[Chapter 29: Shorty]
As a question interrupted the lively chatter, John looked toward the voice and saw Allen leading the group down to the basement level, with Zach among them.
"Boss, you're here."
"Boss, you're late. You missed the Karate Kid's performance."
As the group recounted what had happened earlier, Allen and the others caught up on the events.
Sure enough, they all looked up at the strength meter, where the clear number "1893" still hung.
Everyone was amazed at John, and he just shrugged it off.
...
With Allen and his crew's arrival, the core members settled down. In reality, it was this core group from the Black Vipers Club that had agreed on a plan to clean up their image, which explained the earlier scene. Allen then helped introduce both sides.
Through conversation, it became clear that the decision to go legit was Adam Howells' idea. Right after graduating college last year, Adam had shared his thoughts with Allen. After more than six months of discussion, they finally reached a consensus.
Adam even suggested that, besides their gray-market businesses, they should consider investing in real estate. He believed the property market was about to boom.
Hearing Adam's suggestion, John couldn't help but admire him. Adam was definitely talented -- not just brawn, but brains too.
History, as John knew it, clearly showed that before the subprime mortgage crisis hit, the real estate market had indeed entered a rare period of explosive growth.
That's actually when the Trump company made their name. Though they were already relatively well-known real estate developers, their company nearly went bankrupt in the early 90s due to a market slump.
But it was during the explosive property boom from the late 90s into the 2000s that they really made their fortune. Seizing that moment turned Donald Trump into a real estate mogul, eventually propelling him to become President of the United States.
It was clear that investing in real estate from that point on was a sure winner, especially in major cities like New York and Los Angeles.
...
As the conversation went on, John learned that Allen and his crew had lost their drug supply line. From his perspective, that was a big reason they wanted out -- no money source, no future.
According to Allen, their supply used to come from a Mexican drug cartel led by a figure nicknamed "Shorty." But in 1993, Shorty was caught and jailed by the Mexican government, cutting off that line.
While the group tried to get by with their savings, collection of protection fees, and running nightclubs, Adam proposed a clean break from the underground world to start legitimate business.
After some consideration, they weeded out those who wanted to keep running their illegal operations and adopted Adam's plan. That's what sparked the power struggle from rival factions trying to replace Allen's group and led to the earlier confrontations.
At that point, John had a good grasp of the situation -- and realized who "Shorty" was.
...
Thanks to information accessibility in the future, there were all kinds of lists online -- billionaire rankings, power player charts, and celebrity rosters -- as well as the famous annual "Global Most Wanted List."
The FBI would release this every year, and later even Forbes started publishing similar lists.
Osama bin Laden had topped this list twice, and after his death, Shorty took the number one spot.
Back then, many people searched online for information about them. To ordinary folks, these figures seemed like legends -- living in a world far removed, sparking curiosity and fascination.
...
"Shorty" -- John couldn't remember his real name, but he was a major Mexican drug lord. His cartel controlled drug trafficking from Mexico into America, with huge shipments coming through annually.
[T/N: Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán.]
His name even appeared regularly on Forbes' billionaire list, with an estimated net worth in the billions. Of course, no one could really pin down his true wealth -- drug lords' fortunes are notoriously untrackable.
He even featured on annual global power rankings, outranking well-known political figures like Russia's President Medvedev and France's President Sarkozy.
In Mexico, Shorty commanded a powerful armed militia and had strong ties with government officials.
His crimes were countless, and from an ordinary perspective, he was like a criminal overlord -- the godfather of the underworld.
Allen said Shorty was currently imprisoned, but John knew better. Not long after, Shorty had bribed guards to escape and roamed freely for over a decade before being caught again and extradited to America.
Up until John's rebirth, no news indicated any further escapes; probably he would die in prison.
...
The conversation then turned back to John's personal combat abilities. After recounting earlier events, Allen and the others were clearly impressed.
*****
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