Lance did not want the young men to trouble these girls. The manager in charge of this side looked at her, and after a moment of mutual gaze, he spread his hands. “Alright, go change your clothes, and then leave through the side door.”
“Do you need me to arrange someone to escort you part of the way?”
Lisa initially wanted to refuse, but considering she was the only girl, she nodded and even kissed the manager on the face. “Thank you, I’ll be grateful to you.” It sounded like a normal dialogue, but her meaning was not that simple. To her, “thank you” and “thank you” were two different things.
The manager took a step back, spread his hands, maintaining a distance. “Thank you, but I don’t need it.” He walked back to his desk and pressed a button. “Come to my office.”
Soon, a young man, in his early twenties, with sweat at his hairline, came in. He was having a great time working there; this job was simply amazing! This was the life he should have at his age, not laboring at the docks, which he didn’t want. Decadence, more money, higher social status, cooler—it was all fantastic! The manager glared at him, then tilted his head. “Escort Lisa back. She’s not feeling well.”
The young man glanced at Lisa, who stood beside him, then raised his eyebrows and nodded, saying, “No problem, now?”
“Now.”
There was more than one promotional girl in the bar, but Lisa was definitely one of the outstanding ones. She had a good figure, and when she walked, one could see a ripple of light. People liked her, including some young men in the company. Some truly liked her, while others just liked her “needle.”
While Lisa went to change, the manager instructed the young man, “She said she saw someone from the Camille gang earlier, the former manager of Red High Heels. Take a weapon.”
“If you encounter anyone trying to hijack or take her on the way…”
He placed a pistol on the table. The young man looked at the pistol twice, then grabbed it. “No problem, Manager. If anyone tries to take Lisa from me, I’ll send them to God first!”
The manager patted his arm. “Be careful. Come back after you’ve dropped her off. Don’t delay on the way.”
The bar didn’t have separate small cars. On one hand, Alberto’s supply of low-end repossessed cars was insufficient, and the remaining ones were medium to high-end, costing three to five thousand, or even ten to twenty thousand. Even if they could be equipped, they wouldn’t be fully equipped, and the combat team would definitely need them more, so they were prioritized for combat members. On the other hand, if they wanted to purchase cars through regular channels, whether new or used, they would need clean money. Currently, Lance didn’t have much clean money, only earning about ten to twenty thousand dollars a month. He also planned to buy large quantities of brewing raw materials soon, so he needed to conserve his clean money and thus didn’t touch it. He arranged for a few large buses that would pick up everyone after the bar closed, which would not only save money but also transport everyone. However, taking a large bus to drop people off at home… was clearly not very suitable.
Soon, Lisa changed her clothes and returned. Then, she and the young man arranged by the manager left the bar through the side door.
A few people standing in the corner of the bar saw this and also turned to leave. Their purpose for coming here this time was to take Lisa away.
The important figures in the Bay Area wouldn’t care about the intensity of the gang fights among the lower social strata, nor would they care who won or lost—it’s worth noting that Heller’s “diving” in the office had become a joke in high society recently, reportedly originating from Mr. Pasoretto. This also shows that, whether good or bad, these grassroots news items were merely entertainment for them, without practical significance. They only cared if what they wanted could be delivered to their dining table within the specified time.
Sam, while renovating Red High Heels, was also reconnecting with Liam’s previous clients. These clients were important, and the mayor’s requirement was that they must be well-maintained. Sam subtly hinted that he would be the new person in charge of Red High Heels and would continue to provide services to these important figures, along with the former manager and the subtly implied presence of the mayor. Soon, these outwardly respectable individuals accepted the fact that Sam was the new boss.
After business had been suspended for about a month, someone called to place an order. This was a successful man in his fifties, a hundred percent high-society figure, who appeared in newspapers from time to time and was an important opinion leader within Golden Port’s Socialist Party members. Although he held no federal government position, he still held some weight within the party, at least at the state party congress, where he would sit in a more prominent position as a representative of Golden Port’s Socialist Party opinion leaders. The mayor and he had a decent relationship; after all, the mayor was still so young and had the potential for further advancement, and this opinion leader couldn’t have any ill will or unpleasantness with him, so he quickly placed a supportive order for delivery, specifically requesting Lisa.
Lisa had served him several times. He wasn’t the particularly perverted type, but he had engaged in plenty of beatings, humiliation, and trampling on her dignity; otherwise, how could he vent the dark side within him? Only after these dark things were vented on Lisa could he let his sunny side blossom and serve the people of Golden Port! So, to better serve the public, occasionally venting some animalistic desires to gain more patience to listen to the voices from the bottom, seemed to become very normal.
This was a very important order. Many eyes were on them, and it was also Red High Heels’ first business since its relaunch, making it crucial. Although the mayor remained hands-off, someone told Sam that if this business was successful and the new Red High Heels got off to a good start, Sam would gain more than just wealth!
So, Sam immediately ordered the former manager, Booker, to bring Lisa over, clean her up, and send her to the Bay Area. If he failed, he would die painfully in prison. The people in prison knew what he did and would surely beat him bloody! Let him experience extreme pain and that insignificant pleasure!
After getting a few men from Sam, he began to inquire everywhere based on some previous information, and soon found out where this group of people had gone. Most of them had defected to Lance. However, Lance was not in Golden Port at the moment, so Sam’s idea of communicating with the leader of the Lance family could not be realized. He also didn’t have Lance’s phone number, and since the matter was urgent, he had Booker directly go and grab the person. As for Lance? When Lance returned from abroad, he would personally explain. After all, they both served the mayor and were in the same trench. He didn’t believe Lance wouldn’t give him this face. Even if the situation was unpleasant, he had ways to appease Lance. People live in this world for only a few things, a few matters.
Here, Lisa and the young man, having left the bar’s side door, walked along the street towards the New Bay Area. The name certainly sounded impressive, but… fortunately, it wasn’t too far, about a twenty-minute walk. Walking alone would be very tedious, and time would pass slowly, but with two people, it was noticeably faster.
The weather in mid-January was very cold, but the radio said the coldest period was yet to come. People had already put on thick clothes. The two young people walked on the sidewalk, each breath leaving a gradually dissipating cloud of hot air.
The young man wanted to say something. He was at an age where he was eager to impress, especially with such a pretty girl. “Lisa, where are you from?”
Lisa turned to look at him, a somewhat foolish young man. She continued to stare at the path ahead. “Duoling.”
The young man scratched his head. “I’m from Coalat…”
The two states were not connected in the Empire, with two states separating them. Lisa didn’t speak, which made the young man a little awkward. He tried a few more topics, but none sparked a discussion with Lisa, which made him realize that it wasn’t his topics that were bad, but that the girl wasn’t interested in him. He felt a little dissatisfied. He knew Lisa’s situation and felt that he had been so enthusiastic, yet Lisa was still so cold. It did feel a little…
He didn’t know how to describe it; he thought it was a bit pretentious? There was no such word or related explanation in the dictionary.
For the next stretch of road, there were no streetlights. The young man noticed that Lisa suddenly moved closer to him, and some of his previous dissatisfaction was thrown out of his mind. After all, she had suffered so much here; wasn’t it normal for her to be on guard? He felt that as a man, he should say something at this moment, “If you’re scared, stay close to me.”
“Mmm.” This was Lisa’s first more active response. “I understand.” Just a single sentence made the young man happy. Young people’s emotions were always like this: low due to some slight, then high due to a little more response.
As he was rambling about some recent changes, two dazzling headlights suddenly appeared ahead. The headlights weren’t exceptionally bright, but after walking in the dark street for a long time, the sudden brightness was somewhat disorienting. The cars stopped in front of and behind them. The young man shielded Lisa behind him, one hand in his pocket. “Who are you?”
“If you’re looking for trouble, all I can say is, you’ve got the wrong people!” He looked at them. “I’m from the Lance family. Don’t cause trouble for yourselves!”
In the faint light, four people got out of the two cars. There should have been someone else in one of the cars, but they didn’t get out. The intermittently glowing cigarette butt in the car told him that someone inside was watching everything unfold.
A person hidden behind the darkness and lights said, “Hand over the girl beside you, then go back, have a drink, sleep well, and everything will be fine.”
“I’ll give your words back to you, don’t cause trouble for yourself!”
With that, the other two walked towards him. As they passed the front of the car, the headlights illuminated their brown wool trench coats. The backlighting made their faces unclear, but it was evident that the two trench coats were not cheap. Lisa was clutching him tightly, as if only this could give her some sense of security, and her trembling body gave the young man more courage and a sense of responsibility. He directly drew his pistol, and before he could say anything, he heard someone yell, “He has a gun…”
Then gunshots rang out. He fired a few shots, not knowing if he hit anyone, then he lost control of his body and fell to the ground. His head hit the cold ground, and he saw a figure in front of the headlights clutching his abdomen, cursing. He also saw Lisa being dragged by her hair into the car. In the moment just before he lost consciousness, he saw the person in the back seat of one of the cars flick out a finished cigarette butt from the window. It tumbled in the cold wind, falling to the ground, sparking a few times, then extinguished, just like his flickering life, about to go out…
When he woke up again, he was lying in a hospital bed. Many people had come, including Elvin and Morris, those well-known senior cadres in their eyes. His manager was also there, standing by the wall, like a student who had made a mistake.
Seeing him awake, Elvin walked over and sat by the bed. “You’re lucky. Someone heard the gunshots and called the police. The police arrived quickly, and you were saved.”
Of course, the police arrived quickly. Previously, they didn’t respond to calls because responding involved high risks and no guaranteed benefits. Who would risk their life for that small amount of money? It wasn’t like they were rushing to be reborn. They would definitely call for backup first, and once enough backup arrived, two or three police cars would respond together. But now, with the Lance family’s thorough cleanup of the Empire District, the overall public order of the Empire District had improved by more than just one level. Moreover, sometimes their response speed was faster than the actual police response; by the time the police arrived at the scene, they had already dealt with it! Now, it wasn’t about rushing to be reborn; it was about rushing for performance and promotion! And this indeed saved the young man’s life. Also, his red armband helped the police confirm his identity, otherwise, he wouldn’t have arrived at the hospital so quickly; the police directly dragged him into the car and brought him.
The young man didn’t know what to say. Elvin then asked about what happened that evening.
“…The headlights were very dazzling, and I couldn’t see clearly. They were all standing behind or in front of the lights. I didn’t see a single face.”
“But I know I shot one person, hitting him in the abdomen, and he cursed at me.” The young man suddenly grinned, but the pain quickly made him stop smiling.
Elvin patted his shoulder. “Get some rest.”
The group left the ward together. Elvin went to the doctor’s office to call Lance. It was late night where Lance was, but the call quickly connected.
“Something happened to our people…” He repeated the general outline of the incident. The sound of a match striking came through the receiver. Moments later, accompanied by a sigh, Lance’s voice slowly emerged. “Get moving. Find this person. Don’t let him die. I want to know who is messing with our people.”
“You said he was injured. Look in the hospitals. As long as he doesn’t want to die, he’ll go to a hospital. Find him. I’ll return tomorrow morning.”
Elvin’s face flushed a bit. Actually, Lance’s travel plan wasn’t just for such a short distance; he was planning to continue south. In his plan, there were many important “businesses” to be done further south. Lance had mentioned to him during a private conversation that many places in Yalan had poor sanitary conditions, and people often died from dysentery and inflammation. While the Federation wasn’t much better, they had specific medicines here. Without discussing the side effects or even sequelae of these specific medicines, at least they could save lives. Smuggling these medicines to Yalan would not only make money but also help the locals solve some problems of dying in pain due to the lack of specific medicines. It was a win-win situation! As for the locals being unable to afford the specific medicines? Perhaps Elvin had this doubt, but Lance wouldn’t, because human resources inherently contained endless wealth, as long as you knew how to extract it!
But now he had to change his itinerary, which made Elvin feel that he still had many shortcomings. However, at this moment, he was indeed needed there, so he could only be careful on the way.
After hanging up the phone, Elvin also felt a surge of anger. When he came out of the hospital, more than a hundred people had already gathered at the hospital entrance. When they saw Elvin, they stopped talking, threw away their cigarettes, and gathered around him.
The cold weather could not extinguish the rage in his heart. He looked at these people and said, “I’ve spoken with Lance. He wants us to turn over every hospital and find the person with a gunshot wound, then wait for him to return.”
“Move out!”
With a command, everyone turned and ran towards their vehicles. No one spoke, nor did anyone shout “Yes, sir!” or similar words to boost morale. Instead, this silent, yet powerful action gave off an indescribable feeling, as if their scalps were tingling, goosebumps rising all over, an ineffable emotion brewing and churning within them!
From the three police cars in the distance, the police officers, holding hot coffee and eating slightly cold donuts, watched as a large group of people orderly boarded buses or cars and left. That aura made them all feel afraid. One patrol officer looked at the hot coffee in his hand and sighed, “It might get chaotic again.”
His partner, however, seemed quite indifferent. “Anyway, it has nothing to do with us. The more fiercely they stir things up, the better our records will look.”
“And I have to say, Mr. Lance and his friends are really much more generous than the people before. I prefer to cooperate with them.”
His companion again looked at the hot coffee in his hand; it was sent by the short young man named Morris. He nodded in strong agreement. “Who wouldn’t say so?”
After the group dispersed, an officer picked up the radio device. “No criminal activity found, repeat, no criminal activity found at the scene, police alert canceled, end call.”
“Static… Received, stay safe, end call.”
The three police cars quickly started and drove off in different directions. No crime, no evil, everything as usual!