20 The Wolf's Stare at Its Prey

In a quiet alley of the neighborhood, Max, Patrick, and Philip were frustrated that Lorenzo had managed to outdo them.

"Man, that guy just got lucky," Patrick muttered, watching his friends brood over their defeat to Lorenzo.

Philip shook his head, disagreeing. "No, he's actually pretty skilled. Plus, there's something off about Lorenzo—he's seriously hurt, yet he's still so strong..."

Max remained silent, listening to his friends debate Lorenzo's abilities. He didn't want to agree, but he knew Philip was right. Lorenzo did seem unusually seasoned in street fights, and there was definitely something peculiar about him.

"Anyway, Max, what did that jerk whisper to you back there?" Patrick couldn't help but ask, recalling how Lorenzo had leaned in to whisper something to Max when he was down.

Max's expression darkened. "That guy knows about our operations..."

At this revelation, neither Patrick nor Philip seemed truly shocked. "So what?" Philip responded. "It's no surprise that some folks around here know about our business. After all, plenty of the locals are our customers, right?"

The locals buying from them were purchasing smuggled goods due to rationing; out of necessity, they turned to the black market.

Patrick nodded but then questioned, "But Lorenzo isn't one of our customers, is he?"

Max shook his head and replied, "That's not what bothers me. I don't mind if Lorenzo knows about our operations. What worries me is that he wants to meet and talk business—it seems he's interested in getting involved..."

Patrick scoffed, "Who does he think he is? Just because he got the better of us once—"

Before Patrick could continue, an officer entered the alley, drawing their attention.

"There's Fartface," Philip whispered under his breath.

Fartface was Officer Whitey, a cop with dubious ties to Max and his crew.

"What's going on? Why has business been so slow lately? What are you guys up to?" Officer Whitey eyed Max and his friends, noticing their injuries. "Are those bruises?" he inquired.

"Shut up," Max retorted boldly, unafraid of Officer Whitey, especially since the officer was compromised; they still had compromising photos of Officer Whitey with Peggy, which they used for leverage.

"Did you guys get into another street fight?" Officer Whitey asked.

"Don't ask too many questions," Patrick said sharply.

Officer Whitey remained silent, seething internally.

Then, an idea struck Patrick, and he leaned over to whisper to Max.

As Max listened, his expression turned contemplative. Patrick proposed using Officer Whitey to intimidate Lorenzo, which seemed like a feasible plan to Max. After all, young men on the streets generally had a healthy fear of the police...

---

In his apartment, Lorenzo was reviewing the system interface. He had successfully taught Max and his friends a lesson, a task now marked as complete. However, to fully earn the 10 XP reward, he needed to persuade them to enlist in the military.

Another task on his screen was to uncover the illegal activities of Max and his group. Given the current circumstances of World War II, with widespread shortages and rationing, Lorenzo suspected that Max and his friends might be involved in the black market, likely smuggling and selling rationed items like gasoline and rubber—commodities in high demand.

One example of the black market involved the store that Lorenzo visited, discreetly operated under the guise of the Corleone family's "Genco Pura Olive Oil Company". This store was secretly smuggling and selling rationed goods.

In the neighborhood, establishments like the Gelly family's deli likely purchased these smuggled items—it came as no surprise to Lorenzo. Having been involved in the criminal underworld in a past life, though things were quite different due to the timeline, he was no stranger to such dealings.

Many locals probably bought smuggled essentials like sugar due to government-imposed rationing...

Drifting away from these thoughts, Lorenzo fell asleep and before he knew it, morning had arrived.

He left his apartment and the tenement behind, jogging to the train station. He boarded a train, headed to the factory, and after a long workday, he jogged back to the station, caught a train home, and returned to his tenement.

After an exhausting day, Lorenzo collected his rewards from the [Daily Task], refreshed himself, changed clothes, and stepped out of his apartment reinvigorated.

Lorenzo had another system task involving dancing with Deborah, but he was also planning a meeting with Max and his friends. His goal was to join their illegal operations, gather funds, and then head off to war.

Additionally, Lorenzo needed to find a way to compel Max and his friends to join him in the war. He didn't want them around Deborah when he left for battle, and was determined to drag them along with him.

As Lorenzo roamed the neighborhood looking for Max and his crew, he didn't have to search long. As he walked down the street, he saw Max and his friends approaching, accompanied by a police officer. A flash of understanding crossed Lorenzo's face. He quickly diverted to a nearby alley where they wouldn't be seen, confident that Max, his friends, and the officer would follow—and they did.

In the alley, Lorenzo confronted Max and his friends with the officer present.

Then Lorenzo heard the officer speak, "Is this the young man?"

Max smiled as he said to the officer, "He is, Officer Whitey. This kid, Lorenzo, called his friends to beat us up."

Officer Whitey nodded, gripping his nightstick as he looked at Lorenzo. "What do you have to say for yourself, Lorenzo? Anything to respond to their accusations?"

Lorenzo remained silent, his smile unfazed.

"Why are you smiling?" Patrick couldn't help but ask, eyeing Lorenzo suspiciously.

Max also frowned as he regarded the smiling Lorenzo.

"This is serious, young man. Don't underestimate me," Officer Whitey warned, brandishing his nightstick.

Lorenzo simply smiled and said, "Good show... Really entertaining." He said this because he suspected that Max might have prearranged this confrontation with the officer.

"What do you mean, 'entertaining'?" Max asked, his expression turning grave.

Lorenzo chuckled and approached the officer confidently, patting him on the shoulder. "No need for theatrics on my account. I know you're in league with Max."

Officer Whitey's face betrayed his discomfort, prompting another laugh from Lorenzo. "Really, you don't have to pretend."

Max, puzzled, asked, "How did you figure that out?"

Lorenzo smiled. "It's quite obvious, isn't it? Why else would a group of kids involved in illegal activities willingly associate with a police officer?" He locked eyes with Officer Whitey, his tone sharpening. "Unless, of course, the officer is corrupt, like the one standing before me..."

Officer Whitey, infuriated by the accusation, snapped, "What did you just say?" In a flash of anger, he swung his nightstick at Lorenzo.

Lorenzo dodged the strike with a grin, chiding the officer playfully, "Now, now. No need to resort to violence... It's hardly becoming of a police officer, after all..."

Officer Whitey's face was livid with anger, convinced that Lorenzo had only narrowly escaped his first strike. He swung his nightstick again, growling, "Brat, you need to learn some respect for the law."

Lorenzo shook his head, dodging the blow effortlessly once more. "Such a quick temper," he sighed, disappointed.

As he continued to evade Officer Whitey's attacks, Lorenzo taunted him, "What's the matter, officer? You've gotten slow—too much sitting around and eating, huh?"

Gasping for breath and failing to land a hit, Officer Whitey's face was streaked with sweat. It was uncommon for him to exert himself so much.

"You're fast, kid. I'll give you that," Officer Whitey admitted. He then turned to Max, "Max, I'm sorry, but I can't handle this kid. You deal with him yourself."

Max, wearing a dark expression, replied, "Forget it. Let's go."

Officer Whitey shook his head, looking back at the still-smiling Lorenzo. Frustration washed over him as he felt powerless to teach Lorenzo a lesson.

"Wait," Lorenzo suddenly called out just as Max and the others were about to walk away.

Max and the others paused.

Despite trying to hide it, Max felt a surge of fear as Lorenzo stopped them. The memory of Lorenzo's earlier beating was fresh, and the failed attempt to intimidate him with a police officer left Max wary.

"What?" Max asked, his voice tense and his brow furrowed.

Lorenzo approached with a confident smile. "Are you forgetting something?" he asked Max.

"What is it?" Max replied, though he had a sinking feeling about what Lorenzo was referring to.

"Come on," Lorenzo said, tapping Max on the cheek playfully. "Aren't you forgetting? I wanted to meet with you because I'm interested in your little operation."

At this, Max and his friends fell silent, and even Officer Whitey watched the exchange with a newfound seriousness.

Max attempted to deflect with a denial. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said, meeting Lorenzo's gaze.

Lorenzo laughed playfully, replying, "Come on, I'm a good person. You can trust me."

The claim of being a "good person" nearly caused Max and his friends to scoff in disbelief. In their eyes, Lorenzo was nothing short of a smiling demon—essentially a wolf in sheep's clothing.

To them, Lorenzo was a master of deception; he might play the saint in front of Deborah, but among them, he was nothing but a devil masquerading as an angel.

And now, this very devil was showing an unsettling interest in their illicit business.

Officer Whitey was deeply concerned, as he too was entangled in business dealings with Max and his friends. Lorenzo's attempt to join their operations meant another person would share in the profits, something Officer Whitey wanted to avoid.

So, he said to Lorenzo, "Kid, I may not have been able to hit you earlier, but remember, I'm still an officer. You're talking about getting involved in illegal activities right in front of me. You realize that's a crime, right?"

Lorenzo's expression turned icy as he faced the officer. "Shut up," he snapped.

"You shut up— You think I'm afraid of you just because you dodged—" Officer Whitey's retort was cut short when he suddenly felt the cold press of a rusty knife against his neck.

Fear choked him as he met Lorenzo's frosty gaze. Lorenzo had moved so swiftly that Officer Whitey hadn't even noticed until the knife was upon him, a fact that terrified the officer.

"Is this kid really just a kid?" Officer Whitey couldn't help but think, thoroughly unnerved by Lorenzo's menacing demeanor.

Meanwhile, Max and his friends felt a palpable sense of danger as Lorenzo surveyed them with a menacing gaze. It was like a wolf eyeing its prey, and they, along with Officer Whitey, knew they were the prey.