This meeting had been delayed for two days, long enough for him to heal up thanks to Accelerated Healing. He'd have preferred more time, more time to interrogate their prisoners, more time to wear away their energy and willpower as they were badgered, over and over again by the interrogators. Non-stop questions, always circling back.
Enhanced interrogation techniques indeed.
It worked though. They managed to piece together some further information, from moments when the other exploded in anger, from times when a quiet word and a sympathetic ear from the matronly Li Sun came other information. Slow, in dribbles. Which was why they wanted more time, but the 04 leaders had leveled one last threat, dragging their score or so members and that number again of hired help to stand outside their Clan hall to harass anyone going in and out.
After all that commotion, it was nearly impossible to keep it quiet. Arthur had agreed to the meeting, a short distance away in a nearby restaurant that had enough seat for everyone but had a clear back exit that could be seen from the Clan hall and a large enough, open air seating area that no one was going to sneak up on them.
It also meant that much of the conversation wasn't going to be private, but at this point, it was clear there was no hiding the altercation. Not that either party was exactly trying to do that.
"Boss Harish," Arthur greeted congenially as he walked in. His people flared outwards, taking up one corner of the open air restaurant, leaving the other side to b filled by the 04 gang members. With the kitchen - and back exit - and the wall taking up the other sides of the rectangle, it meant that the restaurant was pretty crowded except near the wall. No point sitting there.
"Clan Head Chua." Harish was a bear of a man, a white singlet wearing muscular individual who was hairy in all the places, never mind just the chest. He had a big, bushy mustache too that he'd trimmed and oiled, along with his hair. There was the slight smell that was customary around them, coconut oil used to keep everything in place and oiled, but also gone slightly rancid with the lack of good bathing facilities around. "You finally came out, did you?"
Arthur shrugged. "I had things to do." He sat down, and then deliberately stuck one foot up on the chair, so that he was sitting with his leg upwards in an insolent manner as he continued. "Anyway, I didn't have anything to talk to you about. Yet."
Harish eyes narrowed at Arthur's studied insolence and more than a few of his people stirred. One of his dumber lieutenants snarled, stepping closer only for the one nearest Arthur to push that one back. Interesting, that the slight and shorter man had the strength to do so so easily. A lot of Body in that tiny compact frame.
"So you want keep my men, torture them more ah? That the way the Durians do things?" Harish said. "We won't let you."
"You admit the attackers were yours?" Arthur said, curiously.
"Yes."
"And you sent them?"
A flicker of something in Harish's eyes. He blinked, rearranging the information in his mind. On second questioning, they'd learnt that the orders had come from above - but not from the boss direct. Just his second-in-command, mr. wiry. Jeet, also known as JT like that old pop singer who'd gotten caught in that Tower climbing scandal.
Arthur asked, curiously. No point pushing the matter, Harish was not going to admit he didn't have full control. Not in public, and he needed a win in public. In fact... "So, what do you want for them?"
"JT." Harish voice snapped and the thin man stepped forward, the briefcase - an actual briefcase which raised all kinds of questions like why the hell someone would bring one all the way into the Tower - was brought forth. It was put on the table and snapped open and Arthur blinked, seeing the mishmash of leather and cloth pouches within.
"Uhhh..."
"Beast cores," Harish said. He gestured impatiently at Arthur who reached forward and picked a cloth up, only now seeing that each pouch had a marking on it. 4-12, another 7-11 and so on. Popping up the 4-12 one, he realised quickly that these were fourth floor stones, twelve of them.
"A good haul," Arthur said, suddenly feeling like he was entirely afloat. Uncertain of what he was bargaining for, or how much. He'd expected to be paid but how did you value a life. Could you? And was this amount, what with the various denominations and numbers a good thing or bad? To buy himself a little time, he started sifting his way through the pouches, doing a count on the number of pouches - 7 all in, no surprise - and the number of stones. Not a lot of first floor stones, not surprisingly, quite a few fifth floor ones though. More than even the seventh floor stones, which was a surprise.
He wanted, desperately, to look back at Noor, at Li Sun, at his people. Then again, he knew they might not have any clue either. They'd always been on the other hand, having to grovel and ask and trade favors to get their people back when someone ran afoul. And never at these kind of levels.
Favors...
"So?" JT asked, butting in.
Ignoring the man, Arthur made a choice. He dropped the fourth floor pouch inside, plucked the seventh floor pouch out and then added. "And a favor. For each man returned."
"Each one?" Harish scoffed. "One. For all of them." Then, he added. "There's still three, right?"
"Still three," Arthur confirmed. "Your last man actually pulled through. Our nurse is pretty good." Surprisingly, she was the one with a breakthrough in their healing technique. She had already been studying how to project healing to others, to aid them heal faster. What little she had learnt - from the Tower techniques and then working with Li Sun - had almost never been worth the cost. However, ever since the Accelerated Healing technique had passed on to her via the sigil, she'd been making great gains.
It was still not a formal technique yet, but she was well on the way. Even the little she had managed to learn allowed her to suppress the infection, help drive the man's body to clean out the impurities and dirt and give him time to heal up. He'd probably recover, all things considered.
"Two." Arthur nodded. He pushed the briefcase back, tossed the pouch over his shoulder to Li Sun. "Get them, will you?" he asked her. He took that moment to watch the others, everyone playing the hardass. The only one showing a degree of discomfort in all this being Rick, the man warring between dislike for the 04 and fear, hands caressing the grips of his pistols. Arthur figured he was fine, so long as no one started anything but he did catch Yao Jing's gaze and cut his eyes over to Rick, a silent warning.
The big man offered a nod and, content that someone had an eye on the nervous rich boy, he played his next card. Curious how the 04 would react.
"So, the girl yours too?" Arthur asked.
"What girl?" Genuine surprise on the gang leader's face. Arthur caught it, but his attention was fixed just past the other man's head. Watching his lieutenant who had bent over to grab the briefcase, the others in his group. He'd already assumed the other man was not involved, someone - JT - likely cutting him out.
Except, JT was surprised too. Now wasn't that something?
"The one that tried to kill me." Arthur touched his neck, remembering how it had nearly been severed. His arm still ached, though he knew it was psychosomatic for the most part. Didn't stop it from hurting, mind you. But at least, he knew it wasn't real.
Still...
"I guess we keep her then?" Arthur said, indulgently. No reactions from the 04, not that he saw. Maybe someone else did. As Harish agreed to it, muttering how this was just meant to be a shakedown, not a murder attempt; he nodded along. Soon enough, the group of injured prisoners were walked out into the not-so-loving embrace of the gang. More than a few muttered words of contempt and anger coming from those not involved, but no strikes.
Not yet.
Arthur didn't envy the poor bastards when they got back though. Getting involved in a war, and getting beaten wasn't going to do them any favors. Still, the negotiation was over, and as Harish stood up, Arthur did too.
It was only when he was nearly gone did he lean in, lower his voice and add. "So, if you learn more about the attack, and the girl, you'll tell us, eh? Consider it a favor, even."
A single cutting look over to JT who had frozen as the pair spoke, softly. Harish sneered a little at Arthur's words, not even deigning to answer him. Waving the others off with him.
Now, all he had to see if the seed he planted sprouted.