What the hell is the "kill line" when you're in America?

Li Ang returned to the bar in the Ninth Block.

It was still dark, but the bar was already packed with people.

The air was filled with the smells of sweat, alcohol, and cheap cigarettes.

Derek and Scorpion were leading their men, taking stock of the spoils they had looted from the Vulture Gang's hideout.

Bundles of cash, several bags of an unknown white powder, and some loose jewelry.

Everyone stopped what they were doing when they saw Li Ang enter.

The noisy bar fell silent instantly.

All eyes were on him, filled with awe and fear.

Li Ang ignored them.

He walked straight behind the bar and poured himself a glass of water.

Jack followed behind him, like a silent statue, standing in the shadows.

"Boss."

Derek jogged over, a fawning smile plastered on his face.

He handed a thick ledger to Li Ang.

"This is what we got last night, it's all here."

Li Ang did not answer.

He just looked at Derek.

Derek felt uneasy under his gaze, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

"And..." Derek's voice was a little weak, "quite a few people have come to join us from the 15th block, they're all small fry."

"They all want to follow us and get the 'Ecstasy Pill'."

"very good."

Li Ang finally spoke.

He looked at Jack.

"From today onwards, you will be in charge of training them."

"Marksmanship, hand-to-hand combat, discipline."

"I need a capable team, not a bunch of useless guys who can only scare people with machetes."

Jack emerged from the shadows and nodded.

"clear."

He glanced at the thugs in the bar.

When his gaze swept over them, the thugs instinctively straightened their backs.

They felt a more direct sense of oppression from this taciturn man than from Li Ang.

It was a murderous aura honed amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

"Deal with those who don't listen," Li Ang added.

"Yes," Jack replied simply.

Li Ang then looked at Victor.

Victor was hiding in a corner, trying to make himself inconspicuous.

"Victor."

Victor jolted awake and immediately stood up.

"Boss Li..."

"Charlie's boss, and that Eagle Snake organization."

"I want to know everything about them."

"This..." Victor's face showed a troubled expression. "Li, their level is too high, my connections..."

"Then go find new connections," Li Ang interrupted him.

"Spend money, or use other methods."

"I don't care what methods you use, I need to see useful information within a week."

Victor's face turned deathly pale.

He knew this wasn't a discussion, it was an order.

If he fails to deliver the goods within a week, the consequences will be dire.

"Yes...yes, boss," he replied, his voice trembling.

Finally, Li Ang's gaze fell on Derek and Scorpion.

"You two are responsible for eliminating all unstable factors on this territory."

"I don't want to see those good-for-nothings who only think about pills and refuse to listen to reason again."

"Also, we need to expand our business to more neighborhoods."

"Yes, boss!"

Derek and Scorpion responded in unison, their voices filled with excitement.

This is both delegating power and a test.

Li Ang drank the water in the cup in one gulp.

He looked at the "key members of the Demonic Sect" in front of him, each with their own agenda.

A former Marine Corps elite, an intelligence broker well-versed in the underground rules, and two gang leaders who rose through the ranks on the streets.

A simple but fully functional team was thus assembled.

He doesn't need loyalty.

He only needs these people who can be used and create value for him.

This is enough.

"Get to work."

Li Ang waved his hand.

The crowd felt as if they had been granted a pardon and immediately dispersed to carry out their orders.

The bar returned to its previous bustling state, but the atmosphere was completely different.

An invisible order is quietly being established.

And Li Ang is the sole core of this new order.

He sat on a high stool behind the bar, like a strategist looking down on his newly established miniature kingdom.

He knew this was just the beginning.

To survive in this cannibalistic land, and even become a rule-maker, he needs greater power and more leverage.

Carlo, the church, and the mysterious boss behind Charlie.

These are all insurmountable mountains standing in his way.

What he needs to do now is to gather strength and then flatten all these mountains, one by one.

He opened the system panel.

The Demonic Sect is beginning to take shape, its sphere of influence is expanding, and its control is increasing.

[Task Released: Undercurrents Are Simmering]

[Mission Objective: Establish your own intelligence network in Seattle's underworld, ensuring that no secret can be concealed.]

[Mission Rewards: Based on the coverage and efficiency of the intelligence network, you will continuously receive Magic Points and special rewards.]

Intelligence network.

The system always provides the most thoughtful "guidance" when he needs it most.

He glanced at Victor in the corner, who was frantically making phone calls and mobilizing all his connections.

It seems we need to put more pressure on him.

In the following days, Ninth Street and even the surrounding streets became much quieter.

The bar is still bustling with people every day, but there are no more drunken brawls.

People on the streets are following some new rules and are moving around in fixed areas.

Occasionally, some clueless outsiders who try to cause trouble here will be dragged into the alley immediately.

Then, he vanished without a trace.

Everyone knows that Ninth Street has changed owners.

Jack found an abandoned warehouse in the suburbs to use as a training base.

He used the harshest military methods to train the thugs selected by Derek and Scorpion.

Every day, people are beaten black and blue, and some even lose their hands or feet.

But no one dared to resist, and no one dared to run away.

Because they knew that the consequences of running away were far worse than those of training.

Victor, on the other hand, acted like a madman, using all the connections and resources he had accumulated over the past twenty years.

He only sleeps three or four hours a day, and his eyes are bloodshot.

Derek and Scorpion, on the other hand, led their people to continuously expand outwards.

They used "Elysium" to pave the way and violence to remove obstacles.

Their territory, like ink, rapidly seeped into the surrounding blocks.

Li Ang, the creator of the new order, seemed to have disappeared from everyone's sight.

He spends most of his time in his room on the second floor of the bar.

Nobody knows what he's doing.

No one dared to disturb him.

That day, Li Ang walked out of the bar.

He changed into a plain jacket and jeans, put on a baseball cap, and blended into the Seattle street scene.

He didn't wander around those chaotic neighborhoods he was familiar with.

Instead, they took a bus and headed north, arriving at the other side of the city.

This is Seattle's financial district and municipal center.

Skyscrapers stand tall, their glass curtain walls reflecting a cold light under the sun.

The streets were clean and tidy, and the air was free of the sour smell of garbage and urine.

Instead, the aroma of coffee and the scent of high-end perfumes filled the air.

The pedestrians on the street were all dressed in suits and ties, walking hurriedly.

Their faces radiated confidence and a sense of superiority.

Above their heads, the "kill line" is mostly medium or high.

They are the beneficiaries of the city's rules and are at the top of the food chain.

Li Ang walked among them, activating [Thousand Transformations].

He was like a ghost, observing this world that was so different from Ninth Street.

They are the beneficiaries of the city's rules and are at the top of the food chain.

Watching these "demons" in human skin, how they use a more advanced, more "civilized" set of rules to plunder and devour.

The "demon" here is far more powerful than the thugs in the Ninth District.

It is also much "fat".

He remembered that Chinese forensic doctor.

The only one he couldn't see through the "kill line".

He had a gut feeling that the person was not simple.

Just as he was lost in thought halfway through his journey, a figure emerged from a convenience store.

The man was wearing a white work uniform with a dark jacket over it, and was carrying a convenience store bag.

He looked tired, and was walking quickly forward with his head down.

Just as he was about to pass Li Ang, he suddenly stopped.

He looked up at Li Ang with some uncertainty.

"Is it you?"