Shadow Empire

Chapter 1138 Director Roland's Big Trouble

Everyone gathered in the open space outside the FBI building. Director Roland's men, armed with guns, stood around the perimeter to prevent people from leaving and to monitor those present.

Director Roland led the guard around and had him look at each person one by one to see if the poisoner was among them.

It seems that Bob is dead, and finding the poisoner is pointless, but it's still possible to shirk responsibility.

There's another problem here: since the poisoner was wearing an FBI uniform, if the news spreads but the person hasn't been caught yet, he'll be in an even more passive position.

Some people don't know the truth; they just repeat what others say.

But some people know the truth, yet they pretend not to, saying whatever others say.

The FBI director can't even manage his own team, and there's even a "traitor" within the FBI. Even if he can resolve the fact that he and Bob didn't actually communicate any key information.

If a bureau chief, the head of a law enforcement agency, can't even manage his own internal affairs and has such alarming loopholes, how can people believe that he can manage the increasingly important FBI?

His face was ashen. He knew very well that this matter was inextricably linked to Lance and Senator Cleveland and his ilk. Only by finding the poisoner and extracting the information he wanted from him by any means possible could this matter be resolved satisfactorily.

His unfriendly gaze swept over everyone, as if they could all be the perpetrators of the poisoning, or traitors hiding within the FBI.

He was now unsure whether the person was someone he had brought from elsewhere, someone local, or... someone impersonating him.

If this were a very ordinary case, then someone impersonating someone would obviously be the best explanation and the best investigation result. But this case is not ordinary, and we must find out the truth.

Many people were unaware of what had happened, and the Bureau of Investigation still had a lot of work to do, but since Director Roland had spoken, they had no choice but to comply.

People stood impatiently in the sun; the early September sun still had tremendous power, and some had already begun wiping away sweat.

The guard knew he was in deep trouble. He looked closely, his eyes wounded and sharp, as if trying to pierce through everyone who met his gaze.

He walked slowly and looked very carefully. The somewhat blurry image in his mind kept blurring and changing as he observed the facial features of each person. At this moment, he could no longer fully remember what that face looked like!

This is a terrible thing, but he doesn't dare to say it. Even if that person were standing right in front of him right now, he would probably hesitate, waver, and doubt whether it was really that person.

Sweating profusely, he examined each agent under Chief Roland's almost tangible gaze. After more than two hours, he finally said with his head down, "He's not here."

"you sure?"

The guard sighed. "He probably left after poisoning the poison. It took about seven or eight minutes from when he went in until you arrived."

This was enough time for the guy to calmly walk downstairs and then leisurely leave the FBI.

"Fuck!" Chief Roland cursed again, glancing sideways at the agents standing in the sunlight. "Get back to work!"

Upon receiving the order to disperse, all the agents rushed into the office building, leaving only Director Roland standing in the sunlight, hands on his hips, staring at the guards.

He pointed at the guard's nose, "Go back and pack your things, then hand over your damn ID and weapons to the office. You're fired!"

The guard froze for a moment, then a look of shock immediately crossed his face. He had already forgotten his fear of Roland and chased after him, saying, "You can't do this!"

"I can't?" Director Roland pushed away the guard who was approaching him. "If you're going to say something like that to me, I'll suspect you're in cahoots with the poisoner!"

The guard, who had been about to explain, paused, staring at Director Roland in disbelief. In the end, he chose to remain silent and accepted the condition.

He knew very well that the interrogation process within the FBI was definitely not as lenient as they claimed to be.

Director Roland was a pragmatist. He didn't care about torture or anything like that. As long as he could get information that interested him, they even once cut off a poor guy's finger with a large garden shear.

If Director Roland believes he is an accomplice of those people, fabricating evidence, he will surely suffer a terrible death!

He took a step back, his face filled with despair and resentment, but there was nothing he could do.

Director Roland returned to his office and summoned one of his trusted confidants. "Keep an eye on that guard. I need to know where he went and who he met after he left here."

"Also, bring a few more people with you, have them keep an eye on the people he's been in contact with, investigate his recent income, bank deposits, and whether he's been spending money recklessly or anything like that."

His confidant looked at him with a serious expression. "You suspect he's in cahoots with those people?"

Director Roland remained silent, not saying a word. Whether he had doubts or not, it was no longer that important. He had kept his thoughts to himself.

His confidant, seeing that Director Roland did not answer, assumed that he was in a low mood and unwilling to answer, and then took the task and left.

After everyone left, Director Roland walked to the window, looked at the not-so-bustling old city outside, and lit a cigarette.

"is it you?"

"Lance."

At this moment, the only person he could think of who might have done this was Lance, who was also in the old city.

His career has now reached a critical juncture. If he makes the wrong move or fails to persevere, his dream will most likely end here.

He will not accept this outcome. He still has a bright future and dreams waiting for him to realize. He cannot give up.

He took a deep breath. In the faint reflection in the glass window, he could see his own figure, and behind him, it seemed as if a pair of eyes were watching him.

News of what happened inside the FBI had already spread; people knew what had happened when Director Roland told everyone to go to the open area.

Lance immediately reported the news to Senator Cleveland.

"Now that Bob is dead, Roland can't say for sure whether he got any information from Bob. With no one to verify it, no one will believe anything Roland says."

“Senator, perhaps you could try putting some more pressure on him.”

Lance meant to have Senator Cleveland spread the news in New Gold City. News spreads very quickly in politics, and he didn't need to spread it himself; Tom and his staff could do it.

This is also when their value is demonstrated. They usually have extensive connections in the political arena, so at this time, all they need to do is invite a few friends out, have a few drinks, and casually bring up this matter.

"Did you hear that?"

Bob is dead!

"what?"

"You don't know who Bob is?"

"Then I have to tell you!"

A few simple interludes can spread the message, and those who receive the message will quickly pass it on to those they consider important.

When spreading the news, Tom would definitely choose two types of people: those closely related to the matter, such as their superiors or bosses, who all have some connection with the Perez family.

These are local capitalists and politicians from the Liberal Party camp in Golden State.

The second type is political brokers who mainly sell information. They quickly monetize this information, which is not actually very valuable, but can be exchanged for a limited favor.

It's like calling someone they know who's connected to the matter to "give them a heads-up" and getting a favor in return—it's definitely worth it. Senator Cleveland smiled and agreed, "You're quick; I remember we just talked about it yesterday."

Lance chuckled twice. "If we drag this out too long, Roland might come to his senses and cause some changes that are beyond our control, so I'll just do it today."

Senator Cleveland was pleased with Lance's speed. "So, Roland, how do you plan to deal with him?"

Lance considered for a moment, “It depends on whether Porter and the senators who support him can give up on him.”

"If they are unwilling to give him up, the cost of forcibly taking action against him is too high. Only by abandoning him can we eliminate him without much impact."

"After all, besides being disgusting, he can't cause us any real harm right now."

Senator Cleveland thought about it and agreed with Lance's point of view.

If he poses a significant threat to the entire interest group, then even if he is the president, he cannot escape that moment.

However, he poses very little threat here at the moment, and he himself is already embroiled in numerous troubles. There is no need for such a minor figure to escalate the conflict between them and the Liberal Party members once again.

"That's all for now. Contact me if you have any further updates."

After ending the call, Senator Cleveland summoned several of his staff, including Tom.

He repeated what Lance had told him to them, and finally emphasized that it was important to spread the word as soon as possible so that more people would know that Bob was dead.

"Bob is dead?" Mr. Potter was stunned when he heard the news as he got into his car. He looked at his staff, somewhat unable to believe what he was hearing.

"I just spoke with Roland on the phone this morning, and he promised to bring the person over here. How could the person be dead?"

His staff had just received the news from elsewhere that Porter had a high probability of winning the election, and in some people's eyes, he was already the president of the United States.

There will always be people who want to curry favor with him, and these people will actively come forward as long as they think it will help them curry favor with Mr. Potter, no matter what news they hear or what they get.

Someone contacted Mr. Potter's staff and told him about it, which is how he found out.

He felt this matter was crucial, so he immediately came to report it.

Mr. Potter's expression became very strange as he listened to his staff recount the entire process, which had been embellished by Lance.

He had just finished a promotional event, so it's normal that he hasn't gone back yet. If he had gone back to his office, he might have received a call from Roland.

But hearing these things from his own staff made him feel very uncomfortable.

He should have known it immediately, but now he finds out from someone else. Even if he understands the reasoning behind it, he still feels a bit uncomfortable.

This is true of anyone in a position of power; they all want to always be number one in everyone's eyes.

"You mean... Bob was poisoned to death by an FBI agent who had already fled the country in an FBI field office?" Although he had tried his best to be objective, Mr. Potter's expression still couldn't hold back when he heard this outrageous statement.

He chuckled coldly. This Roland always boasted about the importance of the FBI and his control over it. He had said that the FBI would become the sharpest dagger in Mr. Porter's hand, tearing through all the enemy's defenses.

Unexpectedly, before this even started, problems arose within their organization.

He stopped discussing the matter, even though his staff explained that it was all just hearsay and might not actually be true.

However, the concept of preconceived notions still plays an important role here.

Back in his office, Mr. Potter had planned to rest for a while, as he had other promotional activities later, but right now he just wanted to talk to Roland.

The call was quickly connected, and before Roland could say anything, Mr. Potter asked, "I heard Bob died within minutes of me asking you to bring him over!"

One sentence left Director Roland speechless, because it was a fact, no matter how it was explained.

I don't care, Bob is alive and well, and he's being interrogated by you.

I'm telling you to send the person over here. There are people here who need him to speak, to confront him. The person will die immediately.

Everyone has their own analysis and thoughts, and no matter how Director Roland explains it, this matter has planted a thorn in Mr. Potter's heart.

He simply couldn't believe it was such a coincidence, unless there was a traitor among his own men.

But who the hell would betray a president's past and harm an FBI director who hasn't even truly risen to power yet?
Such a person is a nobody in the eyes of politicians of his caliber, no different from a dog on the street. Who would waste such resources and the possibility of exposure to exchange for a nobody?

Once a person gets caught up in their own thoughts, it's hard to break free, even if someone opens up that thought process.

After a long silence, Director Roland said, "I'm sorry. Mr. Potter, this is entirely my responsibility. I swear on my family that I am also a victim."

“Bob is a very sensitive person. He has a lot of crucial information. Before I even started interrogating him in the interrogation room, rumors were already circulating outside.”

“Then this happened, and it’s clear that someone was trying to frame me, Mr. Potter.”

"This precisely illustrates a key point: I instilled fear in them!"

"Only in this way will they consider using such methods, such as framing, spreading rumors, or assassination, to create a rift between us, make me distrusted, and ultimately replace me."

"I will investigate and find some useful information to prove this."

After listening to his long speech, Mr. Potter's emotions calmed down a little. He thought for a moment, then said, "Give it a try!"

He paused, then asked, "Who do you think is framing you?"

Director Rowland uttered the two names he wanted to say, "Lance White, and Senator Cleveland."

“I’ve been preparing to investigate Lance’s crimes, and he knows it, so there’s a conflict between us, which gives him a motive.”

"I don't know much about the situation with the senators, but I believe it's probably related to the election and other political matters. You must know more about it than I do."

Mr. Porter's emotions calmed down somewhat, and he became calm and rational when the topic of his election came up.

He thought for a while, didn't say anything, and ended the call with a simple "I understand".

After hanging up the phone, Director Roland let out a heavy sigh. He ran his hands along his forehead and hairline, brushing his hair back.

He knew that dealing with someone like Lance would be very difficult and challenging, but he didn't expect it to come so quickly and so fiercely!
Lance is completely different from traditional gangsters. It is a different kind of "complex". Politics, economics, capital and gangsters, these keywords that were originally unrelated, have finally been mixed together and become a terrifying thing.

It's not a gang in the traditional sense; it's more like... a group that will stop at nothing to achieve its goals, bound together by self-interest!
This weighed heavily on him; this was an opponent he had never faced before. Even though he had made many preparations beforehand, he still felt strained when facing Lance.

What he needs to do now is to extricate himself from this matter as much as possible and minimize the impact of the case on him.

In his mind, that thought... that he had remembered not long ago, but had temporarily suppressed, was rekindled.

Sometimes, those big shots don't need concrete evidence; they just need a reason, an excuse.

As long as these excuses aren't too outrageous and are plausible, they'll accept them.

(End of this chapter)