Shadow Empire

Chapter 1004 Handling business strictly, do the old man and the old man want to make money?

On the way back to the police station, the police chief still had Lance's last words to him lingering in his mind—"Do business as it is!"
Actually, rather than this "business as usual" talk, he would have preferred to hear something else, such as Lance arranging for someone to retaliate, or telling him not to get involved.

This means that this matter is still "a gang matter to be resolved by the gangs," and he could even arrange a shootout between the two gangs outside of New Gold City.

As long as things don't go wrong in the city, he doesn't care how many people die outside. Anyway, they're all gang members who die, so it's a good thing.

In fact, the police chief's thinking is a common perception in this era.

Just like when the Lance family was just starting out, the Camilla gang wanted to fight them, and the city's police department and the Bay Area gentry arranged the time and place for them.

This is to prevent uncontrolled and unrestrained fighting from turning the city's security into a joke.

After all, they still have to live in this city, so why would they want it to become chaotic?
If they really go out and have a fight in the wild, it would be a good thing for the police chief. What I fear most is what happens. Lance has to handle things officially.

Logically speaking, as a federal law enforcement officer, he should uphold federal law and handle official business in accordance with the law. However, these law enforcement officers and government officials sometimes fear nothing more than handling official business in an official manner.

There's no complicated reason; doing things strictly by the book will offend people.

There's a famous saying in federal politics: Don't offend anyone over work-related matters.

To put it more bluntly, whether they are law enforcement officers or officials, their work is not for their own benefit; they are different from capitalists.

Capitalists make money and ultimately pocket it, but law enforcement officers and government officials work hard and ultimately neither money nor benefits go into their own pockets.

But if they offend someone, then they have truly offended that person.

For the sake of official business, offending others is actually considered foolish by some.

Many people say that federal society is a highly self-disciplined society with little interpersonal interaction, but this is precisely the most wrong view.

The federal government needs personal connections and various unspoken rules more than other places.

The fact that police officers can openly accept bribes, politicians can line their own pockets without restraint, and capitalists can wield money to corrupt officials has absolutely nothing to do with the superiority of the social system.

Therefore, the police chief would prefer that Lance say he would handle the matter himself and that the police should not meddle, so that he would not offend anyone.

Unfortunately, he now insists on handling matters strictly by official procedures.

Thinking about this, the police chief couldn't help but light a cigarette and punch the steering wheel.

He accidentally punched the car in front of him, and the sudden "beep" sound caused the car that had just stopped at the red light to lurch forward and rear-end it with a clang.

The driver of the car in front got out of his car angrily, but when he saw that there was a police car behind him, his anger vanished instantly.

The police chief sullenly smoked, pondering how to handle the situation.

After returning to the police station, he called the mayor and explained the situation.

"You mean Lance wants you to handle this officially and interrogate these people or something?" The mayor had never heard of such an unruly gang before. What kind of gang "fights" and then call the police?
At that moment, he even shared the same thought as Fran—the gangsters from the South really don't follow the rules!

You gangs should just find a place to handle your own affairs, why are you taking up public resources?
“Yes, Lance said this matter is very serious. The bar is registered in the building below the embassy. This is a diplomatic incident and must be handled officially.”

Now that diplomacy has been involved, things are getting complicated, and the mayor is having a bit of a headache.

He realized that his "capable assistant" didn't want to take the blame, so he called.

Making a phone call versus not making a phone call makes a big difference, even if the final result is the same.

Because once the phone call was made, the power shifted from the police chief to the mayor. No matter how things develop afterward, the person primarily responsible changed from the police chief to the mayor.

Even if they offended someone, the Perez family would blame the mayor, not the police chief, since the police chief was just a minor figure to the mayor.

The mayor rubbed his temples. "I really shouldn't have answered your call!"

He didn't want to get involved either; the Perez family was more than just a gang.

A pure gang cannot become one of the top five families. They have their own companies, not just one, and their own factories, with tens of thousands of workers or even more under their command.

They also have a good relationship with the labor union, and sometimes the union needs their help to deal with those unruly labor scabs.

They have many industries in society and a great influence. If military enterprises continue to develop, they will eventually create a distorted "military-industrial complex".

The uncontrolled expansion of gangs will eventually lead to a distorted "gang complex".

They are no longer just a gang; they can be described as a super-power centered on crime, infiltrating politics, capital, and the ordinary working class.

They are actually more difficult to deal with than pure capitalists.

The mayor didn't want to offend anyone; his scalp was itching. "Let's just put it off for now."

"Let's drag it out for a while, until their anger subsides, and then this matter will be forgotten."

The police chief smiled more. He would agree with whatever the mayor said to minimize his responsibility. "Okay, that's the only way for now."

"You bastard, if something like this happens again, don't fucking call me. Deal with it yourself!"

The mayor hung up the phone somewhat displeased, but the bureau chief showed a relaxed smile.

He called the two sheriffs who were escorting the men into his office and had them close the door. He then screwed on the blinds so that no one outside could see what was happening inside.

“Treat those who need treatment, put these people in solitary confinement, but do not interrogate them.”

"No interrogation?" a sheriff asked, somewhat confused. "Then why did we arrest them?"

Without interrogation, we cannot obtain confessions or evidence of guilt.

Without confessions and evidence, they can only detain these people for a maximum of 48 hours before releasing them. It would be better to just arrest them and release them directly.

The police chief was somewhat annoyed. Lance, the mayor, and Fran were all difficult to deal with. Did he expect to give way to his subordinates?

"Just do as I tell you to do. Don't fucking ask me why. Are you the bureau chief or am I the bureau chief?"

His subordinate pursed his lips sheepishly, "You're the boss."

The bureau chief glared at him. "That's it. If anyone asks, just say there are other reasons. Don't say what the reason is."

"Damn it, these are all trouble, you know?"

"It's like trying to catch a red-hot coal with your bare hands; aren't you afraid of burning your skin off?"

"Alright, let's get back to work!"

"I'm so fed up with this job every day!"

After the two sheriffs left, he returned to his chair, let out a long sigh of relief, and hoped that things would not "get worse."

However, he had a feeling that things would most likely not go as he or the mayor wished.

He hadn't been thinking about these things for long when the phone on the desk started ringing, and his previously relaxed mood suddenly became tense again.

After the phone rang four or five times, he finally had to pick it up and say, "This is the police chief's office."

"Director?"

"Haha, I'm Bonnie."

Bonnie Perez is one of Fran's nephews. The Perez family is a large and long-established family, and because they are Yankees, they are relatively conservative and do not allow abortion.

From the second or third generation of the family, they regarded "children" as a gift from God to the family.

In that relatively primitive era, having more men in a family meant they had a greater advantage in competition.

Furthermore, they are wealthy and don't care about such things. Some family members may only have one wife, but seven or eight mistresses, and these women will bear them children. Family members with only one or two mistresses are either genuinely naive or not core members.

Bonnie is quite active. In New Gold City, and given that he graduated from a prestigious university, he's the one who does the things that require him to get noticed and public.

They had dealt with each other before.

The bureau chief sighed silently. "Is there something you need?"

Bonnie laughed twice more. "Chief, you arrested some people tonight."

"Yes?"

“These people are friends of mine. Their families are very worried about what happened to them and are willing to compensate for the losses. They hope to get them released on bail as soon as possible.”

The police chief was in a bit of a headache. On one hand, he needed to handle things officially, but on the other hand, the Perez family clearly didn't intend to do so. The Perez family was the right way for the gangsters to act.

After finishing the job, they paid money to get the person out.

In the past, if these people hadn't done anything too serious or bad, he would have done them a favor and let them get out of trouble. But now the situation is a bit unclear, and he doesn't dare to make a decision rashly.

“Bonnie, this matter is a bit more complicated than you think, at least not in the next couple of days.”

Bonnie didn't become cold despite being rejected; he remained as enthusiastic as ever. "Hi, Chief, it's nothing. Do you have any other plans after get off work tonight?"

"If not, I'd like to meet with you."

The bureau chief refused, saying, "There's really no way to do it in a short time..." He thought about it and decided that it would be best for the gangs to resolve the matter themselves.

So he revealed some information: "Lance is demanding that this be handled officially, saying that you attacked the embassy. You know, this is a diplomatic incident, and I don't have the authority to deal with it."

"Unless you can get them to drop the case."

"otherwise……"

He didn't say "otherwise" or anything, but the meaning behind his words was clear: Bonnie knew that he had already gone this far and that there was no chance of meeting him.

Being the police chief of New Gold City is somewhat of a sensitive position, so why would he go out and meet with the Perez family at this time?
Isn't that just asking for trouble?
After exchanging a few more brief pleasantries and saying things like "I'll treat you to dinner sometime" and "I'll definitely come if I have time," which are meaningless but necessary, they hung up the phone.

Bonnie's smile vanished the moment he hung up the phone. He looked at Fran with some respect and said, "He said Lance called the police to report that these people attacked the embassy. This involves diplomatic matters, and he can't make the decision."

Fran nodded slightly, his expression equally blank; he had initially thought it was a good idea.

No matter how Lance responds, he will ultimately lose both substance and face.

But who the hell would have thought that these people would call the police so inconsiderately?
He looked at the people sitting on the sofa, these highly educated elites of the family, and asked, "What do we do now?"

One of his nephews raised his hand and said, “There are two options. On the one hand, we can arrange for someone to meet with those who have been arrested and have them take the blame for these crimes. They have nothing to do with us, so let them bear the consequences themselves.”

"If it really comes to the point of going to court, it has nothing to do with us. They can't produce any evidence to accuse us. At most, it will just make things a bit ugly."

"There is another way, which is to contact Lance. As long as they drop the case, this matter can be put to rest."

Fran became somewhat agitated as soon as he finished speaking, "Go ask Lance?"

"Fake!"

"Fuck you love searching!"

"No need to think about it anymore, just arrange for someone to take the blame for them!"

This whole thing started because of Lance, even though they were the ones who provoked us first, they don't think it's their fault.

Fran also felt that although Peggy had embarrassed himself, he had done a good job and had not lost the prestige of the Perez family.

The conflict between the two families is beyond questioning who is right and who is wrong, or who started it. They are now adversaries, and one side has to fall or bow down.

Going to Lance now will only make the Perez family a laughingstock!

The rest of the family didn't say anything, but one of Fran's cousins ​​looked at Bonnie and said, "You make the arrangements."

Bonnie nodded and left on his own initiative; he didn't want to be scolded anymore.

Meanwhile, at the embassy in Lapa, Ambassador Kassia summoned the ambassadors of several other small Asian countries.

Asia is not a region with a highly unified ideology. Some countries do not want to be annexed by the Federation, but there are also some small countries, such as Makan, with only two or three million people. They simply do not have the strength or courage to resist.

If they hadn't been so close to the Republic of Germany, they probably would have surrendered long ago.

These smaller countries, willing to get closer to the Federation but hampered by the current dominance of the Republic of Jede in the Alan region and the Federation's apparent lack of intention to annex Alan by force in the short term, have all sent ambassadors to the Federation.

Be prepared to reach agreements with the federal government anytime, anywhere.

These small countries are also very poor, and they don't have an easy life.

Ambassador Cassia was arguably the one who lived the best life among their group.

Unlike Ambassador Kassia, who has a large detached house, Ambassador Makan only has one office, so there is no such thing as "embassy territory," and he has no way to run a bar or other shady businesses.

They would often come to Ambassador Cassia's place to freeload, since Ambassador Cassia was currently living the best life among them.

Not only has his whole family immigrated to the Union, but he himself has also become a true Union citizen—that's the most magical part.

A citizen of one federal state can be an ambassador to another country, a situation that may only arise when relations between the two countries are tense.

With the money Lance gave him and the bar's commission, Master Cassia is living a pretty good life now.

He was also willing to help these poor brothers. Although he was somewhat weak on his own, the combined influence of so many ambassadors was considerable.

Now all these ambassadors have been summoned by him and gathered in his office.

"This is Mr. Lance White. To be honest, we are able to be here today thanks in large part to Mr. Lance!"

Ambassador Cassia greeted the ambassadors with a smile as he introduced Lance to them. At that moment, he also had a strange feeling that he couldn't quite put his finger on. When did selling out one's country become a business?

He smiled to himself, banishing the thought from his mind. How could this be considered treason?
This is progress!

Isn't it progress when a barbaric society moves closer to the beacon of civilization?
Several ambassadors came over and warmly shook hands with Lance. As Lance shook hands with them, he observed their clothing, which was, to put it mildly, appalling.

After everyone had introduced themselves and sat down, Lance asked in a somewhat uncertain tone, "Gentlemen, it wasn't me..."

He flipped his wrist and glanced at Ambassador Cassia. “Your situation doesn’t look very good.”

They were dressed very simply, even plainly!

Compared to Ambassador Cassia, they were like poor people.

The ambassadors all smiled awkwardly. After this, Ambassador Cassia stepped forward to speak on their behalf, "Mr. Lance, you don't know, Alan is currently experiencing an unprecedented famine."

"Except for the Republic of Germany, which was not affected, almost all other countries were affected."

“Right now, our people are not even able to get enough to eat, and all the funds are used to buy food, so we are indeed in a bit of a tight spot financially.”

Lance nodded as if he were hearing this for the first time, as if it were not part of his plan at all. "This is really terrible."

He looked at the ambassadors and asked, "Do you want to make some money?"

　I actually finished writing it last night, but I kept feeling it wasn't right, that something was missing, so I rewrote it three times.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)