New Gods of North America.

Chapter 718 Black Flag Gang

Before it got completely dark, Wayne had already made arrangements with the Rabbit Gang and the Tuto Gang, who were relatively cooperative.

The Tuto gang agreed even more readily than the Rabbit gang, since they mainly dealt with logistics and were happy to save on extra expenses like "maintenance forces" if Wayne didn't investigate smuggling.

If the Sailors' Gang cannot "rise from the ashes," they will no longer be qualified to be seated at the table, or they will only be "served" by others.
The Erlan gang is a different story. Their leader, O'Sullivan, is not home. Although they have launched some attacks in the first two or three days, they are generally in a state of "passive defense" or "semi-dormant". They have suffered casualties, but they are still far from being crippled.

As for the other smaller gangs that have become more active recently, although their combined size is not small, their recent clashes with the Ellan gangs, fought on foreign soil, haven't been going too smoothly.

Some, like the Claw Gang, started having their own schemes. They've clearly been slacking off these past few days, all talk and no action, but the agents are hardly running into them anymore during night patrols.

There's a rather interesting group called the Michelson Brotherhood, though. During the day, you can see them trying to loiter around the Erlan communities, and their activities seem to have shifted from "fighting" to "extortion."

Moreover, as the situation changed, the dynamics between these gangs shifted from an initial focus on the "early riot gangs" to a more chaotic free-for-all.

After all, not all gang territories are connected to the Erlan community. There are also situations where other gangs engage in "befriending distant enemies while attacking nearby ones" or "if one brother is injured, I'll stab him in the back."

Besides those mentioned above, there are also gangs in the dock area that haven't been involved in much trouble lately.
For example, groups like the Mongoose Gang, a scattered bunch of petty thieves, would find it difficult to cause trouble.
For example, the Black Flag Gang, which is no less large than the Sailors' Gang, has the ability to cause trouble, but because they are far away or it doesn't concern them, they are just watching the show.

However, Wayne had no intention of overlooking them and planned to invite them all to the meeting.
So after dark, Wayne first found James Damotic, the guy who helped bankers collect debts, and then planned to go to the hotel owned by the Black Flag gang to take a look.

James Damody seemed somewhat incredulous while in the carriage: "Mr. Wayne, are you sure Mr. Schwartz is going to be in trouble soon?"

Wayne remained noncommittal: "There are some things you should know better than I do. Haven't you heard anything about it?"

"Mr. Schwartz hasn't really assigned us any new tasks lately, but the leaders of the Sailors' Gang are still recruiting, so they don't seem to be backing down or admitting defeat..."

"You can continue to wait for news. By the way, according to our detective agency's standards, you and your men are also considered a 'gang' in my eyes, and thus fall within the scope of taxation. Friendly reminder, you still haven't handed over your specific accounts to my people."

"We don't participate in turf wars between gangs at all, does that count?"

“Our detective agency has recently been focusing on punishing acts of violence that directly affect ordinary people. In terms of their nature, your crimes may even surpass those of some gangs that are focused on running their businesses. Considering our acquaintance, I advise you to seize this opportunity.”

"So all that's been happening in the dock area lately is actually aimed at Mr. Schwartz?"

"Hmm... don't jump to conclusions. I just happened to receive the news; it has nothing to do with what our detective agency has been doing before."

"Mr. Wayne, how much tax do you think I should pay?"

"Regarding the specific amount, you can come to our detective agency's current office and talk to a guy named Seth Grayson; he's in charge of this. And you'd better change careers as soon as possible; if necessary, turning yourself in is actually a good way out." Wayne was recently a little conflicted about whether or not to investigate the gang's past. Theoretically, Virginia was one of the "original thirteen states" of the United States, and the relevant laws were already well-established.
However, the dock area is still considered a semi-lawless area, and there are some things that even the city police don't care about. If the detective agency interferes too much, it will seem a bit superfluous.

From Wayne's current perspective, if the gangs can cooperate and curb their violence from now on, he is willing to be somewhat lenient, since it's important to unite the majority as much as possible.

However, Wayne did not agree with the idea that "bad people can become saints as soon as they lay down their weapons." If some cases were to be unearthed again, not to mention whether Inessa or Willie would have any thoughts, Wayne himself would probably feel disgusted if he knew. Therefore, he did not intend to make any promises in this regard.

Some people deserve to be "taken down by fate," and Wayne can only guarantee that he won't actively fight when he's not in a bad mood. Everyone else is on their own.

James Damody wanted to ask more, but the carriage had already stopped, and Sanders' voice came from the driver's seat outside the carriage: "Boss, we've arrived at the Black Flag Hotel."

Although it was called a "hotel," the Black Flag Gang actually provided a full range of services for sailors and crew members during their temporary port calls, including eating, drinking, gambling, and prostitution. The last service was particularly infamous, which was one of the reasons why James Damody, the debt collector, was familiar with the area. He would occasionally take on jobs assisting the Black Flag Gang in collecting debts from local gamblers.

The name "Black Flag" also comes from the sea; it's the kind of "plunder declaration flag" that pirates like to fly. So the name also has another hidden meaning—their actual business also included helping to sell stolen goods, which is also part of "that line of business".

Therefore, the Black Flag Gang is not very proactive in territorial disputes, but it may be a troublemaker when it comes to collecting taxes and fees.

After getting off the carriage, even Wayne was somewhat surprised: "The scale here is even larger than I imagined."

Wayne had previously glimpsed this area during the day; it was nestled between several large docks, covering a size larger than the cannery the detective agency had envisioned, and with some protruding rocks on the water's surface near the riverbank.

It looked like a "construction site" that was not suitable for development into a dock, but it could also serve as a natural buffer zone between gangs.

What caught his attention at the time was a two-story wooden house along the riverbank that was neither luxurious nor spacious, along with some small wooden houses that were either completed or unfinished, piles of timber and debris on the open ground, and a number of tents of various sizes that were neither new nor old. It felt like a "farmhouse" with a water view.
Knowing that this was a casino disguised as a small hotel, he originally thought that the main building was the two-story wooden house, and the rest were like ancillary facilities under construction, as well as temporary accommodations for workers during construction.

But when Wayne took a closer look at night, he discovered that the small wooden cabins and tents inside the wooden walls were actually the real Black Flag Gang's "hotel."

Many of the cabins and tents were emitting light from inside, like kerosene lamps with covers on. The noise coming from some of the larger tents made it seem as lively as the dockside market during the day, only this area was less bustling.

"Yes, from a distance it doesn't look particularly conspicuous. It's like a makeshift shelter for migrant workers who have no home. Ordinary people might even avoid it at night. Especially recently, the area near the Erlan community hasn't been very peaceful at night, so even more people come here to hang out."

James Damody chimed in from the side, "Mr. Wayne, would you like to play a couple of rounds first, or go straight to see their boss?"

"Let's take a look around and see what's going on, but we won't play any games."

(End of this chapter)