Mantra

Chapter 14 Mantra

Seeing that the young men were so frightened that they looked like they were about to wet themselves, Shen You waved his hand and spoke up in time.

"No need to chop off my hands. I'm a civilized person, not some kind of devil."

"That's right, that's right," Elliott replied with a forced smile, but he didn't even dare to look him in the eye.

What I was really thinking was, "I don't believe you for a second."

Gotham's godfather, Cameron Falcone, also goes around claiming to be a philanthropist.

"I believe they've all learned their lesson from this incident, since no one was actually hurt in the end," Shen You said. "So we can let this matter drop."

He paused, then turned to look at David Patrick, who had remained silent behind him.

"But this time I really want to talk about something else."

David maintained his civilized smile, walked slowly forward, and patted Elliott on the shoulder.

Eliot felt like he had been granted a pardon, and hurriedly wriggled out of the chair, scrambling back to the back.

He knew that the people behind him were looking at him with disdain, but he was certain that it was only because they didn't understand.

Because they didn't directly confront that guy, the seemingly refined coffee shop owner.

If you hadn't sat there in person, you could never imagine how much pressure you would have to endure in front of that person!

"So, does Mr. Shen have any other instructions?" David asked politely.

"Nothing else. But as you've probably heard, trash isn't very welcome in front of my door. I have to come and sweep up the garbage every day, which is both time-consuming and energy-draining."

As for me, I happen to be someone whose time is quite precious, and I'm not keen on wasting time on this kind of thing. So, to save trouble, I'll just have to ask the trash to take a detour.

The drug lord only flashed a hint of ruthlessness in his eyes at the other party's almost undisguised insults, but he quickly suppressed it and maintained his amicable smile.

"This might be a bit tricky," he said. "To be honest, our gang doesn't usually operate in this neighborhood. This is a special case."

I negotiated a deal, not a huge one, but it will open up some new markets and may lay an important foundation for some important business in the future.

Of course, I can't refuse to give Boss Shen face. I'll go back and teach those clueless youngsters a lesson, showing them how to behave discreetly on Boss Shen's turf.

I came in a hurry this time and wasn't prepared. I'll have someone prepare a small gift when I get back.

Shen You waved his hand impatiently: "Then tell me about your business. Let me guess. It involves drugs on campus, right?"

David remained noncommittal, smiling as he said, "The whole of Kingston knows how our Cross Gang got its start."

"Stop doing it." Shen You shook his head and said, "I can't control the more distant areas for now, but at least in my community, in this area, there can be no more drugs in schools."

Only then did the smile on David's face disappear.

But he quickly put on that smiling expression again, only this time it was noticeably stiffer.

"Mr. Shen, this is probably a bit difficult. Gotham has its own rules, as you should know. Even the mayor wouldn't dare to say such a thing."

"I know, but I'm not the mayor," Shen You said calmly. "Besides, you seem to have misunderstood; this isn't a request."

David narrowed his eyes, trying to retaliate with a fierce look. People like him had a unique understanding of how to manipulate expressions and eyes; he knew how to appear kind and how to look dangerous.

But it doesn't seem to apply today.

Having spent twenty years in Gotham, this was the first time he had ever found himself unable to look the other person in the eye during a conversation. It was as if that lean, refined body contained something he didn't understand, some immense energy as towering as a mountain, enough to crush him with a single breath, making even breathing difficult.

He had to back down, as if avoiding the young man's sharp edge.

"Brian," he said coldly.

The man who emerged was remarkably strong; his physique was like that of a walking giant compared to the others. A black leather jacket clung tightly to his muscular build, and his reddish skin was covered in mottled tattoos that outlined dark patterns.

His arms were adorned with snake tattoos, the bloody knife marks on the snakes revealing an undeniable ruthlessness.

He was the gang's most valuable asset, the one with the most blood on his hands in the entire gang, and had been in and out of prison several times. In any conflict, he was undoubtedly the Cross Gang's trump card.

Shen You looked up at the huge man who was a full head taller than him and began to think about the fastest, most efficient way to settle things without being too exaggerated.

Just as I was thinking this, I hadn't even had a chance to do anything yet.

Suddenly, the big guy named Brian in front of them spoke up, his voice deep and muffled.

"To be honest, I don't really like the boss," Brian said, shaking his head. "He's actually quite effeminate, and he's inefficient and slow at getting things done. But there's nothing I can do about it; he's smarter than me. Otherwise, I wouldn't want to listen to him at all."

As he spoke, he tilted his head and thought for a moment, then added something else.

"Oh, and also, the boss's sister-in-law is really beautiful, and she's great in bed too. She even has a tattoo on her butt that's exactly the same as the boss's, it's kind of funny."

Shen You: "?"

He swore he hadn't done anything and had absolutely no idea what was going on.

Even David was stunned. He opened his mouth, stared at the big guy for two seconds in astonishment, and then suddenly pulled out his gun and pointed it at him.

"You fucking dare say that again?!"

"Sorry, boss, I don't know what came over me, I just suddenly couldn't help but say it. Oh right, my wife also said you're short and fast, but I'm better."

David's face turned green with rage, and he cocked his pistol with a click: "I'll fucking kill you!"

Bang.

However, it wasn't the sound of a gun being fired.

Instead, a punk-style young man swung a baseball bat and knocked David unconscious from behind with a single blow.

After hitting the ball, he slammed the baseball bat to the ground: "Damn it! I've wanted to do this for ages! People bossing me around like I'm some kind of idiot! They don't even know their own limitations."

Then a bald guy in the team delivered a flying kick, sending his teammate flying.

While kicking, he cursed and said, "Last time I was taking a nap, some idiot tied my brother to the bedpost. I almost died from the pain when he rolled over. Did he really think I didn't know it was you?!"

The man who had been kicked away got up, also furious: "You were the one who peed in my drink first, you didn't think I didn't know?"

"Damn, who's afraid of who?"

Everyone started hurling insults at each other, and suddenly the Cross Gang members started fighting amongst themselves, each with red eyes, looking like they were mortal enemies who had killed their fathers.

Shen You was stunned for a couple of seconds, but then he seemed to quickly guess what was going on.

Ignoring the brawlers, he quietly approached the bearded chef behind the counter, who seemed to be watching the show as if it were none of his business.

"Did you do this?"

"Ha, just a little mantra."

The old wizard smiled smugly, then paused, blinked, and added.

"I didn't expect it to work so well."

(End of this chapter)