1565. Trouble's Come Knocking
Li Bai didn't believe a single word of Casey Balcom's so-called pledge of loyalty. What he wanted was someone who could get things done; everything else was blatant exploitation.
Both sides probably knew that perfectly well. They were just pretending to keep up appearances.
Sometimes you had to deceive yourself to get things done.
Wrapped in a huge blanket, the chubby white man trotted off to find the remaining corporate police and persuade them to lay down their arms and surrender.
Herding one flock of sheep was no different from herding another.
The holdouts were still armed, which made them a threat.
Unfortunately, the stragglers refused to admit defeat. Instead, they withdrew out of sight and huddled together, then gave Casey Balcom—the turncoat sent to negotiate—a thorough beating.
Li Bai could hear the chubby man's pig-like howls and pleas for mercy from far away. Then they detained him.
The persuasion plan had failed, and he'd lost a freshly minted lapdog in the process. It might have seemed like a bad deal, but it had revealed something.
There were still people among the scattered stragglers with enough clout to command respect. They'd rallied the others immediately, so Casey Balcom hadn't managed to persuade them.
Li Bai didn't put any more pressure on them. Aside from having the big shots of Three Rivers Pavilion keep watch on the group, he did nothing.
For the crafty chubby man, getting beaten and detained might not have been a bad thing. If he kept following Li Bai and his own boss started settling accounts afterward, he'd be in deep trouble. Taking a beating like this might even lessen his blame.
After all, a company that could afford its own private police was no pushover.
Two hours later, three helicopters came in