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In the office upstairs at Empire’s Night nightclub, Heller sat in his favorite chair.
But today, this chair, which could envelop him and give him the sense of security of being back in his mother’s womb, didn’t bring him much enjoyment.
Even his favored tea-colored glasses had been removed and placed on the table.
The room was still filled with smoke, and the cadres were all looking at him. He pinched the bridge of his nose, his expression looking rather unwell.
The accountant was calculating some numbers nearby. After about two minutes, the accountant handed him a card with the final figures recorded on it.
He glanced at it, expressionless.
“How was this number calculated?” he asked the accountant, his gaze somewhat fierce. If the accountant couldn’t explain the reasoning, he wouldn’t mind making the accountant bleed a little before the war began.
The accountant handed over a large sheet of paper. His fierce gaze lingered on the accountant for a moment before shifting to the paper.
If they were to go to full-scale war, they would need to prepare at least two hundred handguns, along with matching magazines and bullets.
This would cost approximately ten thousand dollars.
The Federation wasn’t some small region where gang conflicts were like child’s play, still fighting with cold weapons.
In another city, the big shots there were already fighting in armored cars. The fact that no similar situation had appeared in Golden Port yet could only mean that the five major families had great deterrent power!
General criminal organizations rarely dared to initiate large-scale battles here easily. The five major families would not allow them to easily disrupt the prosperity of Golden Port.
Then there were submachine guns, twenty of them needed here, plus magazines, approximately thirteen thousand five hundred dollars.
That alone was already over twenty thousand.
This list also included some bulletproof vests. The outcome of Will and Liam, riddled with bullets, made Heller somewhat fearful. He didn’t want to end up like them, with his stomach also full of “seeds.”
Bulletproof vests were not only expensive in the Federation, but also very difficult to buy, so each piece was very costly. They quoted two hundred dollars per piece, and every senior cadre and Heller bought one.
The total cost had already reached twenty-five thousand.
Then there were the mobilization costs. The Camille gang was not like the Summurian, unified, family-structured criminal families, where everyone was as close as family.
This was a low-level criminal organization that engaged in the worst crimes for profit.
It was unrealistic to tell those people to fight for ideals or the glory of the gang.
Money was the nuclear power that could stimulate them to move forward!
These would cost approximately seventy thousand dollars. Some additional funds were allocated to these senior cadres, as they might temporarily need some money for unplanned activities.
That was already ninety-five thousand dollars.
Then there was the money to deal with some important figures. A full-scale gang war would certainly involve continuous firefights, and even if it didn’t last long, it would have a significant negative impact on public order.
If they didn’t spend money to appease those important figures, even if they won, they would eventually be dispersed by law enforcement agencies and ultimately be finished.
He didn’t list detailed names here, but there was a list and the approximate fees required.
Calculated, it would cost about sixty thousand, a hundred and fifty-five thousand.
Then, considering that some people would definitely die, even if he wouldn’t actually pay them in the end, he still had to be prepared.
Prepare thirty thousand dollars for pensions…
Then there were some other expenses and conservatively estimated losses. Looking at the figure of two hundred and twenty thousand, Heller felt his teeth ache.
Afterward, the five major families would definitely come looking for trouble, and he would have to spend a sum of money or concede a portion of his interests. Starting a large-scale war was truly not a good option.
But now… he lit a cigarette and walked to the window, looking down. Empire’s Night nightclub was temporarily closed today.
The street outside the nightclub was packed with cars and at least two hundred people. They were all waiting for Heller’s command, a notification.
At this point, he couldn’t stop even if he wanted to.
If the first time, Will was taken out, he could say it was a conflict between Will and the Lance Family, because his brother Kent was killed, so they had a conflict and attacked each other, unrelated to the gang, and that would be understandable.
Now Liam was also dead. Regardless of why or how he died, if he, the big boss, didn’t make any statement, how would these senior cadres, those gang members, view him?
Would they have any inappropriate thoughts?
The Camille gang, which used high pressure and fear as a means of rule, was actually quite fragile in some aspects.
“This damned Lance Family, why can’t they just… be weaker?”
“Why do they have to resist?”
He mumbled to himself, smoked for a while, then returned to the desk.
A senior cadre stood up. “Heller, what are we doing? Don’t keep dragging us along; everyone’s watching you.”
“Are we going to war with them, or are we letting it go? You need a plan and a result…”
Another senior cadre suddenly stood up. “We can’t let it go!”
“If we don’t go to war with them this time, how will the Imperial people in the Empire District view us?”
“They will struggle, they will resist, and they might even bite us back.”
“We cannot give them this opportunity. We must use the blood of that Lance Family to tell people that the Empire District is still ours.”
“Otherwise, more people will stand up and try to challenge us!”
This was one of the reasons there was no turning back. You ruled this area with fear. When people realized that you, too, could experience fear, they would suddenly no longer be afraid!
Heller finally made up his mind and glanced at his confidant. “Go get two hundred thousand.”
“Cash?”
Heller glared at him. “Am I going to write you a check?”
The confidant grinned and left.
Heller had earned a lot of money over the years. A large portion of this money, after being laundered through underground banks, was used to purchase real estate and bonds under another identity. This was his fallback plan.
If one day, he could no longer work in this industry, he would retire.
His remaining identity would allow him to live well here without worrying about any other issues.
But not all the money was laundered. The fees charged by those underground banks were heartbreakingly expensive, so a good amount of money was still kept in safes.
And this was why many criminal group leaders, when caught, had large amounts of cash found in their residences!
Some banknotes even molded and rotted, but they didn’t care, because besides keeping them at home, they didn’t know where else to put them.
He returned to his desk, sat down, and put his tea-colored glasses back on. The two senior cadres who had been arguing also fell silent.
Just then, someone knocked on the door. A gang member stood at the entrance, looking at these big figures in the gang with a timid expression. “Several police cars have arrived. Their leader wants to see you, Boss.”
Heller frowned, then stood up. “Let’s see what they want to do.”
The senior cadres all stood up and followed him downstairs.
At this time, the atmosphere downstairs was already a bit tense. The lower-ranking members were confronting the small number of police officers. When Heller reached the front, he found that the Assistant Chief of the Empire District sub-bureau had also arrived.
“What do you want, Heller?”
“Alarm calls have flooded the police station’s switchboard. Everyone’s complaining that a large number of gang members are gathered here. Are you planning to break our rules?”
Heller showed no concession when facing the Assistant Chief. With so many people watching, he had to display his tough side.
Gang members admired stronger individuals, not timid ones. As the leader of the Camille gang, he had to appear strong enough.
He walked up to the Assistant Chief. The distance between them was less than fifty centimeters. “You ask me what?”
“My family lost another member today. Liam was taken out in front of his club, but what are you doing?”
“You’re actually ignoring the killer and coming to my territory to ask me what I want to do?”
“What do I want to do?”
“I want to avenge my own family!”
These words seemed to ignite a certain emotion in the crowd. The gang members waved their arms, shouting “Revenge!”
The Assistant Chief couldn’t articulate concise phrases like “lawless,” he just looked at Heller sternly. “I will be watching you here. If you dare to cause trouble, I’ll send you all in directly.”
Heller looked at him, shook his head, and stepped back a few paces. Seeing the other party about to leave, the Assistant Chief took two steps to follow but was blocked by gang members…
Back in the office, two hundred thousand in cash was laid out on the table. Even for him, seeing so much cash piled up made his heart race a bit.
“Now I’ll distribute the money…”
Someone asked, “What about the police outside?”
Heller didn’t even look up. “Find something to distract them. The Empire District sub-bureau only has so many police officers; it’s impossible for all of them to watch us…”
He stacked several wads of money together and looked at one person. “This is yours…”
Meanwhile, Lance on the other side was also questioned by the police, with questions such as “Where were you today?”, “Have you seen anyone?”, “Who can vouch for you?”.
Because Lance had done more preparation, the police didn’t elicit anything valuable.
They first wanted to search Lance’s company, but since they didn’t have a search warrant, they could only question him at the door, and this was even with Lance’s voluntary cooperation.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t even have to answer and could just go back into his room.
Today, witnesses could confirm he was there and didn’t go anywhere. The police’s questioning, in fact, was merely a warning, a deterrent.
Without concrete evidence—even if they found evidence to indict Hiram, whether Hiram would “confess” that Lance was the mastermind was another matter entirely.
So, from the beginning, these police officers knew that this matter would not yield any results and had no practical significance in the case.
They did this merely as a warning and deterrent from law enforcement agencies.
In the evening, some “blue shirts” came here intermittently. They had heard something. Seeing the increasing crowd, the police also had a headache and called for backup.
The situations on both sides were immediately relayed to the City Police Department. This was a rare occasion for Chief Charlie to work overtime.
Since he had grown older, he rarely worked late, mainly because his body couldn’t handle it.
One all-nighter would take him several days, or even two weeks, to recover. He was no longer young and planned to live a few more years.
But what happened today was so serious that he had to work overtime here.
“…Keep watching them. Don’t let them make any further moves. Report any problems to me anytime, anywhere.”
He hung up the phone and rubbed his temples. He had just taken some blood pressure medication, but the effect wasn’t too good.
His temples were still throbbing and swollen, and he had a faint headache.
Hunter had told him in the afternoon about some of his findings. Liam’s death was most likely Lance’s doing. As for why he wasn’t sure, it might have been an escalation of conflict.
When Heller hadn’t yet gathered his men, Chief Charlie had everything under control.
But as darkness began to fall and the Camille gang started gathering, he realized that events were heading in the direction he least wanted.
The entire nation was focused on Prohibition, and Golden Port, as an important port city and an economic barometer, with its relatively complex social situation, also drew many people’s attention.
If a large-scale gang shootout were to break out at this time, the mayor would certainly be fine, but he, the police chief, would definitely be finished.
So, it had to be controlled!
The banging on the door diverted some of his attention. His temples felt less swollen. “Come in.”
The Assistant Chief walked in, closed the door behind him, and then sat opposite him.
He glanced at the glass bottle of pills on the desk and said, without surprise, “High blood pressure again?”
Charlie nodded, pulled out two cigarettes from his pack, and lit one for him. “It’s impossible not to rise, these people are too troublesome.”
The Assistant Chief lit his cigarette and took a puff. “Indeed, it’s very troublesome. I just received some information from my informants. Heller and his people are indeed going to cause trouble for Lance Family.”
Chief Charlie didn’t speak. It wasn’t as if he didn’t have informants; he knew this, which was why it was causing a headache now.
“Dragging it on indefinitely isn’t a solution either,” the Assistant Chief added.
This sentence was very peculiar, giving a very special feeling. Chief Charlie looked up at him. Just as he was about to flick his cigarette ash, he found the ashtray was already full.
He put the cigarette butts and ash from the ashtray into the trash can, then walked back, sat down, and asked, “What do you mean?”
The Assistant Chief raised an eyebrow. “Alarm calls are surging in the Empire District. Some people are reporting forced entry, some are reporting arson…”
“They’re stretching police resources. I’ll transfer some from the Priliccia Precinct,” Chief Charlie said, picking up the phone.
The Priliccia Precinct was to the east of the Empire District and west of the Bay Area, with a shared border point among the three districts.
Transferring police from here would be faster.
As for why not transfer from the city center, it was because no one wanted anything unexpected to happen in the city center.
If some case were to occur in the city center due to police reallocation, Chief Charlie would be held responsible.
Just as he was about to finish dialing the Priliccia Precinct’s phone number, the Assistant Chief said, “Can you keep them from fighting indefinitely?”
Chief Charlie, who was turning the dial on the phone, suddenly stopped his action and said the same line as before, “What do you mean?”
The Assistant Chief didn’t answer immediately; instead, he took a long drag from his cigarette. “Lance’s core members, I heard, are only thirty-odd people, but the Camille gang has three hundred.”
“Even if you transfer two hundred, three hundred police officers there, according to standard response rules, a single armed home invasion can tie up at least six police officers and three police cars.”
“If you add some false alarms, it’s meaningless to transfer more people, and you can’t even transfer that many people!”
The number of police officers on night duty at the Federal Police Department was not large. Currently, the Empire District police sub-bureau had approximately fewer than sixty officers on duty.
Even if they transferred from other districts, they could at most transfer around a hundred people, which wouldn’t resolve the specific situation.
Chief Charlie put the receiver back. “So, what exactly do you mean?”
The Assistant Chief hesitated for a while, then quietly said, “We’ll block off the streets and let them fight it out within a controllable area. Regardless of the outcome, this matter ends here.”
“It’s already completely dark now, so there won’t be too many witnesses, and no ordinary citizens will get hurt.”
“After the shootout ends, we’ll arrest some people. This will give an explanation to the public and the media, and the matter will pass.”
“If anyone makes a move after this incident, they will be the enemy of all police officers in Golden Port.”
“But most likely, there won’t be a next time!”
Chief Charlie wasn’t as angry or displeased as one might have imagined. “How much money did the Camille people give you?”
Without a doubt, three hundred against thirty. The person who could come up with such an idea must have taken illicit money to be so ruthless.
The Assistant Chief gestured a “one” and then a “five”—fifteen thousand dollars, which was indeed enough to convince him to do something.
Chief Charlie knew that the two assistant chiefs at the city bureau sometimes took money, but as long as they didn’t make mistakes on matters of principle, he often turned a blind eye.
Even he himself took money, so how could he demand that his subordinates not take money?
But that was how society was; the Federation, from top to bottom, had long been rotten to the core.
Senior politicians, in order to collect money legally, reasonably, and righteously, even drafted laws related to politicians collecting money, and they circumvented all moral and legal risks for their money-collecting activities.
From the President to city councilors, they were all doing the same thing.
Although the police chief was not a politician, why couldn’t he collect money?
“Charlie, as I said, you can’t keep them from fighting indefinitely.”
“Can you stop them for a day, three days, a week, or a month, or a year?”
“Instead, wouldn’t it be better to let them completely stop before the conflict continues to spread? That’s the most appropriate approach, don’t you think?”
“And they promised, after this is over…” The Assistant Chief tapped on the table three times with his fingers.
The sharp tapping sound suddenly lowered Charlie’s high blood pressure…