The subordinate said with a worried face, “Brother Brooks has already lost over a hundred taels at the gambling house, and just now they lent him another hundred taels.”

David Lewis waved his hand indifferently. “No matter how much he loses, put it on my tab. Tell Old Howard at the gambling house that next month’s protection fee is waived.”

The subordinate said cautiously, “But the gambling house’s monthly protection fee is only fifty taels, and Old Howard said that when the Green Bamboo Gang was in charge before, they only collected thirty taels.”

“Bang!”

David Lewis suddenly smashed the iron ball in his hand onto the ground, instantly frightening the two girls behind him, their faces turning pale.

“Now this place is under my control!”

A fierce look covered David Lewis’s face.

“Go back and tell Old Howard, from now on the monthly protection fee is raised to two hundred taels! If he doesn’t pay, there’s no need for his gambling house to stay open!”

“Yes, yes! I’ll go tell him right away!” The subordinate immediately ran out.

No one knew why, but ever since he became this small boss, the usually kind and friendly Brother Lewis had changed a lot.

David Lewis picked up the iron ball from the ground and lay back down in his chair, kneading it again. But before he could settle in, a commotion sounded from outside the door.

“What’s going on?” David Lewis said unhappily.

“Boss! Old Fifth is dead!” A gang member with a scar on his face ran in, almost crying.

“What happened? Wasn’t Old Fifth out with Old Fourth? Was it the Green Bamboo Gang?”

David Lewis shoved the crowd aside and saw, at the entrance of Drunken Moon House, Old Fourth carrying the body of Old Fifth, who had been killed with a single sword strike by Edward Sutton, staring at him blankly.

“How exactly did Old Fifth die?!”

Although he had many subordinates, most of them had joined after he became a small boss. The only ones who had truly followed him loyally for years were these five brothers.

“Third Brother! It was Edward Sutton who killed Old Fifth!”

“Edward Sutton!” David Lewis least wanted to hear this name right now.

Although the gangs of the underworld were despised by the orthodox martial world, they still valued loyalty.

David Lewis had gained his position by betraying his brothers. Even though he had secured his seat, people still gossiped.

“Impossible! Edward Sutton was beaten half to death by the Green Bamboo Gang before. Even if he survived, he should be barely alive. How could he possibly have killed Old Fifth?”

Old Fourth said miserably, “It’s true! Edward Sutton killed Old Fifth with just one strike! No, you can’t even call it a sword—just a piece of iron! He also said, Third Brother, that you owe him, and he’ll come collect from you personally!”

Hearing this, David Lewis suddenly felt a chill rush to his head.

Glancing around, David Lewis shouted, “What the hell are you all looking at? Get the hell out!”

The onlookers inside Drunken Moon House immediately shrank back.

“Go get Brother Brooks for me.”

Brother Brooks’s real name was Thomas Brooks, in his forties. Although he was just an ordinary member of the Flying Eagle Gang, he was also the adopted son of Tiger Senior, one of the gang’s thirteen big bosses.

His iron sand palm skills were a true inheritance from Tiger Senior; ordinary small bosses were no match for him.

This time, David Lewis had invited Thomas Brooks over to eat, drink, visit brothels, and gamble, spending several hundred taels of silver, all to get him to put in a good word with Tiger Senior and further secure his own position.

The subordinate brought Thomas Brooks over, but Thomas Brooks sat down impatiently in David Lewis’s previous seat and asked, “What’s going on? I was just having a great time gambling.”

David Lewis didn’t mind Thomas Brooks’s rudeness at all. Instead, he smiled apologetically and said, “Brother Brooks, here’s the thing: one of my men was killed in a single move, so I wanted you to take a look and see how strong the killer is.”

“Green Bamboo Gang?” In a place like Changle Lane, no other gangs would show up. The only possibility was the Green Bamboo Gang, who had just fought and lost to them.

“No, it was one of our own from the Flying Eagle Gang.” David Lewis looked embarrassed.

“One of your own? Damn, you can’t even control your own men?”

Thomas Brooks frowned at David Lewis, then suddenly thought of something and asked in surprise, “Was it that Edward Sutton? The one whose position you took?”

David Lewis nodded awkwardly. After all, betraying your brothers was not something to brag about.

Thomas Brooks shrugged indifferently. After all, he was just being paid to solve problems.

Old Fifth’s corpse was brought up, and Thomas Brooks squatted down to examine it carefully.

When he saw the sword wound on Old Fifth’s throat, Thomas Brooks’s eyes narrowed instantly.

“Brother Brooks, what do you think? Can you tell anything?” David Lewis asked hurriedly.

“A master! A true sword master!” Thomas Brooks said in a deep voice, his tone no longer lazy.

“One fatal strike, the sword edge precisely severed the windpipe, not even a millimeter further. This person’s control over the sword is terrifying. Was Edward Sutton always this strong when he was under you?”

David Lewis said blankly, “That kid was always a good fighter. Don’t be fooled by his delicate looks—he’s got real strength, and he’s ruthless, not afraid to risk his life. He could take on three strong men alone. But I never heard he could use a sword.”