NOVEL NEXT Chapter 62: Chapter 62
"Luthor."
The corners of Bardi's lips curled slightly upward. If he had been hesitant to accept the drunkard before, the mention of his son had made up his mind. Bardi now saw value in keeping the man around.
Lionel noticed Bardi's change in expression, mistaking it for recognition of his name. His face lit up with hope.
"What does the boss want to know?" Lionel asked, addressing Bardi directly as "boss."
Bardi's eyes lingered on the faded, cracked wooden door for a moment longer before returning to Lionel. "Let's start with the forces operating in the Suicide Slum," he said calmly.
Lionel straightened up, brushing back his messy hair and adopting a serious demeanor, as if this were a moment of great importance.
"Suicide Slum might look like chaos," Lionel began, "and it is—full of gangs, constant turf wars, people dying left and right. But there are rules, even here. Without those rules, civilians couldn't survive."
He leaned forward, his tone taking on a conspiratorial edge. "Every block has its own gang, from Suicide Street to Death Lane to Babel Avenue. Some are big, with hundreds of members. Others are just two or three punks pretending to be a gang, selling guns, drugs, or setting fires to make a name for themselves."
As Lionel spoke, Bardi mentally mapped out the chaos of the Suicide Slum. It was like a city's sewer system, a place where all the filth and corruption pooled and festered. Every vice imaginable could be found here.
The list of gang names alone was almost comical in its variety and absurdity: Brotherhood, Chopping Hand, Giant Gang, Mafia, Vietnam Gang, Jagged Banner Club, Angel Gang, Hell Club, Thirteen Covenants, Death Angel Gang, Hell's Angel Gang, Satan Hell, Rose Blood, First Blood, Jack Gang, Dark Chief, Secret Organization, Twenty-One Warriors, God's Light, Jerusalem, Hell's Wrath, Killer Peace, Hood Alliance…
Despite the absurdity of some of these gangs, Lionel explained that many of them were just fronts for larger, more dangerous organizations—killer networks, smuggling rings, and shadowy operations.
"The biggest players in the Suicide Slum," Lionel continued, "are five organizations. Four of them are tied directly to Metropolis's central city, while only one is homegrown."
He paused, pouring himself a glass of water from a grimy pitcher. Halfway through gulping it down, he remembered his guest and quickly poured a cleaner cup from his son's belongings for Bardi.
Bardi didn't touch the drink. "Keep going," he said. "Tell me about the central city's power structure."
Lionel nodded, setting his cup down and wiping his mouth with his sleeve.
"Metropolis's underworld is carved up by five major forces," he said. "Nobody else gets a piece. That's just how it is."
"The most untouchable is the 'Family,'" Lionel said, his voice dropping as if the mere mention of the name warranted caution. "It's not really a gang—it's an alliance of Metropolis's elite. Aristocrats, the ultra-wealthy, powerful figures. They formed it to protect themselves, their money, their lives. They use it to deal with threats they can't handle openly, and it's deeply connected to the city's politicians, police, and even the military."
He took another gulp of water. "The Family doesn't deal much with the underworld directly, but everyone knows not to mess with them. Their leader is Morgan Edge, from the Edge family of Galaxy Communications. They even use the Underground Trade Fair in the Suicide Slum to handle their dirty business."
"The second group is the international gang run by the Mannheim family. The City Hell gang you might've heard of here? That's one of their branches."
"Then there's the Hundred Whale Family's criminal syndicate. Locals call them the Hundred Organization, and the Ninety-Nine gang here in the Suicide Slum is their offshoot."
Lionel paused, shaking his head bitterly. "The Hundred and the Mannheim groups are always at each other's throats. It's chaos when their conflicts spill into the city."
"The fourth is the Gambino Mafia," Lionel said, his voice lowering even further. "They're infamous for being ruthless, violent, and unpredictable. They came from New York and have branches across the country. The Metropolis division is known as Division 27."
"And finally, there's the Scarlet Angels. They're a biker gang, originally from California. Been around since 1948, and now they're international. They run drugs, weapons, and strip clubs. You can tell them by their Harley bikes and the tattoos they all wear. They're one of the world's largest biker gangs."
Lionel finished, sitting back with a heavy exhale. "Those five groups? They're the big fish. Everyone else just scrambles for scraps."
Bardi processed the information. Metropolis was a different beast from Gotham. Gotham's criminal underworld was fiercely insular, with every faction united in driving out outsiders. In Gotham, even the smallest intrusion from an external force would provoke a brutal, coordinated response.
Metropolis, on the other hand, was more open. It accepted chaos, welcomed outsiders, and absorbed foreign influences. If Gotham was a fortress, Metropolis was a revolving door—open to all, but dangerous in its unpredictability.
To take over Metropolis's underworld, Bardi would need to deal with four primary obstacles: the international gang, the Hundred Organization, the Gambino Mafia, and the Scarlet Angels.
The Gambino Mafia and Scarlet Angels, despite their global reputations, posed the least threat in his eyes. They might retaliate from other branches, but by the time they reacted, he would already have consolidated power in the city.
It was the local forces, the Hundred and Mannheim families that would require more careful handling.
As for the Family? Bardi barely spared them a thought. They were a group of wealthy aristocrats, clinging to power through money and influence. Once Bardi began operating on their level, with resources and technology, their so-called dominance would crumble.
With his plans falling into place, Bardi stood up, his expression resolute.
"Lionel Luthor," he said, his voice commanding. "Gather some people you trust. Within a month, I want the Suicide Slum under my control. Follow my orders, and you'll rise with me."
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