The crowd surged, and the once bustling and noisy tavern became quiet in the blink of an eye. Everyone was gone.
In just a few minutes, most people had left, leaving only a few drunkards who couldn't walk straight.
The Mike Group was notorious in Myanmar and one of the largest gray organizations in the region. Most people didn't want anything to do with them.
A Rhyhorn stopped at the tavern entrance, and Davis and his subordinates walked inside.
"Clear the area! Get everyone out except for that one table."
At Davis's command, his subordinates began clearing the area. A few minutes later, the entire tavern was empty except for the boss and Jacob's group.
"You two, take the boss out for a walk," Davis said to two of his subordinates.
"Understood, Brother Davis."
After the two subordinates and the boss left, only Jacob, Raya, Caleb, and Davis remained in the room. It instantly became quiet.
"Davis." Caleb removed the Flame Mask from his face at this moment, his gaze falling on Davis. "It seems you're doing well."
"You shouldn't have come to Myanmar. If there's anything, just call me. There's no need to come in person. This place isn't suitable for you—it's too dangerous." Davis looked at Caleb, leaned back on the sofa, propped his feet on the table, and continued, "If you accidentally die here, I won't be able to explain it to Jacob. So tell me, what important matter made you risk danger and come all this way in person? Once you've said it, hurry back."
As Davis spoke, his gaze remained on Jacob and Raya, who were wearing Flame Masks.
From the seating arrangement of the three, it was clear that Jacob was the leader, followed by Raya. He was very curious about the true identities of the two people before him.
Listening to Davis's words, Caleb turned his gaze to Jacob, remaining silent and appearing to defer to him.
Jacob looked up at Davis at this moment and silently removed the Flame Mask he was wearing, revealing a smile on his face. "Long time no see, Davis."
"Who are you?" Davis looked at Jacob's mature face with confusion. He vaguely felt the face before him was somewhat familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere, but he couldn't recall it at the moment.
He kept thinking and recalling in his mind. Finally, in that instant, a flash of inspiration struck.
The face of the person before him overlapped with a wanted poster. At this moment, he felt his body turn cold, and cold sweat broke out.
Giovanni! He is Giovanni!
The Lapras Trainer, the Darkrai Trainer, the murderer of Emilio, the protagonist of the King sinking incident—Giovanni!
"You are Giovanni..." Davis looked at the "Giovanni" before him, his expression instantly becoming tense, his gaze wary. His feet, which had been propped on the table, were pulled back. His body tensed, and his right hand was placed on his waist, ready to release his Pokémon at any moment.
The moment Davis recognized Giovanni, his previous relaxed comfort vanished, and endless caution and vigilance grew in his heart.
Even though "Giovanni" was sitting directly opposite him with a kind smile, he brought immense pressure.
Giovanni was undoubtedly the most talked-about figure during this period.
He not only kidnapped Andrew, the beloved son of Champion Meyer of the British Empire, demanding an exorbitant ransom, but he also dared to directly kill Emilio, the leading figure of the younger generation of the Qi Family.
The fact that he simultaneously offended two Champions and could still be so carefree meant there were very few people in this world who could achieve this.
"It seems you still haven't recognized me, Davis."
As Jacob spoke, he placed his hand on his face and gently removed a pink Ditto Mask, revealing his original face.
"You are... Jacob." Davis's face showed a look of horror as he watched the scene before him in disbelief. He had never imagined that Giovanni would actually be Jacob wearing a mask.
Jacob looked at the surprised expression on Davis's face, his lips slightly curved. He was very satisfied with Davis's reaction. "Don't be so surprised. Relax, I have something to ask you."
Davis was still immersed in shock at this moment. Hearing Jacob's words, he was stunned for several seconds before recovering. "Please ask."
"Is there any way for me to quickly gain control of the Mike Group?"
Hearing Jacob's straightforward question, Davis's heart was already churning with tumultuous waves, but his face remained calm as he said, "If you want to quickly gain control of the Mike Group, you can only eliminate all members of the Mike Family."
"Because the Mike Group is essentially a family business established by Mike Brown. Unless all members of the Brown Family are killed, outsiders will absolutely not be able to easily control the Mike Group."
"But if you kill all members of the Brown Family, the overall strength of the Mike Group will instantly drop by a large margin."
Listening to Davis's words, Jacob's face showed a regretful expression, and he sighed slightly. "I hate fighting and killing the most. Since that's the case, take me to see Mike. I want to meet him in person."
"Now?" Davis asked, looking at Jacob with hesitation.
"Now."
Mengkha City.
One of the few modern cities in Myanmar, and also one of the most prosperous regions in Myanmar.
Inside the industrial park in the western district of Mengkha City, at the entrance of low-rise factory buildings, men sat shirtless on small stools in groups of two or three, playing cards and drinking around small round tables. Cigarettes dangled from their mouths, and their gazes occasionally fell on Jacob and his group, like looking at prey.
Jacob and the others, wearing Flame Masks, walked through the industrial park, heading straight toward a tall building not far away.
The Mike Group's headquarters was located in this rare tall building within the industrial park. For safety, all entrances and exits of this building had been replaced with heavy metal doors, and guards patrolled and stood watch outside twenty-four hours a day.
"Who are you people?" Seeing Jacob and the others trying to approach, the guards immediately raised their guns and aimed at Jacob's group.
"They're with me, my friends." Davis quickly stepped forward and said to the guards at the door. "I'm introducing them to Boss Mike."
"Oh, it's Brother Davis. Go on up, Brother Davis."
Davis seemed to be doing quite well in the Mike Group. He led Jacob and the others through the first floor without any hindrance, arriving at the entrance of the top floor, where another heavy door blocked their way.
"Knock knock!" A knocking sound rang out.
"Who is it?"
"It's me. I've brought a few friends to visit the boss."
"Click!"
The iron door opened, and a dark-skinned man pulled it open, frowning as he scrutinized Jacob and the others. After a while, he said, "Come in."
At this moment, Mike, hearing the commotion, also got up. He wore pajamas and slippers. He was muscular and well-built, with bulging muscles all over his body, indicating he had been exercising regularly. Even though he was already fifty years old, he was still strong and healthy.
Behind Mike stood a woman in a large red nightgown, leaning gently on his shoulder, her gaze falling on Jacob and the others.
"Davis, what's wrong? Who are these people?" Mike frowned, looking at Davis. At the same time, he lit a cigar, sat on the leather sofa, and pointed at Jacob and the others with his finger. "Tell them to take off their masks."
"Boss..."
Davis was about to speak when Jacob raised his hand to interrupt him. Then, without ceremony, Jacob sat down on the sofa opposite Mike, reached out, and removed the Flame Mask he was wearing, revealing the face of "Giovanni."
"Mr. Mike, hello." Jacob placed his hands on the armrests of the sofa, leaning back, his gaze fixed on Mike. "Nice to meet you. Let me introduce myself—my name is Giovanni."