Shadow Empire

Chapter 1147 Take action
The moment he stepped out of the apartment building, sunlight streamed down on the young man, and he squinted at the sun.

The sun was warm. He had expected to experience some emotional fluctuations today, such as excitement or anxiety, but in fact, he was unusually calm.

It was as calm as if I were about to do something very simple, like... buying groceries, or some other ordinary thing.

There was not much expectation, no excitement, and no fear.

After gazing at the sunlight for a while, he turned and walked towards his "workplace." As an outer member of the Lance family, his main job every day was to act as a "messenger."

"Messenger" is a low-level job in the gang. To put it simply, his job is to run errands and deliver things.

The term "messenger" came about because they had to travel back and forth delivering things.

But in reality, it's a physically demanding job.

However, the Lance family pays a high salary; he receives about a hundred yuan a month, which sounds like a normal job.

He does the work, and then the company pays him.

However, his salary wasn't paid by the company's accountant or finance department, but by the family member he worked for.

Below the ordinary family members are these peripheral members, who are responsible for following a family member in doing things.

This is his job. Sometimes he finds it a bit ridiculous to call himself a gangster, but he does indeed serve the Lance family.

He has money, but he doesn't own a car. Buying a car from the family would get him a very good price because there's a casino here.

The Golden Casino and Golden Harbor Casino generate huge profits every year, as well as... collateral.

Those who are blinded by gambling don't care what they just mortgaged to the casino; as long as they can get chips, they'll sign any contract.

This also led to the casinos operating daily—

Every day!
They will receive a lot of collateral.

Ninety percent of these collateral items will become casino property, because their owners are very likely unable to redeem them.

Watches, luxury goods, houses, and cars.

There are some second-hand luxury goods shops near the casino, which specialize in selling second-hand luxury items that all come from the casino.

Morris and his family would give these items, which would not be redeemed, to family members to sell around the casino. They would then hand over the proceeds to the casino, which would then calculate the revenue.

Besides these, there are also a large number of used cars, all kinds of used cars, ranging from two or three hundred yuan to several thousand yuan.

If he wanted to buy a car, as a peripheral member of the family, he could probably buy a very nice car for only three hundred yuan.

However, he didn't buy one because his family provided him with a car, and sometimes having a car doesn't necessarily mean convenience.

With a car, as long as he's driving, he'll be watched by the all-pervasive surveillance system of Jin Gang City, making it almost impossible to keep his whereabouts secret. On the contrary, walking is the most correct choice for his current undercover work.

His daily routine consisted of shuttling between secondhand luxury goods stores and casinos, delivering goods to the stores and then returning to the casinos with the money.

Sometimes he would also be responsible for making phone calls or going to the gamblers' homes to ask if they wanted to redeem their expired contracts. If they did not want to redeem them, then the contracts would end.

But if they want to redeem their belongings but don't have the money in their pockets, they can continue to borrow money from the casino to redeem them, though the cost may be even greater.

In short, from a law enforcement officer's perspective, these are all methods by which gangs exploit others, and he is involved in them.

However, it's not entirely accurate to say it was illegal, because the entire process involved signed contracts and was entirely legal.

He jogged to his workplace, where his "boss" was already leaning against his car, smoking and chatting with two girls who looked to be only seventeen or eighteen years old.

Members of the Lance family are highly sought after by these girls who have just entered society, because if they follow a member of the Lance family, they don't have to worry about being bullied when they are out having fun.

Whether they go to nightclubs, bars, or other entertainment venues with gang involvement or dishonest people, as long as they tell others that their boyfriends are from the Lance family, no one will harass them.

The reason why the Lance family has such a prestigious reputation is purely because of the rules written by some people with their own lives and blood!
"My brothers are here. Let's chat again tonight. I'll drive you guys out for some fun, I guarantee you'll like it!"

The young man's leader said goodbye to the two girls, then walked over and naturally put his arm around the young man's shoulder. "You're a little late than yesterday, but it's okay. We don't have a strict attendance system, as long as you don't just disappear like that."

"Now, let's get to work!"

"This is your work for this morning. I'll have Xiao Ka accompany you."

Ka is another peripheral member, just twenty years old, a young man full of longing for a life in the underworld.

He was a local, an imperial immigrant, who joined the Lance family through intermediaries and became an outer member during the probationary period.

Imperial immigrants like Xiao Ka have their "probationary period," or time spent on the periphery, end sooner than younger Federation citizens or non-Imperial immigrants.

The topic that Xiao Ka talked to him about most was helping the family defeat their enemies, taking down those so-called five great families, and making the Lance family the greatest gang in the Federation, without a doubt!

This is perhaps the most cherished fantasy of many young people of this age who have participated in gang work: they become "key figures," big shots, able to earn more money, and possess higher status and influence. There are so many young people like this that it is almost impossible to count them.

The young man nodded. "Okay..."

And so began a busy day. They needed to run around frequently, for example, when a second-hand luxury goods store would call and say they needed a certain style of men's wallet.

So the young man and his sidekick, Ka, had to call around to ask if other secondhand luxury goods stores, or even casinos, had such items.

If so, they would run over, retrieve the item, and then deliver it to the designated secondhand luxury goods store.

It sounds like a simple job, but in reality it's not only exhausting, but sometimes it also requires the use of violence.

For example, they experienced something like that recently, which is why Derek sensed a hint of ferocity in the young man.

A store needed a men's handbag, and luckily there was one near the casino, and it was in excellent condition.

So they went to the casino to pick it up, but the bag still had two days left on the contract. In order to meet the store's needs, they had to find the owner of the handbag.

As it happened, he was staying in a room above the Golden Harbor Casino, and the young man then led Little Ka to find this guy.

He had lost all his money, and the only reason he was still able to stay in a casino room was because he had lost so much that the casino gave him several hotel vouchers for free rooms.

This voucher allows him to enjoy the casino's hotel services for free, which can also be considered a form of advertising.

Some gambling addicts don't live in the casino themselves; they take these vouchers outside and sell them to tourists at a relatively low price in exchange for money to re-enter the casino. This kind of thing happens frequently.

However, the guest was extremely arrogant. He not only refused to terminate the contract early, but also cursed the young man, Little Ka, the casino, and Lance in a very unpleasant tone.

Insulting the Lance family on their territory is tantamount to courting death.

The young man might not have acted immediately because he was a law enforcement officer, but Kawhi Leonard, who regarded Lance as his life goal and idol, went straight for the lead with his punches.

The two of them gave that bastard a good beating in the hotel, beating him up badly.

He dared not remain inactive; if he did, Xiao Ka might tell others about his unusual behavior, and he might be exposed.

Although he hated Lance and the Lance family, it didn't mean he wanted to die.

So this is not an easy job. Of course, it's not just them, because there are at least seventy or eighty shops like this throughout Golden Harbor City, scattered all over the city, and even more than twenty shops in Creek Valley City, which sometimes need to be transported there as well.

This is a very thriving business. Many gamblers who win money will buy second-hand luxury goods here to experience and enjoy themselves. But before long, these items will reappear on the store shelves because those gamblers will lose money in the casino again.

Win big at Jin Gang Casino, take home a prize you won't even dream of!

The workday ends at 7 p.m., but that doesn't mean the work is over; it just means the young people's work is over.

"This is today's payment. Send it to the casino as soon as possible."

The young man looked at the heavy handbag in his hand, which contained about ten thousand yuan and some other items.

He nodded, then picked up his briefcase, went to the back of their car, opened the trunk, and tossed it inside.

There are already seven or eight of these handbags inside; this is the section where they are responsible for collecting payments.

Next, if nothing else happens, they deliver the handbags and the money inside to the casino, and their job is done.

After it's all over, they can enjoy a big dinner at the casino's buffet, play a few games, then go to nightclubs, entertainment venues, bars, and the like until midnight before going home.

This is a typical day in the life of a gang member. To say it's particularly appealing is probably not so much true.

But to say it has no appeal to young people would be a stretch, because Kawhi Leonard really enjoys this kind of lifestyle.

During the day, I feel a strong sense of responsibility and a fulfilling life; at night, I indulge my emotions and enjoy everything in the bar.

"Hurry, hurry, I can't wait any longer, there are two pretty girls waiting for me!"

The boss, sitting in the back seat, was yelling. He couldn't stop thinking about the two young girls. As for whether he could get them tonight, that would depend on whether he could use all his strength later.

The young man took a deep breath, slammed the trunk shut, then walked around to the second-row doors and opened them.

Although his boss found it strange that the young man was sitting in the back seat today, he only wondered for a moment and didn't think about it too much. They were all brothers in the family, and he never thought that these two people would harm him.

The car started moving, and Xiao Ka in the driver's seat was driving very seriously. He had only learned to drive less than two months ago and was just getting addicted to driving.

No matter where they go, they will basically let Xiao Ka drive. Young people who take the initiative to add extra work to their schedules are indeed likable.

Sitting in the back seat, the eldest brother was talking about some recent events and imagining how he would bring the two girls home later. Just as his thoughts and words were not aligned, he was lost in thought when he suddenly heard a "sorry" that he couldn't understand.

He turned his head and looked at the young man with a curious expression. "You just said 'sorry'?"

"what have you done?"

The answer he received was not from the young man, but from the weapon in his hand.

Small-caliber weapons are becoming the "standard issue" for the Lance family because they are almost silent and deadly at close range, making them a weapon the family relies on.

It won't cause much noise, so it won't have a huge negative social impact.

While other gangs were pursuing larger calibers, the Lance family's pursuit of low noise was indeed somewhat unusual.

With a "pop," the glass car window shattered, and a bullet hole suddenly appeared in the window of a shop that had already closed by the roadside. Cracks instantly spread all over the entire glass window.

The driver, Xiao Ka, was unaware of what was happening. Just as he was about to turn around, a slightly warm metal cylinder was pressed against his head. "Listen to me, drive this way."

Xiao Ka was very nervous and scared. As he drove, he asked, "Have you run into some trouble?"

"You can tell the family that there's nothing we can't solve!"

"You don't need to do this. If they find you, you'll die a horrible death!"

The young man didn't speak, but instead forcefully nudged Ka's head with his weapon. "Don't say things I don't want to hear. Just drive, or I can't guarantee I won't kill you!"

Xiao Ka stopped talking and just drove silently. The atmosphere in the car was heavy and filled with the smell of blood.

After a while, Kawhi asked, "You killed him?"

"Ah."

The young man answered the question, “He was sitting next to me, and it would be too dangerous if I didn’t get rid of him.”

Perhaps feeling that communication was possible, Xiao Ka asked again, "Why did you do this? If you need money, you can tell me, you can tell the family. We have special funds to solve your problems!"

Lance had considered this issue. Most gang members were on fixed salaries, and they might encounter some trouble, or their families might encounter some trouble. In short, they might need more money than they could afford in a short period of time.

In such a situation, gang members might turn their attention to the family business, since criminal businesses are lucrative and they don't mind spending that money.

Lance didn't want his family members to be executed or killed for such trivial matters, so he established a series of rules.

If a family member genuinely needs money but cannot afford it themselves, the family can certainly help them pay for it.

As for repayment, there is no interest, and you can repay it slowly, even over a lifetime.

The Lance family is probably the "company" with the best federal welfare benefits, bar none.

So Kawhi was confused by his "brother's" actions. He couldn't understand why he would do such a thing, which clearly meant he didn't intend to live!
The car soon arrived in the suburbs. According to the plan, Xiao Ka could not die; if he died, no one would be there to deliver the message.

So the young man kicked him out of the car, smacked him on the head, and then drove away.

Clutching his head and looking at the blood on his palm, Kawhi immediately ran to a nearby phone booth and called Melo.

Melo is watching TV. Television has played a very important role since it entered people's lives, and it is almost becoming an important source of entertainment for people during their boring evenings.

The sudden ringing of the phone gave Melo a bad feeling. He was currently in charge of family affairs in Golden Harbor City, and given the "tranquility" of Golden Harbor City at the moment, it was impossible for a phone call to come directly to him.

He first turned off the TV, then went to the phone, answered it, and his expression immediately became serious.

A few minutes later, the convoy left the manor, and a dozen minutes later, it arrived at the scene of the crime.

Xiao Ka's head wound had been bandaged. There was an ambulance not far away, and a person was lying on a stretcher inside the ambulance, but covered with a white sheet.

Clearly, this unlucky guy was incredibly unlucky, absolutely unlucky.

Melo came to the stretcher and lifted the white sheet to take a look. Although he didn't recognize the person, it was clear from the serious expressions of the people around him that this person was indeed a member of the Love Group.

He came to Kaka's side and said, "Tell me everything that happened, no matter how detailed it is, even if there's something wrong with it."

Little Ka repeated himself in great detail, but there was nothing wrong with his words. Melo asked a few more questions and, after confirming that nothing had been missed, he began to arrange for people to hunt him down.

The entire city of Goldenport and the entire state of Likalai had a very tight surveillance system, and soon someone reported that they had seen the car on a certain interstate highway.

A rough trajectory of movement appeared in Melo's mind.

While he sent people to check the young man's residence for any discoveries, he also arranged for others to hunt down the young man...

(End of this chapter)