Chapter 511 - AN EMPTY SHELL

At the same time, Kaito understood the actions that Ayumi had taken after he disappeared, and she could no longer use his name to keep the people under control. She thought that a peaceful negotiation with the mercenaries would show them her goodwill. Consequently, they would agree to all her requests and follow her orders. 

Unfortunately, the ȧssassins Kaito hired were the best in their field. Not only were they like animals at the top of the food chain, but they were also arrogant. They would not bow to anyone who they deemed weaker than them. 

To them, once Ayumi opened a path for peaceful negotiations, it was akin to showing her neck in surrender. Of course, the predators would target the weak point immediately. They would not give her a chance to gain more power. 

Kaito did not know exactly what happened, but she could guess what the drunk mercenary meant. Their first approach would be grabbing a little power from Ayumi's hand. Then, they would slowly chip away at her until she was just a puppet. 

After that, killing her would mean nothing. 

But the most obvious mistake was decentralising the management of the missions. Most troubles in mercenary groups occurred because of people taking on problematic tasks. For example, if a person went against the local government, they would be screwed. 

Of course, the government would exhaust all resources to destroy mercenary groups that took action against the existing power structure. By ensuring that all missions passed through his hands, Kaito had protected the Shadow Brotherhood from a certain downfall. 

It was also the reason the government had condoned the existence of the Shadow Brotherhood. They never took on missions that harmed the interests of the country too much. 

The drunk man finally found a bottle with some beer and chugged it down before looking at Kaito again with bleary eyes. 

"Things were fine for a short period. But of course, those people were not satisfied with the little power that they were given. Even though they could decide on their missions, they were not willing to part with the original, agreed-upon percentage of the earnings." He continued with the story. 

"Unfortunately, all payments for missions taken are always channelled through the Brotherhood. So, they did not have control over the money. Ultimately, it was Boss Ayumi who would receive the amount and pay them." He coughed. 

"From what I heard, once they decided to get more, they went to Boss Ayumi to discuss their contracts and negotiate for a better percentage. But after the initial discussion, she was not willing to give up more power because it would mean losing control." 

Kaito nodded. "Then, what happened?" 

"The mercenaries refused to take on more work. They decided to choose mutual destruction rather than take up more missions that made them lose the money they perceived as their right. Both sides came into a deadlock." He explained.

"The people that suffered were us. The small mercenaries who were not powerful enough to make a power grab were forced to choose sides. Of course, choosing any side meant that the other one would consider one an irreconcilable enemy." The drunk man laughed. 

Kaito felt like he had struggled to build the Shadow Brotherhood for nothing. If the group could not keep it together for a few months without him, it was not worth keeping around. But again, he had never thought of succession. 

From the beginning, he had decided that he would shut down the Shadow Brotherhood if there came a time when he wanted to leave the ȧssassination business. Perhaps he was a control freak who did not like to leave things pending. 

Either way, he had always treated the Shadow Brotherhood as a place he could keep or destroy on a whim. If not for Ayumi's insistence on taking it over, he could have ended the group cleanly before riding off to the sunset with Akira. 

In all honesty, he had given the group to Ayumi as both a reward and a punishment. 

After that time they fell out in Mountain Ridge, it seemed like she blamed Kaito for destroying her career prospects. Her resignation letter from Shuriken Logistics insisted that she could not keep working with Kaito due to personal differences. 

With that, she forced him into a corner. If he refused to give her rights over the Shadow Brotherhood, he would be the bad person who forced her to have no career after working hard for him. In essence, she tied his hands, leaving him with only one choice. 

So, when he surrendered the Shadow Brotherhood to her, it was a final token of their friendship. He considered his duty done by giving her exactly what she asked for. It was a reward for the work she had done for him. 

At the same time, he was angry that she had forced his hand. He could also see that she was trying to have a hold over him by taking over the Shadow Brotherhood. She knew the efforts he expended on building the group. 

Ayumi wanted to have a connection with him by taking what she deemed to be the most important treasure to him. She was not willing to let go completely, despite the words her claims in her resignation letter. 

Therefore, even though Kaito knew that she would not be able to rule as she thought, he did not warn her. Instead, he asked the easiest question: are you sure this is what you want? Her easy acceptance sealed the deal. 

"Continue," Kaito said after noticing the man was back to looking for another bottle with stale beer. 

"After people chose their sides, the fights began. They were quite mild at first. If someone who chose the powerful mercenaries met another who chose Boss Ayumi met, they would exchange some nasty words before moving on." He said with obvious lament. 

"But the simple altercations changed into something more problematic. People started fighting physically within and outside the headquarter." He sighed. "One of the biggest fights took place in this simple cafeteria." 

"Bottles were flying around, chairs and tables were broken, and no one cared about the staff. It was like the Wild West. The mess was indescribable on that day. After that, the staff quit immediately and left the Shadow Brotherhood." 

Kaito felt deeply angered. 

The staff were people who he had taken in after some missions. Like with his housekeeper, he would meet some people who were involved with the targets but were not truly connected to the cases he took on. 

He knew that if he left them, they might be hunted down by the ȧssociates of the dead targets. Therefore, he would not hesitate to take in some good seedlings with suitable skills to work in the Shadow Brotherhood in different capacities. 

For example, he would hire administrative staff, baristas and bartenders to work in the building. Depending on the perceived level of loyalty, he would bring them to his side, like his housekeeper. 

Now, knowing that they were exposed to violence due to internal fighting made him angry. He hoped that they would be safe with the skills they had accumulated over the years. If he had closed up the Shadow Brotherhood he would have found positions for them. 

For now, he could only hope they were smart enough to survive. 

"What side did you choose?" Kaito asked the drunk man with sharp eyes. 

The person laughed and laughed. "I chose your side." 

"What do you mean?" Kaito asked. 

"Some of us preferred the way you ran things originally." He hiccupped. "I joined the group four years ago. I never intended to become a mercenary, but I made lemonade with it. My background was that of the underworld." 

"I knew I can never be truly someone who stands in the daylight. But after joining the Shadow Brotherhood, I felt hopeful. I felt like I was doing bad things, but for a good reason. I still remember my first mission. Taking out a doctor who was harvesting and selling children's organs…" He sighed. 

"I do not want to be a mercenary if it is for meaningless things like power or money. I would rather sit here and drink." He said stubbornly, his naïveté showing on his youthful face. "Some of us refused to join in the battle for power." 

"But we have been left with nothing but an empty shell." 

Kaito did not know how to react to this strange show of loyalty. He wondered if he was wrong for abandoning the Shadow Brotherhood when it seemed like it was a home for some of these young ȧssassins.

"How did it escalate to the point where the prisoners in the Ground were released?" He asked, choosing to ignore his unsettled heart concerning his mercenary group. 

The man pursed his lips. "I am not sure if it is true or not, but I will tell you what I know. I know a lot of things because I am keen. But I am not a fly on the wall." 

"Speak freely," Kaito said. 

The person before him still lowered his voice. "When Boss Ayumi realised that she could not handle the powerful mercenaries alone, she decided to make a deal with the prisoners. She promised they could go free, but they would help her handle the people against her." 

"But she underestimated their viciousness. The moment they were released, they were like beasts who had been starved and could smell the scent of blood. They hunted down every person Ayumi mentioned and killed them in gruesome ways." 

"At least, they kept their word. But after finishing, they said that they did not want to remain in the Shadow Brotherhood. If Ayumi forced them, they would kill her too. So, they all left the place after their actions." He paused. 

"What else?" Kaito asked. 

"Well, the people who were remaining in the Brotherhood were scared and decided to disappear before the prisoners came for them too. In the end, only a few of us who are lost and unafraid of death remain in this building." He sighed again. 

"The Shadow Brotherhood is finished."