Shadow Empire

Chapter 1094 Speculation and Responsibility

How can you let people know if someone has done something wrong?
It's actually very simple; you just need to say it yourself.

However, the Perez family is not such a "superficial" family, and it's not really appropriate for them to go around announcing what they did; they need to subtly remind people—

Look, this is what I made.

So what is the best method?
Fran's gaze remained fixed on Bob. He was very satisfied with the results of Bob's operation this time, and he decided to give him the opportunity again.

Meeting Fran's gaze, Bob knew he was being asked to speak, and he was more than happy to do so.

The Perez family is very large, and outsiders consider the official members to be very remarkable people.

The official members felt that only those with the surname Perez were special members of the family, while the branch members felt that the direct line members were the true core.

But only immediate family members know that even among immediate family members, there are those who are useful and those who are not.

The useful ones, like Bob, naturally hold great power, while the useless ones are probably still growing maple grass in some rural place.

Lance burned a lot of land last time, but the market did not shrink as a result. On the contrary, because there are more and more wealthy people, the market is getting bigger and bigger, and they need to open up more farmland to meet the demand of these people for maple leaf extract.

It's not just about making money; it's about integrating into high society circles.

Sometimes one has to admire the federal market. Although there is no explicit prohibition against capitalists exploiting the poorest people, there seems to be an unseen force protecting them.

They weathered many crises and didn't lose all their money investing in the stock market.

I didn't become interested in any products just because I attended social events like salons.

They wouldn't use those expensive special medicines either; everything, all the sickles, seemed to fly past the scalps of these people from the bottom of society.

In reality, what protects them is their poverty.

Those who can afford maple leaves are wealthy people, belonging to high society, and this is a very important network of connections.

Maple iris is very important, but the person who grows it may not be so important.

People like Bob are ultimately a minority, but if Bob wants to maintain his position in the family and face those who come after him, he will have to take more concrete actions to prove his worth.

After a few seconds, he laughed with great satisfaction and enthusiasm, saying, "We just need to have people sell or display our spoils, and people will know what happened!"

Fran squinted as he pondered his words, then a smile crept across his face. "You always understand me, Bob."

Bob bowed slightly to show his respect for Fran.

Fran looked at the others and said, "Do as he says. First, spread the word that the Lance family's transport team was attacked. Then, find an opportunity to sell some of their wine and let people discover the truth 'accidentally'."

"We need to let them know that the Perez family will not only compromise, but also fight back!"

He paused as he spoke, and after a while, he took out a handkerchief and wiped the corner of his mouth. As he gets older, he also has to face the problems that all elderly people face.

For example, when you talk a lot, there will be some saliva at the corners of your mouth, and the more excited you are, the more saliva you will produce.

Even if he pays great attention to this detail, he cannot change it by focusing on these issues; he can only wipe it with a handkerchief from time to time.

This also serves as a reminder to him that he is truly getting old.

Getting older brings many disadvantages, but also some advantages, though these advantages pale in comparison to the effects of aging.

Something like authority.

"Knowing Lance as I do, he will soon retaliate against us, and that's exactly what I want."

“If they stay in Xinjin City, it will be difficult for us to engage in a large-scale battle with them. But if they need to retaliate against us, they will have to come to our side to cause trouble.”

"Tighten control over the businesses in New Gold Market, tell them to be careful, and call the police if necessary..."

Some family members' expressions turned strange; the word "call the police" was so foreign to them.

Seeing the strange expressions on the faces of these family members, Fran couldn't help but shake his head with a smile, "See, this is the biggest difference between you and Lance."

“He will call the police, and he will use all the resources at his disposal to turn them into his own power, knives, and weapons to attack those people.”

"But you still hold onto those outdated ideas. Sometimes I think you're the old people!"

“Especially for legitimate businesses, we pay taxes and should enjoy the protection of law enforcement, not discrimination.”

"We'll put the battlefield on our own turf, let them come and attack us, and then we'll retaliate fiercely!" He stretched out his hand and waved it in the air, then suddenly closed his open palm as if he had grabbed something.

The others nodded in agreement, while some seemed lost in thought.

Fran took two slightly heavy breaths, then gradually slowed his breathing. "We can't afford to lose again this time."

"Although I don't want to talk about this, it's a huge disgrace to us, but my family, we really can't keep failing."

"They're just laughing at us now, mocking our failures, especially if we lose to Lance and his men again..."

Fran's expression turned serious and grave. "Soon we will be overwhelmed by the surging challengers, by the enormous waves of the new era!"

"In short, everyone should be careful during this period. If you find any problems, communicate them in a timely manner. That's all for now."

This was just Fran's arrangement; these senior officials would have their own plans after the meeting.

The top level is only responsible for macro-level things, such as going east or west.

The people who actually decide which way to go east or west are the middle-level managers.

The entire Perez family mobilized, leveraging their immense influence and network in the central Federation. Within two days, the entire Federation's underworld knew that the Lance family's transport fleet had been robbed, losing a large quantity of goods and suffering numerous casualties. This was undoubtedly huge news in the underworld. While people had anticipated a renewed conflict between the Lance and Perez families, they hadn't expected it to erupt so quickly!
Not long after the news spread, the Perez family began selling some bronze and silver label whiskies, which were produced by the Lance family themselves and were considered a signature product.

Given the conflict and hatred between the Perez and Lance families, it's highly unlikely that the Perez family would buy these drinks from Lance and resell them in the central region of the Federation.

So everyone already knows where this batch of wine came from.

They robbed Lance's transport convoy as a form of revenge, and people were eagerly anticipating how Lance would respond.

"How should he deal with this?" Director Roland of the FBI was also frowning as he pondered this matter.

Five days have passed since Lance's convoy was attacked, and Lance doesn't seem to have immediately launched a retaliation, which is somewhat different from the impression he has left on people in the past.

Anyone who knows Lance and the Lance family knows that these people have tempers like dynamite, ready to explode at any moment.

Lance could stab Peggy in the thigh with a knife in a restaurant, or burn down the Perez family's Maple Leaf Farm. If you offend him, he will almost immediately retaliate twice as hard, and he will never tolerate those who try to challenge him.

But this time, they seem to have gone silent?
"What are your thoughts?" Director Roland asked, his gaze fixed on the senior detectives, hoping to gain some inspiration from them.

Undoubtedly, their strategy was successful. Through instigation and guidance, the tension between the two gangs escalated considerably. But the question is, why didn't Lance react this time?
A younger senior detective supervisor asked, "Are they preparing a counterattack?"

"After all, this is Jinzhou. Their influence hasn't penetrated here yet, and it will take time to mobilize manpower."

The young senior agent who spoke came from an elite alliance school, and could be said to be a true member of the social elite. Even if he did not join the FBI, whether he went into politics or business, he would have a very bright future!
The alumni in the alumni association only need to let him slip some information through their fingers, and he can rise to prominence quickly.

Having many options, he ultimately chose to join the FBI, and he was very optimistic about its future prospects.

The dream Roland wove for them filled them with confidence that this place would become the top law enforcement agency in the federal government!
Working in a place with such great development potential and future power, he did not feel that it was "self-degradation".

Director Roland nodded. "Your idea makes a lot of sense. They don't have many people right now. If they want to go to war with the Perez family, they will definitely need more people."

"Does anyone else have any thoughts?"

Another senior detective supervisor sitting at the table had his head down, and his eyes revealed a complex expression; he seemed to be struggling.

After a while, Director Roland seemed to notice that his mood was a bit off, so he took the initiative to ask, "Zoe, do you have any thoughts?"

The senior agent supervisor, whom he called "Zoe," looked up somewhat blankly, her eyes filled with confusion, but she quickly regained her composure. "Yes, I have some ideas, but I don't know if they're right."

Director Roland leaned back in his chair. "Tell me," he said, "we don't have a hierarchy here. Only by exchanging ideas can we find what we're looking for."

Zoe took a deep breath. "I think... the Lance family might have already taken action, but we just haven't discovered it yet?"

These words plunged the entire conference room into an eerie silence; some people even slowed their breathing.

They exchanged glances, seeing something incredible in each other's eyes.

Shock, astonishment, and even a bewildered fear in some people!
Director Roland also took a deep breath, his gaze lingering on Zoe for a moment before shifting his posture again.

He leaned forward, placed his hands on the table, and aimlessly played with the pencil on the writing board. "A very good guess!"

“It’s possible. Knowing Lance White as I do, he certainly wouldn’t let the Perez family provoke him like this.”

"If he is indeed taking action, but we haven't seen it, it means there's a problem with our plans and investigations against them."

His expression was serious, even somewhat grave. "I bear a great responsibility. I hadn't considered these possibilities; Zoe reminded me."

"We need to monitor not only the Lance family members here, but also the entire Federation."

At this point, a senior detective supervisor couldn't help but say, "They also have several thousand people. If you include the peripheral members, the number is countless. We don't have enough resources to keep an eye on every single one of them."

Director Roland shook his head. "The fact that you said such immature things shows that you haven't really taken this job seriously, or taken Lance White seriously as a person!"

“We can keep an eye on their senior officers, or even more specifically, on the combat captains under each of their senior officers.”

“The internal structure of these gangs is almost all like this. As long as we keep an eye on some of the key people, we can figure out their specific movements.”

His gaze fell on Zoe. "Since it was you who proposed this idea, which helped us improve our workflow, then, Zoe..."

Zoe raised her head slightly, straightened her chest, and looked at Director Roland. "I'm here."

"You'll be in charge of this matter. You'll have people keep a close eye on every senior executive of the Lance family, and make sure to keep a close watch on the combat captains under their command!"

"I need to know when and where they are."

“I’m not asking you to figure out what they’re doing or what they’ve said; that would obviously be asking too much.”

"But I need to know when and where they were, who they met, and things like that. You should be able to do that, right?"

Zoe was a little taken aback by the sudden responsibility... He forced a smile, "I'm worried I won't do a good job."

He wasn't worried about not doing well; he was just worried that the inner turmoil would cause him to slip up.

Director Roland, however, believed in him, saying, "From the moment we are born, we are constantly trying and making mistakes."

"No one is born knowing everything; we only master everything through learning, failure, and constant attempts."

“Try it, Zoe.”

"Whatever resources you need, I can allocate them to you. Give it a try, okay?"

Meeting Director Roland's gaze, Zoe couldn't bring himself to refuse. He could only nod reluctantly, "I'll give it a try!"

　My father-in-law is dying; we're planning to bring him home overnight to handle his funeral arrangements. Updates over the next few days might be a bit disorganized, so I'll stop here for now.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)