Shadow Empire

Chapter 1085 Conversation
A late-night food stall.

The downtown area of ​​New Gold City has a certain late-night culture, with many vendors organizing and operating in one place before 11 p.m.

At first, there were only one or two shops, mainly selling simple food, such as the original flatbread made with minced beef and unleavened dough, filled with meat and sauce.

For workers who can't leave their workplace until after 8 p.m., or office workers, this means a satisfying meal without spending much money, and business gradually picked up.

When others saw that this nameless food stall was doing well, they started to run their own. From the initial two or three stalls, there are now hundreds of stalls, and the types of goods they sell are no longer limited to food, but also include other small commodities.

There are also second-hand goods.

Secondhand goods and food are the main businesses here, and much of the secondhand goods come from thieves in the city.

They sold these less valuable items, which were not convenient to sell at the stolen goods depot, to other people.

These people come here at night to set up stalls and sell these stolen goods.

An outfit that would cost about a dollar in a store can be bought here for only sixty cents.

After some haggling, you might be able to get it for 40 cents or even 35 cents. Since it's all stolen goods anyway, they buy it by the kilogram and then resell it at the unit price, so they can't lose money no matter what.

The New Gold City government was aware of the situation here. At first, they considered whether to intervene, but it has since become a nighttime attraction in the area and even in New Gold City, drawing more and more people to the area.

Gradually, the city hall tacitly approved the existence of the night market, and its scale continued to expand.

It's said that a gang runs this place, and they've set up rules, such as the location of the stalls, who's where, and how much they need to pay to set up a stall here.

Ordinary people may not understand what's going on here, but those who run businesses here do.

There's a reason people hate gangs. Even though the gangs do nothing, the business owners still have to pay them money, otherwise they can't operate there.

After receiving the money, the gang didn't just sit idly by. They took on some sanitation and cleaning work, and then they maintained order.

After parking his car, the senior detective supervisor entered the night market from the east and quickly found a food stall.

The stall wasn't very big, and it mainly sold similar things to others: grilled minced beef, mixed with various sauces, and then served with three bread rolls.

You can eat the ground beef while eating the bread roll, or you can cut the bread roll open and stuff the ground beef inside.

If you pay an extra 15 cents, they can also provide a vegetable salad.

He simply glanced around and found the person he was looking for, then ordered the most basic set meal and sat down opposite Lance.

“I didn’t expect... to meet here.” The senior detective’s emotions were a little complicated. He thought it would be in a more private place, such as a club or something.

He had never expected Lance to invite him to such a public place, and he felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Lance was savoring his meal when he swallowed and looked up, saying, "Those upscale, private places are too conspicuous. If someone is watching me, they'll spot your car and you."

“It’s different here. I came in from the west, and I’ve already had someone sort out who might be watching us. Even if there are still some, they can only watch from a distance.”

"They don't know why we met here, or what we're talking about. To them, you're just an ordinary passerby."

"The light here isn't very bright, so they can't see your face clearly."

Although the night market was lit, the lights were focused on the vendors' carts and stalls, illuminating the food carts and the smuggled goods, but not the small tables next to them used for eating.

Some small tables had a candle, but others had voluntarily extinguished their candles, such as Lance's table.

Although there are now batteries available and they can be used commercially, this is a night market for the poor, and they cannot afford the money for these devices.

If they had the money to buy these devices, there would be no need for them to set up stalls here.

Soon the standard set meal was served, and Lance gestured for him to try it.

Perhaps it was the aroma of the food that made the senior agent supervisor want to try it, or perhaps he didn't want Lance to feel his opposition. In any case, he took a bite a few seconds later.

"You should cut the bread roll open, put the meat inside, and I have some vegetable salad here. Add some more, then take a bite. It tastes amazing!"

"Ground beef burgers, you deserve them!"

The senior agent supervisor ignored Lance's advice, wrapped one up according to his own ideas, and took a big bite.

It must be said that these roadside food stalls that provide food for the poor do have some delicious dishes. The beef is cooked with care and takes a long time to cook, resulting in a very tender and flavorful dish.

Unlike beef with tendons that's tough to chew.

One bite and the sauce and gravy burst out, the bread soaking up all the juices, combined with the bread's own wheat flavor, it tastes absolutely delicious!
Lance watched him take a couple of bites and said with a smile, "How is it? Not bad, right?"

After eating most of it, the senior detective supervisor put it down, keeping his head down the whole time. "My time is limited. Just say what you want to say."

Lance took out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth and hands, and lit a cigarette. "I know what you're planning to do to me. It's no secret."

The senior detective couldn't help but ask, "Where did you hear that from?"

Not many people knew about this; only the senior detectives, then Chief Roland, and some of their subordinates who only knew how to do things but didn't know why they were doing them or what they were doing.

If someone leaked the information, it must have been one of the managers.

As for Director Roland?
He orchestrated everything; there was absolutely no way he would leak his plans.

Thinking about this, the senior detective chief felt a bit bad. Their "just cause" had only just begun and had already been exposed. He was now considering whether to talk to Chief Roland about it.

Faced with a question that most people wouldn't answer, Lance gave him a somewhat vague reply, "I certainly didn't guess it myself. Someone gave me some help and leaked some information." "Actually, I know that you're the ones pushing me to fight the Perez family. You want to see both sides suffer heavy losses in the fight so you can arrest us."

When Lance said these words, the senior agent supervisor visibly became uncomfortable, and he began to shift his position frequently.

At other times, it could be interpreted as him not being used to the small stool, but now he keeps shifting his position, indicating that he is feeling uncomfortable.

The discomfort that comes after a secret has been discovered.

"What exactly do you want to say to me?" He wanted to end this uncomfortable and unsettling topic, because Lance held all the power.

Lance smiled, and the cigarette butt hanging from his arm suddenly became much brighter, reflecting a bit of his face. "I want to be your friend."

"I've always believed that the more friends you have, the better. One isn't enough; I want a second, a third, and... we all have the potential to become friends."

"Look, the fact that someone gave me your phone number means we have mutual friends. You must have heard the saying, 'A friend of a friend is a friend.'"

"Since we are friends, friends should understand and help each other, don't you think?"

The senior detective supervisor remained silent, unsure whether to speak or remain silent; he was in a dilemma.

Lance acted very normally, but this normalcy put a lot of pressure on him. He was worried that he would be persuaded.

"Everyone has their own ideals. Some people's ideal is to become a big shot, some want to get more money, and some want to live a simple life."

"No matter what their ideals are, they need a foundation to support them, and that is wealth."

The senior detective supervisor suddenly interrupted Lance, "You want to bribe me?"

Lance smiled, pursing his lips. "It's not just about money, but also about promises and your safety."

"And rest assured, I will not force you to do anything you don't want to do. You are not my only trading partner. You can even keep your plans and schemes against me from me."

“I have my own ways of obtaining it.”

"I actually told you from the beginning that I just wanted to be your friend."

Lance mentioned their mutual friend without putting too much pressure on him, which made the senior agent supervisor waver somewhat.

Lance didn't urge him. He picked up the rest of the food again and took a big bite. "Some people achieve their own ideals, but some people achieve ideals instilled in them by others."

"You may not even be clear about what your ideal is or what kind of life you want."

He took out a small card, placed it on the table, and pushed it over, saying, "You can think about it some more, and call me when you've thought it through."

The senior detective supervisor sensed Lance's intention to leave. He had assumed Lance would have to convince him tonight, but it turned out this was just a one-night stand.

He didn't immediately put the card away, but instead asked, "What if... I refuse..."

Lance stood up and looked down at him in the darkness. "Then we are enemies. You have studied my file and should be able to find some clues about my attitude in handling problems from the past events."

"As for the enemy..." He chuckled twice, then shook his head, turned and left, "Go back and think it over carefully, don't miss this opportunity."

Watching Lance and his group leave, the senior agent supervisor stared at the small card on the table, lost in thought.

After an unknown amount of time, he sighed, picked up the card, put it in his pocket, and left.

He was in a terrible mood because Lance knew that the FBI was targeting him and that they had even instigated the conflict between the Lance and Perez families.

At the same time, he was also thinking about something else. Since Lance already knew that the FBI was behind this, why was he still willing to cooperate and jump in?
He knew it was a trap, but why did he still jump in?
Also, who was the person who leaked the information?
What would happen if I rejected Lance?
What would happen if I accepted Lance's invitation?

After returning home, he didn't continue working but kept thinking about these things.

His wife was completely unaware of her husband's abnormality; she was utterly obsessed with the content on television.

Golden Harbor News Group and Lance's Golden Harbor Television has now become a well-known television station in the Federation, because the various programs they produce are simply "slaughtering" the new media group that is still in the exploratory stage!
Whether it's "long-form TV movies (TV series)," various entertainment and news programs, or interviews and talk shows, they all bring great appeal to the federal public.

Television stations across the country are now in talks with Jingang Television about cooperation, hoping to bring in more programs and establish strategic partnerships in certain areas.

Lance's condition was that if he wanted to cooperate, he had to accept Golden Harbor Television's request for investment.

This is also a very good way of cooperation for Golden Harbor News Corporation. As for whether it involves monopoly, we'll have to wait until someone thinks they have a monopoly before we can talk about that.

Most of the television content broadcast by New Golden City Television comes from Golden Harbor Television.

These programs have captivated many people, who spend almost 24 hours a day in front of the television, except for the time they have to leave it. They are completely engrossed in these programs.

Silent all night.

The next morning, the senior agent supervisor went to the FBI. He was a little nervous, but neither the doorman nor the director looked for him, which meant that his meeting with Lance the night before was safe.

He returned to his office and had some materials about Lance delivered to him, in which he saw the fate of Lance's enemies.

He didn't feel this strongly when he looked at these materials before, but looking at them now gives him a completely different feeling.

Just as he was basking in the memory of Lance's ruthless methods against his enemies, the telephone on the table suddenly rang. He answered it immediately; it was a call from an old friend.

Are you free today?

"If so, come to my place tonight. I've prepared a sumptuous dinner, and there are a few things I'd like to discuss with you..."

(End of this chapter)