Thankfully, there were no incidents during the night, and just as promised, Karen paid on time. She didn’t even question what had happened or ask for details, other than sending a short message to Max saying she hoped they would be there again tomorrow. That alone told Max enough. The results spoke for themselves, and Karen was smart enough to know when not to dig too deeply.
In many ways, it was the easiest money Max had made in a long time. Even with the discounted rate he had offered, it was still a clean income stream, and on top of that, he was continuing to gain money through the other avenues of his business. Everything was flowing in steadily now, slowly stacking up.
He was far more successful than he ever had been as the leader of the White Tiger Gang, but Max knew that wasn’t just because he was better now. A lot of it had to do with where he had started from. It wasn’t as if every gangster in the world was handed a billion dollars and told to do whatever they wanted with it. Opportunities like that didn’t exist for most people, and Max was well aware of how rare his situation was.
As he prepared for the next day, Max placed his mask over his face, tightening it properly as his thoughts drifted. Although the extra money was nice, more than he ever would have dreamed of at one point in his life, it was still only a small dent in the grand scheme of things. Especially when compared to Karen’s total funds. Even with the losses she had taken, the cost of repairing damage, paying for security, and trying to win back customers, Max didn’t believe it was enough to truly hurt her in a meaningful way.
’She must have taken a big hit,’ Max thought, ’but not a fatal one. Not yet.’
If there was a way to get her to burn through all of her money, or a way for him to obtain it for himself, that would be different. That would change everything. But that kind of move required planning, patience, and the right timing. Rushing something like that would only backfire.
’It’s hard,’ Max admitted to himself. ’I’ll have to think about it more. And before that, we need to see what the Gilt Rats are planning to do next.’
Eventually, Max and the other four headed back to the mall. They took up the same positions as before, since everything had worked out well the previous day. However, there was a noticeable difference in how they were treated this time.
For Wolf, the change was immediate. Every shop he walked past, the workers made sure to greet him properly. Some even bowed their heads slightly. A few of the store managers came out personally to hand him small gifts, things like drinks or snacks, thanking him quietly for what he had done.
There were no more issues with employees causing trouble. That much was clear. Wolf quickly realized that his presence alone was enough now. Because of that, he figured his time would be better spent elsewhere, so he decided to head outside, planning to assist Joe if needed.
For Stephen, things weren’t as smooth. There were still people attempting to steal from the shops, small-time thieves testing their luck. Stephen was constantly on the move, and one incident had him running from one side of the shopping mall to the other at nearly full sprint.
He was exhausted.
Still, he couldn’t help but think that at least it was good stamina training. If nothing else, it was pushing his limits in a different way.
As for Max, his treatment at the warehouse was almost ridiculous. The moment the workers saw him arrive, they greeted him with cheers. Some of them had brought him snacks, drinks, and even alcohol, setting them aside as if he were some kind of guest of honor.
A few of them asked if they could take photos with him, wanting to post them on their social media accounts.
"Hey, my family doesn’t believe it," one of the warehouse workers said excitedly. "They don’t believe that we were saved by a wrestler guard."
"I tried to tell them," another added, "but they all thought I was crazy. We need to take a selfie this time, man."
"And next time, if they come to attack again," someone else said, "we won’t just stand there in fear."
"You mean you’re going to join the fight?" Max asked, raising an eyebrow. "I don’t think that’s a good idea."
"No, no," another worker replied quickly. "I meant we’ll pull out our phones and record it this time. That way, everyone will believe us when we tell them."
The others laughed, while Max could only shake his head. There really was an obsession with needing to record everything these days and post it online. Still, he couldn’t criticize it too much. A large part of their merchandise sales relied on social media presence.
’If this mask thing goes viral,’ Max thought, ’maybe we should start selling wrestling masks in the store as well. It’s a shame I can’t wear the Billion Bloodline uniform right now.’
Today, the workers seemed to be in much higher spirits. Max even noticed that there were more of them than before. Some had heard about the legendary wrestler guarding the warehouse and felt safer returning to work. Fear had kept them away, but confidence was bringing them back.
Once again, though, just as Wolf had predicted, the cars arrived.
Two vehicles pulled up at the back of the warehouse, engines rumbling loudly. At the same time, another group of men appeared at the front, walking in openly without trying to hide themselves.
The Gilt Rats had decided to split their focus.
They were going to cause trouble in two places at once. One group would make a scene at the front of the store, while the other hit the warehouse directly.
And this time, things were different.
These weren’t hired goons.
These were actual members of the Gilt Rats.
As they appeared, the warehouse workers didn’t panic.
Instead, they smiled.
Almost immediately, phones were pulled out, screens lighting up as cameras began recording.
Max cracked his neck slightly beneath the mask.
’So this is how you want to play it,’ he thought.