Female Novel
Chapter 5552
Wesley’s words struck fear into the hearts of the enraged gangsters, causing them to huddle together,trembling in terror. The scene resembled a group of Emperor penguins, clustered together for warmth inthe bitter Antarctic winter winds.novelbin
Charlie couldn’t help but hide a secret grin as he observed their palpable fear. These gangsters, whoonce boasted of their fearlessness, now cowered like cornered animals.
Dealing with malevolent forces such as the United States required a ruthless approach. If they wielded aknife, you brandished a gun; if they raised a gun, you targeted their entire kin. Moralizing was futile, forthe underworld seldom adhered to such principles. Morality was a stricter code of conduct than the law,while all illegal acts breached morality, not every moral breach was necessarily illegal.
Every ill-gotten penny the gangsters amassed was a product of their disregard for the law. If they held noreverence for the law, how could morality sway them?
Hence, the most effective method to confront such individuals was to be even more unyielding than theywere. Yet, Charlie was aware that his intimidation alone wasn’t sufficient for these gang members.
To instill bone-chilling fear, he needed to first make them acutely aware of their own vulnerability and theunwavering determination to dismantle them. The initial investment in this endeavor was steep.Allocating so many resources to subdue a group of New York gangsters hardly seemed worthwhile.
So, Charlie summoned Wesley and instructed him to take a stern approach with these people. It was anecessary step. After all, when it came to the number of allies, who could rival the Dragon Temple? Interms of violence, these gangsters were outmatched.
Furthermore, they were no match for the Dragon Temple. The Dragon Temple had knowledge of theiridentities and could track them down anywhere, eliminating their entire families if they so wished. Therewas no escape.
On the contrary, what could these gangsters do if they were aware of the Dragon Temple’s base inSyria? They couldn’t simply confront Wesley, could they?
Wesley’s threatening words had indeed sent shivers down the spines of everyone present, but Charliehad no intention of letting them off easily. He aimed to establish absolute authority in their minds.
Charlie glanced around and turned to Wesley. “Wesley, from now on, document the identity details ofthese people and swiftly investigate their family connections. If they disobey, no family member shouldbe spared.”
Wesley nodded in agreement. “I understand.”
Charlie gestured towards Jordan beside him. “Furthermore, if anything happens to Jordan, whether it’s anatural calamity or a man-made disaster, you must eliminate all of them, leaving no one alive.”
The audience couldn’t suppress their disdain and derision at this pronouncement, there was apparentresistance to the decision.
Observing this, Jagoan suggested, “Since we’re all involved in this discussion, let’s give them a chanceto speak. Bring out whatever is gagging them, and let’s hear their thoughts.”
Wesley promptly moved forward with his men, removing the gags from the captives’ mouths.
At that moment, a gang leader quivered and burst out, “This… this isn’t fair! If we didn’t kill him andsomething happened to him, why should we be held accountable?”
Others nodded vigorously in agreement, voicing their dissent. “Exactly! This is unjust!”
Jagoan smirked and inquired, “What’s this? Is the New York underworld a haven of fairness, then?”
His words found an echo in the group. Encouraged, the man continued, “You ask us to travel to Syriaand hand over 75% of our profits to the Chinese gang. Fine, we can do that, but linking our fate to his,
making us pay the price for his actions, is too unjust!”
Jagoan nodded, “You desire fairness, do you?”
The man affirmed, “Yes, I want fairness!”
Jagoan chuckled and challenged, “Let’s confirm then, are you rejecting my proposal and insisting onfairness?”
The man replied without hesitation, “I’m certain!”
Jagoan grinned, “Very well, let’s be fair. Tell me your name and the gang you represent.”
The man identified himself, “I’m Todd. Todd Gilbert, the head of the Desperados.”
Jagoan smiled and commented, “Desperados… That’s an interesting name.”
Turning to Wesley, he instructed, “Since Mr. Gilberto is keen on justice, let’s grant him his wish. Transporthim to Syria and conduct a thorough investigation into his background. I want to know if he’s wrongedanyone throughout his life, no matter how trivial. If there are more than ten such instances, dig a hole inSyria and bury him alive.”
Todd was instantly horrified, but before he could protest, he silenced himself, realizing it would be ‘unfair’to do so.
Angrily, he said, “Sir, this is terribly unjust!”
Before he could utter the word ‘unjust’, he reconsidered and swallowed it. He knew that protesting at thispoint would be indeed unfair.
Hence, he uttered his frustration, “If this is your definition of fairness, I give up.”
Jagoan responded, “You don’t want fairness? If you seek fairness from me, then I also want fairnessfrom you for those you’ve wronged. Why have you given up?”
He then said to Wesley, “Oh and if you discover that this individual has harmed innocent family membersof others while dealing with enemies and rivals, treat him the same way. If he killed someone’s wife, wekill his wife, if he killed someone’s son, we kill his son too. After all, he requested fairness, so we mustensure absolute fairness.”
Wesley vowed, “Don’t worry, Mr. Jagoan. My subordinates will investigate everything.”
Todd’s face turned ashen, and visible tremors coursed through his facial and limb muscles.
One of the gang members, part of the ‘Emperor Penguins’ huddle for warmth, blurted out, “Sir, thisscoundrel kidnapped a friend’s son years ago to steal his merchandise. The friend complied but wasdouble-crossed and his son was killed. Many here can testify to this!”
Jagoan nodded and commended, “Well done. Are you the boss or the second-in-command of yourgang?”
The man replied, “I’m the second.”
Jagoan instructed Jordan, “Jordan, once this is verified, you can give them a 5% reduction and onlycharge them 70%.”
Jordan replied, “Understood, Mr. Jagoan.”
The man was elated to have negotiated a 5% reduction, a substantial sum given the gang’s monthlyearnings in the millions.
Another voice in the crowd emerged, “Sir, I want to report Gilberto! Ten years ago, to force an Algerianprostitute into prostitution, he personally killed one of her children, a five-year-old!”
Jagoan acknowledged, “Alright, I’ll grant you a 4% discount after verification.”
Others quickly joined in, each sharing their own accounts of Gilberto’s wrongdoings. With eachdisclosure, the discount granted decreased.
Todd now realized the diminishing leniency, but Jagoan signaled for the reports to conclude. Turning tothe pale-faced man, he asked, “Are their claims true?”
Todd was utterly terrified. He cried out, “I was wrong, Mr. Jagoan, I was truly wrong! I don’t want fairness,I’ll accept anything you say. My son has just grown up, please, show mercy and spare him.”
Jagoan pondered, “This is quite a predicament for me. You proposed fairness, but now you want tobacktrack in front of everyone. Is that fair?”
Todd slapped himself several times and begged, “It’s my fault, entirely my fault! From now on, I’llunconditionally accept anything you say.”
Jagoan waved his hand, “No, I’ll give you two options. First, we follow your desire for fairness. Butconsidering your many transgressions, will your family suffice to settle your debts? You’ve committednumerous crimes, a thorough investigation could reveal countless lives owed. Therefore, I’ll offer asecond choice, you die today as atonement and I’ll forget your past actions.”