New Gods of North America.

Chapter 679 Rest
After the small meeting ended, Inessa took Hope to the cathedral.

While the detective agency may have its own agenda, given that the matter might involve genuine high-level wild extraordinary individuals, it's essential to maintain a professional and reliable image regarding safety.

Such a big incident, happening in a sensitive area like the dock district, how could the church not be dragged into it... no, how could the local cathedral not be reported to in a timely manner?

Wayne deliberately didn't go with her, partly because he sensed that Bishop Tyrell highly valued Inessa's abilities and experience, and he estimated that Bishop Tyrell would take Inessa's judgment seriously.
On the other hand, they were also worried that the Tyrell Church might casually steer the conversation toward the detective agency's recent borderline activities in the dock area—such as the suppressive fire last night.

There are some things that Bishop Tyrell probably wouldn't be comfortable discussing with Inessa, whether it's overt or covert matters. And if he wanted to reprimand the Detective Agency, he probably wouldn't target Inessa directly.
Furthermore, Wayne took the opportunity to have Inessa apply to the Exorcist Guild to get some valuable supplies. If Wayne had brought it up himself, it would have seemed a bit like he had ulterior motives, but if Inessa had brought it up, it would have sounded very selfless and reasonable.

The morning was normally a break time for the detective agency members to adjust to the time difference, but the leader of the Rabbit Gang and Sheriff William had recently figured out the routine, and they had all taken the opportunity to go home, shower, and sleep.
Lina wasn't idle either. She grabbed a strong man to be her coachman and went out to "sweep the streets," presumably to report important information to the intelligence team and give them some new arrangements.

Wayne planned to take a nap at the base for half a morning before taking Sanders out to scout out the location.

Using a map, I looked for a suitable place in the dock area to open a cannery.

……

Inside the Sailors' Gang's secret warehouse, a group of people had just finished playing cards.

They were all considered mid- to low-level leaders in the sailors' gang. When they were bored during night watch, they naturally sought out some entertainment to pass the time.

After dawn, feeling that another night had passed, they told their men who had been guarding the warehouse to take a break. The men were very sensible and stayed to watch until the card game ended before they dared to leave.

Only two of them remained, still chatting and drinking the leftover wine in their bottles by the large wooden crate containing the double-barreled shotgun, waiting for the others to finish using the restrooms before washing their faces and going to sleep.

"Didn't the boss say before that we'd go with the police to cooperate with the investigation, and we'd be released on bail in a day at most? Why haven't they come back yet?"

"I heard that Mr. Schwartz recently offended some big shot in town. Not only did the prosecutor participate in the interrogation, but the police also deliberately delayed the procedures. However, I heard the boss's lawyer say last night that the boss and his men will be released by sunset at the latest today."

"So we don't need to keep watch here tonight? Everyone's been on edge these past two days. Last night, some rats were stealing food, and one of the little ones almost got shot."

“I don’t think it’s going to work. Didn’t you hear the gunshots coming from outside every now and then last night? According to the boss, we’re probably going to stay here and hide until this is all over. Once the Ellan gang and the other gangs have finished fighting each other, we can show our faces in public. Maybe then we can take the opportunity to expand our gang’s territory and business.”

Besides residences and shops, the most numerous buildings in the dock area are various warehouses. There are contiguous storage areas as well as relatively isolated warehouses, and the ownership and actual users change frequently.
Often, even the laborers who are called to the warehouse to move things cannot say for sure which warehouse belongs to whom.

The Sailors' Gang's strategy for the past two days has been to temporarily feign cooperation with the city hall's tax investigation, while simultaneously watching other gangs take the opportunity to fight amongst themselves.

So they not only disposed of and moved the gang's goods in advance, but also gathered up the remaining manpower and hid here to guard the goods instead of going out.

At this point in the conversation, one of the guys, who was leaning against the wall with his legs crossed on a wooden crate, couldn't help but tell a lame joke:
"Actually, as long as the boss and the brothers come back, that's fine. Some people only know how to flatter but can't get things done. Keeping them in the police station is actually a good thing for the gang." The internal factions within the gang are already clearly defined; everyone knows who's "brother" and who doesn't like whom. The only question is whether the boss is aware of it.

After saying that, he tilted his head back and continued drinking from the bottle, waiting for the other person next to him to chime in with a comment, and then they all burst into laughter.

This is a small, unspoken rule within the inner circle to reinforce mutual recognition and demonstrate consensus. Sometimes it's used to probe the personal inclinations of other gang members, and sometimes it's simply a habitual form of banter.
Then he noticed that the other party didn't react to him at all.

Ok?
Is this kid drunk, or does he have other ideas?

He'd been playing cards and drinking all night, so getting completely drunk was unlikely, but by this point he'd already downed almost a whole bottle of cheap whiskey, and he was actually a little tipsy himself.
The bottle fell naturally from his arm. He glanced to the side with slight displeasure, then was startled.

A tall, burly man wearing a white mask silently lifted his companion up.
At this moment, his companion's chin was being held in front of him by the other party's large hand. He could neither make a sound nor break free, and his feet were dangling in the air with nowhere to put his feet.

The man with the white mask seemed to have been waiting for this moment as well. The instant he was noticed, the knife in his other hand swiftly sliced ​​across his companion's throat.
Then blood splattered directly onto the gang member's face.

The bottle fell to the ground, and someone scrambled back to retrieve his legs from the large wooden crate, grabbed the hunting rifle, and cocked the hammer.

Then, the exploding bullet in the barrel went "bang" and pierced into the bodies of the enemy and his comrade.

His companion, whose neck had been slashed open, let out a muffled groan of pain in his dying moments, while the man with the white mask seemed oblivious, like a wooden puppet, completely unconcerned.

The other hammer of the double-barreled shotgun was pulled back, and the two triggers side by side inside the guard were pressed simultaneously again. The man holding the gun shouted, "Enemy! Come quick!"

The shooting only slightly slowed down the other person's movements.
A tall figure approached, a shotgun was knocked aside, and a fleeing figure was stabbed in the back by a knife thrown at him, then lifted up by the ankle.

The first few sailors who arrived rushed over and saw one of the gang's leaders, who had once been a promising right-hand man, now slumped against a pillar in the barn, his intestines spilling out.

His head was touching the ground, one leg was pointing towards the sky, his crotch was already wet, and his eyes had lost their luster.

One of them was about to shout in terror to call for more companions when he saw one of his companions suddenly widen his eyes and look behind him.
He tried to turn around in fear, and as his view fell, he saw a tall figure wearing a white mask.

And in front of that figure, a headless body was splattering blood.

As the headless body slumped backward, its shoulders were pressed down, forcing it into a kneeling position.
His consciousness then fell silent.

(End of this chapter)