Shadow Empire

Chapter 1072 The President Is Not Human

Even presidents are human, who can argue with that?
But the president is certainly not an ordinary person. When Lance said that, it meant that he was no ordinary person either.

Lance led Barbara into the large room at the vice president's estate.

When the servants pushed one halfway open the hall door, a more real and vibrant high society appeared before Barbara.

He had seen many of these people before, in newspapers, magazines, and even on the latest television programs.

Their every appearance signifies a shift in federal policy; they are truly important figures.

But judging from their appearance, they seem to be very familiar with Lance?

"Ah... Lance!" Not too far from the door, a man who looked to be in his fifties, slightly balding, and sporting a large beard turned around to see who was coming in, and saw Lance.

He immediately ended his conversation with the person next to him, called out Lance's name in a slightly exaggerated manner, and then took the initiative to walk over.

Barbara also knew this gentleman; what high-ranking official was he in the federal government?
She couldn't quite remember, but it was definitely a high-ranking official.

The slightly balding man shook hands with Lance, his gaze lingering briefly on Barbara before moving away.

While Barbara is indeed very beautiful, there are countless beautiful girls in this world who are not only beautiful but also very young.

Of course, there are others around the same age as Barbara, and some even older.

That's the benefit of power: whatever you want, as long as it exists in this world and you can afford the price, you can get it.

This is why so many people tirelessly pursue power, wealth, and status.

This world only shows its best side to the strong, while showing its cruelest side to the weak, especially the weakest at the bottom.

From this perspective, the world is also a bully that preys on the weak and fears the strong!
There was something in the bald man's eyes. Lance looked at Barbara and said, "Bring me a drink. I want to have a drink with Mr. Rick."

Barbara immediately understood that Lance meant for her to create some distance. She promptly released her grip on Lance's hand and looked at the "Mr. Rick" Lance had mentioned, "Sir, would you like a drink?"

Mr. Rick nodded matter-of-factly and said, “Of course, how could I refuse Lance’s request for a drink?”

"Could you please bring me a cup as well, ma'am?"

Barbara lifted her skirt slightly as a response, then turned and left, walking towards the waiter holding a tray in the lobby.

In fact, if they want anything, they can simply raise their hands and someone will come over immediately. But this is a social party, not a pure entertainment event, so some people need to be provided with some relatively private space.

"You did a great job this time. I hope you'll remember me if there's another opportunity like this."

Mr. Rick had that ambiguous smile on his face, and Lance knew what he was talking about—the Hope Mining harvesting incident manipulated by President Edward.

Of all that money, hundreds of millions, Lance only received less than 10 percent; the rest was almost entirely distributed among other members of Senator Cleveland's camp.

The simplest way to keep these people in line is to keep them fed, so they won't look for food elsewhere to satisfy their appetites.

Mr. Rick's job was to provide solutions to international affairs under the Secretary of State, and he could be considered a senior international affairs advisor.

While this kind of work may seem important, it's not actually that important, since ultimately, the person who decides whether or not to use the strategy he provides isn't him.

But to say he's not important is an understatement; he's clearly quite important. He needs to constantly provide the President and Secretary of State with solutions that benefit the Cleveland senators, allowing them to gain advantages or an edge.

It sounds like... just as mentioned above, he wasn't the one who ultimately made the choice.

But there's another issue here: neither the president nor the secretary of state has the time and energy to handle every single matter personally.

They may have a lot of work every day, including playing golf and socializing, so they can't handle every task themselves during their working hours.

Ultimately, this work will be distributed to those who can provide solutions, such as Mr. Rick, through a consultation process.

He would provide a plan that would benefit the senators, and then submit it. If there weren't any major problems, the Secretary of State or the President would select it directly, without any further discussion.

They don't have that much free time.

He can also pass on messages to the senators, which is one of his important tasks here.

Lance didn't know exactly how much money he got, but he figured it wouldn't be too much, but it wouldn't be too little either, just like his job and responsibilities—neither too much nor too little.

But it's definitely a lot of money for him, even if it's only 400,000 or 500,000, or 700,000 or 800,000, it's still a lot of money.

Judging from Rick's expression, he was already looking forward to the next opportunity, and he was quite satisfied with his income.

He didn't let go of Lance's hand, and Lance understood what he meant.

Sometimes, people in high society are not necessarily more virtuous than those at the bottom of society. For example, Mr. Rick's refusal to let go of Lance's hand means, "I won't let go unless you agree to my request."

Lance nodded. "No problem. I'll let you know if there's another good opportunity like this."

“Great!” Rick shook Lance’s hand twice before letting go. “If you’re free next week, we can sit down and talk. The Secretary of State has had some extra work lately, and it’s related to you.”

Lance's expression changed slightly; he seemed to have thought of something. "You mean the problem with Alan?"

Rick gave him a knowing look and said, "Yes, Ambassador Makan is negotiating with us, and the ambassadors of two other countries are also in communication."

"You are now an expert in this field, perhaps you can provide us with some mature ideas."

This can be considered a reward, if Lance can benefit from it.

He didn't refuse and nodded in agreement.

At that moment, he looked at Barbara not far away, and Barbara immediately picked up two glasses of wine from the waiter beside her and came over.

She had actually stopped the waiter earlier and casually asked him what kind of wines they were and how they tasted.

Those who can attend tonight's party are definitely not ordinary people. Although the waiter was a little confused as to why this lady would ask such pointless questions, he did not dare to leave.

He answered patiently, but Barbara was clearly distracted. It wasn't until she saw Lance looking at her that she said "thank you" and then picked up two glasses of wine and walked towards Lance.

Lance took the drinks from her and handed one to Mr. Rick. The two clinked glasses. "See you later."

Mr. Rick took a sip as well. "See you later."

As he spoke, he placed the glass on a nearby table. Someone would come and take away the unfinished glass, then wash it, refill it with wine, place it on a tray, and have the waiters carry it around again.

"Who is he?" Barbara couldn't help but ask after Mr. Rick left.

Lance briefly explained what he was in charge of, which left Barbara somewhat confused. "You know a really complicated bunch of people!"

“I think so too!” Soon, the second gentleman came up. It was almost the same process. Lance greeted them warmly, then sent Barbara away for a while, privately thanking Lance for leading them to make a fortune.

This amount of money was not small, and it was practically free. Although everyone knew that the person who ultimately decided to distribute the profits was Senator Cleveland, the benefits ultimately came from Lance.

Lance is currently in a good position, and showing appropriate goodwill can help them improve their relationship with Lance.

After a period of socializing, things gradually quieted down around Lance.

The focus of tonight's gala is still on the representatives of Sladesh and Dantra, and the President standing between them.

There were also some businessmen present who covered all the expenses for the evening, including drinks, food, and staff arrangements.

Lance and Barbara also moved to a less secluded spot to listen to the president's speech.

"...War is a profound wound to the entire world. Regardless of why we fought wars or joined them in the past, it's over now!" "I have never longed for peace so much, and for the first time, I've truly appreciated its preciousness!"

"I am pleased that the three parties were able to reach this ceasefire agreement in such a short time. This shows that we all recognize the destruction and pain caused by war, and it is time to end it all!"

As he spoke, he turned and took a glass of wine from his adjutant, raising it slightly. "I propose we drink to the coming of peace!"

People at the party raised their glasses and shouted "Cheers to peace!" with great enthusiasm, and together they toasted under the leadership of the president!
The atmosphere was great. After putting down his glass, the president took out a handkerchief and wiped his mouth. Mainly because he had a beard, and some wine might accidentally spill on it, making him look less... elegant.

This was Lance's first close look at the president, who had a full beard, dark brown in color, and looked quite imposing.

Moreover, he was very tall, making him even more imposing than those newspaper photos suggested.

To be honest, he looks more like... a general than a president.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our task today is to relax and have fun. Please take good care of yourselves and make sure you enjoy this moment!"

"I have some things to attend to and need to leave for a while."

The president is, after all, the president; he couldn't possibly be socializing with these people here. Everyone watched the president leave the hall, but some people knew that he only left the hall, not the house or the evening's activities.

Lance then saw people from the president's side appear in the hall from time to time, find some people, whisper a few words to them, and then lead them away.

Clearly, the president was continuing his social engagements in another room, albeit in a more private setting.

A while later, as Lance was chatting with a real estate developer about the future of real estate in the Federation, the president's aide walked over and interrupted their conversation.

“Mr. White, I’m sorry to interrupt your conversation, but the President wishes to see you.”

Lance glanced at him and nodded, then apologized to the real estate developer he was talking to, "I may need to leave for a while."

The real estate developer wasn't stupid; he certainly knew why Lance wanted to leave and what he was going to do after leaving.

If he doesn't accept Lance's apology or let Lance leave, then he's incredibly stupid.

“I have learned a lot from talking with you. Please make yourself at home, Mr. White.”

Lance shook hands with him again, then straightened his clothes, patted Barbara's hand to indicate that she should wait a while, and then followed the president's aide through the side door.

After walking through a not-too-long corridor, we entered a room.

The president was sitting back on the sofa, and he was still on the phone.

When Lance came in, he gestured for him to sit down, but did not hang up the phone immediately. "Write your ideas into a report and have someone send it to my office. I don't have time to listen to you on the phone or in any other way."

“I don’t know when I’ll have time to deal with these things, but I think what you’ve said, limited to what we just talked about on the phone, is necessary and appropriate.”

"I'll have to wait until I see your report and discuss it with others before I can make a decision on the specifics."

"I have something to do here, so I'll leave now and we can talk later."

He put down the phone, then took out a handkerchief and wiped his beard.

It's clear he's very satisfied with his beard and takes good care of it.

Perhaps he was afraid that saliva would spill from the corner of his mouth or get on his beard when he spoke, so he always wiped his beard.

This is probably a problem that all bearded men face: if they accidentally get their beards dirty, they rarely notice and have to clean them themselves repeatedly.

The president did not shake hands with Lance. As the nominal supreme ruler of the country, his private meeting with Lance was already a great honor for Lance.

“Jeffrey told me about you, about your role in these things. You are a very good person, Lance.”

Is there anything wrong with me addressing you this way?

Lance shook his head. He was sitting relatively forward, with his elbows on his knees and his upper body slightly leaning forward.

"Of course, Mr. President, it would be my honor!"

The president was pleased with Lance's answer. "They all say you're someone who knows how to speak well. I didn't quite believe it at first, but it seems they're right about that."

“You are young, and you have a brilliant mind that is beyond your years. The Federation needs young people like you.”

"I believe you will become a role model for young people!"

He paused, then continued, "Jeffrey mentioned to me earlier about awarding you a Gold Heart medal..."

Lance straightened his body. The Gold Heart Medal was of extraordinary significance; it even represented, to some extent, a form of political defense.

Even if a life-long justice wants to convict someone who has made significant contributions to the country, they still need to consider the meaning and value of this medal.

It could be a "get-out-of-jail-free card," ensuring that if he is arrested and they fabricate evidence to get rid of him, the Gold Heart medal can guarantee him at most a prison sentence of a few thousand years.

As long as he doesn't die immediately, there's always a way to escape and be reborn, so he values ​​this medal highly, unlike how he didn't seem to care much about it in front of Senator Cleveland.

“I… I don’t know how to talk to you about this. In principle, I agree with Jeffrey’s request. Awarding a Gold Heart Medal is not a problem for us at all.”

"You know, a Gold Heart Medal only costs a few dozen yuan to make."

“But, Lance, you are different from everyone else.”

“Your identity is very complicated. You’re an immigrant… oh right, you’re now a federal citizen.”

"Then there are gang leaders who are also involved in criminal businesses."

“I know you’ve done a lot for the Federation, but if I award this to you, what do you think people will think?”

Lance did not answer him immediately, but instead pondered his purpose and reasons for doing so.

After about ten or twenty seconds, he slowly said, "I heard that it can be awarded without public announcement."

“But there will be records!” the president pointed out another possibility for not awarding the medal publicly: “The manufacture and awarding of every Gold Heart medal will be recorded, including the reasons for awarding it to whom.”

“Some people will pay attention to these things, including people from our side and people from other sides.”

“They will use this as a means to attack me, attack Jeffrey, and attack you.”

"Once public opinion is swayed, we will be in a very passive position!"

After saying all that, what I really want to tell Lance is that the Golden Heart Medal is out of the question.

As for why, Lance believed that what he said was not the real reason.

Lance didn't make too many choices or hesitate, and a smile appeared on his face. "In that case, of course, we'll prioritize your and the senator's interests."

The president was somewhat surprised, but a smile quickly appeared on his face. He stood up and walked over to Lance, placing his hand on his shoulder. "I'm very pleased that you think this way. It proves that you are a person with mature thinking."

"I'll get them to compensate you in other ways, how about tax exemption?"

Lance smiled and nodded. "Good, that's exactly what I need!"

The president laughed heartily after hearing this, and patted Lance on the shoulder, saying, "You will become a great man, Lance."

Lance wore a humble expression. "May your words come true, Your Excellency!"

(End of this chapter)