School Gang

Asher stayed quiet and waited .

It might seem like he wasn't giving much respect, but James knew Asher wasn't big on talking.

The fact that Asher was here meant he was at least giving James some face.

In a way, he didn't dislike this side of Asher. It was easier to deal with people who just wanted money.

In fact, he was more cautious of those who kept flattering him because they tended to stick around like parasites. But Asher was different; give him a job, and he'd do it without any fuss, all business, no emotions.

"Want a smoke?" James offered as he pulled one from his pocket. His lackey lit the cigarette, and he took a puff.

"I don't smoke," Asher replied with a nonchalant expression. 

"Suit yourself," James chuckled, not bothered by his words.

"So, speaking of why you're here, I have a job for you, a very important one," he added.

Seeing that Asher wasn't planning to speak again, James decided to lay out the job.

"So, you and my guys, I want you to lead them to teach the other school who are trying to mess with our area," he explained, going into the details of the mission. It was the usual school turf war.

'Some kids have so much time to waste,' Asher sighed to himself. This turf war seemed so unnecessary. 

However, he had to go along with James if he wanted to maintain the perks he was getting.

His mother's hospital bills were also something he needed to think about, and this was an opportunity for him to earn money. 

Usually, for an additional job, he would get a bonus of 1000 credits for every person he beat up. If he beat up 30 students, that would be 30,000 credits, enough to settle her bills for next month.

"Take this with you," James handed him a walkie-talkie.

"I'll relay the message, and you go where I tell you to," he instructed.

"Okay," Asher nodded and turn around , the people that he had to lead followed him . 

Just as he was about to leave the restroom, James called out to him, making sure he caught his attention for something important.

"By the way, there's a guy in the other group called Blackhound. If you meet him, I want you to cripple him. I'll give you five times the usual if you take him down," James offered with a sly grin on his face.

Asher simply gave him a double take, his head nodding and then quietly exited the room.

As far as Asher saw it, students weren't a problem. He hadn't met anyone who could beat him in a fight yet. Even a gangster wouldn't stand a chance against him So, taking on a bunch of students was a piece of cake 

Inside the Restroom .

James and some of his most trusted people remained.

"Boss, is that guy really enough to beat the blackhound?" asked the big guy who had guided Asher here.

The blackhound had a notorious reputation around their territory. It was said that he sent 20 students to the hospital after they ganged up on him. He was big, strong, and mean—just looking at him would make others cower in fear.

"I don't care if Asher beats that blackhound or not," James chuckled, making his real intentions clear. If Asher failed to deliver, well, he'd be out of luck and out of payment.

The big guy saw through James's plan, and it was quite cunning. Regardless of whether Asher beat the opponent or not, there was no way the blackhound would come out of this unscathed.

"Boss, about that thing... are we really going to do it?" The big man shifted the conversation.

Now they were talking about something much deeper than the turf war.

A grin stretched across James' face as he replied, "If we pull that off, we're talking about a whopping 1,000,000 credits in one shot."

"1-- 1 million credits?" The big guy instinctively backed down after hearing that amount. A million credits was a huge sum for students like them.

To put that in perspective, the monthly cash inflow from their extortion only amounted to 120,000+ credits per month, and most of it was shared among the key personnel .

"That's just the beginning. If we do a good job, then we might really be acknowledge as an established gang. When that happens, all of us would be able to get better-paying jobs," James added.

Right now, they were just a school gang, but James' vision reached far beyond that.

He wanted to upgrade, to become a real big boss. That's why he kept Asher with him. He knew that Asher was very useful, a talent that, if utilized well, would give him a big edge.

'Now, show me. Prove you're the person I need to succeed,' James chuckled to himself.

Asher's performance in this turf war would be the make-or-break moment for his worth.