"The whole thing was an exhibition to show just how weak we were. If he had wanted to wipe us out, he would have been quicker. From.whay he displayed, it wouldn't have taken him much time and effort at all."
"Don't take my word for it. Take a look at these pictures I took of the wreck he made of my farm and make your judgment. Tell me what you think."
She had her subordinates share physical photographs that had been printed for everyone at the table to see. One of those pictures was of a large machine sliced cleanly in two.
There was also a broken gate and the prints of his fingers in the tough metal. There was her crater with cracks formed by two deep footprints. Then there was a crushed wall and the two imprints where a wall should be.
There were a lot of pictures that worked to paint a picture for them to see.
Red Dream continued while they went through the pictures. "Like I said, he didn't kill anyone. He just wanted a meeting with me. In that short meeting, he made his intentions known. He also asked me to work out a meeting between him and the rest of you."
"This is not that meeting. This is just a meeting to inform you of who you are up against and why you should make that meeting. It is a heads-up of sorts. Take my warning and plan accordingly."
The other leaders were still struggling to accept the situation. Just like Red Dream, they were experiencing what it meant to encounter an unforeseen calamity that they were wholly unprepared for.
Snake Eyes asked, "Where do we go from here? What do you suggest?"
"I don't dare to suggest anything apart from asking that you guys attend the meeting and to count me out if you plan to resist."
"I want you all to know that I am just a messenger here. I have no choice but to call for the meeting and persuade you to attend it. Don't target me when you want to fight back, and don't try to convince me to join you in fighting back."
Snake Eyes chuckled, "You sound like a capable lackey right now."
He meant that as an insult, but Red Dream didn't take any offense. She said, "You can call me anything you want if you meet him, turn him down, and walk away from it."
Another leader spoke through a phone. "This has to be a joke, right?"
This time she took offense. She scowled and said, "What about all of these makes you think I set this up for comic relief? Do you think I am so jobless that I would set up an elaborate prank to scare you? I am not..."
The leader interrupted her, "Alright, this is not a joke. Calm down."
Another leader said, "But I wish this were a joke."
That sentiment had a lot of allies in the leaders. They didn't want to believe that they were facing this problem. But they had to believe it, and they had to deal with it.
One of them asked, "What is his ability?"
She replied, "It has something to do with diamond skin. He can harden his skin into diamond. This grants him incredible defense. But he is also very strong and fast. It is clear that he can also use his ability to cut things."
One of them asked, "Isn't there a lady who has that kind of ability?"
Another replied, "Yes, there is. She had a fight with the Corpos. They couldn't kill her, so they gave up on her."
"Are we going to give up this time too?"
Snake Eyes answered with a growl, "We are not giving up on anything."
Someone asked, "But what are we going to do against someone with incredible physical defense and power?"
He didn't reply. Instead, he said to Red Dream, "Since you have informed us and don't plan to help us resist, you should leave now. Thank you for your work. We will inform you of when we are ready for a meeting with your boss. You will tell him like the good lackey that you are."
She snorted and stood up to leave. But before she left, she said, "Just make sure the meeting is set for less than five days from today, or he will start coming after all of you one by one."
Then she matched out with her subordinates. Many people made way for her out of fear and respect. It was mostly out of fear. No one wanted to touch her for fear of getting into contact with the drug she secretes.
Unlike Snake Eyes, her ability is the foundation of her gang and narco business. That means she can cause someone to overdose with a touch.
It would be a pleasant way to die, but no one wants that. So they were relaxed when she finally left. But they didn't relax too much because Snake Eyes was still around, and one of the things the humanoid snake specializes in is granting people a painful death.
After Red Dream was gone, Snake Eyes finally decided to share his plan.
He said, "Now that the snitch in our midst has been rooted out, we can talk without her tattling to her master about our plan."
Someone asked impatiently, "And what plan is that, oh great white one?"
That question caused a lot of leaders to snicker and chuckle. Meanwhile, Snake Eye's were turning a shade of red, and his tongue was flicking out of his mouth more rapidly due to his anger.
White one was the title he wanted them to call him when he made his attempt to become their boss. They didn't want to call him that or accept him as their boss, so they resisted.
He lost that attempt, so they decided to honor the memory of his defeat by elevating that title. They call him the great white one for his great defeat. It will forever mark his humiliating defeat in their hands.