Gus Gilles was someone who had seen many terrible figures he shouldnāt provoke, yet he had only a sliver of dread toward those people. At this moment, however, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine, and his curiosity died out instantly.
āThe Stygian Club.ā
The name was a legend. A legendary organization he had heard of that boasted terrifying power and influence. He could clearly infer from Mo Awuās words that his Boss had the strength to fight against the Stygian Club.
After taking a deep breath, Gus Gilles concealed his feeling with a smile. It was a stiff smile, but it clearly expressed his understanding. "Well, letās just forget about it if itās inconvenient. Anyway, I still donāt get something. Why would your Boss want to see me? Is it like last timeāyou want some inmates from labor camp 1319?"
"Donāt be rushed, take it easy about that, Gus," said Mo Awu. "Wait until you meet my Boss; youāll naturally know what his intention is."
A few minutes later, Mo Awu took Gus Gilles to the room where Tang Xiu was staying. Even though Gus Gilles was quite surprised upon finding out how young Tang Xiu is, he acted more respectful and exchanged some pleasantries with Tang Xi. He then asked about the doubt that plagued his mind, "Boss Tang, I donāt think you brought me here just to have a chat, right? Please speak directly about if thereās anything I can do for you. Iāll never refuse it as long as itās within the scope of my ability."
"Alright. How much do you know about labor camp 1319?" asked Tang Xiu. "Also, are you familiar with the top official of this prison?"
"Boss Tang, you should have heard from Wu that I was once detained in this labor camp 1319." Gus Gilles nodded and said, "It was very fortunate that I had amassed quite a fortune before I was detained and I was able to buy my freedom. Hence, I know quite a lot about the situation inside the prison. As for Augustino, I have had some dealings with him a few times, one of which regarding his secretly arranged underground gladiatorial death matches."
"If thatās true, how about doing some business with me?" asked Tang Xiu with satisfaction.
"What business?" asked Gus Gilles.
"Iāll pay 20 million USD for your work. You help me purchase a batch of inmates from labor camp 1319. Also, find a way to send me inside and give me a week there. Iāll give you a list of inmates Iāll buy by then."
"You want to buy a group of prisoners from there? Not just one?" Gus Gilles was shocked.
"Thereās no need to fly in from afar and come here personally if I just wanted to buy one prisoner," said Tang Xiu lightly. "I want to buy a batch of these prisoners; no less than 100 of them."
"Thatās impossible!" bluntly exclaimed Gus Gilles. "Even if Augustino is the highest commander of the labor camp 1319, he wouldnāt dare to sell you so many major criminals. Let alone 100 inmates; he probably doesnāt have the guts to sell more than a dozen of them."
Tang Xiu frowned and asked, "Does he have insufficient authority, or is he under the surveillance and control of someone else?"
"Itās not a major problem for Augustino to have dozens of heavy convicts for sale with his authority, but the crux of the problem is... the prisoners detained in the labor camp 1319 are all extremely horrible. Releasing tens of them rather casually will do great harm to society. Augustino is sure to worship money like his life, but he would never try to seek death that recklessly either."
"So, you mean is... heās too afraid of selling so many prisoners," said Tang Xiu. "Itās out of fear that the sold convicts will make a major disaster outside, eventually causing trouble for him?"
"Thatās right," answered Gus Gilles.
Tang Xiu squinted and thought about the issue silently. He felt that Gus Gilles made sense. Had it been himself in the position of the highest-ranking officer of labor camp 1319, he wouldnāt take such a big risk for money either.
But if he didnāt try, wouldnāt his effort in coming here go to waste? Or, should he really resort to putting that very dangerous plan into motion... creating riots to help those convicts escape secretly?
"I have an idea, Boss," interjected Jin Shi all of a sudden.
"You do? Tell me." Tang Xiu was surprised.
A cold gleam suffused in Jin Shiās eyes as he explained with all seriousness, "Itās highly likely that Augustino wonāt dare to sell us so many prisoners. Itās better to contact the campās second-in-charge. If heās willing to sell a lot of inmates to us, weāll help him remove Augustino, though it will be up to his own efforts if he wants to sit on top of the food chain in the prison."
"Not bad!" Tang Xiu clapped and smilingly said with satisfaction, "Thatās a good idea. If the number two character is not an idiot, he will cooperate with us. Gus Gilles, whoās second-in-charge in labor camp 1319?"
Gus Gilles thought for a moment and answered, "Sander."
"Do you have a way of contacting him to arrange for us to meet in secret?" asked Tang Xiu.
"Iām one of Augustinoās VIP guests, so Sander will give me some face." Gus Gilles nodded. "Boss Tang, if you really have the money and the capital to remove Augustino, you can meet Sander and Iām sure heāll agree to a deal with you. But..."
"But what?" asked Tang Xiu with pressed brows.
"But, can we have some changes in our deal?" asked Gus Gilles seriously. "I donāt want money, just your help with an issue of mine."
"Do tell. What kind of problem do you have?" asked Tang Xiu.
"Iād like you to eliminate four people after your plan is successful," said Gus Gilles. "They are gang leaders in Tel Aviv and quite powerful."
Tang Xiu didnāt immediately answer his request but instead asked with a pale smile, "You want us to kill the other four gang leaders so that you can become the kingpin or godfather of Tel Avivās underworld?"
"Thatās right. As long as those four are eliminated, those under them will cause trouble. It is highly likely that there will be internal struggles for the leader position. When they fight to the death, it will be the time for me to act. I have 70-80% of confidence that Iāll be the godfather of all of Tel Avivās underworld; that is, once they die."
"Alright. Deal." Tang Xiu nodded.
Seeing Tang Xiu agree so quickly was not something Gus Gilles expected, so he immediately said excitedly, "Iāll contact Sander then. Iāll personally inform you after the time and place are determined."
"Alright."
Tang Xiu sent Gus Gilles to leave with his gaze before he waved to Jin Shi and said, "Follow him in secret and monitor his actions. If you find him backstabbing us, or doing some shitty trick to expose us, kill him directly."
"Understood." Jin Shi nodded cautiously and went out silently.
****
Labor camp 1319.
In the northernmost part of the prison, there was a six-story building with a wide and spacious hall at the bottom. An arena platform, or rather a fighting ring, had been set up in the hall. Two fighters were wearing big boxers and were engaged in a grueling fight on the ring, while hundreds of people sat in the surroundings.
"Commander Augustino, who do you think will win the final?"
A foreign mean in a suit and shiny shoes was smoking a cigar spoke in a relaxed manner as he asked casually, puffing out smoke as he spoke.
The highest official of labor camp 1319, Augustino, still wore an obsequious smile and said, "Mr. Newark, the no. 6 Fleshgrinder and no.3 Thanatos are very powerful experts in our prison. Fleshgrinder has a record of 4 wins from 4 fights, but Thanatos also has 5 wins and 1 draw from 5 fights. I canāt tell which one of them will become the final winner from their fight."
Newark pointed to Thanatos and slowly said, "I think Thanatos will be the ultimate winner. He hasnāt used the weapon heās good at so far, and his opponent hasnāt been able to push him too hard. That Fleshgrinder, though, didnāt you see that heās very powerful but a little too sluggish?"
Augustino nodded with a pensive look a few times and then said, "I think youāre right, Mr. Newark. I hope he can win the last game too! Else, Iāll lose quite a sum of money that Iāve betted."
Newark was the leader of an arms dealer who controlled arms trafficking through various channels in Israel. Rumors had it that he was very close with the state. He was also the main supporter behind Augustino becoming the highest-ranking official of the labor camp 1319 by pouring in a lot of money to help him.
"In the fights between experts, any negligence or mistakes will cost them their lives. More so that the situation in combat is rapidly changing. Nobody can say who will be the ultimate winner now," Newark nodded.
Suddenly, Sander, who was sitting on the chair next to Augustino, took out his mobile and was surprised to see the caller shown on its screen. It was because the person who called him turned out to be Gus Gilles, the most powerful gang leader in Tel Aviv.
āWhat does he want from me?ā
Sander didnāt want to talk to Gus Gilles, but it was hard to not to at this time. He quickly glanced at Augustino, then bent over and stood up to leave the spectator area and run outside. As he found a remote spot, he picked up the phone and spoke, "Gus Gilles, shouldnāt you take the initiative to find Augustino? Why are you calling me?"
"Itās your promotion. Itās quite a good thing to have more power and fortune, donāt you think? I wonder if youāre interested." Gus Gillesās voice was heard from the phone.
"Sorry, I donāt get what you mean," answered Sander, frowning.
"Thereās no need for you to understand it for the time being. You just need to remember to cooperate with me. Not only can you be promoted to the highest-ranking position in labor camp 1319, but you can also earn yourself quite a fortune," said Gus Gilles with a smile. "Iāll arrange the time and place for you to meet with someone around midday tomorrow."