plumnovel Chapter 64 Because he has two daughters
Chapter 64 Because he has two daughters
Another night has fallen.
The leader of the Nightingale Gang, the last small gang on the docks to refuse cooperation, was found at his home.
He used the sash of a prostitute's petticoat to hang himself from the roof beam.
There were no signs of a struggle at the scene. After a cursory examination, the coroner sent by the governor's office ruled it as "suicide due to the pressure of huge debts."
Thus, the old, chaotic underground forces at Boston Harbor were completely wiped out in a nearly peaceful manner within a single day.
Strangely, Finn didn't send anyone to recruit the members of this small gang into the "Mutual Aid Society".
In the study of Oak Bay Estate, Levi was looking at the first batch of members of the "Mutual Aid Society" that Fiona had compiled.
Finn and Seamus stood aside, reporting on the day's achievements.
"Sir, now all that's left are some insignificant thugs." Finn's face showed a hint of awe. "Your method is far more effective than my axe."
Li Wei put down the roster and tapped his knuckles lightly on the table.
"Clean up the trash is just the first step. The real business begins next."
He looked at Seamus, as if knowing he had a question, "Seamus, just say what you want to say!"
"Sir, both companies can actually resolve this, so why keep the other one on the list?"
"It's simple. The Governor's Office needs to keep another one as a negative example, and we also need a living example to remind everyone what the consequences are for not following 'our rules.' Send people to watch them, let them live, but make their lives worse than death."
"Yes, sir."
Seamus turned to leave, but Levi called out to him, "Seamus, why did you choose the rat gang that caused trouble during the day?"
"Because..." Seamus hesitated, but encouraged by Levi's gaze, he continued, "Because Tom also has two daughters."
Li Wei waved his hand without saying anything more, only turning to Finn after Seamus had left and saying, "That's just how he is, isn't it?"
Finn could only shrug and spread his hands, clearly agreeing with this statement.
Just then, a servant knocked and entered, announcing that Mr. Samuel Adams was requesting an audience.
A moment later, Samuel went into the study alone.
He looked more haggard than before, but his eyes no longer held pure anger or humiliation; instead, they held something more complex and difficult to decipher.
He placed a large stack of freshly printed flyers on Li Wei's desk.
"Mr. Li, here's what you requested. We printed a thousand copies, enough to cover the entire city of Boston."
Li Wei picked up a sheet and nodded in satisfaction. The paper quality and the clarity of the ink were both excellent.
"Well done, the printing quality is very high. Fiona, as agreed, pay Mr. Adams for this printing."
Samuel did not take the money bag that Fiona offered him.
"We're not in it for the money." He forced himself to look Li Wei in the eye. "We're in it for..."
"To complete the transaction," Li Wei interrupted him, "Very well, now that the first order is done, we can talk about the second one."
He took a blank sheet of paper and a pen from the drawer and pushed them in front of Samuel.
"My mutual aid society has just been established, and the composition of its members is quite complex. In order to ensure the stability of the organization and to accurately distribute salaries and pensions, I need a detailed background investigation report on the members."
Levi looked at Samuel with a gentle smile befitting a businessman.
"I think no one understands the working class of Boston better than the Sons of Liberty. I need you to help me verify which of my new members are also members of the Sons of Liberty. I need a list."
"Of course, it's just for ease of management, there's no other intention."
Samuel's body froze, his blood seemingly freezing at that moment.
He had previously sold half of the organization's soul in exchange for weapons and a chance to survive.
Now, this Eastern merchant wants him to hand over the other half himself.
A list.
A list filled with members of the Boston Sons of Liberty, brothers who were willing to give their lives for their ideals.
This is no deal; it's an attempt to ruthlessly exploit the "Sons of Liberty."
"You won't get away with this!" Samuel's voice was distorted with rage; he almost growled, "You're trying to kill us! You monster!"
Li Wei didn't even look up at him; he simply stroked the newly printed flyer with his fingertips, as if admiring a work of art.
"Mr. Adams, watch your words. The devil won't pay you."
He pushed the money bag containing the printing fees toward Samuel. "I'm a businessman. I've invested in you, and it's reasonable for my assets to be risk-assessed."
"We are not your assets!"
"From the moment you accepted your first gun, you were one." Li Wei finally raised his head and calmly looked at the other party.
"You are my 'high-risk suppliers.' I need to know how many of my suppliers hold multiple jobs and how many of them could cause my supply chain to be disrupted because of another 'job'."
At this point, Li Wei adopted a gentler, yet more cruel tone.
"I need to know which of my newly recruited 600-plus porters will, upon hearing some grand and sacred slogan, abandon my priceless goods and run off to pursue their own freedom in the streets. I need to quantify this risk and then counteract it with appropriate security measures."
"This is simply for ease of management, nothing more. After all, if my men offend the Governor's Office and are handed over as ordinary workers, things would get complicated!"
This repeated statement made Samuel's anger and struggle seem so pale and powerless in the face of this man's well-organized business logic.
He looked at Li Wei, as if he had seen through the man's true nature once again.
He was not a tyrant, nor a villain; he was simply a businessman.
A businessman who converts everything in the world, including life, blood, ideals, and loyalty, into bargaining chips.
And he, Samuel Adams, had already sat down at this damned poker table and lost all the money he could have saved by not sitting down.
He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he felt as if his bones had been removed, and he slumped back in his chair.
"...I need time," he uttered dryly.
"Of course! My patience is as plentiful as my gold coins."
Levi gestured for him to leave. "Fiona, see Mr. Samuel out. Remember to take the money with you; it's your due."
Samuel did not refuse the money bag again.
He grabbed it, and that negligible weight felt like the last straw that broke the camel's back, forcing him to stagger out of the study.
After he left, Fiona changed the tea to hot tea before speaking in a low voice, "Sir, will he provide a fake list?"
"Yes, I will." Levi took a sip of tea, but his expression was relaxed as he enjoyed Fiona's massage.
"But he wouldn't dare give out all the fakes. He would give out a list that was half true and half false, removing the most important ones and keeping only those he thought were worth sacrificing. He thought this was protecting his core strength."
Li Wei put down his teacup and put his arm around Fiona's waist as she massaged his shoulders.
"But he has just proven that he has accepted the logic of trading with the lives of his comrades. Once an organization starts calculating which members can be 'costed,' it is not far from becoming my subcontractor."