Shadow Empire

Chapter 1142 Seeing Through Everything and Having Everything Under Control

Director Roland tidied his appearance and entered Mr. Potter's office, which, like the offices of other important figures he had seen, was solemn and dignified, with every item and arrangement perfectly placed.

That's the role of those famous designers—they can ensure that every piece of furniture is placed appropriately in every location where it's needed.

This is also where the value of senior designers lies. Otherwise, how could they earn tens of thousands or even more in design fees from wealthy people just by writing and drawing?

Just because rich people are dumber?
The upper class is too far removed from ordinary people, but it has a fatal attraction for someone like Director Roland, who is in an upward position and can glimpse some fragments of things.

At this moment, Director Roland had an idea in his mind: once the FBI moved to the new headquarters building, he would also find a top-notch, well-known designer to decorate his office.

The thought had only crossed his mind the moment he saw Mr. Potter sitting behind that huge desk, but he quickly put it aside.

He walked to the other side of the desk but did not sit down, because Mr. Potter had not yet asked him to sit down.

In terms of position, Director Rowland is now a federal government employee and the head of law enforcement, while Mr. Porter is nothing; he is still just a "free agent."

Under federal law, anyone running for president must first end their previous job. This is to ensure the fairness of the election and is one of the many conditions and requirements for running for president.

I wonder if the people who formulated these strategies and rules will laugh when they think back on this. Whether it's fair or not has nothing to do with what they're doing now. Perhaps only children would believe it's fair.

Although he held no official position, no one dared to underestimate him, including Director Roland.

Mr. Potter had no intention of letting Director Roland sit down; things had indeed gone terribly wrong these past few days, and the series of setbacks had left him very disappointed.

Everyone now feels that FBI Director Roland is his man, and since his own man has messed up so many things, as a "master," he can't possibly be very happy.

So he never even considered asking Director Roland to sit down, even though he was a director!
"so?"

"You came here just to stand in front of me?"

Director Roland immediately got to work, saying, "I'm thinking about how to express what happened today more clearly."

"Actually, the reason I came here in such a hurry is because we made some breakthroughs in some cases. Although Bob is dead, we found someone who is related to this matter, and this person eventually revealed Lance's existence."

Mr. Potter became interested. "Tell me more about it."

Director Roland then recounted the entire incident in detail, including his suspicion that the guard might have betrayed the FBI, and how he had him dismissed and secretly investigated.

The results of their investigation were shocking. They quickly discovered that $50,000 had been transferred into one of his son's accounts after Bob's death.

"Who could imagine that he would use his own son's account to receive this money?"

"Of course, I also considered that there might be some misunderstandings. Every year, there are always people who transfer money to the wrong account, and quite a few people end up in court because of it..."

Mr. Potter nodded, lit a cigarette, leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and said as if listening to a story, "Yes, I've heard that too."

His involvement in this "process" signified his commitment, which relieved Director Roland.

He is now playing the role of a "dancer," and he has to dance gracefully, but the most important person in front of him cannot be blind. Dancing for a blind person, no matter how well you dance, is meaningless.

Fortunately, Mr. Porter is not "blind"; he can provide feedback on his views.

"So I didn't do anything to Lance immediately, but instead interrogated the traitor and used some methods."

“He was very stubborn, and he had received professional training in interrogation and counter-interrogation, so it took me some time.”

"But in the end I won him over. He told the truth and confessed that the whole thing was related to Lance and that Lance was the mastermind behind it all."

Mr. Potter nodded, looking quite satisfied. He gestured to the chair next to Director Roland and asked, "Why don't you sit down and talk?"

Director Roland walked over to the chair with a smile and sat down. "I just really wanted to tell you this news!"

“You’re a smart man,” Mr. Potter commented. “I believe we’re all smart men. How much of what you’re saying is true, and how much is false?”

This statement caught Director Roland off guard. He paused for a moment, wondering if he had revealed something and why Mr. Potter was reacting this way.
But he reacted quickly: "Whether what he confessed was true or not, everything actually happened."

"Or is what he said a lie, something he fabricated to evade responsibility?"

“Mr. President, we are the highest federal law enforcement agency, and we have an obligation to find out whether what he said is true or false. It would be a mistake to make a hasty judgment without investigation.”

He seemed to say these things almost without stammering, but in reality, his brain was burning up to 40 degrees Celsius!
He must have exhausted all his brainpower to come up with these words in such a short time.

Mr. Porter nodded in satisfaction again. "Very good. This is the sense of responsibility that a federal law enforcement leader should have. We cannot harm an innocent person, but we also cannot let a bad person go unpunished."

“So, take the evidence you have, the kind that makes it hard to find a way to refute it right away, and show it to Senator Cleveland. Then, publicly investigate Lance.”

"There are no other requirements, just to be factual and conduct the most thorough investigation possible. If Lance White did not do this, we must clear his name."

"do you understand?"

Director Roland's brain was working at lightning speed. After a few seconds of blank stare, he finally caught Mr. Potter's key point. "I understand. I will definitely conduct a very thorough investigation."

Mr. Potter was pleased to see that his ideas had been understood. This dog was not only obedient but also understood him and had ambition.

"Very good. As law enforcement agencies, your job is to investigate the truth of every case, bring criminals to trial, and restore the innocence of the innocent. Do a good job, and I will help you if you encounter any obstacles!"

He then glanced at his watch, "I have another event later, so..."

Director Roland immediately stood up. "I've finished reporting what I needed to report, so I won't bother you any longer."

Mr. Potter nodded and stood up. "I won't see you off. Let me know if there's any further news."

When Director Roland walked out of Mr. Porter's office, his back was soaked with sweat. He was very nervous, and even a little scared!
He thought his plan was pretty perfect, but these politicians didn't just see through his facade at a glance; they viewed the whole thing from a higher perspective.

By this time, he had roughly understood something. Even if what he had made up was true, so what?
Bob died, died under his management, and nobody fucking knows what he said to Bob!

This is a fact, and no matter what Lance did or didn't do, it's an unchangeable fact.

Lance's actions might even make many people who could have been implicated feel fortunate that Bob died early, otherwise they might have been exposed, or perhaps they already have.

So whether the evidence is true or not is not important now. What is important is that Mr. Potter's election cannot have any problems and he must win.

After winning the election, Congress, the Presidential Palace, and the entire Federation will all enter a new phase, with power concentrated in Mr. Porter's hands.

If he says it's true then, then it's true.

If he thinks these things are fake, then even if they are real, they are still fake!

Different roles and different positions lead to different ways of operating the world.

Director Roland quickly went to Senator Cleveland's office with the "evidence" and explained his purpose. Then, in front of Senator Cleveland, he played the footage he had recorded.

Seeing that the guard had been beaten to a pulp and eventually confessed to these things under torture, and that there was no evidence of coercion, Senator Cleveland did not continue reading.

Having been through so much, his testimony has no legal value, but the matter still needs to be investigated because he has confessed.

Federal justice can be quite interesting at times; it can break down a single issue into many separate cases.

It is also possible to assemble many independent events into a whole event, which depends on who keeps their word.

Now that they have the "evidence," Lance is in a passive position. If he requests that the investigation be dropped, he might become part of Mr. Potter's campaign speech tonight.

A very powerful figure is organizing an investigation into a murder case!

This kind of content can be very sensational in an election campaign. On the one hand, people at the bottom of society are more eager to get inside information and secrets from the future president, and they will firmly believe that these things are true.

Then Mr. Porter would use other means to publicize that the "big shot" was Senator Cleveland, and that he might be marginalized in the upcoming congressional seat reshuffle.

So now the only thing he can do is do nothing.

He didn't finish reading it before asking Director Roland to stop. After sitting there for a while and looking at Director Roland, he smiled and said, "Go and investigate this thoroughly. You'd better pray to God that you can find something. Only in this way can we bring these criminals who disrupt social stability to justice."

“I agree with Mr. Porter’s idea and support your investigation, but everything must be done according to procedure and rules.”

"After all, you represent the highest law enforcement agency in the federal government, you represent the face of the FBI. If even you don't abide by judicial procedures and the law, then you and Lance are both a joke!"

It sounds like the senator has given up on Lance, but Director Roland has figured out the underlying issue: it needs to comply with federal legal procedures.

This damn process isn't decided by the Supreme Court Justice for Life and Congress, is it?
They say if your process is fine, then you're fine, even if there are problems—in investigations targeting some foreign companies, the Attorney General's Office has repeatedly violated procedures, but nobody cares.

Now that the senator has spoken, it means that someone will be watching. If his procedures are wrong or the process is flawed, then what he finds in his investigation will become meaningless, even if it is evidence of a real crime.

This is a protective measure that powerful people take for themselves and those around them. They always have ways to invalidate evidence, make witnesses disappear, and make charges fail!
Chief of Staff Roland knew this was a serious challenge, and with a slightly defiant smile on his face, he said, "I will abide by federal judicial order and procedures, Mr. Senator."

Senator Cleveland stared at him for two more seconds, memorizing that annoying face. “You can leave now. I have work to do.”

Director Roland immediately took his things and left. After he left, Senator Cleveland called Lance, saying, "You'd never guess who was just here with me!"

"Roland?"

Senator Cleveland's eyes widened. "How did you know?"

"Are you in my office too?"

"Wait, I remember making this call to the old city. Did you have someone on my end too?"

Although it was meant as a joke, it's a dangerous one.

Lance immediately explained, "You're asking me to guess someone I can't, which means that person has never been to your office before, especially at this time. There are only two people who can give you the confidence to make me guess someone I can't, and who will definitely shock me."

"The first one is Potter. From my current perspective, although you two are not mortal enemies, it's definitely impossible for you to team up."

"But it couldn't be Porter. If it were him, you would definitely call the Speaker of the House or the Chairman of the Committee, not me."

"Then the second one is Director Roland, who just returned to New Gold City."

Hearing Lance analyze these factors so meticulously in such a short time, even though Senator Cleveland already thought he was very capable, even a bit abnormal, he still felt that his previous judgment of him was not enough.

"Lance, do you know?"

"The Federation owes you a good background. If you... had a distinguished surname, I would now fully support you in running for president!"

Lance smiled. "There are no ifs, Mr. Senator."

Senator Cleveland looked somewhat disappointed, though this was just an exaggerated expression of his emotions. If Lance were really that kind of person, he probably wouldn't have acted this way, since he also had his own interests and ideas, unless they could reach an agreement on many issues.

But if Lance really had that kind of background and power, they would most likely not become friends, but competitors, or even enemies.

"Roland just showed me a video. In the video, the FBI guard confessed after being tortured that you were the one who organized everything behind the scenes."

"Porter has given him the opportunity to investigate you. He will likely keep you pinned down for a while and try to find out something about you."

"It doesn't necessarily have to be related to the assassination of Bob. It can be related to other things too. You know, as long as they can prove you're a mob boss, you're in trouble."

It's like someone eating shit, and when someone asks them what they're eating, they can say they're eating chocolate.

People might find it strange, but they won't say anything; they'll just eat chocolate.

But if someone actually exposes that this person is eating shit, then he will immediately suffer social death.

Senator Cleveland's tone was somewhat serious, while Lance seemed quite relaxed. "I'm afraid he won't have that opportunity."

"Actually, he's not having an easy time right now. I've had people continue to spread the 'Roland threat theory,' saying that he has all that crucial information, and you'll soon get a new version of the rumor."

"Besides, Roland himself isn't clean either. I'll find his problems before he finds mine."

"Actually, Mr. Senator, you can appropriately boast to the outside world about Roland during this period, saying that he is a key member of Porter's side and a crime nemesis."

Senator Cleveland was immediately curious. "I know you want to lift him up high and then slam him down hard, but how do you plan to do it?"

Lance laughed twice. "You'll find out soon enough."

Lance has always been reliable, and when he's so confident, he's almost never messed up anything. Senator Cleveland has complete trust in him.

After the phone call ended, that evening, while attending a social event, the senator commented on Rowland, saying that he had become very capable under Porter, and that the FBI had done a good job, curbing the growth of crime in many areas.

For a moment people were a little surprised. Could it be that Senator Cleveland and Mr. Porter had gotten together?
Logically speaking, that shouldn't be possible, right?

So that's just pure admiration for Director Roland?
Even with him relentlessly barking at Lance, this only proves that Director Roland is truly outstanding.

These rumors quickly began to circulate in New Gold City, and Mr. Potter learned of them the very next day.

He found it strange too.

Someone with Senator Cleveland's current level of influence will always have more than one person watching his every move, so he doesn't need to have the same kind of staff as Tom.

He has to arrange to meet people specifically to spread the news. If he says something in a semi-public setting, the entire mainstream political community in the federal government will know about it tomorrow!
(End of this chapter)