Boss, The Foundation of Standing

When Carlos arrived at the scene with over forty of his men, he found several of them lying on the ground, bruised and battered. Bloodstains were visible on the ground and walls around them.

Carlos was furious, half genuinely and half for show. He left some of his men to take the injured to the hospital and took the rest to pursue the attackers.

However, those guys were fast and had vanished. Carlos took the opportunity to lead his men to the attackers' small base. Either way, the goal was to escalate the conflict, using youthful impulsiveness and anger as an excuse. Carlos pulled a handgun from his suit and opened fire.

Pop-pop, he pulled the trigger twice, and two bullets accurately struck the backs of two Mafia members who were trying to escape and close the door.

"Brothers, avenge your brothers! I'll take responsibility for all consequences! Grab your weapons and go get them, charge!"

Carlos roared, his face flushed red, and charged forward first with his handgun. His followers followed, some with rifles, others with swords, all enraged behind Carlos.

The sounds of combat erupted, punctuated by continuous gunfire, scaring the pedestrians on the street away. Shops around them quickly closed their doors, afraid to watch. Bullets don't have eyes!

After charging in, the eyes beneath his sunglasses transformed into Sharingan and Byakugan. Every movement of the enemy was exposed to Carlos. Bullets flew out, hitting their marks with perfect accuracy, taking down Mafia members one by one.

Carlos was ruthless in his efforts to escalate the conflict and burn bridges. Each shot was aimed to kill. In moments, under the slaughter inflicted by Carlos and his men, the place was awash in blood!

When his bullets ran out, Carlos charged in bare-handed. His legs moved like steel whips, swift and sharp, kicking Mafia members until their eyes rolled back and they collapsed, unable to get up.

As the saying goes, a cowardly soldier is led by a cowardly general. Under Carlos's fierce leadership, the battle ended quickly. Seven or eight men lost their will to fight and surrendered, kneeling on the ground.

Carlos immediately grabbed one of them and asked fiercely, "Where's your boss? You dare beat my men but not admit it?"

"The boss took a few people out last night and hasn't returned. I suspect he fled, fearing the might of boss Carlos," the man said with a fawning smile.

Your boss was probably bought off, beat up my men with his cronies, and is hiding now, using you as cannon fodder...

Carlos thought to himself.

Even though I know the truth, I have to play along with the act.

After dealing with the situation, Carlos immediately reported the incident to his superior, exaggerating the details and, using Mike Klin's methods, pinned the blame squarely on Mike Kellen.

This sort of incident was not isolated; many such provocations had occurred that day. Several of Carlton's subordinates were challenged, primarily those who were usually tough, hot-tempered, and simple-minded.

The reports were successively submitted, eventually reaching Carlton. Carlton sensed something was amiss but didn't think too deeply about it. He sent people to question Mike Kellen, and his stance unknowingly began to lean towards Mike Klin.

At this point, Mike Klin sent people to contact Carlton, offering more favorable terms and expressing his support, promising to seek justice for Carlton and his men. Carlton then fully threw his support behind Mike Klin.

The next day, the main event arrived. Upon learning that Carlton supported Mike Klin, Mike Kellen went all out, sending people with most of his assets to meet the person in charge of the John Family stationed on Iron Island, hoping to turn the situation around.

The support within the family was roughly equal between the two; the key lay with Carlton and the Iron Island representative of the John Family. The Iron Island representative of the John Family carried more weight than Carlton. Gaining his support meant gaining the support of the John Family, which would allow him to win against all odds!

Unexpectedly, Mike Klin had anticipated Mike Kellen's move. He joined forces with Carlton and dispatched a large number of subordinates to intercept and ambush him. The ensuing fierce firefight on the streets, with superior numbers and careful planning against a surprised opponent, resulted in none of Mike Kellen's men escaping.

Mike Klin was also adept at handling people. He personally visited the Iron Island representative of the John Family with most of Mike Kellen's assets and some of his own. Faced with such immense benefits, there was no surprise; he successfully secured their support.

With that, the overall situation was decided. Mike Klin smoothly became the new patriarch of the Mike Family and the new boss of the Mike Family, the new big shot on Iron Island, exuding confidence and ambition!

Mike Kellen failed and was stripped of his position as a major leader, but his life was safe. He became a person with a sinecure in the Mike Family, holding no power or influence, with only some money left.

Afterward came the rewards. Due to the internal conflict, the Mike Family's four major leaders were reduced to three.

Carlton became the leader with the greatest influence. Mike Klin, as the patriarch of the Mike Family, promoted two of his trusted confidantes to be new major leaders, one from within the family and one from outside.

With many positions vacant, Carlos, through his merits and some financial maneuvering, successfully became a leader, his subordinates growing to over two hundred. His trusted subordinate, Noah, also rose in status to become a minor leader.

It took half a month for everything to return to normal in the East City. The Mafia's internal conflict finally ended.

The reason the Steel Self-Defense Force from the City Lord's Mansion did not interfere was that the East City was deeply entrenched by the Mike Family. Furthermore, the City Lord's Mansion was wary of the John Family behind the Mike Family. As long as the Mike Family did not engage in widespread massacres in the East City that affected a large number of civilians, or stir up trouble in the West, North, or South Cities, they would turn a blind eye and choose not to get involved.

The Navy, however, was not wary of the John Family, but they also couldn't be bothered to intervene. Their primary duty was to combat pirates. Public order was the City Lord's Mansion's responsibility. As long as it didn't affect civilians and throw Iron Island into chaos, they didn't care how much internal fighting occurred; all the casualties were just scum, and their numbers were irrelevant!

After becoming a leader, there were fewer hands-on tasks. All daily affairs of the Mafia were handled by his minor leaders, unless they couldn't cope.

Carlos focused his energy on cultivation. His promotion naturally came with improved treatment, and he now owned a standalone garden villa.

When not vacationing at his villa, he would find a place on the island to cultivate, such as under a waterfall or in a forest.

When tired from training, he would drink, read newspapers, listen to music, and read books from this world. His days were very fulfilling.

This continued for three months, and his overall strength improved rapidly. His Sharingan could finally be activated to the three-tomoe level. However, what truly surprised Carlos was his martial arts!

The Qi within his body, commonly known as internal energy, reached a level where he could see it with his Byakugan through his persistent efforts to cultivate and break his limits!

Previously, even with his Byakugan, he couldn't see it, only vaguely sense a flow of Qi within him, like a gentle breeze in the air. Now, the internal energy in his body was like mist, clearly visible!

This greatly enhanced the power of his Eagle Claw Technique, Golden Bell Shield, and Twelve Road Tan Leg. The Golden Bell Shield, in particular, was astonishing. One night, he gritted his teeth and shot himself with a handgun, and the bullet couldn't penetrate!

Such a level of Golden Bell Shield was unattainable on Earth, which made Carlos ecstatic!

Carlos could vaguely foresee a new style of physical combat emerging on the seas. Although not very strong yet, it would undoubtedly be on par with famous martial arts styles like Rokushiki, Fish-Man Karate, and Newkama Kenpo in the future!

The martial arts he possessed also had the potential to become his foundation for survival, much like the Eye of the Devil!