Aris actually had some worries before tonight’s battle. As captain, he knew about the strength of his patrol team reasonably well. Although they trained every day, their combat experience was still not enough to handle a real battle. Besides, they hadn’t even fought with those small-time thugs that caused trouble on the street, not to mention that Iron Handcuff’s gang had more people than them.
However, the course of the battle afterward went beyond his expectations. The patrol team did suffer some losses when they fought with them, but since Iron Handcuff’s men did not expect that the patrol team would appear suddenly, they were caught off guard. They fought very carefully and did not take the opportunity to attack them aggressively.
When the patrol team gradually got used to the battle rhythm, their previous training finally showed some results. Of course, everyone performed differently. Some people were determined to execute Aris’s orders step by step, while some felt uncomfortable when they saw blood, and it slowed them down a lot. In contrast, the others seemed to have turned on a switch somewhere in their bodies, causing them to fight without fear.
Among them, Marcus and two other young men who had only recently joined the patrol team spontaneously formed a small group to watch each other’s backs during the fight. They even ignored Aris’s orders. They left the patrol team and charged at the spot with most enemies after they had a taste of blood.
Marcus took the lead and charged at the dwarf with both his short swords. The fear kicked in, and the dwarf immediately summoned three of his men to stop Marcus. And Marcus managed to kill one of them. However, it bought the dwarf more time to bring in more reinforcements. By the time Marcus realized it, he was already surrounded by more enemies. Marcus wiped a random enemy’s blood off his face and formed a triangle formation with the other two patrol members. They then went into frenzy mode and killed all the enemies that charged at them.
At this time, the dwarf was determined to go all out to deal with the three of them. He vowed to give these three patrol members who dared to mess with him a valuable lesson. Just when the three of them were about collapse, Black Mamba and his men jumped down from the building. It was at that time that the people downstairs realized that Iron Handcuff and Broken Finger were dead. Immediately, everyone lost their will to fight.
Marcus and his comrades took this time to catch a breath. At the same time, Aris and the other patrol members had caught up to them. They then started to hunt down the rest of Iron Handcuff’s gang members that were on the run. Among them, Marcus managed to kill the dwarf. Black Mamba hurt his legs when he jumped down from the building. However, he was lucky enough to have one of his men help him get to an alley. Not too long after that, Black Mamba heard a series of footsteps coming from behind him.
Soap and the other patrol members seemed to be more nervous than Black Mamba. After all, there was a huge gap of strength between them. A single word from Black Mamba could seal the fate of Soap and the others. However, fate played a cruel joke on them. It was Soap and the others’ turn to hunt them down.
Looking at the few teenagers in front of him, Black Mamba’s men were furious. “Do you wish to die now? Why are you coming after us?! Get lost!”
Soap and others were taken aback, but they did not turn around and run. Instead, they walked a few steps forward, and at the same time, pulled out the daggers from their waists.
“Boss Black Mamba, I’m sorry,” Soap confessed. “Our task tonight was to kill you.” After saying this, he seemed to have found some courage. He then looked at the other person, “As for other people, as long as they surrender, we will not kill them, and they will continue to receive income.”
“Receive income? Iron Handcuff is gone. Who else will pay us?” Black Mamba’s men protested furiously.
“Me.” Soap pointed at his nose and said in a soft tone, “I will take over Iron Handcuff’s business and manage the thieves in these three streets.”
“You?!” Black Mamba’s men were exasperated.
“Of course, I can’t do it alone. The people in the patrol will help me,” Soap said. “The only requirement is that I have to kill Black Mamba first.”
“You are a puppet of the patrol team!” Black Mamba’s man suddenly realized.
It would be inappropriate for the patrol team to manage those thieves. If they wanted to make more money, they had to support the person taking over Iron handcuff’s business. And that person was Soap. Soap was young, and his strength average. And he had no experience in managing people. Hence, it was difficult to convince anyone to obey his order. He was definitely not the best candidate to inherit Iron Handcuff’s business. But on the other hand, he was easier to be controlled. The other reason Zhang Heng valued him was that he had a small appetite, and it was easy to satisfy him for now.
It was not surprising that Zhang Heng chose him as Iron Handcuff’s successor. Of course, Soap was just a puppet to him and Zhang Heng intended to hand over the gang to Marcus. Black Mamba finally realized that the patrol team’s true intention was to take over the gang.
Such a thing was ubiquitous in this place, especially among the small forces. There were gangs and people being wiped out every day. During the early days, Iron Handcuff and his men fought hard to take over the business of controlling the thieves in these three streets. However, the people that attacked them this time were the patrol members. And it was something that had never happened before.
Black Mamba grinned and smiled miserably. “I lost the fight. I won’t deny that. But don’t have to kill all of us. I am different from Broken Finger and Iron Handcuff. I have always been a very peaceful person. Instead of killing me, you might as well let me assist you. With my help, you will be more likely to master the business left by Iron Handcuff. Besides, I also know where Iron Handcuff hides all his income over the years. I will use all those money to buy my life. You can keep this money for yourself, and I will cooperate with you to keep it a secret.”
Soap and others were shocked when they heard Black Mamba’s offer. Since they were just ordinary thieves, their families were not very rich. Earlier, Skinny Monkey’s sister had fallen ill, and they had to use the money they stole to pay for her treatment. Now, with such a large sum of money placed in front of them, they also realized that Iron Handcuff must have earned tons of money after running the gang for so long. With this money, they could even consider moving out of this slum.
Soap and others looked at each other.
Black Mamba added another sentence at the right time, “If you want to know more, come over. I can tell you more. Don’t worry. I have no weapons.” Black Mamba raised his hands while talking.
Soap knew that he might be lying but could not resist the temptation of money. So he walked toward Black Mamba. He then bent down and said in Soap’s ear, “Listen, Iron Handcuff hides his money at…”
When he spoke halfway, he drew a short knife from his cuff. Black Mamba knew that the only person that could fight a little was Soap. He was going to turn into an adult soon. As long as he dealt with Soap, he could eliminate the remaining three people easily. Besides, he still had his subordinate with him. Although he hurt his foot and could not catch up with others, he still possessed the strength to eliminate the remaining three people.
But Black Mamba did not expect a dagger to pierce his back in the next moment.
“Sorry, boss.” Black Mamba turned around with his last straw of strength. And he saw his subordinate apologized to him. “Although you treat me well, I am really short of money. Since the new boss is still willing to pay us, I don’t mind having a change of management.” He then drew his dagger and nodded at Soap, who was almost frightened to death. “He’s lying. Iron Handcuff gambled away all his money. I will join your gang now, boss.”
