Beastars: The Discover Check

Chapter 135: An Era Nearing Its End

"Really?" Louis asked.

"Really," Dolph answered. "Kopi Luwak is no more. They have splintered into tiny sub factions and are in hiding. The territory is ripe for the picking."

Louis looked at his drink dumbfounded before downing the rest of it.

"What the hell happened?" the deer asked.

"The truth is," Free continued, downing a dose of pain meds. "Deshico has disappeared."

The deer just sat in thought. It wasn't adding up. Kopi Luwak was the second most powerful gang in the Drusk after the Shishigumi. Essentially it was only the two of them that controlled the district. They had power, influence, and resources. Plus a deal in place with the lions, so why would their leader go into hiding? Unless he didn't.

"According to my contacts the factions are fighting amongst themselves for control of Kopi's territory," Agata added.

Louis squinted with his one good eye.

"What?" the young lion asked.

"You look different," he said.

The lion gave a little roll of his eyes.

"I got the surgery," he said, pulling the cloth from around his mouth. The missing tissue had been fixed, with a massive scar running across his face. He reached up and pulled the prosthetic plate from his mouth, deflating almost the entire left side of his face.

"Not while I'm eating," Dolph groaned, looking away.

"Gnarly," Free smirked.

Agata pushed the plate back into his mouth, shifting the skin to fit back around the plastic. He left the bandana off, but tied around his neck.

"I can start having our men move into the splintered territory and establish themselves before the factions take control," Dolph said, turning back to his plate. A seared steak with a fried egg and hollandaise sauce nested on top of a salad. Louis had to admit that it did make him hungry. After that night, he had had a tiny craving for meat again, but it didn't feel like a necessity.

"Next item of business," Louis continued, shaking his concentration from the meal. "Any word on Melon?"

Free sighed, stretching his legs out under the table uncomfortably. Agata averted his eyes and Dolph just looked at his food.

"What?"

"Do we really need to go after him?" Free asked.

The other two lions shot looks his way.

"What?" he defended. "We're all thinking it. I'm just the one with the nerve to actually ask the question."

"What's the issue?" Louis asked. "He's a threat to our organization, he has committed crimes against us in the past. It seems obvious that we would want to catch him."

"We do want to find him," Dolph said. "It's just-"

"Bullshit," Free interrupted.

"Free," Agata warned, looking at Louis. "Shut up."

"No," he snapped. "I want to know why we're throwing resources into finding some, most likely, washed-up, homeless, harmless nobody."

"He's not harmless," Louis said. "That's what you all said before, and look what happened."

"Sure," Free continued. "Doesn't have anything to do with the fact your buddy-buddy is the only other guy that's looking for him."

Louis kept a steely gaze.