Don’t raise unruly people in extreme cold weather

Chapter 394 Destiny
The Shelby family's little calculations are insignificant to the entire North, and it's not even worth bringing up the table.

After all, although the Shelby family also engaged in smuggling and running the black market, as Tommy speculated, they were just small fish and shrimps, and after being detained for about a week, they were released.

Of course, they were fined a large sum of money, and Tommy and the others lost their jobs at the loading dock.

Since they were still prisoners in the penal camp, after losing their jobs, Tommy and others had to report back to the penal camp and wait for new assignments.

And this is what Tommy is most worried about.

After all, they came to the North as prisoners, and now they have committed crimes again. If they add crime to crime, it is likely that all the Shelby family members will be sent to some construction site to work as laborers.

This was such a far cry from his previous life as a loader that Tommy was worried that his family would break up.

After all, the Shelby family is just a small gang. Apart from the three brothers who are blood relatives and some relatives, everyone else joined just because they saw that the family could protect them.

Once these low-level gang members find that their families cannot protect them, it is easy for them to leave the gang.

Especially since the Shelby family is not a big gang, they do not have enough control over the lower-level personnel. When someone wants to betray or leave the family, they usually do not have any good solutions or constraints.

In the past, Tommy could still lead people to beat up the other party, but now? Sorry, he is already in a difficult situation.

No matter what, he is the foreman. If something like this happens, especially since he is the main culprit, he must be held responsible no matter what.

However, Tommy probably never dreamed that just as he was thinking about how to escape punishment from the subsequent accountability for this incident, his fate took an unexpected turn.

--------------

"My Lord, the special rectification work on the black market and smuggling has been a complete success. In one week, we have destroyed a total of 12 black markets, broken seven smuggling routes, arrested 516 related personnel, and eradicated several major smuggling gangs and forces. The market order and social security in Chenoborg have been significantly improved." The police chief of Chenoborg reported to Perfect, and his words could not help but show off.

This was as it should be. After all, they had worked hard for a week and achieved great results. The confiscated materials alone almost filled up the police station's evidence library, so they had to temporarily rent a warehouse to store so many supplies.

The police chief originally wanted to take a hand in this batch of supplies as per custom, but before he did so he received a warning from the intelligence agency. Perfect's attention to the matter made him dare not act rashly.

So seeing the warehouse filled with supplies, everyone in the police station was crying out for help, but under the strict order of the police chief, no one dared to have any ideas about these supplies.

Don't think that the police of this era are too honest. Even the police of the original world of Perfectcot would generally return part of the confiscated materials to the original owners. If the rest is not claimed by anyone, it will be put up for auction. Part of the money will be turned over, and the rest will be used as funds for the unit handling the case.

This is still a relatively sound legal system and a relatively clean police system.

If you encounter a relatively corrupt country... There was a bizarre news report in a certain Eastern country where a police station confiscated thousands of kilograms of marijuana, but they were all eaten by rats in the warehouse.

So when Perfecto arranged for the police and city guards to investigate smuggling, she specifically instructed the intelligence agency to keep a close eye on these policemen to prevent them from embezzling the money, so that after investigating smuggling, she also had to investigate corruption.

However, judging from the fact that there is not much difference between the list of supplies reported by the police chief and the report submitted by the intelligence agency, the warning is still effective.

"Thank you for your hard work. I will remember the contribution of your police department this time." Perfect nodded with satisfaction, then looked at the police chief and encouraged him: "Do a good job. I remember that you retired from the Guards, right? Not bad, you didn't bring shame to the Guards."

Hearing Perfecto's praise, the police chief stood at attention and saluted, shouting the slogan: "For the North, everything for Brandelis!"

The police chief would certainly not miss this opportunity to show his loyalty, and as a bureaucrat with a considerable degree of political attributes, he must not make the wrong slogan.

Although there is nothing wrong with shouting for the empire at this time, it is obvious that this does not please Perfectot by doing it for the North.

"Very good, I am very satisfied that you have this awareness." Although Perfect felt that this slogan was a little shameful, she still said to the police chief: "Your police station should keep half of the confiscated materials as a reward for your action. I hope you will continue to work hard and live up to my expectations and your own past honor."

If you want the horse to run, you have to feed it. Verbal rewards alone are definitely not enough for the police station itself and the grassroots police officers, so Perfect also generously took out a part of the confiscated materials as a material reward for the police station this time.

As for the city guards and intelligence agencies who also participated in this incident, they received separate rewards.

After all, they are not in the same system as the police station, and the means and methods of rewards are also different.

After talking about the reward for the police station, Perfect looked through the files handed over by the police chief and suddenly asked him a question: "What do you think about the black market and smuggling?"

The police chief was stunned by this question, but he responded quickly: "I think we must resolutely crack down on it! This disrupts the normal social order and..."

"Don't use clichés, just tell me what you really think." Perfectcott waved her hand to interrupt him. This was not what she wanted to hear.

Seeing what Perfectcott said, the police chief thought for a moment before answering cautiously: "My Lord, I think we should still keep part of the black market. After all, the supply of materials on the market is tight now, and these smugglers and the black market can effectively supplement the shortage of official supplies in many cases.

Just like when my wife had her birthday, she wanted to buy a piece of Spanish ham to celebrate, but this kind of thing is scarce in Chenoborg and cannot be bought in regular stores. She can only get it on the black market.

Although this is not something to brag about, it must be said that these black market traders and smugglers do have connections, and they can indeed obtain scarce materials to meet market demand.”

"Really? If I want to support an official white glove, do you have any suitable candidate to recommend?" Perfect looked at the police chief with a probing and considering look in his eyes.

There is no doubt that Perfectcot's question made the police chief nervous instantly.

He carefully recalled what he had done after becoming the director, and after confirming that he had not committed any crime or colluded with any gang, he tentatively replied: "It is more appropriate to destroy a small gang in this operation. They are small in scale and small in number, so they are easy to control. Moreover, their gang leader is a prisoner in the punishment camp, which makes it easier for us to control them directly.

Moreover, this gang purchases goods from the port of Chernobog via the railway line. Compared with other smugglers, they act more as a sales channel. Both the amount of smuggled goods and the scale of the black market they operate are not large.

Compared to the gangs and smugglers that really affect the peace of the North, they are almost not worth mentioning, but if you want to support a force, they are indeed a good choice." "It sounds good, what is the name of this gang?" Perfect showed an interested expression.

"The Shelby Family, a small gang of maybe two dozen people," the police chief answered truthfully.

----------------

Tommy returned to the punitive camp and stayed in the barracks, feeling a little uneasy.

Although he was not punished or dealt with by the disciplinary battalion immediately, but was thrown back to the barracks instead, the feeling of waiting was really uncomfortable.

Anyone who has had experience knows that the most difficult part of being punished is not when the whip hits you, but the wait before the verdict, because you don’t know what will happen to you.

Tommy knew clearly that the crime he committed was indeed not serious, but if he took it seriously, no one would say anything even if the camp commander of the disciplinary camp whipped him to death.

However, he was not worried about being whipped to death by the camp manager. After all, he had been respectful to him when he was engaged in smuggling before. For these reasons, he would at most receive a good beating, but would not be beaten seriously.

But this is not the point. What really makes Tommy unable to sleep and eat is what kind of punishment he will receive in the future.

After all, prisoners in this kind of penal camp who commit crimes again will usually be severely punished, and it is common practice to beat them to death or hang them to serve as a warning to others.

Even if they are able to survive, they will usually be sent to do the hardest and most tiring work so that they can be worked to death directly, saving the effort of subsequent treatment.

At this point, even if Tommy bribed the camp manager, it would be useless, after all, this matter was not the camp manager's responsibility.

The camp manager is responsible for the management of the criminals in the disciplinary camp, so he can impose criminal laws on them or even execute them directly.

But where these prisoners are assigned and what jobs they do is the responsibility of another management department.

Tommy has nothing to do with this management department and can only wait here for the results.

This undoubtedly made it very difficult for him.

Tommy shuddered at the thought that he might be sent to do hard labor sixteen hours a day and then die of exhaustion.

In addition to his fear of death, another very important factor was that once he was exiled, the Shelby family would basically be disbanded, and he did not believe that his two brothers could keep the gang going.

Or maybe Tommy felt that his two brothers would not escape punishment this time, and even if they did, it would be difficult for them to run the Shelby family again.

After all, Tommy knew that his eldest brother was more adept at fighting and brute force. It was no problem to let him do things that didn't require too much thinking. He was also an expert in fighting in the gang, but to expect him to lead the gang? That was just wishful thinking.

As for his own younger brother...Tommy just wanted to say that although this kid has talent, he is still a child and lacks experience to take on the responsibility.

Thinking of this, Tommy couldn't help but feel a little desperate, just like when he was in Langton and faced the mounted police of the Langton Police Department and the infantry artillery of the City Guards, no one in the entire Langton gang had the courage to resist.

Even the famous tough guys in the gangs in the past would not be able to withstand the infantry artillery.

The two sides are simply not on the same level of power, just like the current Shelby family is simply unable to fight against the behemoth of the entire North.

Not to mention the entire North, even if it is just a branch of the Chernoborg Police Department, it is not something that the Shelby family can resist.

Just when Tommy was gradually becoming desperate, footsteps were suddenly heard outside his cell, which made Tommy feel very nervous.

He knew that the result he had been waiting for had come, and that the time had come for him to be sentenced by fate.

"All-Father, I hope this isn't the worst possible outcome!" Tommy prayed sincerely to the All-Father for grace, but he no longer had any hope for it.

When the cell door opened, Tommy felt like he didn't even have the strength to stand up.

But under the threat of the punitive baton in the camp manager's hand, he climbed up from the bed very neatly and stood up straight.

"Tommy Shelby, a gang member, a smuggler, a black marketeer, a prisoner in a penal camp..." A police officer in a police uniform walked up to Tommy, looked him up and down, and then asked, "If you were given a chance to run a black market again, what would you do?"

The police officer's question was so strange that Tommy didn't know how to answer it. He could only look to the camp manager beside him for help.

"Answer truthfully, Tommy. If you don't want to be thrown into the position of a coolie, you'd better answer truthfully." The camp manager glanced at Tommy and pointed at him meaningfully.

After hearing the hint from the camp manager, Tommy thought about it and then gritted his teeth and took a gamble: "I will still smuggle through the railway. This line is stable enough and the cargo throughput is easy to control. As long as I build connections at the loading and unloading stations on both sides of the railway station, I can make this smuggling route work.

As for selling the goods on the black market, it is so easy. Just hire a few errand boys and they will naturally sell the goods.”

"It sounds good. Don't you have any idea of ​​making it bigger and stronger?" The police officer looked at Tommy with curiosity in his eyes.

"No, no matter how big a gang is, it's just a rat that hides in the dark. A rat should have the consciousness of a rat. Being too big will only bring destruction." Tommy felt that he had a clear enough understanding in this regard.

After hearing Tommy's answer, the police officer seemed very satisfied with it. He patted him on the shoulder and said, "Congratulations, you are out of prison."

(End of this chapter)