Chapter 76: A New Legend Dipter had gathered his group as usual for the weekend. But today, it wasn’t just any weekend. This day was important to him for two major reasons. First, it was the day the group made most of their income, delivering packages on behalf of another individual. And second, today was different. They wouldn’t just be the middlemen. Today, they were making the deliveries. They were collecting the money directly. Which meant, nothing could go wrong. The meeting place had already been sent out to all the students. It was a wide, rectangular plot of land that had once been marked for development. But so far, no construction had started. The ground was cleared, flattened, nothing but broken dirt and space. It was perfect for a gathering. A tall barrier had been set up around the outside to keep people from wandering in, making it an ideal hideaway for a large group. Along with Dipter, over sixty students had gathered. Many carried backpacks, and several of those bags were filled with weapons, just in case. They couldn’t walk around in broad daylight holding bats, iron pipes, or knives, but they all knew... when it came time to act, things could get messy. At the front of the group stood the usual three: Dipter in the center, Jay on one side, and Snide on the other. "Alright," Dipter said, his voice carrying over the murmurs of the crowd. "Behind me are today’s package drops." He gestured to several tied-up sports bags, all black in color, laid out neatly behind him. "It’s important that everything gets delivered," Dipter said, his voice sharp, commanding attention. "And secondly, that you receive payment. Some of these customers will do whatever they can to get out of paying, so be ready to get your hands dirty." Some of the students grinned, giggling as if they were hoping things would get messy. "And remember," Dipter continued, scanning the group, "there’s a chance people have gotten wind of our operation. So all of you, stay alert." The students began forming teams, organizing themselves for the drop-offs. Their energy was high, almost too eager. At the same time, the leaders of each class were sent the specific location details. They would be the only ones who knew where their drop points were, each acting as the leader for their assigned group. Just as Dipter turned around to begin handing over the bags, one of the students hesitantly approached him. "Dipter... are you sure about this?" "Ko, of course I am," Dipter said, not even turning to face him at first. "But aren’t you worried?" Ko asked, voice shaky. "That guy, he forced the location out of me. And you haven’t changed it or anything... they could be planning to ambush us!" Dipter turned, slowly placing a firm hand on Ko’s shoulder, squeezing hard. "You did the right thing. You came to me after it happened, and because of that, I didn’t punish you for squealing, right?" Dipter said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "And thankfully, I’m one of the few people with a brain." He leaned in just a little closer. "So the only place you could’ve told them about... was this place." "Which is why I called in everyone today," Dipter said, his grip still tight on Ko’s shoulder. "And told them to be extraprepared." When Ko had described the man who attacked them, Dipter couldn’t quite figure out who it might’ve been. There were possibilities. Maybe their client had finally hired someone competent, someone worthwhile, to track them down. Maybe the client had pissed off the wrong person, and now that person wanted revenge. Or... maybe someone had caught wind that Dipter was taking over operations and thought he’d be an easy target. They’re about to learn how wrong they are, Dipter thought. "Alright. Now that everyone’s ready," he shouted, turning to the group, "head out!" The students spun on their heels and started moving. But they only took a few steps, before coming to a halt. "Well, well, this is a lot bigger than I expected." The voice was casual, amused. Standing just beyond the broken gap in the wall surrounding the site was a man with wild orange hair. He stepped in confidently, a smirk stretched across his face like he had nothing to fear, even while facing down a crowd of over sixty students. As he walked in, nine more people entered behind him, every one of them carrying the same confident energy. "Freakin’ hell," one of the women muttered. "When they said we’d be taking on high schoolers... this is not what I pictured." "Right?" another man added. "Kids these days are a real piece of sh*t. I guess this is what happens when no one’s around to keep ’em in line anymore." Dipter’s eyes narrowed. Based on how they were dressed—and the way they carried themselves—these people weren’t here to chat. They were here to cause trouble. "Do you recognize them?" Snide asked, keeping close to his side. "I’ve got no idea," Dipter replied as he stepped forward, cutting his way through the crowd of students. He moved straight toward Ko. "Is this the guy who attacked you?" Dipter asked. Ko quickly shook his head. "No... I’ve never seen him before." Finally reaching the front of the group, Dipter came to a halt and locked eyes with the man standing confidently just ahead. It was Wolf, from the Pit. "For someone who knew about us," Dipter said, "and knew exactly what we were about to do... you only brought ten people? You sure are brave." "Hah, brave?" Wolf replied with a shrug. "I doubt that. See, in my world, we hear stories, legends, even, about one man taking on a hundred. And what’s here? Sixty of you? Maybe fifty?" He glanced around lazily. "If there were more of you... maybe I’d try breaking the record. But I guess this’ll have to do." Dipter was frowning at first, his expression hard. But then his scowl twisted into something else. A smirk. Then laughter. "Haha... I’ve met plenty of people like you," Dipter said. "Always underestimating us just because we’re high schoolers. So let me guess, you’re here to stop our business, maybe even take it over?" He leaned slightly forward, grin growing wider. "Because you think we’re an easy target... right?" "Oh, what?" Wolf replied with a smirk. "Now I get it, you’re one of those guys. Think you’re real clever, huh? Look, I have no clue what you people are actually doing here. For all I know, you could be ranking who’s the hottest in school or something." He tossed a hand lazily in the air. "I’m just here because I’m getting paid. As for why I’m here? You might wanna ask them yourself." Walking through the gap in the wall, another figure stepped into view, Aron, calm and unreadable as ever. "That’s him!" Ko suddenly shouted, his voice panicked. "That’s the guy who attacked me!" Ko’s finger trembled midair as he pointed, until he saw who came in right after Aron. The moment froze. Every student, every class leader, everyone turned to look. And Ko’s hand dropped to his side, his lips barely able to form the word. "...Max..." Max stepped forward, walking with steady purpose. On either side of him were Steven and Joe, both quiet, focused, backs straight. Max stopped at the front, eyes scanning the entire crowd. And then, with a voice that cut through the silence like a blade, he spoke: "You should’ve left me alone... when you had the chance."