America 1919

Irving hurried forward and asked, "Eli, what's going on?"

"What's going on?" Eli looked at Irving disdainfully and said directly, "Harrison Rome has organized violent resistance to the law, inciting his accomplices to shoot at the innocent civilians of Atlantic City. As the head of public security in Atlantic City, what's wrong with arresting and jailing him?"

"I..."

Irving was stunned, and so was the recently screaming Harrison Rome.

This was nothing like what they had expected.

After coming to his senses, Irving hurriedly said, "Eli, Harrison is a notable figure in the North District. If we take him away, it will surely cause panic there. Maybe we should talk to Mr. Block or Nucky first?"

Eli snorted coldly and said, "Irving, it seems you've forgotten who gave you your current status."

This comment was like a bucket of cold water poured over Irving's head, waking him up instantly. At that moment, he understood that in the eyes of these people, he was probably worth nothing, easily discarded whenever they wished!

Before Irving could react, Eli's men had already taken Harrison Rome out of the hospital room. Irving, seeing this, hurriedly followed and then noticed that several other patients who were receiving treatment in the hospital had also been taken away, including Finley, who was undergoing emergency treatment.

As Irving followed far behind while exiting the hospital, the scene before him was even more shocking.

He saw hundreds of United States Logistics security officers, armed with rifles and even machine guns, standing there maintaining order. As for the African-American brethren who should have been up in arms... well, they were indeed spectating, but no one dared to make a move!

How could they dare!

Irving was internally shocked; such a show of force, if reported, would surely cause an uproar.

And then Irving saw that, at a time when even a fight between flies would draw reporters, not a single one was present.

In the end, under the silent gaze of everyone in the North District, Harrison Rome and those who had fired the shots were all taken away.

Despite the recent silence from these North District residents, as soon as Eli and his men left, the place immediately came alive.

They began clamoring to seek justice for Harrison Rome and the others!

"Irving! Where's Irving?"

Finally, someone thought of their North District leader. These people began searching for Irving, hoping he would step forward and fight for their cause.

Irving, inside the hospital, knew by the look in the nurses' eyes that he couldn't escape.

In the end, he walked out of the hospital. Facing the excited crowd, Irving didn't dare to shirk his duty and immediately promised he would bring this matter up with Donnie and Nucky, insisting that those responsible be held accountable.

"Irving, who took away Harrison and the others, is Nucky's brother; the security was provided by Chris, the general manager of Donnie's United States Logistics. Can they really help us?"

Someone shouted loudly.

Irving looked at that person, memorizing his face, deciding to deal with these people properly once the matter was settled.

"Friends, have you forgotten what happened previously? Without Mr. Block, without Nucky, where would we be?"

"Or have you forgotten the help Mr. Block and Nucky have provided us?"

"Trust me, Mr. Block and Nucky will surely stand with us and think of our interests!"

"Right now, Mr. Block and Nucky are certainly unaware of their behavior. I called them just now. Due to some problems with their business in New York, they left Atlantic City this morning, so they don't know what's happening here!"

After speaking, Irving looked at the crowd, praying internally that someone among them would be aligned with Donnie and Nucky and convey his words to them.

Irving knew it was cowardly, but he had no choice. He was no longer the fearless youth of the past. He had his own family, wealth, and status. He could no longer afford to fail!

So, the interests of the North District... to hell with those interests, as long as my own are not compromised!

Backed by Irving's persuasion, people at least seemed to calm down publicly.

But that was just on the surface. The North District now was not the North District from a few months ago. Since then, thousands of newcomers had arrived who hadn't experienced Irving's management era and hadn't seen the governance of Donnie and Nucky over Atlantic City.

The attitude of these newcomers towards the situation was naturally different from that of the old-timers. Moreover, among them, there were certainly some with ambitions.

To replace Donnie and Nucky in Atlantic City was unthinkable for them, but to replace Irving was definitely on their minds. They also believed that by uniting their thousands, they could exert significant psychological pressure on the likes of Donnie.

Thus, these people began to conspire secretly, aiming to blow this issue out of proportion!

Indeed, a rabble is the easiest to assemble, and through their secret dealings, a new organization quickly formed in the North District. They started to attack Irving's reputation while also stirring up sentiments of racial discrimination within Atlantic City.