The word echoed in Ronan’s ears. A test? Well, he had no qualms about taking a test. But what if it required him to harm an innocent person? Was he ready to do something like that? He was not sure. If whatever he was asked to do was not too severe and too extreme, he might go through with it. But if he was required to do something extreme, something that went against his conscience, he knew he might not be able to do it. He might be able to beat a man or rob him of some money but he would never be able to kill one.

"What kind of test?" Ronan questioned, a deep frown creasing his face.

The Boss looked at the man who had been narrating the events earlier.

"Tell him," the Boss said, "about the incident that transpired a couple of nights ago."

The man turned and looked directly at Ronan.

"Two nights ago," the man said, "one of our men was returning to the basement after collecting protection money from a few street stalls. The amount was not very significant, around ten thousand Dunts."

"En route, he was ambushed by three men. The money was stolen, and our man was beaten badly. Though out of danger, he is lying helpless in a hospital bed recovering from his injuries. It will still be another two days before he can be discharged."

"Using our man’s statement," the man continued, "along with some CCTV footage, we were able to identify the three people involved in the incident."

"They belong to a new upstart gang that has been gaining ground in Block 29," he informed. "We believe that their number is not very significant. Around ten to twelve members."

"Up until now, they were mainly involved in petty crimes in the bloc like stealing mobile phones, alley robberies, and offenses on the same level."

"We knew they had greater ambitions, but we never really paid them any heed. We certainly were not expecting them to take such a massive leap and directly attack one of our own. They have shown a level of audacity that even crews who have been operating in this field for years have not dared to show against us."

"And this audacity of theirs cannot go unpunished," the Boss interjected. "They need to be punished. They need to be shown that in Block 29, we are the kings. We are the rulers. It needs to be established that while we may give them a tiny bit of space to do their thing, they should not consider it as an opportunity to take over our space and bite us."

Ronan inwardly heaved a sigh of relief. It was not anything about harming an innocent person. The people he would be dealing with were criminals, even if only petty ones. And he was perfectly fine with going through with this test.

"What do I have to do?" Ronan questioned with a resolute expression on his face.

The boss looked toward the second man who had been playing chess and nodded. The man took out an envelope from below the chessboard, approached Ronan, and handed it to him.

Ronan took out the contents of the envelope. Inside were three pictures. Without a doubt, they were the three men he was supposed to target. There was also another piece of paper on which an address was written. House of Drinks and Cocktails. Street 3. Block 29.

"We inquired about these men," the man who had narrated the events said once again. "These three are very good friends. And we found out that every Sunday night, they come to this particular bar to enjoy themselves."

"And you need to find them and leave them in the same state they left our man in," the boss added. "The only help you will have is Mark. Since he is the one who has brought you in to join us, let him help you."

"Two of you against three of them," he boomed. "Pass this test, and you will join us."

"Are you fine with it?" the boss asked, staring dead into Ronan’s eyes.

"I will do it," Ronan agreed.

This was rather an easy task. At least with his strength. The boss looked toward Mark with an expression of inquiry. Mark nodded in agreement. He also felt no qualms. With what he had seen of Ronan, this was going to be a cakewalk. He would not even be needed. Ronan alone was enough.

"Good!" the boss remarked.

"You can go now," he said, looking toward Ronan. "We will only meet again if you are successful. If you fail, do not bother showing your face to me."

"Mark, stay back," he added. "I need to discuss something with you."

Ronan exchanged a nod with Mark before he turned and walked out of the basement.

"Mark," the boss called out after Ronan was completely out of sight.

"Boss!" Mark responded, quickly rushing toward him.

"How did you really meet Ronan?" the boss questioned.

"We met a few days ago in a bar," Mark had not even finished his explanation when the boss’s head almost snapped around to stare hard at him. Mark instantly shut up, his voice catching in his throat.

"The truth, Mark," the boss remarked, his voice dead flat and neutral. "Tell me the truth."

"Boss!" Mark gulped, but ultimately his fear of the boss triumphed over his rationale to disguise things and lie.

"I met him yesterday," he finally revealed, shocking almost everyone present in the basement, barring a few, including the boss himself.

"How, and what happened?" The boss asked.

Mark, in an almost stammering voice, revealed the entire truth to the boss. His attempt to rob Rona, the fight that followed, the offer from Ronan to join his gang and the fifty thousand Dunts Mark had been given. By the time he concluded the story, the boss was sitting back with an expression of deep contemplation on his face.

"And why did he want to join us?" The boss asked. "What reason did he give you?"

"The exact same one he gave you," Mark explained. "But since I told him that it was not going to be easy to establish a new gang despite his skills and his ability to pay money, he took this route of joining us instead."

"And do you have any idea where he got that gold bead from?" The boss asked.

"No," Mark shook his head. "I do not know."

The boss nodded his head slowly.

"You can go now," he said, dismissing Mark. "Whatever happened has happened. The test still stands. And so do my words."

A hesitant look appeared on Mark’s face, but he ultimately nodded his head and walked away, exiting the basement. The boss then looked at the man who had just handed the envelope to Ronan.

"Leak the news to those people," he ordered calmly. "Let them know that the Red Rose Gang will be attacking them on Sunday night. Let them be prepared for Ronan and Mark."

The man nodded his head in response. No one knew exactly what was going through the boss’s mind, but now they were all incredibly keen and curious to see what was about to happen next.

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