Chapter 2880: As long as they

Antonio fully leveraged his status as the underground emperor of New York. Every gang leader he notified came scurrying over, eager and excited.

Yet, no one could have expected that what awaited them in Chinatown was being hog-tied, having their mouths stuffed with stinking rags, and finally being forced to huddle in the corner of the second floor of a roast goose shop alongside the heads and seconds-in-command of various peer organizations.

As more people arrived, Antonio grew increasingly panicked.

Taking advantage of the gap between the last group being brought to the second floor and the next group arriving, he couldn't help but ask Ye Chen pitifully: "Mr. Ye... I've tricked all these gang bosses into going to Syria. I've essentially sold out every gang leader in New York by myself. Once everyone gets to Syria, if they team up to beat me, won't I just die there...?"

Ye Chen smiled and asked him: "Then what do you think should be done?"

Antonio swallowed hard and said cautiously: "Look, I've been so cooperative. Why not just leave me in New York to serve you and that Qiangzai?"

Ye Chen countered: "Are you not afraid of people seeking revenge if you stay in New York? You tricked all these gang bosses into going to Syria; do you think their families won't try to kill you?"

Antonio's mouth twitched, and he asked tentatively: "Mr. Ye, why don't you just let me go back to Sicily..."

Ye Chen patted his shoulder and said indifferently: "That's enough, Antonio. Stop dreaming. Your fine Sicilian men are all over Europe and America, but none of them have gone to Syria to build a career. You might as well represent the people of Sicily and go; consider it bringing glory to them."

"Besides, as for your safety, you don't need to worry. The place you're going might be a bit backward, but it's a place that respects the rule of law. The main point is that whoever hits someone gets hit back, and whoever kills someone pays with their life. Among those people upstairs, if anyone really kills you, my old friend Commander Hamid will definitely avenge you. Unlike New York, where you've killed so many people and New York still lets you run free—if I leave you in New York, you definitely won't live for a week."

Seeing that Ye Chen was as unyielding as a slab of iron and wouldn't give him any leeway, Antonio felt his heart turn to ash.

However, Ye Chen's words did provide a sliver of comfort, however small. It felt like being in prison together; at least there were prison guards and a warden to keep everyone in check, preventing them from being too reckless.

It was just that he had truly offended everyone upstairs to the point of no return. Even if he had the chance to return to New York in the future, he feared there wouldn't be any good days left for him.

The continuous kidnapping lasted until dawn.

The gang leaders who arrived after the Burning Angels didn't even understand what was going on before they were tied up like hairy crabs, their mouths gagged tight. They didn't even have the chance to ask for an explanation, and to this day, they still don't know why the boss they had always trusted—the pride of Sicily, the famous Antonio Zano—would trick them into coming here to be hog-tied.

Ye Chen didn't waste words with them either. When people arrived, he just tied them up and threw them upstairs, having Qiangzai watch them. Anyone who dared to move, struggle, or make an inappropriate sound would get a kettle of boiling water poured into their crotch.

Pouring boiling water into a crotch sounded cruel, but compared to the methods of these gang bosses, it was still far behind.

However, this method was surprisingly effective. With a kettle of boiling water placed in front of them, dozens of cold-blooded gang bosses didn't dare to act out.

By dawn, Wan Pojun arrived in New York in a hurry with over ten Cataclysmic Front soldiers on a Concorde jet.

Wan Pojun didn't know why Ye Chen had suddenly asked him to come to New York, so as soon as he got off the plane, he didn't delay for a second and headed straight for Chinatown.

After Wan Pojun arrived and saw Ye Chen on the first floor, he immediately said respectfully: "Mr. Ye, you were in such a hurry to have your subordinate come over, what are your orders?"

Ye Chen pointed to Antonio on the side and said: "This is the boss of the New York Mafia. Get to know each other. There are many prominent figures from New York gangs upstairs; you should greet them one by one later. These people are base by nature; if I handle them alone, they won't be convinced. It takes someone like you—with fame, background, and a team—to truly suppress them. After dawn, take him and his underlings and leave the United States by boat, then transfer to Syria and hand them directly to Hamid."

Wan Pojun nodded immediately and said: "Understood, Mr. Ye. Do you have anything else to entrust to your subordinate, or anything you want me to convey to Commander Hamid?"

Ye Chen glanced at Antonio and said: "This Antonio is a true fine Sicilian man, except he's missing a leg. Tell Hamid that medical conditions in Syria are limited, so he doesn't need to waste effort treating him. Just find a carpenter to make him a pair of crutches. Hamid is always building fortifications over there and must be short on labor; missing a leg won't stop him from working."

Hearing this, Antonio wished he could die on the spot. Having struggled his whole life, he never imagined he would end up in such a state.

At this moment, Ye Chen had Qiangzai go upstairs to bring Amanramovich down as well.

Amanramovich was a man of the world. The moment he saw Wan Pojun, he recognized him immediately.

At this moment, Amanramovich was naturally shocked beyond measure.

He never expected that Ye Chen could summon Wan Pojun at will. From last night until now, it had only been a few hours. For Wan Pojun to appear in New York in such a short time was simply inconceivable.

Ye Chen had Qiangzai bring Amanramovich before him and instructed Qiangzai to pull the rag out of his mouth.

Amanramovich said respectfully in a hurry: "Mr. Ye... do... do you have any orders for me?"

Ye Chen pointed to Wan Pojun and said indifferently: "Weren't you always curious about the relationship between me and the Cataclysmic Front? Now that the Front Commander is here, let him tell you."

Wan Pojun's expression tightened, fearing that Amanramovich might have said something treasonous. He immediately said: "Mr. Ye, the entire Cataclysmic Front follows your lead. If this person has spoken disrespectfully or slandered the Ye family, please order your subordinate to teach him a lesson!"

Amanramovich was scared out of his wits.

It seemed his guess was indeed correct: it wasn't that the Ye family had been conquered by the Cataclysmic Front, but that Ye Chen had conquered the Cataclysmic Front.

As for Wan Pojun, he was filled with fear and trepidation.

Back at Mount Ye Ling, he had been arrogant and had actually wanted to grind the bones and scatter the ashes of Ye Chen's parents. If it weren't for Ye Chen's magnanimity and mercy, he feared his own deceased parents would have been implicated because of him.

Moreover, he had severed his own meridians that day. If it weren't for Ye Chen's intervention, he would still be a cripple now, let alone breaking through repeatedly to become a Dark Realm expert.

Therefore, every time he thought back to that time, Wan Pojun felt ashamed and overwhelmed.

The key was that Ye Chen was too low-key. Clearly, the Cataclysmic Front had submitted to him, yet he insisted on telling the outside world that the Ye family had exhausted their wealth to beg the Cataclysmic Front for mercy. This made Wan Pojun feel even more fearful; he wished he could tell the whole world that he had lost, but Ye Chen insisted on telling the whole world that he was the winner.

Once Wan Pojun's words were out, Amanramovich was also terrified.

He hurriedly apologized in a panic: "I'm sorry, Mr. Ye. I listened to outside rumors. Please be magnanimous and don't hold it against me..."

Ye Chen smiled: "If I held it against you, I would have long since learned your methods and had Antonio kill you."

As he spoke, Ye Chen looked at Antonio and asked: "Antonio, I'll give you a proposal. If you are willing to kill Amanramovich, I will let you stay in New York and continue to manage the Zano family. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Antonio didn't care whether Ye Chen was serious or not. Without a moment's hesitation, he blurted out: "Mr. Ye! As long as you give me a gun, I'll turn Amanramovich's head into a beehive right now!"

Amanramovich's face turned deathly pale.

He didn't know if Ye Chen truly intended this. After all, he himself had considered borrowing a knife to kill someone a few hours ago, wanting to use Antonio's hand to kill Ye Chen. If Ye Chen also decided to use his own methods against him, he would definitely die at Antonio's hands.

Seeing Amanramovich's fearful expression, Ye Chen smiled and said: "You don't need to be so afraid. I already said I wouldn't hold it against you."

Amanramovich breathed a sigh of relief. At this moment, he no longer cared whether he was going to Syria or Afghanistan; as long as he could stay alive, he was willing to go anywhere.

Ye Chen looked at him and said seriously: "Amanramovich, you are different from the gang bosses upstairs and this Antonio from Sicily. They are all small fry who can't make it to the big stage, but you are a tycoon after all. I imagine you must have been brave and resourceful when you were young, but in the last two years, you've grown old and have been gradually blinded by lust."

Amanramovich lowered his head in shame.

He had long realized that both times he had fallen into Ye Chen's hands, it was because of women.

However, he wasn't truly blinded by lust; it was mainly because, besides women, he had other ideas both times.

He wanted to win the respect he deserved in Western Europe, which was why he wanted to marry Helena. He wanted to gain a firm foothold in New York, which was why he wanted to marry into Antonio's family.

In the end, it was forced by the situation.

It was true that he was a tycoon, but his background was indeed ostracized in Western Europe and North America.

What was the use of just having money? Although he could live in the best house in the UK, even a three-year-old British child dared to insult him on television and tell him to get out of the UK.

Just as he was feeling decadent about his life, Ye Chen spoke again: "Amanramovich, neither Eastern Europe nor Western Europe is suitable for you, and Europe and America are even less suitable. However, you can look for the next direction for your life in Syria. I will have Hamid look after you. If you can gain his appreciation, perhaps you can find a new goal in life in Syria."

In Ye Chen's view, Hamid came from a grassroots background, and so did Amanramovich.

Hamid relied on guns to carve out a world, while Amanramovich relied on his brain to create his own tycoon legend.

If these two could cooperate, they would surely achieve very positive results.

Of course, Amanramovich might look down on Hamid's little patch of land, but he had no other choice right now. Ye Chen would forcibly lower his expectations and make him see Hamid as a new opportunity in life.

It was like finding a partner for a wealthy person with high standards. He wanted someone tall, thin, beautiful, curvy, young, tight, skilled, and pure.

But that didn't matter to Ye Chen. He would use his methods to compress the wealthy person's requirements from a long list of nonsense into just one: as long as they're alive.