America 1919

On the boardwalk, Donnie was walking towards the Ritz Hotel when a car stopped in front of him.

Vince McGrady was sitting in the car, smiling at Donnie as he spoke.

"Get in, the general wants to see you!"

Donnie considered briefly before getting into Vince's car.

"Does the general need something from me?"

"You'll naturally find out when you meet the general!"

Vince drove without saying anything further to Donnie.

Donnie didn't continue asking, and soon the two arrived at the general's villa.

"Donnie, we meet again!"

The general, who had risen from the sofa, spoke to Donnie in his usual slow, gentle manner.

Donnie smiled and said, "Mr. General, you must have something for me if you are calling at this time, right?"

The general laughed heartily, "As I've told you before, being my friend always brings endless benefits. I called you over this time because I indeed have something good for you!"

Had he said that before?

Donnie flashed a smile and said, "If that's the case, I will definitely express my sincere gratitude to Mr. General."

After exchanging pleasantries, each took their seat, and the general said with a smile, "You must know about LeBron's injury, right?"

Donnie nodded. The incident had spread throughout Atlantic City, so of course, he knew.

"With LeBron injured and his distillery bombed, it will inevitably affect Nucky's stocked liquor. As far as I know, you are now the only one in Atlantic City capable of providing whiskey for everyone!"

The general said this with a beaming smile.

Seeing the general's smile, Donnie couldn't help but suspect that the incident involving LeBron James being shot by the KKK was connected to the general.

At the general's banquet before, LeBron had been present, and it looked like he wanted to play both sides. Could it be that during that time, LeBron and Nucky came to some understanding and then kicked the general to the curb?

Donnie dismissed this thought quickly. The KKK might be crazy but they weren't stupid. Nucky could tolerate the attack on LeBron, but if they were to lean towards the general, Nucky would definitely not allow it!

Though he had his suspicions, Donnie didn't ask them outright, but instead smiled and said, "Mr. General might not be aware, but I have already reached a consensus with Nucky. My whiskey will be supplied to LeBron!"

"I am aware of that!" The general said cheerfully, adding, "And I also know that you have always wanted to bypass LeBron and have your whiskey enter Atlantic City directly."

This time, Donnie didn't speak but quietly waited for the general to continue.

"Nucky must be desperate for liquor right now. If you choose to stand with us at this moment and refuse to provide any liquor to Nucky, then I can assure you that from now on, you will be the sole supplier of liquor in Atlantic City!"

The general finally shared his thoughts with Donnie.

After hearing this, Donnie's brow furrowed slightly. He hadn't expected the general to be so impatient. Donnie had planned to profit from both sides in the struggle between the general and Nucky for control of Atlantic City, but now the general was acting directly against Nucky.

The general indeed was getting old!

Donnie wasn't elated by the general's offer. Instead, he couldn't help but sigh that the general was past his prime.

If Nucky could be so easily defeated, he wouldn't have become the underground emperor of Atlantic City so quickly after the general's imprisonment, nor would he have tightened his grip on Atlantic City beyond what the general had achieved.

"Mr. General, there's something I think you should be aware of!" Donnie didn't immediately oppose the general's proposal, but instead said, "Although LeBron's distillery has been bombed, Nucky has other sources. Every week, smuggled liquor is shipped to serve Nucky. This smuggling operation is enough for Nucky to wait until LeBron rebuilds his distillery. What will you do then?"

"Ha ha!" Vince, who had been silent all this while, suddenly laughed, saying, "Donnie, you've just gotten a foothold in Atlantic City and there's still a lot you don't understand. There's something you don't know yet, just today, the Coast Guard seized smuggled liquor from the United Kingdom meant for Nucky."

The general also laughed triumphantly, "Exactly, which means that aside from you, there's now no one else who can provide Nucky with liquor!"

.

"What?"

For the first time, Nucky showed a flustered expression, his eyes blazing as he stared intently at Louis.

With a calm demeanor, Louis answered, "That's true, the liquor we shipped from the United Kingdom was detained by the Coast Guard as it was approaching Atlantic City!"

Nucky sat back in his chair, breathing heavily.

The whiskey had essentially become another form of currency in Atlantic City, where the Prohibition had no foothold and the people were accustomed to an unceasing supply of good liquor every day.

It could be said that all this was Nucky's doing.

But now, Nucky was facing a series of uncontrollable events regarding Atlantic City's liquor market. Such circumstances, if not averted, would inevitably lead to a crisis of trust among the people of Atlantic City.

Once a trust crisis arises, it would directly affect Nucky's prestige in the city.

This was a result that Nucky absolutely did not want to see.

"Call Donnie immediately, I want to see him!"

At this moment, Nucky thought of Donnie, just as the Brigadier had said, now in the entire Atlantic City, the only person who could provide everyone with alcohol was Donnie!

Louis didn't move but simply replied, "I've already called Block Tavern, but Donnie isn't there, and the folks there said he's already on his way to see us!"

If the other party was coming to find himself but he still hadn't seen Donnie yet.

Nucky quickly thought of a possibility.

"You mean Donnie is with the Brigadier now?"

Louis nodded, "Yes, I've already sent someone to ask our people who are keeping an eye on the Brigadier, and I believe we will have an answer soon!"

As soon as the words were out, Joe knocked and came in, "Boss has already checked. Vince McGrady picked up Donnie this morning and took him to the Brigadier's villa!"

This time, Nucky suddenly felt that Donnie had become an indispensable figure in Atlantic City.

Before this, Nucky only thought of Donnie as a smart man whom he could subdue, but now, in just a few months, Donnie had grown into someone both he and the Brigadier had to fight for?

Nucky did not like this at all. He could tolerate Donnie rising up, but he couldn't stand Donnie growing outside of his control.

"Boss, should we do something?"

Louis asked Nucky.

"Of course, we must do something!" Nucky tapped his desktop lightly again, clearly deep in thought.

A few minutes later, Nucky suddenly told Joe, "Take your men to Elwood Village... I'll have someone contact you about what to do when the time comes!"

Joe didn't hesitate and nodded, "Understood!"

With Joe's departure, Nucky picked up the telephone, and after dialing a number in Chicago, his tone became spirited.

.

Donnie returned to Block Tavern. Inside the Brigadier's villa, Donnie had neither agreed to the Brigadier's request nor declined it. He just said he needed some time to think about it well.

The Brigadier had no objection to this and agreed to Donnie's request with a smile.

"Where's Robert?" After returning to the tavern and not seeing Robert, Donnie asked John. When he had left the tavern earlier, Robert had still been there!

John replied nonchalantly, "Yesterday, Lisa told him a girl from a southern town had arrived next door, and Robert couldn't wait to go over there!"

"Why didn't he find her yesterday, and just went over there in the early morning, he's really in the mood!" After complaining, Donnie told Chris, who was washing glasses behind the bar, "Go call Robert."

"Alright!" Chris, who had just arrived in Atlantic City, replied happily.

Chris and Magichi had both already arrived in Atlantic City, with both being the same physique as John, large and burly without seeming too bright.

Seeing Chris's excited demeanor, Donnie immediately admonished, "Don't come back after you're done. Tell Robert I have urgent business!"

Now there were only a few people around Donnie, and the only one with whom Donnie could discuss matters was actually Robert. Regarding the Brigadier's proposition for cooperation, Donnie still wanted to consult with Robert to see what he thought.

Chris's earnest nodding left Donnie uneasy.

It wasn't long before Chris came back alone, without Robert.

Donnie, along with John and Magichi, all showed puzzled expressions and asked Chris, "Where's Robert?"

With a strange expression, Chris said, "Lisa next door said that just a moment ago, before Robert could even take off his pants, the Public Security Police came and took Robert away for disturbing public order!"

"What?"

John immediately stood up; going to a lodging apartment to meet a girl and being taken away was, to everyone in Atlantic City, a laughably absurd situation.

Donnie remained seated but his expression turned grave. In just the span of this brief moment, Donnie had figured it out—the one doing this had to be the Brigadier, showing off his muscle to Donnie.

"Either cooperate, or if today it's Robert being taken away, tomorrow it'll be you!"

This was the Brigadier threatening Donnie!

Donnie's face was somber as he watched John and the others ready to grab guns to go rescue Robert, he rebuked sharply, "What's the panic, I will handle this!"

John, not knowing what had really happened, angrily said to Donnie, "What does Public Security mean by this, on what grounds do they take Robert away?"

Donnie waved him off, offering no explanation to John. Now without anyone to consult, Donnie had to make the decisions himself.

He had indeed considered cooperating with the Brigadier before, but now the Brigadier was using such means to make him submit. It was time for things to take a different path!