Chapter 88
Is this all the people you have?
Spectacled Feline, remained seated, his entire being filled with trepidation. Afraid of offending the other person by speaking too slowly, he quickly replied:
"Reporting to the boss, all members of our Gray Gang are here, a total of twelve people."
Lappland sheathed her sword, amused by the answer:
"A dozen or so people dare to call themselves a gang?"
Only those families in Syracuse could be considered gangs; others were merely subordinate forces at best.
Spectacled Feline didn't dare to be negligent and explained:
"Boss, that's definitely how it is in Lungmen. There are many gangs in the Lower City. As long as there are more than ten people, they can call themselves a gang. Of course, there are gangs with dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of people. In our neighborhood alone, there are four gangs, and..."
"Stop, wait a minute."
Lappland, uninterested in the gang distribution in the Lower City, interrupted, saying:
"First of all, let me make it clear that I don't want to be your leader. I came to Lungmen this time to find someone. She's Lupos like me, with gray hair, and her codename should be Texas. Do you remember her?"
The other Feline exchanged puzzled glances. Finally, they all looked at the Spectacled Feline, signaling him to speak.
"Boss, the Texas you mentioned should be Messenger from Penguin Logistics."
Lappland nodded, remembered the company's name, and politely inquired further:
"How do I get to Penguin Logistics?"
Spectacled Feline, looked troubled, knowing the problem wasn't so simple. He kept a close eye on Female Lupo's facial expressions, afraid his next answer would anger her.
"No way, boss. Penguin Logistics is in the Upper City, and we're in the Lower City. We can't get through."
Why can't we get through?
Seeing that Lappland was calm, Spectacled Feline breathed a sigh of relief. His eyes flickered, as if he had thought of a good solution, and he explained:
"Lungmen has two areas, the Upper City and the Lower City. We are currently in the Lower City. The checkpoints leading to the Upper City are heavily guarded by the Lungmen Guard Department to prevent infected people and illegal immigrants from entering. Without a guarantor or without status, it is impossible to get in."
The person behind the Spectacled Feline deliberately exaggerated the difficulty of passing the checkpoint. In reality, there are still ways to enter the Upper City without going through the official channels.
For example, some robbery gangs in the Lower City repaired unguarded passageways between plots of land. They would then enter the city during the Lunar New Year holiday to steal and make a quick getaway.
Infected individuals like Mudrock and his Sarkaz mercenaries were able to enter and leave the Upper City entirely because of their status as subordinates of Zhongli. Sometimes, even revealing one's identity as a subordinate of Lin Gerei wasn't as effective.
"I see..."
Lappland pinched her chin with her left hand, realizing it was indeed a difficult situation. After a moment's thought, she asked again:
"What if I absolutely need to go to the Upper City? What conditions must I meet to do so?"
She could have forced her way through the checkpoints, but she didn't want to.
Doing so would be tantamount to provoking the local police force in Lungmen. Lappland wanted to spend more time with Texas after meeting her. Being branded a wanted criminal would have a severe impact.
The Spectacled Feline had already dug the trap, just waiting for the silver-haired Female Lupo, to slowly fall into it:
"Boss, the main problem is that you're infected, so getting into the Upper City is extremely difficult. You should know that Terra isn't exactly friendly towards the infected right now. But if you really want to go, there's actually another way..."
"What method?"
"You can spend a lot of money to find someone to pull strings and bribe the guards at the checkpoint, and then you can come and go freely."
In places like Syracuse, an official institution called the courts was established. While ostensibly a place for judging crime, in reality, families could easily settle many matters by paying bribes.
"OK."
Lappland nodded, thinking he made a good point, "Hand over all the money you have on you."
Spectacled Feline was secretly delighted, thinking that the plan had succeeded, but on the surface he put on a wronged look:
"Boss, even if we sold us all, it wouldn't be enough. If you want to get that much money, I have an idea. Aren't you a great fighter? You can lead us to raid other gangs' territories. Then we'll have money and fame. We can then use our connections to bribe the guards at the checkpoints and get into the Upper City."
If you were talking about managing a gang, Lappland would probably fall asleep. But if you were talking about raiding, she wouldn't be sleepy at all.
To put it bluntly, it's about robbing others of their money and putting it into your own pocket. Essentially, it's still the law of the jungle: whoever has the strongest fist gets to rule.
Moreover, going to see Texas requires money for things like buying expensive suits, flowers, and gifts.
The easiest, simplest, and most direct way is to just grab it.
Seeing Lappland deep in thought, rubbing her chin, Spectacled Feline narrowed his eyes and pressed his advantage, saying:
"Boss, our Gray Gang has been getting bullied by other gangs lately because we're short-handed. With your skills, you can totally take over their territory. Don't worry about management; leave that to us. Once we've made enough money, we can bribe the guards at the checkpoints to get into the Upper City, right?"
His cunning scheme was called "using someone else's knife to kill someone else."
Anyway, since the original boss is dead, even if all of them ganged up on him, they might not be able to beat the other side.
If this new leader is strong enough, he might be able to lead them to make a name for themselves, annex other gangs' territories, and make a fortune.
She'll leave once she's earned enough money. Then everyone can split the profits, ensuring a worry-free life for the rest of their days.
If the new boss is not strong enough and is killed by thugs from other gangs, even if he avenges the former boss, he will still have failed to repay the kindness shown to him in the past.
The brilliance of an open strategy lies in the fact that even if the new leader guesses your intentions, you have no other choice.
If an infected person wants to enter the Upper City, they can only rely on money to pave the way if they lack status or identity; there is no other way.
"That makes sense."
Lappland stroked her chin and nodded, gradually understanding the rules of the Lungmen Lower City.
"However, the name 'Gray Gang' doesn't sound very good. Let's just change it to 'Silver Wolf Gang'."
If Texas heard this name, she might come to the Lower City to meet him sooner.
Spectacled Feline had no reason to refuse; after all, the gang's name was just a code name, and it didn't matter what it was called.
"Boss, please accept my bow! From today onwards, I am a member of the Silver Wolf Gang."
Seeing this, the others followed suit.
"Good."
Lappland admired Feline, the man with the gold-rimmed glasses, as someone capable of great things:
"You just said that a gang has been bullying you lately? Where is their territory?"
The Spectacled Feline grinned, his attitude towards her extremely humble, and leaned forward as he said:
"Boss, I'll lead the way, this way please."
March 3, 10:34 AM
Last night, the Emperor himself promised that the four Messenger would sleep in until they were well enough before getting up.
Shi Lei slept until 10 a. m., and after a quick wash, he went to the company to clock in for work.
Today's work was as simple, unpretentious, and monotonous as ever. He didn't even need to check the regular orders in the employee backend; he just sat at his workstation waiting for big orders to come in.
Texas didn't arrive at the company until 11 a. m., and Exusiai and Croissant were still late. Around noon, the two cooked lunch in the Safe House downstairs.
For some reason, Shi Lei felt that she was unusually quiet today. Just like when they first met, she spoke sparingly and seemed very aloof.
It was 1 p. m., just past break time. Both of their phones received a message from the Emperor at the same time.
I'll open a bounty in February.
As the title suggests, I'm offering a reward to motivate myself.
Compared to the bounty in January, the requirement for monthly tickets has been lowered. If you still have monthly tickets, please feel free to cast them here. Thank you very much for your support.
Before the Great Silence of March, I'll save up some money for food.
[Time] From 00:00 on February 1st to 00:00 on February 5th
[Bounty Rules]
2000 recommendation votes = 150 monthly votes = 1 update
10,000 donations = 100 razor blades = 1 update
Donations and virtual gifts are not mandatory; please do what you can afford.
I'm mainly asking for monthly votes, thank you all.
140 Who is that guy? (Seeking monthly votes)
Their phones rang at the same time, which most likely meant big orders had come in.
It's early March now, and very few people spend tens or hundreds of thousands to post commissions. Therefore, Shi Lei guessed that perhaps the wealthy woman Beatrix paid them to help.
He clicked into the chat and discovered that the meeting place with the client was at Taigu Plaza, and immediately understood.
To protect the employer's personal information, regular clients typically only post the meeting place. The specific tasks are then discussed after the two parties meet.
"Let's go, Texas, let's go warm up."
It was called a warm-up, but it was really just about getting a high salary and going out for a stroll. Shi Lei didn't think that after the Charlie incident, anyone would bother the Suiya family again.
The killer who tried to kill Blake with a car bomb has still not been found. Things should calm down a bit these days.
It's already afternoon, and my two colleagues still haven't clocked in. It's clearly Exusiai not showing up; she'll probably say she went out to a party without her.
Shi Lei took the elevator downstairs and got into a Texas car to head to Taigu Plaza in the Core City of Lungmen.
Soothing in-car music filled the car.
The two exchanged few words, but neither felt awkward. This comfortable and quiet work was as enjoyable as retirement.
Upon arriving near their destination, Texas parked the car on the side of the road. The two went to the designated cake shop and waited for their client.
A short while later, a familiar figure appeared.
Mr. Blake, the second-in-command of the Schwayer Group, approached with a smile:
"I'm sorry, something came up and I was a little delayed. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
Upon hearing this, Shi Lei immediately understood that he was the client today, and asked to confirm:
Are you today's client?
Blake showed no airs of being an employer in front of the two men, behaving with humility and politeness.
"Yes, the Upper City redevelopment project that Charlie's family originally negotiated with Governor Wei has now fallen to me. We need to hold a press conference today, and I'll need your help with security during that time."
"No problem, Mr. Blake, please."
Shi Lei and his companion followed him to a nearby commercial building controlled by the Schwayer Group.
.
Blake didn't hire any other bodyguards today, only these two. The last time a group of bodyguards fought to the point of exhaustion without causing any damage was truly embarrassing.
He gradually understood why Beatrix frequently hired Zhongli. For 200,000 Lungmen Dollars, absolute security was guaranteed. In terms of cost-effectiveness, it was far superior to other bodyguard teams at the same price point.
The protection is top-notch, and it's not expensive. Once you've worked with them, you won't want to hire any other team.
Blake explained the contents of today's commission to the two of them along the way, his attitude very respectful:
"I will be holding a press conference here at 2 PM. You will be responsible for my protection throughout the entire event, until the press conference is over and I am safely evacuated."
Shi Lei found his polite attitude somewhat amusing, but his professionalism prevented him from laughing out loud.
After all, Blake was in his fifties or sixties, older than himself and Texas combined.
"No problem, leave it to me."
Zhongli's promise is reassuring.
After entering the building, Blake went to the dressing room first to have the makeup artist touch up his makeup.
Attending such a formal press conference is definitely not something to be taken lightly; makeup and concealing blemishes are essential.
Shi Lei and his companion didn't need to wear makeup; they simply stood to the side and waited.
"Squeak~"
A few minutes later, someone pushed open the door to the dressing room.