Chapter 380: The Shadow
Dasha Pang sat alone, jacket on his chair and the white sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing the sharp lines of his forearms. Before him lay a sprawling map of the Underground, the network of streets and alleys drawn with a pencil. His mask was put to the side. His fingers traced the outlines of the different neighborhoods.
The Sukhothai was a maze of commerce, crime, and opportunity. Five kilometers long with warriors at every turn, it was no surprise that most areas were untouched by the explosions and attacks. By now, the Underground called it the Black Wolves Disaster.
Where was he now? Not the factory. No, five days had passed and while the smoke bomb factory was greatly fortified, it also presented too big of a target. Too many witnesses, too many workers.
Dasha was a shadow and he meant to keep it that way until he gained further power.
In five days, he took over additional locations. He silently sponsored and supported restaurants, antiques, stalls, and minor manufacturers.
What Dasha chose as his current hideout was a small Italian restaurant situated in a dark multi-level building with shops and staircases sprawled across multiple levels. Stalls and garages were crammed together like sardines. It was loud and on a floor somewhere in the center. Quite frankly, it was impossible to discern how many floors there were because of the sheer disorganization.
Even now, he could hear the footsteps clambering above.
Within the heart of the Black Wolves Disaster’s radius point, the Sukhothai was dominated by no factions. Because it was so close to the Dark Tower, it was too chaotic and too messy. Taxes and protection were pointless when death and spectators and warriors ran amok.
Yet this was where Dasha managed to consolidate much of his power. Little seedlings, little people who were in fact important and knowledgeable. That was who he targeted. That was who he scouted out in advance.
The wolves spread out like ants with the Dark Tower acting as the colony. There was only a certain distance, a certain radius that they reached before the ants were crushed.
Yes, laying outside the calculated radius point was where the powerful factions sank their teeth. Some lucky wolves managed to survive the radius long enough to do some harm; harm that Dasha immediately offered to fix. Harm that Dasha stopped. Harm that earned him thanks and worship and a place here at the line between his soon-to-be area and enemy territory.