The Mafia Empire
Chapter 72: Chapter 72 The Consequences Of Interrupting The Guar Crucifixion

He almost felt like laughing—after all, they had promised to travel the world together when they were old and gray, but they'd taken a step ahead of him and would never get to enjoy those sights.

In a way, they were the ones who lost out!

No matter how turbulent the emotions storming within him, his outward appearance betrayed nothing. He sat backward in a chair, his hands resting on the back of it, propping up his chin. He had been staring at the three bodies for a long time, without moving, as though time had frozen around him.

Inside the room, a few others were present, with even more people gathered outside, but no one dared to make a sound. They all wanted to know what to do next, but no one had the courage to ask.

After what seemed like an eternity, as the oppressive atmosphere threatened to drive everyone mad, Robin stepped forward. He grabbed a white cloth and covered the three bodies. Wood's gaze shifted from Jim and Jiji to Robin. His eyes were deep, filled with rage and violence, yet eerily calm.

"Tell me, when you were a teenager, did you ever think a day like this would come? That one day, I, or someone else, or maybe even these two idiots, would suddenly leave us and be embraced by the Lord?" Wood's tone was steady as he spoke, but only Robin could sense the faint tremor in his voice.

Robin thought for a moment, then shook his head. "You need to pull yourself together now. You didn't just have them, you also have…"

Before Robin could finish, Wood abruptly stood up, lifting the chair and slamming it to the ground. Splinters of wood flew in all directions. He picked up what was left of the chair's backrest and smashed it against the wall. With a loud crash, the backrest shattered into pieces.

Wood paced back and forth a few times, pointing at Robin but saying nothing. He paced again, then stopped, looking straight at Robin. "I want blood for blood. Send Graf's mother and brother to serve as slaves for those two idiots!" It was the only solution Wood could think of that would satisfy his rage.

But Robin didn't move, remaining where he stood.

"What? Didn't you hear me?" Wood's voice grew louder as he stormed over to Robin, nearly face to face. Staring directly into Robin's eyes, he asked in a voice dripping with hatred, "Or do you think I can't command you anymore?"

Robin took a step back, raising his hands with palms outward in a calming gesture. "You need to stay calm. Killing them won't solve anything—it will only make things worse. To be honest, I'd rather send them to meet the Lord right away myself. I almost died because of them."

"If you blindly kill Graf's mother and brother now, all it will do is make more Guar supporters rally to their cause, making them even stronger. It won't benefit us at all. Wood, you have to calm down!"

As Robin spoke, the sound of glass shattering suddenly came from upstairs. A group of men wearing trench coats and bowler hats rushed out of the room.

Wood and Robin were momentarily stunned. A couple of men quickly went upstairs to investigate, and within two minutes, they returned, holding a brick with a piece of paper attached to it. The man who brought it down had an odd expression on his face as he set the brick on the table.

Wood snorted and walked over, pulling the paper from the brick. Scrawled in crooked handwriting, it read: "All traitors must face the consequences of their actions. You freed her, so now you will take her place and face judgment!"

Wood read it twice before shoving the paper into Robin's hands. "What the hell does this mean?"

Robin glanced at the note, his expression darkening. He turned to look at the three bodies covered with white cloth and said in a low voice, "In the Guar faith, traitors are flayed and left crucified to bake in the sun for three days. If they survive those three days, it means they've been forgiven by their faith and can live on."

"The process cannot be interrupted. If someone interrupts it, that person must take their place and face the judgment."

Robin wasn't a Guar, but he had heard about their customs after Jim's wife had been flayed, which had left him in disbelief. He had asked someone with knowledge of the Guar faith and learned what flaying meant.

There weren't many words on the note, but the message was clear: someone was going to flay Wood. Whether it was someone from Julian's side or another Guar, it wasn't good news. It would crush the morale of everyone. Robin stuffed the note into his pocket and crumpled it, ensuring no one else would see it.

The men who had rushed out earlier came back empty-handed, though they reported hearing from the gatekeeper that the culprit was just a child, no older than thirteen or fourteen.

Wood and Robin exchanged a glance—it had to be one of Julian's men.

"We have to strike back!" Wood shouted, clenching his fist. His words lifted the spirits of everyone in the room. With two key figures dead, doing nothing would only lead to disappointment. When Wood spoke of retaliation, they nearly erupted in cheers. Wood paced a few more steps. "Have we found out where Julian and Graf are hiding?"

With Jim and Jiji dead, Robin had effectively become Wood's "right-hand man." He quickly replied, "Our men are keeping an eye on Graf. We've also got someone watching Julian. They're holed up in an office on Queen's Avenue."

A cruel smile crept across Wood's face. "What are we waiting for then?"

...

"They're coming out!"

Outside the security booth at Maixiang Garden, a young plainclothes officer spotted a group of people emerging from Wood's villa and quickly ducked back.