"Bill, how's the situation with the Austrians gang?" Hardy asked.
Bill shook his head. "Not great. You asked me to make friends with the Austrians gang. This morning, I got a call from one of their leaders. He told me that the Austrians gang now knows about Mr. Sigel and Boss Fred's deaths. Plus, they were attacked last night. People are very down and worried now."
Worry was just right. When people's hearts are unsettled and the situation is tense, some untimely ambitions and ideas will be suppressed.
"Bill, call Alan Payne and tell him I want to talk to the Austrians gang leaders. You'll come with me later," Hardy said.
Alan Payne, after being rescued by Bill last night, took a long time to recover at home. He slept fitfully, waking up several times in between. At around 8 a.m., he received Bill's call, informing him that Boss Hardy wanted to meet with the Austrians gang leaders.
After hanging up, Alan was silent for a while, then finally muttered to himself, "Maybe this is the best outcome."
The driver took Alan to the company. Alan informed all department heads to come for a meeting. All the department heads hurried to the company.
"Alan, is it true that Mr. Sigel and Boss Fred are dead?" A supervisor asked as soon as he came in.
Alan nodded. "This morning, I called Las Vegas and confirmed that both Mr. Sigel and Boss Fred are dead."
The members of the Austrians gang were visibly uneasy.
"The bosses just died, and we were attacked last night. It means someone has targeted our Austrians gang. What should we do next?" Someone asked anxiously.
"We lost seven or eight people at our tobacco and alcohol warehouse."
"We lost even more at the casino; more than a dozen of our men were killed."
Everyone was talking at once.
"Alan, you're the strategist of the Austrians gang. What do you think we should do now?" Someone suddenly said.
Everyone looked at Alan.
Alan scanned the crowd. He knew that these guys probably already had their own ideas. If he had the ability, now would be the perfect time to rise to power. Unfortunately, he knew his situation; these people would not submit to him.
"Alan, the gang is in such a crisis now. Say something," someone urged.
"Yeah, you're the strategist. Now's the time for you to make a decision."
"I think we should elect a new gang leader." Someone suggested.
"Elect a leader? How do we do that? What's the procedure?"
Everyone started discussing, showing no respect for Alan. Each of them had a group of subordinates, while Alan, though holding a high position as a strategist, had no direct subordinates, making him appear quite isolated now.
Alan looked at them and said, "Bill Pitt, the boss of Bill's gang, just called me. He'll be coming over with Mr. Hardy. Why don't we discuss the matter of electing a new leader after they arrive?"
The meeting room fell eerily silent.
Everyone shut their mouths, no one said a word.
They glanced at each other, a thousand thoughts racing through their minds.
Alan looked at these managers. Just a moment ago, he had wondered if anyone would stand up and say, "Why is Hardy coming? Why is Bill's gang involved? This is an internal matter of our Austrians gang."
But from start to finish, no one spoke.
The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Anyone coughing did so carefully. This update is available on novᴇlfire.net
They had all heard about what happened last night. HD Security, the police, and Bill's gang had joined forces, using thunderous means to wipe out the North Shore Gang.
The North Shore Gang, as powerful as it was couldn't even put up a fight.
Now that the Austrians gang's leaders were dead, the gang was like a pile of loose sand, even less capable of resistance.
Footsteps echoed from the hallway.
Everyone in the meeting room instinctively stood up.
The door to the meeting room opened, and Bill walked in first, followed by Hardy. All eyes turned to Hardy.
The Austrians gang leaders recognized Hardy. After all, Hardy had been with the Austrians gang for half a year. They all smiled and greeted him.
"Good morning, everyone." Hardy nodded at them.
Then his face turned serious, "I'm here to discuss something with you. Sigel was my boss, and the Austrians gang was his business. I don't want to see the Austrians gang disappear."
"Mr. Hardy, why do you say the Austrians gang will disappear?" Someone asked in surprise.
Hardy looked at them. "Do you know why the Irish suddenly attacked the Austrians gang this time?"
"Maybe you don't know yet. The five major families of the Mafia are in a gang war. Just yesterday, someone killed core members of the Corleone family. Last night, the Corleone family retaliated, killing several important figures from the other families."
"At the same time, someone killed Mr. Sigel and Fred. The Irish saw the opportunity and prepared to seize control of Los Angeles. Their purpose is very clear, to swallow up the Austrians Gang. You can ask Allen about this."
Alan nodded. "That's true. Last night, Jaime Weiss captured me, forcing me to merge the Austrians gang into the North Shore Gang, or else they would kill me. I refused, and they started attacking our businesses."
Hardy continued, "Behind this, it's not just Jaime Weiss's North Shore Gang, there are other Irish forces involved. You all know Raymond, right? He's the real mastermind behind this."
Everyone involuntarily swallowed.
Raymond's name was enough to intimidate everyone here. With the current strength of the Austrians gang, there was no way they could withstand Raymond's attack.
Now they believed that Hardy's warning about the Austrians gang's possible disappearance was not an exaggeration.
Everyone's hearts grew even more uneasy.
"This time, Bill's gang discovered it early. I had Bill's gang and HD Security act together to stop their plot. But I believe they won't give up so easily. I want to ask you, can the Austrians gang withstand Raymond's next attack?"
The Austrians gang leaders fell into silence.
Bill, sitting next to Hardy, scanned the Austrians gang leaders, finally locking eyes with one of them. Bill gave him a meaningful look.