Chaotic Clusterfuck 36 (Patreon)

Commissioned by Definitely Not Dio

Chaotic Clusterfuck

Chapter 36

-VB-

Lung … rather liked the idea of a shipyard here in Brockton Bay itself. Even if none of his people or associates manage to infiltrate the business, the boats they make would inevitably end up in the ABB’s hands. 

The sea was how the ABB and their associated “privateers” made much of their profits, directly or indirectly. Any improvements to the tools of their trade or ease of access to the seas would only benefit them.

Compared to them, the Empire Eighty-Eight and their pitiful protection racket wouldn’t. No, they would realize that this new shipyard would only mean that his position would strengthen while theirs dwindle as jobs created by the shipyard and its related businesses will draw people away from their powerbase and cut into their rhetoric. If Kaiser was half as smart as Lung assumed he was, then he would attack and crush the shipyard before it could begin.

But Lung knew just as Kaiser probably did that such a method was impossible. 

Even he would hesitate to fight fifty capes, regardless of their power level, and his spies told him that Marris did not hire weaklings at all. 

No, while most of those fifty were weaker than the Four Musketeers, they weren’t far off, either. Worse, those fifty would have been training with each other for some time, and having that many capes meant there would be a standard they followed much like the Protectorate. Better than the Protectorate, actually, because fifty would be enough to find multiples of the same power system or even multiple same Gamer classes. 

The thought of having to potentially face a trio of ice mages sent a shiver down his back. 

One ice mage reaching level 40 was enough to hinder him, and the rumors surrounding Marris’s cape mercenaries suggested that they were higher than that at the very least. 

So how could he benefit from this new development? 

… 

He could reach out to Marris to see what the man wants. 

If an unofficial alliance against the E88 and the PRT was possible. 

Yes, that was the way to go forward. 

He may be a dragon and dragons took what they wanted, but it was clear to him here and now that he was no longer the only dragon in town. This one just happened to not put on a mask like so many did.

-VB-

To my surprise, the PRT and the Protectorate ENE kept their nose out of my affairs after having Armsmaster check-up on my new business venture. I honestly expected them to start bringing random federal and state laws to stop me because I humiliated them, but instead of that, they just … kept out of my way. 

Not that they will like it if they did decide to fuck with me. It’s been weeks since our initial confrontation. I have gained far more clones in the mean time, after all, and some of them have been selectively distanced from the rest with specific sabotage-skills and classes. If the PRT really came after us, then I would have used those clones to start a guerilla campaign against them. And it would have been horrifying for them because I wouldn’t hit to kill. 

No, it would be much funnier and meme worthy to make all of them get diarrhea.

On a more serious note, I would have sabotaged their supplies and vehicles, struck their patrols, and pressured them with another force of “unknown” capes interested in sticking it to them.

But they didn’t push and I was left with a clone group specializing in sabotage without a legitimate target. 

Then my phone rang. 

I picked up my phone and answered. “What is it, Sarah?”

Sarah Rim was a Korean American young woman who I hired to act as my assistant secretary. The secretary she reported to was just another clone with a fake identification, but she’s been instructed to call me if anything flagged as important showed up on her desk. 

“Good morning, Mister Marris,” she said without missing a beat. “I have a representative of the Trainyard Sailing Association wishing to meet you, sir. A Mister Hayama.”

Trainyard Sailing Association? Wasn’t that one of ABB’s front businesses? 

“Show him in. I’m in my office,” I told her from my manor. One of my clones at the warehouse walked into the office and its adjacent break room, changed clothes, and took up seat behind the office desk. 

Oh yeah. Another good part about having so many clones was that I didn’t need to be at the office to meet people. 

That didn’t mean I wasn’t working myself. 

Today, it was the girl’s day, so I was serving all of them with whatever they wanted. Even if that meant being an eye candy a tights standing next to the pool with a serving plate of cocktails because they specifically requested me, the original. 

When the rep walked into the office, my clone looked up and paused. 

“Well then,” I muttered as a tall Asian man walked in. I saw Sarah on the other side of the doorway and nodded to her in thanks. She gave me a small bow and left after closing the door behind the “TSA” representative. “Welcome, Mister Hayama. Please, take a seat,” I gestured, and he did so in front of my office desk. “What can I help you with today? Oh, before that, refreshments, perhaps?”

“No thank you,” he said without his blank face changing even a little bit. “But thank you for the offer. And may I say that it is a pleasure to meet a new rising star in the business world?”

“Bah, I just happened to notice an empty niche here in the bay,” I told him. “It wasn’t much.”

“Still. You took that business and became something of a pillar of our city within months. It’s hard not to respect a businessman like that.”

“... I don’t think you came here just to say that, though.”

He nodded. “Then let’s skip the pleasantries, Mister Marris. You know who I work for.”

“Somewhat. I don’t know the exact chain of command but I have a good guess as to who’s at the top.”

“My boss and my boss’s boss would like to purchase the first few ships you will make in your new shipyard.”

I blinked. “That’s it? You’re here to set up a pre-purchase order?” I asked incredulously. 

“You would be surprised how often I was shown the door,” he hummed without taking his eyes off of me. “Many people suspect who I work for, even if I do not say, and more often than not, businesses do not want to associate with us if they are not part of the Asian community or of the Trainyards.”

“I can see why. But I have no such reservations.”

“... Why not, Mister Marris? You know that by selling to us, you might get burned by association.”

“You mean just like the gun manufacturers?” I asked him and then shrugged. “I already knew the risks when I planned this business. Besides, I’m already getting a lot of scrutiny. No,” I said as I shook my head with a smirk. “As long as you can provide me with a legitimate business that the authorities will not question buying my goods, then I have no reason to deny you them.”

“I see. Thank you for your business then.”

“Then let’s get down to the nitty-gritty details of our deal,” I said as I turned my monitor around and showed him some of the ship hulls that I had commissioned from ship designers. “Do you have a specific tonnage, role, and cargo hold size you are looking for?’