Chapter 30: Gregor’s Warning

As Arias descended the steps and made his way to the lowest level of the Iceberg Lounge, Gregor frowned and began cursing at him immediately.

"Don't think for one second you'll get away with this! Cynthia should have already noticed I'm gone and called the authorities. You may have some evidence against me, but I also know who the real you is, and I'm not afraid to take you down with me."

Arias remained stoic as Gregor rambled on like a mad dog, not giving him the pleasure of a reaction. His cold, nonchalant stare made it clear that he was handling a casual matter, not a threat. Seeing this made Gregor worry, so he attempted to speak more, but Arias gave no reply. He chose to speak only after reaching the front of Gregor.

"One day, it'll all probably surface; that's only natural since I'm no mastermind. It was your ego and pride that left you vulnerable to anyone daring enough to make a move. However, you seem to misunderstand something…"

Arias reached forward, grabbed Gregor by the top of his hair with one hand, and then slammed his face into the cold metallic floor.

**Bang!~**

The impact caused a mild echo and brought smiles to the faces of the spectators: Roulette, Harley, and Shade.

'At the very least, he's not afraid to get his hands dirty. This might be one of the more interesting jobs I've done,' Shade thought while casually twirling his cane. Just like all the other criminals, Shade was only in it for the money, with some underlying reasons. Because of this, he more or less had a neutral opinion about his current employer.

The same was true for Roulette and Harley, although the former had seen Arias display some form of combat.

'The lower the scale of morality, the more money ventures open to us,' Roulette smirked slyly, hoping Arias didn't have a bottom line that would someday make her miss out on a good opportunity.

While Shade and Roulette kept their thoughts to themselves, Harley was more vocal about how she felt.

"Bust his kneecaps, boss! For the sake of taxpayers everywhere!" she cheered with a wide smile.

Arias ignored her and proceeded to kick the fallen Gregor in the gut. There was no power behind his kick, so Gregor wasn't sent flying. Instead, he felt a sharp pain and gripped his abdomen while fidgeting.

"Fuck! Stop, stop. Just say what you want already?!" Gregor pleaded angrily, but was only answered with a stomp to his crotch.

**!!**

Gregor felt all the air leave his lungs and failed to even scream. He instead let out a pained gasp and covered his crotch, his entire body shivering.

Shade showed a pained expression by reflex, as if he too was hit in the crotch. He simply found it hard to watch, especially since Arias looked like he put power into it. Roulette maintained her smile and passed no comment, while Harley cheered even more.

"Ooo~ That's the stuff! Look on the bright side, mister mayor, at least we know you have balls now." She added with a straight face, as if what she was saying was a valid point.

"Pllsj…" Gregor grumbled inaudible words while squirming in pain.

Arias stood over his curled body and looked down at him with his hands crossed.

"You already know what I want, Gregor. I gave you a simple task: do what you're told and enjoy your position as mayor. But no, you chose to be ambitious, thinking no one is as smart as you. I'm just reminding you of how wrong that train of thought is."

…

As Arias was dealing with Gregor, a feminine figure could be seen standing on the Iceberg Lounge's roof—it was none other than Batgirl. Given the time, she blended well with the shadows and had no chance of being spotted by the people below. She crouched down and brought her hand to her ear before speaking in a low voice.

"Robin, I'm near the vent I can use to sneak in. How's it on your end?"

**[Same, I'm at the loading bay of the harbor. It looks like he's already getting shipments of something. I just hope it's legal.]**

Robin's voice replied through an earpiece installed into the mask Batgirl was wearing. Batgirl listened carefully but then showed a nervous look.

"Hey, I'm not sure I should be acting alone yet," she voiced in a worried manner.

**[Don't worry about it. It's no different from when you were beating down criminals in a cheap suit all by yourself a month ago. Plus, Batman thinks this Markovic guy isn't running any operations—he just wants us to scout. If we see anything worth reporting, we leave. If anything happens, Alfred is monitoring our suits' bio-readings and will immediately know, so relax.]** Robin reassured her.

Batgirl only sighed and took a deep breath.

"Right, nothing new—just crime fighting on a slightly bigger scale. I can do this. Thanks, Robin, I'll contact you again later. Going radio silent," she hyped herself before cutting the connection.

…

Back in the lower levels, Gregor remained looking like he was in great pain, despite no visible injuries on his face and hands. Arias made sure to only strike positions that would be covered up if Gregor wore a standard suit. Before Arias could do anything else, he sensed a presence far above him. He didn't make this obvious and just continued to speak toward Gregor.

"I hope you take everything I've said to heart because there won't be a next time. Just one more mistake from you, and your life is forfeit. Shade, take him back. Something just came up."