Shadow Empire

Chapter 1127 Family Crisis and Choices
Many people feel that federal government officials are difficult to deal with, but in reality, it's just that they haven't found the right approach.

Once you give them what they want, you'll find that federal politicians are actually a very easy group to talk to.

Even if your request is slightly out of line or may be illegal, they won't care.

After all, the laws and rules are made for ordinary people, not for themselves.

As Lance emerged from the Ministry of Defense, he glanced back at the unremarkable building, lost in thought about some interesting things.

Fran had also woken up from the anesthesia during the surgery. He lay in bed, unable to move, and could only stare at the ceiling.

He felt pain in his body, but there was also a very good feeling, a feeling that his breathing was no longer restricted.

Before, breathing felt like there was a balloon inside my lungs, and all the air I inhaled was contained inside the balloon.

The balloon has a strong tendency to contract, so it can't breathe in much oxygen and the air is squeezed out.

But now that the balloon is gone, air and oxygen can reach every cell in his lungs more fully, and a large amount of oxygen is delivered into his circulatory system, making him feel much more comfortable.

"How are you feeling?" the doctor asked while observing his vital signs and wounds.

Fran's voice wasn't loud, perhaps because his body hadn't fully taken control of his new organs yet, and with the mask on, his voice was almost inaudible. "It feels pretty good."

The doctor nodded. "Your condition will improve over the next period of time. The surgery was very successful. During the operation, we discussed it and decided to replace both of your lungs."

"Now you have a completely healthy lung, and I hope you will take good care of it."

"If nothing goes wrong within two weeks, you can go back."

Fran was overjoyed at this moment. He had a healthy body. He thought about many things. He planned to talk to the hospital again after he recovered to see if he could have other organs replaced as well.

The surgery wasn't as terrifying as he had imagined. He simply lay in bed, then fell into a coma, and when he woke up, everything was fine.

He was somewhat obsessed with the unique feeling brought about by the lung transplant. He wondered if his health would be better if he received other organs, such as the liver, kidneys, or others.
The doctor gave some further instructions on nursing care and then left, as they needed to go back and organize the data to send to the group.

This was a routine lung transplant surgery, which is considered a cutting-edge technique worldwide. The entire procedure was recorded by camera for research purposes.

Not long after, the door to the ward opened again, and Fran tilted his head to look. Bob was walking in from outside.

He looked haggard, and Fran was somewhat puzzled, but he didn't really want to talk right now.

He felt uncomfortable while speaking, and he needs to rest.

“There’s been a bit of trouble,” Bob said, sitting on the edge of the bed and looking at Fran. “We had a plan, the one to assassinate Lance, and there was a major general from the Ministry of Defense in the car when it was carried out.”

Fran's eyes slowly widened, and his pupils changed accordingly, contracting continuously. After a few seconds, his eyes rolled twice, staring at Bob.

"Pen, paper."

Bob handed him a pen and paper, and he immediately wrote on it, “Make this call, here.”

Bob asked the nurse to leave the room first, and then, in front of Fran, he made the call.

"Hello, I'm Bob..."

The phone was on speakerphone, but before he could finish speaking, the other end hung up.

Fran slowly closed his eyes, then wrote down another phone number, which Bob dialed.

I dialed several phone numbers in a row, but only the last one was answered.

"Why isn't it Fran?"

Bob glanced at Fran lying on the hospital bed. Fran had written something on a piece of paper, which Bob read aloud: “He has just had surgery and is not suitable to speak for long periods of time, so I am relaying his message.”

The person on the other end of the line was silent for a moment. Perhaps he had never encountered such a situation before. This call was supposed to be very private, but now that there was another person involved, he was a little hesitant.

Fran quickly scribbled a string of words on the whiteboard, thankfully Bob could still understand them: "What exactly is the situation now, and do we have any remedial measures?"

The guy on the other end of the line was clearly very deeply involved in the Perez family's "cooperation," as he answered the phone when no one else did.

At this point, he also realized that the Perez family's troubles could eventually become his own troubles.

He lowered his voice slightly, "There's not much of a good way to deal with this... I don't know if this was your idea."

"After your people attacked Lance, the police arrived almost immediately after the shootout ended. Now, Lance is tearing into the New Gold City police station, and the Ministry of National Defense is very dissatisfied with your actions."

"I also heard that Mr. Potter has heard about your situation, and he is very unhappy about it."

Mr. Porter is the frontrunner in this election, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, there shouldn't be any major changes.

Once the forces of capital and politics combine and lock onto a person, there are virtually no surprises.

Because there are so many people betting, in order to ensure that their principal is not in danger, anyone who poses a threat to them will be attacked.

Therefore, in a sense, Mr. Porter's chances of being elected president are over 99 percent.

Their biggest problem was when he showed his dissatisfaction with the Perez family.

The man on the other end of the phone continued, "Senator Cleveland has also voiced his strong dissatisfaction with your blatant attack on a senior federal official in public."

"Now the Liberal Party, the Socialist Party, and the Ministry of Defence have reached a consensus on this issue."

Fran quickly doodled on the whiteboard again, "We're only targeting Lance's actions, not anyone else!"

The voice on the other end of the phone rose several octaves, "Who the hell cares who you're targeting?"

"There was a major general in the Ministry of Defense in that car, and that was enough for them to know."

"You guys can figure out Lance's itinerary and route, so how could you not know who else is on the bus besides Lance?"

Do you think anyone will believe you when you say that?

His tone was somewhat intense, and it was clear that the man's emotions were fluctuating at that moment.

After all, he hadn't done anything. That day, he was just sitting on his sofa watching those televised TV shows from Likalai and laughing like an idiot when a phone call came in and he stopped laughing.

This matter is highly suspected, no, it should be said that the Perez family is the prime suspect. There are still survivors among those who attacked Lance at the scene. Under pressure, they did not have the firm belief to defend their family to the death, and they said everything they should and should not have said.

Therefore, from the very beginning, the Perez family was not a "suspect" but a "criminal," and they were firmly locked in.

Naturally, anyone connected to the Perez family would be suspected by some, who would suspect that they had betrayed someone's information.

Once such suspicion arises, it is difficult to eliminate, just like an incompetent husband suspecting that his domineering wife comes home every day with a flushed face and the first thing she does is take a shower.

Even if she changed later and stopped doing it, her husband still suspected that something had happened during that time, or that her methods of concealment had become more secretive.

Who can be happy when they are inexplicably labeled in a way that is detrimental to them?
The receiver fell silent, and Fran held his pen for a long time without writing anything down.

After about ten seconds, a voice came from the other end of the receiver, the tone returning to normal, "If I were you, Fran, for the sake of our past friendship, my advice to you is to take your family and that money and find a way to leave the Federation right now."

"To go to Slade or Dantra, we no longer need visas on either side; we can just take a boat there."

"It will be chaotic over there, but in the near future, you will have the opportunity to start over!"

These words immediately agitated Fran, who grabbed the microphone and demanded, "You want me to give up everything here?"

Hearing Fran's weak voice coming through the oxygen mask, the man on the other end of the phone paused for a moment. "You're very weak?"

"Fuck, this is not the time to talk about these things. You want me to give up everything here and slink away like a defeated wild dog?"

After a few seconds of silence, a questioning voice came through the phone: "Besides this option, do you have any other choices?"

“You’ve done several wrong things, Fran.” “You shouldn’t have fought in New Gold City.”

“You shouldn’t have opened fire when there were Defense Ministry officials in Lance’s car.”

“You are showing no respect for Mr. Potter’s campaign manifesto.”

"I can't think of any other way to go besides this one."

Actually, fighting in New Gold City isn't a problem; there have been fights in the city before. But the situation is a little different now because of Mr. Porter's election.

While he emphasized de-gangsterization, gangs still attacked federal officials on the streets of such an important city, which added a bit of difficulty to his campaign.

Although the difficulty was almost imperceptible, it was tantamount to disrespect to Mr. Potter himself.

If he weren't the frontrunner to win, but just a runner-up, nobody would care about his feelings.

But he's a hot favorite, and if he feels embarrassed, then his supporters will be very unhappy.

They would take initiative to do things without Mr. Potter saying anything.

Fran lay back down on the bed, feeling some pain. He hadn't fully recovered from the surgery and even speaking was difficult.

He had to continue his scribbling on the writing board, "What if I'm willing to pay some price?"

There was no answer, and no answer was the best answer. Fran was in despair. He had only had surgery, how did things turn out so badly?
Bob noticed that there was more writing on the whiteboard in his hand, and read it aloud, “If I were to leave with everyone now, would this matter end here?”

After listening to their conversation, the man on the other end emphasized, "It was you who left with your family, Fran."

“You’ve caused trouble. I don’t know if it was your decision, but you can’t just leave without paying any price.”

Bob continued to convey Fran's current emotions, "I've already backed down..."

"This is not enough!"

Everything fell silent again. Fran lay there, staring at the ceiling. He wanted to destroy something, but he didn't have the strength to do so.

He felt tired even when writing.

"Fran, listen, your time is running out, and you don't have many choices left. After this call, I won't contact you again, and I hope that if... you know, it's best not to say anything rash."

"And the person next to you, tell him to watch his mouth."

"This is my advice to you."

Without even saying goodbye, the guy hung up the phone.

Fran turned to look at Bob, who also felt wronged. "You agreed to this plan too."

Bob wouldn't have used this method without Fran's consent. Clearly, Fran also wanted revenge for the gunshot wound, but the result was completely different from what he had imagined.

"Pack your things, grab some money, and get ready to leave," Fran wrote with all his might on the whiteboard.

He was well aware of what his friend's advice meant, and he also understood that when the federal government really intended to eliminate the Perez family, they would have no power to resist!

After all, the federal government is the main body of the federation, not them or anyone else.

When terrifying forces come together, no matter who they are, they cannot be resisted.

Bob was somewhat unwilling, "If we leave, we might never come back."

Fran shook his head slightly, having lost all interest in continuing to write.

After a long while, he said softly, "Those who want to leave can come with us, and those who don't want to leave can stay and maintain the status quo."

Having made the decision, the next step was to execute it. Bob's mind was still in turmoil as he walked out of the ward; he didn't know how to deal with this terrible situation.

He stood at the hospital entrance, and although the sun was shining brightly, he felt no warmth at all.

At the same time, another idea came to him: he felt that staying might also be an opportunity for him.

If they went to Slade or Dantra together, everything would start anew, and he would still just be an important member of the family.

However, he had already tasted the sweetness of power while Fran was away. If he stayed, would it mean that he would become the head of the "headquarters"?

Perhaps... he can forge a new path?
He kept thinking about this on his way back: those politicians always exaggerate the facts in order to clear themselves of trouble.

Perhaps the situation isn't as bad as it seems?
Moreover, the Perez family has existed for so long that it is impossible to eradicate them all at once. If they can pay some price and retain some of their strength, they may be able to rise again.

He had a lot on his mind, including the possibility of developing his business in Slade, since it was impossible to take everyone with him, which was destined to be a very difficult process.

He knew very well how difficult it would be for a group of outsiders to rise to prominence in Slade. It was an away game, and there were local gangs, local politicians, and local protectors—all obstacles they had to overcome.

Moreover, they also have to face issues such as manpower shortages. Not everyone can be like Lance, starting from a few people and quickly growing to a point where they cannot be ignored.

At that moment, Bob acknowledged Lance's greatness, and he also admitted that he himself could not have done those things.

Amidst countless thoughts, he returned to the manor and immediately summoned the core members of the family, including Fran's son.

Seeing his brothers and sisters gathered together, unaware of the gravity of the situation, and some even smiling, Bob felt a strange surge of irritation and rage.

However, he quickly suppressed these emotions.

"I just went to the hospital. Fran's surgery was very successful, and he has woken up."

The people in the room had different expressions. Some had sided with Bob during this time, while others still insisted that Fran was the boss of the family. So when the news of Fran's awakening came back, some were happy, and some were not.

After observing these people for a while, he continued, "At the same time, some bad things have happened. We have some unavoidable circumstances regarding the attack on Lance, and now we have two options."

"First, go with Fran to Slade or Dantra to start from scratch. We can only bring a small number of people and some money."

"Second, stay and try to fight back. We may die, but we may also survive."

"I know this is a difficult choice, but it is a choice we must make. Now you can seriously consider it."

"A decision will have to be made in the next few days."

Those who were smiling or serious were all stunned.

"Wang Defa?"

"What exactly happened? Why are we leaving?"

Someone shouted loudly, and the others shared roughly the same confusion.

Bob recounted what had happened, and everyone fell silent.

"Just because there was a Defense Ministry official in the car?" a core member of the family asked.

Many people share his feelings, simply because of a Defense Department official?

is it necessary?

It wasn't just a problem with the Department of Defense; it was also Mr. Porter's problem, and many other complex issues that could trigger a chain of changes, but Bob wasn't quite sure, and those who did know didn't elaborate.

But Bob knew it couldn't be a single problem, so he shook his head without explaining, "I don't know."

"All I know is that you will have two days at most to make a decision."

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became heavy.

(End of this chapter)