Chapter 221

• “Money?” Damon let out a sly chuckle. “You really think I need cash to snag a storefront?” After Sullivan gave the order, Damon dug into that shop and its owner. “Not just that—Sucford owes our casino 750 thousand!” “Say the word, Sulli, and I’ll make him pay up right now!” His words genuinely startled Sullivan a little. This guy had game. “You didn’t use any dirty tricks, did you?” He’d told Damon to get the shop by any means, sure, even buying it if needed—but he didn’t want Damon stirring up trouble. “I used a few tricks, but nothing shady.” “He’s the one who can’t judge people and got greedy. Came to the casino, lost big, couldn’t pay, so he put the shop up as collateral. Honestly, he could’ve walked away after that. But he still dreamed of winning it all back—then racked up another 750 thousand.” “Yeah, I run a casino. But I didn’t drag him there at gunpoint. So this won’t blow back on us.” Damon sounded calm. He’d been in the game long enough to handle small stuff like this with ease. “Not bad. Don’t worry about that 750 thousand just yet.” Sullivan nodded quietly. He’d done the right thing sparing Damon back then. He’d only said he wanted Sucford’s shop, and Damon instantly knew Sucford had crossed him—then handled it clean. “Money grows when it’s out working. I get it.” “Relax, Sulli. I’ll keep Sucford on the hook. If he pays up without making a fuss, fine. But if he ticks you off again—just say the word, and I’ll ruin him. I’ll burn his life to the ground!” Damon caught Sullivan’s meaning and laid it on thick. “Good. You did well.” Sullivan was pleased. With a right-hand man who understood him in one sentence, things just clicked. And who knows—if Damon and his boys get trained right, they might be a real asset. He hung up and started mapping out how to shape Damon and his crew. Right now, they were just small-time thugs who couldn’t show their faces in real circles. They could handle a guy like Sucford, sure. But if they faced a higher tier—say Zane or Edgar Thorn’s crowd—they’d get crushed with a flick of the wrist. And Qego? Forget it. If you want power, you need turf, business, and muscle. To get those, you need two things. One is brains. Damon had plenty—otherwise he wouldn’t be where he was now. He wouldn’t have quietly trapped Sucford either. What they lacked was fighting strength. Damon’s guys had some street moves, but against real fighters, they’d fold fast. Boosting combat ability wasn’t hard. Picking who to boost mattered. Damon, as his trusted lieutenant and the crew’s boss, definitely needed to level up. The rest—let Damon choose. Thinking that through, Sullivan went to find Chen Xu. “Cousin, I’ve got something to run by you.” Chen Xu’s hand was almost healed. With Sullivan’s skills, there’d be no lasting damage. “What’s up? Shoot.” Chen Xu looked bored out of his mind. “I want to train Damon’s boys. You’ve got time on your hands—why not be their coach?” With Chen Xu teaching and Sullivan’s pills to back them up, they might turn out a few martial experts. No need for many—just folks at the Elder level would do. “Damon’s hitters? Don’t they already know a thing or two?” Sullivan nodded. “They do, but it’s all sloppy moves. Not good enough.” “They’ll be working for me long-term, so stronger is better. I don’t have the time to do it myself, so I’m passing it to you. If you don’t want to, find someone—but I’ll pay. Still, better to keep this low-key.” “I’m not against it. I’ve been bored anyway. Leave it to me. How far do you want them trained?” Chen Xu asked. “Start basic. If someone has talent—can step into the martial path—then train them long-term and see how far they can go. If they don’t, you decide. I’m not sure.” “You sure think big. Crossing into the martial path sounds simple, but out of a thousand regular folks, you might not find even one. Don’t count on it.” “If you really need people, I can recruit outside. But if you want folks risking their necks for you, you gotta pay them right...”