Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

Chapter 931 Agreement or Coercion?

Truth be told, this night could've gone a little~ bit better if we communicated beforehand or planned more together, but both of us had other stuff to do and this was the best we could've managed given the situation. We can't just stop time and figure out the best way possible out of any circumstance such as this but ain't no fucking way these dumbasses would've come out on top of this.

Not to give them any ideas, if they're gonna try and steal from a Family Head of a drug cartel, they better go all the fucking~ way because payback will always be brought upon those who did them wrong. Sal was kind enough to give them plenty of chances which they botched several times over.

In any case, I didn't think that Sal would have a dungeon in this fancy-ass mansion but thinking about it, this was probably one of those old, old houses that existed from where we were still under Spanish colonial rule, though a lot had changed given the time, but certain facilities were kept and maintained—possibly restored or refurbished.

But yeah, if I had an underground space like this, I could've turned it into the most kickass man cave or you know, a huge-ass basement like we have back home.

With that said, it didn't take long before a mix of Sal and Mauro's people—not the ones in hospitality services—came in as they took away the ones we had a sincere talking to despite their pleas and requests for one more chance.

However, there was still the issue of these people's kids where some of them could think on their own but still not of age, but instead of throwing them into the same place their parents were, they were simply held into a much more pleasant area but were not allowed to leave.

But yeah, the ones like the Vidal Family who sided with Sal were reunited with their loved ones—much to the relief of Erica and others—but their family heads were escorted into another room with Sal and Sebastian to further discuss the specifics of their new relationship or partnership.

At this point, I thought I had already fulfilled the role I was given but like Mauro, we were soon approached and told that we were required to attend the meeting after making ourselves a little more presentable.

Though Mauro just scoffed and asked me to simply come with him.

"Fuck that shit, we'd get the better end of the deal with blood on our clothes, no?"

I nodded, "True… but I think the intimidation part is already over and done with—"

"That's where you're wrong, this is the time when we need to press them even more—"

I shook my head as I took off my frilly coat, "Nah, I think this is the time where we show them we could be reasoned with. Fear is a great motivator but adding a bit of respect to it could go a long way. You gotta give them a little bit too if you want return customers… Gotta meet in the middle a little bit but it's so where we are a little bit ahead… That's the sweet spot…"

"Ha… I get it, I get it… It would be easier if we just do it my way though…"

"Easier doesn't mean better, no?"

"I said I get it, man! D'you know how big this mansion is?! All my clothes are in the West Wing!"

"Mine's in the East Wing, you don't see me complaining~"

"Fuck it, meet here in five?"

"Sure~"

As I went back to my room, I found a fancy suit and tie that was probably prepared for me beforehand so I just washed my hands and wiped myself as quickly but as thoroughly as possible before heading back to the same spot with my katana. But funnily enough, Mauro came back almost wearing the same exact thing—but in his sizes, of course—but he was lugging around this huge-ass steampunk-style club which suspiciously enough, was missing a couple of things attached to it.

"Hah! I knew you'd bring that katana with you!"

"You brought your own, looks metal as fuck!"

"Heh, anything you carry will look good with a suit. Not with those fancy-ass noble outfits…"

"True~ True~ They have their own aesthetic but a suit matches my katana more… Where are we heading again?"

"Follow me."

As Mauro fixed his tie, he led me to this set of doors that revealed a space that was only a quarter of the size of the main hall but it provided enough seats for everyone present. The tension could already be cut with a knife when we entered but it didn't help them one bit when they met eyes with the two people who made a mess of the henchmen their "colleagues" purchased—which coincidentally they could acquire with their funds but was ultimately useless when their services were called on.

In any case, it seemed like they were waiting for us to come by but Sebastian beckoned us to sit with Sal who was right in front of everybody. This butler just gave us this smile as he stood behind his employer but it seemed like his presence was slowly disappearing the moment we took our seats. Despite that, I could clearly see him if I turned in his direction but it was a different case when he was out of my cone of vision.

Sal then cleared her throat and spoke in a voice loud enough for everybody to hear:

"Alright, this meeting won't take long but here's the gist of it: As luck would have it, I didn't need to play the long game with those dumbasses but I hope you're not playing the long game with me too. What I'm proposing is now a 50-50 deal with all of the harvests and possessions from those fucker's lands while I take a measly 20% from yours. Furthermore—"

One of the lesser family heads raised his hand, "I'm sorry— W-Which f-fuckers? Excuse the language…"

Sal cackled as she scoffed, "The language is as good as it gets! Good question though, Erickson! The fuckers I'm implying are the fucking fuckers in my dungeon. You see, I wouldn't need much from your land right now since a whole lot opened up because of those dumbasses so count it as a fucking blessing. I'll only be taking 20% from your land—and the land we're talking about is the land you own PLUS the land you've taken away from me. Let's be honest here, ALL OF YOU FUCKING STOLE FROM ME— but I'm still the generous Madam you come to know and love. On that note, you'll be in charge of cultivating that land plus the ones who are adjacent to you—we'll talk about this later—from our fucker's association of dumbasses, so there's that. Any questions?"

"..."

"No? Very well, I'll continue… Aside from the division of land, I recommend you open up a few rooms because you'll have guests living with you—that will also help with keeping everything running, and I'm talking about the family members those family heads will be leaving after they're situated well in my basement. Don't worry about them retaliating against you because WE'LL fucking make sure they follow the protocol though we'll talk to them about leading their own family under me. It's a meeting for another day but I don't have to talk about that to all of ya. You just need to do what we agreed on before and everything will be spick and span. It's a little messy right now but we'll all figure it out soon enough…"

Another family head raised her hand with a fearful look in her eyes, "W-What about the ones who d-didn't attend this party?"

"Don't worry about them Rosie, they'll be well taken care of— right… You're right next to the Roxas Family Estate, right? Good for you, aside from the rare flowers you cultivate, you'll have some space for more essential crops and other shit. You get the whole she-bang like a few of you will… congrats. Oh right, if their sons keep their heads down when my people visit them later, they'll probably help your people get accustomed to their place but if not, I guess their servants will suffice. However, my dungeon could only take so many people even if feeding them wouldn't be an issue but some people will be used as fertilizer if you know what I mean…"

Another family head raised his hand, "W-Wait… You're visiting them tonight?"

"Of course, wouldn't want them to go elsewhere, no? On that note, I strongly advise all of you to enjoy the party until it's all over so that you won't get disturbed by the— umm… noise… that'll emanate from their land. Don't worry if your little ones can't stay up all night because we have rooms available and all of you can spend the night when you get tired. We'll even have breakfast prepared for tomorrow and even lunch if you so desire. So, what'll it be?"