Shadow Empire

Chapter 1124 Who's causing trouble for whom? And him smoking?
When it comes to dealing with important figures, the law is inviolable.

If even one piece of evidence or one step is missing, the case is invalid.

Unlike ordinary people, who can fabricate evidence, omit a few steps, and make people feel emotionally charged even if they are not guilty, this is not the case.

Lance is a big shot now, and unless you have solid evidence against him, it won't be easy to label him a gang leader.

Many people with vested interests in him will oppose the investigation, such as Senator Cleveland.

Even if everyone knows that Lance is a gangster, as long as the law doesn't define him, he is a "controversial entrepreneur." Taking money from an entrepreneur and taking money from a gang are two different things.

Lance did a good job in this regard; he almost never did the criminal business that the mob did.

He didn't collect protection money or extort money; aside from selling alcohol, it was almost impossible to find any other criminal activity he had committed.

Without any criminal record, what makes you think he's a gang leader?

Just because he sells alcohol?
Everyone knows how many wineries in the federal government are secretly producing alcohol and how many companies are smuggling alcohol from abroad to sell. These facts alone are not enough to convict him.

This is why Senator Cleveland accepted him into their circle, because there wasn't much to attack about Lance.

Moreover, this time it was he who was attacked, not him who attacked others. Even if someone saw him fight back with a gun, it was self-defense.

Robben's legal team is capable of handling this case, and with Senator Cleveland's intervention at the Department of Justice, things are unlikely to go wrong.

Moreover, the person attacked was a major general of the Ministry of National Defense, which is a matter of national pride for the Ministry of National Defense, so this matter cannot be easily dismissed.

Previously, Roland and his group were thinking about how to use this opportunity to make Lance suffer a loss; now, they are thinking about how to extricate themselves from this matter.

Lance and Major General Bruni have arrived at the police station, and lawyer Robben has also arrived with his VIP team.

Ever since Lance summoned him and promised to help him deal with the guy in the Department of Justice who kicked him out, he came here with determination and confidence.

When I met Lance, he was sitting at a table being examined by a doctor, surrounded by many people, including police officers.

Upon seeing Attorney Robben arrive, Lance had him let over. Attorney Robben quickly approached Lance and asked with concern, "Are you injured?"

Lance shook his head. "I got burned by the fire, but I'm not injured. My hair just looks a little messy."

The flames had singed some of his hair, and even now it still smelled of that peculiar burnt hair smell.

After carefully examining Lance and confirming that he was not injured, Attorney Robben inquired about the entire incident.

When he heard that Lance was being attacked by a mysterious figure while discussing some cooperation with a major general in the Ministry of Defense, he immediately realized that there must be something else going on.

Lance didn't talk to him about this, so naturally he didn't ask any more questions or concern himself with it.

Doing one's own thing well is the true meaning of life that he has gradually come to understand over the years.

“What do I need to do now?” he asked.

Lance glanced at the doctor, nodded slightly, and said "thank you." Then the doctor and the nurse left the room.

“They wanted to detain me and cause me trouble. Now I am the victim, and I suspect that the police may be colluding with the people who attacked me.”

The police officer standing at the door couldn't help but turn around and look at Lance when he heard what Lance said. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know how to say it.

A few seconds later, he left immediately and headed towards the director's office.

Lance said this on purpose, and Robben's lips twitched slightly. "Do we have any direct evidence?"

Lance rubbed his wrist; the nurse had been holding it tightly for a while.

“They arrived very promptly, and I have reason to believe they received advance notice. But how to handle this, how to get information out of them, is something you need to figure out.”

Attorney Robben nodded. "With clues and a direction, the solution will be very simple."

Lance looked at the people behind him and said with a smile, "Why don't you introduce them to me?"

“I have the same thought,” Robben began, introducing the people behind him.

Some of these people were his classmates and friends from university, while others were people he met after entering the workforce; they were all people with whom he had very good relationships.

Lance didn't ask Robben in detail why he was kicked out of Golden State. To put it simply, Robben was an outstanding lawyer who became a well-known lawyer at a young age and was a bit arrogant.

The judiciary is not necessarily just and bright; it may also have a dark side. He came across a case where someone warned him not to take it because the outcome was already decided.

The case hasn't even been heard yet, but the verdict is already out; this is a typical example of federal judicial fairness.

But the young and ambitious lawyer Robben was not deterred. Instead, he took on the case. Although the outcome was not very good, it was still much better than the result that the others had initially planned.

It's roughly like... from being certain to be killed, to being beaten half to death.

Although he was almost dead, he was at least half-dead and still had a breath left.

On some issues, the choice between leaving no stone unturned and leaving a stone unturned can create more variables.

They then launched an attack on Robben's lawyer. If it weren't for the fact that his girlfriend's father was also in the Department of Justice and had influence, Robben might not have even had the chance to escape to Licarle.

Fortunately, he's back now, in a different guise.

This is a realistic society. These people knew that not only was Attorney Robben coming back, but he had also made connections with Senator Cleveland, and the group quickly regrouped.

Lance made a brief introduction to these people. In fact, he didn't need to get to know them, but he did so to make Robben's lawyer more dominant.

People are more likely to believe something like, "Our boss knows the big boss."

Meanwhile, the police chief sat behind his desk rubbing his temples. "That's what Lance said?"

The officer nodded. "From what he said, it seems so."

Trouble.

This was the police chief's first thought, and it wasn't just a minor problem, it was a major one.

With the addition of a major general from the Ministry of National Defense, the nature of the situation changed dramatically. Not only were the methods they originally planned to use no longer applicable, but they were also put on the defensive.

You can frame someone like Lance, but you can't frame a Major General in the Department of Defense and the Department of Defense's reputation.

A police chief trying to slap the Ministry of National Defense is something even his superior, the mayor of New Gold City, doesn't have the ability to do, let alone himself.

Furthermore, Major General Bruni was unlikely to be interrogated by the police, so the Ministry of National Defense arranged for several military vehicles and accompanying soldiers to take him away.

They were not given any opportunity to communicate with Major General Bruni, or even to make a deal, and everything became extremely passive!
He's gone, but the matter is definitely not over yet.

There is actually a flaw in this matter, and it is a very big flaw.

That means they deployed so many police officers to catch a gang fight in the act, and they did indeed do so, which means that many officers arrived near the scene before the fight even started.

If even one police officer had mentioned this, Lance would have pressed the issue relentlessly. Why didn't the police warn Lance beforehand when they knew the attacker intended to target him?
Does this mean there is some connection between the police, the attackers, and the Perez family?

While Mr. Potter was still shouting for the "complete elimination of the gang's negative influence on society" and the solution to the problem of government corruption, news broke in New Gold City that the police were colluding with the gang. Who will be the next example?
Even without thinking, it's obvious that once public opinion is stirred up, the police chief will be in a very passive position! He suppressed the urge to curse and told the officers to go back first, then closed the office door and made a phone call to Roland.

"Lance wants to hold me accountable!" he said, his tone tinged with displeasure. Although he and Roland were good friends, he was the victim in this matter.

Regardless of whether he gained any benefits, he faced significant risks and offended the Ministry of Defense. He could already imagine how bad things were.

Roland was also in a bind. He hadn't expected that there was a major general from the Ministry of Defense in Lance's car, nor had he expected that it wasn't them investigating Lance, but rather Lance starting to hold them accountable.

The plan wasn't supposed to be like this, but now it's turned out like this.

“He has no evidence,” Roland could only console the police chief with this statement. “You could say you got information from an informant that someone is planning… a shootout, f***!”

He himself couldn't continue speaking. The core of the shootout was relative, but this was clearly an attack. Moreover, they had received intelligence in advance but did not inform the "victims," ​​which made it seem like they were colluding with the attackers.

Even if we don't call it collusion, there is still some connection.

"To be honest, we received uncertain intelligence and made arrangements accordingly, but we don't think it might be true..."

Actually, it's inappropriate to say that. If law enforcement agencies, like the police station, didn't think the news was necessarily true, why would they deploy so many police cars there?

All we can say is that they believed the news, but they didn't tell Lance. Who knows what they were thinking?

In short, the police station will definitely have to take the blame.

The police chief sighed, "If the pressure from above is too great, I have no choice but to tell the truth."

"This is the worst-case scenario, but I have no other choice."

If it really comes to a systematic reckoning with him, he won't consider stubbornly holding on, except for actively trying to save himself.

He couldn't possibly sacrifice his present and future for Roland. He knew all too well the methods of these bigwigs in the Federation. He would lose not only his job, but also other things, precious things!

This statement also implies that there will be a rift between him and Roland, a rift that is difficult to mend.

After a dozen seconds, Roland hummed in agreement. "If they insist on pursuing this to the end, just say that you got the information from me."

After hanging up the phone, both of them were a little dazed. What was supposed to be a good thing had turned into a mess. It was really terrible.

A little later, the mayor called the police chief and asked, "I heard you've gotten yourself into big trouble?"

The police chief could only explain based on what he and Roland had said: "I received a message from an informant that someone was going to attack Lance's convoy, so I made arrangements in advance, but these arrangements may have been misunderstood."

After listening to his detailed explanation, the mayor fell silent. After waiting for about twenty seconds, the mayor asked, "Do you believe what you're saying?"

The police chief could only remain silent; he himself didn't believe it, but there was no other way at the moment.

“I don’t want to know what you’re doing or who you’re involved with. My only request right now is to get this sorted out and not let it become a focus of attention.”

"It's election time now, and I don't want any negative news to overshadow the election. Don't let everyone's attention be on me, on you, understand?"

"Calm Lance down. I'll have someone ask around at the Ministry of Defense. You're a fucking genius!"

The mayor couldn't resist making a sarcastic remark, which offended a large group of people, and then he hung up the phone.

After sitting there for a while, the police chief stood up, holding onto the armrest of his chair. He still wanted to see Lance in person.

A few minutes later, he met Lance, who was resting, in the reception room.

He looked at Lance, and Lance looked back at him. Their eyes met without looking away. After a few seconds, the police chief looked away. "I came to see how you were doing. Is there anything we can do for you?"

Lance crossed his legs, and apart from his slightly disheveled hair, he was completely unharmed!
He held a cigarette between his fingers, looking at the police chief with a half-smile. "You and your friends used to always cause me trouble. Now it's my turn to cause you trouble."

The director took a deep breath. "It's all for the sake of the job, Mr. White. You have to understand us!"

Lance chuckled and stood up. "Say what you will, but you're going to be very busy for a while."

After he finished speaking, he pushed the police chief aside and left the reception room with his men.

Logically speaking, as the side retaliating, they should also be required to give statements and consider whether they will be detained, but the police chief is now afraid to do so.

He could only be pushed aside, watching Lance and his group leave with a gloomy face.

Outside the police station, Lance got back into a new bulletproof car and looked at Robben and his team standing outside the window. “Don’t be afraid to spend money, including promising some extra things. I just need them to ask.”

"I'll give you some money first, and later."

Lawyer Robben bowed and nodded repeatedly, "I will take care of these people as soon as possible."

Lance was satisfied with his attitude. He had worked with Robben many times and knew the guy's abilities, so he had no doubt that he could do it. "I'll wait for your good news."

Then the car windows rolled up, the entire convoy restarted, and merged into the traffic.

After watching Lance and his men leave, Attorney Robben turned to look at his recruited subordinates, took a deep breath, and wore an excited smile.

"Do as I say, find the officers who responded to today's call, give them money, give them what they want, and make them give their statements."

"Then enhance it a bit, and send it to me immediately!"

As a lawyer, he ultimately preferred these "big cases." He had lost all hope for life after handling some small cases in Likas.

It's not about making money or not, but about the challenge and the excitement.

The impact and scope of this matter are not limited to this.

At this time, Fran had already begun to undergo transplantation experiments. People were researching things like gene rejection, but the research was not yet very in-depth.

In such a situation, if an transplant is to be performed, how can the rejection reaction be addressed?
It's actually not complicated. Before the transplant, they will temporarily transplant a small portion of tissue from the carrier into Fran's body and then inject him with a synthetic drug.

By observing the growth of these transplanted tissues, we can determine which one is the most suitable carrier.

This is why hospitals request more donors; given the same blood type, they want to find the person whose rejection reaction can be controlled with medication, and then target that person.

The doctor is examining Fran's transplants. He has a fever because some of the transplanted tissues are doing well, but others are causing severe rejection, and his body is naturally taking measures to cope.

Fever is one such symptom; however, the body itself lacks the capacity for thought, so it is unaware of what is happening.

The doctor was cutting out the tissues that were clearly not "cooperating" from Fran's body, and the doctor standing next to him was checking the last three tissues that had been transplanted, with a slight smile on his face.

“There are three candidates, Mr. Fran.”

"None of these three tissue transplants have shown any significant rejection reactions. Our medication can ensure good integration with your body. Now all you need to do is choose one."

As he spoke, he took out three documents and placed them in front of Fran.

A middle-aged man in his thirties, a woman in her twenties, and a nineteen-year-old man.

Fran's gaze quickly settled on the nineteen-year-old man. "Does he smoke?"

(End of this chapter)