xymnovel Chapter 23 The Blood Hand Gang's Show of Force
Chapter 23 The Blood Hand Gang's Show of Force
Unfortunately, the "Bloody Hands Gang" didn't keep Li Wei waiting for long.
Their actions were faster and more ruthless than Levi had anticipated.
In the morning mist of the following day, more news arrived. Like a plague, it spread from the South End across the Charles River, sweeping across the entire docks of the North End.
The first to feel the chill were the Irish day laborers who went to the docks before dawn to find work.
What they brought back was not wages, but a repressive silence.
Although they remained silent, their humiliation and anger were palpable.
Finn O'Connor was at the warehouse entrance, supervising Seamus and his five men as they conducted another round of drills.
He saw several familiar fellow villagers walking hurriedly down the street with their heads down, their faces bearing a gloomy expression he had never seen before.
He stopped one of them.
"What's wrong, Donovan? Aren't the ships in the South Sector unloading cargo today?"
The man named Donovan raised his head, his lips trembling, but he couldn't utter a single word.
His gaze passed over Finn and fell upon the warehouse, a place that once held food and hope, but now, only fear remained in his eyes.
"Old Parker... Old Parker's shop..."
The Bloody Hands didn't come directly to the North End. They were smart enough to know that this was Irish territory, and that taking action directly would trigger a full-blown war between the two blocks.
So they chose Parker, the bald, shrewd-eyed grocery store owner.
A guy who was scared into changing his price by a few threats from me, a pushover who had only crossed paths with Li Wei once in business but was powerless to resist.
Finn's heart sank. He didn't ask any more questions, shoved Donovan aside, and strode off toward Parker's Grocery Store.
Seamus and the others immediately stopped training and silently followed behind him. The four of them moved in unison, clearly well-trained.
Before he even reached the street corner, a pungent smell filled Finn's nostrils.
The aroma, which should have been a sweet blend of rum, gin, and various spices, was instead mixed with dust, sawdust, and a strong smell of blood, making it nauseating.
The grocery store no longer has a door.
The door frame had been chopped to pieces with an axe, and wood chips were scattered all over the ground.
Everything in the store was destroyed.
The shelves were overturned, and sacks of flour and oats were ripped open, revealing a thick layer of white powder and grain mixed with broken glass bottles and shattered earthenware jars.
Several huge rum barrels were ripped open, and the dark liquid soaked everything on the ground, forming puddles of sticky mud.
Old Parker lay amidst this mess.
His half-bald head was wrapped in dirty strips of cloth, and the blood seeping out had turned dark brown, indicating that several hours had passed.
One of his legs was twisted at an odd angle, clearly broken.
Old Parker didn't groan; he just stared at the smashed ceiling with his cloudy eyes, breathing weakly.
Several neighbors stood timidly at the door, not daring to come in, and only whispered among themselves.
"Those 'Bloody Hand Gang' guys are scum..."
"A dozen or so people broke in in the middle of the night..."
"They dragged Parker into the street... and broke his leg right in front of us."
"They said...that's what happens when you try to steal business from the South District..."
"They also said... to make that Asian guy and Finn wash their necks and wait..."
The chatter of the neighbors caused Finn's one eye to instantly become bloodshot and turn bright red.
When has such a thing ever happened in the North District?
His chest heaved violently, and his clenched fists made a cracking sound.
The four men behind him, including Seamus, also had a gloomy look on their faces.
They gripped the short sticks at their waists, and the chilling aura they had just cultivated emanated from them uncontrollably, causing the surrounding neighbors to take a few steps back.
anger.
humiliation.
The flame burned in the hearts of every Irish person present.
They didn't just smash one store; they smashed the face of all Irish people in the North End.
They didn't break Parker's leg; they broke the glimmer of hope that had just been ignited in these poor people.
"Gather the men! Head to the South District! Twist 'The Butcher's' head off!"
Dozens of Irish workers, drawn by Finn's commotion, blocked the entrance to the grocery store, each filled with righteous indignation, holding oars and iron hooks, ready to rush out and fight at any moment.
Finn.
A calm voice came from behind the crowd, and everyone's voices immediately dropped by dozens of decibels.
Li Wei walked in, followed by Fiona, who had a stern and unapproachable expression.
Levi didn't look at Finn, nor at the angry Irishmen.
He walked straight into the vandalized shop, stepping over the mess, and reached old Parker's side.
When Parker saw Levi enter, a flicker of fear flashed in his cloudy eyes. He struggled to say something, but could only manage a few painful groans.
Li Wei crouched down, examined Parker's injuries, took out a money pouch from his pocket, and placed it in Parker's wife's hand.
"Mrs. Parker, go and fetch a doctor, the best doctor in town. This is just a small token of our appreciation. If the treatment isn't sufficient, contact Fiona. She will help you."
He then looked at Finn, "Find a few men to carry old Parker to our warehouse and clean out the cleanest room for him."
Finally, his gaze swept over the fearful neighbors at the door.
"I will compensate this store three times over for all its losses."
"I will take full responsibility for Parker's life from now on, until he is fully recovered."
Parker's wife was stunned, unable to believe her ears. She weighed the bag of money in her hand; it was at least two hundred shillings.
The neighbors around them heard it too. They looked at Li Wei, and the numbness and fear on their faces were gradually replaced by a different kind of emotion.
Li Wei stood up and looked around at the residents of the North District who were watching.
"Ladies and gentlemen, what happened to old Parker is because of me. Therefore, I am responsible for the rest of his life."
Li Wei's voice was soft and his tone was calm, but it was this calmness that was more powerful than any impassioned slogan.
Li Wei was telling everyone that if they followed him, even if they had only met him once, he would take full responsibility for them.
At first came individual praises and sporadic applause, which eventually turned into whistles and continuous applause.
Finn stared at Levi with bloodshot eyes, his lips moved, but he ultimately swallowed back the words "kill the Bloodhands."
He waved his hand, and several sturdy dockworkers immediately stepped forward and carefully lifted old Parker up.
Back in the warehouse, the atmosphere was so oppressive it was hard to breathe.
Parker was placed in a separate cubicle, where a doctor Fiona had brought was treating his wounds.
Finn paced back and forth like a caged beast, the rage burning in his single eye almost setting the entire warehouse ablaze.
"Sir! We can't just let this go!" He finally couldn't hold back and rushed to Li Wei.
"They broke Parker's leg, which is a slap in the face to us! If we don't react, they'll dare to burn down our warehouse tomorrow! From now on, no Irishman in Boston will be able to hold his head high!"
Seamus and his three companions stood to the side, silent, but the way they held the wooden sticks spoke volumes.
Li Wei was wiping the rough lead bullets he had just made from the cellar a couple of days ago with a damp cloth, without looking up.
"Anger is a sign of weakness."
He wiped a lead bullet clean and weighed it in his palm.
"They smashed a store to provoke us, to make us rush into their trap in the South District like headless flies."
"That's their territory. Every alley, every corner, could be hiding their knife-wielders. They've dug a trap, just waiting for us angry bulls to jump in."
"If we go, it will be a chaotic melee. Regardless of who wins or loses, we will suffer heavy casualties. And they will only have to pay the medical expenses for a few of their thugs."
"We can't follow their script."
Seamus, an impatient man, growled, "Sir! What are we supposed to do? Just watch them swagger around?"
Li Wei tossed the charcoal pencil onto the table, a hint of menace in his eyes. "Of course not, because they've made a mistake!"