Bab 37: Chapter 37: Christmas Action
Hardy woke to a pleasant itch on his face. As he reached up to scratch it, he felt a delicate hand.
Opening his eyes, he saw that dawn had broken, with sunlight streaming into the room. Ava Gardner lay beside him, half-covered by a quilt that revealed her fragrant shoulders. She was playfully teasing him, but Hardy had caught her hand.
"What's the matter, Ava? Why are you looking at me like that?" Hardy asked with a smile.
"Hardy, I've been thinking. It might be better to leave my brokerage contract with you. Since you already have a brokerage company, I could work with you," Ava Gardner said.
"I don't have the time to manage artists," Hardy replied.
"Then I'll be more flexible. Just keep me in mind if any opportunities arise," Ava Gardner said with a smile.
Hardy considered it for a moment. Running a brokerage company wasn't overly complicated; it just required hiring a few brokers.
"Alright, I'll find some brokers, set up the company, and adjust your contract to a 50-50 split. That's the standard for Hollywood stars," Hardy said, looking at her.
"Thank you, boss," Ava Gardner said, clearly delighted.
Today was Christmas.
The city was alive with holiday cheer. Floats paraded down the streets, malls were bustling with shoppers, and "White Christmas" played from phonographs.
While Hardy enjoyed his first Christmas in this world, not everyone was taking it easy.
The Spanish gang had been robbed of over $200,000 in cash. The casino was bombed, resulting in numerous casualties and forcing a temporary closure.
Dani, the gang leader, had sent out people to find the culprits and even offered a reward, but there were no leads, which frustrated him.
"Burstein, how is the shipment progressing?" Dani asked his right-hand man.
"It should be at sea by now, following the original route. The large boat will reach the open water, then smaller boats will transport it to the dock," Burstein replied.
Dani chewed on his cigar, worried. "The transaction volume is five times what it was before. Everything must go smoothly with no problems."
Dani, experienced in the business, was still uneasy about the higher stakes.
"The staff is prepared. Once the goods arrive at the port, the transaction will be completed swiftly. The other party will leave with the money, and we will move the goods to a secret location. It will take less than an hour in total," Burstein assured.
"Ensure everything is foolproof."
Just then, the door knocked.
"Come in."
Cranston, Dani's informant, entered. "Boss, I have some intelligence that may be related to the casino robbery."
Dani, frustrated by the lack of progress in the investigation, perked up. "What information do you have?"
"I discovered something from my sources. Remember Bill from the Jewish gang, the one who clashed with Cook?"
"You mean Bill was behind the casino robbery?" Dani asked, frowning.
"No, Bill has been hospitalized since his injury and hasn't been discharged. After he was hurt, someone took over his territory. I heard it was his friend, Jon Hardy."
"Jon Hardy then gathered a group of men, all former Marines. I started to wonder if this Jon Hardy is the same person who killed Cook, and with such a group, might he be planning to target our casino?"
Dani's eyes narrowed. Jon Hardy was connected to Bill, who was injured by Cook and later killed. Jon Hardy then took over Bill's territory and recruited a group of soldiers.
Dani had reason to suspect Hardy of the casino robbery.
Burstein considered the possibility. "There is some suspicion."
Dani bit his cigar, concerned. "If there is any suspicion, investigate it thoroughly."
He turned to Cranston. "I'm assigning this to you. Find out if Jon Hardy was involved in the casino robbery."
"Understood, boss." Cranston accepted the task eagerly. A successful investigation could lead to a significant promotion.
Cranston left the office with Burstein. As they walked out, Cranston overheard Dani and Burstein discussing docks and additional manpower, though he didn't grasp the full context.
Cranston got into his car and instructed the driver, "Take me back to the station."
On the way, Cranston pondered how to carry out Dani's orders, trying to determine if Jon Hardy was responsible for the robbery.
Back at the station, Cranston contacted his informant, a thief named Naxi, who was in his fifties, thin, and scruffy, looking like a vagrant. Despite their appearance, such individuals often had valuable information.
"Where do you think they're operating from?" Cranston asked.
"They're based at the Jewish gang's old location, the sweater factory in Xiacheng. There were about eight or nine people there originally, though not necessarily all are still present," Naxi replied.
Cranston frowned, struggling with his lack of ideas. He realized that the most straightforward method would be to raid the place and question the people directly. However, he didn't want to risk it.
Instead, he called his friend Beckman. "Beckman, got any good jobs?"
"What's the job?"
"I might have found the group that robbed the casino. Dani's boss said I'm in charge of the investigation. If you help, we can split the reward."
Beckman's interest was piqued. If they were the robbers, they would likely have a lot of cash.
"Count me in!" Beckman said.
"Get ready. We'll act tonight, on Christmas Eve. We'll call it 'Operation Christmas Eve,'" Cranston declared with satisfaction.
As night fell, the streets were aglow with Christmas lights and crowded with shoppers and children. Two trucks drove to the remote Xiacheng district, a factory area that was deserted despite the holiday.
The trucks stopped in front of the factory.
"We'll go in shortly. If anyone resists, shoot them on sight, but try to keep at least one or two alive. Understand?" Cranston ordered.
His subordinates nodded in agreement.
A nimble operative scaled the wall and quietly unlocked the door. The group surged into the factory, ready for their operation.
Bab 38: Chapter 38: One Big Business Delivered to Your Door
There was a grill in the lobby on the first floor of the factory. The barbecue on it was sizzling, and Leo used a knife to cut off a piece and put it in his mouth.
A Christmas party was broadcast on TV, reminiscent of the Spring Festival Gala. A graceful singer was performing, and Henry, Matthew, Leo, and Kerry watched it with gusto.
It was Christmas Day.
Sean and Ryder had gone home to spend the holiday with their families.
Neil had gone to the hospital to be with his wife.
Richard's eyes had become a bit irritated recently, and he was admitted to Murphy Clinic. Dr. Murphy advised waiting for spring to address the wound issues and then install a prosthetic eye.
Only four of them remained to spend Christmas together.
Matthew picked up a dagger to cut the meat but suddenly stopped halfway through. He looked up at the others, "There's movement at the door."
All four of them had survived the battlefields of war, and they never took danger lightly.
They exchanged glances and immediately reached a tacit understanding. Henry and Matthew drew pistols from their bodies and hid within the factory, while Leo and Kerry quickly went upstairs.
"Boom!"
The door was kicked open.
A group of armed men rushed into the factory aggressively. When they entered, they saw the grill in the middle. The grilled meat on it was still sizzling, and a few bottles of beer sat beside it.
"Don't let them escape!" Cranston ordered.
His men scattered around, searching for their targets. Some went inside the factory, while others climbed the stairs. As they ascended, gunshots rang out.
"Boom, boom, boom!"
Bullets flew from the shadows.
The first two men were shot and fell to the ground.
The others dove to the floor in fear, and those who had been heading upstairs quickly descended, preparing to encircle the enemies hiding in the dark.
At that moment, two black muzzles appeared at the top of the stairs.
"DaDaDaDaDaDa!"
The Chicago Typewriter fired a barrage at the crowd downstairs, causing the Spanish gang members to scatter.
They hadn't expected such fierce resistance during their raid on the Jewish gang's hideout.
Some hid in corners and fought back but were quickly met with a hail of machine gun fire.
Cranston, hiding in a corner, regretted his decision. What kind of opponents were these? He knew they had been soldiers before, but he didn't expect them to be so formidable.
Why did he have to investigate the casino robbery? Everything had been going well until he provoked these guys.
The other boss, Beckman, had been shot several times and died early in the raid.
With most of his men dead and little left to salvage, Cranston's thoughts turned to survival.
He turned to flee, but a bullet struck his thigh, sending him crashing to the ground.
"Ah! My leg!"
"Leo, Kerry, cover us. Matthew, let's clean up this mess," Henry commanded.
"Understood."
Henry and Matthew emerged from their hiding spots, and the carnage continued. The attackers had been hit multiple times, and those who were dead couldn't be revived.
Cranston, moaning at the door, was still alive.
Matthew raised his gun to finish him off, but Henry stopped him.
"Leave him alive. We need to find out what's going on."
Matthew called out, "Drop your weapon if you don't want to die."
"I'll drop it, just don't kill me," Cranston replied immediately.
He threw his gun aside, lay on the ground, and raised his hands.
Matthew and Henry approached, bound him, and dragged him to the center of the factory.
The four looked at Cranston, puzzled by the reason for the attack.
"Who are you?" Henry asked.
"We're from the Spanish gang," Cranston grit his teeth and endured the pain.
The four exchanged glances.
"The Spanish gang? Why are they here in the middle of the night? What do they want?" Henry inquired.
Cranston hesitated, fearing that revealing too much would lead to his immediate death. He struggled to decide what to say.
Matthew's expression hardened.
He stepped forward, extended a finger, and poked it directly into Cranston's thigh wound.
"Ah!"
Cranston let out a pained howl.
"Speak, why are you here?" Matthew demanded.
"I'll tell you everything. Our casino was robbed, and Dani's boss was furious. He ordered us to investigate who did it. We were promised a huge reward if we found out. A street thief told me that the Jewish gang leader was replaced after Bill was injured, and a new group was recruited, so I suspected you. Dani's boss asked us to investigate if you were the ones behind the casino robbery."
Cranston quickly explained everything.
"Just suspicion?" Henry asked.
"Yes, just suspicion," Cranston confirmed.
Leo looked at Henry and asked, "What about this guy?"
"I think we can do away with him," Matthew suggested.
Henry thought for a moment and shook his head. "We might need to ask him something else. We can't kill him just yet."
The others agreed.
"Inform the boss now?" Matthew asked.
"Tonight is Christmas Eve. The boss is likely preoccupied. I'll inform him myself," Henry said.
The four of them moved the two trucks from outside into the courtyard. They loaded the bodies of the dead men into the trucks.
They were indifferent to the corpses, having seen many on the battlefield. The bodies of the fallen were moved without much emotion.
Matthew found a thick rope and tightly bound Cranston to prevent any escape.
Kerry noticed Cranston's leg wound still bleeding. "He's losing a lot of blood. Should we give him some medicine?"
"Medicine won't help," Matthew replied. He grabbed a dagger and heated it in the oven until it glowed red. Cranston's body trembled in fear.
"No, don't—"
Matthew ignored him, stepped on him to hold him still, and pressed the heated dagger against the wound.
"Ah!"
Cranston's agonized scream filled the factory.
The iron cauterized the wound, stopping the bleeding. Matthew then tossed Cranston into a corner.
Cranston's only regret was not staying out of trouble. His men were dead, and his survival was uncertain.
---
The next morning.
Hardy woke up from a woman's embrace.
After dressing and washing, he was surprised to see Henry waiting by his car, smoking a cigarette.
"Henry, why are you here?"
"There was an incident last night. I came to report it to you," Henry replied.
"Did you wait long?"
"Just finished two cigarettes."
"What happened?"
"The Spanish gang suspected us and sent someone to investigate. The leader was a fool, planning to storm in and arrest people for questioning. We managed to fend them off, killed eleven of them, and left one alive," Henry said.
Hardy was slightly surprised.
He hadn't anticipated such a big event during the night, but was relieved that Henry and the others handled it well.
They drove back to the factory in Xiacheng District, looked at the bodies in the trucks, and came to the only survivor.
"What's your name?" Hardy asked calmly.
"My name is Cranston," Cranston said weakly.
"What's your role in the Spanish gang?"
"Boss."
While the ranks in European and American gangs aren't as complex as in martial arts novels, they do have organizational divisions. The leader of the gang is generally called the boss. Below them are positions like the second boss, military adviser, economic adviser, and staff, followed by the boss's subordinates, who are considered the gang's elite and backbone.
Hardy, now one of the leaders of the Jewish gang, was familiar with this hierarchy.
"There's talk that the Spanish gang is preparing for a drug deal. Do you know anything about that?" Hardy asked.
Cranston shook his head. "I don't know. I haven't heard anything about it."
"Where do they usually buy drugs?"
"They buy them from a Colombian. I heard he's a general and quite mysterious. They pick up the goods at the dock and transport them with a speedboat before returning with another freighter."
"Which dock?"
"A small private port outside Santa Monica. By the way, I overheard something when reporting your affairs to Dani's boss. They mentioned a port and arranged manpower."
Hardy's interest piqued.
Dani was likely talking about this drug deal.
Now that the staff was deployed, it seemed that the transaction was imminent.
Hardy sensed that a significant opportunity was on the horizon.
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