Shadow Empire

Chapter 1131 Isolated and helpless
Fran had left, and Bob sat in the chair that only Fran used to be able to sit in. He patted the leather armrest, but he didn't feel much relief or joy.

Although he became the new head of the Perez family, the challenges he faced were truly unprecedented.

There weren't many people left in the room, unlike before when Fran would just sit there and the room would be packed with direct family members, and some people might not be able to squeeze in from outside the door.

But now, the empty room makes it clear to everyone that the family's glory is fading away.

"Are they doing well?" Bob pursed his lips. He didn't see Fran off when he left; he needed to reorganize and arrange family matters.

However, he sent his son to deliver it, which can be seen as a confirmation of a certain form of severance within the family.

His son nodded. "They left quickly, without any hesitation."

Bob felt conflicted and conflicted when he heard these words.

He hoped Fran would linger a little, which would at least prove that what he now possessed was something he couldn't bear to part with.

But he didn't want Fran to be unable to let go, since the power of the family had now fallen into his hands.

He sat there, lost in thought for a while, then his eyes regained focus.

"What's the situation outside?" he asked.

He has reassigned these people to important positions, and he has even promoted some members of his faction.

The people in the room are all looking at each other; they can't get any news at all.

Fran's departure signifies the closure and disruption of information channels to the outside world at the highest levels; they can only try to glean information from the people he can reach in society.

Unfortunately, the people Bob could reach, like the mayor, couldn't possibly say anything to him.

Without Fran, the entire Perez family is like a deaf person, a blind person, unable to see or hear.

Looking at the blank expressions on these people's faces, Bob suddenly felt a little regretful. Perhaps he should have left instead of staying.

However, this slight regret quickly dissipated, replaced by a sense of determination.

He firmly believed that he could accomplish what Fran couldn't!
"Alright, no matter what happens outside, we must remain vigilant."

“Some new brothers may not be clear about what happened, so I will briefly explain it here.”

He recounted what had happened during this period, and the family members who had just been promoted from the branch to the direct line stared wide-eyed, realizing at this moment that a huge crisis was unfolding in the family.

What they found even more unacceptable was that Fran had already run away with a group of people.

Immediately, a younger man stood up and loudly questioned, "Then what are we?"

"A discarded pawn?"

"Or are we waiting for them to harvest their crops?"

This statement resonated with some people, who all looked at Bob, which put a lot of pressure on him.

He pursed his lips. "We are not discarded pawns, nor are we crops waiting to be harvested. We are brave fighters!"

"This is a huge crisis for the family, but in my eyes, it is also a huge opportunity for us."

"To paraphrase something they often say, the Perez family is rotten!"

If Fran were here, he would never have dared to say these things. If the Perez family is corrupt, then who is corrupt and who caused it?
Without a doubt, it was Fran, though he dared not say it.

But Fran had left, and he had taken power, so he could say, "We should give more opportunities to everyone. The Perez family is not the family of a small group; it is the family of all of us."

"If we can seize this opportunity, the Perez family will also be reborn!"

"Therefore, I hope that each of you can work with me to achieve this grand goal!"

"I can guarantee that your share, whether it be power, wealth, status, or anything else, will be handed over to you in full."

Upon hearing Bob's words, people's expressions changed slightly. Only they themselves knew how profitable a criminal organization could be.

Especially in recent years, their income has been much higher than that of some listed companies, but previously this money was mainly concentrated in Fran's hands.

About 60% of it was given to those important figures and their protectors through various channels.

They claimed it was to ensure the family's healthy development, but in reality, the money was meaningless. This incident shows that these protectors took the money but did nothing.

The Perez family can handle the small things themselves, and what they can't handle, those other people can't handle either.

It would have been better not to give them the money in the first place, since they haven't done anything wrong anyway.

Of the remaining 40%, Fran will take about 20%, and of that, only 8% will go to the branch families, while the direct line will get 12%.

It seems reasonable?

But whether it was reasonable or not, and whether the money that was supposed to be transferred out actually went out, only Fran knows; there is no transparency at all.

Bob's new policy now allows everyone at every level of the family to receive a large sum of money; profit is what truly motivates people.

The initial restlessness was now suppressed by the pursuit of profit.

"What should we do next?" someone asked.

Bob pondered for a moment, then said, "Two steps."

"The first step is to consolidate the family's assets and hide some of them as potential for a comeback should we fail."

“With money, rebuilding the family won’t be so difficult, and… even if we don’t plan to rebuild the family in the future, this money will allow us to live a very comfortable life.”

The people in the room nodded. They didn't know how much wealth the family still had, but it must have been tens of millions. These assets, including real estate, could be hidden by changing ownership or directly liquidating them.

"The second step is to continue to consolidate our manpower. What we need to do now is not to take back the assets that the Lance family has taken from us, but to avoid appearing in front of the appointment and dismissal process as much as possible."

"At the same time, we must also guard against a sudden attack by the Lance family."

To put it more bluntly, we observe their actions and then consider our own course of action.

"Remember, keep a low profile!"

It sounds simple, but in practice it's quite complicated, with many small details that need to be handled one by one.

Little did Bob know that not long ago, Mr. Porter's public speech had already put them on the execution rack, leaving them no way out.

Even if some people knew these things, their relationship with Bob wouldn't be so bad that they would call Bob and tell him something terrible had happened.

They were all watching and waiting. For these "diners," the fact that their friends who were sitting next to them were about to be served on the table did not make them sad at all; instead, they all drooled with anticipation.

They only hoped that Mr. Potter wanted fame, not all the profits.

If he also wants a share, he'll at least leave some for them!

While Bob was pondering how Lance and the federal government planned to deal with them, Lance had already finished discussing the next course of action with Director Roland.

"First, surround the Perez estate. We'll each send a group of people, along with the local police, and then we'll storm in together, take out the small fry, and capture the big bosses. That should basically be the end of it."

"The rest is to find a way to gradually get these people to reveal the evidence and testimony they have against us through threats or inducements. You should be very good at this, so this is a good opportunity to practice."

When Lance said this, there was a mocking look in his eyes. Director Roland knew that Lance meant to let them practice first, because they were no match for Lance and the Lance family.

Director Roland didn't know what gave Lance the confidence to keep provoking him, but he knew that this was indeed an opportunity, and Lance was right.

The FBI has never handled such a big case since its inception, and this is a great opportunity for all senior agents and supervisors to hone their skills.

To put what they previously only knew in theory into practice, and to prepare the FBI for gaining more power in the future.

So even though he could tell that this was Lance's provocation and mockery, he didn't respond at all, but instead nodded in agreement. "Since there are no other problems, I'll go prepare," Lance said, standing up while holding onto the armrest.

Director Roland also stood up, and he took the initiative to go over and shake hands with Lance. "Okay, then see you tomorrow."

"goodbye!"

"goodbye!"

After stepping out of the house, Lance got into the car and glanced at the unremarkable old city FBI office one last time before saying, "Let's go," and the convoy slowly began to move.

Now, he needs to "change clothes".

The federal government will not admit, nor will it allow, that they are working with gangs, even though there is no concrete evidence to accuse the Lance family of being a gang.

At most, they are a dynamic violent group that doesn't do any of the criminal business that gangs would do, except for selling alcohol.

Even so, the Lance family is still widely regarded as a gang.

While Mr. Porter was talking about de-gangtification, the FBI was already collaborating with gangs to eliminate the Perez family. This only makes him look like a clown.

Therefore, the Lance family will be changing all their police uniforms for this operation, which on the surface appears to be a collaboration between the two law enforcement agencies.

Under Mr. Porter's guidance and instructions, they carried out a surgical strike against the Perez family, who had dominated the central United States for many years, swiftly arresting the family's leader and obtaining a wealth of evidence from the estate...

Even before anything happened, Lance, along with some others, already knew what the next news would be like.

Politics can be very complex at times, but it can also be predictable at others.

For the entire day, the old city was as quiet as if all the rumors about the Perez family were false.

In the evening, after a long day of work, Bob returned home exhausted and sat back on the sofa. He was very tired.

But the work wasn't over yet, and his son came back from outside. Looking at his son, he waved to him and asked him to sit down next to him.

"Take your mother and your sisters, leave this place, and leave under other identities."

His son paused for a moment, then frowned. "I can do something for the family!"

Bob looked at him. "What can you do?"

Before his son could answer, he continued, "There's nothing you can do, nothing you can do. This is extremely dangerous. I have a feeling the Perez family won't be able to hold on."

“If something like that happens, they will definitely settle scores with everyone.”

“As long as you are a family member, you can’t escape even if you haven’t done anything wrong.”

Those important figures, those with connections to the Perez family, while unable to protect the Perez family, could intervene to hasten their demise, and ultimately, their complete annihilation.

Only when everyone is finished will they not worry about others gaining leverage over them, and Bob has already begun to understand this.

Those who do the work, like Lance, will tacitly allow those people to take action against them because their goals are not conflicting.

Lance wants to destroy the Perez family, and the others need everyone to shut up before they can divide up the Perez family's assets.

He will resist, he will bravely stand up and resist, but that doesn't mean he will definitely win.

"If... something happens to us, you must live well with your mother and your sisters. Don't think about avenging us or rebuilding the family."

"That money is enough for you to live a wealthy life."

He placed his hand on his son's shoulder and squeezed it hard. "Be a good boy!"

I'm begging you, please take good care of them!

Bob, who had never spoken like this before, suddenly said it. His son was silent for a moment before agreeing, which relieved Bob. "Let's do it right away."

Watching his son leave, Bob spurred his weary body back to his study. After much hesitation, he dialed the McCormick family's number.

The McCormick family is one of the five major federal mafia families, and they have a fairly good relationship with the Perez family, mainly because they are not geographically close and have no conflicts of interest in business or interests.

All the contradictions are right in front of us, right beside us, which perhaps proves the value of the saying "distance makes the heart grow fonder" from another perspective.

McCormick is currently in charge of Clark, a guy who looks a bit old-fashioned and seems like a good guy.

Of the five major families, the McCormick family is the most philanthropic.

Of course, they did plenty of arson, murder, and looting in secret, but on the surface, Clark was a philanthropist and entrepreneur, a person Fran and Bob often mentioned when they chatted.

Fran thought Clark was a very intelligent man, but he was also hypocritical and good at disguising himself. Anyone who met him for the first time would find it hard to associate him with a mob boss.

But only those who truly understand him know how saintly he appears on the surface, and how ruthless he is in secret!

Clark was somewhat surprised to receive Bob's call, but he still greeted him with a smile, "Where's Fran?"

"Fran has gone away for treatment for the time being, you know, he just had a transplant surgery."

Clark sighed, "This is so early. It must have been incredibly painful for him, both physically and mentally."

"I hope he can recover, after all, we have fewer and fewer friends in our generation."

"So... Bob, you called me because you wanted to say something?"

Bob sighed. "Clark, you know we're in a bad situation right now. My thought is... could I ask you, and the other three families, to put in a good word for us with Lance and those people up there?"

“I know they are very angry about our actions in New Gold City. I can assure you that I had no idea there were Ministry of Defense officials in the car before that.”

“I can hand over some of the gunmen and some ‘planners’ to take the blame, just like before.”

"I can also compensate them with money or other things as much as possible, as long as they ask for it, I will meet their demands!"

"I want a chance."

After listening for a while, Clark remained silent for a moment. "Bob, if it's anything else, I'll help you if I can, considering how well we know each other."

"But this matter... to be honest, it's a bit beyond my capabilities. However, I'll ask around for you, but it's just a question, so don't get your hopes up too high."

Bob immediately expressed his gratitude, saying, "Even if it was just asking, I would be very grateful for your help at this time."

"Clark, the rise of the Lance family is a huge threat to each and every one of us."

“We should unite, otherwise what is happening to us today may happen to you in the future.”

"In short, thank you for your help. Please give me a call if you need anything from me."

Clark said some words of agreement, then hung up the phone, shaking his head as he did so.

The guy on the other side of the table asked, "Is that Bob on the phone?"

Clark chuckled twice. "A guy who can't see the bigger picture."

His friend asked, "So, are you going to do something for him?"

Clark shook his head. "No, I'm not going to do anything for him. Right now, they're like a red-hot iron; whoever touches them will get burned."

“Mr. Potter has already sentenced them to death, but he is still trying to struggle. If we get involved at this point, even I would most likely not get out!”

His friend immediately became interested. "So the Perez family is doomed?"

Clark sighed. "Yes, they're finished!"

(End of this chapter)