Saiyan stowaways on the Ark

Only then did Austa ask in an incredulous tone:

"You...you treated him?"

"Can't you see it yourself?"

"why?"

"My pleasure."

The brief Q&A session left Austa somewhat bewildered, as he had intended to ask many questions.

Rather than exuding the aura of a powerful figure, Tomat actually emanates a different kind of oppressive presence.

If the former is about power forcing oneself to carry out commands with understandable causes and consequences, then Tomat directly imposes actions on them according to his own will, actions that are incomprehensible even at the level of motivation.

This detached arrogance was something he had never experienced from the upper echelons of the Syracuse family, because those people simply issued orders and handled matters with either foolishness or caution, making one feel that both sides were actually human, and that the other side could do this only because they had more power and a higher status than him.

But Tomat is different.

He did it not because he had the power to do it—he did it because he had the ability to do it.

People question power, especially when the other party lacks the ability. This is why Javi and Austa are dissatisfied with their current boss. Although the boss has great power and a high position, the orders and arrangements he makes using these powers are unacceptable to them.

Just as the seven great families of Syracuse fell in the past, so too does the resentment of the lower-class thugs towards these families today.

Power is sometimes too fragile and ethereal to be proven, but ability is different. It is something that can be demonstrated more directly and is often the most real pillar of power.

People will question those in power about whether they are qualified to have power, but rarely will they ask the same question to those who are capable, especially when a power that does not require self-proving is presented to them.

If the weapon is not in hand, others may freely question the other party's right to pick up the weapon, but if the weapon is already firmly in the other party's grasp, one should not presume to question whether the other party has the ability to wield it.

When the other party questions your lethality, you'd better actually have that lethality.

Sitting across from Tomat, Austa already felt that power that required no self-affirmation—it was as if a thousand loaded guns were pointed at his head. What Tomat did was irrelevant to his own questioning; it was simply a matter of what Tomat was willing to do. No reason or explanation was needed.

Unlike the bullying of the family's higher-ups, and unlike the promising future of Jiawei, it was only a pure sense of oppression that supported his willfulness.

A slight commotion came from outside the car. Broca, who was standing in front of the car door, was pushed aside by a middle-aged man named Rupert, whom he did not recognize. Judging from his clothes, Rupert was definitely an important person.

"...Boss...!"

The hotel owner appeared. What initially attracted him was the sound from the sky, but now it was Tomat's RV. His subordinates had not yet provided any investigation results, which made him decide to personally communicate with Tomat in order to find out the other party's background.

"Hello, Mr. Thomas, I am the owner of this hotel. The vehicle theft incident caused you a very unpleasant experience during your stay. We will provide you with appropriate compensation. Please also check your belongings in the car. We will investigate any losses and provide additional compensation if the vehicle cannot be recovered."

"However, if I may ask, Mr. Thomas is clearly no ordinary person. I also enjoy making friends with people from high society, but unfortunately I am not aware of the recent family situation in White City and do not know your identity. Could you please tell me so that we can have further contact?"

The boss was quite tactful, fulfilling the proper etiquette for entertaining guests while subtly shifting the conversation to the guest's identity.

"I've checked the car; there's no damage."

Thomas didn't rush to answer the question that the other person cared about most, and then said:

"Tomat, an employee of Rhode Island Pharmaceuticals."

Neither the name nor the title that sounded like an organization's name were things the other party had never heard of.

The boss hesitated for a moment, but did not show any contempt. It would not be appropriate to easily belittle something one does not understand.

How could someone who communicates with a gang family with such ease be simple? Moreover, the other three people who were tied up seemed to have nothing to do with pharmaceutical company employees—unless the other party was a ruthless company that dared to directly kidnap people for drug testing.

"Who are these three people...?"

The boss continued to ask.

"Oh, one was arrested by mistake, and two were car thieves. The one arrested by mistake hasn't been released yet, and as for the other two..."

Following Tomat's words, the boss looked at Javi and Austa—the notorious gangster boss and his henchmen.

"It's alright, I understand. Just leave the guests to me."

The boss seemed to understand, or rather misinterpret, Tomat's meaning.

The next moment, he took out a modified short gun from his pocket and pulled the trigger one after the other, aiming it at the chests of the two men.

Although it didn't fire bullets like the Lateran's guns, the power of the small crossbow bullets was still not to be underestimated. Moreover, the opponent, as a member of the family, also had some combat skills. It was one thing for Javi to be unconscious, but Osta was also shot in the heart before he could even react.

—Of course, that would be true if the projectiles continued to advance.

"What do you know? Don't kill someone in my car."

The smoky crossbow bolt fell from Tomat's fingers with a crisp sound onto the floor.

For a moment, the air in the carriage seemed to stand still.

[Main Text] The Saiyans' Daily Life on Terra: Chapter Twenty-Three - Madame Sicily

Disposing of a subordinate who has made a mistake in front of the person in question is a way to establish authority and emphasize rules. Generally, such actions require a very strict procedure and the consent of many people before deciding whether to execute the person directly.

As the lowest-level thugs, Javi and Austa clearly did not deserve such treatment.

This kind of person, who has no relatives or connections and no background, will not cause any trouble even if he dies. Moreover, he can show friendliness to Tomat, which can also serve as a deterrent, letting the other party know that he is not someone to be trifled with.

However, all these plans were completely disrupted when Tomat caught his crossbow bolt.

First, I was shocked that the other person caught the bullet, and then I wondered why the other person was willing to do that.

Tomat didn't give him a chance to think further; he simply glanced at Osta, who was still staring at his chest, repeatedly checking for any places where he had been hit.

"Forget it, if you're their boss, just tell them to be careful."

He said simply.

"Um... really? Is that enough?"

The owner, who considered himself to be on home turf, accepted Tomat's proposed solution and did not feel any anger at having his original ideas rejected by an outsider.

For a moment, it seemed as if Tomat was actually the boss here.

"Ugh...it's so noisy...where am I?"

At this moment, Javi also woke up. From falling into a coma due to an acute attack to fully waking up with a normal complexion, it only took a few minutes.

But with his hands and feet bound, all he could see when he woke up was the ceiling of the RV. As he struggled, he rolled off the sofa and landed on the floor. Just as he was about to yell, he saw a pair of legs blocking his way. Looking up, he saw Tomat glancing at him out of the corner of his eye.

"Javi? You're awake!? Are you alright? How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine! Who the hell tied me up? You, you?...Wasn't I just being chased by Albert in his car!?"

Javi's memory has been disrupted; his only recollection is of Tomat walking towards them in that empty square.

However, as he struggled, the ropes binding him suddenly tightened, and the same happened to Austa on the other side. The two who were freed immediately got up and looked around the space with confused and nervous expressions.

—A family member who planned to kill them as an apology.

—An unknown person whose intentions are unclear.

The two stood together, unsure of what would happen next, but prepared to face whatever came their way.

However, what broke the stalemate was the ringing of the hotel owner's communicator.

"Um...?"

At the same time, Tomat looked out the window towards the more central part of the city.

There are quite a few strong energies, which are neatly approaching this place.

"Ah, yes, as you wish, I will do so immediately!"

Meanwhile, the boss who had just answered the call immediately adopted a bowing and scraping demeanor, repeatedly agreeing to the person on the other end of the communicator. He then waited, sweating profusely, for the other party to hang up before finally turning his forced smile toward Tomat.

"Guest... no, Lord Thomas, please forgive my previous offense..."

"Huh? What did you do wrong?"

This attitude felt very familiar to Tomat; too many people had treated him this way.

But it's clear that what the other party is afraid of isn't Tomat himself, but rather the previous telephone operator.

After all, many people don't trust rumors or reputations about strangers, but if someone who is truly superior to them asks them to believe, then it's not a matter of whether they want to or not.

"Oh? Yes, you're right. I won't waste any more words."

The boss took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead, his expression showing not only fear but also a great deal of relief.

"Next, we will be transferring something very important to you. Please wait a moment."

"thing?"

"...Yes, it was given to you by Madame Sicily."

At this point, everyone in the car except Thomas changed their expressions after hearing this form of address.

"Madame Sicily!? Really?"

Previously excluded from the conversation, Javi and Austa were the first to break the silence, with Javi taking the initiative to ask Tomat in an incredulous tone.

Although strictly speaking, Javier did not actually have any reverence for Madame Sicily; in his view, the term was simply the title of a slightly special family head.

Regardless, he still held unwavering faith in the fact that "the Sicilian woman held a high position of power," because this was common knowledge among the Syracuseans.

Even though the Sicilian lady's power is increasingly being questioned and challenged, there is still nothing that can actually threaten her position, let alone her voice.

It is said that not long ago, she also banished a gang that was supposedly from a direct descendant of the "Sicilian Union," whose leaders and members all fled to the far east and were never allowed to set foot in Syracuse again.

And the person before them was actually handed over "something" directly by Madame Sicily...

Could it be a "godmother's keepsake"?

This is something only the "patriarch" of a large family is entitled to. If one obtains a token from the Sicilian lady, it is equivalent to officially becoming a member of the decision-making level of the Syracuse family—or having the right to establish a new family.

Is a family about to undergo a major personnel change?

Or is it that the twelfth family will become the thirteenth family, and the man before us is the new patriarch?

Neither of them could be compared to the other in terms of status.

In their eyes, Tomat successfully played dumb to outsmart the enemy.

No one expected that this man, who drove a campervan, didn't have any subordinates, and didn't put on airs, would actually have a relationship with Madame Sicily.

Even if his identity was exaggerated out of caution, he was previously thought to be the leader of a newly emerging small gang, and had nothing to do with Madame Sicily.

While everyone was considering how to treat Tomat, Tomat turned his head to Javi.

This made Austa nervous.