chapter 194 part 2
"Of course, Mr. Luper."
From Langer's description, Colin got a rough idea of the problem at his factory. It seemed someone didn't want him to keep his mechanical factory in Brooklyn open.
But who could it be?
Colin pondered this internally. With the growth of the Daily Messenger Newspaper, the newspaper had more or less stepped on some people's toes.
Among them were competitors in the newspaper industry, and perhaps subjects of their news reports.
"Sir, from what I saw, those people surrounding the factory don't look like workers. The way they're dressed, they look more like gang members. And they're very rough. A worker who tried to argue with them was almost beaten up, so..."
Seeing Colin apparently lost in thought, Langer Worster hesitated before offering a reminder.
"Gang members?"
Hearing Langer's reminder, Colin suddenly had a good idea of who it was.
"Don't worry too much, Mr. Langer Worster. I'll take care of everything."
"But before that, I need to handle some matters at The Messenger Newspaper first."
After reassuring Langer Worster, Colin turned and entered The Messenger Newspaper office before him.
He handed the prepared serialized story to Jacob, gave a few instructions to Old John inside the office, and then walked out of The Messenger Newspaper, giving a slight nod to Langer, who was waiting at the door.
"The boss is here!"
"It's the factory manager..."
The journey from The Messenger Newspaper to the mechanical factory in Brooklyn didn't take too long. By the time the two arrived, the standoff was still ongoing.
Seeing Colin arrive with Langer Worster, many of the anxious workers couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
They were worried that this hard-won job would go up in smoke.
"Don't worry, I'll handle it."
In front of the Messenger Mechanical Factory, Colin reassured the apprehensive workers before turning his gaze to the people surrounding the factory.
The suits and flat caps these men were wearing also indirectly confirmed one of Colin's suspicions.
His eyes swept over the crowd in front of the factory, and he soon locked onto a familiar figure in the lead.
On the other side, noticing the arrival of Langer Worster and Colin, a small stir went through the crowd. Soon, the leading figure emerged and spoke to Colin.
"We meet again, Mr. Colin Luper."
His gaze lingered on the leading man for a moment before he spoke with a calm expression.
"So, what are you here for this time?"
In response to Colin's question, the leader lowered his voice and made an 'invitation.'
"The boss wants to meet with you."
Hearing the leader's invitation, Colin glanced at the crowd in front of the factory and frowned, expressing his dissatisfaction. "If it's just for a meeting, why do it at the factory?"
"My apologies."
Faced with Colin's question, the leader offered an insincere apology.
"The boss has already been waiting inside the factory for some time."
As the leader's words fell, several figures in flat caps appeared behind Colin, vaguely forming an encirclement.
"Please go in soon, Mr. Colin Luper."
In the distance, noticing the situation over here, some of the workers grew agitated again.
"You don't need to remind me of that."
Ignoring the menacing figures around him, Colin casually patted the leader on the shoulder, then turned and walked past the man towards the factory.
"Head?"
Watching Colin walk away, the men who had surrounded him looked back at their leader, who was still standing in place, a puzzled look on their faces.
They hadn't expected the man to do nothing and let Colin pass on his own. He usually wasn't such an easygoing person.
"Watch these workers. Don't let them cause any trouble."
He gave them a few instructions. After they left,
The man gritted his teeth and touched his shoulder. A sharp pain shot up from his arm, and his entire back was soaked with sweat.
"How on earth did he do that?"
Gritting his teeth against the searing pain in his arm, the leader's mind was filled with confusion.
He couldn't fathom how Colin had caused such severe damage to his arm with what looked like nothing more than an ordinary pat on the shoulder.
In front of the factory, Colin glanced at the chains on the main gate.
Seeing the clear cutting marks on the iron links, he immediately understood how these people had broken in.
Under the provocative gazes of a few men in flat caps at the entrance, Colin walked into the factory with a blank expression.
As soon as he was inside, he saw the back of Charlie Luciano.
"Mr. Colin Luper..."
Hearing the footsteps behind him, Charlie Luciano flicked the ash from the cigar in his hand and said in a flat tone, "My apologies for disturbing you in this manner."
Though his words were apologetic, Colin could sense no sincerity whatsoever in Luciano's demeanor.
Bringing the cigar to his lips for a puff, Luciano surveyed the factory's interior and said casually, "I didn't expect you to have an interest in manufacturing, Mr. Luper. There aren't many people like you who dare to invest across industries into manufacturing during these times."
The owner of a newspaper agency starting a mechanical factory—even Charlie Luciano himself was surprised by it.
To be honest, he wasn't very optimistic about the prospects of Colin's factory. Manufacturing was not a good direction for a new business during The Great Depression. Charlie Luciano himself owned many failed factories, most of which were manufacturing plants that had gone bankrupt due to The Great Depression. He had converted all of them into underground casinos and bootleg liquor factories.
It was precisely through his monopoly on bootleg liquor that Charlie Luciano had, step by step, become the leader of the New York Mafia.
After all, a gang needed money to expand, and during this period, what business was more profitable than bootleg liquor?
(end of chapter)