Chapter 399

401. Chapter 395: The Scenery on Three Forked Roads

Martin soon left with Griggs and Abel; he still had to go to other places to conduct this kind of "fundraising" ceremony.

It was unclear if they had gone to find Mr. Qiaobafu; in the eyes of many, he was still an Imperial immigrant of status in New Jincheng.

"I don't quite understand, Lanse."

Aierwen in the room was a bit confused, "What is the point of us giving them money?"

"I mean... how can we be sure that this money will bring us a return?"

"And what good does doing this do for us?"

Lanse explained it simply, "This... what's his name?", he looked at Ma Duoer; he had suddenly forgotten the surname.

Ma Duoer reminded him, "Griffith."

"Yes, Griffith. If this guy can succeed in his revenge, then good, our investment can obtain a multi-fold return!"

"The more intense the war, the greater their demand for the outside world, and we can obtain more exclusive rights from their hands."

"If their journey of revenge is not so smooth, then we will see the results within a year or two."

"Either they are wiped out, or they are forced to leave the Empire."

"This is just a political speculation. The only risk we bear is the possibility of losing a sum of money."

"But once it succeeds, we will obtain things that cannot be measured by money!"

"The capital we invest today will return to our side many times over."

"If he succeeds but does not intend to fulfill these promises to us, it actually doesn't matter. As long as those documents exist, I believe there will always be someone in the Senate interested in such a large benefit!"

He paused, "Alright, this is just a simple little matter. In any case, we still need to continue recruiting personnel, but Ma Duoer...", he looked at the latter, "Do not recruit this type of person. The situation in the country is a bit complex, and I don't really like them."

"Just recruit from the locals, and you all continue to be responsible for training, turning them all into tough guys!"

He did not go too deep into this issue. On one hand, they might not necessarily understand if he went too deep; on the other hand, Lanse had some other ideas.

If Griffith could succeed, then that would be best; he would obtain countless returns.

Even if he failed, it wouldn't matter; he could just sell some of his intelligence directly to the Imperial family at that time.

Presumably, the Imperial family would be very happy to use a sum of money, along with some other things, to trade for news about these rebels who had caused them so much trouble.

This investment would definitely not lose money, just like those special medicines in the warehouse; their prices were still constantly rising.

"This topic ends here...", he paused, "The matters of recruiting personnel, training, and distributing weapons must be kept in mind."

"Soon we will face more challenges and opportunities, and I don't want us to be unprepared to seize them when they appear before us!"

In mid-August, the intense gang war seemed to have temporarily slowed in intensity due to the "fall" of the mayor.

The scorching sun turned the entire city into a giant furnace. In the two hours when the afternoon sun was most fierce, there was hardly anyone on the street.

Most people were either hiding in the shadows or soaking in the seawater.

A large truck wobbled and pulled into the material station in the industrial zone. The driver looked at the young man sitting in the passenger seat, took two dollars out of his pocket, and handed it over, "I hope this can help you."

The apprentice, who had been silent all the way, was stunned. He looked at the two dollars the driver handed over in disbelief, and for a moment, his brain was... unable to think!

He had been released the day before yesterday. Those police officers kicked him in the butt and kicked him out of the prison.

He had thought he would need to stay for a while longer, but the prison side said he had performed well, so he could get out early.

He was even a bit confused because of this!

Life in prison was not too easy; the management of the state prison was relatively strict, but it was fulfilling!

Once a person became fulfilled, they would forget the pain and the past. Now, suddenly being released from that environment, he was suddenly a bit unaccustomed to it.

Then he carried his simple luggage and was dumped on the road leading to the interstate highway.

He wanted to go back and ask how he should get back, but the prison guard standing on the wall held a gun aimed at him, and he finally shut his mouth.

He arrived at the interstate highway, distinguished the direction, and walked along the road toward New Jincheng while trying to see if he could hitch a ride.

In this era when highway killers frequently appeared, those enthusiastic drivers willing to help others were almost all dead.

The remaining ones were all indifferent and heartless.

It wasn't that they wanted to do this; it was that the current terrible situation forced them to do so.

Every year, at least thousands of cases related to interstate highway crimes were constantly happening and breaking records.

Every hour, someone might die on the road because they stopped their car. Even the federal government had warned those drivers not to pick up strangers casually.

There was nothing in the desolate wilderness. Just when he felt he was about to die, a large truck stopped beside him.

"Where are you going?"

The apprentice looked at the driver for a good while before opening his chapped lips and saying, "I'm going to New Jincheng."

His throat was very hoarse, so hoarse that his speaking voice was almost inaudible, but the driver heard it.

The driver sitting in the cab made an "up" gesture to him, signaling him to sit in the passenger seat.

He even felt as if he were hallucinating, until he really got into the car.

After a simple exchange, he obtained some water and food, and then silently accompanied the driver, riding the truck all the way east on the road.

Until this moment, when the city's clamor uncontrollably drilled into his ears and the smell of decay behind the city's prosperity floated in the air, he realized that he had really returned.

"I...", he looked at the driver, a bit choked up. The car had stopped at this time and was queuing up, waiting for workers to come and unload the cargo.

The driver shook his fingers, "Don't make me hold it."

"Thank you!", the apprentice finally kept the two dollars, because he indeed needed it!

"I will pay you back, sir. How can I find you?"

The driver gave him a business card, "I work in these two states. If you have any needs, or just want to chat with me, call this number."

"I might not be able to answer, but I will definitely know that you called me. Just tell them how I can contact you."

He looked the apprentice in the eye, "Before we part, I want to share a story with you. I hope you won't think I'm long-winded."

The apprentice nodded vigorously, "Of course, I'd be happy to share your story!"

The driver lit a cigarette, "When I was nineteen, I had a girlfriend, not my current wife."

＿￠O

"She wanted to buy a ring, but you know, I had no money, so I chose to steal."

"I was clumsy and got caught. To avoid being arrested, I did a stupid thing. I used the stick I was carrying to hit the shopkeeper's head, several times."

"Thank God for not abandoning me; he was seriously injured but didn't die. I was sent to prison."

He smiled and exhaled a puff of smoke, and even coughed twice, "Life inside makes one nostalgic, but it is indeed not a place where anyone should stay."

"After coming out, my girlfriend had already married someone else, my parents had disappeared, my relatives were unwilling to contact me, and no place was willing to take in a criminal released from theft and robbery. The whole world seemed to have abandoned me!"

"At my most confused moment, a person appeared. He helped me get out of the predicament. He made me realize that there is still a ray of sunshine in this world that can shine on me!"

"He is the most important person in my life besides my parents, kid!"

"He opened a new chapter in my life and also gave me a new life!"

As he spoke, he seemed quite emotional and sighed with a bit of regret, "Actually, when I saw you, I knew you must have just come out of the state prison."

"The moment I saw you, I suddenly thought of my former self."

"Someone gave me a chance to embrace this world again, why shouldn't I do the same thing and give you a chance to embrace the world again, and be embraced by this world?"

"I want you to know, don't care about those who don't love you, protect those who care about you, and love yourself!"

He took two packs of cigarettes out of the toolbox, "Adjust your mindset, and then embrace this world and your new life again. Life will always have an exit!"

The apprentice was so moved that he could hardly speak. He pursed his lips, "I will, sir, I will!"

The driver grinned and bumped fists with him, "If you really don't know what to do, call me, and we can run long-distance together!"

"Come on, kid, don't let those people look down on you!"

"I will, sir. After I finish dealing with some things, I will come to find you."

The driver laughed and said, "Don't. I am just the last retreat in your life. You should have your own life!"

"Only when you feel there is no other way to go, come find me. This is a road you can see the end of at a glance, and you are still young!"

The apprentice who left the station was still immersed in being moved. He soon cheered up again, and he decided to live like a real person.

Prison is a place that can make people grow, and he had already grown a lot.

But looking at the familiar yet strange city, he still fell into a brief confusion.

He didn't know where to go. His mother and her new boyfriend had left this city, and he had been completely abandoned.

For some reason, he especially wanted to go to Jonny's bakery to take a look, the place that had changed his life and destiny.

When he arrived here by public transport, he looked at the storefront in disbelief. Not only had the shop name changed, but the operator inside had also changed.

"Jonny?", the salesperson who was packing bread shook his head, "I don't know Jonny, but I know of him. People all say the bread he made was a bit worse than ours!"

The clerk showed a smile, "You should try it. A classic sandwich only costs two cents. Do you want one?"

The apprentice nodded, ordered one, and asked at the same time, "Jonny... where did he go?"

The clerk shook his head, "Not sure, but I heard that after he lost this house, he disappeared in the Imperial District."

"If you want to find him, go ask the few old people over there. They are very well-informed!"

In the corner of the room, several old men wearing duckbill caps were sitting in the corner. On the table in front of them were some chopped-up toasted bread—

It was that kind of ordinary bread, cut into one-centimeter-sized bread cubes, and then put into the oven to be toasted again. All four sides were crispy, and it crunched when eaten, fragrant and crispy.

It could be spread with butter or sprinkled with a little salt; there were many ways to eat it.

After thanking the clerk, he came to the old men's side.

Seeing someone approaching, the few old men immediately stopped talking.

The apprentice looked at one of the old men who clearly had a higher status and asked, "Do you know Jonny?"

The old man frowned and looked at him, "You look very familiar. I can't think of where I've seen you for a moment."

"What is the matter with you looking for Jonny?"

The apprentice actually didn't know why he wanted to see Jonny so much right now. His lips moved, "I... am his friend. I haven't been here for a long time, just discovered that the person here had changed."

The old man nodded and said, "He owed Mr. Lanse a sum of money, and this storefront was mortgaged to Mr. Lanse by him."

"The merciful and tolerant Mr. Lanse waived all his debts. If you want to find him, go to 27 Phoenix Street. He should be around there!"

After the old man finished saying this, he looked at him with an expression of "If you have no other questions, you should leave." He said thank you, carried his luggage, and turned to leave.

27 Phoenix Street was a distance away from here. He decided to go in the afternoon. During the morning and noon, he needed to walk around this area.

He walked around the Imperial District and found that it was very different from the past. And most importantly, he heard too many people talking about Lanse's name.

After asking around, he learned what had happened here after he was sentenced.

Lanse and his group of illegal immigrants from the Empire, who were often looked down upon by him and Jonny, rose rapidly and became a force that could not be ignored.

Now the Lanse family not only controlled the Imperial District but also controlled the Port District.

Honestly, this was very frustrating. Two people from the same bakery, one had just finished serving his sentence and didn't know where his future was, while the other had already become a big shot he had to look up to.

He still felt a bit uncomfortable in his heart, which was normal, because if someone he thought was inferior to him developed better than him, he would feel uncomfortable and feel the injustice of fate.

He ate something casually at noon, and in the afternoon, he took a car to 27 Phoenix Street. He had thought this should be a bakery or something.

But what he didn't expect was that this was actually a large pharmacy.

Jonny, a bread maker, why would he appear here?

Could it be that he had other abilities?

Just when he was still a bit confused about why Jonny would be here, the shop door was suddenly pushed open. A guy was pushed out by two people and thrown to the ground.

That guy looked a bit frightening, especially on his legs, where there were several bloody wounds.

It was as if the skin had fallen off, but strangely, it didn't bleed, just remained bright red.

This person was disheveled, his hair was like it had been wrapped in cheese-added soup, matted together. He scrambled to the feet of one of them, hugging that person's leg, "Please, give me a little more, give me a little more!"

"Just one piece is enough, I will get the money, I promise!"

But what he got in return was only punches and kicks!

The people around seemed to be used to these things. The apprentice just stayed there, looking at the homeless man who was begging to get a little something.

The homeless man seemed to have noticed his gaze and looked at him fiercely.

The two people's gazes met in the air. That familiar or strange appearance could not change their familiarity with each other.

Jonny hurriedly turned his head, trying to cover his face with his tattered clothes, but soon he seemed to think of something, suddenly struggled to stand up, limped to the apprentice, and looked at him with glowing eyes, "Don't you want to learn my technique?"

"I'll teach it to you, I'll teach it all to you. This time I absolutely won't hold anything back!"

"But you must give me a sum of money, five hundred... no, three hundred is enough!"

Seeing the apprentice's indifferent appearance, he began to take the initiative to lower the price.

"Actually, two hundred is fine too."

"One hundred, it can't be any less, just one hundred!"

"Alright, I give up, fifty..."

In the end, he almost knelt at the apprentice's feet, hugging his legs, "Ten cents, just ten cents, for the sake of us knowing each other, please!"

The apprentice took two five-cent coins out of his pocket and threw them on the ground.

Jonny, who had once been high and mighty in his eyes, lay on the ground like a dog, carefully holding the two five-cent coins in his hands, and then ran into the pharmacy limping.

After two minutes, he was pushed out, but his face was full of smiles.

He held two pills in his hand, as if they were the most precious treasures in the world, carefully stuffed them into his mouth, and then swallowed them.

At this very moment, the apprentice felt that his whole person had relaxed.

He seemed to have returned to "normal" as well.

Actually, the painkiller hadn't taken effect yet, but under the psychological comfort, he already felt much better.

"Consider it, twenty dollars, and I'll teach you all my techniques!"

The apprentice looked at him and shook his head slightly, "I plan to drive a big truck. I've figured it out now. Actually, making bread doesn't really suit me, and this isn't the life I want."

Suddenly, there was nothing left to say between the two.

After a while, the apprentice said, "I came here to see you just to say goodbye to the past, but seeing you like this..."

He suddenly smiled, "I don't know why, but I'm suddenly very happy!"

"Jonny, you are like a pile of rotten mud now, and I wish you to keep rotting!"

The motorcade passed by the side of the road. Lanse, sitting in the luxury car, glanced at the two somewhat strange people on the sidewalk.

It was just a casual glance, and he withdrew his gaze. Two unimportant people, a bit familiar, but he had no intention of continuing to search for who they were in his mind.

He knew too many people, and it wasn't necessary to figure out who every person he felt familiar with was.

He picked up the expensive cigar on the ashtray by his side and took a puff, feeling the enjoyment brought by the expensive price.

Sometimes life is very simple, simple to the point of being so plain and unadorned.