Shadow Empire

Chapter 1103 Rejecting Domestic War and Biased Approach
In Bob's view, finding an organ donor for Fran at this time was somewhat of a lapse in priorities.

The family is facing unprecedented challenges, and it is only natural that we should prioritize the family rather than how to live a higher quality of life for ourselves.

Actually, you can't really blame Bob. After all, he wasn't the one lying in the hospital bed. He didn't experience that suffocating feeling of not being able to breathe properly, so naturally he didn't have that much attachment to life or that fear of death.

But he still needed to do it, since it was Fran's request, and it wouldn't be good if he didn't do it according to his request.

Once Fran decides to return to the family, Bob, who has just experienced the wonder of peak power, will have to relinquish it.

It wasn't that he was particularly power-hungry, but rather that Fran's condition was insufficient to support him in taking on the responsibilities of the family.

As we all know, Bob is a responsible man.

The convoy was on the road with three vehicles in front and behind, and combat personnel providing support around it, which gave Bob a strong sense of security.

He looked at the somewhat desolate streets; just two or three days of fighting had reduced the number of pedestrians on the streets of the old city.

Street fights inevitably involve some collateral damage. In order to avoid being injured or even killed because of things that have nothing to do with them, people in the city try to stay home as much as possible.

Before he arrived, the mayor had spoken with him, urging him to resolve the issue as soon as possible, whether it was to negotiate with the Lance family or to fight a decisive battle with them. He advised that these problems should be resolved quickly rather than dragged out.

The benefits of the war victory are still at their strongest, and other cities are developing rapidly. If the old city stops, its status in Jinzhou will gradually decline.

This was something the mayor was unwilling to accept. The mayor also told him that the governor was also paying attention to the situation here, and if they dragged the war on for too long, government forces would intervene.

He stared blankly out the window at the street scene until he could no longer see any buildings, only lush vegetation remained, before he came to his senses and realized he was back in the manor.

Now, under his leadership, the Perez family is implementing a "contraction tactic," with everyone gathering in their own territory, consolidating their power, and not giving the Lance family any opportunity to attack them individually.

This plan has achieved good results, so the next step is to consider how to retaliate.

Back in that familiar room, the moment Bob walked in from outside, everyone, whether sitting or standing, immediately stood up, straightening their clothes and focusing their attention on Bob.

He raised his hand in a gesture of apology, nodded slightly in acknowledgment, and then walked over to the empty sofa and sat down.

He used to be one of these people, but now he's on a higher level.

"Fran is not doing well. He had half of his lung removed, and now he can't do any strenuous work, and even walking is a problem."

"He needs oxygen 24 hours a day and a wheelchair. Given the possibility of sudden accidents, he will stay in the hospital until he is fully recovered."

“I spoke with him, and he agreed that I would take charge of the family business during his convalescence.”

Bob paused here, looking at the few people among them who clearly didn't get along with him, including Fran's eldest son.

Fran and his eldest son did not actually have a good relationship.

A person who is obsessed with power and always lives in the glory and honor he has created will appear somewhat indifferent to his family from a young age.

This also resulted in him not having a very good relationship with any of his children.

He was even wary of his children on many occasions, who might try to do something to him in order to gain power. It can only be said that Fran was sometimes a little out of his mind, or perhaps he was just overthinking things.

Despite this, Fran's children still consider themselves "family heirs," especially the eldest son, who is considered a senior direct member of the family and participates in discussions and decisions regarding family affairs.

He was very unhappy that Bob had bypassed him and taken over the work.

However, he himself was also very clear that this might be what Fran wanted.

If he, Fran's eldest son, were to take charge of the work, it would be questionable whether Fran could return.

But with Bob in charge, Fran will definitely come back. Both Bob and Fran's son need Fran to live, but they won't interfere in family affairs.

In the past few days, those who opposed him have turned their heads away when they met his gaze. They did not compromise, but they were not as resistant as they were a couple of days ago.

Bob was quite satisfied with the result. He tapped his finger on the armrest of the sofa. "Our strategy has yielded good results these past two days. They are clearly no longer able to fight back. Now we need to consider how to counterattack."

After he said that, he gave people time to think and reflect, saying, "We can't keep being passive all the time, and at the same time, we are facing a rather thorny problem."

"The core businesses of the Lance family are not in Golden State, or even in the central part of the Federation. Their core businesses are in the southern part of the Federation, in Likalai State."

"This reminds me of the war that just ended. The Federation participated in the war outside its own territory. No matter how brutal the war was, it ultimately did not affect the people and things on the Federation's own territory."

"Outside the battlefield where shells and bullets are flying everywhere, there is the normal life of the Federation people, just like what we are facing now."

"The war is happening on our own soil!" He curled his fingers and tapped the dark red wooden armrest of the sofa with his knuckles, producing a heavy knocking sound.

"Whether we win or lose, it will ultimately be our territory that is destroyed. The mayor has already called me and talked to me about this."

"Moreover, since yesterday, we have discovered that the attackers from the Lance family have disappeared."

“There are people in this city who are on their side and are helping them hide these people, but we’ll consider that later.”

"What I'm thinking now is, if he can deal with us, why can't we deal with them?"

Everyone in the room looked at Bob with serious expressions. Bob always played this role; he was resourceful and always managed to find things Fran liked to hear, things that were also very useful and effective.

This is perhaps why he was valued by Fran; he was capable and had a pleasant way of speaking, and no ruler would miss such a person.

His gaze swept around, lingering on each person's face before moving away. "We're going to attack their territory and make the losses happen on their own turf!"

"The Lance family's businesses are mainly concentrated in Golden Harbor City and Lawrence Farm."

"The situation in Jin Gang City is quite complicated. They have a very reliable intelligence network, making it difficult for our people to infiltrate on a large scale."

"If too few people go in, it won't have any effect."

"If too many people go in, they'll attract our attention before we even have a chance to make a move."

“Attack on Golden Harbor City is not a good option, so my idea is Lawrence Farm.”

He then instructed his trusted aide to bring out several identical documents for the senior officials present to review.

"Lawrence Farm houses the Lance family's core business, the brewery. As we all know, these are their two biggest sources of income."

"Casino, winery."

"Casinos involve some complicated things, which are not easy for us to get involved in, but wineries are not a problem."

“My plan is for us to send a group of people along a back road to raid Lawrence Farm and cut off their liquor production.”

"This will be a huge blow to Lance and the Lance family!"

"You all discuss this," he said, lighting a cigarette and having someone pour him a glass of wine. The gentlemen in the room began to seriously discuss the feasibility of the plan.

Bob does have a bit of cleverness sometimes. If they were to actually raid Lawrence Farm, it would cause a lot of trouble for Lance, since alcohol is now the Lance family’s primary source of income.

But the reason it's considered "clever" is that he underestimated the Lawrence Farm.

The fact that Lance was able to place the brewery on the farm, rather than in Golden Harbor or somewhere outside of it, suggests that the farm is safer than those places.

But Bob believed that Lance chose the farm simply because it was more secluded.

Whether a distillery is located in the city or the suburbs, it's a major target. He'd been to distilleries in the north when he went to buy supplies; even from a distance of three or five hundred meters, he could smell the fermentation of the brewing materials and the huge plumes of steam released during distillation.

It might not be so noticeable in the summer or when it's windy, but once winter arrives, it's impossible to hide.

On the contrary, the farm is far from the city, and even far from the highway, so it does not affect people whether it is winter or summer.

As for whether Lance had deployed a large number of men to the farm, Bob was certain, but he wasn't afraid. Gang wars weren't child's play or a game of cards; they were real, bloody battles.

After discussing it for a while, there was basically no objection. They were very supportive of the idea of ​​not fighting on "home soil".

Seeing that no one objected, Bob nodded. "Very good. Besides this matter, some of our businesses have been taken over by the Lance family. Next, we will take back these businesses."

"Gentlemen, every day they occupy those properties is like slapping us hard in the face in front of the entire Old City, the whole of Golden State, and even the entire Federation!"

"I want you all to mobilize your forces and use absolute power to counterattack, wipe them out, and take back these industries!"

He clenched his fist and clenched it, which gave his words a powerful feel.

Those around him nodded in agreement with the idea. If someone takes away their territory, they should take it back. That's the gang's principle.

"Very good, if no one objects, I'll now assign the tasks..."

He divided these people into two groups. One group led a force to Lawrence Farm, setting fire to the winery and farm, forcing Lance's forces to retreat.

Another force began to counterattack against the Lance family members in the old city, trying to reclaim the properties that had been occupied.

The next few days, or even the next week or two, will definitely be a bloody and turbulent time.

But all of this is necessary. Once they have achieved these two goals, they will take action against Golden Harbor City and completely wipe the Lance family off the map of the Federation!

Bob wants Lance and his men to realize that not all gangs are the same.

While Bob was plotting against Lance and the Lance family, Lance was also busy.

He was traveling by car to New Gold City to return and oversee the "rear," but before that, he had to arrange things in Likalai State.

The three old men knew that the conflict between the Lance and Perez families had escalated to a fever pitch, and offered to help, but Lance refused.

Lance told them to just keep an eye on the farm and not give those people any opportunity to take advantage of it.

It's already mid-to-late July, early August, and the harvest season is just around the corner.

At this critical time, it is especially important to take precautions. The three elderly men all said that they could absolutely guarantee that there would be no accidents on the farm.

As for Golden Harbor City, it goes without saying that Bolton's "defense network" is still in effect, and it has gradually spread to the surrounding cities, forming an intelligence network that covers most of Licarle State.

Entering these cities silently is virtually impossible, especially since this is the Lance family's stronghold. Although a large number of people have been transferred away, they still have enough manpower.

Apart from the Lance family, all the gangs in Licarle State are under the control of the Lance family. Whether they are willing or not, as long as Lance makes a phone call, they have to send people and do their work.

If they hadn't come, it would have been fine. But once they arrived, they'd know what a "meat grinder battlefield" really is!
For several days in a row, the fighting in the old city intensified again, as the Perez family began attacking the properties that had been seized, and the battle was extremely fierce.

Gunshots can be heard frequently, even during the day.

Bob stood by the window, gazing at the distant city skyline. A cigar was between his fingers, and the large gold ring on his index finger gleamed in the reflection of the glass.

He stood there for a while, his brows furrowed. The counterattack over the past few days had not yielded the results he had imagined, and his mood worsened.

The sky is dark and gloomy today, covered with dark clouds. I don't know when a heavy rain will start.

That's summer for you; the weather is always unpredictable and hard to keep up with.

The sky was clear in the morning, but it started to get gloomy in the afternoon, and by this time, it was completely dark.

The office door was pushed open with a "bang," and he turned around to look at the senior family cadre who walked in from outside. He was also a direct descendant and could be considered his cousin.

"What's wrong?" he asked, looking at his cousin. In his memory, his cousin's abilities were quite commendable.

After all, in such a large family, the ability to rise to a high-ranking position as a direct descendant is not determined solely by the closeness of blood ties.

Fran is a very good person, except when it comes to his own problems, he can be a bit subjective.

He wouldn't let a good-for-nothing fool occupy an important position; otherwise, the Perez family would have been full of direct descendants long ago.

"These cops, Bob, have these cops been bribed?" The cousin with blond, tousled hair plopped down in his seat and started yelling and banging on the coffee table as he entered.

"These sons of bitches, fuck!"

"My men had barely started when the police arrived and arrested them all, you know that?"

“I heard that it’s not just my side, but other places are experiencing the same problem. As soon as the fighting gets a little intense, the police immediately come out to arrest people.”

"They're definitely in cahoots with the Lance family. That son of a bitch, he's forgotten who the real masters of this city are!"

The "son of a bitch" he was referring to was definitely the police chief, Hull.

Only he had the right and the authority to make the police do this.

This wasn't the first time Bob had heard about it, but he still frowned. "I've already called Hull, and he said the fighting is too intense, many people are calling the police, and he can't just ignore it."

"Those people will be released in a few days."

The cousin with the short, choppy hair raised his voice a little higher, "And then?"

"And then we fucking attack again, and he arrests us again?"

"Bob, this son of a bitch is definitely in cahoots with the Lance family. Find a way to get rid of him!"

"He has already hindered our revenge!"

Bob didn't answer him immediately, but instead considered the consequences of doing so.

If the police chief is killed in the process of a shootout, will it trigger a series of chain reactions?
Seeing that Bob remained silent, his cousin couldn't accept it and asked, "What are you afraid of?"

“We killed him and said the Lance family killed him, since outsiders thought he had a good relationship with us.”

"I believe people are willing to believe that!"

Bob's eyes lit up; this was indeed a good idea.

He thought for a moment and said, "I'll contact Hel and have him come over. Then, on his way back, I'll have someone take care of him."

"Indeed, people should be able to feel our anger in some way!"

"You gave me a good suggestion."

Perhaps knowing the fate of that son of a bitch police chief, the short-tempered man gradually calmed down. He lit a cigarette and asked, "How are the brothers in Likalai doing?"

Bob glanced at the calendar on his watch. "We should arrive there in the next day or two, but we haven't received any concrete updates yet..."

(End of this chapter)