New Gods of North America.

Chapter 670 Summons
After breakfast, apart from those who stayed behind, the detective agency was practically "all out in action" today.

The main force headed straight for the dock area, where the agents who had already set off to deliver goods to the restaurants would later rejoin them. The leader appeared to be a "slingshot," but in reality, Doug was in charge of the entire team, with Inessa acting as a stabilizing force.
Lina's intelligence team usually doesn't stay overnight at the workshop, and they're not with the main force right now either. They still won't openly participate in the operation, but will only coordinate behind the scenes.

As for Wayne himself, he set off alone in a carriage driven by Sanders, essentially a lone commander.
What he had to do was go to the police station to lead the team. Today, a group of police officers would be sent to support the "city hall's tax collector" and help summon the named members of the Sailors Gang and the Erlan Gang back to assist in the investigation. The police chief promised that the number of police officers would be no less than twenty.

Even disregarding police reinforcements, this is arguably the largest single operation the detective agency has ever undertaken.
Last night, during a small meeting to make arrangements, Connor wondered, "Do we really need such a strong force to deal with two ordinary gangs?"

Wayne felt that Connor's performance in the arena was already excellent enough, but if he were to lead a team on his own, he might need to brush up on his humanities subjects and reduce his physical education classes a bit.
However, Wayne patiently explained: "Our people are not going there to deal with the gangs, but to maintain order."

Of course, it wouldn't take that many people to deal with just two gangs, but the detective agency also had its own "unavoidable circumstances."

When Tax Officer Quinn took Wayne to see the police chief, some things had already been agreed upon beforehand.

These days, while public opinion on American city police is far from being "mostly negative," it's certainly "mixed," and their credibility is even lower than that of sheriffs elected by townspeople.
Assisting with a summons without concrete evidence is somewhat borderline legal. Therefore, in order to reduce the negative impact, the price for the police department to cooperate with the city hall is that they will only "follow the rules." If the other party does not violently resist, the police cannot treat them as criminals.

After all, some citizens might be timid and submissive when facing gangsters, but they often take real action when they complain about the city's police.
The police usually have no choice but to tolerate it, because this is where the United States now prides itself on being more "free" than Old World countries like the Kingdom of Windsor.

Moreover, the gang situation in the dock area is no secret to the local police.

Taxing gangs is certainly a matter of justice for the entire city, but if it's done too outrageously, then those gangsters will become the ones who have personal feuds with some of the city's big shots.

Therefore, while the police will appear to be actively cooperating, they will not actually be overly proactive. Instead, they will be taking sides to show their support for the city hall.

As for the detective agency, there needs to be a limit to both "making a fuss" and "driving away the tiger to devour the wolf."

Wayne felt he was bound to offend most of the gangs in the dock area sooner or later, and he wouldn't feel any guilt even watching them fight each other to the death.
However, the operation of the dock area is one of the cornerstones of Richmond's commercial prosperity. If the gang fights spill over and affect too many innocent workers, and things get chaotic, not to mention whether the cathedral will have any objections, even the city hall might jump out and distance itself from Wayne.

Therefore, fights between gang members can be ignored, but if they mobilize unrelated people or harm innocent people, then timely intervention is necessary to prevent the spread and cycle of "blood for blood".

Doug was more perceptive in this regard than Connor. After a moment's thought, he said, "This must be what you meant by 'killing the chicken to scare the monkey' when you were teaching at the detective agency, right?"

Wayne nodded: "That's roughly the idea. However, the Ellan gang has considerable influence in the dock area. Although the Sailors' Gang is of medium size, their level of violence is not low. You could say they're making an example of someone. If even gangsters can't go too far, then ordinary people should be even less likely to be incited by those with ulterior motives."

So everything was ready and everyone took their positions.

……

The actual support from the police department was greater than Wayne had anticipated; they actually deployed thirty officers and arranged six horse-drawn carriages, each capable of carrying at least ten people.

The team leader was no stranger either; it was Sheriff William, whom Wayne already knew quite well.

The group first arrived at the Sailors' Gang, Wayne's favorite spot. Surprisingly, the Sailors' Gang was quite cooperative; the gang leader himself and his men were waiting in their hideout, practically ready to line up and applaud in welcome.

Although the number of people is obviously wrong, it's not much less; at least two-thirds of the troops are here.

The guy didn't utter a single trash word and got into the car very cooperatively.
The other henchmen were just like him, and they went in smoothly under the guidance of the police officers. They were even easier to manage than tour groups with unruly children.

Wayne, ignoring their tricks, led the "red armband" agents to cordon off the Sailors' hideout amidst the onlookers, then left Lina and a few agents to gather evidence.
The situation with the Erlan gang was even more outrageous. As soon as Wayne and his group arrived near the Erlan community, they saw a group of people already waiting on their only route.

The officers were initially unsure whether they were organized by an Irish gang to block the road, and were quite wary.
Upon asking around, it turned out that this large group was actually from the Rabbit Gang, who claimed to be there to assist the city hall in collecting taxes. When asked for the name of the leader, it turned out that the gang leader himself was leading the group.

What the hell?

Is there something wrong?

If we were to create a ranking of the gangs in the dock area, the Erran Gang, which manages the Erran community, would be considered the "most influential." Then the Rabbit Gang, which runs the bar street and the sex industry, is widely recognized as having the "most successful side business." They often seem to avoid each other.

These two gangs don't even have adjacent territories, their business areas don't seem to conflict, and Wayne didn't even bother with them when he was stirring things up, yet they still came all this way to kick him while he was down.
Is the Erlan gang hated enough, or is there a long-standing grudge between you?
Sheriff William seemed surprised by their appearance as well. Wayne thought for a moment, then invited their leader onto the carriage, intending to make things clear beforehand:

“Mr. Paul, while it is indeed the city council’s intention to levy taxes on the vibrant community organizations in the dock area, if anyone uses this to create conflict and cause public unrest, it will probably not meet the expectations of people from all walks of life in Richmond for this operation, and the relevant personnel will likely be severely punished.”

The leader of the Rabbit Gang is known only by this title; his real name is unknown. Rumor has it that he was a self-made orphan from the docks who started out at the age of thirty and rose to become a powerful figure in just ten years. His wealth and influence far surpass those of gangsters who are still fighting, killing, seizing territory, and exploiting laborers.

Such stories can only fool ordinary people. If he didn't have support behind him, he would probably have died countless times by now, living such a good life. Unfortunately, the intelligence team hasn't figured out who his backer is yet. It's not that they can't find out at all, but the rumors involve too many local big shots, and the information has been contaminated.

Mr. Paul's reply was very frank: "I am well aware of this, so after hearing that Mr. Wayne's red armband-wearing men seemed to be few in number, I specifically brought people over to assist. All of our gang's actions are out of goodwill, and we will fully cooperate with Mr. Wayne's tax collection work during this period, and will never deliberately cause conflict."

Is this another friendly force that suddenly appeared? Nobody told me beforehand.

Wayne was uncertain: "Frankly, based on my understanding of the dock area, if back taxes are to be levied, your gang should be the one that suffers the most, perhaps without exception. Originally, I expected that investigating your gang's income would probably not be any easier than investigating the Ellan Thing."

Mr. Paul nodded. “Indeed. I’ve done my own calculations, and on paper, I’m likely to be the biggest contributor to the city hall’s tax collection efforts.”

“But,” Wayne began, waiting for him to change the subject and get to the point.

The man, however, lowered his head and began to caress the large gemstone ring on his hand. Wayne subtly opened his eyes to the minimalist design, but showed no extraordinary reaction.
Then he slowly began to speak: "I wonder if Mr. Wayne has ever heard this little story."

"One day, two robbers, one old and one young, sneaked into a small town to relax after getting some money. Then, as they passed the police station, they saw a gallows placed on the side of the street."

"The young robber said, 'This thing is truly our nemesis. How wonderful our lives would be without it!'—Do you know how the old robber answered him?"

Wayne didn't want to guess, so he casually asked, "What did he say?"

The older robber shook his head upon hearing this and said to the younger robber, "You're wrong. This thing is our blessing. If we didn't have it, who knows how many people would come to steal our livelihood!"

Holy crap? Even though I knew he was avoiding the question.

But upon closer examination, it does seem to make some sense.

……

Out of caution, the members of the Rabbit Gang were temporarily kept outside the community.

The situation in the community was the opposite of that on the Sailors' Gang's side. Wayne had notified O'Sullivan of the Ellan thugs in advance, while O'Sullivan seemed completely unprepared.

The residents initially seemed surprised by the large number of police officers entering the area, but then turned into indifferent onlookers.

They didn't completely block the road, but like ants finding food, the crowd slowly gathered around the carriages, growing larger and larger, moving along with the slowed-down convoy, creating a silent but imposing atmosphere.
Apart from a few street urchins, most of the able-bodied men seemed to have gone to work at this time. The crowd included the elderly, women, and children. No one asked questions, no one stopped them, and no one even had any expression on their faces.

...making Wayne feel like Stephen Chow pretending to be a member of the Axe Gang and entering Pigsty Alley.

Sheriff William seemed somewhat frightened and jumped into Wayne's carriage halfway there. "Mr. Wayne, I think the residents' reaction is a bit off. There are already at least a hundred people gathered here. If we clash with them, we'll be in big trouble."

Wayne was a little flustered. The main force of agents wasn't involved in the summons; they were probably familiarizing themselves with the terrain in the dock area in shifts. Lina's group would arrive later, but they were still with the Sailors' Gang at the moment.
Apart from Wayne, Sanders, and the Sailors who had gotten into the tin carriage, the rest of the convoy consisted of police officers. If something went wrong, Wayne might not be able to completely avoid injury or death.

But after glancing at Sheriff William for a few moments, he felt relieved: "It's alright, they haven't blocked the road, and they're not our target. Let's just move forward slowly."

—Sheriff William's panic was feigned; his expression seemed convincing, but his body showed absolutely no physiological reactions typical of someone in a state of panic.
When a person feels truly threatened, their adrenaline levels increase, and their body enters a "fight or flight" state. Their breathing and heart rate will change accordingly. Westerners have a lot of experience watching duels, and sometimes they can tell at a glance "who wants to fight" or "who is chickening out".

He estimated that he was aware of it beforehand.

When they arrived at O'Sullivan's house, the crowd had already packed a meter away from the carriage, creating a massive, bustling scene that resembled a large gathering.

O'Sullivan acted quite convincingly, seemingly surprised by Wayne and the police's visit, and only appearing at the door a few minutes later after his subordinates informed them.

The two young police officers who knocked on the door now looked genuinely nervous under everyone's watchful eyes. Their faces were paler than usual, their steps were unsteady, and their voices trembled slightly.

The other officers who got off the bus weren't doing much better either. It seemed like the police department hadn't brought any elite personnel; they'd just thrown together a bunch of people, and none of them were as "veteran" as some of the officers Wayne had encountered in the dock area.

Seeing O'Sullivan clear his throat, seemingly preparing to address the crowd in the community,
Wayne, however, was experienced in handling such situations. He didn't usually wear a red armband, but he quickly pulled out a spare one from under the seat to increase visibility.
Before O'Sullivan could even speak, Wayne climbed onto the roof of his own carriage, jumped slightly, and instantly grabbed the microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am Wayne Constantine, a special tax investigator appointed by the city hall. We are currently reviewing the historical collection of taxes and fees in the dock area and have the authority to request the cooperation of suspected individuals. Our actions are not targeted at any specific organization or group, as evidenced by the gentlemen in the carriage who have also voluntarily agreed to be summoned."

The sailors, who had been watching the spectacle with glee from inside the tin carriage, had several faces peeking out through the small, latticed windows.

Suddenly, Wayne pointed it out, and all eyes in the crowd turned to him, causing those faces to quickly shrink back.

Wayne seized the opportunity to throw the most crucial question at the crowd: "Mr. O'Sullivan, are you going to openly defy a police summons?"

There was silence.

O'Sullivan avoided the trap and instead asked, "Do you have a formal subpoena?"

"Yes!" Wayne answered decisively.

The person who pushed this was Tax Officer Quinn, a seasoned veteran of the corporate world.

Regardless of how well things are handled, there will definitely be no problems with the procedures and formalities.

—Wayne guessed.

We can't afford to lose in terms of momentum, though we can always make up for it later.

Fortunately, O'Sullivan didn't ask any further questions. Instead, he raised his arms, wrists together, and said, "Alright, I'm willing to be summoned. Take me away."

“It’s just assisting with the investigation; you’re not a criminal. Even if you did commit a crime, you have the opportunity to apply for bail and won’t be detained for an extended period without cause. It’ll only be a day or two at most.” Wayne didn’t fall into his trap and gestured for the tin carriage to proceed.

Hmph, when it comes to creating a lively atmosphere at a rally, how could you possibly have more tricks up your sleeve than the mayor?

Even if someone hasn't received systematic training, they've been exposed to it since childhood, and they can tell what kind of fart you're going to say just by looking at your butt.

It's nothing more than trying to change the subject or feign being wronged to incite public anger, and then attempting to force the police officers to back down.

In situations like this, pretending to focus on the issue rather than the person is the most effective approach. Tell everyone that the outcome isn't so bad, and at least the consequences won't be more serious than open defiance, so it's not worth causing trouble for.

Wayne was betting on the influence of the Irish gangs in the Secretary of State's eyes. If Mr. Pryor valued maintaining the reputation of the local political establishment, he wouldn't allow his gang to openly defy authority.

Judging from the fact that the city hall's executive order to collect taxes and fees was passed, it seems that O'Sullivan himself is not that important.

—If they're going to cause trouble, they'll probably do it behind the scenes, just like last time.

Sure enough, in the end, only a handful of gangsters followed O'Sullivan into the tin carriage; they weren't even as sincere as the Sailors' Gang.

Sanders pulled up the police tape, Wayne casually rummaged through the carriage for a letter, pretended it was a document to be seized, dipped it in holy water, and slammed it against the door. That was it.

With only a small number of members of the Irish gang leaving, O'Sullivan now has a police-backed alibi, and many gangs are still stirring.
There's probably going to be some drama these next couple of days.

(End of this chapter)