Lunar Legacy: Rise Of The Beastlord-Chapter 303: Black Cobra

The Rusty Spoon Diner looked exactly the same as it had a few days ago—faded paint, flickering neon sign, windows that hadn’t seen a proper cleaning in years. But everything else felt different.

Jayden sat in the same corner booth, back to the wall, but this time his hands weren’t wrapped around a coffee mug. They were clenched into fists on the table, knuckles white with tension. His jaw was tight, his eyes hard and cold in a way they hadn’t been during their last meeting.

Fred was seated across from him, studying the teenager with a mixture of concern and wariness. The kid who’d walked into this diner days ago had been guarded, cautious, but still fundamentally... young. The person sitting across from him now looked like someone who’d aged years in a matter of hours.

They’d agreed to meet here after Jayden called and narrated the situation. Fred had known immediately that this conversation was going to be different from the casual discussion they had before.

The bored waitress approached, coffee pot in hand. Fred waved her off. "We’re good, thanks."

She shrugged and walked away.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The only sounds were the hum of the ancient refrigerator behind the counter and the distant rumble of traffic on Route 47.

Finally, Fred broke the silence.

"Mrs. Isley already filed an official report with EVA," he said, his tone professional but not unkind. "In fact, she didn’t just file it—she made it clear that her daughter’s disappearance is a priority matter. And when Penelope Isley makes something a priority..." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "Let’s just say people listen."

"Good," Jayden said, his voice flat. "So you guys are looking for her."

"Yes. We are," Fred confirmed. "But Jayden, you need to understand—the EVA has protocols. Procedures. Even with Penelope pushing, there are channels we have to go through. It’s going to take time."

"How much time?" Jayden’s eyes locked onto Fred’s, and there was something dangerous in that gaze. Something that made Fred remember exactly how this kid had brutally destroyed a B-Rank beast.

"Honestly? It could take days," he sighed. "Maybe a week. These investigations—"

"Cassandra doesn’t have a week," Jayden interrupted, his voice low and cold. "She’s been gone two days already. Every hour that passes, the trail gets colder. Every hour, she’s in more danger."

Fred leaned back in his seat, regarding Jayden carefully. "You’re right. Which is why I’m going to tell you something off the record. Something I shouldn’t be sharing with a civilian."

Jayden’s attention sharpened. "I’m listening."

Fred glanced around the empty diner—force of habit—then leaned forward, lowering his voice.

"There is this one criminal organization that’s been operating in the city for years. The Black Cobra Syndicate," he stated. "They’re involved in all sorts of crimes, including trafficking. They’re also my number one suspect."

Jayden’s eyes narrowed. "Black Cobra?" he murmured, recalling a certain tattoo he had been seeing frequently lately. "Their symbol doesn’t happen to be an actual cobra, does it?"

Fred furrowed his brows. "In fact, it is," he said. "Most of the syndicate members have cobra tattoos on their arms or necks. It’s how they identify each other. Have you seen it somewhere before?"

Jayden nodded. "Yes. I’ve seen it several times," he said, clenching his fists tighter. "The smugglers I took down a few days ago all had it. And one of them did say they belonged to a gang of sort, but I didn’t think it was a big deal at the time."

"Oh, the syndicate is a big deal all right," Fred exhaled. "But those smugglers you encountered? They’re small fry. Low-level operatives handling goods trafficking—The Black Cobra Syndicate is much bigger than that."

Jayden raised a brow. "How big?"

"Big enough that even EVA can’t touch them easily," Fred said grimly. "They operate in multiple divisions. The goods trafficking is just one branch. The other branch... well, that’s where things get dark."

"Human trafficking," Jayden pointed out.

Fred nodded. "Kidnapping, specifically. They target children and young adults from wealthy families. Sometimes it’s for ransom. Sometimes it’s leverage—forcing parents to do things they wouldn’t normally do. Sometimes..." He paused, his expression darkening. "Sometimes they’re hired to acquire specific individuals for specific clients. And those clients don’t usually have good intentions."

Jayden’s hands clenched tighter on the table. "You think they were hired to take Cassandra."

"I do," Fred said. "Because here’s the thing, Jayden: the Black Cobra Syndicate is ruthless, but they’re not stupid. They know who Penelope Isley is. They know what she’s capable of. They know that kidnapping her daughter would bring down a world of hurt on them."

"So why would they do it?" Jayden demanded.

"Because someone paid them enough to make the risk worth it," Fred replied. "Or someone with enough power to protect them from the consequences hired them. Either way, this wasn’t a random snatch. This was a targeted operation."

Jayden absorbed this information, his mind already racing through implications. "You said the EVA can’t touch them easily. Why not?"

Fred’s jaw tightened. "Because the syndicate has connections. Deep ones. Including inside the EVA."

That made Jayden’s head snap up. "Are you saying the EVA has Corrupt agents?"

Fred nodded slowly. "Corrupt agents. Paid informants. Blackmailed officials." His voice was bitter. "The syndicate has been operating in Alpha for over a decade. In that time, they’ve built a network that makes them almost untouchable through official channels. Every time we think we have them, evidence disappears. Witnesses recant. Arrest warrants get ’lost in the system.’"

"So basically... the EVA is compromised," Jayden said flatly.

"Parts of it," Fred admitted. "Not everyone—there are still good people doing good work. But enough that the syndicate stays three steps ahead of any official investigation."

"Then why would EVA even bother investigating Cassandra’s disappearance?" Jayden asked. "If the syndicate has that much pull—"

"Because it’s Penelope Isley’s daughter," Fred interrupted. "Even corrupt agents know better than to openly obstruct an investigation involving someone that powerful. Penelope has her own connections. Her own resources. If EVA dragged their feet on this or actively sabotaged it, she’d know. And the consequences would be... severe."

Jayden studied Fred’s expression. "But you haven’t told her that your prime suspect is the syndicate. Why?"

Fred exhaled. "Because if she found out the syndicate might be responsible for abducting her daughter, all hell would break loose," he explained. "Penelope has a history of being... impulsive, especially when it came to matters like this."

Jayden furrowed his brows. Something about Fred’s words hinted at a past event similar to this involving Penelope and her probably... unleashing hell. But that was a story for another day.

"Right now, she’s still in her grieving state," Fred continued. "That buys us time to find Cassandra ourselves. Because if Penelope gets involved directly... a lot of people are going to get hurt."

Jayden recalled his encounter with Penelope earlier, and how devastated she was. At that moment, she didn’t give the impression of someone who would tear the world down to find her daughter. But judging by the kind of person she was... she probably would.

"But to be honest, a part of me tells me she already knows the syndicate might be involved." Fred sighed.

Jayden scoffed. "You’re seem really afraid of her."

"I’m cautious of her," Fred corrected. "There’s a difference. Penelope Isley isn’t someone you cross lightly. The syndicate knows that. Which is why I believe whoever hired them is either powerful enough to protect them from Penelope’s wrath, or stupid enough to think they can. Either option is dangerous."

Jayden was quiet for a moment, processing. Then he spoke. "You said the human trafficking branch is separate from the goods branch. How separate?"

"Completely different operations," Fred explained. "The goods traffickers are everywhere—docks, warehouses, transit hubs. They move product in high volume, which makes them visible. We can track them, intercept shipments, arrest operatives. It’s a game of whack-a-mole, but we make progress."

Jayden nodded. "And the human traffickers?"

Fred’s expression grew grim. "Those ones are basically ghosts. They operate in complete secrecy. Different locations, different personnel, different methods. The two divisions never interact. A goods smuggler wouldn’t know anything about kidnapping operations, and vice versa. It’s compartmentalized by design."

"That makes it harder to bring down the whole organization," Jayden observed.

"Exactly. Cut off one head and the other keeps operating." Fred ran a hand through his hair, frustration evident. "I’ve been investigating the Black Cobra Syndicate for three years. In that time, we’ve shut down dozens of smuggling operations, arrested hundreds of operatives. But the human trafficking side? We’ve barely scratched the surface."

"You’ve worked cases involving their kidnappings before?" Jayden asked, out of curiosity.

Fred’s expression turned haunted. "Yeah. About four years ago, there was a rash of missing children—five kids from different families, all disappeared within a month. We knew it was the syndicate, but we couldn’t find them. Couldn’t even get a lead."

Jayden leaned forward, his interest piqued. "So you never found them?"

"Oh, we did," Fred said quietly. "Two years later in Geneva. They were working as slaves in an underground mine. And only three out of five survived long enough to be found."