Twenty Seven Years

  Chapter 238 Cohesion

   "I'm here to make a living." Verak quickly stopped, "I'm not a big shot, so there's no need to engage in such a big fight."

   "It's okay, let's call everyone over to have dinner and get to know each other." Monroe grabbed Veraker's shoulders, reeking of alcohol, "It's also convenient for you to hang out in Manchester City in the future."

   Mentioned Manchester City, Veraker took the opportunity to ask about his concerns: "I heard from Fisher that the current situation is not optimistic. What do you think?"

   "We must stay!" Monroe said firmly, and greeted Fisher to arrange dinner.

  Villac didn't understand why Monroe was so confident to stay, and why he insisted on staying.

  “I think people should be equal. The rich shouldn’t have to serve as soldiers, while the poor should send their children, husbands, and fathers to the battlefield, and they shouldn’t be hostile to each other…”

Hearing Monroe's explanation, Veraker felt a little funny. A gang-like organization has no right to talk about equality: "But we are a gang, collecting protection fees, and using violent means to solve all problems. Do you think we Are you oppressing others?"

   "Is anyone being oppressed? Like?"

   "The shops in Manchester are basically paying protection fees to the Sea Rat Gang." Verac gave an example.

Monroe smiled instead: "They give money, and we are responsible for protecting them. This is what they need, what kind of oppression? And our violent methods are only used to protect ourselves, against the real crimes that local gangs and locals have imposed on us. oppression."

   "So, you feel that all you did was protect yourself, and didn't hurt others."

"Why would I want to hurt anyone?" Monroe asked. "Dunmans keep saying we're robbing their public resources, usurping their jobs, saying we're alien predators, parasites. But we're also paying taxes. , why can’t we enjoy the benefits of public resources? We do our own business and create a lot of jobs for Dunman, why don’t they mention this?”

   It's the word "parasite" again.

   Monroe represents the outsiders of Dunman, or the Bresci. Although his words are highly subjective, they are not completely unreasonable.

  At least from their point of view, they got something and paid for it, and they didn’t look like parasites and vampires, who only knew how to plunder the locals, as the locals said.

  Why did things develop to the present situation? There is a seemingly irreconcilable contradiction between the outsider and the native.

  Obviously everyone is human and can live a better life together, but it is necessary to distinguish between an enemy and an enemy.

   "This matter is very complicated." Verak hoped that he could stand at a higher position, see the crux of the problem, and stop the unnecessary confrontation between the two civilians.

   "It's very complicated. There are hundreds of thousands of outsiders in the old South Yorkshire, and hundreds of thousands of outsiders in Dunman. How can it be so easy to clear things up." Monroe is very clear about the complexity of the matter.

   "Then have you figured out how to stay? Or wait for the day after tomorrow to discuss with representatives of foreigners from other countries?" Verak asked.

Monroe had some thoughts in his mind, and shared them with Veraker without any hesitation: "The government is tough, so we should be tough too. Let's see if they dare to keep hundreds of thousands of people in the capital and millions of people in the whole country." In the eyes."

   "They will definitely not take tough measures. So many people are driven to a dead end, who knows what will happen." Verak is very confident about this.

   "So they boiled the frogs in warm water." Monroe knew it.

"More than that, I don't think the government should just watch our major gangs meet and outsiders twist into one rope. Be careful about the day after tomorrow, lest they find a reason to solve you together, leaving the outsiders without a leader It’s a mess, and it’s no longer a threat.” Having dealt with Bresci’s government a lot, Verak guessed that the Dunman government should be similar.

   "Thank you for the reminder." Monroe drank some more wine, "Of course we won't meet with great fanfare the day after tomorrow."

Verac thought for a while, and his words were indeed a bit redundant. These people must be the leaders of gangs and representatives of outsiders. They must have their own merits, and they would not be so stupid as to leave risks at such a critical time. .

   "Are you interested in participating in this meeting the day after tomorrow?" Monroe looked straight into Verak's eyes, smoking a cigarette.

   "Who is going?" Verak also looked directly at Monroe.

   "Only Fisher and I are tentatively."

   "The two of you are the bosses of the Sea Rat Gang, what's the matter with calling me a newcomer?" Verac vaguely felt that this was a temptation by Monroe, and he was thinking about how to deal with it skillfully.

  Monroe's affinity is quite strong. Staring at Veraker like this, Veraker didn't feel any hostility: "Who cares if you are a newcomer or if you have any status, as long as you are concerned about our safety and have a brain."

   "You mean the three of us are the only ones with brains in the big sea rat gang?"

   "Maybe it's really like this." Monroe said seriously.

"Do not make jokes."

   "Just say whether you want to be together."

   "Do you really want me to go too?" Verak asked seriously this time.

  Monroe said "hmm", "I don't really like joking."

   "No one should refuse the boss's favor. If you invite me, then of course I am willing to go." Seeing that Monroe really wanted to go by himself, Verac agreed directly regardless of whether they had other thoughts.

   "Then we'll go over and talk the day after tomorrow." Monroe stretched.

  Villac took advantage of the pause in the chat to carefully examine the interior of Minke's Tavern: "Everyone just drinks and chats every day, nothing else?"

   "Isn't that good?" Monroe asked, "Just eat, drink, and be merry."

   "If this means that nothing happened to Manchester City, that's fine." Verac said.

   As he said that, the door of the tavern was pushed open, and Fisher walked in with a new group of people. The half-empty tavern immediately became full and bustled several times.

   "People are here, I'm going to arrange dinner." Fisher greeted Monroe and Veraker, and entered the back door of the tavern.

   "Drink well tonight." Monroe got up and said with one hand on Verak's shoulder.

   "I don't drink well, you drink." Today, I sat in the tavern for less than an hour, and I have already drunk more than ten glasses of wine. Verak didn't want to eat and drink until he passed out.

  Munro pretended not to hear, and greeted everyone to be quiet: "Everyone be quiet, today our sea mouse gang has a newcomer with good skills and good brains, let's get to know each other."

  The people here have basically witnessed and heard about Veraker’s killing of Heywell in the morning, and now that the old Monroe is so close to him, they no longer have contemptuous eyes and thoughts of giving the newcomer a blow.

   "Hi everyone, my name is Moster Verak, from Tsward, Bresseyose." Verak stood up and introduced himself loudly to the hundred and ten people.

   "Don't be dazed, introduce yourself one by one." Monroe asked everyone to introduce themselves to Verak, "Dick, you go first."

   "My name is Dick. I'm from Pusica. I've been in Dunman for seven years. I'm in charge of running the tavern." The bald man closest to them introduced him first.

   Then the hundred and ten people briefly explained their identities one by one.

  Verakke kept nodding on the surface, but secretly didn't remember most of the names.

   After they got to know each other, dinner was ready.

   "Okay, the welcome meeting has officially started! Verac just told me that he can drink very well. Whoever can drink him down today will be given 10,000 liters!" Monroe stimulated his subordinates with money.

"it is good!"

  The reward of 10,000 gallons made the crowd burst into cheers, one of them could drink better than the other, scrambling to compete with Verac.

  Verak knew that he would probably be very drunk today, so he said to Monroe with a half-smile, "If I really drink well, I'll drink you down sooner or later."

   "Okay! I look forward to that day!" Monroe laughed heartily, watching the excitement was no big deal, and offered to pour wine for Veraker.

  —

  Afternoon of January 30

  The intense, inside-out headache made Veraker frown and grunt in pain.

  Holding his head in his hands to relieve the pain that seemed to be exploding, he slowly opened his eyes and scanned the surroundings, and found that he had returned to the Essen Hotel arranged by Monroe.

   "Hiss..."

   After a long time, the pain subsided a little, and Verak, who was thirsty, was able to concentrate on pouring a glass of water to drink.

   After drinking the water, Verak recalled what happened yesterday. He probably drank dozens of glasses of wine the whole night yesterday, and he actually drank two people down.

   "You are so powerful and you still say you can't drink?! I must drink you down today!"

  Monroe's words are still echoing in his ears.

  Verak shook his head slightly and gave a wry smile. After making sure that he didn't talk nonsense after being drunk yesterday, he went to wash up to make himself more sober.

Then, because he almost vomited up his bile after drinking too much last night, and didn't eat this morning or at noon, he first went out to find a restaurant to eat something casually, and then went to Minke's Tavern to find Monroe and Fei Scheer.

   But unexpectedly, neither Monroe nor Fisher was in the tavern this afternoon, and the people in the tavern didn't know where they went.

  Villac, who had nothing to do, could only wander around Manchester City to pass the time.

  At seven o'clock in the evening, he returned to Mink's Tavern, and this time Monroe and Fisher were there.

   "What did you do in the afternoon?" Verac smelled the smell of alcohol in the tavern, and his stomach was churning again.

   "Going to settle some disputes, how are you? Are you feeling better?" Monroe and Fisher were still drinking.

   "The wound is much better, and the wine has not sobered up." Verak replied cautiously, for fear that Monroe would make him drink again.

  Munro just finished drinking a glass of wine, picked up the bottle and shook it in front of Veraker: "Do you really want some?"

   "Unless you want me to vomit again in front of so many people." Verac said.

   "Forget it." Monroe poured himself a glass.

"However, this trick of yours is very effective. They all took the initiative to say hello to me when they came to see you in the afternoon, and the relationship has become closer to the naked eye." Although Verak doesn't like the method of drinking to make the relationship closer, he still cannot deny the benefits it brings. Effect.

   Fisher said: "Drinking to get closer is just a matter of course. They accepted you mainly because you performed very well yesterday and beat Heywell to the ground."

   "How is Hywell?" Veraker almost forgot about this person.

   "Wake up, but still lying in bed." Fisher smiled.

   "I don't need to go and see him." Now that he has been accepted, Verak doesn't mind actively resolving the conflict with Heywell.

Monroe was bored and was playing poker: "No need, he will come to you when he recovers. You don't have to worry about any revenge, we came here at the end of the road, and a group of people who are struggling to survive here .Yesterday it was you who beat him to the ground, maybe tomorrow it will be you who saved his life."

   "Understood." Hearing what Monroe said, Verak had a deeper understanding of the situation of outsiders and the atmosphere of the Sea Rat Gang.

   "Do you know why you were called to participate in tomorrow's meeting?" Monroe suddenly mentioned this incident that still makes Veraker feel sudden.

   "Didn't you say yesterday that you have a brain." Verak replied.

Monroe sneered: "You really think you're so smart that you're the only one with brains in the Sea Rat Gang? You're good at skills and brains, and that's actually just the foundation. It really inspired me to ask you to go there together. The idea is that during the conversation yesterday, I found that you are not very selfish, and when you think about the problem, you also stand on our overall point of view."

   "Because of this?" Verack really didn't expect it to be this reason, and his performance from the heart was crooked, leaving a good impression on Monroe.

"Now the Sea Rat Gang, Manchester City, and the entire group of outsiders are panicking. After all, the government intervened. It can't be settled by simply relying on fists. I don't know how many people there are, and I don't dare to think how many people are there. Secretly preparing to retreat. In short, the most important thing now is that we are united. If we don’t be broken up by the government one by one, and we don’t fall apart by ourselves, there will be room for mediation and a chance to reverse it.” Monroe said, “So I appreciate you very much. After learning about the situation, he didn’t leave immediately, but discussed with me how to deal with countermeasures.”

   "Probably because I really don't want to run away anymore." While lying, Verak also thought about why he had such an instinctive performance.

  Is it because I am a Bresci, so I don’t want to see my compatriots being driven out and trampled when they are alone?

   Should not be just for this.

   It is more the idea of ​​the Equality Association that is affecting Veraker. He doesn't just want to see his compatriots suffer. He doesn't want all civilians to let the powerful control their lives and live their lives without dignity.

"I'm a good judge of people." Monroe didn't stare at Veraker and spoke, which was completely different from looking directly at the temptation before, and it was a signal of releasing trust, "I know you have your own secrets, but I don't care, as long as you It is enough if you are willing to make suggestions for the people of Manchester City and solve the crisis. The Sea Rat Gang lacks people like you, and the entire group of outsiders also lacks people like you."

  After hearing this, Verak was silent for a while before saying, "Since I'm here, I definitely won't just sit idly by—regardless of whether I have the ability to change everything."

  (end of this chapter)