Chapter 10 Great Chaos
The members of the Viper Gang only resisted briefly before being restrained to the ground by wooden forks attacking them from both the front and back, their faces filled with terror as they whimpered faintly.
Quirian thanked his colleagues who came to support him while tying up the thugs one by one with ropes.
Throughout the day, similar scenes unfolded across various parts of Saint Antoine District.
The police seemed frenzied, rushing at criminals the moment they saw them, shouting "In the name of the Crown Prince" as they charged forward, brutally disciplining petty thieves with riot waist forks and spears.
For a time, the thieves, robbers, and gangsters in Saint Antoine District were left in disarray, startled at every shadow, no longer displaying the arrogance they once did.
Residents of Saint Antoine District, witnessing the police cracking down on crime everywhere, were simultaneously shocked and delighted. Numerous gang members and violent criminals who had long committed heinous acts were arrested one after another. They had never seen such dedicated police maintaining public order!
*In this era, the common people had very low expectations for security. When stolen from or robbed, they would simply accept their bad luck, as long as their lives remained unharmed. The actions of the new police force greatly exceeded their expectations.*
Soon, people began voluntarily bringing water and food to the police, cheering for them along the streets whenever criminals were apprehended. Inspired by the enthusiasm, the police worked even harder.
It didn't take long for the citizens to learn a new trick—shouting "In the name of the Crown Prince" when encountering criminals often had a good chance of scaring them off.
...
Royal Palace.
The Duke of Orleans stared at the copy of Paris News on the table, his expression sour. The headline on the front page read, "Saint Antoine District in Turmoil, Crown Prince Leads Police Reform."
Compared to the vague wording of the Paris News, which he controlled, the several small papers beside it were much more direct—"Crown Prince Reorganizes Police, Saint Antoine District Sees Improvement in Security," "Residents of Saint Antoine District Praise the New Police Force," "Crown Prince's Brilliant Strategy Solves Dentist Murder Case in Three Minutes"...
*The Duke of Orleans felt a wave of annoyance. Originally, he had intended to use the chaotic state of Saint Antoine District's security to allow the papers to mock the Crown Prince thoroughly, but instead, it ended up boosting his reputation.*
*That Joseph managed to transform the police force in just over ten days—such skill seemed impossible for a thirteen-year-old boy to possess!*
*He frowned suddenly, considering whether this might be the Austrian harlot who, through her son, sought to cleanse Paris's political scene starting with the Police Headquarters.*
*The more he thought about it, the more he believed this was the only plausible explanation. After all, it seemed impossible for the young Crown Prince to achieve all of this on his own.*
*In that case, disrupting the Queen's scheming became imperative. The Royal Family must not be allowed to make any waves!*
The Duke of Orleans pondered for a moment before swiftly penning a letter. Summoning the butler, he instructed, "Take this letter to Levebelle. Tell him to spare no cost in carrying out this matter. I can consider supporting him for the role of Governor of Normandy."
"Yes, sir."
...
In a small villa on the eastern bank of the Seine River, Director of Paris Police Gizo glanced at the ajar door and snapped at the mistress eavesdropping outside, "Anna, shut the door. Keep an eye on things so the servants don't come near."
"Oh." The woman closed the door begrudgingly and walked away, muttering under her breath, "Hmph, treating me like a maid—this is my house, for crying out loud..."
Gizo finally turned back to face the short, curly-haired man seated before him. Taking a deep drag on his pipe, he said, "Similion, this time the Crown Prince isn't here to play for a few days and then return to the Palace of Versailles. He plans to stay at the Police Headquarters for good."
The short man—formerly the Police Commissioner of Saint Antoine District, now on a forced sick leave—immediately protested, "But the City Commissioner said I'd be reinstated within two months at most!"
"Who could have predicted this turn of events?" Gizo exhaled a puff of smoke. "Right now, it's not just you—the Crown Prince is a massive problem for the entire Police Headquarters."
Fixing a sharp gaze on Similion, he continued, "There's one thing now—if you can pull it off, not only will you be reinstated, but you could even be promoted."
A flicker of joy appeared in Similion's eyes. "Sir, please just tell me what to do!"
"You're most familiar with Saint Antoine District. Which gangs there are the strongest?"
"The Host Gang and the Black Sheep Gang," Similion answered. "They control over eighty percent of the district's territory, with each having hundreds of subordinates."
Gizo nodded, pulling out a slip of paper and handing it over, a gleam of madness flashing in his eyes. "Go to them. Whether it's dismemberment, rape, kidnapping, or arson—whatever it takes—make sure they throw Saint Antoine District into chaos. Make the situation uncontrollable, utterly chaotic!"
"This..." Similion's pupils contracted at the shocking words, only managing to nod after a long pause. "Alright, chaos—complete chaos."
As his eyes swept across the slip in his hand, he suddenly jumped from his chair, exclaiming, "Three—three thousand Leva!!"
The slip was, in fact, a bank draft for three thousand Leva. During this era, two thousand Leva was enough to buy a villa in Paris—a sum of three thousand was enough to drive any gang mad.
"This amount is nothing." Gizo gestured for him to sit back down. "Tell those gang members that if they cause fear-inducing chaos, each incident will earn them one thousand Leva. After a month, whoever performs best can claim another twenty thousand Leva."
"Yes, sir." Similion's hands trembled slightly out of nervousness.
"Alright, go do your work." Gizo gave him a long, piercing stare and added, "And remember—if anything goes wrong, the powerful figure backing me will handle it. But remember, this entire thing is your own idea and has nothing to do with me. Got it?"
"Yes! I understand, sir!"
Standing by the window, Gizo watched Similion's hurried departure, a cold smile curling on his lips.
*He hadn't initially planned to go this far, but after Levebelle told him yesterday to act freely without concern, promising to cover any fallout, all his reservations disappeared.*
*"Crown Prince, you'd have been better off enjoying life in the Palace of Versailles rather than wading into this mess."* He muttered through clenched teeth.
...
Three days later.
Saint Anthony District Police Station.
Joseph was sitting beneath the shade of a tree, flipping through citizen complaint letters—which were essentially all praises for the police—when Security Inspector Magone suddenly rushed over, bowed, and, gasping for air, reported:
"Your Highness, something has happened again! Two were murdered, and a shoe store burned down on White Iris Street!"
Joseph immediately furrowed his brow. Since the day before yesterday, multiple heinous incidents had occurred across Saint Antoine District—two fatalities the day before, three yesterday, and two severely injured.
*He had initially assumed these were isolated incidents, but now it seemed far from true.*
"What's the situation now?"
"Alden has taken people to the site," Magone replied. "The fire is extinguished, but the suspects have yet to be apprehended."
Joseph promptly returned to his office to rally personnel and organize a response to the cases.
Toward twilight, Alden returned to report progress on the White Iris Street incident. Before he could finish, another police officer rushed in with grim news—the Black Sheep Gang had seemingly gone mad, slashing people all over Misanla Street, with seven or eight civilians already injured and urgent police assistance needed.