Shadow Empire

Chapter 1121 Profit Sharing and Surveillance

"...We have already finalized some reconstruction work contracts with the Slade, and these contracts will be ready to be executed soon."

"The committee provided an approximate cost estimate."

Inside the room, Senator Cleveland sat on the sofa in a relaxed manner, his hands resting naturally on the armrests. He appeared neither aggressive nor serious, and his face was full of smiles.

"We can take on about 20 percent of this mega order, which is close to 45 billion, or 9 billion."

"The profit margin is 25%. After deducting some additional public relations expenses, the final profit is approximately between 1.8 and 1.9 billion, and it may be a little more."

The gentlemen in the room all seemed very excited. What was their purpose in pushing the Federation to join the war, pushing the Federation to bet on Slade, and sending more young people from the Federation to die on a foreign battlefield?
World Peace?

Maintaining order?

International relations?

No, in the end, it all comes down to interests.

This is a super business; international wars and international politics are all part of it.

Just like the reconstruction costs of several cities in Slade, this is only the beginning. Next, there is the reconstruction work in Dantra, as well as a series of follow-up matters and costs and benefits such as the garrisoning of troops in Dantra.

The entire reconstruction could cost over 100 billion, a huge bill that neither country, including their allies, can afford. So they have to resort to other methods.

Part of this will be in the form of loans; the federal government will lend the money to both governments in the form of loans, but this money will remain in the federal account without moving.

The logic is simple: the money was lent to them to pay federal bills, so it's still in the hands of the federal government, but they have to take on a loan for it and also have to consider the interest.

Because they couldn't repay the money in a short time, the federal government signed some unequal treaties with them, though they didn't seem too bad on the surface, in order to make the people of both countries accept the outcome.

Federal goods will enter these countries, and even the entire continent, with "zero tariffs" or "very low tariffs."

The federal economic development driven by these factors will continue to take effect over the next ten to twenty years.

A bright future was ultimately revealed to everyone through war.

As the largest political group in Congress, Senators Cleveland and their group have also achieved their share of the results.

A huge order with an initial profit of about two billion will be divided into many parts, and each person in the political group will receive their own part.

Perhaps this is the reason and purpose behind their enthusiasm; who could refuse such benefits?
Everyone had a smile on their face; perhaps this is the essence of high society.

As for how to divide this money, it should be based on everyone's importance to the other party.

Lance stood by the window, holding a glass of sparkling wine, looking at the street scene through the blinds. His gaze was fixed on a few people waiting for the bus on the crosswalk across the street.

The federal public transportation system is rapidly emerging, and the rapid economic development means that capitalists need workers to move from all corners of the city to their factory workstations more quickly.

Previously, only some main roads had public transportation or private vehicles, but now, more places are starting to have bus routes and more buses are appearing.

They are bigger, faster, and stronger.

There was a new bus stop across the street, but two or three of the people standing there had been waiting for several buses and hadn't left. They were still standing there, and it was unclear what they were waiting for.

"Lance."

The voice of Senator Cleveland behind him drew Lance's attention away from the people who weren't actually waiting for the bus. He turned around, glass in hand, and looked at Senator Cleveland. "Senator?"

Senator Cleveland said with a smile, "There's some work for you to do here too. We discussed protecting the legal rights of federal businesses and workers during our negotiations with the Slade. I'll give you a new job, and I hope you like it."

"It can bring you a profit of about 100 million over the next five to ten years."

People around him looked at Lance with envy, but some people just kept a polite smile. A profit of 100 million over five to ten years is a very impressive amount of money in the eyes of ordinary people.

But for Lance, and for those who know Lance, the benefits he sends to Congress each year amount to about one hundred million.

In other words, the money he earns each year, even if not more than that, won't be much less.

Therefore, this business that generates tens of millions in profit every year is just a small business for Lance.

However, it provided Lance with an opportunity to increase his legal income, pay more taxes, and increase his social influence.

You can't get these things from a purely criminal business, but this business can.

Why can corporations hold the federal government, or even society as a whole, hostage?
Especially for mega-corporations, because they have enough employees, when a company encounters trouble, the shareholders, the board of directors, and the real owners of the company have not yet started to worry, but the employees are the first to start to worry.

Once a company goes bankrupt, it means that a large number of employees will lose their jobs and enter the workforce.

It's a little better for young people, as they have a higher ability to withstand risks, but what about the elderly?
At forty or fifty years old, when they are no longer competitive, it is precisely the time when a family needs a stable income the most. Coupled with the federal corporate pension plan, these people will suffer more terrible losses than shareholders and board members.

They'll start making trouble first!

Demonstrations and protests, forcing the government to solve problems unreasonably, have happened many times during economic downturns in previous years.

Senator Cleveland still values ​​Lance's role and value, and he is adding an outer shell to Lance that can act as a "bulletproof vest".

Lance raised his glass. "I'm happy to do something for the Federation."

This means I've accepted the job.

In fact, Tom had already told him this before he entered the room: he was going to set up a security company and hire some federal veterans.

After all, the war was over, and the Federation no longer needed to maintain such a large military force, and other countries were also worried.

Millions of active-duty military personnel would make any country feel uneasy, so the only option is to reduce the military.

However, downsizing is not an easy task. So many young people who have received professional military training may cause a series of problems if they are directly released into society. After communication between the federal government, Congress and the Department of Defense, they believe it is important to provide these people with jobs.

It is a transition, a stepping stone, for them to reintegrate into society.

It's not just Lance; other companies also employ many veteran workers like this, which in a way is a form of social welfare.

Senator Cleveland nodded, then moved on to other things, while Lance turned and looked out the window at the bus stop and coffee shop across the street, watching the people who had been looking up every now and then for an hour or two.

Someone is watching them.

I just don't know if they're watching him or someone else.

Lance knew someone was watching him, especially lately; the feeling was quite strong—the FBI, or someone else.

He had already heard that the Perez family was planning to attack him as well.

We can't keep letting these people do this with impunity, even if they might come from federal government departments.

Lance put down his glass and left the room through the side door, coughing as he walked into the hallway.

Many people who were sitting or standing in the hall outside the corridor immediately stood up and looked towards the door.

They were all attendants or assistants to the gentlemen in the room; they were not allowed to enter the room and could only stay outside.

When they saw it was Lance, many people smiled and nodded in greeting, then sat back down or went about their own business. Allen quickly walked over from the crowd.

Lance led him to a corner. "There are a few people watching this side of the street. They should be watching this building. Arrange for someone to detain them."

Allen nodded seriously. Right now, he felt nothing but admiration for Lance!

Even his most outrageous dreams couldn't compare to what he's experiencing now—he's actually here attending such a social event! Although he's not even qualified to enter the room, just being outside the door is something 98% of the Federation wouldn't be able to do!

Who the hell can stand here so easily?
The people in the hall had some simple conversations with him, and when they heard that Allen was Lance's attendant, they all showed friendly smiles.

They didn't look down on him or distance themselves from him just because he didn't actually have any specific "social labels." On the contrary, they gave him a lot of business cards.

The word "connections" appeared in his mind in such a concrete and vivid way for the first time.

He didn't know how much Lance had sacrificed to get to this point as a gang leader, but he knew that it might be the only one!
He had to complete the tasks assigned by Lance perfectly.

"Don't be so nervous. Detain these people, put them in our car, and we'll talk about it after the meeting."

"Don't make too much noise. They might have accomplices. Keep an eye on them and do it now."

Allen nodded and quickly left the hall. No one else showed any curiosity or inquiry about his departure. Perhaps this "Mr. Lance" had something important to do?
After Allen walked out of the hall, several members of the Lance family who had gathered outside the building saw him, and one of them threw away his cigarette and immediately came to greet him.

"The boss gave me a task: there are some people stalking us across the street. We need to detain them and put them in our car."

"Don't make too much noise, keep it quiet."

"Also, call some more people from the company, just in case."

Allen chose a suitable spot and began to observe the situation across the street. He quickly spotted the people Lance had mentioned.

Two buses came, but no one got on. There were also people in the coffee shop who didn't drink coffee and spent more than ten minutes reading the newspaper without even turning a page.

There were also three suspicious-looking cars parked on the side of the road. The drivers were sitting in the driver's seat, their eyes constantly looking at the buildings in this direction. They neither left nor got out of the cars.

Soon another group of people arrived at the company, and once everyone was in place, Allen began to direct them.

They arrived at the station as passengers, identified one person, and after the next bus departed, they spread out around that person.

By the time the man realized something was wrong, the gun barrel was already pressed against his waist.

The guy in the coffee shop was the same; the two men came up to him and pulled out pistols, forcing him to stand up and leave with them.

In a very short time, everyone that Lance suspected was taken away.

And those cars parked on the roadside, pedestrians suddenly walked up to them, looked at the dark gun barrels, and ultimately chose to remain silent.

They were searched, then quickly shoved into an oncoming car, which then turned around and pulled over to the side of the road near the house.

Lance, who was standing in his room upstairs, witnessed everything. He saw his men swiftly and efficiently detain those who were tailing him, and only then did a smile appear on his face.

In Lance's mind, this "spoils-sharing meeting" was a meeting to divide up political spoils. Everyone had worked together for so long, and now that the profits were realized, it was only natural to divide the spoils.

A group that does not "share the spoils" or "receive dividends" is an unhealthy group. The larger the company, the more it emphasizes dividends and will hold a grand event to make more people aware of it.

How can they attract more people to join if they don't let people see the naked interests tied to them?

Like this group, without the annual, selfless transfers of benefits from Lance and other financial backers, how could they be the most powerful political group in Congress now?

After the meeting, Lance walked up to Senator Cleveland. The senator seemed surprised and curious, and the others also made way for them, giving them some space.

"what happened?"

Senator Cleveland took out a cigarette and lit it. He'd been a heavy smoker lately, needing more than a pack a day; he had too many things to think about.

There was no one else around. Lance said softly, "Someone has been watching this place. I had them arrested."

Senator Cleveland was taken aback at first, then frowned. "Stalking?"

"Are they watching me, or someone else?"

Lance answered honestly, "It hasn't been tried yet. There are definitely people watching me, but there are several. I'm not sure if they're all watching me."

Senator Cleveland's gaze became somewhat unfocused, as if for a moment it had lost its focus. You could "see" him looking at you, but you could also sense that he wasn't actually looking at you.

After a while, a smile appeared on his face. "Then let's interrogate them, pry their mouths open, and ask them who they work for."

"Call me later if you have any news. I'm free tonight."

He patted Lance's arm, and although he didn't say anything, it showed his loyalty to Lance and the matter.

When they arrived at the place that had taken him there, most of the people had already left. Allen, who had been sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed, was bored. But the moment he saw Lance, he immediately stood up and quickly came over to greet him, saying, "We've caught him."

Lance nodded slightly. "I saw it."

“Let’s deal with this now.”

They quickly got into the car, along with the people who had been keeping watch, and headed towards Lance's estate.

Twenty minutes later, in a relatively secluded basement of the manor, Lance began interrogating these people.

He knew that there were definitely FBI agents inside, and he also knew that there might be others who weren't watching him.

Lance didn't want to remain passive in dealing with the FBI, and this might be a good opportunity.

The first man to be interrogated looked to be in his thirties, and his belongings were taken out and placed in front of Lance.

It can only be said that this guy is not very skilled at his job; he even carries a weapon with him.

Lance picked up the pistol and examined it. "A revolver. They always say this weapon can't kill people, is that true?"

Laughter erupted from the people in the basement; defensive revolvers were standard issue for federal law enforcement.

They might have genuinely thought that they used this weapon because it was "kind."

But now they have more experience and they have learned to think for themselves. Perhaps it is not because this gun is kind and cannot kill people that law enforcement uses it.

Is it possible that the manufacturer of this product had the highest public relations expenses among all suppliers, which is why the federal government purchased it in bulk?

Having such a handgun basically means you're a law enforcement officer.

Lance put down his pistol, smiled, and asked, "Whose side are you on?"

"If we can communicate well, with me asking questions and you answering them, I believe we will get along very easily."

"But if you feel that your identity can help you and protect you, you can give it a try."

The guy sitting in the room was trembling slightly; not everyone has that kind of awareness.

Seeing the young man beside him pull a folding knife from his waist, the sharp blade gleaming with a faint blue light under the lamplight, he couldn't sit still any longer...

Later that evening, Lance called Senator Cleveland.

"There's already a result?" Senator Cleveland's tone was unremarkable.

Lance hummed in agreement. "Some of these were within my expectations, but others were unexpected."

“There are police officers, FBI agents, and other…big shots here.”

Upon hearing Lance recount these complicated relationships, Senator Cleveland couldn't help but chuckle and remark, "Looks like we're under a lot of scrutiny!"

(End of this chapter)