Chapter 1721: Attack The Bird (Part 2) After neutralizing the "bird man," Marcus truly believed he had made his point. He had hoped that whoever came after him would be high enough in the gang’s hierarchy to possess a bit of common sense, someone he could finally speak to properly. He even held out a faint hope that they might recognize him from the brief appearance he made at the Howlers’ public event. But the underworld didn’t offer breathers. Before he could even turn around to address the crowd, the mysterious cord tightened around his arm. From the sheer tension and the strange, humming resonance of the material, Marcus knew instantly that this wasn’t a standard hemp rope or a leather lash. This was a high-level Beast Weapon. "What the, ?" Marcus twisted his head and found himself staring at a woman in a sharp, tight-fitting black and gold uniform. She held the end of the whip with a grip that looked as though it could crush stone. "I thought there weren’t any foolish people left in Burnham Food Street to cause problems while I’m on duty," she said, her voice dripping with cool authority. "It’s been a while since I’ve had to intervene personally." The shift in the crowd was immediate. Every Howler member, and even the regular customers who frequented the stalls, knew exactly who had arrived: Olivia Pearl. Without another word, Olivia yanked the whip. It was a sudden, explosive burst of power that caught Marcus completely off-balance. He was yanked off his feet and sent skidding across the asphalt like a ragdoll. ‘"Go to Slough," he said. "They’ll be your allies," he said,’ Marcus thought bitterly as the pavement blurred beneath him. ‘I had a much easier time when I met Lupus for the first time than I’m having with these Howlers... but I suppose with everything they’ve been through lately, they’re on a hair-trigger. I can’t blame them for being cautious, but this is getting ridiculous!’ Desperate to stop his momentum, Marcus reached out and wrapped his hand around the base of a heavy iron streetlight. Channeling his Qi into his grip, he managed to anchor himself for a moment. The sudden resistance caught Olivia by surprise, the whip pulling taut like a guitar string. Her eyes narrowed. She didn’t hesitate. Both of her arms began to bulge and distort, fur sprouting as she transitioned into her partial Werewolf form. She gripped the whip with both clawed hands and gave it a monstrous, dual-handed yank. The metal base of the streetlight groaned and began to bend under the sheer torque. Marcus’s fingers slipped as the iron gave way, and he was back to being dragged toward her. ‘That’s some terrifying strength,’ Marcus thought, digging his heels into the road. ‘But at least I’m moving up the ladder. No doubt about it now, she’s a Werewolf. One of the inner circle.’ Tired of the rough treatment, Marcus decided to remind her that he wasn’t just a piece of luggage. He activated his lightning powers, sending a jagged trail of electricity surging up the length of the whip. The blue light traveled the distance in a millisecond, shocking Olivia’s entire body. She gritted her teeth, her transformation spreading as she forced her body to endure the agonizing sting of the high-voltage current. Her endurance was staggering. Pushing through the pain, she reeled him in until he was right beneath her. Before he could recover, she lifted a heavy, fur-covered boot and stomped it directly onto his chest. The blow was heavy enough to crack the concrete beneath him. Marcus felt the air leave his lungs, pinned firmly to the ground by a strength that felt like a mountain. He knew he needed to end this before one of them did something permanent. "I really didn’t want to have to fight you! You are not my enemy!" Marcus wheezed, his hands sparking as he prepared to release a full-body discharge. But then, he felt the suffocating grip of the whip loosen slightly. Olivia was leaning down, her predatory eyes squinting as she studied his face beneath the grime and sweat. "Wait... aren’t you that guy from the Dark Guild? The leader?" she asked, her voice shifting from aggression to confusion. "What are you doing here? Why are you attacking our men?" "I wasn’t!" Marcus pleaded, exhaling in a rush of relief. "I asked nicely to see your boss, Gary Dem, and then this entire situation spiraled out of control! People just kept attacking me! I just want a meeting. I have something critically important to tell him." While Marcus was making his case, Crawley landed nearby. He looked a bit singed, his feathers ruffled from the electrical strike that had sent him through a storefront, but he had recovered quickly. "Hey, is what this guy saying true?" Olivia asked, looking over at Crawley. "Did you not recognize him as being from the Dark Guild?" Crawley rubbed the back of his neck, looking slightly sheepish. "He did mention a name like that, but I had no idea who he was. I might have jumped the gun when I saw him knocking our guys into the dirt." Olivia closed her eyes and shook her head, a long sigh escaping her. "I’m surrounded by idiots. I really am," she muttered. "I never thought I’d actually miss that damned blonde-haired kid, but now that he’s gone, it’s like no one here knows how to run a simple security check." She stepped off Marcus’s chest and began to cancel her transformation, her arms shrinking back to their human form. Seeing the hostile intent vanish, Marcus stood up and brushed the dust from his ruined designer coat. The scuffle was finally over. "Now that we’ve cleared up the fact that I’m not a common thug, do you think I could finally talk with Gary?" Marcus asked. "Speaking with Gary... that’s impossible right now," Olivia answered, her expression turning somber. "He’s tied up with things you wouldn’t believe. But I’ll get you the next best thing. Follow me." **** (I’m back at home, but I am still really unwell, still it does mean Chapters should be coming back to normal. Thank you for all the support.) *** For updates on MWS and future works, follow me on my social media below. Instagram: jksmanga P.a.t.r.e.o.n: jksmanga When news drops about My Vampire System, My Werewolf System, or any other series, you’ll hear it there first. Feel free to reach out, if I’m not too busy, I tend to reply.