The male supporting character was actually myself.

The Irving family are all excellent, but unfortunately, they are too ambitious and unruly to be of good use.

Anderson wants to use them as pawns?

Heh, just you wait and see, I guarantee he won't even know how he died!

"Should we consider joining forces with them?" the subordinate asked respectfully.

Dom shook his head. "Short-term cooperation is possible, but don't even think about a joint effort. We're simply not on the same page."

Do you know why they've never been able to grow their gang bigger over the years?

Because they don't exploit at all.

The Irving family used to make money by collecting protection money, but now they mainly rely on underground racetracks.

They were too trusting of their promises and took their so-called neighbors too seriously.

The most notorious madman in the Owen family was someone who risked his life for a few pounds of protection money. In the end, he protected the civilians, but the old madman Owen lost his life.

Dealing with this kind of person is like having your back to them on the battlefield;

In reality, you can forget about having the Owen family's friendship unless you gain their approval.

They came from gangs, yet they despise gangs that exploit labor to gain wealth.

My wealth comes mostly from arson, murder, robbery, and other illegal activities—the kind of people they despise the most.

His jet-black, glossy mustache curled upwards, trembling as his lips opened and closed. "Speaking of which, it's amazing that the Owen family's crazy bloodline is still alive."

It's strange that they all returned unscathed from the battlefield!

The subordinates lowered their heads and did not dare to respond.

Dom pondered for a moment, then waved for him to leave, before beginning to carefully groom the large, pure black dog.

………………

"Da da da!"

A light mist hangs over the banks of the Sentis River in the early morning.

A series of crisp hoofbeats echoed through the mist, sounding light and leisurely like a tourist strolling along the riverbank on horseback.

A cold breeze stirred the fog, and soon a shadow appeared in it.

Jiang Chen rode a tall, chestnut-colored horse, still wearing a crisp white shirt, a gray vest, and a neat black bow tie.

He wore an open black overcoat; a black octagonal hat; grey riding breeches; and a pair of gleaming black high-top leather boots.

He moved slowly along the river, his left hand, gloved in black, holding the reins, while his right hand hung naturally at his side, holding a gun.

"Hey, look at that guy!" The lookout, sitting on a pile of wood, patted his sleeping companion, whose face was covered by his hat, and whispered, "He's obviously got some money to burn. Look at his horse! And his gear!"

The companion, who was lying on the wood in a daze, immediately sat up when he heard "there's money to be made." He took off his hat, sat up, and had a straw stick in his mouth. He casually put the hat on his head, looked at the people walking in the distance, and chuckled, "We're going to get rich, brother!"

The overseas duty assignments were indeed quite demanding.

But it's totally worth it!

After all, if you happen to find one or two worth robbing in addition to the subsidies, you'll make a fortune!

Wow, look at that beautiful horse! I bet it's worth at least a thousand pounds, no, at least fifteen hundred!

I've seen it with the boss before; a foal that's not even as pretty as this horse was auctioned off for 1,500!

“This guy is definitely lost.” The lookout shaded his eyes with his left hand and looked around, waving to his companion to get ready. “Aim quickly, I’ll distract him, you try to take him out with one shot.”

He aimed and fired a shot to the head.

Don't ruin those clothes. We'll strip them naked and throw them in the river later, then we'll divide the clothes and wear them to look impressive.

Oh, and by the way, you better keep your mouth shut. Let's pocket this fat sheep for ourselves!

Next time we rest, we'll take the horses to town and sell them, each getting several hundred pounds and never coming back. Wouldn't it be great to live a life of luxury in the city?

"Okay!" his companion readily agreed.

He wasn't very lucky. Others who were on duty abroad would often manage to rob someone or snatch a girl every now and then, either to make some money or to have some fun.

But when it's my turn to be on duty, I've never encountered this even once!

There wasn't even a smuggling ship in sight.

Now that's great! After pulling off this heist, he'll instantly become a rich man. Who the hell is still stuck in the underlings of a gang, just getting by every day?

While hiding behind the woodpile, the guy with the straw in his mouth was thinking that if anyone heard the gunshot and asked, he should say that he saw a wild duck fly by and wanted to try to shoot it down...

"Click!"

Jiang Chen reined in the reins, smiled, and asked the other person, "Excuse me, where is this place?"

The man sitting on the pile of wood looked him up and down, grinned, revealing yellow teeth, and chuckled, "Of course, this is where you'll die."

"boom!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a gunshot rang out from behind him.

"Damn your marksmanship..." The man watched as the bullet flew out without harming the other party in the slightest, and couldn't help but curse before raising his hand to fire a follow-up shot.

"Not challenging at all." Jiang Chen watched as the bullet whizzed past him less than a foot away, shaking his head and sighing, clearly uninterested.

"Bang bang bang bang!"

After a few quick gunshots, he squeezed the horse's belly with his legs and continued to move forward at a leisurely pace.

Only two pools of fresh blood remained on the pile of wood, still slightly steaming in the cold morning light...

"Hey, what are you doing!"

He urged Ma Gang to walk into the street, and immediately someone cautiously stepped forward to inquire.

Jiang Chen calmly glanced at the gun aimed at him and said with a light smile, "This is Old Cobb's territory, right? I have something to discuss with your boss."

"Our boss isn't someone anyone can just see whenever they want." The other person brandished his gun, warning, "Anyone who dares to disturb the boss's sleep will definitely be shot dead!"

Even if you have something to do, it can be in the afternoon or evening.

Go to Old Cobb's bar; he hangs out there all the time.

A silver coin bounced off Jiang Chen's right thumb, arcing through the air in a beautiful parabola.

The other person hurriedly took it, and upon seeing the face value, he was overjoyed. He rubbed it against his body and stuffed it into his pocket, saying, "You should go now, come back later."

Where does old Cobb sleep?

"What time is it? It must be his place."

Keep walking straight ahead and you'll see a big house with a red roof. The iron gate at the entrance is covered with wire; you'll know it when you see it.

"For the sake of the pound, sir, please don't ask so many questions and just leave."

Jiang Chen nodded, glanced ahead for a moment, then turned his horse around and slowly departed for his next destination.

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Children, Something Happened Again

As night falls, the streetlights illuminate the scene with a dim yellow glow.

The sinful city of Sentis has come back to life, and its rich and chaotic nightlife has resumed.

"Joyce, a new singer joined the bar?" Susanna asked curiously as she pushed open the door. "What about Bella? Have you decided to give up on her?"

In the bustling hall outside, a sweet-looking red-haired girl was humming a tune.

Clearly, those drunkards didn't care if the singer changed; as long as the singer was pretty, willing to show off, and had a decent voice, they didn't care who was singing.

Red-haired girls are even more popular because they understand the rules of the bar better and tacitly allow certain customers who are willing to spend money to touch hands, blow kisses, or wink.

Bella was beautiful before, but she was like an iceberg, unapproachable.

That aloof girl has an ambiguous relationship with the Owen family, so who would dare to flirt with her?

The red-haired girl named Ella was different.

She made the atmosphere even better within the limits of what was permissible!

“She’s not in the mood to sing right now,” Joyce said with a puff of smoke. “Ella is clearly a better fit.”

We brought warmth to everyone on this cold night, which cheered our guests up; we also made money—a win-win situation.

Susanna curled her lip. "I heard you two were inseparable that night. Perhaps you were so captivated by her charms that you couldn't bear to let her go out and sing for money?"

“Oh my, you’re becoming more and more like April,” Benson said, shaking his head and laughing. “You’re practically identical.”

Joyce smoked a cigarette, his deep blue eyes gazing intently at the ceiling. "Everyone is out here selling themselves; the difference lies in what you're selling."

Bella's ambitions are too great.

She's not worth that price, but she's determined to sell her for a good price.

I think she was temporarily out of touch with Oliver and therefore quite disoriented. The fact that she wanted to return to work suggests that Oliver is about to make a comeback.

Speaking of which, does anyone know what Ed has been up to?

I haven't seen him all day!

“I’ve assigned him some important tasks so that my older brother won’t always complain that we’re doing things behind his back.” Jiang Chen nestled on the sofa, studying the map intently. Many areas on it were marked with circles and crosses, making it look a bit messy at first glance.

Joyce nodded. "It's time to arrange something for him."

But I'm a little curious, what good thing could possibly make Ed give up his nightly nightly fun at the bar?

Jiang Chen put the map away, thought for a moment, and said seriously, "Something that's more attractive to him than alcohol, women, and killing is something I believe everyone would like."

"You're deliberately keeping us in suspense." Lucy pouted, got up, grabbed some cards, and clamored to play for a while.

Smoking, drinking, chatting, and playing cards filled the bar's lounge with a warm, family-like atmosphere.

A moment later, April pushed open the door and came in with a serious expression. "Kids, something has happened again."

I just received word that the gang leaders, their henchmen, and their deputies in the area have all disappeared!

Benson, who was smoking a cigarette and holding a good hand of cards, hoping to win, asked absentmindedly, "What do you mean 'disappeared'? April, you're getting more and more convenient with your words these days."

“No! I’m being very precise!” April emphasized, staring at Joyce as she explained, “The various gangs around here are starting to show signs of chaos.”

It is said that the Black Blood Gang originally had something to report to their boss, but after searching the entire territory, they couldn't find it!