America 1919

With Donnie serving as an informant, the general took advantage of Nucky's absence from Atlantic City to start various counterattacks.

First, he used his previous favor with David Jabbar to have Eli Johnson release Vince, and then he pulled out the big guns.

Today, a four-man team arrived in Atlantic City.

Leading them was Diesel Mallard, an upright Federal Investigator!

"Since the general was arrested, control over Atlantic City fell into Nucky's hands. We are here to restore the glory of our predecessor and arrest this man who disrupts the order in Atlantic City and flagrantly defies the national constitution!"

Inside a boarding house, Diesel Mallard was brainwashing his subordinates.

At the moment, Diesel Mallard appeared incredibly excited. To him, investigating Nucky didn't seem like a dangerous task.

Because he had a precedent to follow!

His predecessor had risen rapidly in his career after investigating the general and successfully putting him behind bars.

Now, Diesel also saw the arrest of Nucky as a ladder to the heavens in his own career path.

"Diesel, according to our previous investigation, Nucky's control over Atlantic City has exceeded the situation during the general's era. Investigating Nucky will not be an easy task!"

Diesel stood there, confident, "Precisely because it's not easy, we need to arrest Nucky all the more. Only by doing so, Felix, you won't have to patrol the countryside; Nathan, you won't have to patrol the streets; and Porter, you won't have to worry about being fired!"

Arresting Nucky was not an easy task, and Diesel was concerned that the old hands might be corrupted by Nucky's money. That's why this time he brought in new personnel, all of whom had been unable to rise within his previous department.

"Exactly. It's because of people like Nucky that Atlantic City has become a place full of dirt and vice. Our duty is to send these people straight to prison!" Nathan, the youngest of the group at only 25, was particularly excited.

The others responded in kind.

"Very good!" Diesel looked at the three men with satisfaction. "Now, our first step is to investigate Nucky's movements. According to my intelligence, Nucky will return to Atlantic City tomorrow. We need to stay at the Ritz Hotel and gather all information about Nucky's activities in Atlantic City."

"Yes!"

.

Donnie was unaware of Diesel Mallard and his team's arrival, yet he was still in good spirits.

"The general once became the king of Atlantic City—never underestimate his influence. I was too eager for quick success before. Now that I think about it, merely knowing that Nucky had left Atlantic City would have been enough for the general to take action!"

Donnie sat in the Block Tavern, discussing recent events with Robert.

It was now afternoon, and there weren't many customers in the hall downstairs.

"In that case, should we temporarily abandon the investigation into the general and concentrate on the plan to take over The Fuli Tavern?"

"Yes, the liquor supply at The Fuli Tavern is no longer a concern. What's most important now is to find out who those gamblers at The Fuli Tavern are."

The Fuli Tavern did business in three areas: liquor, gambling, and women.

Donnie now controlled the entire liquor supply of Atlantic City, which was no longer an issue.

As for women, Donnie had some plans in place, so now what remained was to explore The Fuli Tavern's clientele.

As the best tavern in Atlantic City, the gamblers at The Fuli Tavern were all wealthy or noble. They surely weren't steelworkers from Philadelphia.

Robert nodded. "I'll have someone keep an eye on it."

As the two discussed the matter, a commotion suddenly erupted from downstairs.

Hearing the noise, Donnie frowned slightly. Taverns, brimming with male hormones, frequently witnessed brawls.

But that was compared to ordinary taverns. Now, although Donnie Block's Block Tavern wasn't one of the top establishments in Atlantic City in terms of scale and formality, Donnie Block's name deterred many, making the Block Tavern one of the safest in Atlantic City.

Even The Fuli Tavern couldn't compare in this aspect since the WCTU women would occasionally protest in front of The Fuli Tavern.

Donnie and Robert descended the stairs to see the tavern hall in chaos, with two burly white men lying on the ground, their conditions unknown.

Donnie recognized them; they were steelworkers from Philadelphia, not known for their martial arts but famous for their brute strength.

Then, in the middle of the crowd, sat a man about 1.8 meters tall, slender but well-proportioned and with a babyface, holding a beer in his hand.

John and the others had already surrounded him.

The man didn't seem to care at all about the situation.

Upon seeing the man, Donnie Block's face immediately broke into a smile, then quickly returned to composure. He hastened his steps, approaching the man.

"No one dares to cause trouble in Block Tavern!"

"I just taught a lesson to two men who didn't know any better."

"But you still made trouble in my tavern!"

"It's done now, but how about I work for you to make up for the damages to your tavern?"

"Then there's no problem!"

John watched Donnie's conversation with the man and understood that Donnie definitely knew him.

Sure enough, at that moment the man stood up and hugged Donnie tightly, laughing, "I can't believe it's only been a few months since we parted, and you've already become a big shot in Atlantic City!"

"I didn't expect you to get here so quickly either!"

Donnie then pulled the man over to introduce him to John and the others, "This is my best brother from the time in the military, Bruce Currie. He once saved my life on the battlefield!"

"If it wasn't for you dragging me out of a pile of corpses back then, I wouldn't have had the chance to save your life!"

Bruce said, laughing.

"After I received your letter, I came straight here. From now on, I'm following you, but I demand good liquor and beautiful women, otherwise, I might just run off!"

At this point, Robert also reacted, looking at Bruce somewhat surprised, "Are you Bruce Currie, the one they call 'the Scythe'?"

"Back on the farm, I sure did use a scythe to do the farm work!"

Bruce said with a smile.

"Chris, bring out the good liquor!"

Excited, Donnie pulled Bruce to sit down at a table in the tavern, while John and Garrett tossed the two men, still unconscious, out of the tavern.

"Who is this guy? You seem to think he's famous?"

John found Robert and asked.

Robert said excitedly, "Bruce Currie, one of the most terrifying presences on the battlefield. The most exaggerated story is that this guy sneaked into a German platoon all alone, without support or logistic backup, and he hunkered down near the enemy camp for 36 hours. Ultimately, he sniped their leader with a single shot. I'm not his match when it comes to handling guns!

"Since then, Bruce Currie has gotten a nickname in the army called 'the Scythe', a reaper of lives!"

John whistled in disbelief after hearing about Bruce Currie's past, but then questioned, "That's odd, though, for someone so formidable, why haven't I seen any publicity about him in the newspapers? And why has he been discharged, too?"

Robert said derisively, "Donnie was also incredibly formidable on the battlefield, but the newspapers haven't reported about him either, and he's been discharged as well, hasn't he?"

Thinking about Donnie's experiences, John immediately grasped the implication.

"I remember how you were all eager to join the army back then, and looking at your situation now, it's really quite ironic!"

John started ribbing Robert.

With a darkened face, Robert stopped talking to John.

"Now that you're here, don't leave. Just stay in the room I used to occupy!"

At that time, Donnie was chatting with Bruce.

He had previously agreed with Robert to write letters to his army buddies, inviting them to Atlantic City to help him out. Now that Bruce had arrived, naturally, Donnie was very happy.

"Haha, I came here to join you, so whatever arrangements you make, I'll follow!"
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Bruce said indifferently, "By the way, for you to write me a letter, it means your enemies in Atlantic City must be nothing simple. Give me the list, and I'll take them all out tonight!"

Donnie immediately waved his hands and said, "I do have enemies in Atlantic City, but this is no longer like our old battlefield. There are rules for survival here, and killing a person isn't the best solution to the problem!"

Bruce said helplessly, "Why does everyone tell me the same thing? If the people are dead, doesn't that solve everything? If there are others seeking revenge, then just finish them off too, and it's all settled!"

Donnie laughed and said, "If it was that easy, why would you still be working on your family's farm? With your skills, you should have much more money than me by now!"

Bruce fell silent.

At that moment, Chris came over with the tavern's phone, calling out loudly for Donnie.

"Telephone!"

Donnie stood up to answer the call, and from the other end came Lucy's voice, "Nucky called, he'll be arriving in Atlantic City in the morning!"