Shadow Empire

Chapter 1130 Don't be a coward, just do it!
In the largest square in New Goldshire, Mr. Potter was already standing on the high stage, surrounded by his supporters waving flags with his slogans or portraits. Their enthusiasm was as captivating as the damn weather.

Mr. Potter loved everything he was experiencing at that moment; the support he received made him feel like he was at the center of the world!

He waved his arms to the voters; this was perhaps the most intimate moment between the presidential candidate, the future president, and his voters!
Only at this moment were their hearts truly united.

Mr. Porter wanted to do something to please these voters, and the voters wanted to support Mr. Porter's rise to power through their actions.

But this scene won't last long. Once he takes office and is sworn in as president of the federal government, everything will change.

The lower classes of the federal government never seem to learn from past lessons. They elect one president after another, but almost none of them are truly good to them.

After each injury, they would find reasons for the president's betrayal, comfort themselves, and start the next round of the game.

They don't learn from their mistakes, but on the other hand, this may be the greatest tragedy for grassroots voters.

Because they are powerless, they only have the right to accept, not the right to choose. When those above make changes, they can do nothing but remain silent and accept.

Just like this moment, the previous moment, every moment.

This is not an advertisement.

When the atmosphere at the scene had reached the level required by the campaign team, a member of the team walked over to Mr. Potter, who was chatting amiably with voters, and quietly reminded him that he could begin.

He bid a friendly farewell to the group of people he was chatting with, then returned to the podium, stood up straight, bowed slightly, and the entire audience erupted in thunderous applause and cheers.

He then went to his "workstation," raised his hands, and said through the microphone, "Quiet, quiet down, my brothers and sisters!"

The voters at the scene seemed to be bewitched; they fell silent almost the instant he spoke and made those gestures.

They seem to have forgotten their once absolutely unyielding spirit, their unyielding courage to curse even when pinned to the ground and beaten by the police.

The situation was under excellent control. Mr. Porter nodded. "Say something."

"Should I say something?"

"When I saw you all, I didn't really want to say much, because you are the best!"

"I don't need encouragement, I don't need any words, you will all be the best!"

"But I still have to say something, because they gave me a mission, today, right here!"

"So, I thought about it and decided to start with some recent events."

He paused for a moment, glanced at the speech draft on the lectern, which he had actually read yesterday and even memorized briefly.

But please forgive him for being a bit old; he can only vaguely remember some of the key points, and he can't remember the rest at all.

However, as a candidate who is about to become a top politician, he still possesses the political acumen he should have.

This speech is different from those used in typical company meetings; the font is larger, and some key words are highlighted in different colors.

For example, the orange content represents the core of the speech paragraphs, and you should talk about these. The yellow content can be mentioned or omitted.

Things marked in green can be ignored, while some things marked in red are things that absolutely cannot be mentioned.

Every important person or powerful figure has their own way of interpreting things. The person who wrote the speech might have a conflict with what they wanted to say. In that case, they only need to remember these keywords or key sentences, add some of their own thoughts, and they can give a relatively impromptu speech.

With just a quick glance, Mr. Potter memorized all these keywords, a testament to his excellent political acumen.

"As you should know, a terrible attack occurred here a few days ago."

“A gang attacked the vehicle of a legitimate businessman and nearly endangered his life and the lives of other innocent people.”

"This is a blatant provocation against federal law and social order."

"That's why I always emphasize that gangs do nothing to stabilize federal society; they only disrupt stability and production!"

He suddenly emphasized his words, connecting the two events, referring to Lance as a "legitimate businessman," and omitting the fact that a major general from the Ministry of Defense was in Lance's car.

After all, saying it out loud does... leave room for more speculation. Why would a senior official from the Ministry of Defense be in the same car as a legitimate businessman who was attacked?
Is there some shady deal going on behind the scenes?

In order not to offend the Department of Defense, Mr. Porter consciously concealed the sensitive information about this "innocent citizen".

He looked at his supporters below the stage and said, "The problem of gangs has a long history. Over the years, the most ridiculous thing I've heard is that gangs are an extension of the federal government's social management!"

"Some people believe that the existence of gangs helps the federal government govern the country, which is utter nonsense!"

"I've never heard a joke funnier than this!"

"The federal government doesn't need gangs to interfere with our governance of the country. Their existence is not benign; they are like tumors on the giant that is the federal government. If they are not removed, they will bring terrible changes!"

"But many people don't understand this principle, or rather, they understand it but they won't say it."

“I don’t know if there are more problems behind this, and I don’t care if some people have colluded with gangs. To me, de-gangsterization is necessary no matter what.”

"Otherwise, attacks like this one will happen again, and many more times around us."

“Even ordinary people, innocent passersby, could be implicated, or even killed as eyewitnesses for just glancing at someone.”

"Social stability should not be like this, nor should social order be manifested in this way. Combating gangs and crime will be my top priority after I take office!"

“I will liberate the entire Federation from these unhealthy social relationships, so that there will be no more gangs, no more extortion, and no more violent crime.”

"Starting today!" Mr. Potter passionately instilled in the people his policy agenda, which boasted the lowest implementation cost and negligible impact of all his plans.

Compared to truly improving the efficiency and integrity of government departments, reforms in areas such as healthcare, education, social security, and civil service, which affect the interests of more people, would likely involve more resistance and troublesome issues.

De-gangsterization and crime fighting are actually the most effective, fastest, and least damaging solutions.

Many people are paying attention to this campaign speech. Mr. Porter's speech served as a reminder that society is evolving and the "era of the big gangs" is coming to an end. So, what about these people, officials, celebrities, and politicians who have connections with gangs?

Their attitudes and methods also need to be adjusted accordingly.

This wasn't actually Mr. Porter's idea of ​​changing the Union by cracking down on gangs; it was society's own choice.

People in society yearn for a peaceful and stable social order, which is why these things have come about.

At this time, the gangsters who did not care about politics were unaware that a massive crackdown on crime targeting the entire federal mafia was about to strike like a storm!
Meanwhile, in the old city, Lance and Director Roland had a brief and friendly "conversation".

Director Roland's personal visit to the front lines was at Mr. Porter's request. He hoped that during his tenure, he could have a law enforcement agency under his control that could work for him at the state and city levels.

This would give him greater control over the federal government. He didn't want to end up like previous presidents, helpless in the face of provocations from governors or even mayors.

He needed the FBI as a weapon in his hands, and coincidentally, that weapon also needed to find a master; the two hit it off immediately.

This crackdown on the Perez family is of great significance to the FBI.

First of all, the Perez family, as one of the five major families of the Federation, is well-known and enjoys a long-standing reputation.

They immediately targeted the Perez family, and the social impact of eliminating them was immediate.

You've taken down a small gang of only seven or eight people that most people have never even heard of. Those voters probably think you're wasting taxpayers' money.

They probably didn't have such confidence when they said these things before, since they didn't pay taxes back then.

But after this tax reform, they started paying taxes. Even beggars are taxpayers, so they speak with confidence.

This was originally a good campaign direction, so Mr. Porter decided to take advantage of this opportunity to go all out.

When people discover that one of the five most powerful families in the Federation has been eliminated in a very short time at his request, he will reap a lot of public support in a very short time!
What is public opinion?
It's a vote, it's a chance to win, and there can't be any mistakes in this matter. So even if Roland is unwilling, he has to stand with Lance now.

This could be seen as... Mr. Potter's act of protecting Roland and the FBI.

However, it could also be interpreted as a lack of trust in their abilities.

After all, it's not been a long time since the FBI truly became a law enforcement agency, and Mr. Porter was worried about whether they could accomplish this arduous task.

If they are defeated by the mob during the mission, it will be a disgrace to the FBI, and a huge disgrace to him, the future president of the Union.

Therefore, no mistakes are allowed in this matter.

He wasn't president yet, he wasn't even a governor, and he couldn't mobilize the militia or federal troops to serve him. So he could only pin his hopes on the Lance family, the dynamic group that had always caused the Perez family to suffer losses, to help him realize this plan.

This is a collaboration, a collaboration between the mob and the FBI.

"What are your plans next?" Director Roland asked, sitting across from Lance.

Besides Lance's group, there were also many FBI agents in the room, and their eyes were filled with inquiry and curiosity as they looked at Lance.

It was an absurd day for them, as they were sitting at the same table as Lance, discussing how to eliminate another gang.

It's ridiculous, everyone thinks so.

But that's how politics is; beneath its absurdity lies a wisdom that people can't quite grasp.

Lance didn't answer the question directly, but instead threw it back to Chief Roland, "What do you plan to do? I'd like to hear your thoughts first, after all, you're the ones who deal with gangsters..." He glanced at the senior detectives around Chief Roland, "...are the professionals."

Some people's expressions changed immediately; this was clearly a provocative statement, made right in front of them!

They had never been treated like this before, but fortunately, Director Roland still held a high position in their hearts, and Lance also had a strong deterrent effect. They were angry, but they didn't say anything.

Chief Roland chuckled dryly, offering no comment on Lance's aggressive and biased remarks. "The local police department should have criminal records on the Perez family. We'll arrest them based on what's recorded in those records."

"I believe that we can pry more facts about their family's crimes out of these people, and then a whole lot of people will be implicated."

Even if some people are stubborn and won't say it, there will always be some who aren't stubborn enough, don't you think?

This is actually a kind of covert counterattack. He is also warning Lance that not everyone in the Lance family is tough, and there will always be people who will side with the other side when faced with threats and temptations.

Lance smiled. "This method is good, but it's not suitable for now."

“Yours…” he paused, “Mr. Potter hopes to resolve this matter as soon as possible. If you take your time to investigate, you might not be able to catch them all by next year.”

"A gang of tens of thousands, Chief Roland, have you ever considered what the people you really want to arrest are doing while you're interrogating those you have evidence against?"

“It’s not that I’m looking down on you, but you know absolutely nothing about them, about gangs like the Perez family.”

"All your ideas are based on 'I think'."

Roland wasn't angry; he maintained his smiling expression throughout. "So, what do you think we should do?"

Lance moved the ashtray from the middle of the table to his own side, flicked some ash into it, and said, "Let's get started!"

(End of this chapter)