Smart minds and steady personalities more easily stand out among mob members, getting chosen by the upper crust to participate in some decision-making, thereby transitioning to administrative roles. After all, a mob can't consist only of hitters. They also need administrative personnel.
The kids raised in the mob have higher lower limits and lower upper limits, and the kids coming out of the Children's Gang may have lower lower limits, but their upper limits are also high.
Many of the high-ranking outsiders in the Twelve Families come from the Children's Gang. Many people, once they've made their fortune, ask their subordinates not to trouble the children in the Children's Gang. Therefore, the children's gang, which has little resistance, can exist in the streets and lanes of Gotham.
The gang leaders create a main base, typically cellars and basements, and then at the entrance or the end of the street, set up a temporary stronghold using shipping containers and oil barrels. Some of the more formidable ones might even get a few guns to distribute amongst the oldest, strongest children in the gang.
However, according to the rules of Gotham, children's gangs aren't allowed to resort to gunfire. Anyone who dares to, is toast.
Gunshots would alert the adult mob that controls the street. If they get involved, all of the children wouldn't be able to escape, so in most cases, they just carry guns to intimidate one another without actually pulling the trigger.
The Tail Gang, which Jason belongs to, occupies the best-positioned cellar here.
The entrance to the base is at the end of an alleyway and the cellar entrance is very concealed. Once inside, it is quite spacious, and apart from a storage room, it also connects to a basement. Above the basement, rather than a noisy nightclub or bar, is a mob warehouse for storing materials.
The mob allows the children of Tail Gang to keep an eye on the warehouse. They pay a small reimbursement for it, which becomes a welfare for the Tail Gang, ensuring they can support the youngest children in the gang during idle times. This is all secured by Jason.
Jason opened the entrance to the cellar lightly and slowly climbed down, only to hear a familiar voice as soon as he touched the ground. Little Sly came up and hugged him, asking, "Why are you just getting home now?"
"Oh, Little Sly? Why aren't you at school? Why did you think of coming back today?" Jason turned his head, looking somewhat surprised as he asked Little Sly.
"Oh, it's like this. A few days ago, the Six-Fingered Sister got an old truck and she wanted me to come back and see if we can repair it. If we can, we'll make a fortune."
Jason's eyes widened: "A truck?! Good heavens! Where did she get it? Won't it cause trouble with the other mobs?"
"Who knows? But the Sister said, this truck seems to have been discarded because it was too badly damaged. She took a look and thought it could be used. So she called me back." After he finished, Little Sly put a tool bag on his back and climbed up the ladder. Jason followed him.
They turned the corner of an alleyway and arrived at the back of the warehouse. Here was a waste ground, not many people around, and the truck Little Sly mentioned was parked here.
From the outside, the truck was indeed very battered. However, Jason, who had studied car repair for two days at school, could see that the truck was salvageable.
Watching as Little Sly put down his toolbox and began to work, Jason waved his hand, "You go ahead with your work. I'm going to find the Sister. There's business to discuss with her."
Jason took a detour back from the back of the warehouse, then walked straight along the street until he reached an alley at the head of the street. Here, an older girl was instructing several children to work.
That was the Six-Fingered Sister that Little Sly had mentioned. She was born with six fingers and was also currently the oldest child in the gang. Her boyfriend was a formal member of a mob on the next street over. It's estimated that they would be getting married in a few years, and would then formally leave the Children's Gang.
Jason found her and said, "Hey, Sister, I'm back. You had someone from school passing me a message before, saying that the boss from above wants someone. Can we do this job?"
The Six-Fingered Sister turned her around, flipping her hair and said, "You're back? Right, an old man who lives on the front street stopped me today and said that the boss wanted to find you. As you weren't here, he asked me to pass the message onto you. The higher-ups are looking for someone, and they seem quite desperate. The reward they're offering is quite high as well, and anyone who can find this person will make a fortune!"
"Did he mention what kind of person they're looking for?" Jason asked.
The Six-Fingered Sister shook her head, "You'll need to go personally for this information. I heard it's an outsider, so he should be easy to find."
After hearing this, Jason went to the mob stronghold of this big street. He used to come here often and was familiar with most of the people here. Greeting the guard and the passing mob members, Jason quickly ran inside. But before he even got through the door, he heard the boss of this mob talking to others.
"...You all better be on your toes! Even if it's just some outsider, or a fly, or an earthworm, catch him!"
"Do you know what stupid thing he did? He snuck into Falcone Family's most important warehouse district in the middle of the night. Do you know where that is? It's the secondary center of Falcone Family's future cold chain transport industry, which had only been put into use not long ago…"
"The first batch of goods had just arrived on the day when the reckless dude broke in. If you say he didn't do it on purpose, who would believe it?!"
"And I heard the reason why the boss is so furious is because this guy angered the Falcone son…"
"In short, the task this time is very simple, yet the benefit is quite high. Whoever completes it definitely will make an impression, and instead of running around in the street every day, you bunch of punks might as well spend some time on the real deal. If you really are taken to Falcone Manor, well, that would be something…"
"Who's that out there??? Is that Jason? Are you late again? Do you think you're the king? I was just mentioning you, my territory, where only Small Jason can give me some credit because he's a college student… "
Jason was called into the room by this mob boss. In the past, his relationship with the boss had been good. This mob boss also had remarkable foresight and saw Jason's uniqueness. He liked to give Jason jobs that required brainpower.
After leaving the room, Jason got a name and a few physical descriptions, but in reality, the physical appearance didn't matter at all. Knowing that he's an outsider, he should be easy to find. Outsiders and Gotham locals have significant differences in temperament, like a lamb breaking into a wolf pack, it's easy to distinguish.
Returning to the Tail Gang's base, Jason gave instructions and for the first time, also conducted an unprecedented mobilization. After all, the current task seems simple and rewarding, and all the children, whether big or small, can get involved. If done well, it could pave the way for their future.
After giving his instructions, it was late at night, and Jason lay in bed at the base, feeling an unparalleled sense of security. This was his home, the place where he grew up. Only here could he get a good night's sleep.
But his good sleep didn't last long. After less than three hours, Jason heard some abnormal noises in his sleep and opened his eyes to see a man standing at his bedside.
Just as Jason was about to scream, a pair of hands covered his mouth. His eyes widened in fear.
In the dim light of the room, he could see that the uninvited guest was wearing a red hood.