Tinderbox

Bagana slung an arm around Pero's shoulder and laughed, "Old friend, with our two gangs making a move on the Dark Sea Throne, can he really turn the tables? When the time comes, you can pick through the Dark Sea Throne's warehouse first. How about that, am I being generous enough?"

Pero chuckled inwardly, "When I get the map to the World Rune and find it, the whole of Bilgewater will be mine!"

The power of World Runes was immense, but no one could fully master their strength, Ryze included. The power of World Runes was vast and chaotic, easily igniting the evil and ** deep within the controller's heart. Runeterra had already paid a heavy price for this.

Pero smiled, "Bagana, with your words, I'm reassured. This will surely be a glorious victory."

Watching the two with arms slung over each other's shoulders, acting like brothers who shared everything, one might not guess that Bagana, though appearing to be a brute, was actually quite cunning. Otherwise, Bagana wouldn't have been able to secure the position of leader of the Iron Hook Gang. This position wasn't something anyone could hold onto easily. Even Pero had to be cautious when dealing with him, lest a single misstep lead him into Bagana's trap.

Pero and Bagana feasted and drank. Bagana said, "I heard the Dark Sea Throne's headquarters is in the old Iron Anchor Gang headquarters in the slums. The terrain of the Iron Anchor Gang's headquarters isn't easy to attack, not to mention their firepower is stronger than ours."

Pero laughed, "That's not necessarily true. We can have people disguise themselves as slum dwellers to collect porridge. Ever since the Dark Sea Throne occupied the slums, they've been distributing food daily. This is an opportunity for us. We'll have those people carry small explosive barrels. Once they get there, they'll detonate them immediately, and we can break through and take them down in one fell swoop!"

Bagana took a hearty bite of the steak on his plate and said, "What if that person is discovered?"

Pero took a sip of wine and said, "If that doesn't work, we'll launch a frontal assault. We'll use our numbers to suppress them. We have the advantage in numbers. After a round of artillery bombardment, I don't believe they can hold on!"

Bagana chuckled, "My dear brother, that would be fine, but you have to consider the cost of the shells. A single shell isn't cheap right now. Even if you bring out all your inventory, it won't be enough for a few rounds. We should adopt a more stable approach."

Pero frowned, "What approach?"

Bagana pulled out a bomb and said, "This is a bomb from Zaun. It's powerful. With this, our chances of winning will greatly increase, and its price is within our reach."

Pero laughed, "There's such a thing? Then let's use this. How many bombs do you have?"

Bagana smiled, "Not too many, not too few. Ten boxes in total."

Pero cursed, "Bastard, just tell me the price."

Bagana held up one finger and said, "One Gold Coin each. This is already a friend's price."

Pero laughed, "Deal!"

Bagana chuckled, "I've tested this bomb, and the effect is excellent. I estimate the Dark Sea Throne's bombs are an evolved version of this. With this in hand, we have nothing to fear."

Pero raised his glass, "Cheers, to victory!"

Pero and Bagana drank for a while before returning to the Red Hat headquarters. Back at the headquarters, Pero took the bomb sample given by Bagana to the testing grounds. Pero had his subordinates set up several human-shaped targets. After lighting the fuse of the bomb, Pero threw it into the center of the targets. An explosion accompanied by black smoke erupted. Pero clearly saw that all the targets were blown to smithereens. Pero laughed, "This time, our weapons are on the same level. How dare they offend the majesty of the Red Hat! This time, I'll make them taste defeat!"

A member of the Red Hat gang came over and said, "Boss, did you get weapons from the Dark Sea Throne?"

Pero laughed, "Although this is less powerful than theirs, this thing is cheaper than theirs. They can't withstand our attrition. These weapons are from Zaun. Their bombs should be produced in Piltover, and their price will definitely be more expensive than ours. The chances of us winning this battle are very high!"

Pero gave the order, "Notify everyone to assemble and prepare for battle tomorrow! Relax tonight! Tomorrow, be sharp. If anyone doesn't act decisively tomorrow, they won't get to enjoy the next time."

In Bilgewater, the night before any gang war, the gang members are allowed to relax. In other words, it's a bribe. If you enjoy yourself enough, you'd better complete the task assigned to you flawlessly.

Pero returned to his office, and the head of the intelligence department came in, saying, "The Dark Sea Throne has already set up their positions. They have established firing points at street corners and on rooftops. This attack may come at a greater cost than we anticipate."

Pero tapped the table and asked the finance department with a frown, "How's the cash flow on the finance side?"

The finance manager said, "Currently, the funds are quite ample. After deducting the repair costs, we still have tens of thousands of Gold Coins in liquid assets."

Pero nodded. "The bombs tested just now were bought from the Iron Hook Gang for one Gold Coin each. Ten boxes were purchased. Make a note of it. This Dark Sea Throne incident must lead to a severe crackdown in the future. Otherwise, how can we establish ourselves in Bilgewater? It seems they've forgotten how the Red Hat got its name after so long!"

In the slums, Jiang Chuan was teaching the children, starting with basic writing. These children would be of great help in the future. Bilgewater would eventually have its own academies to educate people, instead of being a gathering place for criminals that oppressed the weak. Everyone would join the tide of the Industrial Revolution, and everyone would be able to walk tall on this land! This was part of Jiang Chuan's plan.

Kendi entered and said to Jiang Chuan, "President, our people just saw Pero returning from the Iron Hook Gang. This time, we've angered the Red Hat. I estimate they'll join forces with the Iron Hook Gang to deal with us."

Jiang Chuan announced the end of class. The children returned to their dorms to play or consolidate their knowledge. Some of the older ones trained with the First Army.

Jiang Chuan said, "How is the deployment of traps and positions on the streets coming along?"

Kendi said, "President, the traps and positions have all been set up. Currently, except for the eight squads you arranged earlier, everyone else is in position waiting for orders."

Jiang Chuan smiled. "Gather those people with shovels and follow me."

There were a total of four streets around the camp. Jiang Chuan decided to build bunkers on all four streets. The rooftops of each street would have three positions, with one squad per position. Two bunkers would be set up at the street exits, with one squad in each bunker. This would ensure crossfire coverage from the air and ground. Additionally, there were already Grenade traps laid out in the streets. This time, Jiang Chuan did not use the previous deployment method. Instead, the trigger wires were placed inside the bunkers. Once someone reached the designated spot, the people in the bunkers would pull the ring through the silver wire. Pero had already suffered from the trigger traps last time and was now wary. He would definitely send cannon fodder to walk in front, with the main firepower behind the main force. Therefore, Jiang Chuan decided to do something different this time.

Jiang Chuan said to Kendi, "Distribute all our existing ammunition equally among all positions. Don't leave a single Bullet behind. Also, notify the island to speed up production and recruit more personnel. You handle this. I'll handle the battlefield command, and you'll be responsible for transporting supplies."

Kendi said seriously, "Yes, President. I'll go prepare now."

After Kendi left, Jiang Chuan said, "Now, you all take shovels and dig pits. The pits should be as deep as your necks. After digging, use bags to fill with soil and pile them around the pits. Make sure to camouflage them well, otherwise, they won't be effective. You all know the communication codes for battle, right? Communicate through the codes then. Once the enemy enters a hundred meters within shooting range, open fire."

"Yes!"

The squads began setting up bunkers on the streets, preparing to welcome tomorrow's battle...