Chapter 677: Influence

It turned out that the Detective Agency's influence in the Dock Area was still quite limited.

The gangs might allow the Red Armbands to pass harmlessly through their territory, but Wayne's demands were not taken very seriously by them.

So, as the situation escalated,

On the second night, gunshots continued to ring out intermittently in the Dock Area, especially in the community where the Irelanders lived.

This was a situation Wayne was very unwilling to see. Without using firearms, each team of Agents could basically achieve a flawless victory against small gangs.

But if they started exchanging fire, the Agents might not be able to dodge bullets. The difference in abilities was, to some extent, brought to a similar level, and the advantage in personnel was reduced to on-the-spot reactions and practical experience.

Annoying, why are they all so unruly?

Fortunately, as soon as someone opened fire, the nature of the matter completely changed.

The Detective Agency also directly upgraded its firepower. Each team had a lever-action rifle per person. For those who retaliated on the spot, they would keep them alive if possible, otherwise, they would not. The main goal for the rest was disarming and arresting, and they also needed to register the gangs of those who opened fire.

They were just benefiting from Richmond’s 'rule of law.' It just so happened that Wayne was temporarily unwilling to make the Detective Agency's image too conspicuous.

If this were in the West, there would be no need to be so hesitant.

Seth Grayson, along with several unemployed classmates, had just joined the Detective Agency's tax collection team when they experienced a night of fireworks and gunshots at their stronghold.

Each of them looked surprised, feeling as if they had been tricked onto a pirate ship.

They were all students who were about to graduate or had already graduated from William and Anna Academy. If they were to go by seniority, even Wayne would have to call them 'senior.' By the standards of this era, they were genuinely highly qualified talents.

If it weren't for the fact that they were all Fallen and had few employment options without protection, the Detective Agency might not have been able to recruit them.

—In fact, for them to come from Georgeberg, they needed the consent of the Academy Church and Georgeberg Church. Hope had been running around with a list of new members for the past few days, and the Cathedral only replied this morning that the list of personnel meeting the special permit conditions had been updated.

Wayne was therefore willing to do some ideological work with them: "Don't worry, although you are all Agents, your advantage is your intellect. Your professional direction and career planning are different from other Agents. Of course, if you are willing to apply for front-line missions yourself, the Detective Agency will consider it as appropriate."

Seth Grayson had also been selective when choosing people. Those with strong connections did not lack this protection, those from good families were not in a hurry to find work, most of the exceptionally excellent ones had already been reserved, and those who were particularly bold had their own future plans.

Those who came had all been 'CPU-ed' by the formerly immortal Pastor Pasier at the Academy Church. To complete their studies, they were all burdened with 'angel investment' debts from bankers. They were neither too high nor too low, and even if they truly got on a pirate ship, they wouldn't dare to jump off easily.

So, with Seth's help in speaking up, they could only express their willingness to try and adapt for a period.

Wayne also painted a grand picture for them: after official employment, their treatment would be consistent with other Agents. If they made outstanding contributions during the tax collection process, the Detective Agency would share a portion of the rewards given by the City Hall with the contributors as commission.

After this busy period, they would be in the same department as Willie, responsible for matters like lawsuits, and together they would build the Detective Agency's reputation. Although they would be working for the Detective Agency, if they could accumulate personal prestige, they would still have the chance to become great lawyers or something.

The partners could even consider helping them pay off their debts and convert to a long-term contract with the Detective Agency, which would not only significantly reduce their interest payments but also likely lead to an immediate improvement in their quality of life.

After all this talk, the mere gunshots were temporarily nothing to fear. Two of the seniors almost said, “If you don’t abandon me,” nearly messing up the seniority.

To be honest,

Being a 'capitalist' actually felt quite good.

With cultured individuals participating, some intrigues and schemes could now be executed.

The task of verifying gang assets would naturally be given to them, but that would at least start tomorrow during the day. For now, they couldn't be pulled out as fresh forces, and since they had nothing else to do, Wayne had them 'copy homework.'

For example, the captives arrested by the Detective Agency yesterday and sent to the Police Station today—their identities and what they specifically did were neatly written on small slips of paper, which Agents would then distribute in communities or bars along the way.

Those who opened fire tonight were no exception. The intelligence team had already provided the Detective Agency with general information. After bringing them back and a quick verification, Seth and his team would have individual pieces of gossip written down.

Cultured people are devious in some ways. After roughly understanding Wayne's intentions, they could even improvise when they had free time.

For example, they produced preliminary statistics on gang casualties over the past few days, created a kill ranking, and even compiled gossip based on clues, such as the Claw Gang suffering heavy losses last night and predicting a major counterattack, or the Sailor Gang remaining silent, likely waiting to reap the benefits.

They secretly fanned the flames everywhere and even helped the Detective Agency explain the ins and outs to gain sympathy.

Anyway, it wasn't newspaper news. Their small slips of paper started with phrases like 'I heard,' 'according to an informed source,' or 'based on unverified intelligence,'

Whether it was true or not was another matter, but black and white print was certainly more convincing than word-of-mouth.

It's just a pity that typewriters still had a luxury car status and were not widely popularized, so the Detective Agency couldn't get them for a while, which slightly limited their Play.

Business at the bars has also been relatively quiet these past two days, with many people afraid to go out. It's said that even the Rabbit Gang's red-light district has been affected, but fortunately, those who dare to go out are not afraid of trouble, so it's estimated that the news will reach many ears overnight.

...

Meanwhile, at the Pryor family's estate,

Secretary of State Mr. Pryor, who usually didn't concern himself with minor matters, happened to hear about the commotion in the Dock Area last night during a conversation. After a brief thought, he walked alone to a balcony on the second floor overlooking the ballroom during a break in the dance.

He had barely taken two sips of his half-full glass of wine when the butler was quickly notified by an understanding personal valet.

Mr. Pryor first spoke of serious matters: "The issue with that witness can now be arranged to be resolved. It doesn't need to be too covert; just ensure no results can be traced."

"Yes." The butler nodded softly in response, like an elegant waiter in a high-end restaurant listening to a customer's order.

Mr. Pryor drained the wine in his glass: "The Dock Area has also been a bit chaotic recently. Those gangs might have forgotten their place. The trouble was stirred up by the Sailor Gang, and some other gangs are taking advantage to cause trouble. Have Jason deal with them all. After that, he can be free."

The butler instinctively reached out and took the empty wine glass, asking, "Do I need to tell Warren Lechter?"

"No need. Warren told me about Jason's situation. With his rank and crimes, if we suppress the pursuit for him again, we would owe the Cathedral too great a favor. Jason has been imprisoned in that Monastery for so long; it should be enough to help him recover. Just help him get out. The freedom he chooses must be paid for by himself."

"I understand." The butler nodded and left silently.

Mr. Pryor sighed slightly. Although the Fallen possessed extraordinary power, it was a pity that they were ultimately mortal. Not only did they still face the necessities of life and the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death, but they were also controlled or captured by the Church. More importantly, their lifespan could be greatly affected.

Otherwise, he actually wanted to try becoming one of them and experience the feeling of doing things himself.

Early the next morning, William Garcia, who had publicly accused the Secretary of State of deliberately deceiving the State Legislature at a hearing, died in a solitary cell under strict police supervision.

When he was discovered by the guards, his buttocks were suspended, his legs half-kneeling, and the torn bedsheet in the cell had become a rope, hanging his neck from the iron bars of the surveillance window, level with a normal person's line of sight.

The forensic examination concluded that he died by suicide.

And his name and public accusation had not appeared in any newspaper by the time the examination results were released.