wavenovel Chapter 25: Li Wei's Scheme Officially Begins
Chapter 25: Li Wei's Scheme Officially Begins
Ron Carmel is 38 years old.
He joined the "Crocodile Gang" at the age of sixteen, rising from the lowest level of "street boy" to the third-in-command position of "operations director," putting in a lot of effort and making many contributions.
Therefore, he had reservations about "Chairman" Miles Thorne appointing one of his mistresses as "financial director" and second-in-command.
But based on Miles's prestige and the fact that his mistress did bring "resources" to the gang, he ultimately chose to keep quiet and bury his discontent in his heart.
But this is not about letting go, but about waiting for it to sprout like a "seed".
And now, someone has sprinkled water on this seed.
"Ian, we shouldn't have met."
Inside the Vicita Café in Little Havana, Ron, who was wrapped up like a dumpling, made his stance clear as soon as he sat down.
Ian Brooke, the second-in-command of the Viper Gang, offered Ron a cigar.
"It's authentic Cuban, I recommend you try it."
Ron looked at the cigar, but eventually took it.
But instead of lighting it, he said something that sounded like a self-contradiction.
"Okay, but I'm here anyway."
"So, tell me, how are you planning to take care of that bitch?"
Ian immediately rejected Ron's suggestion.
"Mr. Carmel, I think you've misunderstood me."
"First of all, I booked the entire coffee shop to meet with you, not to solve Miles's crotch problem."
"Secondly, doing things for yourself is a principle even kindergarten teachers teach. Don't you understand that?"
Ron suddenly stood up, drew his gun, and pressed it against Ian's forehead.
"You're going to kill Miles!"
Ian, however, calmly leaned back in his chair with a teasing expression on his face.
"Don't you want to? Or are you planning to bend over to your boss, replace that bitch, and then, at least a decade or so later, when Miles's old, hand over the Crocodile Gang to you like feeding a dog?"
Ron's angry expression froze.
He slowly put down the gun, sat back down, and lit the cigar.
Then he choked and coughed violently—over the years, to keep his mind clear, he had avoided drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes.
He was not married and had no children.
He gave everything to the Crocodile Gang because they gave him a way out when he was at his lowest point.
Yes, that path was provided by the Crocodile Gang, not by Miles Thorne.
After Ron "clarified" the relationship, he put down his cigar and looked up.
At that moment, the seed sprouted.
"I'll kill Miles and then let you reap the benefits?"
Ron's tone was very unpleasant, but Ian finally breathed a sigh of relief.
However, instead of letting the gunmen lying in ambush withdraw, he adopted a genuine attitude of conversation.
"You take out Miles, and I'll provide you with everything you need. Money, resources—just tell me what you want. Then, you become the leader of the Crocodile Gang, and I'll ally with you as the leader of the Viper Gang."
"I'll share the Viper Gang's sales network with you; you provide the manpower, and we'll join forces to grow and strengthen the business. This way, we both benefit. What do you think?"
"That's a good idea, but I want a 30/70 split."
"Wu Wu, you can't underestimate the Viper Gang just because they're at a disadvantage right now."
"June 4th is the bottom line; I'm taking on a much higher risk. Also, don't confuse yourself with the Viper Gang."
"Okay, you win. June 4th, the 20th of every month, here again, we'll split the profits."
Ron nodded in satisfaction.
Ian was actually quite satisfied.
Just like Ron said, the Viper Gang is the Viper Gang, and he is himself.
By betraying the interests of the Viper Gang, he bought himself some breathing room and finally secured the top position, which was a worthwhile deal for Ian.
Besides, he never said he would maintain this relationship indefinitely, did he?
Given this, Ian wouldn't mind showing "submission" and "respect" to someone who only has a year and a half to live.
"I must admit, you are the most difficult negotiating opponent I have ever met. I hope we can have a pleasant working relationship."
Ian stood up and offered his hand.
Ron glanced at Ian's hand, didn't get up, but took his hand in his.
"I hope you're as useful as you say."
"Hey! Ron, you're already putting on airs before you've even become the boss of the Crocodile Gang."
A tall figure led a group of people and suddenly burst in, then raised his submachine gun and began firing.
"Da da da!"
"Da da da!"
"Da da da!"
His men followed suit and soon smashed the entire coffee shop to pieces.
Then, one by one, the corpses fell from their hiding places.
"Miles!"
Ron exclaimed in disbelief.
Ian then took off running.
"Give me a really tough one!"
Miles shouted, and immediately an AA-12 shotgun was thrown at him.
Miles took the gun and pulled the trigger directly at Ian's back.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
In an instant, eight shotgun shells nearly cut Ian in two.
"This guy is definitely the best!"
As he spoke, Max changed to a new eight-round magazine, sat down opposite Ron, and pointed his gun at him.
"And it's more reliable, don't you think, Ron?"
Ron stood up instinctively.
"Boss, I..."
"What did you just say? Boss? Isn't the boss of the Crocodile Gang Ron Carmel? At least in your heart?"
Miles interrupted Ron.
Ron dared not utter a sound, for he realized that what he had always been wary of was not Miles's prestige.
That was just a vicious byproduct.
Previously, I had always regarded such viciousness as "a trivial vulgarity".
Ron remained silent, but Miles had something to say.
"Ron, do you remember? That year, your father owed the Crocodile Gang $80,000 in high-interest loans because of gambling. My men were going to kidnap your mother to make porn movies and work as a stripper to pay off the debt."
"And you, for your mother's sake, picked up a kitchen knife and, despite being beaten and covered in wounds, stabbed two debt collectors to death on the spot."
"Then, I found out about it."
"How have I treated you? Now I want you to tell me yourself."
"..."
"say!"
Ron trembled slightly, but still managed to answer the question fairly smoothly.
"You used your own money to pay off the gang's debts and became my 'introducer' to the Crocodile Gang."
Miles nodded.
"Yes, and you worked very hard, and you were ruthless enough."
"While others squandered their money on alcohol, noodles, and prostitutes, you saved it all to go to university. I really admire that, so I gave you a 'bonus' of 120,000, hoping you can successfully complete your studies."
"Similarly, because of 'knowledge,' you never use violence to collect debts. Instead, you use the law to squeeze every last penny out of those gamblers and addicts. Therefore, you always collect the fastest and the most. In fact, your method has become the Crocodile Gang's 'main operating model' now."
"What a beautiful story, a down-on-his-luck poor boy who eventually became a pillar of society and repaid the organization that helped him, just like a fairy tale."
"Until your betrayal."
Ron looked at Miles' calm expression and opened his mouth.
In the end, he only uttered half a sentence.
"I'm sorry, boss..."
"You think you betrayed me? No! You betrayed the Crocodile Gang!"
"If you were just betraying me, I could kick you in the ass and kick you out, but I'd spare your life. But now you're sitting here, discussing the future of the Crocodile Gang with the second-in-command of the Viper Gang. Do you think you deserve to live?"
Ron didn't reply. After a brief moment of contemplation, he went to Miles, grabbed the barrel of the AA-12 shotgun, pressed it against his head, and closed his eyes.
"Ron, you used to be such a great lad."
"But now, it's time to say goodbye."
Miles bent his finger and began to pull the trigger.
"Bang!"
With a muffled thud, another group of people barged in.
"MPD! Everyone drop your weapons! Lie face down and cover your heads with your hands!"
Danielle charged in first.
"boom!"
Gunshots rang out again.
Ron's head was blown off, and Miles, after firing that shot, did not continue to resist. Instead, he threw away his AA-12 shotgun, picked up the blood-stained cigar, lit it, and took a puff.
"Get down!"
Danielle aimed her gun at Miles, but Miles whistled at her instead.
"What a beautiful woman! And whose mistress are you?"
"I'm your mother!"
Danielle rushed over, pinned Miles to the ground, and handcuffed him.
But Miles did not resist until other officers pulled him up, at which point he sneered at Danielle.
"I knew this would happen the moment I got that call. But you little bitch with the badge, remember this: no matter who you or who's behind you, when I get out, the Crocodile Gang will still belong to Miles Thorne, and nobody can take it away from me."
"I hope you can still be this tough even after you go to prison. That's exactly the type of guy those scumbags like."
Danielle scoffed and ignored Miles.
"take away!"
Then, under Miles's fierce gaze, Danielle took out her phone and sent a text message to Levi.
What's next?
Li Wei quickly responded.
[Of course, I should talk to the only person who can make decisions right now, the "second-in-command." Women always have things to talk about, don't they?]