Shadow Empire

Chapter 1102 Bob and Fran

“Bob, our Golio Nightclub in the east of town has been attacked…”

“Bob, we’ve been attacked at the bar in downtown.”

"Boss..."

Among the various ways Bob was called, some of the word "Boss" was mixed in. Bob kept emphasizing that people should call him "Bob" or his name.

He is not the Boss of the family now; he is just an important member of the core family. The "Boss" is still Fran, and only Fran can be called the "Boss".

This statement garnered a small amount of goodwill from some people, but his own followers continued to call him "Boss," and no matter how he tried to correct them, it was useless, so he simply stopped trying.

Therefore, these two forms of address have emerged in the office.

They called him by his first name and referred to him as "Boss".

From his own perspective, he actually prefers people to call him "Boss," as it sounds more imposing. He really wants to be that "Boss," but now is not the time.

Bob's head was still a little sore from listening to the Lance family's attacks on his family's businesses, but fortunately, he already had a solution.

He raised his hand to signal the noisy crowd to quiet down, but he lacked some of Fran's influence and authority, and it wasn't until he shouted "Quiet down!" that the people in the room actually quieted down.

Their eyes were all fixed on Bob, with a scrutinizing gaze, or perhaps an expression of dislike.

Not everyone pledged allegiance to him; many others pledged allegiance only to the head of the household, or only to Fran.

Looking into their eyes, Bob knew very well that if he couldn't stabilize the situation, they would soon consider replacing him with someone else.

Although he holds a high position in the family, there are other candidates who can fill this important role.

After the room quieted down, he shared his thoughts with everyone: "Right now it seems like the Lance family's attack is very fierce, and we seem to be at a disadvantage, but that's all an illusion."

"Gentlemen, this is the old city, and here there is only one voice, and that is the voice of the Perez family!"

"We were caught off guard by their sneak attack. Once we realized what was happening and calmed down, they were no match for us!"

"Therefore, I now require that wherever you go, you must be accompanied by at least ten people, and they must carry weapons."

"Pistols, submachine guns, and even grenades—these things can help you deal with sudden attacks."

"In addition, those who are in charge of you should stay in your own territory, not wander around, and be prepared for defense and counterattack."

"People must have weapons, bullets, know how to shoot, and dare to shoot."

He emphasized the shooting incident.

In reality, not all gang members have the courage and ability to kill; this matter is not as simple as people imagine.

Many people may be villains; they can humiliate and beat others, extort and blackmail others, and do many bad things. However, when it comes to murder, they may not be able to overcome their psychological barriers.

This kind of person is actually very common. For some people who claim to be good people, this is their bottom line. But in reality, the bottom line can be crossed anytime, anywhere, as long as there is the motivation for them to cross it.

Now, the family has reached a critical and important moment, a moment to cross the line.

The key is being able to shoot and daring to shoot.

Whether or not you hit the target is not important; it's like a bully and a bullied person.

If the person being bullied doesn't dare to fight back, then the person bullying them will only bully them even more.

But if he fights back and makes the bully feel scared or even in pain, then the person who bullied him will most likely not bully him again.

Because of cost issues.

When the Lance family attacked, they put up a fierce resistance; they would consider the cost if there were any casualties.

If people start to hesitate and become cautious about whether it's worth doing this, then this chaotic situation will soon stabilize.

The way the people in the room looked at Bob had changed somewhat; what they needed now was a clear idea, and then they would fill in the details themselves.

No one objected; they thought it was worth a try. Bob was pleased with the current situation. He looked at the people and said, "Then let's do it now!"

People began leaving the room and then searching for phones in nearby rooms to contact their men on their own turf and tell them how to respond.

In the room where the family symbolized the highest power, only Bob and a few others remained.

Actually, there's a detail: Bob never sat in the chair that belonged to Fran, not even now.

He remained seated on that individual armchair, a spot that was Fran's usual place, but it wasn't as prominent as the chair behind the desk.

He desperately wanted to sit on it, but he also knew he couldn't do so now.

"Will this solve the problem we're facing now?" his son asked curiously. "It seems we haven't done anything."

Bob lit a cigarette, frowned, and took a drag. "You don't understand."

"Our strength is far beyond what ordinary people can imagine. Even if we were to launch twice as many attacks as we do now, it still wouldn't be able to defeat us."

"Do you know how many people I can mobilize?" Bob asked his son with a relaxed expression.

His son hadn't really investigated this matter seriously, and he said somewhat uncertainly, "One hundred people, or two hundred people?"

Bob didn't answer the question, but instead looked at his top subordinate, a middle-aged man in his forties, with a half-smile.

He stood by the wall, and if Bob hadn't looked at him, he would have been almost invisible. "We can mobilize about six or seven hundred people now."

"So many?" Bob's son asked incredulously, shifting his gaze from the man back to his father's face.

Six or seven hundred people—that doesn't even sound like the number of workers in a medium-sized factory.

But they run a gang, not a factory.

Even in a factory, six or seven hundred people is not a small number, in fact.

Based on the current wage standards in the developed areas of the south, a worker needs at least 55 to 60 yuan in wages. For 600 people, that means that nearly 40,000 yuan would be paid out each month just for wages.

These gang members earn much more than ordinary workers; otherwise, why wouldn't they take jobs that are completely safe instead of engaging in such dangerous work?

They risked being killed, arrested by the police, and sent to jail to do this job in order to earn more money.

Bob spends hundreds of thousands of dollars every month on various expenses.

The men under his command alone are comparable to the core members of some medium-sized gangs.

If you include some scattered people on the periphery, he has a team of over a thousand people under his command.

If Bob is already this capable, what about the others?
Do they also have hundreds of people under their command?
Therefore, Bob never believed that the Perez family would be no match for the Lance family; they were just caught off guard and didn't react in time.

Once they've settled down, dealing with the Lance family will be like a strong adult bullying a child.

Even though the child was holding a sharp knife and had cut an adult from the Perez family.

But killing him is impossible!

Sensing Bob's confidence and strength, his son's initial nervousness gradually subsided. "So, now we just need to wait for good news."

And indeed, just as Bob had predicted, when they began to gather their strength and stop running around in such a panic, the attacks on the Perez family quickly decreased.

Because it's difficult to fight.

"Since it's not easy to fight, let the brothers go back. The first round of attacks is over."

Lance has been discharged from the hospital. After a doctor's examination, he was found to be in very good health. The injuries he sustained in the attack looked scary, but they were actually just superficial wounds, and he didn't even need any special treatment for them.

This made some people suddenly realize that it was all a setup. They might not know who Lance was trying to trap, but the smile on his face when he appeared in public showed that his plan had been very successful.

Bob never allowed people to know that Fran had been shot and hospitalized, his life hanging by a thread, so people were still unaware that Fran had almost returned to God's embrace.

Lance, far away in Golden Harbor City, has already begun remotely commanding the battle in the old city. He has even considered getting closer to the battlefield of this war.

“Once the Perez family gathers its members, attacks become much less effective.”

"The reason we've been able to succeed so frequently these past two days is because we've exploited an information gap with them. They don't know that we've figured out their routines and schedules. Once they're on guard, the cost of attacking them will be many times higher, making it less worthwhile."

"In the coming period, they may start looking for our weaknesses and then try to counterattack us, so we need to be prepared."

"Director Hull cannot be completely trusted. He may side with us for some benefits and the future, but he might also side with someone else for even greater benefits and a brighter future."

"If we find something is wrong, we should withdraw immediately. Compared to them, we may seem insignificant, but insignificance has its advantages. It makes it easier for us to turn around."

"Next, try it out according to my idea. Although it may not be successful, it may still be an opportunity."

Lance gave some more instructions, and after hanging up the phone, Helam felt that it was a bit... excessive.

Yes, a bastard with blood on his hands, who likes to pull the trigger all the way down, and who even modified two reinforced drum magazines to stuff several pounds of bullets into other people's bodies, actually thinks Lance is a bit too much.

However, he had to admit that Lance's excessive behavior did have some merit.

He then began assigning tasks, eager to see the expressions on the faces of the core members of the Perez family over the past few days.

On the afternoon he spoke with Lance on the phone, a shocking piece of news broke in the old city—

Fran Perez, a beloved philanthropist, was shot at his estate a few days ago.

The bullet struck his body, and he was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment, but his fate remains unknown.

Furthermore, while Fran was in a coma, Bob became the one giving orders to the Perez family. Rumors suggest that Bob colluded with members of the Lance family to orchestrate this horrific assassination attempt…

“This is blatant slander!” Bob sat by Fran’s bedside, denouncing the rumor-mongers. “I’ll find the people spreading these rumors, cut their tongues out, and stuff them up their asses, you sons of bitches, fuck!”

Seeing Bob's somewhat flustered expression, Fran's eyes were full of amusement. He licked his lips. Because it had only been a few days since the surgery, he had just resumed eating small amounts of liquid food and was drinking a fixed amount of water every day.

This made his lips a little dry, and there was nothing he could do about it.

His body is still adjusting. After all, with one less lung in his chest cavity, some internal organs will shift. Once these organs adapt to the new environment, he will be able to drink more water and eat more.

"I heard from the doctor that there is now a transplant surgery available, and they can give me a lung transplant." His expression was calm, and he didn't seem to care much about the rumor.

Bob's performance turned into something resembling a clown. He straightened his hair, making sure it all went back to where it belonged. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Fran took a deep breath, a hint of longing appearing on his face. "Find the person who can give me his lungs, and then bring him here."

Bob had heard of organ transplant technology because some religious people claimed that they were blaspheming God, trying to use the foolish power of mortals to seize the authority of the gods, which was disrespectful to God and would be punished.

Unfortunately, their claims do not achieve the desired effect, because those who support the development of these cutting-edge medical technologies are always just a small group of wealthy people.

When people believe that organ transplants can bring them longer health and lifespan, they will push for the development of this medical technology.

As for the protests by some religious groups?

Let them protest!
After all, the Federation is a free country, so they can throw tantrums and act recklessly as they please, since they'll never have the chance to use it in their lifetime.

Aside from the wealthy, those so wealthy that they can disregard the law and morality, who are qualified to undergo this surgery, ordinary people, the middle class, and the average upper class simply do not qualify!

Actually, Fran wasn't that qualified; it was just that the doctor he was working with was also researching this topic.

Those wealthy and powerful elderly people who are afraid of death are their real main consumers.

For ordinary people, a single injection of a three-yuan special drug is unbearable, but for the wealthy, injections costing fifty, a hundred, or even more yuan can be administered several times a day.

Therefore, they are the true core consumer group.

As for ordinary people?

They may simply be making use of what they had left after the period of exorbitant profits ended, given their large numbers.

Fran was given a spot, and the doctor said they could try to give him a free transplant of a healthy lung.

He now needs to use more effort to breathe, and even so, he still feels like he can't catch his breath.

Those who have never experienced the feeling of being near death can never understand the passion of life and the desire to live. Now, in Fran's eyes, the attack by the Lance family is no longer important; what matters is that he can live.

He stretched out his somewhat withered hand. During the two days he was hospitalized, he had lost a lot of weight at a visible rate. His once plump hand had shrunk, and the wrinkles and raised skin looked rather uncomfortable.

Bob reached out his hand, which Fran grasped tightly. "I'll leave the family matters to you for now. You're someone I trust."

"But you should also take my situation to heart. You can talk to the doctor, and he will tell you what to do."

After he finished speaking, he let out a heavy sigh. "I'm a little tired. If there's anything you can't decide, you can ask me. As for other things... you can handle them yourself."

Bob was inwardly happy, but he couldn't show it. He tried his best to make his expression look sorrowful yet natural. "I understand. I'll contact the doctor right away."

Fran nodded, closed his eyes, and made no further movements, as if he were asleep.

Bob carefully backed out of the room, and the moment the door closed, Fran, who had been "asleep," opened his eyes again.

Outside the room, Bob found the doctor and talked about organ transplantation.

"So, what do I need to do?"

The doctor gave him a list, “These are all locals, people I selected, young, strong, and without any bad habits.”

“If you can convince them to donate part of their lungs, then we can perform a transplant for Mr. Fran.”

“Persuade?” Bob emphasized the word. “What will happen to these people after the surgery?”

The doctor, speaking with the utmost respect for science, replied, "It won't affect their lives. In fact, their lungs are very healthy, and they have enough for them."

"Of course, it cannot be ruled out that there may be other unforeseen medical risks, which I cannot predict in advance."

Upon hearing the doctor's words, Bob already understood what he meant.

Whether it's spending money, kidnapping, or any other method, the hospital doesn't care; all they need are people willing to "donate resources."

(End of this chapter)