Chapter 246: Bursting Through an Interruption?
Dud had been quietly observing the situation for a while now, deliberately choosing not to get involved, for several reasons.
The first being that, technically, Max was still a part of the Rejected Corps. And even though the entire situation unfolding in front of him was chaotic, it intrigued Dud just enough to keep him standing on the sidelines.
He didn’t know who Max really was. Whether he was truly a Stern or just some imposter playing a dangerous game, Dud had no idea. But he did know one thing for certain.
He hated the Black Hounds.
It wasn’t just their tactics or their ruthlessness, no, it was something far more personal than that. He hated the way they carried themselves, the way they looked down on everyone else like they were trash. No matter how much skill he had shown, no matter what he achieved, the Black Hounds had never given him the respect he believed he rightfully deserved.
That bitterness had burned inside him for a long time.
And it was exactly why Dud had chosen to join a street gang of his own. To start at the bottom and fight his way up. One victory at a time. One enemy at a time.
He wanted to be the deciding factor, the reason one gang would rise while another crumbled. The day would come, he swore it, when the Black Hounds would finally fall, and when that day arrived... he’d be there. Watching. Smiling. And then he’d spit right in the faces of those who’d once dismissed him.
Still, even with that fire raging inside him, he knew better than to act recklessly. There was a time and place for everything.
He had tried, very subtly, to help Max before. Tiny actions that wouldn’t draw too much attention. But now, the situation had shifted. To survive, Dud realized he might have to do the one thing he didn’t expect.