It was impossible not to be afraid, because Soap had not brought a single copper coin this time.
Black Tail Snake was right. Their group had done well this week, but then Skinny Monkey's younger sister had fallen ill. They had spent all the money they had stolen on her treatment—not only their own share, but also the share that should have gone to Iron Shackles.
And that afternoon, they had failed to rob Little Female Slave. Thus, Soap's group could only come to see Iron Shackles empty-handed.
They could already foresee the miserable fate waiting for them ahead.
But just as they were about to fall into despair, Zhang Heng said he was willing to show them a way out. Soap had no idea whether following that path would bring fortune or disaster, but they seemed to have no other choice. They could only steel themselves and walk into the tavern.
Blackwater Bay was filled almost entirely with Iron Shackles and his men that night, apart from the thieves from the three nearby streets. Most were young punks like Soap and Skinny Monkey. They had come to report on their work for the week and hand over most of the money they had painstakingly stolen to Iron Shackles.
Though they had complained plenty about it in private, no one dared disobey. They all knew what happened to those who angered Iron Shackles. That poor culprit had never appeared again afterward, so no matter how dissatisfied the rest were, they could only obediently hand over their money.
Fortunately, they had grown up here and were long accustomed to such things. This had always been a cruel world where big fish ate little fish. Whoever had the bigger fist had the right to speak, while those at the bottom could only