John Brown t the old man’s gaze, then gave a wry smile, and said, "I say, old man, you really think too highly of . We’re talking about appointing a Lieutenant Governor here. Do you really think I have that capability?"
The old man laughed heartily and said, "I know this is indeed difficult for you. The decision for the Lieutenant Governor position is not sothing people like us can make."
lody Yoody breathed a sigh of relief; what the old man had just said was overwhelming, making her heart race.
John Brown took out a cigarette, but imdiately put it back in his pocket. There was a pregnant woman next to him; how could he smoke in front of lody Yoody? He then said, "Grandfather, what plans do you have?"
The old man’s eyes narrowed, and he said, "In this fight for the position, all the major families have pulled out all the stops. The open power struggle is one thing, but the most troubling aspect is that so families are not confined to open strategies anymore; they’ve also mobilized underground forces. Now, these underground forces are active and suppressing opponents. Our Yawk Family is the weakest in this aspect. If we don’t counterattack, we won’t stand a chance."
lody Yoody asked curiously, "Grandfather, what do you an by underground organizations?"
The old man smiled slightly, saying, "lody, you’re a Deputy County Chief now; you should know these things."
John Brown had a bit of understanding of these family matters, but he wasn’t familiar with the details. He waited for lody Yoody’s grandfather to explain.
"These major families have existed for many years, even before the liberation. So have risen and fallen, eventually disbanding and no longer considered families. Others are new families that have erged. Due to interests, conflicts were inevitable among these families back then. There were political struggles on the surface, business competition, and even physical confrontations. Matters that couldn’t be resolved on the surface were often handled by other ans, including assassination attempts, which were common. These were to weaken opponents and also for self-defense, making it imperative for every major family to develop underground forces."
Both lody Yoody and John Brown listened with great interest; after all, they had no knowledge of these things before.
Seeing how intently they listened, the old man seed quite enthused and continued, "Back then, each of our families had its own ard forces, and significant financial resources were invested in this, producing so extrely loyal butlers. But after liberation, our families faced great challenges again. We were not allowed to exist during that period, so much so that people didn’t even know about our families anymore. However, as policies beca more relaxed, our families quickly developed because we had a strong foundation. In terms of finances and manpower, we could develop much faster than others. It didn’t take long before many major families appeared in the City Center. After another period, the current situation was ford."
After sipping so water to moisten his throat, the old man continued, "When the family passed down to , I believed that with the current policies, maintaining our family’s strength only required developnt in politics and business. After all, society is stable now, and the days of fighting and killing are not suitable. However, over the years, I’ve felt that this thinking was sowhat incorrect. So families have not given up on developing underground forces, and a few have beco very powerful. In politics and business, our Yawk Family doesn’t lose to them, but in underground forces, we lag far behind. That’s why I’ve been keeping our Yawk Family low-profile all these years."
"Could it be that our Yawk Family has developed enough underground forces?" lody Yoody inquired.
The old man shook his head and said, "Developing underground forces is not easy. First, you need to train a group of butlers completely loyal to our family, which requires nurturing from a young age. I’ve started too late, and it’s impossible to catch up now. Furthermore, the other major families have a tight grip on their underground forces. If we try to intervene, we would face collective exclusion and beco like lambs to the slaughter."
"But now, if you’re suddenly increasing your profile, isn’t that very risky?" lody Yoody’s face showed a worried expression.
The old man smiled brightly and said, "Without Jas, we’d be in big trouble. But since Jas is here, those underground forces don’t worry ."
lody Yoody imdiately turned to John Brown, wide-eyed and said, "No way! You’re betting everything on Jas?"
The old man chuckled cunningly and said, "You don’t understand your man. If your man steps into the underground forces, those people are nothing special. Isn’t that right, Jas?"
John Brown rolled his eyes at the old man and said, "I say, grandpa, you’re really overestimating . I’m just an ordinary citizen, and I’m not interested in developing any underground forces. That’s just terribly uninteresting."
lody Yoody said anxiously, "Exactly, Grandpa, you can’t let Jas get involved in any mafia! The country is cracking down hard on this area now. Anyone involved is on a path of no return."
The old man shook his head and said, "The underground forces I’m talking about aren’t like the mafia. These underground forces just manage so areas that the governnt finds inconvenient to handle. They don’t oppress the common folk and are only aid at other families. Such forces exist not just among our families in the province, but even larger families above us have them, and their power is even greater. Jas, you understand this, right?"
John Brown nodded and said, "I’m aware, but I’ve never had any contact with these forces before."
"Didn’t any major families try to recruit you after you retired, given your skills?" the old man asked John Brown, puzzled.
"Nope."
The old man thought for a mont and said, "Oh, I get it. Lucy Campbell made her move early on, so even if other families wanted to recruit you, it would be inconvenient for them to act. Lucy and the Sanker Family hold an impressive status throughout SSUP Country."
John Brown rubbed his nose and said, "Is that so? I didn’t know. I’ve always considered Lucy Campbell a friend."
"That’s ridiculous. Soone like Lucy Campbell wouldn’t easily make friends with others. But for soone like her, even if she wanted to use you, she’d make you feel like she’s a good friend. That’s her brilliance. No one in SSUP Country can match her skills. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be held in such high esteem."
John Brown gave a dry laugh without further explanation. He didn’t believe the old man’s words. Perhaps Lucy Campbell treated others as the old man described, but she was undoubtedly sincere with him. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have done what she did with him. If Lucy Campbell used all her friends, it would be impossible for her to engage in such actions with each one.
"Grandfather, what exactly do you want Jas to do?" lody Yoody asked anxiously.
The old man looked at John Brown with a serious expression and said, "Jas, I need you to take action so the others know that our Yawk Family has enough strength to contend with their underground forces. Do you have any difficulties with that?"
John Brown furrowed his brows slightly and asked, "What exactly should I do?"
"Tomorrow is my birthday, and I’ll initiate an entertaining program—a contest. All the families will send their top fighters for the sake of their reputation. When you win, they’ll realize the Yawk Family has a suprely skilled fighter on our side. If anyone dares to use underground forces against us again, this fighter can make them pay dearly. What do you think?"
John Brown thought for a mont and said, "That’s not so good. I still want a peaceful life, and if I show up then, those families targeting the Yawk Family can easily target first. My tranquil life would be greatly disturbed."
The old man frowned and asked, "Then what do you propose? You’re not going to ignore it, right?"
John Brown chuckled and said, "How can I ignore it? You’re lody’s maternal family; I can’t just stand by. But we can be flexible; I won’t appear with my real identity, so no one will know my true identity. They’ll only know the Yawk Family has a skilled fighter, and the mystery makes them more cautious since they can’t find this fighter."
The old man clapped his hands and said, "That’s a good idea. But can you be sure you won’t be recognized?"
John Brown smiled faintly and said, "As long as there’s no particularly strong fighter, it shouldn’t be a problem. But if they have soone equally strong, I can’t be sure."
The old man said confidently, "There are certainly many fighters, but none at your level—that I can guarantee."
lody Yoody looked at John Brown with so surprise and asked, "Are you really that amazing?"
John Brown smiled gently and said, "Underestimated your man, didn’t you?"
lody Yoody suddenly reached out and grabbed John Brown’s ear, saying, "What are you bragging about? No matter how amazing you are, you’re still my John Brown. What? Not convinced?"
John Brown imdiately hunched over, grinning, and said, "Convinced, my dear wife, I’m convinced!"
The old man laughed heartily. Though lody Yoody couldn’t beco John Brown’s official wife, from the looks of it, lody Yoody could still handle John Brown—that was enough.
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