Chapter 4: Black Butterfly

A tense conversation was in progress inside a private room at an upscale club in Welton City. "Gary and Iris are getting engaged in three days, and now you're telling me you want to keep Iris at home and bring in a son-in-law? You've got to be kidding me." Wilder Watson slammed his fist on the table, glaring furiously at Dustin, who sat across from him. "I hope you can understand my predicament, Wilder. After all, I made a promise first. You wouldn't want me to be seen as someone who breaks his word and lacks sincerity, would you?" Dustin looked at him with a troubled expression. "Even if what you say is true, why didn't you mention it before the engagement? The news of our families becoming in-laws has spread throughout Welton City. Now you're telling me you want to call off the engagement? You're making a mockery of the Watson family, turning us into a laughingstock for the entire city!" Wilder's anger escalated. "Wilder, as things stand, to express my apologies, Felton Corporation will pull out of the bidding for the Anos District's urban renewal project." "This is your apology?" Wilder scoffed, looking at Dustin with disdain. "Do you think the Watson family are children you can placate with just a token gesture?" With that, he angrily stood up and stormed out. "We won't take this lying down. You guys will pay the price." Wilder's figure vanished through the private room's door as his icy voice echoed. "It seems I'll have to handle things as they come." Dustin sighed and shook his head. He had anticipated Wilder's anger before coming. The Anos District renovation project was the biggest concession the Felton family could make. Even if he were willing to compromise the corporation's interests further to placate the Watsons, the shareholders wouldn't agree. ***** When Gary learned about the broken engagement, he was shocked and furious. "No, I disagree," he said grimly. "What difference does it make if you disagree? Iris's childhood betrothal has come to claim her, and the Felton family has made it clear they're calling off the engagement," Wilder said, trying to console his son. Gary's face was tense, and he was silent, but his heart seethed with rage and resentment. He had been dating Iris for six months, but their intimacy never went beyond holding hands. This wasn't because he was a true gentleman but because Iris was traditional and wanted to save her first night for her wedding. On the surface, Gary appeared to be a refined gentleman, but inside he was obsessive and domineering. Anything he set his sights on had to be his, or he'd rather destroy it than let anyone else have it. Especially someone as beautiful as Iris; how could he let her end up with someone else? "Gary, don't be upset. We'll make the Felton family pay ten times over for this insult," Wilder reassured his son with a gentle tone. "There are plenty of fish in the sea. Why focus on Iris? Don't worry, I will find someone ten times more beautiful and exceptional for you," Gary's mom also consoled him. Gary nodded, but a murderous look appeared in his eyes once his parents left. "Let's see who dares to take my woman. I'll make them pay with their blood and lives!" With that, he took out his phone and dialed a number. "Dante, I need you to investigate..." ***** As night fell, Leo left Felton Manor after dinner and headed to an internet cafe. After setting up a computer in a private booth, he sat down. He typed a complicated URL into the browser and pressed enter. The page opened, revealing a login screen for a member account and password. Leo's fingers flew over the keyboard, swiftly entering an account name and a complicated password before hitting enter. After the login was successful, the page opened with a dark red theme. At the top of the page was a large black color butterfly. Beneath it were several menu options: [News, Information Release, Hiring, Trading.] This was the site of the most authoritative organization in the Dark World, Black Butterfly. The site was public, but only members had access. Ordinary membership costs $15,000 a year, advanced membership costs $30,000 a year, and the highest, Gold membership, costs $80,000 a year. Different membership levels offered varying access rights on the site. Black Butterfly was the most authoritative and discreet, though not the largest Dark Web. Human trafficking, organ trade, arms dealing, and contract killings could be found on Black Butterfly. It also served as both media and intermediary for the Dark World. ***** Leo was a Gold member of the Black Butterfly Network. Besides the $80,000 membership fee, he paid an additional $1 million for privacy. The privacy fee ensured that every time he logged into Black Butterfly, no trace would be left on the site, ensuring his membership status remained undisclosed. Having secluded himself in a mountain village for over a year to heal, he hadn't logged into Black Butterfly in a long time. Fortunately, he had paid for a three-year membership, so there was no issue of it expiring. Leo clicked on News. The page opened, and a series of the latest news articles appeared before him. A Mekhanar arms dealer, Gorse, was assassinated at home yesterday. A batch of enslaved people transported by the Hawkish Gang to Eusville mutinied en route, causing dozens of casualties. ***** As Leo continued reading, he stopped at a piece of news about a Chiton Grandmaster and Southern Fist master, known as the Eastern Dragon, Blake White, who had been issued a global kill order by the Kiehl family. He knew Blake. They had visited that man when he was training under his mentor. Blake was a close friend of his mentor and a martial arts legend from one of the three great Southern Fist families under the tutelage of the martial arts guru Brian Lapwood. In his memory, Blake was scholarly and courteous. He personally guided Leo in martial arts, leaving a deep impression on him as a sort of half-mentor. Leo used his Gold membership privileges to view the details of the news, eager to understand why the Kiehl family was hunting the man. That family was a well-known, powerful family in Eusville. For them to issue a global kill order meant they were truly enraged. Upon reading further, he discovered that a direct descendant of the Kiehl family had committed heinous acts while studying at a university in Chiton, including the rape and murder of a female student. Due to insufficient evidence, the judicial system had released the Kiehl family member. Instead of laying low, this member even sent people to assassinate the victim's mother, who persistently sought justice. When Blake heard of this, his sense of justice compelled him to take action and kill the Kiehl family member, along with over a dozen family bodyguards. The death of a direct descendant had struck a nerve with them. In their fury, the Kiehl family utilized their vast information network to trace the incident back to Blake, subsequently issuing a global kill order. The bounty for killing him was set at $200 million. A Grandmaster was a respected title in Chiton's martial arts community, reserved for those at the S level. A $200 million bounty for an S-level martial artist with no organization or backing was astronomical. The highest bounty 'Wolf' had ever taken for an S-level target was $100 million. A $200 million bounty was typically reserved for assassinating small nation leaders, terrorist organization heads, or rebel leaders. The bounty would typically max out at $100 million for a lone S-level martial artist like Blake. Offering $200 million showed just how furious the Kiehl family was. Leo hoped Blake wouldn't fall prey to the Kiehl family's pursuit. He didn't want his mentor's close friend to be assassinated. Then, he continued scrolling through the news. As a Gold member, he was privileged to access news from the past three years. Having been in seclusion for a year, he wanted to catch up on the major events in the Dark World, especially news concerning his organization, the Wolf. As he sifted through the articles, he finally found news about the Wolf. The news dated back to eight months ago, four months after Black Butterfly had declared him dead. News Content: [The leader of the Wolf Organization, the Wolf King, had perished. The fourth-ranked Sky Wolf had become the new leader of the Wolf.] Upon seeing this, Leo was momentarily stunned. He had assumed Lone Wolf, the second-ranked member, would succeed him as leader, not the fourth-ranked Sky Wolf. In terms of seniority and individual strength, Lone Wolf was the obvious choice. What happened? Leo was filled with confusion. On a personal level, he had hoped Lone Wolf would succeed him as the leader of the Wolf. As for Sky Wolf, his feelings were mixed. Sky Wolf always wore a smile, but his mind was deep and inscrutable.  Though Leo prided himself on his ability to read people, Sky Wolf's true thoughts behind his smiling facade remained a mystery. He was eager to know the reason, but as far as the world was concerned, he was dead. Contacting any members of the organization would risk exposing his whereabouts. No longer in his position, he couldn't involve himself in their affairs. Aside from reaching the Transcendent Stage, he had many matters to attend to. For instance, visiting his mentor. After joining the Wolf Organization, he hadn't seen him in years. It wasn't for lack of desire but to avoid bringing trouble to his mentor because of his identity and to keep him unaware of his life as an assassin. He also needed to visit and care for the family of Dillon. This was Dillon's dying request to him. Dillon had sacrificed his life to save Leo, allowing him to escape. He had to honor Dillon's final wish.