Most of the so-called 'other members' these days also possess combat capabilities, so the Black Market has nearly 1,000 combat-ready individuals here, with over half of them being experts skilled in firearms.
Currently, the largest gang, the Whist Gang, has a core force of over 400 people, plus more than 1,000 peripheral members.
Therefore, the Black Market's power is not inferior to that of the Whist Gang, and its various intricate relationships and resources even surpass the Whist Gang.
This is why the Black Market has been able to thrive steadily for so many years.
Because of its strong strength, the Black Market here does not have as many twists and turns as the one in Denver.
Henry put on his mask and walked to the club entrance, presenting a bone-grade B-level identification Card from the Chicago Black Market—obtained from the Denver Black Market. He was then led into a cubicle near the entrance.
Under the supervision of three pistols, two white men carefully inspected his belongings. Finding no weapons, they briefly introduced him to the various departments of the Black Market before allowing him to enter the club.
Henry noticed three such inspection teams at the entrance, which, combined with the four guards, totaled 19 private soldiers.
After passing through the entrance and entering the compound, Henry found that the front yard, about sixty to seventy meters long and thirty to forty meters wide, had twenty private soldiers patrolling, each with a pistol tucked into their waist and holding a machete or an axe. He did not know the situation in the backyard.
This scene struck Henry as somewhat odd.
However, considering that this was in the heart of New York City, he could understand it.
Ordinary people, unarmed, would have no chance against these machetes, axes, or pistols.
However, perhaps because no major incidents had occurred for too long, these private soldiers did not appear particularly vigilant; occasionally, two would even huddle together and chat.
The club building was over forty meters long and thirty meters wide, somewhat square in shape.
Henry, as a B-level member, could go directly to the second floor via the staircase on one side of the club building, or he could take the staircase inside the first-floor lobby to the second floor.
Henry chose to push open the black double doors and entered the first-floor lobby, where he found a huge oval-shaped bar in the center—about twenty meters long and over five meters wide.
A sparse dozen customers sat on high stools next to the bar, chatting with the servers behind it.
Over a hundred wooden tables and chairs were scattered around the bar, each set three to four meters apart.
The four sides of the first floor had twelve large stained-glass windows, all with various raven patterns, allowing good light penetration throughout the entire hall.
Eight gas lamps were also hung around the hall, providing moderate illumination—similar to the brightness outside on an overcast day.
Even early in the morning, those picking up tasks filled a little less than half of the tables and chairs, numbering several dozens, all wearing masks, though people occasionally left in a hurry.
There were fifteen cubicles on each side of the hall.
In the four directions of the hall—southeast, northwest—four blackboards, two meters long and one meter wide, were placed, densely covered with chalk-written new tasks from the past two days.
Those who could read would directly view the tasks on the blackboard and then go to the cubicles on the right to speak with the relevant service personnel.
If none of the tasks on the blackboard were suitable, one could also ask the servers behind the bar if there were any old tasks.
If there were no suitable tasks, one could sit down and wait for the tasks to update.
They provided paid food and drinks and also allowed card playing.
However, the prices for these services were akin to doubling the cost of a future Michelin 3-star restaurant.
Because private vendettas were not allowed here, and all grievances between customers could not be resolved through private duels, such high fees implied paying protection money.
However, if two parties with grievances reached an agreement, they could sign a contract with the club and then duel in the boxing, fencing, or pistol arenas on the basement floor.
The club would open betting odds and distribute 1%-5% of the total bets as prize money to the winner.
Even without duels between customers, the club would arrange exciting duels daily.
However, Henry's arrival time was when the club's atmosphere was at its least frenetic, as these duels concluded by 5 AM at the latest—ensuring customers left before dawn.
Daysler of Denver drooled with envy over this business at the Black Market Centers in Chicago, New York, and San Francisco, and had plans to introduce it in Denver as well.
Thus, Henry learned all this from his intelligence files.
C-level and below clients who came to the first floor here generally stayed for at most an hour before leaving, because staying longer would require renewing a 1 us dollar glass of water per hour.
If a customer was illiterate, they would directly ask the bar staff, but the order-taking speed would be much slower—because new tasks were definitely posted on the blackboard first.
After updating the tasks on the blackboard, the staff would also announce the task content on the spot.
So many illiterate people stayed in the hall, waiting for the tasks on the blackboard to update.
Of course, these were non-confidential tasks; if one wanted to take on confidential tasks, they would go to the cubicles on the left with white signs to inquire and pay a deposit.
Customers selling information also went to the cubicles on the left.
There were 18 groups of 36 guards distributed in pairs around the hall.
If the negotiation cubicles on both sides, like the Black Market in Danfu City before, each had a guard, then Henry had currently observed 105 guards.
Henry approached a task blackboard and found that the very first task was: Unlimited Task: 10,000 us dollar bounty on Henry of Denver's head (expected to arrive at New York train station at 6 AM on July 25th, target extremely dangerous, specific information can be purchased for 5-20 us dollar, the Center will periodically announce his whereabouts), Release Time: 11 AM on July 24th.
At this moment, Henry truly felt an indescribable mix of emotions, which ultimately condensed into two words: Ruthless enough!
It seemed that if the major families had not dispatched so many guards this time, and if Henry and his group had not used the priority channel to exit the train station, Henry might have already been targeted by those gangsters who had taken the task.
This move was extremely malicious, because Henry could not casually shoot these gangsters in public in New York. Even counterattacking would be difficult, let alone preemptively striking after sensing danger.
Otherwise, police officers colluding with the Black Market and gang members could easily arrest or shoot Henry, and even if they failed, Henry would become a wanted criminal.
Henry suppressed his displeasure and checked the other three blackboards, finding that the first task on all four blackboards was the same. He wondered how many gangsters had already accepted this task.
After a moment of contemplation, Henry decided to first go upstairs to the second floor, where B and C-level tasks were posted, and see. So he showed his identification Card to the guard at the internal staircase entrance in the hall, then went up the stairs to the second floor.
The reception area on the second floor was half the size of the first, with only one reception bar in the main hall; the rest were cubicles, each with a dedicated service person to assist customers.
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