After parting with Aunt Sarah, Ryden was still replaying her figure in his mind.
He still had no idea what had actually happened the night before. The hangover left impressions without memories.
If he knew the truth, he'd probably laugh himself senseless.
When he arrived at the forest park, the three bums spotted him immediately and crowded over.
Not to rob him.
They knew better.
"Young Master, you're here! The boys have been waiting a long time. Anything you need us to do?"
Ryden instinctively kept his distance.
Not because he couldn't handle three grown men, but because he had no idea how long it had been since they'd bathed.
They smelled like a landfill.
"What did you do before?" Ryden asked flatly. "Killers, gang members, whatever. I don't need good people. I need obedient ones."
His tone wasn't polite.
But it didn't offend them.
Instead, it carried an invisible pressure that made following him feel natural.
"I'll go first. Name's Marlos," the burly Black man said, stepping forward. He was nearly six feet tall. "I was with the Beer Gang until the Dasco took our turf. Got lucky and survived."
"I'm Carmenda," the second man said. "Used to be a pickpocket. Lost my work recently and ended up here. If there's good money, I don't mind following you."
He was white, but poverty made him no different from the rest.
"My name's Lode. I follow big brother Marlos. I was in the Beer Gang too."
The last man spoke quietly.
His legs were still shaking when he looked at Ryden.
The earlier display with the assault rifle had clearly left an impression.
Ryden thought for a moment, adopting the posture of a boss.
"Fine. I don't care if you were trash or losers. You've got a chance now-to climb up and become someone. Whether you grab it is up to you."
"Just say the word, little master," Marlos said, thumping his chest. "As long as there's food, I'll give it everything."
"Heh. Then let me ask you something." Ryden looked at him. "How much do you know about the Dasco?"
He didn't understand the gang landscape.
That was what underlings were for.
Intel. And scapegoats.
"The Dasco are the third-largest gang in Brooklyn," Marlos replied without hesitation. "They control most of Flynn Street and Wakanda Street. Drugs, prostitution, extortion, robbery, smuggling-everything. Their boss is Moles, a Russian. I heard they've got special arms channels. Their weapons are way better than the Terwa or Rens gangs."
He paused.
"They're mostly Russian. Their weakness is that they're on bad terms with the other two gangs. Clashes happen all the time. That's all I know."
"Good." Ryden rubbed his chin. "I'm starting a new gang."
The three men stiffened.
"Interested?"
"I'll stay in the shadows. The leader will be chosen from among you. How about it? Got the guts?"
Marlos's expression hardened.
"Begging your pardon, but just the three of us? We couldn't even take one strip club."
"You can," Ryden said calmly. "You're just the vanguard."
He smiled.
"If you don't have enough people, recruit more. Once you take territory, people will come on their own. You've been in the game-you know plenty of faces. I supply the guns. You take the turf. Any problems?"
He understood the era.
This wasn't the peaceful twenty-first century.
Street shootouts happened daily.
With the economy collapsing, the Brooklyn Precinct didn't have the energy to intervene.
As long as civilians weren't dragged in, they showed up the next day, cleaned the streets, and called it solved.
Lack of funding meant they couldn't suppress gangs.
They'd grab a scapegoat and move on.
The real core members were never touched.
That wouldn't change until after WWII, when war profits flooded the country and police budgets exploded.
Ryden tossed an assault rifle onto the ground.
Then five pistols.
"One rifle. Five pistols. Enough to take an outpost."
He didn't even look concerned.
"Once you gather enough men, start expanding. With guns, what are you afraid of?"
He chuckled.
"If you're scared, crawl back to the trash pile and admit you're just bums."
"Forget luxury cars. Forget women. Forget money."
The weapons hit the dirt with a dull thud.
Carmenda and Lode both looked at Marlos.
They were waiting for him.
Ryden's words had struck deep.
They were going to die anyway.
Starving slowly or dying fast-what was the difference?
If they won, they'd have everything.
If they lost, they'd be dead.
"Fine," Marlos said. "I'm in. But I don't even know your name."
That was the posture of a subordinate.
Someone who could casually hand out weapons like this wasn't ordinary.
Only a fool would think about killing him for the guns.
Real professionals knew how to read a room.
"Call me Master Ryden," Ryden said. "Good. I'll be waiting for good news."
He turned to Lode.
"Heh. I have a task for you."
He leaned in and whispered a few words.
Then he turned and left.
Before going, he dropped a box of ammunition and several hundred-dollar bills onto the ground.
After Ryden disappeared, Carmenda picked up a pistol.
A cruel grin spread across his face.
"What an idiot. He really thinks we'll listen to him? Just handing out weapons like this... what a joke."
Marlos picked up a pistol.
Checked the chamber.
Then aimed it straight at Carmenda's head and pulled the trigger.
At point-blank range, the bullet shattered his skull.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
Lode froze, staring blankly.
"Anyone who isn't loyal to Master Ryden isn't needed," Marlos said calmly. "Lode, follow me. Do your job well. One day, we'll live like kings too."
His expression didn't change.
Killing a man looked no different from killing a chicken.
Lode finally snapped back to reality.
"Brother... are we going solo now?"
Marlos wiped blood from his face.
"No. We follow Master Ryden."
He looked ahead.
"My instincts about people have never failed. This man's going to be a legend. You think I'm an idiot like Carmenda? Without foresight, I'd have died ten times over."
He turned.
"Go do what Master Ryden told you. No need to report back."
Lode nodded silently and followed him out of the park.
Marlos glanced once more at the vagrants scattered around.
He spat on the ground.
From today onward, he would never sleep in a place like this again.
IF YOU LIKE THE STORY PLEASE COMMENT AND RATE THE STORY AND ADD IT TO YOUR LIBRARY
YOUR SUPPORT IS VERY MUCH APPRECIATED