"The sun is shining bright~ the flowers smile for me~ the little birds all say good day, why are you carrying a pack of dynamite~"
As the saying goes, a happy occasion lifts the spirits. Anderson, who had become the Godfather of Twilight Street at the young age of 30, heard the song from a child on the roadside. With a grand wave of his hand, a few crisp green dollar bills flew over.
"That's some good singing, little fella. Now go blow up that damn school."
"Thank you, Godfather Anderson!"
"Haha." Anderson took a deep drag from his cigar, watching the scenery flash by outside the window before speaking to the driver in front.
"Hey, Anzhen. Our Twilight Street is truly a place of simple folk and brimming with talent, wouldn't you say?"
"You're right, Godfather."
"Haha, I like the sound of that."
The black car pulled to a stop in front of the base's main gate. Anderson stepped out, a brazen, arrogant smile plastered on his face.
However, fate had decreed that his good mood would not last long. The moment he pushed open the dance hall doors, both he and his men froze.
All the tough guys who had been on guard duty last night were lying unconscious on the floor. And in the center of the hall, a young boy was watching them with a smile.
In his arms, a black cat with a glossy coat was squinting comfortably, looking at Anderson with an expression of utter disdain.
"Hey, my old friend. Long time no see."
The large doors behind them suddenly slammed shut. Anderson's face darkened. He was about to turn and yell at his subordinates when he froze in shock.
He had assumed one of his men had closed the doors, but in reality, they had been shut by several green tentacles.
"This is the power of [Śeṣa], my friend."
Hearing Fu Li's explanation, Anderson's expression turned grim, and he fired several shots without a moment's hesitation.
However, his bullets never reached Fu Li. Green liquid erupted from the floorboards, deflecting every projectile, while a sharp green spike shot up and pressed against his chin.
If it moved just a little further, it would take his life.
"D-demon…"
"Oh, that's a hurtful thing to say, my old friend."
Fu Li set the cat down, stood up with a smile, and slowly walked over to Anderson. He leaned down, his crimson, serpentine eyes meeting Anderson's.
"But calling me a demon isn't entirely wrong. After all, I am a qualified deal-maker, am I not?"
"It's just that… this deal does not allow for refusal."
---o---
[After injecting the venom of 'Śeṣa' into their bodies, you had a friendly negotiation with the Godfather of Twilight Street.]
[Just as in your past life, Anderson is to protect the sanatorium and the church, restrain the criminal activities of his subordinates, and prohibit drug dealing and human trafficking.]
[Furthermore, you demanded that he give special care to a little one named Pardo, ensuring that no one in Twilight Street harms her. Any losses she causes are to be fully compensated by Godfather Anderson.]
[In return, you promised to secure his position as the Godfather of Twilight Street, bringing all the high-level members of the various factions under your control, with him as their public leader.]
[In the days that followed, whenever you returned to the Cat Cafe, you would find that all the litter boxes had been cleaned and the food bowls refilled.]
[The room prepared for Pardofelis would occasionally show signs of life, indicating that she quite liked the place.]
[And so, the peaceful daily life continued. Aponia would sometimes bring the children over to play, and you would always welcome them warmly.]
[Though you didn't know why Aponia always liked to hug you, you didn't feel it was strange. After all, you were just a child right now.]
[With the experience from your last run, it only took you one month to unify Twilight Street. You demanded that each faction not only give you a ten percent cut of their income but also contribute another ten percent towards the reconstruction of Twilight Street.]
[Those who performed exceptionally well were allowed to join the secret church you founded, the "Twilight Cats," whose slogan is: "The Holy Fire is bright, the Holy Light is brilliant, all my disciples, meow meow meow meow." ]
[The days passed one by one. One year after you first met, Pardofelis suddenly came looking for you.]
"Hey! Li! Good morning!"
"Morning, Pardo."
Fu Li raised an eyebrow, a little surprised to see Pardofelis hopping about energetically in a set of clean clothes.
Normally, no matter how clean or pretty the clothes were, the little rascal would get them dirty in no time. Today was a little different.
"Ehehe, well, I've been freeloading off you for a year, and I feel a little bad about it, so I wanted to treat you for a day…"
Pardofelis held her hands behind her back, looking up at Fu Li, who was a full head taller than her, and couldn't help but feel a little deflated.
"By the way, why are you so tall? You're only eight, but you're already this big."
Actually, I'm five, but my growth was accelerated a bit by Honkai Beast genes.
"Hmph, girls don't have to be tall to be cute. Especially you, Pardo, the Phantom Thief of Twilight Street. I've heard the stories," Fu Li teased with a smile.
Hearing her title, Pardo's face flushed red. "H-how can you just slander an innocent person like that!" she protested.
"Mm-hmm?" Fu Li said with a half-smile. "Then why did I hear the homeless people talking yesterday about a little girl who stole the ring from the leader of the Fierce Tiger Gang?"
"Gulp…" Pardofelis was speechless. She gave Fu Li a light swat. "Ahem, alright, that stuff doesn't matter! Just tell me, do you want to go out and have some fun or not?"
"Alright, alright, I'll humor you for a day." Fu Li looked at her beautiful, mismatched eyes with an expression that said, what am I going to do with you?
"Yay! Oh, right, you're not allowed to bring your wallet this time." Pardofelis puffed out her small chest and declared confidently, "Today, everything's on me!"
"Okay, okay, whatever you say."
After a year of governance, Twilight Street was much more stable than before, at least on the surface. And under his protection, Pardofelis had naturally become a little tyrant in her own right, and no one dared to cause trouble at the small shop she ran. The few troublemakers who tried were quickly taken care of by bodyguards secretly arranged by the major gangs.
After all, in their eyes, Pardofelis was the apple of Boss Li's eye. Many of the older residents who didn't have children of their own had even started shipping them as a couple.
"Hmm, let's see… Li, come try these candied hawthorns! I'm telling you, this place not only uses good ingredients, but it's also clean and hygienic."
"And the ice cream from this shop is great too! I'm the one who sold them the machine… ah, ah, it's nothing! Anyway, it's delicious, that's all!"
"Hmm… let's see, the small fish from this place are also pretty good. Humans don't really like them, but they'd be perfect for making cat food."
As a local big shot, Pardofelis knew the place like the back of her hand. Fu Li followed along, holding candied hawthorns in one hand and the small fish she'd bought in the other.
He could see that Pardo genuinely wanted to do something to help. In that case, should he reward her with something?
Fu Li's gaze swept over a nearby clothing store, and an idea began to form in his mind.