The ceiling had indeed been tampered with, making it easy to pry open.
Inside a hidden compartment was a safe.
Above the light bulb, there was a simple mechanism set up with ropes and gears on the ceiling. When the light bulb was turned, the gear was also activated, pulling the rope.
The rope was securing the tampered ceiling. Once the rope was pulled, the ceiling would naturally come down.
Continuing to turn the light bulb would also block the safe, pushing it down from the missing part of the ceiling.
It was a crude design but undoubtedly practical. Unless it was violently dismantled or scanned with high-tech gadgets like Batman, it would not be easy to find.
Naturally, the key to this safe had been destroyed along with the room key and its owner by Black Gold.
However, Hardy had a way.
For a ninja, the real security measure was sealing techniques. For locks like this, there were multiple methods to crack them.
Hardy took out a sharpened paper clip, connected it with chakra threads, inserted it into the safe, moved it up and down a few times, then twisted it, making it look like a key before reinserting it.
With a click, the safe opened, revealing crisp green banknotes and a refreshing scent of ink.
A smile appeared on Hardy's face.
Although there were no gold bars this time, the amount of money was significantly more than what they had encountered with the previous boss.
To become wealthy, it wasn't just about earning and saving money; it also required exploiting others.
Chidi Cole, as well as the previous nightclub boss they had encountered, were just heads of small gangs, yet they easily possessed such a large sum of money.
"Boss! There are a total of four hundred and ten thousand dollars in here!"
After the accountant finished counting, he excitedly reported to Hardy.
"Take out two hundred thousand, distribute it among the brothers, take out another hundred thousand, buy some guns or something, the rest is mine, and also..."
"From now on, the Cole Gang will no longer be called the Cole Gang, it will be called the Hogg Union."
Receiving their reward, the punks naturally rejoiced, cheering happily.
Having just recruited this group of subordinates, it was necessary to give them some benefits. Combined with the methods they had shown earlier, using both rewards and punishments, they could better get these people to work.
Feeling that he had already established a closer relationship with the new boss, after helping distribute the money, the accountant Dula approached Hardy to start a conversation.
"Hogg Union? Boss Water, that doesn't sound very imposing, does it?"
"Those gangs with names like that, even a fool would know they are gangs. By calling it the Hogg Union, it sounds more like a legitimate organization, less likely to attract the attention of those bat-like creatures. Later on, we can come up with something like a football club, then we will be a legitimate organization in the eyes of the public, a community association."
Hardy explained to Dula.
Most of the punks were uneducated under the influence of a rough upbringing, except for Dula, who had attended college.
The quality of American church universities varied, with the good ones being top-notch globally, but most were regional, serving specific communities or groups, not particularly high in quality.
The Gotham Gladia Church University where Dula studied was not comparable to top-tier institutions like Gotham University or Central City University, but it was a legitimate university.
Dula was one of the few educated individuals under Hardy's command, possessing certain management skills, making him worth Hardy's attention.
"I see. In the future, we can use financial forms like community money meetings as an excuse to collect protection fees. It will be less likely to be caught by outsiders.
But boss, I think I need to remind you that this is Gotham's slums. The rules from the wealthy areas don't apply here. The rules here are about who has more guns, more people, who can fight better, who can occupy more territory, take more money. In the future, the gang's expansion will still rely on using fists to speak. Of course, I believe that here, no one's fists can be harder than yours."
Dula pushed his glasses up and said.
Hardy nodded in satisfaction.
This guy was on the right track.
...
...
Naruto World.
It had been a day since the last S-rank mission incident.
After stabilizing Ishitsu's injuries with medical ninjutsu, they escorted him back to the Hidden Sand Village for better treatment.
The Third Kazekage returned to the front lines.
Now, Hagoromo Senju...
Injury is the best time to counterattack against Konoha, and it requires him to oversee the overall situation.
Hiruzen specifically gave Team Six a few days off to let everyone rest.
However, Shizuku still planned to go to the puppet army base as usual to observe the puppet training.
When Shizuku arrived at the base, he found that Sasori had already assembled puppets on the workbench.
"Sasori, what are you doing..."
"I was here all night last night."
Sasori pointed to the repaired Sansho fish next to him and glanced at Shizuku.
"Your two puppets are very good. After I finish assembling Kuroari, we can have another match."
"Kuroari..."
Shizuku looked at the puppet Sasori was assembling.
Although it was not yet fully assembled, the general shape had already emerged.
Obviously, this was an upgraded version of Shiroari, but with a larger size and different materials.
"Do you have something on your mind?"
Shizuku felt that Sasori's current state was somewhat abnormal.
Thinking back to how Sasori had turned his childhood companions into puppets and later assassinated the Third Kazekage, turning him into a puppet as well, Shizuku was a bit worried that Sasori might also want to turn him into a puppet.
After all, they were teammates, and Shizuku had even defeated Sasori in a selection match.
It would be best to try to correct his situation while Sasori was still young.
Sasori paused his movements but then quickly resumed assembling the parts, while speaking, "And you, you seem to admire the Third Kazekage a lot?"
"Perhaps, at least in the Hidden Sand Village, at present, we are all subordinates of the Third Kazekage. What about you? Are you dissatisfied with him?"
Sasori pursed his lips, stopped his hands, and stared at Shizuku with bright eyes.
"He didn't lead us to victory against Konoha and many people died."
Is that the reason you will assassinate the Third Kazekage in a few years?
Indeed, this child, like Itachi Uchiha, was not taught from a young age and his mind has gone astray.