The Gaston Building is 75 stories high, but the exterior is now in disrepair, with a black hole on the 73rd floor, which was obviously caused by a bomb. The elevators and other parts broke down even earlier. In the square in front of the building, there are a bunch of shacks, homeless people emitting a foul smell, and gangsters with exposed tattoos openly selling white powder.
As soon as several assault vehicles stopped in front of the building, dozens of fierce-looking men immediately surrounded them, all with their chests and abdomens exposed, and their bodies covered with various large and hideous tattoos.
There were two more plainclothes detectives in the police van that Lu Ming was riding in. They were from the Eighth Police Station where the Gaston Building was located and they often dealt with the gangs in the Gaston Building.
Among the two plainclothes detectives, one was from Central China, and everyone called him "Li".
Legend has it that his father was an extremely vicious warlord in the Northern Territory with great martial arts skills. He fled to the United Kingdom because of persecution by the Han Kingdom. Coincidentally, a large number of immigrants entered the Gaide area, so the Li family also followed the immigration wave and came to the city of Jill to settle down.
Lu Ming didn't know there was such a Li warlord family. He thought it was just the Li family bragging about themselves, or maybe it was a rumor. It mainly came from the misunderstanding of the Northern Territory among the Sonya people, who believed that the warlords of all sizes who ruled there were all evil and terrifying families.
Seeing the gangsters surrounding the assault vehicle, Li's companion Taylor's face changed color. Li was very calm and was still telling Lu Ming about the situation of the five major gangs in the Gaston Building.
Each of these five major gangs occupies several floors. The stronger they are, the lower floors they occupy.
The Scythe Gang and the Nine-Nine Gang divided up the twenty floors from the first to the twentieth floor, with each gang occupying half of the twenty floors.
They sell drugs, organ trade, force prostitution, collect rent from the poor, and set up sweatshops, forcing the poor inside to work twelve or thirteen hours a day to produce small commodities that require complicated manual labor, such as puppet toys, cheap clothes, shoes and hats, etc.
At this time, Davitt had already gotten out of another assault vehicle, took out his ID and waved it at the gangsters in front, and raised his voice, "People of the Scythe Party, go tell your boss White to get out here now, otherwise, he will be in big trouble!"
Although the First Control has lost its power, it still doesn't care about gangs like the Scythe Gang that hang out in the slums.
Especially the gangs in the slums, almost all of them are Gad gangs.
A group of armed police officers got off the assault vehicle and forced the gangsters to retreat.
"General, shall I bring White to the car to talk to you?" Lee said from the side.
Lu Ming nodded. He also knew that for the detectives of this police station, eradicating the gang was not within their authority. Therefore, in order to maintain a little order in the Gaston Building, detectives like Li must have established good personal relationships with the gang leaders. This would make it easier for them to handle cases, enter the building to catch fugitives, etc.
Sure enough, Li got off the car and entered the building. More than half an hour later, a short, fat, bald man came out with him. His eyes were sinister and chilling. He was naturally White, the leader of the Sickle Party.
White got on the assault vehicle, and there were only Lu Ming and him in the vehicle.
Lu Ming handed him the business card. White glanced at it nonchalantly and put it in his pocket.
"Last month, on March 5, 967, you attacked the Camel Bar and shot dead four of our former employees." Lu Ming looked at him, "Now I want an answer."
"I don't know what you're talking about!" White shook his head.
Lu Ming turned around, opened the car window, and said to Durant who was standing under the car: "Immediately check all the members of the Scythe Party in Gaston Building and arrest all the important members of the Scythe Party. If anyone resists, respond with first-level force!"
Durant saluted, turned around, picked up the radio and gave orders.
The fully armed police officers from each assault vehicle got out one after another, wearing explosion-proof shields, black hoods, bulletproof helmets and body armor, and assault rifles, and assembled into small teams.
Snipers also began to look for strategic positions.
White was stunned as he watched the scene outside. He said hurriedly, "That..." He took out the business card from his pocket and looked at it. "Bite... General Bit?" After a pause, he said hurriedly, "Can we negotiate terms?"
Lu Ming has closed his eyes slightly, and it is very clear that he doesn't have time to play hide-and-seek with you, and you don't have any bargaining power.
"Bang, bang!" tear gas bombs were fired, white smoke filled the air, and the gangsters who had gathered in front of the building immediately became chaotic.
"General, yes, we were funded by a boss who gave us five thousand dollars, ten pistols and several thousand rounds of bullets..." White said hurriedly.
Lu Ming still said nothing.
"Bang bang" the sound of gunfire, the SWAT police have opened fire.
"It was Mr. Eric, the Minister of Queens, who sent someone to fund us and said there wouldn't be any trouble!" White said loudly.
Lu Ming then knocked on the car window and said to the outside: "Just clear the first floor!" With such a big battle, they certainly couldn't return empty-handed.
White's expression changed again and again, but for some reason, he dared not say anything more.
The first floor is commonly known as Ma Liao, which is the place where prostitutes controlled by the Sickle Party and the Jiujiu Gang sell their sex lives.
Although the Gaston Building is a daunting sight for the citizens of Gill, the first floor is a favorite of many middle-class people. Although most of the customers there are from the poor, there are also wealthy areas, and the prostitutes they choose are all very beautiful, and they even provide underage prostitutes.
In less than an hour, hundreds of women were taken out.
Durant's special police team naturally would not distinguish whether these stables belonged to the Scythe Gang or the Nine-Nine Gang. They would wipe them out at the same time, and the Nine-Nine Gang would also be in trouble.
White's face turned pale and he could not speak.
Lu Ming glanced at White. This was really a case of the Gaidens bullying the Gaidens. The Scythe Party was made up of Gaidens, and the refugees being exploited in the Gaston Building were also Gaidens.
Including these stables, the vast majority of women were forced to do so due to financial constraints.
Looking at the slightly dilapidated skyscraper outside the car window, Lu Ming said calmly: "I'll go to City Hall and buy this Gaston Building. What do you think, White?"
White smiled bitterly, not knowing what to say.
The Gaston Building has failed to sell at auction several times, and it is even more unlikely that anyone would be willing to buy it now.
Lu Ming had already said to the outside of the car window: "You guys deal with this first, I'll go to the City Hall."
…
The Chief Commissioner's Office on the top floor of Gill Town Hall.
Hines was stunned as he listened to the person on the phone. After thinking for a while, he said, "How about this? Ask General Bit to come to my office."
The call came from Office No. 9, the so-called "Illegal Property Handling Office." The "illegal property" refers to the confiscated property of the Gad people, but most of it had already been auctioned off.
Now, the new representative of First Control wants to buy Gaston Building? What is his plan
The party had specially discussed the Major General Bit who had returned from the Western Regions at a meeting. It was believed that he was a formidable figure due to his qualifications and the abilities he had demonstrated in the Western Regions. However, not only had the power of the First Control been completely castrated, but internal strife was also very serious. That was why this hero who had single-handedly maintained the interests of the United Kingdom in the Western Regions for several years was sent to do the cleanup work of the handover of police force, a menial job that anyone could do.
But what does this guy mean by buying the Gaston Building
While Hines was thinking, there was a gentle knock on the office door. Behind the beautiful secretary came a handsome man. Although he was wearing plain clothes, he had an extraordinary demeanor and looked like he had commanded thousands of troops.
Hines looked at the photo of the young major general and stood up with a smile: "General Bit, I have heard of you for a long time and have wanted to visit you for a long time!"
Lu Ming shook hands with him and exchanged greetings. Then both parties sat down on the sofa in the lounge area. A beautiful female secretary brought them two cups of coffee.
After a few words of gossip, Lu Ming smiled and said, "Mayor, what do you think of my purchase of the Gaston Building? I am willing to pay 100,000 yuan."
Hines smiled and said, "When this building was built thirty years ago, it cost 15 million. Now, it would be difficult to build such a skyscraper without 40 or 50 million."
Lu Ming nodded. "You said so too, it was in the past, but during the war, it was bombarded by artillery fire. Didn't the construction experts say that it would be difficult to repair it? The building structure was destroyed. If it continues like this, it will become a dangerous building in ten or twenty years. It is basically impossible to repair it again. It can only be blown up and rebuilt. So if you want to buy it, it is equivalent to buying a piece of land, and you have to blow up the building and clean up the land. That's why it has been unsold! Now, the economic center has shifted to the new district, and Queens has become a slum. The price of Gaston Building land has been greatly reduced, not to mention that the building has become a slum now, and the gangs are rampant. It has been ruined beyond recognition!"
After a pause, Lu Ming said, "One hundred thousand yuan, probably no one else would be willing to offer this price."
Hines shook his head. "Major General Bitt, it's not just about money. The reason why the municipal council has not driven out the people who now occupy the Gaston Building is mainly to provide a home for the poor. It's out of humanitarian considerations. If you want to buy it now, let's assume you have a way to clear the area. However, there are probably tens of thousands of citizens living in that building, right?"
Lu Ming nodded: "Including the gangsters and the shanty dwellers in the surrounding area, there must be 70,000 to 80,000 people."
Hines spread his hands. "That's right. Assuming the general can clear the area, then who can bear the disastrous consequences of these 70,000 to 80,000 homeless people, or nearly 100,000 refugees pouring into the city?"
Lu Ming smiled and said, "I can promise not to clear the place. I don't have the ability to do so."
Hines was stunned. "Forgive my stupidity, but I can't figure it out!"
Lu Ming sighed, "I just think they are so miserable, and I want to help them. I like to help people, especially since I saw it, I must do something for them."
Huh? Hines looked at Lu Ming, half believing and half doubting.
After thinking for a while, Hines said, "General Bit, as you know, if you want to sell an important building like Gaston, you need to go through a lot of procedures. You should think about it during this period of time. I will also urge the office to arrange a hearing as soon as possible."
Lu Ming took out a check and handed it over. It was a check for one hundred thousand dollars.
Hines quickly declined: "I can't guarantee it, and besides, it's not my place to collect the money, right?"
Lu Ming smiled and said, "No, I hope the mayor can arrange the preparation expenses for the hearing as soon as possible. It would be best if the hearing could be held today!"
Hines was stunned for a moment, looking at the amount of the check.
Lu Ming said nothing and waited quietly.
The gold that Soros donated to the kingdom is in the underground secret room of Hines' Villa No. 21.
In fact, judging from the fact that Soros secretly exchanged and collected so much gold, the Gede people obviously originally had the idea of establishing an independent country.
This gold may not belong to Soros, but to a secret organization that is preparing to establish a country.
It wants to become part of the Imperial Federation rather than remain under the rule of the Kingdom of Griffinni.
But now, all of this is of course meaningless.
According to Soros, the secret room is very hidden and difficult for outsiders to find.
There was no report of a huge amount of gold being found in Villa No. 21. Even if it was discovered by Hines, he would have planned to hide it for his own use.
Now judging from his reaction when he saw the check for $100,000, it is highly likely that he did not find the gold.
It would be a good idea to take this opportunity to establish a relationship with him.
Finally, Hines quickly picked up the check, put it in his inner pocket, and said with a serious look, "General Bit, please write another check for ten thousand dollars!"
Lu Ming didn't say much, he wrote a check for ten thousand yuan and placed it on the coffee table.
Hines pressed the desk bell and the pretty secretary walked in.
Hines pointed to the check on the coffee table and said, "Take the check to Office 9 and say that I raised the money with great difficulty to sell the negative assets in Gaston for 10,000 yuan. Ask Office 9 to initiate the simplified procedure and handle the relevant formalities immediately to prevent the investor from changing his mind!"
The secretary said yes and walked out with the check.
Hines said to Lu Ming, "General Bit, please go with her to handle the formalities. Thank you for your investment!" His expression was very serious, as if he and Lu Ming had just met and the cheerful chat just now had never happened, let alone receiving a check.
Lu Ming nodded and stood up, smiling inwardly, thinking that the Rose Party's model of doing things was very efficient.
As for Hines, he was pretty good in terms of collecting money and doing things. He had originally planned to purchase the Gaston Building for $100,000, but now with just an extra $10,000, he could get the legal procedures today, which was equivalent to an expedited fee.
From the perspective of normal investment, investors will feel that it is worth it. Mayor Hines is a very good person, and they will not think of reporting him for blackmail. Instead, they hope that there are more officials like him.
The result is relatively ideal, but the only difference is who gets the money.