?” Marie requested with a smile. Innu felt like he was staring death straight in the eyes. Peeking down, he saw the two concealed blades that she was training with and he was afraid that she might use them on him.
“Hey, what’s the big deal? What exactly do you plan on doing once I tell you, Marie?” Innu asked nervously, unsure where this sudden anger had come from. But she let go as Gary walked past to grab a drink from the fridge.
She smiled at Gary and gave him a light wave, and as he walked back, Gary return the gesture. For the second time today, Innu’s mouth was wide open, as he looked back and forth between Marie and Gary.
“Yo-you-yo-you li—”
“Shut up!” Marie hissed at him, quickly placing her hand over Innu’s mouth. It was impossible to tell what she planned to do, but luckily for him, a customer came over, saving him from impending doom. He couldn’t believe Marie’s complete change in behavior as the customer placed his order.
Why the hell are all the cute girls after Gary? And I bet he doesn’t even know about Marie’s feelings! Seeing it in person is even more annoying than in those drama shows. Innu would have loved to vent his frustration, but now was neither the place nor the time. Damn, is it his green hair? Should I dye mine as well?
The day continued on and when the sky started to turn dark, business hours were over. They weren’t risking another incident like before, although they assumed it wouldn’t happen again … not anytime soon, at least.
Today, though, was a bit more special than usual. Kai wore a serious expression. He informed them all that there was something he wanted to talk about now that the place was open for business again. The Howlers were all sitting on the sofa on the other side of the counter, behind the pool tables.
Kai was the only one standing. The tension in the room was high, and even Gary finally snapped out of his daze to focus on what Kai was about to say.
“First of all, great job, everyone. Now that the Wolf’s Pool Club is back in business again, we can finally start making some money as a gang,” Kai said. “Thankfully, with the money the gray color gang ‘generously donated,’ we were able to pay for the repairs. After a few more days like this, profit will be no problem, but there is a reason why businesses don’t last long in Slough, and that’s because what happened to us could happen again.
“The good news is, now that the gray color gang is gone, we don’t have to worry about them coming after us. In the meantime, the red color gang is scrapping around doing the Gray Elephants’ bidding, and it looks like a fight between the Underdogs and the Gray Elephants is on the horizon.”
Innu and Austin were shocked. The gang war between two color gangs had caused the police to quarantine the entire Chavley area, simply because they had lacked the personnel to do anything about it. What would happen if two big-time gangs had a go at each other?
“Now I don’t yet know when it will happen, but if I were to make a careful estimate, probably in one week at the earliest, one to two months at the latest. Either way, no matter which gang wins, they’ll have suffered serious losses, to the point they won’t have the manpower to claim the territory that they have won.
“At that point, the smaller gangs will come in and swoop in on the loser’s business. Now here’s where the problems begin. As a small-time gang ourselves, we’ll be dragged into that mess, whether we like it or not. While the rumors about us causing the gray color gang’s disbandment are great for keeping other gangs in line, it will also get us targeted in the upcoming war.
“I, for one, don’t want to be caught with my pants down, which is why I called this meeting. Right now, we need to do a few things. The Howlers need to grow our gang reputation to protect this place, our people, and our money. Now what if I told you there was a way to achieve all of that at once?” Kai smiled mischievously.
As expected, the blond teenager already had a plan.
“In addition to the color gangs, which are now down to black and red, there are five small-time gangs that have made a bit of a name for themselves. Their territory isn’t really worth mentioning, and the color gangs have used them as sort of buffer zones.
“What we’ll do, before everyone starts fighting for scraps, is pay each one of them a visit. While the color gangs may not have cared about them, for the Howlers they’ll serve as perfect stepping-stones. We’ll take over their territory and spread our name.
“If our leader agrees, of course!” Kai looked over to Gary. Now the others did so too, waiting for an answer.
A war between the Underdogs and the Gray Elephants. Both gangs had a reason to go after Gary, and if the Howlers needed to face them head on, if this was what Kai thought was the best for them, then Gary would gladly lead them.
“Of course,” he answered.
CHAPTER 8
A NEW TRANSPORTER
Inside the Basement, which had yet to open, a muscular teenage boy who had seen better days was busy walking through. Dragging his feet across the floor, he approached one of the workers in the club, who wore a suit.
“I finished my delivery,” the boy reported.
“Good, just sit at the back and wait for the others. When they’re done, you can leave,” the man instructed him.
The boy walked through a set of double doors and took a left turn, entering what looked like a break room for the staff, which was completely empty.
Over the last few days, the nightclub had been emptier and emptier. Fewer people were coming in, and he could only assume it was because something was going on outside. The boy sat down on the sofa, leaned back, and suddenly kicked the table.
“Shit! How did I even get myself in this situation! It all happened at that damn supermarket!” He cursed in frustration. After a strange turn of events, Gil had found himself working as a transporter for the Underdogs.
As had become the norm for him, he was thinking back to everything that had happened that day. One person had changed everything: Kirk, the Underdog’s Altered. He and his Cheetah Squad had managed to completely overpower the gray color gang members. They all had been beaten badly, Gil especially, and after he woke up, he had found himself in the nightclub.
He wasn’t the only one who had been abducted, though. Most of the victims were from the gray color gang, though some red color gang members had been there also. Honestly, Gil was regretting his choice to drop school and join a gang.
They had been warned that they would be attacking Underdog territory, but the original plan had been to get out of there long before the Underdogs arrived on the scene. Unfortunately, nobody had expected the Underdogs to send out their elite forces so quickly, just because the black color gang got their butts kicked.
Around twenty of them had been spread out on the dance floor, surrounded by the Underdogs with Kirk watching over them.
One had tried to make a run for it, but before he could get far, his face had met the Altered’s foot; he ended up on the floor, and no one else had tried anything after that. After a while, the leader of the Underdogs, Damion Hawk, finally arrived.
He walked in with great confidence and smiled at them all.
“Welcome to our humble home!” Damion shouted with his arms open wide. “Get all of these wretched souls a change of clothes and some food. They must be hungry, and make sure their wounds are patched up.”
Everyone had looked at each other in confusion, including Gil, but the members of the Underdogs didn’t need to be told twice. They immediately started taking care of their charges and bringing them hot food.
Most of them had been cautious at first, afraid the food might have been poisoned, but Gil had dug straight in. If the Underdogs were going to kill them, there would be no reason to do it in such a roundabout way. No, Damion had something else planned, Gil could tell.
For one week, they had been trapped there, getting food twice a day, taking bathroom breaks under the supervision of the Underdogs gang members. On the eighth day, Damion came in again.
“Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed our hospitality for the past week. As you might have noticed, no one has come for you. Not the other gray color gang members, nor the red color gang members, and not even the Gray Elephants themselves.
“You’ve been used, and now that there’s nothing more you can do for them, you’ve been discarded … But you see, here at the Underdogs we’re different! Loyalty is number one! As long as you wag your tail like a good dog, you’ll get rewarded,” Damion explained with a grin.
“Now I’m going to give you all a choice. Most of you are still young. High school and university students with families who must be sick and worried about you. They may even think you are dead after what happened that night.
“We all make mistakes in our youth, and it’s important we learn from them, which is why I will give you a choice. Those of you who wish to leave, raise your hand, and those of you who wish to join us, sit still. Those are your two options, no questions allowed!”
They exchanged glances, obviously wanting to ask questions, but the crazy look in Damion’s eyes made them afraid to do so. They had learned that whatever he said was the law in this place, so they would have to give him an answer.
Finally, a few of them raised their hands. This experience had revealed that the life of a gang member wasn’t for them. In the past, color gangs were experts on real gang warfare. But they would just be used as pawns, and nobody would care.
However, for Gil, something just didn’t feel right; if he was let go, what would he even do? Go back to the gray color gang, who had lost in this fight? No, that wasn’t a place for him. He had dropped out of Westbridge to rise up in the ranks, to get somewhere in life.
In the end, Gil didn’t put his hand up, but around one third of them did. Damion turned around; one of the men in suits had handed him two small axes.
Immediately he leapt forward and struck at the first person who had raised his hand. This caused a panic and many people tried to flee, but like a possessed demon Damion cut them down. He seemingly remembered each one who had raised their hand, leaving everyone else alone.
The scene was ingrained in the minds of all the survivors, and they understood why Damion talked about loyalty. They were now part of the Underdogs, whether they liked it or not, and if they even thought about betraying him, they all knew what fate they would suffer.
Gil didn’t care; this was life for him … the only thing he hadn’t imagined was that the next day he would be told to work as a transporter.
Eventually the doors opened, and several teenagers entered the room. Gil had seen them a few times; they were the other transporters who would be working for the Underdogs.
Damn it, I have to get out of this job somehow, Gil thought.
Suddenly he heard shouting from one of the other rooms.
“You still can’t find him?” This was followed by a loud crash.
“I’m sorry, sir, but we really are doing our best! There are thousands of kids in Slough. We have nothing to go by other than his green hair. He must have dyed it a long time ago; maybe he cut it off,” someone said.
“Even if he hasn’t, there are countless punks that fit his description! It’s impossible, sir, we’ve been going around everywhere looking for him!” Another person tried to explain their failure.
“What’s that all about?” Gil asked.
“The boss is pissed because they can’t find one of the old transporters,” one of them said. “The kid with green hair came before you, and apparently he stole one of the packages he was delivering. It seems pretty important because they’ve been looking for him ever since. He was a strange guy, that Greeny G. He would always try to talk to us.”
“Greeny G?” Gil replied.
“Ah, his nickname. You know how no one knows each other’s real name here? He went by G, but because of his green hair, the boss kept calling him Greeny, so Greeny G.”
As Gil heard this description, an image appeared in his mind. It reminded him of a boy that he had gone to school with.
G … for Gary? No, it couldn’t … A smile appeared across Gil’s face as he remembered the look Gary had given him in the hallway that one time; it was a stare as if he wanted to hit him. Ha, does it even matter if it’s really him or not? I think I just found my way out of these stupid deliveries!
CHAPTER 9
BAD NEWS
A delightful hum had woken up Amy Dem, and she wondered if the next-door neighbor had left the TV on again as she headed to the toilet. However, to her surprise, the sound was actually coming from their apartment’s kitchen, more specifically from Gary, who was cooking his usual breakfast.
