After Zhang Heng finished speaking, the tavern fell silent, and the previous laughter disappeared.
Black Mamba, the dwarf, and the others all gasped. The patrol team's move was too ruthless. They couldn't deal with the cases that had already happened because no one was cooperating with their investigation. However, they still had the ability to stop the crimes that were happening.
At least, this was the case in Iron Handcuff's territory. After all, the ones who were actually responsible for earning income were some underage kids.
As Zhang Heng said, if they were determined to patrol the three streets, the twelve members of the patrol team could make all the thieves on the three streets lose their business. Iron Handcuff and his men would naturally lose their income.
However, why did this matter feel so weird?
Yes, the group of people in front of Iron Handcuff was obviously the patrol team, the law enforcers of this area. However, they did not follow the law at all. No, they might be talking about the law, but they were actually using the authority given to them by the law for their own personal gain. They did not look like the guardians of the law at all. They were no different from the other gangs in this place.
How could this be considered a business? It was blatant extortion.
No matter what words Zhang Heng used to describe their behavior, it could not hide their true purpose. The patrol team was going to take advantage of them.
Iron Handcuff, the dwarf, and the others had been living here for a long time. Hence, they were no strangers to such deceit. In order to survive and not be annexed by other forces, they often had to pay some protection fees and donations. However, the problem was that the people who came to them this time were the patrol team.
For a moment, Iron Handcuff, the dwarf, and the others had a thought in their hearts. 'Has the neighborhood we live in really fallen to such an extent?' Even the patrol team had resorted to extortion. As criminals, they even began to care about the spiritual development of the surrounding area.
Everyone in the tavern had their own thoughts, and no one spoke for a long time.
When they came back to their senses, everyone's eyes gradually focused on Iron Handcuff's face. Obviously, it was time for him to speak as the boss.
However, Iron Handcuff was also hesitant now.
The patrol team had been a mascot for a long time. In the past, no one paid any attention to them, and they did not take them seriously. But now, this group of people who had no sense of existence suddenly showed their fangs and wanted to ride on Iron Handcuff's head. This made it difficult for Iron Handcuff, the dwarf, and the others to accept it emotionally and humiliate them.
However, Iron Handcuff knew that what Zhang Heng said was true. His business was special. Once the patrol team targeted him, it would be difficult for the thieves to steal any more money. Let alone the patrol team deliberately targeting them, even if they walked around the three streets, it would make it difficult for them to steal anything. By then, their income would be greatly reduced.
What should he do? Should he make a move?
In terms of numbers, they had the advantage. Even if they did not count the thieves, the number of Iron Handcuff's men was twice that of the patrol team. And some of them were quite powerful. On the patrol team, other than Aris, they had to pay attention to the Oriental man in front of them. It should not be a problem for them to defeat him.
But the problem was, what would happen after that?
No matter how incompetent and useless the patrol team led by Aris was, they were still the law enforcers of this place. If they were beaten up, it would be embarrassing for them. However, would it attract more powerful people? After all, this was not the only patrol team. They were scattered all over the city. If all of them gathered together, it would be hard to say if they could take down this place. However, it would not be a problem for them to beat up Iron Handcuff and his men.
After all, Iron Handcuff and his men were just bad guys living at the bottom of the slums. Their vision and thinking were limited. How would they know about the dirty tricks in the patrol team? Aris and his men were equivalent to exiled people. Besides, even if he knew about it, he was not sure how the other patrol teams would react after he beat up Aris and his men. Even Aris himself did not know about this problem, and he did not want to know about it. If he did, he and his men would most likely be dismissed.
Although they were living a miserable life now, they still had a meager salary to support themselves and their families. If they lost their jobs, they would probably be completely integrated into this place.
Therefore, when Iron Handcuff was hesitating, Aris and his men were also very nervous. One of their hands was already on their weapon, and Iron Handcuff's men around them were also ready to make a move. They were waiting for their boss to give the order to deal with these arrogant patrol team members.
The situation in the tavern became tense. Only Zhang Heng remained calm. He even leaned back, waiting for Iron Handcuff's answer.
Iron Handcuff noticed that Black Mamba was winking at him. It seemed that he wanted to tell him something. However, Iron Handcuff did not have the time to discuss anything with his most trusted man. He had been silent for a long time, and he had to speak now. Otherwise, Black Mamba and his men would see that he was wavering.
"Thirty percent is too much."
In the end, Iron Handcuff chose to solve this matter through peaceful means. After all, they were just a small force, and they did not want to have a head-on conflict with the patrol team. Iron Handcuff felt that he had made a big concession, and it was time to negotiate.
However, what he did not expect was that the Asian man sitting opposite him shook his head when he heard what he said.
"Thirty percent. Not a single copper coin less."
"That's impossible. Not all of the money is in our pockets." Iron Handcuff almost jumped up in anger, but he suppressed his anger in the end and explained, "I have to give almost half of it to the higher-ups. We can only take half of it for ourselves. Besides, I have so many men to feed. I can only give you 10% of it at most."
As soon as his voice fell, someone in the patrol team could not help but swallow his saliva. Looking at Iron Handcuff and his men, they were obviously living a much better life than the patrol team. Even if they gave him 10% of the money, it would still be more than their current income.
The patrol team wanted to agree on the spot, but they did not expect Zhang Heng to say, "Thirty percent. There is no room for negotiation."
"Don't go too far." Iron Handcuff finally couldn't stand it anymore.
"Go too far? We are the patrol team, and we help to maintain law and order on the street. What's wrong with catching a few thieves? " Zhang Heng shook his head and said, "It seems that you haven't figured out the situation yet. From now on, without our permission, you can no longer do business. You won't be able to earn a single Sestertius. It doesn't matter if you don't want to cooperate with us. I believe there are plenty of people under you who are willing to cooperate with us."
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