Chapter 831 - Don't Overdo It
Chapter 831: Don’t Overdo It
After Zhang Heng said what he wanted to say, the tavern became really quiet. All the laughter was gone. Black Mamba, the dwarf, and the rest all took a deep breath. The patrol team had come up with an effective strategy to go against them. Since they could not handle past cases because no one was willing to cooperate with their investigation, they wouldn’t stop crime from happening on the spot if they focused on only three streets.
This would happen to all of Iron Handcuff’s turfs if they chose not to accept Zhang Heng’s offer. After all, those responsible for earning money for Iron Handcuff were just underage kids.
And as Zhang Heng said, if they focused on patrolling only three streets, the twelve members of the patrol team could make all the thieves lost their jobs. In other words, Iron Handcuff and his men would receive no income every week.
Iron Handcuff felt that something was not right.
The group of men in front of him was supposed to be the law enforcers of this area. However, they had now disregarded all laws. To be more precise, they were still talking about the rules, but they used their authority to seek personal gain. Right now, they did not look like patrol teams to Iron Handcuff anymore. They were no different from the others gangs in this area.
This was no business talk. Zhang Heng was blatantly blackmailing Iron Handcuff.
No matter what words Zhang Heng would use to explain their behavior, they could not hide the fact that they were about to take advantage of Iron Handcuff’s gang. Iron Handcuff and the dwarf had been living here for some time now and they were all too familiar with such a practice. In order to not be taken over by other forces and survive, they often had to pay protection fees and donations to other more powerful gangs. However, this time, the group of people that blackmailed them was the patrol team.
For a moment, Iron Handcuff, the dwarf, and others suddenly came to a realization. It seemed like the neighborhood that they lived in had degraded severely. Even the patrol team was now involved in the extortion business. As criminals, they even began to care about the spiritual development of their surrounding area.
Everyone in the tavern dwelled in their thoughts. No one spoke for a long time. And when they came back to their senses, everyone turned around and looked at Iron Handcuff. Clearly, they were waiting for him to make the decision. However, Iron Handcuff was still hesitating.
The patrol team had been the mascot of this place for a long time. No one paid any attention to them, and they were greatly respected in the past. Suddenly, the patrol team that seemed useless to the public was now threatening them with their fangs. They were about to dominate Iron Handcuff’s gang. It was difficult for Iron Handcuffs and the dwarf to accept such drastic change.
On the other hand, Iron Handcuff knew that Zhang Heng was telling the truth. The business that Iron Handcuff operated now was quite unique. Once the patrol targeted those thieves, it would be difficult for them to steal more money. As a chain reaction, their income would indeed be significantly reduced by that time.
What should they do? Were they going to fight them?
In terms of numbers, they had the advantage even if the thieves were excluded. The number of men that Iron Handcuff had was twice that of the patrol team. And some of them were good at fighting. On the patrol team, they had to pay attention to Aris and the Oriental man they were unfamiliar with. If they start a fight now, they should be able to win.
But the question was what they should do afterward?
No matter how useless Aris’s patrol team was, they were still the only law enforcers in this area. If they beat them up, would the government send more powerful people to maintain law and order of this place? After all, this was not the only patrol team in the entire empire. They were scattered in various parts of the city, and If all of them worked together, they might be able to bring this place down. That would also mean they could eliminate Iron Handcuff’s team easily.
After all, they are just the bad guys that lived at the bottom of this slum. And they had a difficult time looking at the bigger picture. How could they have known of the dirty things that the patrol team had done? Aris and his men were exiled to this place. Even if he knew about it, he would not know how other teams would react after beating Aris and his men. As for Aris, he had no idea about it as well. And he did not want to get to the bottom of it. If the other patrol teams knew what they did here, every single member from his team would be fired.
Although their lives were miserable, they still had a meager salary to make ends meet and provide for their families. If they were to lose their job here, they would probably be consumed by this place. Therefore, when Iron Handcuff was hesitating, Aris and the other patrol members felt very nervous too. They had one hand placed on their weapon. Iron Handcuff’s men were ready to strike too. They were waiting for their boss to give the order to deal with the patrol members that knew no bounds.
The situation in the tavern became really tense. Only Zhang Heng could remain calm in such moments. He even leaned back to wait for Iron Handcuff’s reply.
Iron Handcuff noticed that Black Mamba was signaling him with his eyes as if something he wanted to tell him. However, Iron Handcuff did not have the time to discuss anything with his most reliable subordinate. He had kept silent for quite a long time, and it was time to speak up. Otherwise, his men and opponents would know his confidence was shaken.
“30% is too much.”
Iron Handcuff chose to settle this matter through peaceful means. After all, they were just a small gang, and he did not wish to go against the patrol team. This was the most significant concession that Iron Handcuff had ever made. Next, they were supposed to enter the time of negotiations.
However, he did not expect Zhang Heng that was sitting opposite of him, to shake his head when he heard those words.
“Thirty percent, non-negotiable.”
“Impossible! We don’t get to keep all the money too.” Iron Handcuff was so furious that he almost jumped up from this seat. But in the end, he suppressed his anger and explained, “I have to pay half of my income to a more powerful gang. We can only get half of what we earn. And I have to pay my men too. At most, I can give 10% of my income to your patrol team.
Some of the patrol members could not help but gulp when they heard Iron Hancuff’s offer. Looking at how Iron Handcuff and his men spent the money they earned, they clearly had a better life than the patrol members. Even if they took 10%, they would still make more than what they earned currently.
The patrol team wanted to yes to them immediately, but they did not expect Zhang Heng to reject their offer, “30% is the final offer. No more, no less.”
“Don’t push me.” Iron Handcuff finally could not stand Zhang Heng, and he said sternly.
“Pushing you? We are just a patrol team that helps maintain public order on the streets. There’s nothing wrong for us to catch a few thieves.” Zhang Heng shook his head and said, “It seems that you haven’t figured out the situation. From now on, without our permission, you can’t continue carrying on with your business. You won’t be able to make a single Sestertius. I don’t mind if you don’t want to cooperate with us, though, I believe that some of your men are.”