America 1919

"Godfather, Mobley had intervened and demanded that I release Robert!"

The next morning, Vince hurriedly found the Brigadier and told him that Mobley had just approached him.

The Brigadier, enjoying a massage and bare-chested, sat up, his face showing a hint of gravity.

"When did Donnie start having dealings with the 3K Klan?"

Vince shook his head; deep down, he looked down on Donnie—a discharged US soldier, what could he possibly do?

Even though Donnie had achieved success with Prohibition, that alone was not enough to impress Vince. The reason was simple: in Vince's view, it was just a streak of dumb luck.

But now, with Mobley, the leader of the 3K Klan in Atlantic City, stepping in personally, his perception of Donnie changed somewhat.

"I don't know. Mobley was very insistent when he came to my office today!"

"Donnie isn't planning to be on the same boat with us anymore!" The Brigadier's expression grew serious, "I'll make the call to Mobley."

The Brigadier knew that relying solely on Vince, he wouldn't be able to handle Mobley.

After dialing Mobley's number, the Brigadier's voice was very cheerful.

"Mobley, what's the meaning of this, sticking up for that kid Donnie? I haven't heard of any deal between you two!"

"Good day, Mr. Brigadier!" Upon receiving the call, Mobley was still very respectful, "I am very good friends with Donnie, and this time I hope Mr. Brigadier can do me the honor and let Robert go. As far as I know, he is a very nice young man!"

Despite his respect for the Brigadier, Mobley expressed his stance very firmly.

"So that's how it is!" After listening, the Brigadier pondered for a moment and then chuckled, "I remember back in the day when your business was in trouble, it was I who helped you through that difficult time!"

This response plunged Mobley into silence.

"Is there really no room for negotiation on this matter?" Mobley asked after some thought.

"I'm bound to respect you, Mobley. How about this, have Donnie call me and arrange a meeting, how does that sound?"

The Brigadier replied.

"I understand." Realizing that further words were futile, Mobley ended the call.

Then Mobley called the Block Tavern.

"I'm terribly sorry, but I couldn't rescue Robert!"

"What?" Donnie sounded very surprised on the phone, "Just an insignificant person, and the Brigadier won't even do you this courtesy?"

Mobley's slightly heavy breathing came through the phone, "It's not about not giving me face; I just didn't expect the conflict between you two to be so deep!"

"Heh!" Donnie scoffed derisively, "Well then, if there's nothing you can do, Mobley, that's that!"

"Of course!" Donnie added, "Our business will continue as usual!"

Mobley simply grunted in acknowledgment, informed Donnie that the Brigadier wanted to see him, and hung up!

"Mobley really couldn't get Robert out?"

John had been by Donnie's side the entire time and couldn't help but worry after Donnie hung up the phone.

"Isn't this exactly as we expected?"

Donnie picked up a beer from the table, appearing unconcerned.

Even though Donnie had said the day before that Mobley's call alone wouldn't be enough to save Robert, now that it had actually happened, John was still worried.

"You don't have to worry, the important thing is that Mobley made the call, not whether or not Robert can be released!"

Seeing this, Donnie comforted John.

John could only nod in feigned calmness.

At that moment, with the Block Tavern not yet open for business, a man walked into the tavern. Chris was just about to greet him.

But the man spoke first.

"Donnie, Nucky wants to meet you!"

The man was Nucky's backup driver, Joe!

"Is that so? Then let's go see him right now!"

In fact, Donnie was already waiting for someone from Nucky to come over.

.

"Godfather, now that Donnie has turned to Mobley, it's clear he wants to turn down our partnership. What should we do if he goes to Nucky at this time?"

Vince sat in the Brigadier General's study, waiting for the Brigadier General to put down the phone and then asked,

Donnie's bootleg liquor is now a strategic commodity they urgently need; they thought that by capturing Robert, they could force Donnie to comply. However, they did not anticipate that Donnie would actually get in touch with Mobley.

The Brigadier General's eyes were half-closed, clearly deep in thought, then he said, "I understand Nucky, and initially, I did not understand Donnie, but now I understand him too."

Vince did not understand what the Brigadier General meant.

The Brigadier General did not wait for Vince's response, but continued, "At this time, Nucky must already know our situation, so for him, he definitely needs Donnie's bootleg liquor. If Donnie goes to Nucky now, Nucky will surely take this chance to demand a lion's share, and at that time, he will make Donnie sell his whiskey to him at a low price.

As for Donnie, the mistake we made in capturing Robert is evidently a misjudgment of Donnie's character; he is a tough person who does not like to be threatened, and Nucky, on the other hand, will surely threaten him.

By then, I think it's certain that the two will not come to an agreement."

It was only then that Vince nodded in realization, but then he immediately asked, "What do we do now? If Nucky steps in, on my side..."

Although he did not finish his sentence, Vince's attitude was clear – if Nucky intervened and got the public security to release the person, Vince would not have any means at all!

Yet at this moment, the Brigadier General just smiled contemptuously and said, "Do you know what Nucky cares about the most?"

Vince shook his head, "What does he care about the most?"

The Brigadier General answered, "Votes, Atlantic City's votes. This year is the election year. Besides that fool Wilson, no one believes he will be re-elected, and Nucky especially needs to support his own choice to ascend to the thrones of Governor, State Senator, and Mayor. As long as we are certain of this point, then Nucky will definitely comply!"

"...."

Vince still did not understand the Brigadier General's meaning; not only Nucky but the Brigadier General himself also valued this year's election. It was only during election time that they could position their own people in high places and truly snatch Atlantic City from Nucky's hands.

Therefore, the people they endorsed could not possibly be the same individual, meaning they naturally stood in opposition to each other.

No matter how you looked at it, Nucky would not compromise over this matter.

The Brigadier General did not resolve Vince's confusion but instead made a phone call to a Republican's house; the person on the other end was one of the frontrunners for Atlantic City's mayoral race this year and was also the Brigadier General's man!

.

"So you're hoping I won't help Donnie?"

Before sending Joe to find Donnie, Nucky received a phone call. The caller made a request for Nucky not to help Donnie.

"Henry, I don't understand why you would do this, but Donnie is my friend, he truly needs my help. You were once my friend, but not anymore, so why should I help you?" Nucky retorted.

"Although you don't think of me as your friend, I have always considered you a friend!" Henry replied on the phone with a light tone: "No one can say for sure about future matters. Although I am not in as strong a position as Baharach right now, are you really confident that this matter is foolproof?"

"I trust in my control over Atlantic City!" Nucky professed.

"If things were really as Nucky said, then LeBron wouldn't have been injured, and your bootleg liquor from Europe wouldn't have been detained by the Coast Guard!" Henry countered.

"You know that what I dislike the most is being threatened!"

"My friend, I am not threatening you; I am merely stating a fact. Agree to my request, and no matter what the future holds, we'll still be friends!" Henry appealed.

After hanging up, Nucky's face showed anger. Although Henry's words on the phone sounded nice, Nucky knew that he was being threatened.

And what he disliked the most was threats!

"Get someone to rescue Robert from public security!" Nucky ordered Louis.

Louis nodded, about to leave, when Nucky's phone rang again.

As Nucky picked up the phone again, his expression turned even grimmer – the caller was LeBron James!

"Nucky, I heard you want to help the friend of my enemy Mobley, Donnie Block!" LeBron's voice, though still weak, was forceful over the phone.

"Damn it!"

Nucky cursed under his breath, covering the mouthpiece – this was when he understood why the Brigadier General had Henry call him first. The trap was set here.

While the Brigadier General's influence in Atlantic City fell short of Nucky's, he was not without influence, and it carried weight in the matter of Henry competing for Atlantic City's mayoralty.

As the most populous North District of Atlantic City had always been one of Nucky's most crucial voting districts, losing North District could lead to Nucky's defeat.

He could not accept such a result.

So, even though he detested being threatened, at this moment, for the sake of the election year progressing as he desired, Nucky could only accept this hard-to-swallow outcome.

After hanging up on LeBron James, Nucky instructed Louis, who had not yet departed,

"Don't proceed with Robert's matter, inform Joe to go to Block Tavern to summon Donnie, and also notify our people to wait for my call at the Block Tavern in Elwood Village!"

Louis nodded, saying, "Understood!"