A list of 50 people appeared on the screen, each with detailed information about their assets, connections, and businesses. Some of the information came from Lanard, while the rest was sourced from the deep web.
These people were all successful individuals in the dark industries, most of them older and having done many wrongdoings in their youth. They monopolized certain industries in their areas through deception, robbery, and even murder, using their accumulated wealth to expand their networks and strengthen their monopolies.
Monopolies cooperated with each other and developed symbiotic relationships, forming a cohesive underground economy in the Boston black market.
Despite Lanard's dominance and no gang daring to provoke him, only a small portion of the drugs he smuggled were sold to the wealthy and connected. The majority penetrated the black market, passing through middlemen before spreading throughout the city, allowing ordinary people to access them through special channels.
Without the involvement of various drug dealers, Lanard's goods would rot in the warehouse.
Everyone in this black market understood the unspoken rule of making money in harmony, and anyone who disrupted this order would become a target...
That being said, the puppet company needed a substantial amount of funding for advertising, and the people on the list would serve as the company's "sponsors."
Promotion is a long-term project; it takes years and billions of dollars for companies like Coca-Cola to become international leaders. The puppet company wanted to achieve high visibility in a short period and was willing to spend an incalculable amount of money to make it happen – hence Gussy's goal of one hundred billion.
Of course, one hundred billion dollars wasn't difficult to obtain; there was no shortage of wealthy people in the United States. Robbing a few capitalists at random would yield a fortune.
Lanard and Herbit were undoubtedly the two wealthiest individuals in the Boston black market, and emptying their savings would easily reach several tens of billions of dollars.
But achieving this massive sum of money required more than just taking their bank account deposits. It involved interfering with their black market chains: selling off fixed assets, urgently collecting loans, selling stocks at low prices, and exploiting trust to extract short-term profits, among other tactics.
However, time was running out. To make an explosive amount of money in a short period, relying solely on Lanard and Herbit was not enough. Hence, Gussy had to target the fifty bigwigs on the list.
Over the next two days, Gussy and the others filmed videos while taking turns "visiting" the big names on the list.
Rengatsu and Ma Youcai couldn't keep track of how many different voices Gussy had disguised himself as. Before each meeting, Gussy would mimic Lanard, Herbit, or others to ensure a warm "welcome."
During these two days, Gussy encountered thirty-eight shootings, sixteen car accidents, and three explosions.
Everyone wanted to kill Gussy the moment they met.
As expected, all of them came away empty-handed.
And so, fifty "cooperation agreements" were reached, adding fifty wealthy sponsors to the puppet company.
Lanard's subordinates infiltrated each person's inner circle and secretly monitored their family members to ensure the agreements held.
...
In the evening, in a luxury five-star hotel suite.
"Whew, I'm exhausted!" Rengatsu said without caring about maintaining her ladylike image as she collapsed onto the sofa as soon as she entered the room, not wanting to move at all.
She hadn't slept well these past few days. Whenever she closed her eyes, all she could hear were gunshots. She felt like her nerves were on the verge of breaking.
Ma Youcai was in a similar state, although he had slightly more energy than Rengatsu, so he had enough strength to order takeaway.
"Gussy, can't we just leave those fifty big shots alone? Will they willingly give us money?" Even though Ma Youcai didn't understand English, he knew that those sponsors were all forced by Gussy to pay "protection fees" in exchange for safety. And these fees were not small; they were enough to make the wealthy feel the pinch. Perhaps some of them were plotting how to get rid of Gussy.
"They won't resist. At least, no one will be willing to be the first to resist," Gussy said, sitting on a plush leather sofa and holding a glass of high-proof whiskey – even though he didn't need to consume it to derive energy.The black evening gown adorned with exquisite jewelry still glittered, despite the days of rushing about, not a single wrinkle marred its fabric. The lower half exposed bare legs, seemingly untouched by dust.
"Yes, no one wants to be the scapegoat," Rengatsu looked deeply at Gussy, then turned to Xu Fang, "Was this clever strategy your idea or Xu Fang's?"
"No need to ask, of course it was me," Gussy replied smugly.
"Now, it's time for the unveiling," little Ma rubbed his hands together, humbly asking, "Could someone explain why those sponsors dare not resist?"
Rengatsu glanced at Gussy, then turned to Ma Youcai and explained, "It's because of internal competition. Gussy intentionally lured those gangs to attack them, then defeated them. The main objective was not only to demonstrate their strength, but also to create divisions among the sponsors. Do you think that Mr. Herbert still trusts Lanard? He definitely suspects that Lanard and us are in cahoots, and even believes that all of this was orchestrated by Lanard. If he wants to rally allies to deal with Gussy together, he would definitely not turn to Lanard. The others are the same. There are a few who now harbor deep resentment towards Mr. Herbert, and they believe that we are in league with him, wanting to seize their assets."
"But...what if they run away?" Ma Youcai asked.
Rengatsu smiled faintly, "That is impossible. They may be able to take their own assets, but they cannot take away their territories and businesses. Once they leave, their positions will immediately be occupied by others. These people are very sensitive to changes, knowing that Gussy has signed agreements with 50 sponsors. We have hinted that they can leave at any time, but what they leave behind will inevitably belong to other partners, so no one is willing to leave unless absolutely necessary. In addition, aside from Lanard, no one dares to bring this matter to the attention of the government. Such self-destructive behavior would ignite public anger. And I guess Lanard's influence...has probably already been undermined by Xu Fang, right?"
Gussy remained silent.
"In other words, those people are now observing in secret, weighing their own interests before taking action?" Ma Youcai analyzed, pretending to be profound. "It seems like they are crabs trapped in a basket, restraining each other, unable to escape... We can slowly absorb their power and merge it with ours, hahaha! Isn't that exciting? Just like the plot in a mafia novel."
"You have good instincts, Ma Youcai, but the reality is once we reach into their businesses, they will collectively tear up the agreement. Even if we only squeeze one person dry, others who receive the news will join forces to resist us."
"Didn't we sign agreements with them? These people have to give us money unconditionally. If you ask me, why don't we just imprison the entire black room? If they dare to resist, we will keep them locked up until they comply. When we receive the money, we can release them. If they don't agree, we'll get rid of them," little Ma waved his fist.
"Killing them will only backfire. After all, it is only with their cooperation that we can receive the money. Even if we capture them, they have countless ways to continue to resist you. We don't have that much time."
"What should we do then?"
"No need to worry." Gussy swayed the wine glass confidently, "I never intended to touch their businesses from the beginning, nor will I drain each and every one of them. I will only take what they are willing to offer within everyone's acceptable range. Hehe, to some extent, I will even promote the development of the black market economy... Instead of worrying about whether we have enough funds, think about how we will spend this money."
"Have we reached one hundred billion yet?" Ma Youcai asked in astonishment.
Gussy took out a black card from Morgan Bank and said, "After midnight tonight, this card will receive approximately 3 billion US dollars, and the remaining 7 billion will be paid in other forms."
"Rengatsu, I will have Lanard send people to assist you in forming a professional team for our publicity. This card belongs to you, spend every penny inside. Tomorrow night, we will be live on ABC Radio Station, actually just playing a pre-recorded video. Everything is proceeding according to plan."
"I'm a bit uneasy," Rengatsu blinked and suddenly said, "The Association has been silent for the past few days. The President probably already knew the information about Xu Fang, so why hasn't the Association taken action against them? Could it be that they are brewing a more terrifying plan..."Ma Youcai thought for a moment and said, "Maybe the chairman is scared? Look, our boss is so strong and experienced, nobody would want to go against him, right? Even if the chairman comes with his people, we might not necessarily lose. The company is already gaining some fame with our promotion..."
"You really know how to comfort people, Ma Youcai." Rengatsu sighed. "Even if the chairman personally comes, the two of us would still die. The fame can only delay our death. The reason the chairman hasn't come is because he's not confident in taking Gussy down with one strike. After all, Gussy isn't human... But still, thank you. I feel a little better now."
"As you feel better, I feel worse..." Ma Youcai suddenly felt a chill running through his body.
...
Night fell silently, engulfing the city. All darkness remained silent beneath the cold starry sky.
Xu Fang, dressed in a black cloak, sat high on a tower, silently overlooking the sleepless city. Although he couldn't see the whole cityscape, he had a higher vantage point to observe all of Boston.
He was prepared for the association's attack, but there was no movement from them. It was as quiet as death.
He knew that the "Controller" was constantly monitoring him, and the association was like a hidden hunter in the forest, patiently observing every move of their prey, searching for the best moment to strike.
"Shouldn't external forces intervene by now? No, maybe they've already arrived."
