Shadow Empire

Chapter 1077 Assigning Tasks
Four days later, a group of captains selected by Erwin arrived from other places. Some of these captains were familiar faces, while many were new faces.

The previous battles in Indenor State gave some people the opportunity to be promoted and become the new captains.

Whether they were the new captain or the old captain, they all had great respect for Lance.

On one hand, the Lance family itself was built around Lance, who is the biggest boss of the entire family and rules over everyone.

On the other hand, his legendary story is still circulating in Golden Harbor City and among the imperial immigrants in the south.

From an ordinary bakery worker to a prominent figure standing on the highest stage of the federal government.

Even those who haven't walked this path know it's not easy. The Federation has so many people, and those in similar situations to Lance probably make up ninety percent of the country.

However, only a very few people can truly achieve what Lance did.

He is a legend, a living legend.

Allen was among this group. He looked much more mature now, and had changed somewhat. The most significant change was in their mental outlook.

They used to look like street thugs. Although they joined the Lance family and were members of the family, even captains, they still lacked maturity.

They look much more composed now, and composure is a visible strength.

Lance hugged each of them, then led them back to the manor. After settling them in, he gathered them in a room.

Lance sat on the sofa, a cigarette dangling from his lips, and distributed the materials in his hand to the people. "Those of you who receive these documents are responsible for investigating these people and seeing if they have any dirt on them."

“They are all Liberal Party nominees, and I need to figure out who is the dirtiest and who is the cleanest.”

"I need you to do two things."

"First, try not to alert these people and don't let them know that someone is investigating them."

"Second, while ensuring your own safety, find out just how dirty their asses are."

"Whether it's needing something—money, some help, or anything else specific—just tell me and I'll take care of it."

As he spoke, he took the cigarette out of his mouth, flicked off the ash, and tossed the remaining empty file folder onto the table. "Some of the obvious issues will be investigated. What you need to investigate are their underhanded dealings."

“Seek help from the local gangs, or take people there directly to investigate whether there are any brothels like Red Heels in the area, and try to find out if they are customers of these places.”

“Investigate their private lives and keep an eye on their families.”

Lance's gaze lingered on each of these people's faces. The Federation did not have any such saying as "not taking one's anger out on family members."

They either don't do it at all, or once they decide to take action, they often go to extremes.

If these nominated candidates themselves don't have any problems, it means they are usually very careful and meticulous, but their families may not be as careful as they are.

Furthermore, the federal government is a society that highly values ​​family. If they can't even manage their own families, people won't believe they can manage the country well!
“Anyway…” Lance took another drag of his cigarette, then flipped his wrist, making a gesture that indicated a progression of information, “Do whatever you think you can investigate.”

"Once you have collected the evidence, you must protect it. If there are witnesses, try to persuade them and bring them back."

At this moment, a young man, the newly promoted captain, asked, "What if they don't cooperate?"

Lance looked at him, and everyone else looked at him too. Then Lance smiled a little more, and laughter began to fill the room.

What are your weapons for?

"We politely asked them to leave with us first, and if they didn't cooperate, we gave them a taste of their own medicine."

"As long as we don't kill them!"

"In short, your work is important, but time is not tight. As long as there are results before October this year, that's fine."

“I’ve given you plenty of time, but I still hope you can find out what I need as soon as possible.”

"Who has any more questions?"

The captains looked at each other and shook their heads. Lance had already made himself clear, and they knew what to do, so they had no questions.

Lance looked at Devon, who was also among the chosen ones.

In fact, Lance also discovered another problem: the number of experienced captains in the family was relatively small.

The underworld in Likale has become relatively stable and peaceful, and the gang wars in Indenor have also come to a temporary end. The work in Lapa and the work in the federal government are disconnected.

It's not a good thing that the Lance family doesn't seem to have many opportunities for young people to train.

The vitality of gangs is not reflected in how much people fear them, but in the state of each individual.

If every gang member is ambitious and enterprising, then that gang must be incredibly powerful.

But if they have no rivals, they too will decay and, like those once great regimes, begin to decline.

Devon seemed hesitant to speak, and Lance looked at him for a moment before asking, "What's wrong?"

Devon hesitated for a moment, then asked, "If we can't find too many problems, can we fabricate some dirt on us?"

"For example...arranging for someone to seduce them, or bribing them, and then leaving this evidence behind."

Lance was somewhat surprised; this was actually a good idea. He considered it for a moment, then said, "Be careful with your methods. Don't make it too obvious. You know what I mean."

Devon smiled with satisfaction. "I understand what you mean, Boss."

Their conversation also gave others some new ideas, since finding dirt on someone is far less easy than creating dirt on them.

Seeing that they all looked thoughtful, Lance took the cigarette butt off and stubbed it out in the ashtray.

He doesn't care where these scandals came from; what he cares about is whether they exist and how much there is.

Some others had other plans; they wanted to plant a flag here, in the heart of the Federation—the flag of the Lance family. Unbeknownst to Lance, their arrival in New Gold City had already drawn attention.

That evening, the FBI director summoned several senior agents to his office. These were not only his confidants but also the backbone of the FBI.

They were all highly skilled in every aspect, so the bureau chief trusted them implicitly, even to the point of dependence.

He looked at these people, his gaze lingering on each of their faces. Those he looked at would instinctively straighten their backs and meet his gaze.

In the ensuing eye contact, he finally looked away. "You should know what the FBI did before I took office."

These senior agents, or rather, "agent supervisors," all wore somewhat embarrassed expressions.

The FBI used to be a clownish department whose main job was to find out who was talking badly about the president and what the president wanted to do, and to do as much indirect work as possible.

He was like a courtier in a kingdom, or even worse.

Court jesters still have some power; they can fight and scheme against other princes and ministers, but the FBI has almost no power.

Some presidents have treated the FBI like a dumping ground, dumping all sorts of garbage into it.

From the changes in these people's expressions, the bureau chief got what he wanted: "But look at us now, how much has our power expanded?"

“We can intervene in case investigations and trials within any state, and we can even bypass state and local governments to arrest people locally.”

“We don’t even need any evidence. As long as we suspect that these people may pose a threat to federal security, we can investigate and take action.”

"The FBI's power is expanding rapidly."

"But that's not enough!"

His fingers tapped on the table, making a crisp sound that helped draw people's attention to him.

“We need some impressive results, such as… the state’s serial murder case, which was solved very smoothly.”

It was a horrific serial murder case that lasted for about seven years in the local area. If the FBI hadn't intervened forcefully and used some "high-pressure tactics" to get the local police to investigate, the perpetrator might have died without ever being caught.

But the FBI caught the serial killer and successfully put him in the electric chair, which earned the locals a lot of goodwill towards the FBI and also established the FBI's authority in the local area.

“But that’s not enough. People in other states don’t know what we’ve done, and they don’t have much respect for the results we’ve achieved.”

"So we need something bigger, something broader, something that affects almost every federalist, to build our image."

"Once our image is established, I can assure you that our business will get better and better, and our power will grow greater and greater!"

"I chose the gang."

“Gangs are a legacy of history. They exist in every state, every city, and every town. They are like the dark side of the government, existing in another form.”

“If we can put the gangs in the dustbin of history, then we will be truly famous throughout the Federation, and we will get more attention and power.”

He paused for a moment, then said, "Our main task going forward will be to collect evidence of crimes committed by gangs in various regions. Once we have collected enough evidence, we will take action against them."

"You need to relay this to the local investigation bureau, and we also have similar work to do ourselves."

He lit a cigarette, leaned forward, and pressed his elbows on the table with his hands in a fist-like gesture. He took a puff of the cigarette, which made a soft crackling sound as it burned.

“I’ve received information that the Lance family has brought about seventy or eighty people from other places to New Gold City today. They are very likely planning to establish a branch here and expand their business.”

“We can make use of them and get them to ‘work’ for us.”

Someone raised a question, "I don't quite understand."

The director explained, "They have a grudge against the Perez family."

Many people knew about this incident, and the Perez family was forced to apologize and compromise twice, making Perez a laughing stock in the underworld of the central and northern regions.

Although they are a joke, only a few of the other five major families and some super-large gangs dare to treat them as a joke.

"My idea is that we should use this opportunity to reignite the war between the two sides."

“As long as gang warfare breaks out, we will definitely be able to obtain some evidence, which will be very convenient whether dealing with emerging gangs like the Lance family or old-school gangs like the Perez family.”

Everyone else nodded in agreement; it did sound good.

But the question is, where to begin?
The bureau chief who raised this question had obviously given it considerable thought, and he already had several opportunities in hand that could force them to go to war.

"I called you all to my office today not only to get us on the same page, but also to assign some tasks."

"Before I assign the task, if any of you think... this might be dangerous, it certainly is, after all, we are facing one of the most vicious groups in the Federation."

“They disregard morality, trample on the law, kill others, and use crime as a means of profit.”

“If we go to deal with them, we may encounter some unpredictable dangers. If anyone wants to back out, it’s not too late.”

“I won’t blame you for not being with us, and I won’t fire you. I will find you a relatively easier and less dangerous job to ensure your safety.”

“But once you stay, there’s only one path you can take.”

These people all remained silent.

Silence itself is also an attitude.

"Very good, it seems no one wants to quit. Now I will assign tasks. Everyone, please be sure to keep this confidential."

"If this secret is leaked, it could be fatal for both you and me!"

His words made everyone in the room serious and cautious, but their eyes were also filled with a kind of longing.

If the things the director said were actually accomplished, they couldn't imagine just how much power the FBI would have!
And these detective supervisors will be the direct beneficiaries!
(End of this chapter)