At this moment, Antonio had clearly lost the aura and finesse of a mafia leader long ago.


    To mitigate the animosity directed at him, the first thing he did after straining to leap onto the second floor was to quickly remove his hat.


    This action stunned everyone into silence; they could see that both of Antonio’s ears were missing, leaving behind only gruesome, bloody scars.


    It became instantly clear that Antonio had endured horrific torture. Everyone present understood that someone had deceived them intoing here and binding them.


    Meanwhile, Charlie and Abbas ascended the stairs one after the other.<h3 style="background-color:DodgerBlue">


    Although these individuals had seen Charlie on the first floor, none were aware of his true role.


    Once Charlie reached the top and surveyed the crowd, he stated, “I have gathered you all here today to discuss the future distribution of gang territories and profit sharing in New York. Given the number of people present, I won’t allow individual opinions; let’s get straight to the point. From today onward, all of your gangs must report to the Chinese Gang. Furthermore, 75% of your ie must be handed over weekly to the Chinese Gang.”


    At Charlie’s deration, everyone’s eyes widened in disbelief. Despite several having rags stuffed in their mouths, their faces radiated fury.


    Recently, Antonio had permitted the Burning Rose to encroach on the Chinese Gang’s territory in Chinatown. The other gangs were well aware of this and believed that the Chinese Gang was nearly powerless to resist.


    However, now, seeing Charlie’s distinctly East Asian features, they interpreted this as the Chinese Gang’sst stand. They thought the gang must have been pushed to desperation, capturing Antonio to intimidate them into submission.


    In essence, it was akin to holding the emperor hostage to control the princes.


    While this strategy might have had some effectiveness in ancient times, it was nearly futile in New York’s gangndscape.


    This was because, despite the existence of numerous gangs with intricate rtionships of loyalty and hierarchy, every group in New York possessed an innate desire to avoid servitude.<fnb5a5> This update is avable on find{n}ovel</fnb5a5>


    In simpler terms, they were unwilling to rely on anyone else. Their current dependence stemmed solely from circumstances; when the tables turned, anyone who was once a mere pawn would be shredded, consumed, and reduced to nothing.


    Consequently, attempting tomand the princes by leveraging the emperor would prove ineffective.


    Even if Charlie were to execute Antonio in front of them today, true submission to Charlie would remain out of reach. At best, they would feignpliance. The moment they escaped this situation, they would rally their allies and retaliate, seeking to tear Charlie apart.


    Moreover, Charlie’s assertion that surrendering to the Chinese Gang and paying protection fees would ensure their survival only emboldened them. In that case, what was there to fear? They would simply bide their time, awaiting the perfect opportunity to strike.