Shadow Empire

Chapter 1225 Ambush and Tone

Christopher ate a hearty meal and then lay down on the bed for a nap.

Around 1 a.m., his brother-in-law woke him up.

"You should have been a little later, even just five minutes," he muttered as he sat up, rubbing his sleepy head and complaining.

Just now, in his dream, he had killed Leonardo and become the head of the Bianchi family, taking control of all of the Bianchi family's power in Sumuli.

Even the Prime Minister had to maintain a respectful attitude towards him when he met him!

He then mobilized his army to launch a fierce retaliation against Lance, and before long, Lance was brought before him.

He was just about to torture Lance in his dream to quell his anger when he was shaken awake.

Damn, it was so close!
"What did you dream about?" his brother-in-law asked curiously.

Christopher got up, put on his clothes, and went outside. "Anyway, it was a good dream. It's a revelation from God. I have a feeling that the road ahead will be incredibly smooth!"

He took a deep breath, patted his cheeks, and looked at his somewhat haggard reflection in the mirror. For a moment, he didn't even recognize himself in the mirror!

“Hooligan crab, why do I look so…” He turned around and looked at his brother-in-law with some sadness, “I look like I’ve been fucked by a bear for three nights straight, damn it, it’s all Lance’s fault!”

During this period of mental stress, physical exhaustion, poor sleep and appetite, and constant fear, it's impossible for him to look like he's in a very good state.

But it all ended at this moment. Soon he would embark on his journey back to Sumuli Island and, as in the script of his dream, resolve everything.

He will make everyone realize that whether he takes down Paul, his wife, or Leonardo, it's just a small obstacle on his journey to the top. It's not a flaw in his life, but a test from God!

The brother-in-law sighed, a slight smile appearing on his face, and said something that almost everyone in the Federation would say—

“Listen, brother, everything will be alright!” he said, raising his fist.

Christopher bumped fists with him. "Yes, everything will be alright."

The two returned to the hall, packed their things again, and the convoy set off again.

They arrived at the shore without any obstacles, and there was still some time before the agreed time.

Christopher sat in the car smoking. He opened the window slightly, and the cold sea breeze blew in, seeping into people's collars, sleeves, and into their bodies, chilling them to the bone.

He closed it a little more, leaving only the size of a finger, and lit a cigarette at the same time.

"I'm a little reluctant to leave," he said, glancing back at the bustling metropolis. Most of the city was now completely dark, with only the city center still illuminated by neon lights.

At three o'clock, the last train of midnight revelry, the city's nightclubs, strip clubs, and bars are filled with people who are tired of the fun, too tired to dance, drink, or make love.

It was lifeless, yet it was also giving birth to a new day.

Every day is the same cycle: daytime, nighttime, feeling like a person, and not feeling like a person.

This city is not as wonderful as people imagine, but it is much better than people imagine. If he could, he really wouldn't want to leave.

Once he leaves, he doesn't know when he'll be able to return.

Deep down, a voice had already given him the answer: as long as Lance didn't die, there was a high probability he would never come back.

But he still forced himself to believe that maybe he would have a chance to come back sometime.

His brother-in-law was quiet, seemingly lost in thought, and the entire convoy was silent.

After a while, these cars will be abandoned on the beach.

Christopher didn't even trust the officers and subordinates who were unwilling to leave; he didn't tell them where he was going or how the cars would be recycled.

Who knows if someone might betray him for money or some other promise?

Everyone was quiet. Although they would reminisce about the wonderful life on the island from time to time, they were unwilling to go back.

After a while, the sea breeze blew, and a light appeared on the distant sea, flickering continuously.

Christopher immediately got out of the car. He looked through his binoculars and saw that it was indeed a signal of three long and two short lines. The smuggling ship had come to pick them up!

He took out an old-fashioned gas lamp with a casing and lampshade, and began to send out coded signals into the distance.

As the distant lights slowly approached, Christopher felt even more melancholy, and the sea breeze couldn't dispel his depression.

He secretly vowed that he would make something of himself in this lifetime!
He wanted everyone to respect him, even fear him, because he was Christopher!

Not Paul's adopted son, not Bianchi's son-in-law, not... those titles he didn't like.

Just as the ship in the distance drew a little closer, suddenly many lights lit up around them, shining on them.

He was stunned for a moment, but was immediately startled by a gunshot. He cursed as he drew his weapon and began to fight back.

Intense gunfire suddenly erupted on the remote beach.

"Fuck, that son of a bitch betrayed us!" His brother-in-law gasped for breath as he hid behind the car, cursing the captain as he changed bullets in his pistol.

The sparks from the bullets hitting the car and the rocks brought Christopher back to his senses. He glanced at his brother-in-law and realized that the words weren't directed at the captain, but rather at him.

However, he didn't delve into the matter. At that moment, he also drew his pistol and fired at the surrounding area.

"We've been ambushed! We have to get out of here!"

"If we don't leave, we'll just be killed one by one here!"

His brother-in-law didn't notice the look Christopher had given him earlier. He nodded vigorously. "Let's rush out."

He opened the car door and gestured for Christopher to get in, and Christopher got in without hesitation.

His brother-in-law then climbed into the driver's seat, started the car, and sped off.

The remaining men also tried to climb into the car, but most of them failed. The firepower that had been lying in ambush seemed to have intensified at that moment!
The rifle fire meant that even if Christopher's men managed to climb into the carriage, they would be riddled with bullets.

The gunfire lasted for seven or eight minutes before finally subsiding. A large number of gunmen arrived at the scene from the surrounding reefs. After inspecting the situation and finishing off the remaining gunfire, they tied the bodies to a car and pushed it into the sea.

They could have kept Christopher, but they didn't; the purpose of turning on the lights was to avoid accidentally injuring Christopher as much as possible.

After he leaves, there's no need to keep any of these people.

When Lance woke up the next morning, Erwin brought him the news.

"He ran away under the cover of night, drove off, and I'm worried he'll be out of our sight."

While eating breakfast, Lance said confidently, "Don't worry, he'll be in our sights soon."

“There are police everywhere on the intercontinental highway. He doesn’t have that much courage. And even if he can get through the first obstacle, there will be a second one and more corresponding measures.”

"Based on my understanding of Christopher, he will most likely prioritize saving his own life before considering anything else." "If he really had the courage to risk everything, things wouldn't have developed to this point."

Before Lance had fully risen to prominence, when he was unhappy with Lance, he clearly had the opportunity to nip Lance in the bud.

When Paul decided to hand over the bar to Lance, the five families of Golden Harbor City were like the sun at two o'clock in the afternoon, at the moment when it exerted its greatest power!
If he really leads a group to wipe out Lance and the Lance family, Paul might punish him, but after the punishment is over, he will continue to accept him and make better use of him!
After all, for Paul, Lance was just a "little brother" who was somewhat useful to him, and there were many such little brothers in the whole of Golden Harbor City and even the whole of Likalai State!

They were eager and desperate to serve the Pasreto family. Lance was not the first, nor would he be the last; he could find many such people anytime, anywhere.

But Christopher was all he had. He only needed to express his anger, raise it high and then let it fall gently, to show others that he had provoked Christopher, and that people would trust Christopher even more after that.

They are gangsters, not charitable organizations. Their aggressive and lethal behavior is actually an advantage for gangsters.

But he didn't do that. He was clearly furious, hating Lance to the core, and even instigated other gangs to deal with Lance. He never considered that he could resolve everything if he took action himself.

Perhaps he had thought about it, but he was worried about his safety, so he used others to do it instead of doing it himself.

Lance couldn't say he understood him completely, but he wasn't completely ignorant either, based on his knowledge of him over the years.

Therefore, he concluded that Christopher would eventually appear before him on his own initiative.

Erwin shook his head. He didn't quite understand Lance's confidence, which was probably why Lance was in charge of the entire gang.

He can't be the omnipotent boss in people's eyes, but Lance can.

"Let's not talk about him anymore. We'll consider what to do next when he shows up. How's it going with the people you were asked to contact?"

Lance is going to take over South Yaan State from both the political arena and the underworld. The official negotiations are almost complete, and a large amount of investment has been poured in. Given his relationship with Senator Cleveland and his social standing, the governor will definitely be on very good terms with him.

What remains is monopolizing the state's most profitable business: alcohol.

He didn't even need to contribute his own money to the wealth he invested in the entity; the profits from selling alcohol were enough to pay for these investments in installments. In other words, it was as if he was using the locals' money to invest in himself and then making money off everyone else.

This is truly a wonderful era!

Everything is in a primitive state—absurd, savage, comical, yet real.

The federal government's attitude towards gangs has not worsened despite the de-gangsterization efforts, which is a true reflection of our times.

Well-known gangsters are like social celebrities, able to appear in the spotlight and at formal social events!

For decades or centuries to come, the successors of the federal mafia will envy and be jealous of their predecessors.

Irwin put aside his dealings with Christopher and focused on Lance's problem.

“I’ve already contacted the local gangs, and they have no objection to switching suppliers. In addition, the drinks we provide are a little cheaper than those provided by Christopher and his gang.”

"It's not much cheaper, only two or three yuan a bottle, similar products, but that's enough to make them happy."

In a city like theirs, about 500,000 bottles of liquor are sold every month. Even if each bottle only makes a profit of two dollars, these liquor-selling gangs can make an extra million dollars in profit.

Note that this is net profit, because they don't need to pay taxes!
They were very familiar with Golden Lion Winery, which was known for its high quality and reasonable prices. Since they were selling wine from any brand, they figured they might as well sell theirs to make more money.

Lance nodded. "It's best if there are no problems. If there are, we'll talk to them and solve the problems that can be solved."

“If you can’t solve the problem…” he looked at Erwin and smiled, “then solve the problem with the person who has the problem.”

"There will never be a shortage of people in this market who are willing to make money. No one will remember them; people will only remember our wine and the money they made."

Irwin nodded, but then he had a new question: "Should the local mayors include them in our business?"

Lance considered for a moment, "Let's follow the example of the neighboring state. If they're willing to join our system, then we welcome them."

"If they're not interested in our business or in making money, that's fine, but don't let it affect our ability to make money."

"If I encounter someone difficult to deal with, I'll write down their name and figure out how to handle them."

"You'll need to be busy during this period. Once things are settled here, our foundation will be completely stable."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "In addition, labor agencies should also be promoted here. No matter what the AFL, unions, or the Labour Party say, this is something that must be implemented."

The reason why the Federation of Labor and labor unions have had such a huge influence in the federal government over the years is because of their phrase "20 million working brothers".

In the federal election, the right to vote is clearly defined by law. Who has the right to vote and to be elected, who does not, and why they do not, are all specifically designed for voters.

Over a hundred years ago, if you didn't work hard or didn't have a company, you weren't eligible to vote for the candidates.

They concentrated voting rights in the hands of the big landowners and capitalists. At that time, only eight percent of the federal population were eligible to vote!
Think about it, almost all of those 8% of people who can vote are their own people. They are voting for themselves, so how could they possibly produce a result they don't want?

With the Socialist Party splitting from the Liberal Party, voting was reformed for the first time, and the right to vote and be elected began to enter the elite class.

Until the last thirty years, the competition between the three parties became fierce, and the right to vote was amended several times. Now, ordinary people also have the right to vote, and it is mainly concentrated in the hands of workers.

Having workers means having political influence and political rights; this is the source of confidence for labor federations and unions.

Lance wanted to dig them out of their roots, not because he hated the Confederation of Labour and unions, but simply because he knew very well that neither of these two organizations, nor the Labour Party which had recently appeared in politics, would go very far in the end.

Since they're going to fall eventually anyway, why should we respect them?
Lance may not have a complete grasp of politics, but he is very clear about one thing: when a delicate balance is maintained between the Socialist Party and the Liberal Party, whoever has the power to break that balance will become the focus.

However, there is a prerequisite: the person who wields this power must also possess great power themselves.

For example, the Federalist Party used to be very important. They didn't have many votes, but they often gave the crucial votes.

The Labour Party thought they could be like the Federalists, with fewer votes but crucial ones, but they forgot one thing.

That is, the Federalist Party has existed since the founding of the country and even had the upper hand in its confrontation with the Liberal Party. It was not until later, with the development of society, that the Federalist Party gradually declined, but that does not mean that its foundation was gone.

They are the kind of once-wealthy families who have inherited a large fortune but are now in decline. Although they are in decline, they are still wealthy families. The Liberal Party and the Socialist Party can't control them and can only respect them.

But the Labour Party is different. They have no ancestors and have never been wealthy. Once the Federation of Labour and the unions collapse and they lose their influence, the crucial votes in their hands will become the fuse for their demise!

Therefore, Lance doesn't care at all about digging up the roots of the labor federation and unions; he needs to transform that power into his own!
Erwin nodded. "I'll have someone take care of it immediately."

"Oh, right," Lance added, "Let's stick to our old rules. All our projects must use workers registered with labor service companies."

"Okay, I'm going to get to work."

Lance nodded and finished his breakfast. "I also need to pick a place. If anything comes up, have someone come to the state government to find me. I'll probably be there for the next few days."

After all, this involves a film studio, a large-scale entertainment project, and a tourism project.

Lans's 200 million yuan investment may only be the initial investment, and more will be invested in the future.

He took it very seriously, and the governor also took it very seriously.

(End of this chapter)