Ch 289 - Countdown to Battle

Jessop dressed in an elegant three-piece suit and slowly walked out of his room. His family had been the domineering power of Baltimore for decades and he wanted to look the part. 

His family members were waiting for him outside the door, but they were not as calm as he was. 

They still didn't know which warrior was going to fight for their family. 

By the end of the day, the Clifton family would probably have lost the leadership of the Baltimore underground world, and their name would disappear from the history of the city. From that moment on, their family would only decline. 

Jessop Clifton walked steadily out of the mansion, with his children and grandchildren following behind him as if it were a grand ceremony before a war. 

Several luxury cars were parked at the gate of their mansion. 

"You go to the venue first," he said to his family behind him. Then looked at Rufus and said, "Rufus, let's go collect Mr. Ambrose." 

"Sure," Rufus said. He followed Jessop to one of the cars, they climbed in and drove to Johns Hopkins. 

Mr Ambrose? Who's Mr Ambrose? the rest of the family asked each other.

They looked at each other in bewilderment. Then they agreed that Mr Ambrose must be a warrior that Jessop had temporarily recruited. However, it had taken them years to find a fighter as good as Paul Novak. If he had been killed so easily by Damon, what chance did a last-minute replacement have? 

Reluctantly, the Clifton family climbed into the cars and drove to the underground boxing ring. 

**

It was a Sunday, and Debbie was finally taking a break from her studies and relaxing. 

She stepped out of the residential building with the four girls of the Moon Cult. The five of them had become good friends. Of course, the Moon Girls have not forgotten their identity or that they were there to serve Alex, but this meant that they also served his wife. They accompanied Debbie to class every day, bought food for her, and gave her massages when she was stiff from studying all day. 

They were taking good care of her. 

Alex was still standing guard outside the residential building when Debbie and the girls walked out the door. When he saw the five women walking out together, he felt very happy. 

"After work tonight, let's go to the lake together," Debbie said to Alex. She had been attending classes and studying so much recently that she was aware that they hadn't spent much time together. She didn't want him to feel neglected. 

"Tonight?" Alex said, and then paused. He didn't know what to say. That night he would be representing the Clifton family in the fight and he was desperate to make sure that Debbie didn't find out about it. But looking at her beautiful eager eyes, he couldn't bear to turn her down. He nodded and said, "Okay, I'll call when I finish work." 

"Well, we'll leave you to work. We're going to the library," Debbie said happily. Then she turned and walked toward the library with Callisto and Luna. Celeste and Selene stayed with Alex. 

When Debbie had gone, Alex went back to his dormitory and changed his clothes. It was time for him to go to the school gate to wait for the Clifton family to pick him up to go to the boxing ring. 

Celeste and Selene followed Alex. They were determined to go with him. 

When he reached the gate, he saw a luxury car waiting for him. Jessop and Rufus climbed out of the car and briefly exchanged greetings with him. Then, all three of them climbed back into the car and drove to the underground boxing ring. 

The Clifton underground boxing ring was the most famous in the underground world of Baltimore. It was located centrally in the city and directly above ground was the Baltimore exhibition hall. It was a very secret location and well hidden.

At that moment, the exhibition hall looked calm but below ground, it was already very busy. 

Two hundred yards in front of the exhibition hall, Jessop and Rufus, Alex, Celeste and Luna stepped down from the car. 

They planned to walk from there to the boxing ring. 

Alex felt a shiver up his spine. He turned around and saw a shady figure in a hoodie standing watching him nearby. 

The figure saw that Alex had seen them and immediately hid behind a tree. 

Celeste and Selene had also spotted the figure and they rushed toward it. 

"Come out," Celeste shouted as the two girls rushed behind the tree and attacked the figure. The person was surprised. They hadn't expected two girls under twenty to have such advanced martial arts skills. 

The person quickly retaliated, but Celeste and Selene were too fast and ducked out of the way. Alex stepped over to defend the girls. 

"Mr. Alex," Selene cried and stepped in front of Alex. The figure stepped into the light.

She had black hair and eyes as black as sapphire. Her face was full of defiance and courage. It was Chelsea Wood, the police officer who had led the team the night Alex had dealt with Julian and Chris. 

"Why are you following me?" Alex asked when he realized who she was. 

"Is something going to happen here?" Chelsea asked. 

That day, when Chelsea had walked past the exhibition hall after work, she saw Chris and his father heading underground. Then, she witnessed many well-known entrepreneurs, influential families, and suspected gang members follow them in, one after another. 

Only certain people had been informed about the fight. Other than the important people who had been invited, it was completely hushed–hush. As Chelsea observed who was arriving, she became convinced that something important was happening that evening. She wanted to go underground to have a look, but there were several men at the door who wouldn't allow her in without an invitation. 

So she hid at the door to see what would happen. 

She was surprised when she saw Jessop and Rufus arrive, and even more so when she saw that Alex was with them. 

"Leave quickly, you shouldn't be here," Alex told her. 

"What's going on here? Something illegal? I'll call backup to stop whatever's about to happen," Chelsea said. 

She knew that the Clifton family was involved with the criminal underground and when she saw them arrive, it confirmed her suspicions that something illegal was about to take place. 

"Leave before I shut you up forever," Jessop hissed angrily at her. 

"Dad, please calm down," Rufus said. He looked at Chelsea's face and asked, "Are you Chelsea Wood?" 

"Yes, and I'll make sure that all of you villains end up in jail." After Chelsea had transferred to Baltimore, she learned from colleagues that the Clifton family ran the city's underground world. In her eyes, the family members were all criminals, and she vowed that one day she would wipe out the entire family. 

"Little girl, you know you're no match for us. Leave now if you don't want to get hurt," Clifton said.

Rufus sneered and told her, "Okay, I'll tell you. There's going to be a fight here tonight, and the winner will become the king of the underground world in Baltimore. All the important businessmen and politicians know about the fight, and it will go ahead because we have the tacit consent from the city leaders. It's well accepted that our family is required in addition to the police to maintain peace and stability in Baltimore and to prevent constant feuds between rival gangs. Do you understand?" 

The tacit consent from the city leaders? 

Chelsea was shocked and didn't know how to respond. She suddenly felt like a fool, but still struggled to believe what Rufus had said. 

Jessop looked at her and said, "Girl, why don't you just go in with us?"

When he saw that she was hesitant, Jessop ignored her and walked slowly toward the exhibition hall. After a moment, she followed them. 

After a thorough inspection of the first floor, Jessop led the others down toward the boxing ring. There are already a lot of people waiting at the entrance. 

Art and Chris had arrived half an hour ago and a lot of people were gathered around them talking with them excitedly. 

The other members of the Clifton family were very reserved. 

When Jessop arrived, a few people greeted him out of politeness. 

"Mr. Clifton, hello," one man said.

"Mr. Clifton, you're here," said another. 

They all showed great restraint because they all felt that the situation was very clear. The Steadman family would easily win the fight. Their allegiances were now with them, and they couldn't be seen being too friendly with the Cliftons. 

When the rest of the Clifton family saw that Jessop had arrived, they all started to complain. 

"Dad, everyone is being so rude to us. They're all sucking up to the Steadmans now," said one of his sons. 

Another agreed, "Yes, people are acting like they don't even know us. Some are blanking us completely like they haven't even seen us. It's all to flatter the Steadman family. It's disgusting." 

"Dad, did you collect Mr. Ambrose?" someone asked. 

"Yes, where's Mr. Ambrose?" asked someone else.

Jessop didn't answer them immediately. He felt disgusted by their whining.

"Hello," Alex took the initiative to step forward and say hello. 

"What, you're Mr. Ambrose?" asked one of Jessop's sons. Everyone was open-mouthed in surprise. 

They had all assumed that Mr Ambrose whom Jessop had recruited to fight for their family would be an expert in martial arts. They never expected that it would be such a young and gentle-looking man as Alex. 

They were all thinking, that Paul Novak was beaten so easily by the Steadman family's fighter, Damon. Although this young man looks fit, he's not a well-known martial arts fighter. How can he stand up to Damon?

When they saw him, their last hopes were dashed. Collectively, they groaned in despair.

Art noticed that Jessop had arrived and walked over to Chris. They were surrounded by a large group of people. Chris's cousin's family also arrived with Julian, who was being pushed in a wheelchair. 

Lee Dempsey, a rich and influential businessman Debbie and Alex had encountered in the past, was amongst them. He happened to be in Baltimore on business, and with his family's influential status, he had naturally received an invitation. He was looking forward to watching the fight.

"Hello, Mr. Clifton. We meet again," Art politely greeted Jessop. He was determined to appear magnanimous in front of the crowds. After all, he would soon be the boss of the Baltimore underground world and he needed everyone's respect. 

"Hello," Jessop said reluctantly as he shook hands with Art. 

When the Steadman family had first arrived in Baltimore, Art was the just head of a small company. At that time, he had brought a gift to the Clifton family to show his family's respect and allegiance. Jessop could never have foreseen that in only thirty years, Art would be seizing his position. But the underworld was never predictable. 

"Which warrior have you brought today?" Art asked. He was curious to know what the Cliftons would do now that their prizefighter, Paul, was out of the picture.

"Mr. Ambrose, please come and meet Mr. Steadman," Jessop said. 

"Of course," Alex answered. He walked over to Art, nodded slightly, and said, "Hello, Mr. Steadman." 

When they saw Alex, no one could believe that he was their fighter. Had the Clifton family recruited a twenty-year-old boy to fight for them? It seemed like a joke. 

"It's you!" Chris recognized Alex, and his expression became cold and cruel. 

Julian saw Alex from his wheelchair and said, "Uncle, it's this bastard's fault that I'm in this wheelchair—"

Art raised his hand slightly and Chris and Julian stopped talking. 

"Jessop, is this the best fighter you have? To send such a boy to fight, aren't you just giving victory to my family?" Art said to Jessop arrogantly. He had been courteous when they first met, but he also felt that it was important to demonstrate his dominance. He had already planned that once he was the underground boss of Baltimore, he would show kindness and authority to his subordinates.