From Bullets To Billions Chapter 743: The Strong Bloodline

Of course, Blark knew they were going up against a massive syndicate, and the original strategy had been put in place to neutralize the entire gang using every operative involved. If things got out of hand, they were simply going to use the hostages to force the opposing side into a complete standstill.

So in a way, Blark had anticipated that the Billion Bloodline group would make a move—though he assumed they would have deployed their main force to reinforce their leader, Max. The gang was certainly large enough to be split into two separate strike teams, but one wrong move or bad timing on their part would have alerted his perimeter sentries.

As for the Rangers, their timing against the Black Hand had been flawless, leaving all of his high-ranking operatives occupied or incapacitated. The syndicate could only pulled off this ambush because of their sheer numbers. There was no doubt that if the main Bloodline force had shown up at the docks to assist Max instead, Blark would have used the captive students against him on the spot, forcing Max to fight completely isolated.

"Although the situation here is under control, I thought that if Max could just progress far enough to reach the others on the ship, the rest of the Bloodline group could reinforce him there," Wolf mumbled, his voice raspy as blood dripped from his lip. "But if they’re all here, they can’t help him on the docks. So that leaves us with only one choice: we take out all of these guys here as fast as possible, and then go reinforce Max. I know he wants to save everyone, but at the end of the day, our primary job is to protect Max."

Despite the sudden shift in momentum, Commander Blark didn’t falter. He slowly spread his arms, dropping into a wide combat stance.

"I’m getting way too old for this," Blark muttered, a harsh chuckle escaping his throat. "I guess this is going to be my final assignment after all... How many of you can I take out on my own? Well, I could plow through an endless wave of fodder as long as they’re not elite. You’re just a bunch of crooks, and most of you don’t even look old enough to drink."

"Get to Wolf! He needs medical attention fast!" Rick barked, pointing toward the treeline.

Rick could tell that in Wolf’s condition, he needed to be rushed to a hospital immediately. The surrounding gang members, who had been waiting for a direct order, instantly surged forward. A frontline fighter threw a straight punch, but Blark caught the man by the wrist mid-strike, spun his torso, and hoisted the young man into the air before slamming him violently onto the stone floor. He followed up instantly with a short, brutal right cross to another fighter’s jaw, knocking him out cold on the spot.

However, a third gang member managed to shoot in low, tackling Blark around the waist and driving him back a few paces. Blark brought his knee up sharply, driving it straight into the fighter’s face to break the hold and send him crashing down. He went to throw a sweeping roundhouse at another approaching gang member, but the young man managed to bring both forearms up in a reinforced guard to absorb the blow.

The kick carried immense power, forcing the fighter to flinch and drop his stance slightly, but unlike the previous targets, he wasn’t knocked out cold.

A metal bat came swinging toward Blark’s head from his blind spot. Ducking just in time to feel the wind pass over his hair, Blark was forced to take a swift step back to reset his spacing.

Blark realized, his eyes narrowing as he re-evaluated the crowd.

Blark realized he might have underestimated them based purely on their age. While his own Black Hand operatives were young, they had been rigorously conditioned as assassins from childhood.

"These guys have been fighting nearly their whole lives," Rick said, watching the perimeter tighten around the Commander. "We didn’t exactly grow up in soft conditions either. And on top of that, everyone here has gotten a hell of a lot of practice recently."

The practice Rick was referring to was the constant, high-intensity sparring sessions between the Bloodline group and the Fallen Rose faction while they were coexisting at the compound. Although individual gang members clearly weren’t strong enough to take out Blark single-handedly, their overwhelming numbers, combined with their tactical coordination, meant it was only a matter of time before the Commander grew exhausted, opened his guard, and took a fight-ending blow.

In the middle of the chaotic clash, a squad of gang members managed to reach Wolf’s side. Seeing them trying to extract the injured Ranger, Blark drove a heavy fist into a nearby fighter’s temple, dropping him instantly as he tried to break through the line.

Blark thought, locking his eyes on Wolf.

Just as Blark lunged forward to breach the extraction squad, a high side-kick whipped toward his face. Blark raised his forearm just in time to block the strike, the force pushing him back a step.

"What the—?" Blark gritted his teeth.

"It’s been a while since we had to take down a real monster, but we’re not going to let you anywhere near him," Print said, dropping into a low stance alongside the squad.

"That’s right—we’re a lot tougher than we look," Erik added, cracking his knuckles.

Rick looked over at the two of them with a proud grin. They were the key figures who used to control all of West Brinhurst, and alongside Erik, they had agreed to align with Max to form the foundation of the true Billion Bloodline group. The faction possessed far more raw fighting power outside of the Rangers than the Black Hand had ever anticipated, and Commander Blark was learning that lesson the hard way.

"Take care of yourself, Wolf," Rick said as two subordinates carefully lifted the bleeding Ranger onto a stretcher. "And don’t worry—we’ve got everything under control from here."