"What are you trying to do?!"
The boy suddenly took a step back, holding the dagger across his chest, a vicious glint flashing in his eyes.
"Humph!"
"You little beggar, you've got quite the temper."
Mad Dog glanced warily at the dagger in the boy's hand.
Several men surrounded the boy.
But they did not take any further action.
Anyone active in the sewers, even a scrawny young boy, was not easy to bully. The easy ones had died long ago.
"I'm just here to tell you today."
"Starting next month."
"If you still want to operate on Lion Street, your protection fee will go up by fifty percent."
Mad Dog said.
"What did you say?"
"Up by fifty percent? Why?"
The boy's expression changed.
As an orphan, his main source of income since childhood had been theft. But in a big city like Tanjung Sepat, even thieves had to pay protection money to the gangs.
If they did not pay.
At best, they would be driven away. At worst, they would be beaten to death.
"There's no use yelling at me."
"If you're unhappy about it, go talk to Big Brother Lati yourself."
"I'm only passing along the message."
Mad Dog laughed and said mockingly, "Do you dare? You don't have the guts. Just hand over the money obediently."
"Damn it!"
The boy's expression turned ugly.
Seeing that the boy had backed down somewhat, a sinister smile immediately appeared on Mad Dog's face.
"Kid."
"Weren't you acting tough just now?"
"So you're all bark and no bite!"
He looked at the dagger in the boy's hand, his tone turning fierce again. "You dared point a knife at me. That makes me very unhappy."
"I won't hold it against you today."
"But you'd better think about how you're going to