Shadow Empire

Chapter 1076 Work Plan
Gangs will indeed be eliminated by society. An organization that takes violence, destruction, and criminal activities as its guiding principle cannot last long.

However, this "long-term" issue cannot be resolved in a short period of time.

As long as federal labor unions and federations have not been dismantled, gangs will inevitably have value and space to exist.

Using the police to suppress an unreasonable mass strike?
Not too possible!

Because police officers sometimes participate in strikes. For this country and this society, the police are also a profession, and naturally they also have their own demands and desires. If these cannot be met, they will also strike.

And even if the police don't go on strike, to what extent can they achieve this?
They cannot stop the strike from taking place; it is a freedom granted to the people of the Union by the Constitution—if the current members of Congress were to travel back to the day the Constitution was established, they would most likely stab the person who proposed the idea to death.

So in the end, it still takes the gangsters to solve the problem.

All they need to do is wave their fists or reveal the pistols hidden behind their clothes, and those who are shouting "We're going to teach the capitalists and officials a lesson" will instantly fall silent.

As it turns out, gangs are the best way to quell any potential strikes.

Therefore, Lance does not think Senator Cleveland is wrong, but they still have some disagreements on the timing.

“Your previous approach was actually quite good. You had both gangsters and businesses. See if you can separate them into two parts, and you can operate as an entrepreneur.”

"The best approach for the gang is to outwardly entrust the task to trusted individuals."

Senator Cleveland did not allow Lance to completely abandon the gang, but rather to go into hiding, as he was well aware of the gang's value.

Once you get used to using simple and direct methods like those of gangsters to achieve your goals, it's very difficult to break the habit.

It's like something highly addictive; once you're hooked, you can't get rid of it.

Lance agreed. "I'll handle it as appropriate," he said, looking into the senator's eyes. "I'm very interested in matters concerning the FBI. Do you have any resources there?"

"For example... who are the people I can contact?"

"If we only take a passive defensive stance, no one will know what they are planning to do, to what extent they will do it, or how much evidence they have. This is very disadvantageous for me."

"I need someone who can provide me with intelligence."

Senator Cleveland frowned. "I hadn't considered that before!"

Although the FBI has helped the Presidential Office and Congress gain some power, it is not yet officially and fully operational. Much of its functions remain on paper, and Congress currently has no intention of interfering in local government affairs.

Therefore, they still don't have much of a presence. Without a sense of presence, people's perception of them isn't refreshed, which leads to a very basic phenomenon.

That is, people's impression of the FBI is still stuck in the past—investigating who spoke ill of the president and an agency used for political infighting.

Such an institution is nothing but a joke, a clown, because those who truly hold power dare not investigate.

Those they are able to investigate, and those they dare to publish their findings on, are often those without any powerful connections, which is why this organization has always had a bad reputation.

Lance reminded him that things were changing within the FBI.

"I'll ask around, and I should be able to find someone willing to cooperate with us. Wait for my news."

Lance nodded. "I don't mean to say it that way, but this matter seems rather urgent right now."

Senator Cleveland tapped his finger on the table. "I'll call you tonight."

At this point, the matter is basically settled.

As for the issue of campaign funds, Senator Cleveland didn't even mention it, since their candidate wouldn't be a mainstay and naturally wouldn't be part of the actual presidential election system.

Having two or three million federal sols is enough to tell people that we are involved and have ideas, and to make those below us feel that this is a motivated, hopeful, and potential interest group.

They had just reaped hundreds of millions of dollars from the financial market, and everyone had money in their hands. In addition, there were some minor figures who were eager to join this interest group, and they were very willing to contribute their efforts to the organization.

Lance used to play this role, not even qualifying as an outsider, but trying to become an outsider by spending money and other means, and then slowly enter the group's core.

Now that he has succeeded, when he needs the money, Senator Cleveland has never considered asking Lance for it; there are plenty of people outside who would do it.

Lance quickly left with his things. He was certainly not the only one investigating these presidential candidates; there were probably others, including some officials, doing it in secret.

However, he was the person Senator Cleveland brought in to do this. As for why he was chosen, the reason is quite simple—it's reliable and effective.

In Senator Cleveland's eyes, Lance was on the same level as him in terms of political acumen and work ethic.

If Lance had a good background, such as one of his grandfathers appearing in that painting, or if he had a very distinguished surname, they might have become "colleagues" in Congress someday.

Unfortunately, he lacked these qualities, which prevented him from ever reaching the top, but in a way, this was a good thing.

As long as Senator Cleveland does not have any direct conflict of interest with his interests, the senator has a reliable person to rely on.

Someone as capable as him wouldn't do these things without a stroke of luck, so he entrusted the task to Lance, trusting in Lance's abilities.

Before leaving, Senator Cleveland also told him that it would be best to bring some people to New Gold City, as their workload would increase after the election.

The new president will definitely make adjustments to the positions of all federal government officials after taking office, and there will also be some changes in Congress. For example, more Liberal senators will enter Congress, while the number of Socialist senators will decrease.

That's for sure. If they win the election, it means they have more supporters than the Socialist Party, and naturally, there will be some changes in the parliamentary seats.

Even if it doesn't completely change the current situation, there will still be significant changes.

The Liberal Party hasn't done this in a long time, and once the new president actually comes from them, they'll certainly have a lot of other ideas.

The struggle within Congress will become even more intense!
In this situation, it would be ideal to have someone on hand who can handle the dirty work efficiently and effectively.

Even if Senator Cleveland doesn't order anyone to be killed, it would be good to cause some damage and intimidation.

It was already evening when they returned to the manor. Barbara sat on the sofa watching TV, occasionally letting out a silly laugh. It turns out that people's emotional thresholds become strange when faced with new things. Lance didn't find the program very interesting, but everyone watching it laughed.

Barbara glanced back and saw Lance walking in from outside. She immediately stepped barefoot onto the soft carpet and pounced on Lance, then kissed him on the cheek.

Lance supported her waist. "I heard they're still promoting the movie everywhere. Didn't you go?"

Barbara let go of Lance and took his arm. "I took leave. Actually, my role isn't really that of a female lead. You've seen the movie; I only lived for about thirty minutes in the film, judging from the final cut."

The movie was over seventy minutes long, almost eighty minutes, and she collapsed at the thirty-two or thirty-three-minute mark.

Enemy artillery attacked the wounded soldiers' camp, and in the movie, she was torn apart by a shell.

The scene was very bloody, and thankfully there is no rating system yet. She was lying on the ground, torn to pieces by shrapnel from the shell.

In fact, this scene was filmed using some forced perspective techniques. They dug several holes in the ground and then exposed parts of Barbara's body, including her head, to prove that she was the core of the group.

The other arms and legs were played by other actors, making them look like real parts of a body.

The core theme of the entire film is still the war between men, not women. They are merely a diversion in the film, preventing the iron-gray tone from remaining so gloomy and occasionally adding a touch of brightness.

After Barbara's character dies, the pace of the entire film accelerates, marking the point where the plot gradually builds to its climax.

The male lead is the focus of attention; he's the only survivor, so the publicity mainly revolves around him.

Even if Barbara went, the reporters and film critics would only ask her two questions as a formality.

Lance didn't really care about her choice. "You can continue watching TV. I need to work."

Barbara glanced at the suitcase he was carrying, then let go of his arm and returned to the sofa. "Should I call you for dinner?"

Lance nodded. "Okay."

After he finished speaking, he walked towards the study. Now he needed to gather some people over.

He called Irwin directly. Business in Indenor was relatively stable now. Wade had fallen out with Lance after becoming governor, but this falling out hadn't had a significant impact on Lance's business.

The mayors of those cities support Lance's bootlegging business and directly profit from it. If Wade wants to expel Lance and his associates but cannot guarantee the future interests of these mayors, then the mayors will be the first to oppose it.

In fact, even Gold Label Winery has a hard time balancing this out. Currently, 60% to 70% of the Indenau market is still controlled by Lance, with the remainder being divided up by others.

Lance doesn't have time to deal with Wade right now, so he'll let him continue being governor for a while. Once he's done all that, he'll make that guy regret his decision.

Irwin seemed very happy after receiving Lance's call. The last time they spoke was a few months ago at Morris's wedding, after which Lance went to Lapa and hasn't spoken since.

"How's business?" Lance asked.

"It's not bad. There's not much change compared to the past. Our market share is relatively high. However, there are some things I feel I should tell you."

“Some Imperial gangs have approached me, hoping we can provide them with some funding and weapons to help them gain a better position in gang warfare in their cities, in exchange for more sales of our liquor.”

"I have already agreed to their request."

After listening to him discuss some details, Lance gave him a positive response and expressed his support, saying, "You did nothing wrong; it was a smart decision."

"This way we don't need to fight with others ourselves to gain more gang support. Now, for us, problems that can be solved with money are not problems at all."

He thought for a moment and then added, "Of course, those that are unreasonable don't count."

For example, Governor Wade.

After chatting about other things for a while, Erwin asked, "Alright, we've talked enough. Now it's time to tell you what you need me to do for you."

Lance couldn't help but laugh and said, "How could you possibly know that I need you to do something?"

"Come on!" His voice came through the receiver, strong and energetic. "You're a super busy person, you know that?"

“I’ve seen you in the newspapers. You’re very popular in Likalai now. They say you’re the most successful mob boss ever, you’ve even made it to Congress!”

Lance couldn't help but burst into laughter. "I like hearing people say I'm amazing. Did they say anything else?"

"If you have any, feel free to tell me, so I can be happy too."

Erwin laughed too, "There are many more. Some people say you were able to get in because you're handsome and have a nice butt."

"Fuck!" Lance interrupted him. "If I find out who said that, I'll cut their tongue out!"

Erwin smiled. As for whether he would go looking for it, that depended on whether he had nothing better to do.

It was obvious that Lance was just joking, but if he were serious, he might actually go looking for this person.

"Alright, I'm not kidding anymore. I need to bring over a group of experienced combat captains. Can you recommend some candidates to me?"

"I plan to establish a branch in New Gold City, and the family's business and influence will gradually expand in this area in the future."

“Besides needing these people for work, we may also be going to have a major showdown with the Perez family starting in the second half of this year, so we need to bring in some experienced people here.”

Previously, in order to expand their territory in Indenor State, the family's more experienced combat captains were transferred to Indenor State.

Now that business there has stabilized, these experienced team leaders can be mobilized to New Gold City to quickly complete the family's branch network.

Irwin thought for a moment, "I'll give you a list later..."

　My father-in-law has been undergoing constant resuscitation efforts, running back and forth between hospitals, and it looks like he only has one or two weeks left. Multiple organ failure and metastasis mean there's little hope. If things get busy with the funeral arrangements, I might have to take time off, but I'll try to keep things updated.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)