The diplomatic conflict is something Venezuela cannot withstand against a Great Power like East Africa. In this Era, it all comes down to whose fists are the biggest.

Even a Great Power like the Far East Empire gets bullied with bumps all over, not to mention a weak country like Venezuela.

Venezuela doesn’t have any backing either. It was once a colony of Spain but has since gained independence, just like other countries in the Latin America region.

Leaving aside whether Venezuela is independent or not, even if Venezuela were still a Spanish colony, East Africa wouldn’t hesitate here. After all, Spain doesn’t have the guts to stand firm against East Africa.

While Spain is a gatekeeper of the Great Powers, in comparison to a top-tier Great Power like East Africa, it’s simply not on the same level. There might be a chance to contend with a newly emerged Great Power like Japan.

As for the city of Maracaibo, it’s quite unique. Maracaibo is located in the northwest of Venezuela and is the capital of Sucre State. For around four hundred years, the Maracaibo region remained isolated from other states of Venezuela, with only boats or other maritime transport able to move across the lake, thus connecting to the outside world and the capital.

So when the East African Navy previously visited Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, it had little impact on the city of Maracaibo.

This also led to local forces having a limited understanding of East Africa as a Great Power. However, it’s not a big problem — East Africa will help them learn that lesson.

"Boss Carmen, is it really wise to trouble the East Africans? East Africa is, after all, a Great Power in the world. If they decide to deal with us, it wouldn’t end well for us," said Luo De, one of the heads of the Ladani gang, with concern.

Carmen, the leader of the gang, replied leisurely, "Hmph, don’t make a fuss about nothing. Haven’t we dealt with Americans, British, and Spaniards before? All three of these countries are recognized Great Powers. East Africa is just a country with a few years of history; it couldn’t be more intimidating than the other Great Powers."

Being the boss, Carmen may not be illiterate, but he’s hardly read any books. He was originally a dock worker and later joined the Ladani Black Gang, establishing himself with his strength and ruthlessness.

He gained the admiration of the former boss of the Ladani Black Gang, quickly becoming the number two figure of the gang. When Ladani passed away, Carmen took over his position naturally.

Under Carmen’s leadership, the Ladani Black Gang has rapidly developed over the past few years. They alone have over two hundred core members and more than a thousand people if you count the peripheral members.

Since Malaykaibo City is not large, the Ladani Black Gang naturally became the biggest evil force there.

In short, Carmen’s rise in Maracaibo relied on his fierceness and ruthlessness. His knowledge is almost negligible, and he is a complete mess when it comes to history and geography.

East Africa is itself an emerging nation that gained prominence in the world only after the South African War. Although its national power has developed rapidly over the past few years, it doesn’t have much fame in certain remote places with poor transportation in the world.

This is the main reason why Carmen doesn’t understand East Africa. Of course, East Africa has become one of the top-tier Great Powers, so Carmen has at least heard of this African country.

Carmen said to Luo De, "A strong dragon cannot suppress a local snake. Even if East Africa has boundless capabilities, they still wouldn’t cross the Atlantic to flaunt their prowess here. Besides, what is the East African Oil Company? It’s just a business. Could they call on the government for support?"

Before East Africa’s investment, Malaykaibo City didn’t really have any large enterprises. The local economy was almost entirely dependent on agriculture and some basic industries.

Because of this, the businesses Carmen saw weren’t usually significant, and being a local snake gave him even more confidence.

Carmen continued, "That East African Oil Company is really lacking vision. They have the money to build such a large office building but only gave us a pittance like we’re beggars. Especially that guy named Endel, dresses to impress yet pretends to be poor to me."

This is really a misunderstanding by Carmen. The East African Oil Company is indeed wealthy, but the money has nothing to do with Endel. As a state-owned enterprise of East Africa, it carries a sense of pride.

Moreover, with East Africa’s status as a Great Power, the East African Oil Company doesn’t want to deal with characters from the gutter. They usually interact with official figures or major capitalists from various countries.

Endel being willing to interact with someone like Carmen was already giving him face. As for paying more "protection money," it’s something Endel could never decide since the East African Oil Company, as a state enterprise, records every penny, unlike private owners who have quite the autonomy.

Carmen boasted, "In this patch of land in Malaykaibo City, even the governor has to show some respect. How could we be intimidated by some foreign merchants?"

"So, if the East African Oil Company wants to build some factory, without coming up with a fair trade price, they better not even think about starting operations. Listen up, boys."

"Whenever you have free time, go and cause trouble on their construction site. Don’t let them start work. If there are any materials, take them away, even if they are just bricks and sand. We’ll collect some interest first."

...

Over the next few days, the East African Oil Company’s construction site struggled to begin operations. Every day, Ladani gang members would stake out nearby, and whenever there was any action, they’d call a bunch of gang members to stir up trouble.

They even directly seized quite a lot of building materials from the East African Oil Company, leaving Endel fuming with rage. However, after enduring for half a month, rescue finally arrived.

"Are you Endel?" A middle-aged man with a chilling aura arrived at the East African Oil Company.

"Are you the person recommended by Consul Keuer?" Endel asked back.

This man was clearly not someone to be trifled with, Endel speculated, even feeling a sense of murderous tension but dared not pry further.

"This is a handwritten letter from Consul Keuer. You’ll know once you read it." The man pulled a sealed letter from the consulate, marked with wax, out of his pocket.

Endel nervously took the letter, read it, confirming it only instructed him to fully cooperate with the man’s requests and not to question further.

The middle-aged man asked, "Tell me everything you know about the Ladani gang. You won’t need to worry about anything in the coming days."

Endel already had some guesses but didn’t dare to say more, obediently sharing the information he’d gathered with the man in black.

The man in black said little, and upon understanding the situation, he left alone. Despite having many words left unsaid, Endel refrained from asking further, and there was no movement in the two days following his interaction with the man.

On the third night, Endel began to forget about the whole matter, preparing to go to bed.

"Bang bang bang..."

Intense gunfire erupted within the city of Malaykaibo, shocking Endel, who had just felt a hint of sleepiness. He rushed to a window near the gunfire, pulled the curtains to assess the situation.

He heard continuous gunfire and clamor coming from where Malaykaibo’s southwest slum meets the city district. The gunfire lasted less than five minutes, followed by some scattered shots.

A short while later, the southwest corner of Malaykaibo began to blaze with a huge fire. Standing by the window, Endel’s pajamas were already soaked with cold sweat, and a terrifying thought emerged. It took a long time to recover after the flames died down.

This night, like Endel, many citizens of Malaykaibo did not sleep. The violent gunfight in the city filled everyone with fear, and just from hearing the density of gunfire, it seemed like a battle of at least a hundred people.

The following morning, as dawn barely broke, a brave Malaykaibo resident headed to the area where gunfire erupted yesterday and nearly fainted with shock.

Outside the gathering site of the Ladani gang, lay scattered corpses of gang members. The gang’s headquarters was stained with smoke and ashes, leaving it lifeless. The Ladani gang had been annihilated!