章 21: Joining the Group and New Task
In the alley, Lorenzo squared off against Max, his two friends, and the corrupt Officer Whitey, all of whom were menaced by Lorenzo's rusty knife—a relic he had found decaying in a tenement and picked up on a whim. Lorenzo hadn't anticipated how handy it would prove to be at this moment.
"Young— I mean, Lorenzo, right? Let's talk this through... We live in a free country, after all. We can settle this civilly..." Officer Whitey, his voice trembling, was clearly frightened for his life as he felt the cold blade press against his neck. From his quick assessment, Lorenzo was a nimble and agile young man. Officer Whitey knew that if he attempted to overpower him with his sluggish movements, Lorenzo might be compelled to use the knife.
Officer Whitey was particularly terrified, remembering a recent incident. He recalled how Noodles, a friend of Max's, had fatally stabbed Bugsy. Such violence among young men wasn't unheard of, and it haunted him now more than ever.
"What you need to do is keep your mouth shut and mind your own business, alright?" Lorenzo growled, pressing the rusty knife harder against Officer Whitey's neck to drive his point home. "I know a man in the force, and unlike you, he actually cares about justice. The only difference is, he's got ties to the mafia."
Max's eyes widened in shock, mirroring the expressions of his friends and the officer as they all listened intently to Lorenzo's revelation.
"That's right," Lorenzo nodded, his gaze cold as he turned back to Officer Whitey. "One word from me, and your dirty little secret's out. And trust me, my friend doesn't play nice. So I suggest you behave yourself. He won't think twice about dealing with a dirty cop like you."
Officer Whitey's voice trembled with fear, but he still tried to muster a retort, "You're bluffing… Even if you know such an honest cop, he wouldn't cross that line. He'd end up in prison himself!"
"Hah! You think my friend would stay in prison with his mafia connections?" Lorenzo chuckled.
The laughter sent chills down their spines, and it dawned on Max, his friends, and the officer that they were dealing with someone far more dangerous than they'd ever imagined – a man with connections that reached into the highest echelons of the criminal underworld.
Max and his friends felt conflicted; after all, Lorenzo was not only strong, but he also appeared to have influential connections.
"Come on, you've got to let me in on whatever you're planning, Max. It's that simple," Lorenzo said, flashing a charming smile. "With me on board, we could take our operation to the next level. And dealing with thugs? That's child's play for me. Haven't you seen how I handle myself in a fight?"
Max met his gaze, studying the fierce ambition in Lorenzo's eyes. It reminded him of his own determination, but there was something else, something he couldn't quite put his finger on.
Patrick butted in, his voice shaking with anxiety, "Don't trust him, Max. This guy's bad news."
Philip nodded in agreement, but Max silenced them with a raised hand.
"What's in it for us?" Max asked, his voice cold and calculating.
"Max!" Patrick blurted out, unable to believe his friend was even considering working with their former enemy.
Officer Whitey remained silent, the knife at his neck making it abundantly clear that he had no choice.
Lorenzo grinned smugly. "What's in it for you? Haha, let me enlighten you. I'm not just skilled in fighting, I'm also well-versed in your areas of expertise: robbery, burglary, theft… I'm proficient in various criminal activities. But I find that kind of work dull and beneath me. I'm more interested in the business side of things… In fact, I believe I can handle your operations better than all of you combined."
Max and the others knew he was bragging, but they didn't argue.
Lorenzo pressed on, "What kind of business are you running, and how much are you pulling in?"
Max exchanged glances with his friends before answering, "We're smuggling goods. We make around 80 to 150 bucks a day. Our operation's pretty small-time, just in this neighborhood."
Lorenzo scoffed, "That's it?"
Max felt a sting of insult, but he didn't rise to the bait.
"We're not the only ones in this game," Max said, defensively. "There are smaller thugs and bigger gangs with mafia ties controlling most of the action around here."
Lorenzo nodded, taking it in. "I see… so the other families have a stranglehold on the larger outfits."
Max sighed. "Not just that, we also have to pay 'protection' fees to the bigger gangs to keep operating. We've managed to hold our own because of Officer Whitey here, but lately, other crews have been building up their mafia connections."
Lorenzo rubbed his chin, considering the situation. "Sounds like if we want to move up, we'll need to outsmart the competition and deal with those larger gangs. Quite a challenge, eh?"
"Then why not reach out to that cop you know? He's got mafia ties, right?" Max asked, testing Lorenzo's claim.
Lorenzo grinned. "You're onto something, but getting in with the mafia means working for them."
"So?" Max countered.
"There's nothing wrong with it, but now's not the time to join a family," Lorenzo said, keeping his ambition of starting his own mafia family to himself.
Max and the others fell silent, mulling over his words.
"Forget that for now," Lorenzo continued, looking at Max. "Smuggling's your main game, right?"
"We also dabble in theft, break-ins, and robberies…" Max said, listing their other activities.
Lorenzo scoffed under his breath, "Typical small-time stuff, huh?"
The others remained silent, stung by the comment.
Then, Lorenzo turned to Max, Patrick, and Philip. "So, am I in?"
Philip scoffed, "In your dreams!"
But Max cut him off, looking at Lorenzo. "I don't trust you, but I see potential. Welcome aboard."
Patrick and Philip couldn't believe their ears.
"Max, what are you doing?" Philip blurted out.
What they didn't know was that Max saw the benefits of having Lorenzo on board. Impressed by his fighting skills and ambition, Max was willing to put aside their past if it meant furthering his own goals.
Lorenzo shoved Officer Whitey aside, who stumbled away, relieved to be free of the intimidating presence.
"You've gotta be kidding me," Philip muttered under his breath.
However, Patrick simply gestured to Philip to calm down, showing his trust in Max's judgment.
Lorenzo flashed a smile and patted Max on the shoulder, saying, "You made the right choice."
Patrick and Philip couldn't help but snort in response, clearly skeptical of Lorenzo's intentions.
Officer Whitey, though feeling out of place, couldn't deny that Lorenzo might actually be a good fit for the group. With his menacing demeanor and skills, Lorenzo could indeed elevate their operations.
Changing the subject, Lorenzo suddenly asked, "So... how's the business doing?"
Max and the others exchanged glances, with Max explaining, "Recently, our operations have slowed down, and some smaller thugs have started to poach our suppliers. Things aren't looking good..."
This was one of the reasons Max had agreed to Lorenzo joining the group. They were facing the threat of losing their business to rivals, and Max hoped that Lorenzo's combat skills might deter the other groups.
Lorenzo stroked his chin, turning to Officer Whitey. "Couldn't Whitey here help out in situations like this? What's he doing? Not keeping an eye on our business area and suppliers?"
Officer Whitey, a bit embarrassed to be called out, remained silent.
Max then defended him, saying, "Officer Whitey is still very useful. Thanks to him, some local suppliers have stayed loyal, and we've been able to carry out our thefts and other operations more smoothly..."
Lorenzo nodded. "I see..." He paused before continuing, "About these other groups that are stealing our suppliers, do you know who they are? Do you know where they're based?"
Max and the others nodded, exchanging wary looks.
"There's another group of five, bigger than us, a group of four, and a couple of other smaller groups. But it's risky to confront them—they won't hesitate to use knives and other weapons if we provoke them," Max explained to Lorenzo.
As Lorenzo listened to the details of their predicament, a mechanical voice echoed in his mind, accompanied by a digital interface.
[Ding! New Task received!]
[Task: Secure the Supply Chain!
Competing groups are trying to poach your group's suppliers, threatening the stability of your operations. Take immediate action to secure your relationships with these key suppliers and neutralize the threat from these competitors.
Reward: 30 XP! Bonus: Improving relationship with Max, Patrick, and Philip!]
Seeing this, Lorenzo stroked his chin thoughtfully. The reward was enticing, especially the bonus of improving his ties with Max, Patrick, and Philip.
After all, if his relationship with Max, Patrick, and Philip were strained and negative, he wouldn't be able to rally them to join him in a war.
That's why Lorenzo decided to be patient. Having just joined the group, he planned to gradually strengthen his bond with the three. As their friendship developed, he could then introduce the idea of joining a war together. Lorenzo already had the dialogues planned out in his mind on how to convince them when the time was right.
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