Chapter 29 - Ace of Spades

Phil was stunned. As was the woman hiding in the dark nearby.

"There's an expert..." She held her breath, cautiously sidling along the wall until the shadows swallowed her up.

"Those were assassins just now. They were sent here to kill you," Cassius said, glancing at Phil who had gone deathly pale. "What kind of business does your family actually do?"

The yellow light of the street lamps and shadows blended together under the night sky.

***

"Is this your home?" Cassius gazed before him.

A gray and white estate with tall walls and wrought iron gates sprawled before them. They could vaguely see the tops of trees and the hazy outlines of rooftops. A quick scan told him that this was a villa area. Most wealthy people in Baichuan City had property here.

"Yes, but I don't usually live here. I live closer to school, on Honeysuckle Street. It's my brother who usually stays here, but my mom comes over from time to time."

Cassius picked at his fingernails. There was a layer of dried blood on them. "Let's go then."

Half an hour later, they were in a brightly lit and cozy hall. Phil sat on a brown leather sofa, sipping hot coffee from a white porcelain cup. He seemed to have calmed down quite a bit compared to his previous panicked state.

The hall's decor was simple but luxurious, with a glistening crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling and a variety of wooden furniture, velvet cushions, and glass coffee tables placed inside. Golden thorn flower-patterned wallpaper plastered the walls, where brightly colored, abstract landscape oil paintings hung above. Several pretty young maids served tea and water.

Phil was clearly not from an ordinary family. According to him, both his father and brother ran several companies that operated in multiple cities.

Cassius sat next to Phil, a transparent coffee table with three white coffee saucers trimmed in gold in front of him. A handsome young man with a refined and elegant aura sat on the opposite sofa.

He was Matthew, Phil's twenty-six-year-old older brother.

He had his brown hair swept back, showing off bold and refined features. He had a broad forehead, a pair of half moon gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. Underneath his white shirt, his skin glowed a healthy light bronze. A silver pocket watch chain peeked out from his shirt pocket.

"I've already sent someone to deal with the bodies. We were really lucky that Mr. Li Wei was there this time, otherwise, Phil would have been in serious trouble." Matthew gently set his coffee cup down.

"It's nothing, I barely lifted a finger." Cassius took a small sip of coffee and swallowed slowly.

"Brother, why would anyone want to kill me? It was really terrifying! The second I saw that knife, my mind completely blanked out; I was that scared. Thankfully..." Phil glanced at Cassius beside him, his eyes shining with gratitude.

"Since you asked, there's no point in me hiding this from you anymore." Matthew glanced at Cassius and continued, "Mr. Li Wei can listen as well."

What Matthew said next was an incredible load of information.

In short, Phil's family didn't run an ordinary company; it operated in the morally gray, between black and white. The company's main business could be summed up in one word—alcohol.

You see, the Hongli Federation imposed a law from February of the 130th year which last until June the following year, known as the Trent Prohibition Act, which prohibited alcohol. This law was enacted on February 18.

According to this law, manufacturing, selling, or even transporting beverages with an alcohol content over 0.6% was illegal. While drinking at home wasn't a crime, people who drank with friends or held banquets that had alcohol there would be fined.

The maximum penalty was a 3,500 Hongli Federation dollars fine and six months of imprisonment. And only people over twenty years old with proof of age could buy alcohol from specifically designated places.

This law was supposed to advocate against drinking and reduce cases of social crime. All it did, though, was give rise to rampant bootlegging with many profiting from illegal alcohol sales, and to the rise of some criminal organizations that profited greatly.

The Federation Government repealed this law, lifting restrictions on private alcohol sales after June of the 151th year.

In theory, anyone could now start a company and sell alcohol as long as they had a license. But the reality was that some organizations had spent twenty some years entrenching themselves in the alcohol trade, their influence extending into the dark corners of the cities.

Therefore, a newly formed liquor company looking to sell in a county or city couldn't just bypass these organizations; they had to negotiate profit sharing with them. There was no way to avoid these organizations as they were also involved in other trades.

Phil's father founded the Connan Company which had the backing of the Ace of Spades, a large criminal organization. One of the largest organizations in Beiliu County, they had a wide range of interests. On the surface, they handled legitimate businesses like alcohol, tobacco, and transport. But behind closed doors, they dealt in contraband goods like firearms, shady antiques, and drugs. They also offered things like protection or assassination services—all for a steep price.

Normally, no one would dare mess with a big shot like Ace of Spades. But a group called Duststorm had popped up in the past few months in Beiliu County. Their presence grew stronger as they had very aggressive and combative members.

Other major organizations in Beiliu County had suffered losses at the hands of Duststorm. And now they had set their sights on Ace of Spades.

As a result, companies like Connan Company, who had business dealings with Ace of Spades, were caught in the crossfire. They specifically targeted the weak and the vulnerable, which unfortunately, included Phil.

"I see." Cassius sipped his coffee.

Phil was even more shocked than Cassius. He had always thought that his family ran a transport and beverage company. Never did he dream that their main business would be alcohol, not to mention getting involved with certain organizations.

Ten minutes later, Phil went to his room in the villa and found the Purple Wood Cane in the corner.

Phil wasn't very interested in antiques, so after Matthew gave him the cane, he hadn't really paid much attention to it. Since Instructor Li Wei, the antique enthusiast, saved his life, it only seemed right that he give him the cane.

Thud, thud, thud...

Phil came down with the Purple Wood Cane in hand. It was as long as his arm. He handed it to Cassius without hesitation.

Cassius clicked his tongue, a familiar taste spreading over it. He took it, a solemn expression on his face. The moment his fingers touched the cane, the bitterness in Cassius's mouth intensified. The harsh taste was stronger than unsweetened coffee.

It's finally mine

...