Chapter 123 Collect protection money
William didn't really like to hold grudges against people.
The previous conflict between him and Joshua was considered resolved. It wasn't a big deal in the first place. Afterwards, Joshua gave him a huge bundle of dollars, which was like an apology.
"I don't hold anything from the past against you," William was also candid, glanced at Walker with pursed lips, and said, "He said he wants to show me the underground forces in New York and have me be his underling."
"Underground forces?" Joshua looked at Walker puzzled, was there something wrong with this guy's head?
What underground forces?
In recent years, New York has cracked down hard on organized crime. Once implicated, the law would show no mercy.
Those so-called gang leaders in New York back then are now behind bars. Even those who engaged in underground boxing in the past can now only make a living in places like mine.
I just run a bar. There are some small-time gangsters working here at the bar, but how can that be considered any underground force? Although there are occasionally some troublemakers here at the bar, isn't that also to ensure other customers' safety?
"As long as you give those gangsters a few drinks on the house or some tips, they will usually behave themselves. They will even bring their friends here to spend money. How can they be considered an underground force?"
Walker casually put his legs on the table, arrogantly looked around, and then smiled at William, "I heard you're the boss here?"
"Yes sir, what can I do for you?" Joshua reacted quickly, handed him a cigarette, and thought to himself that his son did send some people to cause William trouble last time. If this makes them be seen as a gang, once the police get involved, his bar could be shut down for good, and even he himself might end up behind bars.
What he feared even more was if Walker was some big shot with a corporation or conglomerate backing him up.
Walker took the cigarette and put it to his lips. Joshua hurried to light it for him, and then changed his tone, "Sir, the little friction between me and William is resolved. I just run my bar honestly and have never touched anything illegal."
But in fact, Joshua had engaged in some shady dealings, with some transactions unknown to others behind the scenes. If investigated thoroughly, there would definitely be trouble.
"Really?" Walker contemptuously raised his eyebrows, "I see this bar is pretty big, do people often come to make trouble?"
Joshua was slightly surprised and answered: "It's been a long time since there were any fights at our bar. Customers usually just come here to relax and chat, how could there be any chaos here?"
In fact, there were still occasional disputes or scuffles at the bar, but most of these incidents were resolved outside the bar. And whenever something happened, Joshua would deal with it immediately, after all supervision in New York is very strict now.
Walker arrogantly responded, "I won't say more to you. Starting next month, give me $200,000 every month, and I can ensure peace here."
Joshua's eyes lit up. He was very familiar with this. Many years ago, when New York wasn't so strict, he had done similar "business" too.
"Any problem with that?" Walker looked at Joshua arrogantly.
Joshua looked at William hesitantly: "William, is he your friend?"
William shook his head repeatedly: "Not really. He said he wanted me to be his underling. I haven't agreed yet. He told me he wants to unify the underground forces in New York. When he unifies them, I'll be his underling."
After hearing this, Joshua basically understood. It seemed the relationship between William and this guy was not good. And was this guy watching too many gangster movies and getting too into character?
"So you're saying you don't plan to get involved in this?" Joshua confirmed with William again.
William grinned, "He wants me to be his underling and show his capabilities. Why should I get involved?"
"Then I'm relieved," Joshua felt slightly at ease after hearing this. As long as this guy wasn't the boss of some major power, he wasn't too worried.
"Relieved?" Walker suddenly slammed the table hard, the wooden table almost collapsed, and the drinks on it spilled all over the floor, "Let me ask you again, $200,000 every month, yes or no?"
Although startled, Joshua was no pushover either. This guy may have trained, but so what in New York? "No!" Joshua stuck out his chest and said. Nowadays in New York, who's still afraid of this old-fashioned extortion?
And just because he's trained in combat, does Walker really think he can beat him up in his own bar?
You have to know that the main reason Joshua apologized to William was out of respect for Lila. What Joshua fears most isn't William's fighting abilities, but his ties to the Carter family.
"Looking for trouble!" Suddenly, Walker made his move, grabbing Joshua by the throat.
Joshua was exasperated. How many times had someone choked him in the past few days?
Seeing their boss Joshua being attacked, the minor thugs in the bar immediately surrounded William and his table, blocking all escape.
"A lot of you, huh?" Walker chuckled. After releasing Joshua, he lunged into the crowd, fists and kicks flying, causing chaos.
Anyone who clashed with Walker ended up battered and bruised. Some even had broken bones.
"Don't fight back!" Joshua thought quickly. Given Walker's training, how could these low-level thugs stand a chance against him?
If they ganged up on Walker and it got recorded on camera, it would be easy to accuse them of inciting a riot. Even though the bar had surveillance, police cars sometimes patrolled the streets of New York outside.
Now that Walker was the instigator and they were not retaliating, with the police patrolling just outside the bar, Joshua would definitely call the cops if Walker didn't let up. If it were William, he might have held back due to his respect for the Carter family's influence, but with this crazed Walker? Definitely.
Walker was making quite the show, single-handedly fighting more than a dozen men, sending them sprawling left and right.
But this didn't last long. Soon, a group of police officers stormed into the bar.
"Stop!" The officers, seeing Walker pummeling a young man, drew their batons to intervene.
Walker was audacious. Even after seeing the police, he didn't hold back. With a quick move, he dodged a baton and instantly knocked down two officers.
The difference between a Soulmancer and an ordinary person is significant. Even though Walker was just a novice Soulmancer, his body was imbued with a unique energy, making him too much for regular officers to handle.
William couldn't bear to watch anymore. These officers were just doing their duty, and allowing Walker to severely injure them would be unjust. With a subtle gesture, William used his psychic abilities to immobilize Walker.
Suddenly, Walker felt as if all his strength was drained away. In his consciousness, it felt as though he was under the intense gaze of a pair of eyes, with a powerful force suppressing him, rendering him unable to muster any strength.
The next moment, a police baton struck his temple. Two officers swiftly subdued and pinned him to the ground.
Throughout the entire ordeal, William remained seated, not making a move. When the police questioned Joshua about what had happened, he explained that the man came into their bar demanding protection money and started attacking when they refused to pay. He then produced the surveillance footage to back up his statement.
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