Owen just waved it off. "Whatever. Tomorrow, you guys come with me to Clearview Court. We'll clean them out and be rolling in supplies again." Truth was, if it had not been so damn hot, and if he had not been so lazy, he would have already gone over there with his gun to take charge. However, one of his guys looked uneasy. "Boss, that place is already locked down. Some groups had been collecting protection food there. There is nothing left for us." Owen's expression darkened. Someone beat him to it? He was pissed, but deep down, he was not dumb. If a crew could pull off something like that, they had to be dangerous. No sense rushing in, as there were plenty of other places to hit. He thought a second. "Fine. What about Cloudtop Complex?" "Taken too. Same group." "Then, Kiara Opulence!" "Also taken ... " Owen was baffled. He had only slacked off for a few weeks, and suddenly the whole world had changed. His whole face scrunched up. What the hell was going on with these people? How could they be controlling so many places at once? He sat up from the couch and asked seriously, "How many people are in that group collecting protection food?" Could it be some massive organization? One of the guys replied, "Around a hundred or two." Owen frowned deeper. Just a hundred-something guys running three neighborhoods?Thousands of residents letting themselves get stomped on? Unless ... "Do they have guns too?" he asked quickly. The lackeys shook their heads. "Nah. Other than yours, nobody's seen any." That make no sense. Without guns, how are they keeping thousands in line? He motioned to one of the sharper ones. "Alright, explain how they collect food." The guy straightened and started telling him. "At first, they just robbed people door to door. One building tried fighting back, but they all got slaughtered. "After that, the gang made a ranking system. Obedient folks got top spots, paid less food, and got perks. The disobedient ones paid more and got beaten down. Since there were only so many top spots, everyone scrambled to stay on the good side. Now people actually compete to hand over food."Owen listened and could not help admiring them. These punks had brains. Instead of making everyone hate them, they turned neighbors against each other. A never-ending supply stream. Much smarter than just waving a gun around. This was sustainable robbery. He rubbed his hands together, already thinking he should steal that trick. Seeing that Owen had been silent for a while, the lackey asked nervously. "So, what do we do now?" Owen's thoughts spun. That gang had numbers and strategy—better not mess with them head-on. "Isn't there a resettlement block nearby? Let's go there." The lackey hesitated. "Uh ... that gang's from the resettlement block." Owen hissed. So every place around here except Maplecourt was under their thumb? Damn it. Enough's enough. Owen was pissed. They were just a bunch of guys with kitchen knives, and they were stepping all over him—the one with the gun—trying to run a monopoly? He clenched his jaw. "Tomorrow, we're going straight to the resettlement block to collect food." One lackey worried, "But they've got so many people, and we're just a few ... " Owen cut him off. "Are you blind? I've got a gun!" The guys still looked uneasy, so he snapped. "All the nearby neighborhoods have already been taken. You really think ours can escape? If you don't want to go, then head home, pack up your stuff, and wait for them to come take it from you!" They exchanged glances, then all shouted together, "Boss, we're with you!" They had sweated it out in the scorching heat, going door to door for that food. Finally, they did not have to starve anymore, so there was no way anyone was taking it from them! Owen was right. If they don't go after those guys, those guys will show up sooner or later. Strike first, or get crushed later. Screw it—let's do this! So they sat down, whispering over tomorrow's plan. In the end, they planned to snatch a resident from the resettlement block, hold them at gunpoint, and squeeze out the details—who the gang's leader was and where he lived. After that, they would take him down with a quiet shot. Without the leader, the rest would be simple. Anyone who dared to resist would be dropped with a bullet and strung up for everyone to see.