"Another organization?" the old man asked.

Gonda nodded carefully.

Kundra stood behind him without moving, but Gonda could feel the man’s attention sharpen. Even the two armed youths near the wall looked more alert now.

"What name did they give?" the old man asked.

"They did not give one," Gonda said. "And I did not dare ask."

The old man watched him.

Gonda lowered his tone. "They came through a man called Wil, an old man who is very careful. They know things we don’t know. They knew about my people, my enemies, even matters inside my own gang."

He did not mention Bruno too much.

That name could lead the wrong way.

The old man leaned back, but the surprise did not fully leave his face.

He had been sent here because World Zone wanted a local base. This country was not the center of their usual work. It was useful because of routes, weak enforcement, and a few future openings their top side cared about.

Another group could have interest too, but not like this. Not by approaching street gangs in the same district before World Zone had finished placing its first pieces.

There were other foreign names active in different lines, but most of them touched ports, finance, and political channels. They did not usually push into low district gangs unless there was a reason.

He knew one group that had been circling the financial side of the country. He knew another that bought officials instead of gang routes. Neither of them should be using an old man called Wil to press a local boss. If they were, then someone had hidden a move from people who were supposed to know.

That meant either Gonda was lying, or someone else had started moving without making noise.

Both options were unpleasant.

"What did this Wil ask from you?" the old man said.

"Alliance," Gonda replied. "Obedience in some matters. Information on local gangs. He also forced me to keep one man as a bridge even though I had reasons to kill him."

"Forced?"

Gonda gave a small laugh that did not sound happy.

"Sir, if I could refuse, I would not be here asking for help."

The old man’s gaze sharpened.

Gonda chose his next words carefully. He could not sound too weak. He also could not sound too proud. Men like this did not help out of pity. They helped when they saw profit.

"I do not want to work under a nameless force," Gonda said. "If your organization can remove their pressure from my neck, I will cooperate properly. Routes, men, storage, local contact, whatever is reasonable. But if I openly break from them without support, they may move first."

Kundra looked at Gonda from the corner of his eye. He knew his boss well enough to understand there was more inside those words. Gonda was not begging to be saved. He was offering himself as a door while keeping one foot outside it.

The old man did not answer at once.

That was good.

Gonda had made him think.

One of the armed men shifted his rifle slightly. The old man raised two fingers, and the man became still again.

"You think this is a street fight," the old man said. "In your world, if another gang threatens you, you gather men and strike. We do not move that way. If another organization is involved, I have to confirm who they are and what level they belong to. Permission must come from above before action."

Gonda bowed his head.

"I understand."

He did understand one thing at least.

This old man was not pretending about the permission. His irritation looked real. That meant World Zone had rules above him, and rules meant delay. Delay was dangerous, but it also proved that this side was not a fake.

That difference mattered.

The nameless side gave orders fast. World Zone moved slowly because it had weight behind it. Gonda did not know which one would win, but he knew which one looked more real in this room.

"You will do one thing," the old man said.

"Please say it."

"Find the name. If not the name, then a mark, anything that can identify them. Do not ask directly if it will expose you. But you will bring me something."

Gonda nodded.

"And until then?" he asked.

"Until then, you keep contact through the line we used to reach you. You do not bring extra people. You do not speak about this meeting to that bridge man of yours."

Gonda’s face remained calm, but inside he felt a small satisfaction.

He had already done that.

Bruno knew nothing about this meeting. Wil’s side might have many ways to watch, but Gonda still had a few spaces of his own. If he could place one international group against another, then maybe the chain around his neck would loosen.

He would not give World Zone everything at once. He would give them enough to make them curious, then wait to see if they could actually move. If they failed, he would return to Wil’s side and pretend this meeting had never happened.

He was not planning to betray Wil immediately.

That would be stupid.

Until World Zone proved it could protect him, Wil’s side remained useful and dangerous. But if the nameless organization had lied about its strength, Gonda would sell that lie to the real one and climb out from under it.

"I will bring something," Gonda said.

"Good."

The old man picked up his tea, and the meeting ended without anyone saying it was over.

Gonda stood, bowed his head once, and left with Kundra.

Only after they entered the stairwell did Kundra speak.

"Boss, should Bruno be told?"

Gonda stopped on the step and looked back at him.

"No."

Kundra lowered his eyes.

Gonda continued down the stairs.

Kundra started the engine only after checking both mirrors. He did not ask another question. That was one reason Gonda kept him close.