Hardy isn't particularly interested in gambling.
Every gambler believes they'll be the lucky one, but in reality, the house is destined to win in the end.
Gamblers believe in luck; the casino believes in mathematics.
The casino doesn't need to cheat; they can empty the gamblers' pockets with mathematical formulas alone.
The only rule for winning in gambling is not to gamble or perhaps having the ability to be the banker.
In a previous life, Hardy visited Las Vegas with many curious friends who couldn't resist trying their luck. Hardy resisted the temptation to join them at the tables and instead played a few rounds of slot machines for entertainment.
After exchanging $2,000 for chips, Hardy sat next to Siegel.
The game was simple.
Hardy quickly grasped the rules after watching a few rounds of cards.
Siegel and Virginia were excitedly playing, both enjoyed the process. However, after several rounds, they each lost over a thousand dollars, while the novice Hardy won quite a bit.
Two hours later, Hardy unexpectedly won over three thousand dollars.
Siegel looked at Hardy and chuckled, "It looks like you've got good luck. I've always believed that some people truly are lucky, and it seems you're one of them."
Afterward, the three switched to Texas Holdem Poker.
Hardy's luck continued to soar, after playing for two hours, he won several large hands, increasing his chips to over ten thousand dollars, while Siegel and Virginia lost all their chips.
Hardy pushed all his chips toward the two. "Mr. Siegel, Miss Virginia, these are for you."
"Oh, are you done playing?"
"Yes, I need to rest and catch my flight back to Los Angeles tomorrow morning."
"Not staying in Las Vegas for a few more days?" Siegel asked.
Hardy smiled and said, "I've already experienced the wonders of Las Vegas."
"Well, then, rest well."
After Hardy left, Virginia remarked to Siegel, "He has impressive self control. Winning that much money and still being able to walk away so easily."
Siegel said "Hardy is a very disciplined person. I remember he once said, 'Not all excellent people are disciplined, but disciplined people usually excel.'"
Virginia gave Siegel a side glance and said "You're an excellent person too, but I don't see much discipline in you," .
Siegel chuckled "Excellent people aren't necessarily disciplined, whereas I am a genius."
Siegel was one of the founders of the Mafia, the boss of a hit man group. He loved art and philosophy and had strong managerial abilities, in these respects, he truly was a genius.
However, these genius attributes also bred pride and arrogance in him.
...
The next day, Hardy flew back to Los Angeles.
Same plane, same pilot. This guy flew the plane aggressively just like last time, Hardy guessed he must have been a fighter pilot before.
Back at the hotel, Hardy gathered his brothers.
No one knew what was happening, all curious eyes were on Hardy.
Hardy smiled, "Brothers, we have a development opportunity before us. Do you know whom I met in Las Vegas this time?"
"Benjamin Siegel."
"Bugy Siegel?"
"Bugy sound very similar to bug, it's not a good nickname. Siegel never liked it, and no one dared to call him that to his face."
Henry, Matthew, and others were former soldiers and not very familiar with the mafia, but Sean had been in this circle for several years and naturally knew of Siegel's reputation.
"Sean, do you know this Siegel?" someone asked.
Sean immediately explained, "I've heard legends about Siegel. He formed the Austrian gang. After he took over in Los Angeles, he made Fred the boss. Strictly speaking, Siegel is the real boss of the Austrian gang. I never expected the boss to meet Mr. Siegel."
"He promised to support us in forming our own faction as long as we could grow and develop, even a establishing a new separate gang from the Austrian gang."
Henry, Matthew, and the others became excited.
If they could form their own gang, they would earn more money in the future and might even become faction leaders with some authority.
Hardy continued, "But to grow and expand, we need our own territory."
"Yes, we definitely need territory; we can't keep squatting in hotels," someone said.
Someone suggested, "Didn't the boss take in Big Ivan before? We can also grab some small gang territories, like the Polish and French neighborhoods, link them together, and then we'll have our own territory, slowly expanding."
Hardy looked at everyone.
"Brothers, if we're going to do this, why not go big? I plan to take over the Spanish territory. What do you think?"
Henry and the others were shocked.
They thought the boss had a big appetite, directly targeting the third largest gang in Los Angeles.
But it seemed...They had already robbed and killed the Spanish multiple times already.
"The Spanish territory is mainly in Hollywood. Although it's smaller than the Old Town and Downtown areas, there are many film companies and wealthy people here, making it a prime location," Leo said.
"We've investigated the Spanish quite a bit recently, and they don't seem as strong as they appear. We've taken out quite a few before; they probably have only a hundred or so men," Henry said.
Matthew was more straightforward, "I think we should go for a decapitation operation. Didn't we take out their adviser a few days ago? Let Richard handle it and eliminate Dani. The Spanish will surely be in chaos, and we can take over their territory smoothly."
Everyone was excited.
Not one had any worry or fear about going to war with the third largest gang in Los Angeles.
These guys were elite survivors of the battlefield, with wills of steel developed from combat, unafraid of battle.
"Boss, what's your plan?" Leo asked.
On the return flight, Hardy had already formulated a preliminary plan.
"We won't rush to deal with the Spanish yet. We need more manpower. Brothers, I have a task for you: contact our former comrades. We need more help."
Hardy didn't want to recruit from the gang, it was troublesome to train useless thugs. He wanted those who had fought on the battlefield, instantly capable of combat upon joining.
The next day, Henry and Matthew were busy contacting former comrades.
Hardy wasn't idle, either.
He went to government departments to register a company.
"Sir, are you registering a security company?" a young officer asked, taking the registration documents.
"Yes, 'HD Commercial Security Company. Our main business is providing security personnel for upscale properties, high end stores, and banks, as well as celebrity bodyguards, cash and jewelry escort services, and so on."
On the return flight, Hardy thought about the future, recruiting many underlings required accommodations for them. He felt that the gang structure was too loose and thought of a security company.
By assigning people to the security company, he could solve this problem.
In the future, if anyone asked about their identity, they could openly tell family and friends that they worked at a security company.
Their salaries could also be paid through the security company, legitimizing their income sources.
Although they were currently operating in the underworld, Hardy knew that there was a ceiling to this path. Development to a certain extent would inevitably attract attention from relevant departments, possibly leading to crackdowns. Therefore, he had already planned to establish enterprises as legally as possible, facilitating future whitewashing.
In the United States, as long as your company is legal and financially legitimate, no one can touch you.