Ken looked at the direction where the voice came from, he saw the teenage girl looking at the youths outside with contempt.
"Do you know those youths?" Ken asked the girl, curious about the origin of those youth.
"Everyone in the town knows about them, they're the local gang in here."
Ken looked thoughtfuly at the youths outside. 'Hmm, considering there appearance with tattoos, piercing and colored hair, they do really look like gangsters but aren't they too young?' Ken turned his head to the girl and asked.
"Don't their parents discipline them? they're too young to be part of a gang."
"It's no use, this kids are out of school youth and doesn't listen to anyone even if you brought them to juvenile prison, besides they would go back to being gangster after they got out."
Ken pondered about what the girl said. 'Yes, if even their parents and juvenile prison is no longer effective then I don't know what will.' He then looked at the girl and asked what he think is the most important question.
"More importantly, who would thought of that kind of name for a gang!!" Ken asked, wondering if the gang founder was too lazy to think of an appropriate name. 'If I was the leader of the gang I would have thought of a more intimidating name like 'Blood dripping gang' 'Buffalino crime family' or something more intimidating, and not some African rodent.' Ken added inwardly.
The girl also had a strange look on her face when he asked the question but didn't gave an answer.
Ken was about to step in when he was interrupted by another shout.
"Oy! what the hell do you think you're doing!"
Ken looked at where the shout came from. He saw a tall and burly young man, wearing a sando with camouflage print and military cargo pants. He strode in the direction of the the youths like a general who has been bath in blood.
When the youths saw the person who shouted, fear flickerd in their eyes, the one holding the shop owner hurriedly let go while taking a step back, seemingly afraid of the new comer. When the man was only five meters from them, someone step out who looks like the leader of the pack and said.
"What is it Lucas?" the person who step out had a face of a badger tattooed at his arm, with sallow face, sunken cheek and reddened eyes.
'Well, this kid looks like a drug addict.' Ken thought inwardly upon seeing his face.
Lucas looked at the leader and said. "Didn't I warn you not to bother the towns people, Derek."
"Of course you did, but clearly I'm not bothering anyone, did I bother you?" Derek asked the shop owner who hurriedly shook his head with fear in his eyes, "see? I'm not bothering anyone, I'm just doing my job." Derek looked at lucas with a provocative look and licked his lips.
"What job? by job you mean extorting people?" Lucas stared fiercely at Derek. 'If not for your father I would have beaten you black and blue.' He added inwardly.
"What do you mean? every one knows that he had sign the contract stating that he is required to pay protection fees every month in exchange of us protecting them from the other gangs." Derek said with confidence radiating in his voice.
Lucas was further angered upon hearing that. "And everyone know that you force them to sign that contract!"
"Did I force you to sign the contract?" Derek looked at the shop owner and asked.
"No! no, you didn't force me to sign the contract." The shop owner hurriedly denied.
Ken frowned upon seeing the shop owner acknowledging dereck's word. 'That guy is already helping you, why do you keep agreeing with that crack pots word.' Ken muse inwardly.
"See, he said it already, I didn't force anyone." Derek smiled at Lucas, feeling superior upon seeing the inevitable defeat his opposition.
Lucas twitched his nose and narrowed his eyes, he said slowly. "You better get the hell out of my face or you will definitely get it."
Dereck's smile suddenly froze, he looked at Lucas and forced a smile. "So, you're resorting with violence since you couldn't win the argument?"
Ken raised his brows when he heard the blatant threat in those words. 'Wow, so this is the classic 'when I couldn't win then I would flip the board.'
"Damn right I am! so what will it be, scurrying away now or would you rather receive a beating." Lucas asked while cracking his knuckles and grinned at Derek. "I sure hope you would choose the latter."
With a bitter smile on his face, Derek looked at Lucas venomously. "You know this isn't over. Let's go boys." Derek retreated along with his entourage.
Lucas looked at their retreating figure and muttered. "I know it is, you bloody idiots." He then glanced at the shop owner before leaving.
Seeing the look of disappointment on Lucas face the shop owner gave a bitter smile. 'What could I do? after you leave they would still come back and might even do something worse.'
...
Derek's entourage departed from the market and entered
an empty night club.
"Boss are we just gonna let that Lucas humiliate us?"
"That's right, we would become the laughing stock of the other gangs."
"That's right, we should make that Lucas pay for humiliating us!"
"Shut up!" Derek shouted with a red face. "You think I don't want to skin that baboon! but what can we do?! huh! every single time no matter how many of us we're always the one being beaten!" Derek panted after his out burst.
One the lackeys suddenly suggested. "Boss, how about we asked for help from the top?"
Derek's eyes flicker when he heard that.
...
After the commotion subsides, Ken headed inside the eatery to continue his breakfast. Upon sitting down, the dish was served to him and he started eating.
While he was stuffing himself he couldn't help but think about the contract that Dereck said. 'I wonder if I would be force to sign that contract too if I started selling my produce here. And judging by what Derek said there could be more than one gangs here, would I have to sign contracts with the other gangs too...' Ken wondered to himself before asking the girl.
"Excuse me, may I ask what is this Honey Badger gang?" he asked. "I'm planning to sell my produce here in the near future so..."
"Oh, are you a farmer?" instead of the teenage girl answering, he heard the voice come from the counter.
"Yeah, but I'm still building my farm." Ken answered.
"I see, but before you asked about the Honey Badger gang, you have to know about the town first, there are ten district in San Jose, aptly named District 1, Discrtict 2 and so on. District 1 is where the municipal facilities are located, Barangay Hall, clinic, police station, school etc.. District 2 contains the market, this market. Disctrict 3 is where the harbor is located, most fisherman dock there and the rest of the district housed the residential area.
"If you're wondering why there are so many district then I would inform you that the current population of San Jose is 790,000. So, back to the gangs, San jose was dominated by three gangs, the first would be the Honey Badger who you had met, the second would be Zesto gang and lastly Morato gang."