Schedule 1 Thomas Deal: Agree or Refuse? (Best Choice to Defeat Cartel & Unlock Hyland Manor)

Schedule 1‘s the Cartel update has finally been released, and we can say that it didn’t disappoint.

The update introduces the Benzies’ family cartel, which will prove to be a huge problem for our empire. There is no real upside to having them around, so eventually you’ll have to deal with them one way or the other. The Benzies’ family quest also unlocks Hayland Manor if you wish to purchase it later on.

The whole questline of unlocking the cartel begins when you get a message from a mysterious person, telling you to meet them at the parking lot in Taco Ticklers. He will give you two options: either you join them or become the cartel’s enemy

Thomas Benzies offers a deal after you expand into Westville: Ally with them or face war. Short answer: Always refuse. Accepting locks you into half-profits and limited regions; refusing triggers war but unlocks graffiti mechanics, Benzies dealer hunts, and the epic “Finishing the Job” quest to bomb Hyland Manor, defeating the cartel forever and buying their HQ for max profits. No major changes since launch (patches fixed bugs like text triggers).

How to Trigger Thomas Benzies’ Deal

Before you can make the choice, you need to fully acquire all customers in Northtown. Then you unlock Westville and start distributing your best recipes to the customers in this region. The next step is to sleep multiple times until you get a mysterious text from an unknown number.

Head to the Taco Ticklers parking lot in the Docks region. Approach the black SUV, and Thomas is inside. Interact to start a dialogue

Agree or Refuse Thomas’ Deal

Making a deal with Thomas means a truce and an agreement. You’ll be working for him, sharing your profits with the family, and your dealers will be safe.

On top of that, you’ll need to meet a weekly product quota. On the other hand, going up against the cartel means dealers are in danger, and you’ll lose money and resources. But even though the choice might seem simple, knowing the consequences but there is more to this.

Joining the Cartel

If you accept their offer and join the cartel, they reduce your sales profit by forcing you into selling in Northtown and Westville, areas they don’t own. They will also take half of your profit. If you don’t like their way of things, then the Cartel will declare you as their enemy.

Rejecting the Offer

If you reject their offer and don’t join the cartel, your life ain’t going to get easier, but harder. You will occasionally get messages from your dealers that they have been attacked or robbed by the cartel.

If the dealers manage to defend themselves, then it’s all good. However, if not, then all of your items, money will be taken by the cartel. This won’t stop until you join them and become their slave.

What to Do: Refuse for the Best Ending

Don’t join the cartel.

With that decision, there are a few things that you can do to lower the risk of your dealers getting robbed. Give fewer products to dealers and make sure to check on them way more often to minimise risk.

Each region will have customers, dealers, and suppliers. At the bottom of your screen, you will also notice a Cartel Influence meter. The higher it is, the more chances for robberies and attacks, and vice versa. Get more customers, and the bar should drop.

The questline after refusing Thomas will lead to you taking down the Cartel eventually. Moreover, this is how you’ll unlock the Hyland Manor. Refusing Thomas is the best decision in the long run because you won’t have to keep sharing your profits with the family.

How to Defeat the Benzies Cartel (Full Walkthrough)

After you say no to Thomas a Cartel war in Schedule I. From this point, our goal would be to reduce Cartel Influence. One of the best ways to do this is to draw graffiti. There are 46 graffiti spots in Schedule 1. Each graffiti spot nets you 50 pts each. The next step is to kill all 6 Benzies dealers and loot their product.

Meanwhile, you need to keep gaining customers in Westville and other regions, especially gaining ground in Uptown. Make sure to sleep regularly to progress, and once Cartel Influence is low enough, you will get a payphone call from Uncle Nelson from Prison. He will explain that the Benzies are at the Hyland Manor.

Step	Action & NPC	Exact Location	Requirements/Tips
1	Pay Sam $10k to dig a tunnel under Hyland Manor.	Thompson Construction & Demo (Westville, near fences/graffiti spots—daytime).	$10,000. Talk during day; illegal, so quick. Sleep 1 night for “tunnel ready” text.
2	Trade Billy for RDX explosives.	Koyama Chemical Plant (Westville). Billy leaves early AM—check his parked car outside.	20g of any product (no cash). Instant trade.
3	Talk to Stan at warehouse—he needs a thief killed first.	Docks Warehouse (night preferred).	None yet.
4	Kill the armed thief (blue t-shirt, handgun).	Docks area (nights; roams near warehouse/barricades).	Bring pistol/rifle—he shoots back. Headshot for quick kill; loot if wanted. Return to Stan.
5	Give RDX to Stan—he crafts the bomb.	Same Docks Warehouse.	RDX in inventory. Instant.
6	Enter tunnel, plant bomb, wait 45 seconds—BOOM!	Tunnel entrance: Thompson Construction site (after Sam’s text). Crawl to end under Hyland Manor (Uptown).	Plant → Back out safe. Manor explodes; cartel defeated. Secret Achievement: Finishing the Job (0.1% unlocked).