Shadow Empire

Chapter 1155 Meeting Without Giving Face
Downstairs, an even longer convoy of luxury cars slowly pulled up outside the gate. As the doors of the main vehicles opened, a large number of gang members dressed in identical uniforms quickly got out and dispersed.

When Clark McCoykin stepped out of the custom-made luxury limousine worth tens of thousands of dollars, the flashes from the reporters nearly blinded him.

He was wearing sunglasses and was mentally prepared, but he was still overwhelmed by the media's enthusiasm.

He straightened his clothes and quickly walked across the red carpet. The gasps of surprise around him, and the reporters with cameras who were telling him to "look this way, sir," gave Mr. Clark an unprecedented feeling.

At this moment, he wasn't the gang leader whose expression changed when people talked about him; he was more like a celebrity or something. He was curious as to why people's attitudes towards him had changed so much here.
Perhaps it's because...it's related to the Lance family?
He had heard that the people of this city were very supportive of the Lance family, even to the point of loving them and treating them like saviors.

Therefore, they are not afraid of gangs.

Mr. Clark quickly walked across the red carpet and entered the hotel, where he was immediately guided to his room by a designated person.

For these major gangs, Lance arranged the best suites for them, the presidential suites.

Since they can handle their own room fees, we'll arrange a room for them at 1,200 yuan per day.

The remaining guests will be assigned suites of varying sizes based on their reputation, with cheaper ones costing two or three hundred yuan and more expensive ones costing five or six hundred yuan, or even seven or eight hundred yuan.

In the lobby, Mr. Clark saw some old friends.

The man walking towards him was Kevin, the head of the Bourne family, one of the five great families of the Federation.

The two had a fairly good relationship, mainly because they didn't have any conflicts in business. They hugged each other. "You used to arrive earlier, but this time you arrived later than me!"

Mr. Clark smiled and released Mr. Kevin's hand, adding an explanation, "I took care of some minor troubles before coming, and I got here as early as possible. I heard you've been here for a day already?"

"So, what's the difference between here and where we are?"

There are still significant differences between the South and the North of the Union, in terms of culture, social ideology, and many other aspects.

Kevin shook his head. "No, the people here are very friendly, and the city is very well developed. If I could, I would like to retire here."

"I love the beach and the casino here. You should really try theirs; you can easily find yourself staying there until midnight!"

Last night, Mr. Kevin lost over 100,000 yuan at the casino. When he realized what had happened, he cursed and swore, but he didn't cause any trouble here.

After all, this is Lance's territory. To cause trouble for him in Lance's casino is to invite trouble for yourself.

Everyone now has a clear understanding of this young man who is not easy to deal with or mess with.

However, this also made him realize that perhaps the Bourne family could also find a way to run a casino. He only did a rough calculation, and the daily profit was an astonishing figure!

Besides casinos, there's everything here that can bring joy: alcohol, sex, various performances, entertainment, acrobatics, and even indoor circus shows and operas.

They can even bring in some celebrities, not by force, but through a mutual deal.

In Valley City, there are many minor celebrities who may have filmed one or two movies, but they receive little response and are quickly eliminated by the market.

The film industry in the Federation has gradually matured over the years, and people have realized that after the "pioneering" period, to become famous and a big star, one must have the support of capital.

A single movie may not be famous, but two movies, three movies, or even one movie per month can always attract more attention and gain more support.

All of this requires someone willing to support them.

Most of these young actors who aspire to become stars come from ordinary families. They come with dreams of becoming big stars, only to encounter many setbacks.

So at this time, they would be very happy if someone could help them.

The agencies are also very happy to facilitate such deals, since they only get a cut when their signed artists work and earn money. So, basically most agencies also do the pimping business.

Besides capitalists and entrepreneurs, there will also be some arrangements made at Jin Gang City.

Like some small talent agencies, they promise their artists and models that as long as they respond to a few escort jobs and save enough money, they will be cast in a new movie as the lead actor.

A celebrity's price ranges from two thousand to tens of thousands of yuan. This may only be a rumor for the poor, but for the gentlemen who stay in rooms that cost a few hundred yuan a night, it is their diversion.

The two chatted about how wonderful the place was, while greeting the people around them.

The two took the elevator to a relatively high floor. Mr. Kevin did not continue to bother Clark, but instead told him that there would be a simple dinner party that evening so that everyone could meet.

The parliamentary session will officially begin tomorrow afternoon.

Many people across the Federation were watching this first semi-public gang council meeting, and it was the first time they had ever known that these gangs could also come together as a group.

Even Senator Cleveland made a phone call to inquire about the matter.

"...What are your thoughts?" Senator Cleveland asked. "Do you want to teach Porter a lesson?"

Senator Cleveland believes that the gathering of these gangs at this time is clearly an attempt to embarrass Mr. Porter, who is vigorously promoting de-gangsterism while these gangs are gathering together, reportedly with great momentum. This is tantamount to challenging him.

Lance, however, saw it differently. “This is just their normal behavior. They gather once every year or two. I think the reason they held this gang council so publicly this time is probably because they felt pressure from Porter’s side.”

"The Perez family's downfall is only a matter of the last few months; there were no warning signs beforehand, which is very threatening and intimidating to them."

"Think about it, how can they not be afraid when their supposedly solid cause crumbles at the slightest touch under the federal government's decision?"

After listening, Senator Cleveland thought for a moment and said, "You have a point. It seems that the Perez family's affairs have put too much pressure on them."

These thoughts led him to think about many other things.

When they discussed it internally, within the government, people like Senator Cleveland believed that deganging was possible, but it shouldn't be done on such a large scale.

It's important to understand that the main force suppressing federal strikes and riots was the mob, not law enforcement agencies like the police. Once the mob is gone, or if the mob is dealt with too severely, then the workers' power will rise again.

The recent quieting of labor unions and trade unions is due to the economic upswing, abundant job opportunities, the fact that almost all workers have jobs, and their incomes have increased significantly compared to before.

Therefore, it is difficult to incite workers to stage marches, demonstrations, or strikes.

But this won't last long, because the Workers' Party has already secured two seats in Parliament after Mr. Porter comes to power—the senators will be nominated by the state government and state legislators.

The Workers' Party has won a small state, but it is still able to contribute two senators.

The two Workers' Party senators will not have much influence in Parliament, but they will certainly try to play their cards well in order to gain more political influence.

At that time, the power of labor unions will experience a round of recovery and expansion.

The best way to control them is through gangs. Gangs don't need evidence or reasons to deal with them; they just need to see them not at their posts, taking to the streets, and gathering together, and then violently disperse them. This approach is irreplaceable, but Mr. Potter's active use of gang-related tactics will only cause this "balance" to gradually tilt.

The fact that these gangs are now banding together might actually be a good thing.

However, Senator Cleveland still offered a word of advice: "Don't be too high-profile."

"I know……"

He no longer had much to worry about regarding Lance; Lance's abilities meant he didn't need to concern himself with such matters.

In the evening, Lance hosted a casual dinner in the huge banquet hall on the fifth floor of the Golden Casino. A large amount of exquisite food was piled on the tables. All the participants were gang leaders and their entourages; there were no other people present.

With the arrival of Lance and the other four major families, the atmosphere at the scene had clearly reached its peak. For many people, it was the first time they had ever seen Lance, a man they had heard so much about.

They were amazed by Lance's youth and impressed by his methods and abilities.

They didn't talk about anything profound during the casual dinner, as people kept coming over to get to know Lance, and each conversation lasted less than a minute or two.

Even so, he spent the entire light meal, which lasted about an hour, constantly making new friends.

Nothing happened that night. The next morning, Lance was having breakfast while reading news reports from the Federal Post.

This news article was placed on page three. Page one was still about Mr. Porter, and according to polls from three major research institutions, Mr. Porter's approval rating had reached 70%.

This approval rating essentially guarantees him a very high probability of winning this election. This is definitely a very important milestone and opinion poll result, so it is very appropriate to put it on the front page.

The front-page headline photo was a snapshot of Mr. Potter waving his arms on the podium, giving a powerful impression.

The second edition discusses some speculations about minor adjustments to parliament, where the Socialist Party previously held more than 60 percent of the seats, making it a party-dominated system.

However, if Mr. Porter wins this election, it will be clear that the Socialist Party's overall dominance will be reversed. The editor of the Daily Mail believes that the Liberal Party may win more than half of the seats, and with the addition of the two seats held by the Labour Party, the Socialist Party may lose not only the important position of majority leader, but also the position of speaker.

This also foreshadows a complete retreat of the Socialist Party's power in Parliament, and the arrival of a new era dominated by the Liberal Party. Many people believe that this will be a new leap forward for the Federation!
At this point, no one discussed that the foundation of the take-off was the victory in the war, and specifically the victory in the war led by the Socialist Party. People always forget the past and can only see the small part of the future right in front of them.

The third edition is about this almost entirely public gang council, which uses a lot of photos and articles to introduce the members who participated in these activities and the families behind them.

Gangs were not a taboo topic during this period; they were always a hot topic of discussion, and the fact that gangs were all around people was undeniable.

The public is also very accepting of gangs. After all, your neighbor or friend may be a gang member. They are present in all walks of life. They are like the "shadow of the federal government." Although there is no direct relationship between the two, they both intervene, influence, and even manage the operation of society in their own ways.

Apart from Bob and Fran, who had already been eliminated, the representatives of the remaining four major families were placed at the top, followed by the most famous gangs in each state, and some city-level gangs that were specifically mentioned.

Lance looked at these reports very seriously. The reporter who wrote the report knew more about these gangs than he did, and was obviously a reporter who frequently covered gang news.

"...This is the first time in the history of the Federation that the mafia organizations have gathered so openly. From another perspective, their gathering may have a certain impact on the social order of the Federation."

"In an environment where people are gradually beginning to understand, comprehend, and accept the concept of 'de-gangsterization,' this gathering may also be a way to address this issue."

“Any policy should have a process, rather than being forcibly promoted. We need to allow the whole society a process of adaptation, otherwise it may lead to catastrophic consequences.”

It's not exactly well-written, but it contains a very typical "predictive viewpoint," which is something people in federal politics love to do—"I knew this would happen, and you still did it!"

Two or three years later, if something big happens, this report will be brought out and put back in front of people, and then they will use the contents of this newspaper to attack Mr. Porter, who should be the president at the time.

While it may not be considered fatal, it was definitely a powerful blow.

The report did not mention Lance, since Lance himself was not a gang leader, and of course, it was also related to the Post's deliberate omission of him.

Another newspaper, the Federal Daily, the oldest in the federal government, included Lance in its article. The reporter posed questions to the public, asking each reader at the end of the article what role Lance played in their hearts and what part of the story he was involved in.

Lance, who was reading the newspaper, heard footsteps. He looked up at Melo, who was walking in from outside the door. Melo's expression was slightly serious, which made Lance put down the newspaper. "Looks like someone doesn't want me to have a good morning."

Melo nodded. "Two guys who came to attend the council got carried away losing money at the casino and then beat up a fellow customer at the same table..."

Even if you've decided to only spend a hundred dollars before you go into a casino...

But once you sit down at the gambling table, unless you have no money in your pocket, you'll keep putting money on the table whenever you lose.

Whether it's the Golden Port Casino or the Golden Casino, exchanging chips is very convenient, so basically, once people sit down, they either leave with a full load or empty-handed.

These two gamblers were seen as a beacon by the other players at the table; when they bet big, the other bet small.

They bet small, and their opponents bet big; and crucially, they do indeed lose more often than they win.

Whether a person wins or loses money, they will inevitably experience some degree of emotional outburst, with the degree of emotional outburst being greater when losing money.

After all, losing money is very frustrating, especially when something like this happens.

The two quickly got into a verbal argument, and then the two men couldn't help but start fighting. They not only pinned the guest at the same table to the ground and beat him, but one of them also stabbed the guest in the thigh with a dagger.

Casino security arrived quickly, but even so, it still took about 30 to 50 seconds.

Everything happened in such a short time. The injured guest has been taken to the hospital, and the two people have been brought under control.

"So?" Lance asked, somewhat puzzled. "Isn't it enough to just follow the rules?"

Melo scratched his head. "Someone came to plead on their behalf."

Lance nodded thoughtfully. "There are always some people who want to give it a try."

He said he picked up a sandwich and took a bite, “After the injured guest’s wound is bandaged, I’ll bring him back.”

"Although these two guys are my guests, they're not giving me face if they don't follow my rules on my turf."

Why should I give face to people who don't give me face?

Soon, the stabbed customer returned in a wheelchair. The injury was not serious; it did not damage blood vessels, bones, or nerves, but was purely a flesh wound. The customer was rather overweight, with a lot of flesh on his legs.

After disinfection and cleaning, the wound was stitched up, and that was basically it.

When he saw Lance, his eyes quickly filled with tears. "Mr. Lance, please, you must get justice for me!"

(End of this chapter)