Shadow Empire

Chapter 1086 Lobbyist
"You've met with Lance?"

The senior detective supervisor entered his friend's house, placed his hat and handbag on the shelf by the door, and then went into the living room.

As soon as he entered the living room, he heard his friend ask this question.

This made the senior intelligence chief feel a little... he didn't know how to describe it, a little uncomfortable.

“Yes, we’ve already met.” He looked around. “Are you alone?”

His friend was about the same age as him, a couple of years older, and was also married with three children—a fairly typical middle-class family.

Middle-class families in the federal government are not really willing to have too many children now, because raising them and giving them a better education is very costly.

For example, various private schools offer elite education.

As potential beneficiaries of this system, they understand better than the average person what their children need to sacrifice to maintain this lifestyle and have the opportunity to go even further.

Two or three children is already the limit; any more and they can't afford the expenses of raising children.

His friend shrugged. "They moved to another neighborhood. You should remember, we went to see it together before."

"My God?!" the senior detective supervisor exclaimed in surprise. "Are you talking about the house we looked at together the year before last?"

"You bought it?"

"How much?!"

They had previously seen a detached house in another mid-to-high-end community. It had three floors above ground and one floor below ground, and it was larger than this house, with a net usable area of ​​over 600 square meters, including the basement.

Outside the house, there is a private area of ​​about 200 square meters, which is the garden.

The developers don't restrict what they can do on this land, whether it's laying lawns, doing some landscaping, digging a swimming pool, or building a sports field, they can do whatever they want.

The developer didn't impose any conditions or requirements; each household is spaced a distance apart, ensuring excellent privacy; and the community has complete roads and facilities.

When they were looking at the house, they discovered that there was a supermarket in the center of the community, a "community supermarket," and they didn't need to go there to buy anything they needed.

With just one phone call, supermarket staff in the community will prepare what they need and deliver it to their homes.

Everything was fine there, and the residents were all middle-class people on the rise in society, moving towards the upper class.

In short, it's a very good option, the only downside being that it's not cheap, costing around 40,000 yuan.

Forty thousand yuan is an astronomical sum for ordinary people. An average worker could probably earn that much money if he worked for a hundred years without eating or drinking.

Two years ago, this price also prevented them from buying a house in that community.

But this year, a friend of the senior detective supervisor bought it.

When asked by his friend, he wore a slightly smug and boastful expression and said in a tone that seemed not to care much, "Sixty thousand yuan."

"They originally wanted 63,000 yuan from me. I talked to them for a long time, and finally they agreed to 60,000 yuan."

"But I have to spend five thousand dollars at their community supermarket within three years."

"My God!" the senior intelligence officer exclaimed, staring at his friend in disbelief. "Sixty thousand dollars?"

"It's gone up that much?"

His friend brought over some food and wine. "You know," he said, "wages have increased a lot now, and the war tax has been abolished. People have more income, and houses in those neighborhoods aren't just a simple number."

"It's purchasing power!"

This is a word he recently learned. Using some new words makes him seem sophisticated, which is also a characteristic of the middle class. They always feel and hope to be at the forefront of the times.

"In fact, the amount you need to pay is the same as the amount you have paid in the past, in terms of income."

"In the past, it would have taken you a hundred years of income, and it still takes you a hundred years of income now, so its value has not changed with the change of currency; it is constant."

"When I need to sell it in the future, it will still be worth two lifetimes for an ordinary person."

Hearing this, the senior detective supervisor said with some envy, "You're such a lucky guy, did you get a pay raise recently?"

His friend smiled, a somewhat mysterious smile, and said, "No."

"Then how did you..." The senior intelligence chief couldn't help but want to probe. Actually, it was a very private question, but their relationship was indeed good, so he was able to ask it.

If it were someone else, he definitely wouldn't ask that question; it would be too impolite.

His friend handed him a glass filled with some wine, then clinked his glass against the one in his hand.

After they each had some drinks, his friend said, "You know, life has many choices and many opportunities."

"Choosing an option that will help our future development is very important."

“My job has remained largely unchanged, but I now have an extra source of income, and it’s quite substantial.”

"It can provide me with an income of about eight thousand to ten thousand yuan per year."

Upon hearing this, the senior detective supervisor vaguely realized that this extra income must be related to Lance.

He didn't speak immediately, but was thinking. His friends didn't urge him either, but just drank and ate the food on the table.

They sat cross-legged on the soft carpet in the living room, around the coffee table, instead of sitting on chairs in the dining room around the dining table, enjoying various kinds of grilled meats, pickles, and vegetable salads.

This kind of dining atmosphere is more relaxed and less formal, so there's less of a burden to say certain things.

It's like if you and your friends are in a very formal room and dressed formally to discuss an issue, everyone will be very cautious.

But if it's in the toilet, it might feel quite relaxed.

After about a minute, the senior detective supervisor asked, "What do Lance and his gang need you to do for them?"

His friend shook his head. "You've actually misunderstood something."

“This money may indeed have originated from Lance White and his criminal group, but it went through several layers of transfers, and by the time it reached me, it actually had little to do with Lance White anymore.”

"And most importantly, it's legal, it's investment income, and the tax is very low. If it weren't for the tax, my extra income would be at least 10,000 yuan a year."

“I’m not one of Lance White’s people, and he doesn’t have the power to hire me. In fact… you know, I’ve always been in contact with those people, both professionally and personally.”

The senior detective supervisor knew who "those people" was; they were some people in Congress, Senator Cleveland's group.

They have a lot of influence now, so many people are willing to cooperate with them and work for them.

On the one hand, it was to gain a stronger backer and visible power support; on the other hand, it was also because Senator Cleveland and his group were simply too generous!

As long as you follow them, you'll always have some income. In recent years, a large number of wealthy people have emerged in the new gold market, and they are all more or less related to this interest group.

After all, Lance alone receives hundreds of millions of dollars in funding every year, and the total amount from other sources is even greater.

Moreover, they have just reaped a wave of investors and used their power to ensure that the capitalists behind them profit from illicit business dealings.

In short, this is an ever-expanding interest group.

Of course, these minor figures were not very clear about these things. All they knew was that as long as they followed Senator Cleveland and his ilk, they would receive a benefit every now and then.

And the income is continuous; as long as they don't do anything foolish and are obedient, they are guaranteed a steady income. A friend of a senior detective supervisor earned just over two thousand dollars a year, but after he joined Senator Cleveland, his income quadrupled—an income that's hard to refuse.

"So, you're a lobbyist today?" The senior detective supervisor picked up a pickled cucumber and took a bite.

The sourness made his sphincter contract for a moment, but he then picked up a piece of grilled meat with fat and stuffed it into his mouth, not feeling greasy at all.

His friend shook his head. "No, I'm not really a lobbyist in the true sense, because that's not the only reason I invited you here today."

"Firstly, I want to tell you that I have moved. If you want to find me, you will have to go to my new house. I will also give you a new phone number."

“We’ve known each other for over ten years, and now we have fewer and fewer friends around us. I cherish our friendship very much.”

"The second purpose is to talk to you about this in more detail. It's not really suitable to talk about it on the phone. It's easier for us to communicate face-to-face."

"Even if you are unwilling to join us, my advice is not to stand on the opposite side."

The senior detective supervisor immediately retorted stubbornly, "I am not on their side!"

His friend looked helpless and said, "Come on!"

“We all know that you are investigating Lance White, who is one of the key beneficiaries of this interest group.”

"Don't talk to me about official business. We've been working in the government for almost ten years now. When have you ever seen the federal government ever act in an official manner?"

His tone was sharp and aggressive, and his face was full of mockery. "All along, the federal government has been nothing more than a means, a channel, and a platform used by certain people to control this country and its people."

"What you call 'official business' is just their personal opinion. How much have you, me, or anyone else really done for people?"

"Think about it carefully, do we do more for the people or for these big shots?"

This sentence was an absolute killer move, immediately silencing the senior detective supervisor. He took a couple of sips of his drink, his expression looking somewhat off.

Because his friend was absolutely right, they had always been fulfilling the needs of their superiors and officials, rather than actually doing anything for ordinary people.

However, he still found it somewhat...unacceptable. "But if I side with Senator Cleveland, will I be able to do things for the people?"

His friend shook his head and said, "As long as you're in the federal government system, no matter which side you're on, you won't do anything for the people."

"The purpose of telling you all this is just to make you understand one thing first: when you do things for someone, it's the same as taking sides."

"Now you're on Director Roland's side, but do you know whose side Director Roland is on?"

"Do you know why they're targeting Lance White, and other gangs?"

"Over the years, gangs have existed and have done a great job of managing the federal underworld that we can't see. Do you really think they have no value at all?"

Federal systems all face this problem: power is difficult to penetrate downwards. For example, the power of the federal government can only be maintained at the federal level, and the power of the state governments can only be maintained at the state level.

Because in the cities below, the mayor has the final say, and even the governor may not be able to bypass the mayor to change a city's development policy.

The same applies further down the line; the mayor's words may not carry as much weight as the town mayor's, and the town mayor's words may not carry as much weight as the sheriff's.

However, whether at the federal level or in rural areas, gangs can operate with impunity. They can effectively coordinate in areas beyond the reach of higher authorities, ensuring that everything is done according to the wishes of the federal government.

Suppress strikes, suppress workers and farmers who attempt to cause trouble, even cut off transportation, besiege farms, burn their crops, kill their livestock, and force them to do things they don't want to do.

Can you get the military to do these things?

Can you ask the police to do it?

Obviously not. The federal government still has some sense of shame, so only gangsters can do these things.

This is a complete system of governance. The gangs may be a little out of control now, but they are still needed overall.

The senior detective supervisor was silent at this point. As a frontline worker, he was well aware of what was going on. However, he was now being valued by Director Roland, and if he sided with Senator Cleveland, he would feel that he was letting down Director Roland's trust.

Seeing his good friend caught in a dilemma, the homeowner clinked glasses with him again, saying, "I'm not forcing you to choose to side with us, but rather that you shouldn't take sides."

"I have a suggestion: if you are unwilling to take sides, the best way is to quit your job and find another one."

"With your current work experience, I can help you find other, better jobs."

"That way you won't be in a difficult position."

After hearing this, the senior detective supervisor instinctively shook his head and said, "Go work somewhere else?"
What other good job could it be?

He is actually quite satisfied with his current job and income; not only is his income not low, but he also has power and influence.

He was actually very optimistic about the future development of the FBI, believing it would become a very powerful department within the federal government.

It is precisely the time to "invest" in it while it is still in its early stages of development.

And even if he goes to work elsewhere, will he still face the same problems?
he does not know.

Seeing that the senior detective supervisor remained silent, his friend was not in a hurry. "We are good friends, good friends for more than ten years, so I speak more directly. If you don't like to listen... you still have to listen to me."

These words made the senior detective supervisor smile. "You really are an unreasonable and domineering person!"

They clinked their glasses again. "I'm not being domineering or unreasonable. It's just that after so many years of friendship, I don't want you to suddenly... leave me, leave this world one day."

The senior detective supervisor had already raised his glass, then put it down again. "Is it that serious?"

"I'm a senior executive at the FBI, a member of senior management!"

His friend said with a hint of disdain, "Don't forget, several presidents have been assassinated in the past. How do you compare to a president?"

Just as the senior detective supervisor was about to retort, his friend said, "Listen to me first. What you're going to take down isn't just a gang or a gang leader, but a network of interests involving hundreds of millions of dollars every year."

“By targeting Lance White, you’ve offended not only Lance White and the Lance family, but also those who could potentially benefit from this sum of hundreds of millions of dollars. There could be hundreds or even thousands of people involved.”

"And they all belong to the higher-ranking groups. You know, if they weren't high-ranking, they wouldn't get a share of the money."

The senior detective supervisor couldn't help but ask, "Including you?"

His friends were blunt, "including me."

“If you make my extra few thousand or tens of thousands of dollars in income per year go down the drain, I will definitely be angry with you.”

"We're friends, I'll only get angry."

"But what about the others?"

"They're not your friends. Have you considered how they might treat you?"

"Everything you have will leave you. You will lose it all: your family, loved ones, wife, children, and possibly even your life and theirs!"

“I don’t want that day to come, so when they brought it up, I took the initiative to take on the task.”

"Take my advice: you are no match for them, Roland is no match for them, and neither are those behind Roland!"

“You are only ‘outside’; you have never truly understood ‘inside’ the world, so you have no idea what kind of ‘monster’ you are facing!”

(End of this chapter)