Shadow Empire

Chapter 1129 Problems of Size and Cooperation

At eight o'clock, the butler arrived at the dining room of Mr. Potter's estate and began folding newspapers.

Folding newspapers is a very technical job. The housekeeper will put the newspapers delivered in the morning together, then select some of the more important pages and turn them upside down.

Then the newspapers were arranged in order of their ranking so that Mr. Potter could read the newspaper he wanted while having breakfast.

The butler had served Mr. Potter for many years, so he knew very well what kind of news his "master" liked, making it a skillful job.

Mr. Potter came downstairs with the coat he was going to wear that day hanging in his hand. He would leave in this new outfit after breakfast.

Even in the morning, the place was quite busy. Mr. Potter came to the dining room and sat down. He enjoyed his delicious breakfast while looking at the stack of newspapers beside him.

A dozen or so newspapers were piled together, and all of them had been folded again.

The first newspaper he picked up at random, and the one on top, was the Federal Post. The front page of this prestigious newspaper featured Mr. Potter himself.

He stood on the podium, waving his fist, surrounded by an excited audience, which made him look very imposing.

"Well done!" Mr. Potter commented with a smile. He really liked the photo taken from a low angle, which made him look very tall, which would be beneficial for the election.

"Write down this reporter's name; we might need it later!"

As a frontrunner for the presidency, he has begun to integrate himself into the work and life of the presidency.

Every president has some journalists and photographers with whom they have a good relationship. After all, the president represents the face of a country, and there must be some professional people who match their own tastes to serve them.

The reporter was clearly very lucky, or rather, he successfully impressed Mr. Potter with his flattering filming style.

The opportunity is actually right there, but few people can see it, and even fewer can seize it.

The butler wrote down the reporter's name, and Mr. Potter ate his breakfast while reading the newspaper, which reported on his campaign manifestos.

The reporter's article perfectly suited his tastes. As he read it, he felt as if he were witnessing a savior with a heart for the country, striving to save this increasingly worse nation.

He placed the newspaper to the other side with satisfaction. The butler knew his habit: if there were multiple parts of the newspaper that he needed to read, he would pull it out and fold it back.

But not now, which means he doesn't need to continue reading anything else that doesn't help him.

He then picked up a second newspaper, an article also about presidential candidate polls and the polling organizations' own assessments, which stated that Mr. Porter's chances of winning were over seventy percent.

This is already a very high number. Keep in mind that the previous president won the election with a relative advantage in the vote, and the evaluation at that time was only close to 70%.

Then came the third one, and his expression finally changed somewhat, because the title was rather serious—"The Tragedy of Society."

The article discusses the recent gang attack in New Gold City, offering its interpretation of the incident and the author's own thoughts.

The journalist was someone who frequently wrote articles like this; he was extremely knowledgeable about gangs and everything that happened in the underworld, including the families, names, and celebrities.

In this report, he provided a detailed background on both sides.

On one side is the Perez family, one of the five great families of the Federation, and a criminal group led by Fran.

On the other side is Lance, the suspected leader of a federal crime syndicate, and his Lance family.

Why is it described as "suspected"?
The article also provides a very detailed explanation, because so far no law enforcement or judicial agency has obtained conclusive evidence of crimes committed by the Lance family.

They do not collect protection money, nor do they plunder the wealth of ordinary people or those at the bottom of society through harm or other means.

In Golden City, when it comes to Lance and his Lance family, almost everyone speaks well of them, not badly of them.

This makes the existence and nature of the Lance family somewhat difficult to determine.

The reporter described them as a "violent organization" rather than a gang in the article because they sometimes use violence to solve problems. As for whether it constitutes a crime, it depends on the specific circumstances and requires specific analysis.

In this report, the journalist explains the world from an outsider's perspective, from the Perez family's brazen attack on such an important city as New Gold City.

This extends to the potential impact of what kind of changes this possible revenge by the Perez family will bring to the Federation's society and its international image.

Mr. Porter agreed with some of these points, especially the journalist's mention of the various negative impacts of gangs on society.

Finally, the reporter returned the topic to Mr. Porter's election manifesto, mentioning the necessity of Mr. Porter's call for "degangtization" for the development of federal society.

Most of the report did not mention Mr. Porter and his campaign, but it made the matter very clear between the lines.

Gangs disrupt social order, economic production, and the rule of law!

All of these factors have destined gangs to be unable to continue to integrate into the rapidly developing federal society. Gangs have transformed from a growing pain of the times into a social cancer that must be eradicated.

Finally, he discussed Mr. Potter's degangsterization, which elevated the entire article and made the concept of degangsterization more three-dimensional and vivid in the public's mind.

After putting down the newspaper, Mr. Potter pondered for a moment, then turned and asked, "This... the impact the Perez family had on New Gold City recently, is there any follow-up to that?"

Besides the butler, Mr. Potter's own team was also in the room. Someone was indeed paying attention to this matter because it aligned with Mr. Potter's campaign manifesto.

Those familiar with the matter immediately stepped forward, saying, "There are some new developments. Senator Cleveland and the Department of Defense have decided to take action against them and deal with these gangs."

"They've proposed some other deal options, which you can discuss in the office if you're interested."

Mr. Potter looked at his advisor and understood that it was clearly more appropriate for him to end the matter.

But he's not president now, so he needs to pay a price and take the credit for it.

"Remember to have someone remind me when I get to the office."

He then looked at the fourth newspaper.

The butler stood quietly to the side, as if nothing had happened.

No one knew that simply by folding the newspaper, he had a sum of money deposited into his private account—a considerable sum, enough to tempt him.

As the Potter family's butler, his loyalty to the family is beyond question. If it were any other form of "bribery," such as asking him to betray the family's interests, he certainly would not compromise.

But this matter is not about him betraying anyone, whether it's Mr. Potter or the family's interests; he doesn't need to betray anyone.

He just needed to remind Mr. Potter of this matter in a seemingly inconspicuous way.

After reading all the newspapers and finishing his breakfast, Mr. Potter was on his way to his office when his son came looking for him.

After exchanging a glance, the son got into his car.

"what happened?"

As Mr. Potter's son, the current second generation of the Potter family, the middle-aged man still wields considerable power and influence. Both he and his father have their own jobs, and while they do have opportunities to meet, they don't see each other often, as everyone is very busy.

It's even rarer to see people sitting in the same car like this.

"What happened?" After breakfast, while the taste of milk in your mouth hasn't completely disappeared, lighting a cigar is obviously the best way to enjoy yourself.

Sitting in the car, Mr. Porter leaned back in his seat, holding a cigar worth several tens of dollars, looking more like a capitalist than a politician.

"About my son."

Mr. Potter frowned. He knew that there was a problem with the third generation of the family. In fact, this kind of thing was not unique to the Potter family. Similar situations occurred to varying degrees in other families as well.

They were born standing at the finish line, already ahead of 99% of people without any effort. Life, work, and the world were like a game that wasn't so new to them.

In this somewhat dull and unmotivating world, seeking a little excitement doesn't seem unforgivable. Mr. Potter was quite open-minded about these issues because he wasn't exactly a saint in his youth; he was promiscuous, did bad things, and did almost everything he could.

But what about now?
He's about to become the president of the federal government. For people like him, no matter what outrageous things they did when they were young, it won't affect their future as governors, senators, or even presidents!

He still seemed somewhat nonchalant, thinking that no matter how outrageous his grandson was, at most he had gone against the girls' wishes and had something happen with them.

Just give him some money, or find some middlemen to handle it; there are always people willing to do the dirty work for him.

The middle-aged man remained silent, which gradually made Mr. Potter's relaxed expression turn somewhat serious. "This is no small matter?"

The middle-aged man nodded. "He was really high that day. He slept with a girl who had just come of age, and then, while he wasn't even fully conscious, he tortured and killed her."

“Shit!” Mr. Potter frowned. “What’s wrong with him?”

"What did you do this time?"

"Don't you and your ilk know I'm in the midst of an election?"

He stared at his son with a stern look, a tone he rarely used when speaking to him since the middle-aged man had established his own career.

He was really angry.

The middle-aged man remained silent. Faced with the wrath of Mr. Potter, who was also his father, all he could do was remain silent.

After seven or eight seconds, Mr. Potter asked, "Is it cleaned up yet?"

The middle-aged man nodded. "I handled it myself. The body and all the other evidence were cleaned up, but there's still one problem."

"First, I didn't find the murder weapon at the scene. It may have been taken away by his friends, but it wasn't found in the subsequent search either, so I didn't dare to expand the search area further."

"Secondly, the deceased's family called the police, and I had them silenced, but they are still investigating and have already found some things."

He briefly recounted what had happened in the past few days. The couple and a reporter were keeping an eye on the matter. They had obtained a clue from the girl's agent: the phone number of the person who hired the models to have fun that day.

And this person is Potter's friend.

People who can be friends with Little Potter are definitely not ordinary people; they must have a certain family background. Otherwise, they wouldn't even be qualified to be Little Potter's dog.

Since he's not an ordinary person, this is a bit more difficult to handle, so he needs to consult Mr. Potter on how to proceed.

Mr. Potter took a puff of his cigar. He used to enjoy it, but now it not only felt uncomfortable to smoke, but it also made him more irritable.

"I'm running for office, and you're doing this kind of thing!"

He was indeed very angry. If a heinous crime like a murder had occurred in his home, he would still have lost the election, even if his current approval rating was high.

Federal citizens always have some twisted moral expectations of presidential candidates, gubernatorial candidates, mayoral candidates, and anyone else whose election requires their vote.

Even if they aren't completely abnormal, they will still be required to behave like a normal family.

Once the fact that Porter Jr. murdered someone and his private life is exposed, Mr. Porter's positive image will be impacted, and voters will feel that they have elected a less-than-ideal president.

This infuriated Mr. Potter. He glared at his son and took two more puffs of his cigar. "Find a way to get these people under control. They'd better be willing to cooperate. If they're not willing to cooperate..."

Mr. Porter did not continue speaking. His silence implied that the matter was unrelated to him. Federal law, when protecting these important figures, strictly requires all evidence to be complete and procedures to be followed.

The middle-aged man nodded. "I know what to do."

The convoy soon stopped at the side of the road, and Mr. Potter looked at his son and said, "You can get to work now."

The middle-aged man gave a bitter laugh. He pushed open the car door and was about to get out when Mr. Potter gave him another piece of advice: "Go back and give that bastard a good beating, so he understands that his current life is not because of his own hard work."

"He doesn't have to help us, but he can't hold us back, understand?"

This was already a very obvious hint. The middle-aged man nodded. "I will teach him a good lesson."

The convoy quickly set off again, ruining what should have been a happy day.

Mr. Potter sat in the car without saying a word the whole way, and it wasn't until he arrived at his office that his face showed some other expressions.

He can't go to work with this terrible expression; he has to project a positive and healthy image.

After he finished dealing with the work that needed immediate attention, the butler gave him a reminder, and after resting for two minutes, he called Senator Cleveland.

The call was answered quickly. Big shots like them usually spend the mornings in their offices unless there's something special going on.

"This is Cleveland."

Because it's a private number, Senator Cleveland doesn't need to include her office or any other title.

“It’s me, Potter.”

"Mr. Potter, what made you decide to call me?" The senator's voice was gentle and relaxed, and his tone was not harsh despite the fact that the two belonged to different camps.

Mr. Potter chuckled twice. "That's right. I heard a few days ago that Lance White and a Department of Defense official were attacked in New Gold City."

"The impact of this incident is extremely negative. It is unacceptable for such a heinous case to occur in a window to the world."

“I would like to know if Mr. Lance White has recovered, and if you need any help.”

"I am willing to offer you some assistance in the process of de-gangsterizing."

To put it more politely, Senator Cleveland couldn't say he was specifically waiting for this call, but it was certainly part of his plan.

"We do have some plans, but they're rather scattered. If you could give us some advice, that would be great..."

Sometimes deals are that simple; a few words can decide the fate of a gang family.

Later that evening, Senator Cleveland called Lance. “Porter just contacted me, and we talked about it. He has an idea.”

"He intends to use Roland to do this, to have the FBI act as law enforcement to deal with the Perez family."

"Of course, you can assist them if you wish."

"In the capacity of an old city police officer."

Lance had no objection to this, stating that he accepted it and was willing to cooperate with the FBI in cracking down on these criminal gangs.

Once the decision was made, things quickly sprang into action. Lance himself arrived in the old city and met with Director Roland.

“I never imagined we would meet like this, Lance,” Director Roland said, not displaying his obsessive, even somewhat mad and twisted sense of justice in front of Lance.

He now looked just like a normal person, and even offered Lance a cigarette.

“Thank you, but I prefer to smoke my own cigarettes,” Lance said, refusing the cigarette and taking one from his own pack.

This refusal caused a subtle change in Director Roland's expression. He then smiled and said, "Actually, these cheap cigarettes are quite good, if you can get used to them."

Lance glanced at the cigarette pack in his hand. "I don't care about the price of cigarettes."

In other words, he had a problem with the person who gave him the cigarette.

(End of this chapter)