Chapter 334

“Mr. Lance…”

A short old woman wiped her tears under her daughter’s comfort. Seeing Lance arrive, she quickly greeted him.

Compared to the old woman’s casualness, her daughter was obviously a bit more restrained, just nodding her head and then standing behind the old woman.

Bolton came over and stood next to Lance, “The one who was robbed was old Hampton. He lives on this street. This is his wife and daughter.”

He emphasized a point, “They are all early Empire immigrants.”

Lance nodded slightly, “How is old… Mr. Hampton’s condition?”

“He was stabbed once, in the waist and abdomen. The situation doesn’t look good, but the ambulance came very quickly. He should have already started surgery by now. I hope he can hold on!”

After hearing these words, Lance walked to the old woman’s side, “None of us wanted to see this happen, but it happened, and we can only face it.”

“Don’t worry, I will pay for Mr. Hampton’s medical expenses…”

Perhaps it was this last sentence that completely broke the old woman’s defenses. The tears she had already dried up once again gushed out, “Mr. Lance… I don’t know what to say. My family and I are grateful for everything you’ve done!”

“When the old fellow comes back, I will have him work for you!”

Lance showed a smile after hearing this, and the onlookers also let smiles break through their serious expressions, letting out laughter.

“We’d better not disturb his peaceful life. You all live here. I should lend a helping hand when you run into trouble!”

The girl standing behind the old woman also took a step forward, her eyes also full of gratitude. At least her family couldn’t afford the surgery fee of several hundred or a thousand dollars!

If Lance didn’t pay, for such an emergency surgery, the hospital might not provide treatment if they didn’t see the money. It could be said that Lance had saved old Hampton’s life!

The girl had already started working, in her twenties. She actually didn’t have a very good impression of these gangs, families, and the like. It was all the Camille gang’s fault.

She was also unwilling to have contact with these people, but the guys in front of her didn’t look like the gangsters she knew. Her expression also softened a lot.

“Mr. Lance, thank you.”

The muscles on Lance’s face tensed slightly, showing a smile that was clearly different from the one just now in response to his words. He patted the old woman on the shoulder, “Relax, he’ll be fine. I’ll go see these young people who have done wrong.”

He missed the two of them and came to the very center of the crowd. Two young men were squatting in the corner of the wall, with a look of untamed arrogance on their faces.

The patrol officer in charge of this area stood on the side, looking a little nervous.

“Mr. Lance!” he took the initiative to greet him, his hands on his hips, but then he felt that this was impolite and quickly lowered them.

For this to happen in his patrol area, he was afraid that Lance would think he was not doing a good job, but Lance did not do so.

He patted the patrol officer on the upper arm, “Relax, I don’t eat people.”

A faint smile appeared on the patrol officer’s face, and then he quickly apologized, “I’m very sorry, I wasn’t able to get here in the first place…”

Lance shook his head, “You can’t predict where and who is about to harm someone. You were able to get here at the fastest speed and subdue these two people. You have already done what you should have done. I can’t blame you anymore. This is not your fault!”

As he spoke, he took out a cigarette. The patrol officer quickly took out a lighter to light it for Lance. Lance took a drag and looked at the two young men squatting in the corner of the wall.

From their tender faces, their age should not be very old, probably just graduated from high school.

There was no look of remorse on the faces of the two, and they were not even very nervous, as if this was not the first time they had done this kind of thing.

They even raised their heads to look at Lance, their eyes full of curiosity, scrutiny, and the desire to attack.

“Are you from the Empire District?”

The two looked at each other. One of them, a guy with brown, slightly curly hair, asked, “Are you a respected person here?”

Lance pursed his lips, “I should be.”

Someone from the crowd immediately shouted, “Mr. Lance is respected by all of us, kid. Watch your mouth!”

The curly-haired guy glanced at the surrounding crowd, “No, sir, we came from the Port District.”

Lance nodded slightly. The two poor districts of Golden Port, “Why rob, and also stab someone with a knife?”

The curly-haired guy said with a matter-of-fact look, “What else could it be for, no money, right?!”

The blond kid next to him couldn’t help but laugh, “That old guy had a gold pocket watch, and he wasn’t willing to give it to us.”

There were already some murmurs in the surrounding crowd. They felt that these two young men were too arrogant!

Some people were even shouting “beat them,” but they were all suppressed by Lance raising his hand.

“This isn’t the first time you’ve done this.”

The two were silent for a moment. The curly-haired guy nodded, “We do this when we have no money.”

“Do you regret what you’ve done?”

I don’t know if this sentence stung the blond, but he suddenly became impatient, “If you want to arrest us, then arrest us. Don’t f—king find someone to preach to us. Are you a priest?”

The first half of this sentence was to the patrol officer, and the second half was to Lance.

The curly-haired guy hesitated for a moment and said nothing. He might have a little bit of compromise and regret, but in front of his friends, he would not say so.

Lance looked at the patrol officer, “How do you usually handle this kind of situation?”

As they were talking, another police car suddenly arrived. Precinct Chief Bruce had come personally.

When he heard that Lance had also arrived at the scene, he felt that things were a bit difficult to handle, so he rushed over.

“You’ve come at just the right time,” he beckoned to Precinct Chief Bruce. “Usually, for a case of robbery causing injury and endangering life, how do you handle it?”

Precinct Chief Bruce already knew what had happened. He looked around, then at Lance’s expression. He knew that now was not the time to talk to Lance on the side.

He could only walk to Lance’s side and say in a low voice, “We’d arrest them, lock them up for two days, and then release them. That’s Charlie’s order.”

“If it were before, they might have been thrown in prison and locked up for a period of time, but now…”

He trailed off. Everyone wanted this city to be completely chaotic. Only in this way could it meet the demands of every interest group for subsequent benefits.

What was even more ridiculous was that the law enforcers were actually one of the parties!

Charlie’s attitude towards crime was still lenient. He would release these criminals after locking them up for a day or two.

The lower cost of crime was like a demon cheering them on from behind. Even if they were caught, they wouldn’t receive much punishment. So why not take advantage of a good opportunity to make a quick buck?

Perhaps this is the saddest part for the people at the bottom. No matter what the decisions from above are, good or bad, in the end, they are the only ones who have to bear it all.

Lance nodded slightly. He looked at the two, “You almost killed a kind old man for a few dozen dollars, maybe a hundred or two.”

The curly-haired guy was also a little annoyed, especially with so many people watching. Lance’s every sentence made him feel more resistant than a punch.

He stopped talking, and the blond had an indifferent attitude. They had been arrested many times these past few days and didn’t care at all.

Even if they were arrested now, they might be released by evening, “Hurry up, let the police take me away. I don’t f—king want to listen to you nagging!”

The murmurs in the surrounding area became louder. Many people were furious at the attitude of these two young men!

Lance took a drag on his cigarette and looked at them, “Are you willing to apologize for your actions?”

The curly-haired guy looked to the side and said nothing, while the blond smiled and gave Lance the middle finger, “F—k you!”

The surrounding crowd immediately became emotional, but Lance couldn’t help but laugh, “You don’t know what you’ve missed!”

He turned to look at Precinct Chief Bruce, “Take your men and go back. Leave this place to me.”

Precinct Chief Bruce glanced at the two young men again. Hopefully, they would be lucky!

He nodded, signaled the patrol officer to leave with him. The two directly passed through the crowd and left, while the two young men were instantly dumbfounded!

Lance took two steps back, “Do what you want to do. I’ll take responsibility if anything happens.”

Those young men had been unable to hold back for a long time. When the first person rushed out from the crowd and jumped up to give the blond a kick, the others could no longer control themselves!

At first, you could still hear the two of them begging for mercy, but soon their pleas were drowned out by the curses.

Lance leaned against the front of the car, smoking the little bit of cigarette left. Bolton had just answered a call. Now that the call was over, he quickly walked over, “Old Hampton’s condition has stabilized. The surgery was very successful.”

Lance threw the cigarette on the ground and approached the old woman and her daughter, “The hospital has already called. Old Hampton has survived. He will recover his health soon!”

The old woman’s heart, which had been in her throat, instantly fell back into place. She didn’t know how to express her gratitude to Lance. She wanted to bow, but Lance supported her with both hands, “You live on my turf. I have a responsibility to look out for your safety.”

“We should unite. Only by uniting will they be afraid of us!”

The old woman looked at Lance with tears in her eyes, “Can I give you a hug?”

Lance immediately opened his arms, “Of course.”

“Oh God!” The old woman hugged Lance tightly, “Thank you, thank you for everything you’ve done for us!”

Lance patted her on the back, “I’ll have someone take you to the hospital later. He needs you more than he needs the doctor right now!”

Only then did the old woman come to her senses. She quickly let go of him, “Yes, yes, look, I have to go and prepare a little.”

The girl looked at Lance’s handsome smile and suddenly felt a little dazzled. Her face flushed, “I…”

Looking at Lance’s open arms, she also hugged Lance, “Thank you.”

Lance had Bolton take them home and then to the hospital.

As for him, he would deal with the aftermath of these things.

It was probably only a few minutes. The angry people had vented their emotions. The two young men were already lying on the ground, life or death unknown. The blond was the most badly beaten, and blood was already seeping from his mouth and nose.

This also made some people feel a little bit of fear, but more than that, it was the satisfaction after venting their anger!

Lance gave Lawn a look, then said loudly, “I will handle this matter. No one will get into trouble just for carrying out an act of justice!”

“They were never here, and no one saw them!”

This sentence made the originally somewhat restless crowd instantly and completely quiet down.

“Gentlemen, look, these people are not scary. I hope that when you see someone being harmed in the Empire District, while ensuring your own safety, you can lend a helping hand to the best of your ability.”

“Whether it’s helping them drive away the aggressors, or going to tell our people nearby, or calling the police, these are all good practices.”

“Today, you help others.”

“Tomorrow, when you need help, someone will come to help you!”

“In this country, we are just a small part. We need to be more united than the people of the Federation, than others, so that we can have the most ordinary happiness!”

The two young men had already been thrown into the trunk. Without a doubt, there was a high probability they would go diving in Angel Lake. Perhaps they would be able to see Jason and discuss with him the experience of diving for almost a year without taking a breath.

What Lance said moved and inspired everyone. Some of the older, more extroverted people came over.

They looked a little hesitant. Lance saw some clues and took the initiative to extend his hand, which made these people’s impression of Lance even better!

They held Lance’s hand tightly, right in front of Lance’s car!

“Mr. Lance, I don’t know what to say. I’ve been living in the Federation for more than thirty years.”

“I’ve met many people, but I’ve never met anyone like you!”

“I have a premonition that here, we, will all become different from the past because of your appearance!”

“If there’s anything I can do for you, please let me know!”

Lance nodded, “I will. If I really need you, you won’t be able to hide even if you want to!”

One sentence made people laugh out loud, and this person also knew that there were more people waiting to shake hands with Lance, so he took the initiative to let go of his hand.

But he didn’t leave, just stood on the side. He believed from the bottom of his heart that Lance would become a great person.

Every great person will have a clear gap with ordinary people!

The reflection in the glass of the roadside shop window reflected all of this. This was not the scenery of the street, but a reflection of an era!

Old Hampton’s injuries soon stabilized. Lance found a good doctor. For more than $2,000, he ensured that old Hampton would not die from being stabbed.

This matter had a satisfactory ending, and in less than an hour, the entire Empire District began to spread the story of this incident.

Everyone was very angry at first, but as the “story” progressed, gradually, they felt relieved and also had a sincere admiration for Lance.

Regardless of whether the Lance Family was a gang or not, at least they had done things that even the Federation government could not do.

Not plundering and harvesting wealth, but helping them to obtain simple and ordinary happiness!

When they returned, the two young men were on the verge of death. It was unknown how many people had participated in beating them, maybe a dozen, or maybe dozens.

Even if it was just a few ordinary hits, an ordinary person couldn’t stand it, let alone the fact that some of these people had acted out of anger.

Lance directly had someone throw them into a gasoline drum. Angel Lake was their eternal resting place!

After settling this matter, Ethan came to find Lance alone. He talked about the matter Elvin had told him about.

He was obviously a little gloomy, “I don’t want to box anymore.”

“Why?” Lance asked.

Ethan rarely came to find Lance alone because he was not good at communicating. He needed Elvin to be there for the chemical reaction between him and others to work.

Hiram was also fine, but Hiram’s cheekiness would make him want to punch that horse face a few times.

Elvin said that Lance had told him to concentrate on boxing, which made Ethan a little… he didn’t know what to say. He was very unwilling now. He liked the life of everyone being together. He didn’t want to be separated from others.

Lance sat on the sofa with him, “I actually very much support your decision to box. We need more people who can speak for us in this country that doesn’t belong to us.”

“Gerald is like this, those outstanding individuals among the Empire immigrants are like this, and you are also like this, Ethan.”

“If you can become an outstanding boxer, not necessarily a champion, but if your spirit can influence many people, then you are successful!”

“You will reshape a positive image for the Empire immigrants. The more successful you, you all, are, the more the labels of thief, criminal, and homeless person on us will fade in the stereotyped impression of the people of the Federation.”

“As long as there are enough people like you, people will be able to completely accept us and let us truly integrate with this country!”

“And, you boxing doesn’t mean you have to leave us.”

“We will still live together, be together every day, and we will all go to cheer for you when you have a match.”

He patted Ethan on the arm, “Don’t waste your good talent. I was even thinking of adding another display cabinet in my office, specifically for your trophies and gold belts!”

After a long time, Ethan finally said a sentence, “Can I do it?”

“Come on!” Lance gave him a punch, “You’re as strong as an ox, and you’re actually doubting if you can do it?”

“Compared to this, you should be more worried about whether you will beat your opponent to death!”

Ethan’s mood visibly improved. He scratched his head, “If I kill my opponent in the ring, will I be found guilty?”

Lance laughed heartily, “Except for God, no one can find my brother guilty!”

He gave Ethan a push, “Brother!”

Ethan also chuckled, “Yes, brother, no one!”

This matter was settled. Lance had Morris inquire about it.

In this era, boxing was a hot sport. Champions and high prize money stimulated every practitioner.

Morris only took half a day to find a suitable coach. He himself had been a boxer and had even won some kind of championship.

Now he had become a coach, leading several boxers, who had all had good performances this year!

You can support the translator and get advanced chapter by join his patreon at https://www.patreon.com/c/caleredhair