Shadow Empire

Chapter 1133 Annihilation in an instant
The clock struck seven. Director Roland stood in front of the Perez family manor, took one last drag of his cigarette, and then threw the butt on the ground.

“It seems Bob and they are determined to fight to the end.” He glanced at Lance, then looked at the bearded chief standing behind Lance. “Let’s get started.”

Lance naturally had no objection to this. In fact, it wasn't just here; other major Perez family properties would also be attacked at 7:05.

An unprecedentedly fierce attack, carried out in conjunction with local police.

These police officers didn't really want to do this, after all... shooting is a very dangerous thing, and one wrong move could cost them their lives.

This was no easy task for the old city police, who were used to the "stability" of the city, as the gangs' order superseded law enforcement.

This is the most accurate portrayal of our times, full of absurdity and also very funny.

But facts are facts, and no one can change them.

The bearded police chief also believed that persuading local police to participate in the crackdown on the Perez family would not be an easy task.

But soon, Lance pulled out a trump card.

Last night, while Chief Roland was still preparing for today's work, Lance had already gathered with the bearded chief, the precinct chief, the sheriff, and other management personnel.

He introduced these people to the tradition and benefits of "police-community cooperation" in Jin Gang City and even in Likale State.

Over there, in addition to receiving a little over sixty dollars a month from the police department, each police officer also receives investment dividends from the "State Police Protection Fund" or the "Local Police Protection Fund".

Yes, they are distributed monthly because these funds are private equity funds and are not required to disclose their capital structure, profitability, or other details to the public.

Furthermore, there is no law prohibiting a fund from distributing dividends to its clients every month, so this seemingly outrageous thing exists openly and legally.

Each police officer receives a monthly bonus based on their rank, the city they work in, and other factors, after a weighted average.

At the very least, one can receive a dividend of about thirty dollars and a shopping voucher of thirty dollars from the foundation, which is a shopping voucher from the Lawrence Business Group.

These shopping vouchers are different from those that offer a "five-dollar discount on luxury car purchases." The largest business under the Lawrence Business Group is its supermarkets.

It sells all kinds of food and groceries that everyone needs, and you can use these shopping vouchers; it's not some fake, impractical thing.

On the contrary, it is very practical, you could say it's equivalent to money, and at the same time, the state of Likale now has a very special social atmosphere.

If someone can produce some of these non-publicly issued shopping vouchers every month, then in the eyes of their neighbors and friends, they will definitely be seen as a "resourceful person".

It has become a benchmark for people at the bottom of society to assess whether a person is capable!
People won't look down on them for possibly obtaining these shopping vouchers through some inappropriate means; on the contrary, they'll envy them because these vouchers represent privilege!

Who wouldn't want privileges?
Upon hearing Lance's introduction, the officers, including the bearded chief, were stunned.

They listened incredulously as Lance spoke as if it were a myth, describing the lives of police officers in Licarle.

Lance then mentioned his idea: to first establish a "Police Protection Foundation" in Golden State and Old City.

Furthermore, the amount of money they receive each month depends entirely on how much property they can seize from the Perez family.

In Lance's words, if the Perez family could absorb as much of their assets as possible, they could live a life no less comfortable than that of a Likale state police officer.

But if they fail to seize the Perez family's assets, they won't get much money.

After all, Lance wasn't doing charity work. He could accept breaking even, but he couldn't operate these things at a loss.

Upon hearing this, everyone roughly understood what he meant: this was a "major robbery operation," and the target of the robbery was the Perez family's assets.

Before the FBI gets hold of these assets, before those big shots touch them, find a way to hold them in your hands first.

For the rest, Lance can represent them and negotiate with others.

With the matter settled here, there were basically no obstacles left. The police responded to the call immediately, and a large number of officers had already gathered at the police station and branch offices early in the morning, around 4 a.m.

They are already eager to get involved in this cause of justice. Of course, their starting point may not be so righteous, but as long as their actions are righteous, then everything is righteous.

As two FBI armored vehicles rammed through the large iron gates of the Perez estate, a battle aimed at annihilating the Perez family began.

The Lance family, local police, and FBI agents from the surrounding area all launched an attack.

Of course, the main force is still the Lance family, since they have the most combat experience.

Although Roland had been secretly stirring up trouble, he didn't completely exclude his own people from the operation. He also arranged for many people to participate, including some senior detectives and other core management personnel.

He, they, and the entire FBI need a lot of experience, experience that cannot be learned in the training ground or the operations research room.

They must get to the front lines and participate in the battle themselves to figure out what to do.

This is valuable practical experience!
The gunfire erupted suddenly and fiercely; the bad news Bob brought back had spurred these men to fight to the death.

Bob himself was looking for good positions to fire at the law enforcement officers who were pouring in from all directions.

Bullets rained down like free rain, and "gray spots" kept popping up on the exterior wall of the main building. These were the effects of bullets that missed their mark and exploded on the exterior wall.

This also caused the entire house to appear to be constantly shrouded in smoke.

Meanwhile, fierce gunfire erupted throughout the city, with many important businesses attacked by police and the Lance family, including nightclubs and large clubs.

The Perez family was stunned in an instant; they had no chance to react.

Not long ago, the family had made SOS calls to many businesses, and Bob needed them to come to the aid of Perez Estate with weapons.

These people, who may have just been ready to emerge from these industries with weapons and those who were still half asleep, were met with a devastating blow.

Of course, some combat captains may have realized that things were beyond saving, and they didn't even have the idea of ​​rescuing Bob and the others, quietly staying in their own territory.

Even so, they could not escape their fate of being wiped out.

At Lance's request, the FBI armored vehicles advanced with almost no resistance, and they entered the villa's hallway.

They blew up a wall, then built a makeshift ramp, and the armored vehicles drove right in.

When dealing with pure infantry, armored vehicles are simply killing machines, offering absolutely no chance of resistance.

Accompanied by the rumble of machine gun fire, the hall was quickly cleared.

Next, it's a matter of advancing step by step.

The battle outside the main building ended in less than ten minutes, and some law enforcement officers went to other buildings to carry out the encirclement and suppression.

As people continued to enter the main building and bodies were carried out, Director Roland couldn't help but light another cigarette; he had just smoked one.

“It looks like things are going well,” he said, glancing at Lance as if speaking to him.

Lance nodded slightly. "That's the advantage of law enforcement. Even if you use heavy weapons in the city, as long as you report to the local government and the military region in advance, no one will care if you bombard this place."

"This is also the biggest difference between us and gangsters. Although gangsters are always exchanging fire, heavy firepower is too sensitive for them to use. They only use bombs occasionally, and only at critical moments."

"From the perspective of law enforcement officers, they have an inherent advantage when dealing with gangs." "An irreparable advantage."

Director Roland nodded. The situation was as it was, and it was obvious at a glance. He asked with a hint of amusement, "Have you ever considered that such a day might come?"

Lance smiled. "I'm never worried. Like I've always said, if you have evidence, bring them to my door to arrest me."

"If you have no evidence, no matter how much you say or how much you provoke me, it's all meaningless."

"You know, I know, we all know this."

"evidence!"

Director Roland's playful expression quickly turned stiff. Dealing with Lance was indeed different from dealing with these people. Unless the president stood up and defied public opinion to determine that the Lance family was definitely a gang, and then signed a presidential order requiring the FBI to eliminate them as soon as possible.

Otherwise, they would have to go through the proper procedures, which is inevitable.

Senators from Cleveland are Lance's most reliable protectors. Even if the president wants to deal with Lance, he would probably have to consider their opinions.

Dealing with Lance and the Lance family is different from dealing with other gangs. It's a contest similar to a political struggle. First, Lance needs to be on his side. He has no influence with Senator Cleveland, and they no longer protect him.

Or, to put it another way, we must first deal with Senators like those in Cleveland. Once we get them out of Congress, Lance will naturally have no more protection.

He was like a seductive woman walking down a dark alley at night, full of danger.

Lance knew all this very well, and Director Roland also knew very well that his attention was fixed on this young man who was not very old but terrifying.

It took him a while to look away. He was in a heavy mood and did not feel happy that the credit for the impending downfall of the Perez family would fall on him and the FBI.

Because there is still a huge mountain blocking his way, which he sees no way to overcome at the moment.

The battle lasted for about forty minutes, and with the final gunshot, the entire manor was completely wiped out.

Bob was also brought out; he looked disheveled, with a bullet wound in his arm and covered in dirt.

“He was preparing to commit suicide, but he didn’t have the courage to pull the trigger, and then we found him.”

He was captured by Lance's men, a combat captain whose face showed both disdain for Bob and a sense of pride.

The Lance family is different from these corrupt gangs that can't fight to the end or even end their own lives prematurely.

He believed that if the same thing happened to the Lance family, to Lance himself, he would definitely fight to the last moment with his weapon in hand.

He won't commit suicide; he'll die in battle. That's the end for a true warrior.

Bob was pale and looked very embarrassed; the person behind him had completely shattered his last "pretense."

When the situation reached a point of no return, his only thought was not to end his own life, but to find a way to survive!

Since they want... everything from the Perez family, then give it to them. As the family's current highest-ranking administrator in the Federation, his value should be considerable.

He might be able to save his life through a "transaction".

But he had to maintain his dignity; he couldn't surrender voluntarily, or he would become a laughingstock, and the moment he entered prison, he would regret his surrender.

Even if the people in prison don't kill him, they'll make him wish he were dead. They hate people like him the most.

The only way was to fake his suicide attempt and attract others to arrest him, thus saving face—he intended to end his life in the face of failure.

At the same time, he saved his life because his suicide attempt failed and he was caught, which was not his intention.

He just didn't expect that the guy who grabbed him would so bluntly say those things, leaving him exposed to the light of day like a clown.

Director Roland was in a much better mood than before. He had someone bring him a chair and then asked everyone in the room who was not feeling well to leave, including Lance.

Clearly, he had something to say to Bob and didn't want others to know. Lance naturally wouldn't refuse, since, strictly speaking, Director Roland was the overall commander of the operation, even though he spent most of his time observing and learning.

When they were the only two people left in the room, Chief Roland gave Bob a cigarette. "You want to survive."

Bob lit a cigarette but didn't say anything, just silently smoked it.

Director Roland walked up behind him and suddenly placed his hands heavily on his shoulders, which startled him so much that he trembled all over.

The startled action made Director Roland pause for a moment, then he laughed. "You see, I meant you no harm."

"It's just that you've offended some big shots this time, so there's no other way but to do this."

"You want to survive, but I want more credit and more secrets."

He walked up to Bob, looked at him, and said, "Let's make a deal."

“Give me what I want, and I’ll let you live, but you’ll never leave prison for the rest of your life. I’ll arrange a good prison for you.”

"A single room is no different from the outside, except that it doesn't offer much freedom."

“You can take your people with you and rebuild the Perez family in prison. You will still be a prominent person.”

Bob seemed somewhat tempted by these words, but he didn't make a decision immediately; he was still thinking about it.

Director Roland's face was devoid of a smile. "Do you know?"

“Actually, if you and I are alone here, some people outside might already be calling their backers and telling them that you and I are together.”

"I believe that those who are afraid of you are using their deep connections to find a way to kill you and your family members quietly."

“I just heard that they haven’t found your family. Believe it or not, your family will be in the hands of some of them in just three to five days.”

These words seemed to touch Bob; his lips trembled slightly, and with an equally trembling hand, he held a cigarette between his fingers. "You have to promise me I'll survive."

Director Roland raised his hand without hesitation, "I guarantee it."

Bob slumped in his chair, looking as if all his energy had been drained. "What do you want to know?"

Director Roland licked his lips. As someone who wanted more power and had greater ambitions, he knew very well that only by understanding the weaknesses of those big shots would they obey him.

In fact, the FBI used to be quite useful. As a tool for presidential political maneuvering, they were able to use their connections with the president to obtain the privacy of many important figures, thereby creating a deterrent effect.

But those previous FBI directors only knew how to flatter and treat themselves as mere attendants to the president. They completely ignored the terrifying power they possessed!

Now, Roland will polish this sword and let it shine with its true sharpness and cold gleam!
As for whether Bob would die after saying that, for him at that time, it would actually be better for him to die than not to die.

Only after he dies will the things he revealed have any real deterrent effect.

These private matters are completely different when they are in the hands of a mob boss who needs to make a deal, versus when they are in the hands of an FBI director who has power and relies on the president and Congress!

He looked at Bob as if he were seeing a delicacy. If it weren't for the fact that drooling in the middle of the moment would make him look like a pervert, he would have been swallowing his saliva impatiently!

(End of this chapter)