Struggling as a Villain

There was only one reason for Jin to try to form a connection with the Crimson Clan; the Asian Alliance.

The division with whom Jin was connected was asking for the Teleportation portals, and sooner rather than later they would ask for its power source as well. After all, no one other than Jin knows the range of their greed.

As such, Jin has to prove his worth to be a main body in the Asian Alliance by suppressing the Heavenly Sect. And for that, he would need the support of the Crimson Clan.

Once he acquires a seat in the Council, he no longer would be forced to reveal his secrets, and there won't be anyone to snatch his Rena away from him.

So to make everything right, he needs to focus on this meeting and negotiation. Other than Rena he was prepared to bid everything to gain the support of this clan.

"We are here," The vice-commander of the Crimson Claw voiced as the airship descended toward the main headquarters of the Crimson clan.

Over a thousand soldiers filled the vast airship, a quiet reminder of the power Jin held. The leaders he would meet today commanded armies strong enough to take over an entire nation in a few years.

Still, one worry lingered in Jin's mind—the Crimson Clan's feared leader had disappeared without a trace. Their absence didn't bring comfort; it felt like a hidden danger, waiting to strike.

Jin couldn't ignore it. Even with so many soldiers on board, the airship felt as risky as standing on the edge of a knife.

As the airship landed, Jin walked out and found an enchanting woman standing there with a cold expression on her face.

"Greetings, I am Jennifer—the vice-commander of the clan." She offered her hand which Jin took and responded,

"Jin. The commander of the Crimson Claw. Thank you for having us here, today."

Jennifer just gave a nod, before she gestured toward the nearby soldier.

Jin narrowed his eyes as he found the soldier commanding others to take formation around the airship, urging Jin to ask,

"What is this about?"

Jennifer simply stated, "A sensor unit, that will track all the movements of your soldiers. I understand that you are cautious, but I can't risk having your men wander around the base right?"

Jin clenched his fist, this woman was somehow quite irritating.

However, considering her position in Crimson Clan, he couldn't allow himself to be rude here," I understand your stance, but I would need a few soldiers to be with me during the meeting."

Jennifer nodded, "Indeed you can take a few, but the rest of them would be under close watch."

Jin gave a firm nod, "I understand." not like he brought them here to plant spies in the base.

Jin was accompanied by the Vice-commander of the Crimson Claw and a few other men whom he trusted.

This was a risky gamble, that's why Jin wanted to have a route to escape if things escalated in the wrong way.

Jin was escorted through a long gallery where his belongings were checked and his body was scanned.

Naturally, he didn't bring any suspicious thing with him.

Once all the security protocols were done, Jennifer said, "I will bring you to the conference hall."

Jin nodded wordlessly and began to follow the woman.

The vice-commander couldn't help but gaze at that bountiful ass of the woman with those alluring violet eyes.

'If only she agrees to spend a night with me…' he decided to ask her out for a drink later.

Soon, they reached the place that had two massive doors.

Jennifer punched a few codes on the door lock before the doors began to part, giving them a way to enter.

"Please follow me," Jennifer said as she walked inside the conference hall.

Jin, along with his five men, stepped inside and found themselves being stared at by an intense gaze.

Jin paused for a moment, a bit overwhelmed by the sudden shift of atmosphere before his eyes rested on the almighty Commander of the ruling clan of Vegas,

"Miss Lena, it's nice to meet you."

Lena got up from her seat before approaching the man and offering her hand, "Hello, Mister Jin. I hope you didn't face any trouble during your journey."

Jin politely said, "It was comfortable, thanks for worrying."

Once the pleasantries were exchanged, Lena sat down on the left seat of the head position, while Jin was seated across from her.

Jennifer joined the table followed by Josh and Athena. While on the other side, Jin sat down along with his Vice-guild master.

Seeing Lena sitting there, Crimson Claw's vice-commander—Andrew couldn't help but ask,

"Have you taken that seat for the convenience of the discussion?"

Lena shook her head, "The Head position always remains vacant. It belongs to the true Leader of the clan."

Jin raised his brows, "Quite loyal you are," taking a pause he asked, "I heard she disappeared one day, out of the blue?"

Josh responded before Lena could have lost her cool—she didn't like to be reminded of that day, "Yes, something unexpected happened, and she left us one day."

Jin's curiosity died there. He would have been interested in that person if there had been any chances of her reappearing.

He had heard rumors about her being strong enough to slaughter S-rank beasts on her own. However, that's none of his concern now.

"Getting back to the topic, Mister Jin, can I know why you asked for this meeting?" Lena asked as she intertwined her fingers over the table.

Jin nodded before he took the screen terminal from the person beside him, and extended it toward the other side.

Josh took the terminal before connecting it to the projector.

On the big screen, the images of a big factory, spread in a vast area appeared, as Andrew began,

"This is a factory, spread on the outskirts of Vietnam, where we manufacture guns, armor, and even magic bullets…" He went on for a minute, providing details about the factory.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Lena remained silent and allowed the Leader across from her to add, "There are seven of these factories, along with over a thousand workers and other necessary equipment to run these manufacturing industries, which would elevate the wealth of the Crimson Clan by several folds in a few years."

There was clear intention hidden in his words; he was offering these factories to the Crimson Clan, in exchange for,

"Alliance…is that what you want in return?"

Lena straightforwardly asked, making Andrew shift in his seat uncomfortably.

Jin raised his brows, as he asked, "How do you know about it?"

Lena leaned back in her seat and calmly responded, "I am aware of the tension between Crimson Claw and the Sect. Although there is no evidence that you would be attacking the Sect, my experience tells me that the day isn't much far away."

A heavy silence descended in the room. Lena made quite big of assumption, something that might create unnecessary rumors and might lead to great conflict.

Andrew glanced at Jin, and found him being himself; no unreadable expression on his face at all.

After another minute of silence, Jin finally confessed, "You got that right. I came here with the intention to form an alliance with the Crimson Clan in exchange for these seven industries."

Jin didn't make any statement to agree with her assumption regarding the Sect, but his words made it clear that this alliance would be formed with the motive to destroy a fragment of the Asian Alliance.

Lena suppressed a smirk; perfect. This man wasn't talking nonsense and was true to his intention.

Leaning back in her seat, Lena asked, "Mister Jin, do you know how much money the newly formed casinos of Vegas make?"

Jin was surprised by the sudden shift of conversation, but he responded soon after, "I have no clue."

Lena provided him with the answer, "Around twenty million every single day. Global coins, no less."

Andrew's eyes widened in shock, and Jin, despite remaining unexpressive, was still quite surprised, Explore more stories at empire

"What are you trying to say?"

Lena simply responded, "What would I do with those factories that would earn me a day's worth of income in half a year?"

"..." Jin was…rendered speechless. Although he didn't have a strong grip on his maths, he also could broadly calculate that, indeed, those seven factories wouldn't be very beneficial for Lena.

Andrew was nervous; the proposition failed right away, however, Jin was still positive as he asked,

"I might not be able to determine the monetary value of your support. Then why don't you tell me what I can do to get your agreement?"

Josh inwardly heaved a sigh of relief. Everything was going according to the plan.

After a moment of pause, Lena finally revealed her interest in this negotiation, "I desire something which only the Crimson Clan can provide me; the teleportation portal."

—----**-----

A/N:- I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter of 2024. I wish you all a blessed and healthy year ahead.

Thanks for reading.