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Kisha glanced at Sparrow with a mix of amusement and pity.

"Sparrow, don’t you think you’re a bit... unlucky? Vulture’s team is moving along just fine, but wherever you go, it seems like misfortune follows you."

She couldn’t help but smile inwardly, recalling some of the stories he had shared with them in the past.

They had been undeniably amusing, though she wisely kept her laughter to herself, not wanting to hurt his feelings.

Sparrow had already noticed this himself. It wasn’t that he was always this unlucky, but the constant mishaps seemed to follow him.

His eyes flicked toward Vulture, who was quietly snickering at his expense.

Unable to resist, Sparrow gave him a swift kick in the backside, causing Vulture to stumble forward with a frown.

"It feels like all my luck was drained by my former team members," Sparrow muttered, shooting a disdainful glance at Vulture, who was still snickering.

He placed all the blame squarely on him, but soon let the matter go, refocusing his attention back on Rakan.

"So, Young Madam, what do you think of my gift?" he asked, his tone turning more serious.

"Trouble may always follow you, but it seems you’ve also managed to attract a fair share of fortuitous encounters and talented individuals," Kisha remarked, a genuine smile on her face.

She was truly satisfied with the gift she had received, but now, the real challenge was figuring out how to put it to good use.

"Host," 008’s voice cut in, childish yet eerily cold, "Why waste time thinking when you could simply shove the Heart Gu Pill down their throats?"

"Are you suggesting everyone should take the Heart Gu Pill now?" Kisha replied, her tone laced with skepticism.

Although Rakan and his subordinates were now aware of the awakened abilities and the vial of blue liquid, that wasn’t sufficient reason to immediately use the Heart Gu Pill on them.

After all, the knowledge they possessed would eventually spread to the outside world.

With the Gachapon draw and mission rewards, it wasn’t far-fetched for her to eventually get her hands on the recipes for both the vials of blue and black liquid, just as she had in store with the stamina booster recipe from one of the previous missions.

’Forget it. We’ll let them join the base for now, but if they try anything funny, we’ll have more than enough ways to deal with them.’ Kisha thought.

"Let them join the base, but they’ll have to work harder than the others," Kisha said, her lips curling into a devilish smirk. "Not only are they newcomers, but we don’t fully know their true nature or what they’re capable of."

Vulture and Sparrow exchanged knowing glances, both aware that Kisha already had a plan for Rakan and his group. With that, they complied and released the seven prisoners, and soon, the group emerged from the dungeon.

This time, Rakan and his subordinates remained silent, not uttering a word as they made their way out of the dungeon.

"Why are you letting us go?" Rakan asked, his voice tinged with suspicion.

"Aren’t you worried we’ll betray you and take over this base? After all, we’re former mafia—we’re used to seizing territory and taking control."

He couldn’t help but notice the stark contrast between this base and the shelter he’d once built, sensing a whole different atmosphere here.

Kisha snorted dismissively without even glancing at them as she started walking. "Go ahead, try it if you want," she said coldly.

"But I’ll make sure you regret every second of it. No need to say much—you’ve already seen how those who have tried me ended up in the dungeon, haven’t you?"

Luckily, Sparrow had been clever enough to place Rakan and his subordinates in the underground dungeon from the start.

Forced to witness the grim fate of those imprisoned there, those who are there quickly realized the bleak reality—where life was a slow torment, and death was a distant wish.

Rakan and the others fell silent, the weight of what they had witnessed pressing down on them.

They had seen firsthand the horrific fate of those in the cells, and though they couldn’t tell if it was meant to intimidate them or not, the guards’ rounds only deepened their unease.

As they listened to the guards speak, they overheard chilling details about the prisoners’ past—how they had once been the apex predators of the base, only to be brought down by the City Lord and her people.

Now, their lives were nothing more than a grim existence in hellish conditions, a fate they could scarcely imagine if they were put in the same position.

Though Rakan and his men were tough, battle-hardened individuals who had seen the darkest sides of the world, their survival instincts ran deep.

Having crawled from the gutter to their current positions by risking their lives in the mafia world, they understood when to fight and when to bow their heads.

They knew the moment they had reached a point where surrendering was the only viable option.

Upon hearing Kisha’s words, without hesitation, Rakan and his subordinates knelt behind her, lowering their heads to the ground in submission.

"Boss, please, take us in as your subordinates!" Rakan, positioned at the front, didn’t hesitate to bow his head, unashamed.

Seeing how Sparrow treated Kisha and the respect the guards showed her, he had already deduced that she was the City Lord they had heard about.

Having been granted a second chance at life after surviving his near-death experience, Rakan was now more determined than ever to fight on and grow stronger, willing to follow this powerful leader until the very end.

For people like them, power and strength is everything.

They follow only those stronger than themselves, those they can respect. So, it’s no surprise that they have surrendered to Kisha—they recognize her strength and believe she is the one capable of leading them.

Especially now that he has seen something extraordinary happening in this world, he didn’t want to pass this chance to experience what every man wanted, to be able to wield immense power that could move mountains and split the sea.

If only Kisha could hear their exaggerated thoughts, she would shatter their distant dream right there and then.

"That was easier than expected..." 008 commented.

They had been wondering how to make these people submit without using the Heart Gu Pill, but it seemed they had delivered themselves right to Kisha’s doorstep without a struggle.

Kisha’s eyes narrowed into crescent shapes as she observed them.

"Very well." Without saying much more, Kisha turned on her heel and gestured for them to follow.

Sparrow and Vulture trailed closely behind her as they made their way toward the eastern wall.

By the time they arrived, Sparrow’s team had already gathered with the trucks, and Aston was there as well, ready to begin his work. The new recruits followed closely, taking in the scene.

"City Lord, this..." Aston began, pausing as he looked over his shoulder at the new arrivals after offering a simple morning greeting.

"You’re just in time," Kisha responded smoothly.

"We’ve got new recruits joining the base. They’ll be a valuable addition to our defense force. Help them with the registration process and make sure their work and accommodations are sorted so they can get started right away."