Chapter 415

417. Chapter 411: One Hundred Thousand Schemes and Bankruptcy

Hearing Lanse's words, asking him to take out those smugglers, the expression on his face changed slightly.

He then looked down at the small card in his hand again and said, "I don't lay a hand on innocent people."

Although he engaged in black-on-black dealings, he never considered himself an evil person.

Those bootleggers deserved to go to hell, but the alcohol was innocent, and he agreed with the view of most people that prohibition was a stupid decision.

He sold the alcohol to Lanse; it had nothing directly to do with whether he was a good person or a bad person. He remained the guardian of the people, the security of the coast.

But if he were to take action against innocent ordinary people, then he truly wouldn't be a good person anymore, and he didn't want to become a bad person.

That would make it impossible for him to face his family, to face his children.

In fact, everyone has some inexplicable line of persistence. Even if someone is a "glue-addict" who can't keep their hands off the glue every day, and can happily "glue" with any source of information, they might still have some bottom line—not watching certain types of films, or not laying a hand on certain types of actresses.

To others, this kind of bottom line or reservation is as stupid as shitting in one's pants, yet there are always people who have such persistence.

Lanse had his persistence, and Maikeke had his.

"Those are not innocent people!" Lanse explained. "They are all gunmen coming here from Xiang Yalan. Their arrival will only bring harm and disaster. Leaving them in the sea forever is the most correct course of action."

"Once these people arrive in Jingang, they will be thrown into gang wars. They are not locals, they have no love for this place, and no one can restrain them."

"They will bring pain to the people living here and bring destruction to social stability, so you don't need to have any psychological burden at all—just take them out directly."

Maikeke was still somewhat hesitant. "Can I know whose people these are?"

"Rick's people."

Upon hearing this name, the image of a person appeared in Maikeke's mind. He looked at Lanse, his eyes showing some shock. "You want to take action against his people?"

"You're crazy, those are the Five Great Families!"

Lanse wore a half-smiling expression. He gave Maikeke a cigarette. "Who decreed that one cannot take action against the Five Great Families?"

He lit his own cigarette, took a puff, and exhaled the smoke toward Maikeke.

This gesture was actually not very friendly. Maikeke frowned and leaned back against the chair. "If they find out it was us, we will also be sunk into Angel Lake by them."

Lanse shook his head slightly. "Before the Five Great Families became the Five Great Families, they were also ordinary gangs. Have you ever feared them this much?"

"Even if they are the Five Great Families, they are no different from us. If you fire a shot at them, they will also get hurt, and they will also die."

"Besides, the Casia family is in trouble right now; they are being targeted."

Maikeke looked at Lanse, as if trying to dig something out from beneath his surface.

After two or three seconds, he lit the cigarette he was holding in his mouth, and as he raised his head, he asked, "Including you?"

"Including me."

Maikeke considered it for a while before agreeing. "If they really are gunmen, then I'll do this job."

Lanse took out a kraft paper bag and handed it to him. "There are five thousand in here; you and your friends can split it."

Lanse didn't care how much of this money would be split; it would even be better if he didn't share the money with his subordinates.

Touching the kraft paper bag, the heavy feeling gave Maikeke a sense of satisfaction that he couldn't quite describe.

He always felt that he might have a problem.

He hadn't really spent much of that money; most of what he spent now was his savings, which he had earned through hard work.

He hadn't dared to spend money freely before, but now he dared to, and life had taken on a different look.

Even though he hadn't really touched that money much, for some reason, his attitude toward life and his family's attitude toward life had changed.

This also made him clearly realize one thing: money is truly important!

He said "Thank you" and took the kraft paper package in his hand. "Wait for my good news..."

At this same time, in the Keda family manor, Rick and Bandi sat together, with Gao Li, Fleming, and Shi Dong also nearby.

"I've talked to Feijiaer; he is willing to remain neutral, but his condition is that the Pasiletuo family's territory in the Starlight District be handed over to him."

The Starlight District is not a region that can be dominated by any single force, also because there is too much wealth here—so much that it would be difficult for any one family to swallow it all alone.

Therefore, the Five Great Families all have their own territory in the Starlight District. They consume the best resources here and leave some ordinary, less desirable ones for other nearby gangs to divide, collectively forming the underground order of the Starlight District.

Feijiaer had his eye on the Pasiletuo family's territory: two blocks, with an opera house, two cinemas, bars, dance halls, and nightclubs—all included.

Taking over this territory would allow him to merge it with his own, turning it into a much larger territory, which would also facilitate his management and operation of these places.

Rick's expression was somewhat gloomy. "He thinks quite highly of himself. Why should he get half the benefits without doing anything?"

"If he doesn't put in any effort in this matter, I'd find even giving him one bar to be too much."

Bandi held a teacup, finely tasting the high-quality black tea from the Laise Islands, which had a little bit of other spices added for fragrance.

The taste of the black tea was also quite good; of course, the price was definitely not cheap—at over a hundred dollars a pound, it was basically at the ceiling.

He pondered the aftertaste, placed the teacup back on the saucer, and said meaningfully, "If the Pasiletuo and Tita families are both finished, there will only be three of the Five Great Families left."

He looked at Rick, and the two stared at each other, their eyes exchanging some communication and hints.

Rick's gaze began to change quickly; he seemed to have pondered some of the implications in Bandi's words. "Feijiaer and the Bear Gang's battle left both sides injured; their strength has also been severely damaged."

Bandi nodded. "Yes, that is one of the reasons they are remaining neutral."

"Then if we...", he tentatively looked at Bandi, but Bandi looked away, revealing a meaningful smile.

This smile made him realize that what he was thinking was also what Bandi was thinking.

However, neither of them said it out loud.

Take out the Jien family, and then they would divide up the entire Jingang City!

Rick was no fool; a fool couldn't reach the position of leader of one of the Five Great Families. The Casia family and the Keda family could coexist, or rather, the Keda family could coexist with any family, gang, or other organization.

Because their profit model was relatively singular, everything revolved around casinos.

They had always used various forms of interest transfer to prevent the state government from continuing to approve new casino licenses, achieving a monopoly in this industry, and the resulting profits were naturally enormous.

Enormous to the point where they didn't even need to think about expanding family business!

When your business brings in money far exceeding what other businesses can earn, you are less likely to want to take risks to do other businesses.

The rest, naturally, was all his.

Both sides had already reached a consensus on this matter. Bandi exhaled a puff of smoke. "I heard that Lanse has also joined their little alliance."

"Lanse?", Rick was stunned after hearing this, and then a look of contempt appeared on his face. "Have they already fallen to the point of colluding with such a small gang?"

"It's truly disappointing!"

At the same time, he was also curious about the source of Bandi's information. "Who did you hear that from?"

Gao Li, who was on the side, said, "The source of the information is definitely not a problem; it was revealed by Salifu himself."

"And you shouldn't underestimate Lanse and his Lanse family. They have already firmly controlled two districts. According to some intelligence I've gathered, the number of core members of the Lanse family has already exceeded five hundred."

Hearing this number, Rick was also a bit surprised. "So many people?"

His expression gradually became solemn. "Then this is indeed a formidable opponent."

"It has been a long time since such a formidable gang has appeared in Jingang City. We cannot let him continue to expand; this time, we will deal with them together."

In every district of Jingang City, there are actually two or three large gangs, and then there are some small gangs and small groups underneath.

It looks like this is actually not very reasonable, but it is also very reasonable, because the underground world of the entire Jingang City is also pyramid-shaped.

In every administrative district, they have stuffed in multiple gangs, which crowds out the space for development.

If a gang wants to continue to expand, they must launch a war against other gangs, and at this time, someone from the Five Great Families will stand up to mediate, always controlling the situation so it doesn't deviate from development, and not letting Jingang City see another powerful gang appear.

What the Five Great Families need is stability, not the creation of new challengers.

But this period of time has indeed been too chaotic, and the chaos in various aspects has caused them not to notice the silent and rapid expansion of the Lanse family. By the time they discovered it, it had already expanded to a magnitude that was daunting.

If it continues to expand, he might threaten the rule of the Five Great Families.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons why Salifu took the initiative to reveal to the outside that the Lanse family would be with them to deal with the Casia family.

It both reminded everyone that a new challenger had already appeared, and at the same time, it could let the Lanse family attract some of the firepower for them.

Salifu's purpose was not pure.

"It's not surprising that he can do this!", Bandi also commented on the side. "In case they win, given the Lanse family's current strength and his relationship with Alberto, they will definitely stick together."

"By that time, Salifu and the others would instead become the weakest party, so the purpose of dragging the Lanse family into the water and putting them in the spotlight is just that."

Rick nodded. "Then what should we do first?"

Bandi took a puff of smoke elegantly. "First, solve Salifu. If the Pasiletuo family's internal problems aren't solved, Alberto won't be able to spare his hands to deal with us. If he doesn't move, Lanse will very likely not move either, and I will also go talk to them."

"There is nothing in this world that cannot be solved; it's just a matter of whether they accept our offer, nothing more!"

Rick did not refuse this decision. "I will start making arrangements."

"When do you plan to take action?"

He raised his wrist to look at his watch; there was a calendar on the watch. "At most one week. After the gunmen arrive, they will still need to get familiar with things. This time, I'll strive to take him down directly..."

Bandi also nodded and said, "That's perfect. I'll see if I can get Alberto and Lanse to change their stance. If we can avoid taking action, we should try not to. After all, for this city, stability is the most important thing."

In a chaotic city with rampant shootouts, the Keda family's revenue has plummeted over these two months, to the point where some of the old masters are already dissatisfied with the current situation.

After ending the conversation, Bandi had Fleming send Rick away. He stood behind the window on the third floor, watching Rick's motorcade leave from outside the manor.

Gao Li, who was standing behind him, asked, "Are we really going to split Jingang City equally with him?"

There was some worry in his words. A smile that wasn't very warm appeared on Bandi's face. "With him?"

"Is he worthy?"

He sneered. "A nouveau riche mutt from Xiang Yalan, thinking he wants to be on equal footing with us—is he worthy?"

"After he finishes off those people, then send him away."

With Rick's trust in them, being able to be in the same room with them alone—taking care of Rick would be very simple for them.

They wouldn't even need to arrange any special means; just find a reason to have him come over and then take him out.

Although the Keda family has been "whitewashed" a lot over these years, they are ultimately an organization with a gang background. As long as there is a need, they will kill just the same, and they can kill without blinking an eye.

"This chaos has also made me understand a truth: Jingang City doesn't need so many powerful families. Having us one is enough!"

In Bandi's plan, the future Jingang City will be full of small gangs, with only their family at the top of the pyramid.

No matter who is mayor, no matter who wants to create some miracles, they won't be able to bypass them.

They will hold true control over the underground world of this city and use this to influence the world under the sun.

A smile rose at the corner of his mouth. The good days of "I alone am supreme" are coming!

For the past two days, it has been raining in Jingang City; it might be because it's approaching the time for the seasonal change, and cold air is beginning to form and flow.

In this world without a greenhouse effect, winter at the poles comes very early.

Cold air constantly moves south and north, eventually forming storms that sweep through coastal cities.

Continuous overcast and rainy days are the most uncomfortable weather; the air is damp, and people feel as if they are damp too.

If not necessary, people are not very willing to leave their homes for the streets; regardless of whether they are holding umbrellas or wearing rubber boots, they will eventually end up in a sorry state.

But at this moment, outside the Jin Da Bank, the large crowd of people queuing to withdraw money has not decreased; instead, it is growing larger.

They are in a slow, long line, shuffling forward bit by bit.

Inside the bank, Mr. Qiaobafu's eyes are bloodshot; he hasn't slept well for two days.

Mostly, he is so tired he can't go on, so he dozes off for a while, and then starts working again.

He puts down the phone in his hand with some decadence; another bank has refused his loan. He pulls his hair in pain—he is finished!

He has already tried his best. Perhaps he really should have listened to Lanse earlier, transferred some money out, and filed for bankruptcy.

But how could he be willing?

After all, this is the career he has struggled for his whole life!

He is in the midst of pain when someone knocks on the door. He quickly organizes his attire and appearance, trying to make himself look not so broken.

"Come in."

The door opens, and the supervisor stands at the entrance with an anxious expression. "Mr. Qiaobafu, we don't have that much money left. If we can't replenish some, we might not even be able to last until we get off work today."

In fact, these staff members at Jin Da Bank also know very well that the bank truly has no money left; otherwise, it would be impossible for Mr. Qiaobafu to scrape together money bit by bit to give them.

Back when the bank wasn't short of money, he only needed to push a small cart to the vault once to be able to take out a lot of money.

But at that time, there was no bank run, and everyone would deposit money.

But now, it's different.

They suspect that there has long been no money in the vault, and perhaps not even anything else, because an employee saw Mr. Qiaobafu struggling to push a cart to the garage in the back two days ago.

Then they heard the sound of metal colliding. If nothing unexpected happened, he should have taken away the last of the gold.

Then, not long after, he returned with a batch of money, but this batch of money didn't last very long, and now it's about to be gone again.

How much more money can he take out?

No one knows.

For the sake of the work Mr. Qiaobafu has given them for so long, they are still persisting, standing their last watch.

"I... understand."

"Leave me alone for a while; let me think of a way."

The supervisor sighed softly, closed the door, and left.

Mr. Qiaobafu sat blankly in his chair, his mind a complete void.

He didn't know how much time had passed when a thunderclap startled him out of that environment of not thinking about anything. The faint sound of arguing coming to his ears made him stand up and walk to the window.

The depositors downstairs were no longer queuing; the security guards were maintaining order, but more and more depositors began to storm the bank. He realized that the money was gone.

Sure enough, the supervisor ran in with a panicked expression. "Mr. Qiaobafu, the money has been withdrawn; we can no longer take out any more money."

He let his gaze linger on the supervisor for a good while before raising his hand to signal. "Tell everyone to protect their own safety."

He paused. "I'll go down in a moment."

The supervisor returned outside; perhaps it was Mr. Qiaobafu's intention to come out that made the people quiet down for a moment.

Seven or eight minutes later, amidst the discussion, Mr. Qiaobafu appeared before the people.

He walked outside the door; the sky was becoming increasingly gloomy, and the rain had become even more violent!

He was soon soaked through by the pattering raindrops.

"I... I'm sorry, everyone!"