HxH: Apex Predator

At the headquarters of the Gambino family, the latest intelligence report had just been delivered to the clan leader's office.

Inside the office sat a man in his fifties with slicked-back hair, dressed in a white shirt with the top button casually undone. Below, he wore traditional tailored trousers paired with polished crocodile leather shoes.

His figure was starting to show signs of middle-aged spread, though traces of his once-athletic build remained faintly visible beneath.

Leaning back into the chair, he rested motionless, eyes half-closed as though he were dozing.

His right hand held a luxurious cigar, which burned steadily, its ash falling unceremoniously onto the expensive carpet—completely ignored by its owner.

This man was none other than John Gambino, the "Godfather" of the Gambino family, one of the two underground titans of Uruvian Continent.

He was the man who controlled half of Saherta's criminal underworld.

Across from him, seated on a guest sofa, was a young man in his late twenties to early thirties, whose sharp features bore a striking resemblance to the elder Gambino.

Yet unlike his father's air of composed authority, the young man carried a sharp, fierce aura, radiating an unyielding edge.

This was Gordon Gambino, John's eldest son and the heir apparent to the family empire.

Nicknamed the "Little Godfather," Gordon was deeply immersed in reading the intelligence report that had just been placed before him.

Once he finished, he lifted his gaze toward his father, who remained reclined in his chair, unmoving, seemingly unaffected by the world around him.

Knowing full well his father was allowing him time to think, Gordon shifted his eyes away and furrowed his brows in thought.

The office was otherwise silent, save for the faint crackle of the cigar as its tobacco burned.

It was only after some time, just as the cigar threatened to burn down to his fingers, that John Gambino suddenly opened his eyes, snuffed the cigar out in a diamond-encrusted ashtray on the desk, and turned his gaze toward his son.

"Gordon," he began, "what's your take on this conflict?"

Without hesitation, Gordon replied, "The situation is clear. It was Sosa Kolobo who made the first move.

He aimed to take advantage of the weakened state of the Hall family—an affiliate of the Genovese family—to wipe them out and deliver a major blow to Genovese. "

"But Sosa Kolobo didn't want to get his own hands dirty—probably wary of provoking us—so he orchestrated the attack by using seven third-rate gangs.

The intelligence mentions the Solomon family's involvement, so it's likely Sosa had them intervene behind the scenes to ensure success."

"However, what I didn't expect was that Tony Genovese had such a powerful trump card up his sleeve, capable of wiping out seven gangs overnight.

Father, what should we do next? If this escalates further and the two families clash directly, it'll put us in a difficult position."

John listened quietly before speaking again.

"You think this will escalate into a direct confrontation between the two families?" he asked.

"I can tell you now, that won't happen. Neither side has any intention of personally stepping into the fray.

If they did, Sosa wouldn't have bothered with third-rate gangs, and Tony wouldn't need to reveal such a powerful card for something this trivial."

"Then what will the two families do next?" Gordon asked.

"If things had progressed as expected, Tony would've taken care of those seven gangs to preserve the Genovese family's reputation in the underworld.

Then, without directly engaging Kolobo, he would've retaliated against one of their weaker affiliates—perhaps by having their leader eliminated."

"This would serve as a response to Kolobo, a message along the lines of, 'I know it was you. I've suffered a loss, but you won't get off easy either.'

Then he'd wait for us, the Gambino family, to step in as mediators, all while demanding compensation from Kolobo during negotiations."

"As for Sosa Kolobo, his priority would be to fully wipe out the Hall family before we step in to mediate, achieving his original goal of weakening the Genovese family and solidifying alliances with those seven gangs."

"You said 'as expected,' Father. Does that mean the situation has changed?" Gordon asked, catching the implication.

John nodded.

"Yes, things have changed. There's a new variable—a significant one. Tony now has access to a temporary but incredibly powerful card. The balance of this conflict has been completely disrupted."

"A temporary card? Father, are you saying that the person who wiped out the seven gangs wasn't one of Tony's men?" Gordon asked, surprised.

"Of course not. If that kind of power was already under his control, would you use such a card on something as inconsequential as this?

A man like Tony wouldn't waste such a valuable resource on small fry, not even the Soloman family."

"Then why would he use it here? Just to send a message?" Gordon frowned.

"It doesn't make sense. The Genovese family could've easily handled those seven gangs on their own without bringing in outside help."

"Those gangs weren't even affiliated with us, or Sosa wouldn't have used them to distance himself from starting the conflict."

John smiled faintly. "As I said, Tony wouldn't waste a valuable resource like that unless he had a specific purpose.

Likely, he hired outside help to deal with a Kolobo affiliate, and wiping out the seven gangs was simply collateral damage—a side task."

"By the way, have you still not uncovered who's behind the attack? It's been a day, and we're no closer to identifying the force responsible?"

"Not yet," Gordon admitted. "I've mobilized everyone to investigate, even reaching out to all known information brokers, but nothing concrete has come back."

"Accelerate the process," John commanded. "Even a suspicion or a lead is better than nothing. I need to know what this card is before I can plan our next move."

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