Shadow Empire

Chapter 153 Business ideas, trial results, and thousands of people

"We are friends!" Lance reiterated this point, "Friends should help each other!"

Vaughn also nodded and said, "Yes, friends should help each other." He paused, and looked at Lance seriously again, and Lance also showed it generously.

"You look a little different than before, a little different, Lance, I don't know how to put it..." A storm had formed in Vaughn's mind, stirring his brain frantically, "It's like... you are more noticeable than before, more confident, more..."

There were some small movements of his hands that showed his emotions, "Anyway, it's better than before!"

Lance took this comment in stride, "Because we have all grown up."

He leaned back on the sofa. Since Vaughn had received the money, he didn't need to add any more pressure to Vaughn.

This is a very important watershed in social interactions. If the other person succumbs to your pressure and you continue to exert pressure, he will doubt whether his obedience is meaningful and will question his own actions.

Once doubts arise, at some point, this inconspicuous question of “Am I doing the right thing?” will become “I shouldn’t do this!”
Many things happen like this, so Lance quickly released the pressure. Leaning back on the sofa with a slightly lazy look made the atmosphere suddenly relaxed. Along with the topic of "friends", it seemed as if they were really good friends for many years.

Vaughn also felt the subtle change in the atmosphere, and this change made him subconsciously realize that it was beneficial to be friends with Lance.

He asked casually, but also inquiringly, "How are you going to run the Longshoremen's Club?"

"A lot of workers have been asking me about this recently. I have to give them some information, don't I?"

The Workers' Club is being renovated and there is a lot of noise. Everyone is curious and wants to know what new things are inside and when it will open every week.

Not to mention them, even Vaughn was curious.

Lance stretched out his index finger and stroked his eyebrow. "It contains things they like, cheap fried chicken and affordable beer."

Vaughan whistled. "They say stricter enforcement orders are coming soon. Someone might come after you."

Lance shrugged nonchalantly. "They only want the workers to work from morning till night, not even giving them any time to relax. They don't even allow them to drink some wine to relieve their fatigue!"

"It's not fair, Vaughan. We have the right to drink. Even God didn't take it away. Why would these capitalists and politicians take it away?"

Vaughn couldn't help laughing after hearing this. "We all know that's the case, but they're the federal government."

In fact, he didn't think there was anything wrong with selling beer. "Anyway, you just have to be careful. But the workers will be happy if they know about this."

The price of beer outside is too high. If they can buy affordable beer here, it will not only save them money.

There are at least seven thousand local working-class people in the Federation, and their contributions are so great that even the mayor has to look down on them.

In addition to these, there are also some free singing and dancing activities, some small projects similar to those in an amusement park, and some competitive activities with prizes.

For example, the arm wrestling competition is held once a month and adopts an elimination system. The person who wins first place will receive a bonus of one hundred yuan.

Or a professional skills competition, or something else.

Vaughan listened with great interest. "They will definitely like this, but have you ever thought about the huge financial pressure you will face if you do this?"

"Just for these bonuses, you may have to pay thousands of dollars every month, and then there are your operating expenses, maybe three to four thousand or four to five thousand dollars a month to maintain it, but you can't make any money from it."

Lance spoke his mind without any hesitation, because Vaughn would definitely stand on his side at this time.

When he wanted to change sides later, it was too late.

"My goal is not to make money here, but to prevent others from competing with me. I can pay 5,000 yuan a month. If they want to make money from the workers, they will never be my opponent in this life!"

Vaughn found it hard to understand after hearing this. "Although I don't quite understand, Lance, I can guarantee that if you can do what you said, you will become the most popular person on the dock, no doubt about it!"

It wasn't long before Lance left and Vaughn's secretary came in to collect the coffee cups.

"What did you talk about?" she asked.

With some sparks in the eyes.

Vaughn probably understood her thoughts and knew what she had seen, "Lance donated some money to us."

“We?”, the secretary repeated the word instead of “union” as she placed her coffee cup on the tray.

"Two hundred yuan. I'm thinking whether we should use the two hundred yuan to buy gifts or just give it out."

"But there are too many union staff members. If we distribute it to everyone, each person can only get two dollars at most."

"But the two-dollar thing looks better than giving them two dollars."

The secretary asked in return, “Why should everyone have one?”

Vaughn raised an eyebrow, "I'll think about it."

On the way leaving the dock, many people took the initiative to greet Lance, including some federal local workers. Lance didn't know them, but they still greeted Lance.

Many people along the way looked at this man whom they had never seen before but was very popular, and they would always curiously ask those who knew Naxi about him.

When they knew that this was the recently popular "Mr. Lans", they all kept this young man in mind.

Erwin and his friends were waiting for him outside the dock. Today was Ennio's last court date.

Logically speaking, this kind of case should have been sentenced on the 25th, but Lance and his team had not yet dealt with Heller, so Lance asked Lawyer Robben to see if there was any way to delay it for two days.

He hopes to "say goodbye" to his three brothers. Is this also a kind of... ritual?
For lawyer Robben, as long as the money is in place, nothing is difficult to solve.

Even if there is, he will create opportunities to solve it.

He applied to the court for a temporary adjournment on the grounds of "supplementary evidence". With all the important evidence and testimony closed, there was actually no need to delay the case for a few days.

Even if he had new evidence, it would be impossible to acquit Ennio, nor would it be possible to reduce the sentence further.

You beat someone unconscious and almost killed him, and you were sentenced to six months. What else do you want?

As the defendant's defense attorney, do you want to find some evidence to lengthen the defendant's sentence?

So the judge can disagree as long as the result will not change.

But considering that it was Robben's lawyer who proposed it and that they had a phone call before, the judge allowed him to provide additional evidence and delayed the case for a few more days.

Today is the final day of the court session, and the judge never thought that such a simple case could be delayed again.

As Lance and others entered the venue, the judge, prosecutor, and even the court police had to pay attention to these people who were dressed exactly the same.

Lance also customized black lambskin gloves for them, which put a lot of pressure on them as long as they didn't smile!

As the process began, people stood up and sat down, and those sitting in the back rows were Lance and his people.

Ennio stood in the dock, greeting everyone with his eyes and slight head movements, without any fear on his face.

On the contrary, the guy sitting in the wheelchair in the plaintiff's seat was already sweating!
If this case had not gone through the public prosecution procedure, he would have planned to withdraw the case!
After the judge re-examined the evidence and testimony that had been examined before, and confirmed that the plaintiff was willing to forgive the defendant, he carefully reviewed the new evidence provided by Attorney Robben.

He spent fifteen dollars to get signed comments from Ennio's three neighbors, saying that "Ennio is a very kind young man who likes to do good things."

The judge rolled his eyes after reading them. He glared at lawyer Robben from a distance, then put these three pieces of evidence together with the others.

"...Based on the above evidence, Enio is guilty of assault!"

"stand up……"

He was sentenced to six months in prison and 120 hours of labor for excessive harm, but the court accepted a series of factors, including his voluntary surrender, active compensation, and obtaining the victim's forgiveness, no criminal record, and being a kind person recognized by society, and allowed him to be released on parole after three months.

But the prerequisite is that he does not get into new trouble during his sentence!
The judge's gaze lingered on the young people in the last few rows of the courtroom for a moment, as if trying to remember what they looked like. Then he gave lawyer Robben a hint with his eyes and left the courtroom.

The atmosphere suddenly became relaxed. Lawyer Robben walked to the back row, not caring about other people's looks at him. He shook hands with Lance and said, "I hope I have lived up to your trust. I can apply for parole in three months, and the cost of parole is only a few hundred dollars."

"I'm sure this won't be a problem for you!"

Lance also responded to him, "It's a wonderful defense. Although I don't quite understand it, I know that I am attracted by your defense. You are at least a convincing person, Lawyer Robben." As he said that, he took out the final balance from his pocket and handed it over.

Looking at the check for two thousand dollars, Lawyer Robben smiled so hard that he couldn't close his mouth. "Actually, cash is fine too."

Two thousand yuan, he could find any excuse to mix the money into legal money and spend it. Of course, this was just his way of expressing that he didn't mind taking black money.

For people like Lance, this is more like a way to express closeness.

You make black money and I am willing to accept it, we are in the same group!

"We will cooperate again. I will give you cash next time."

The two men shook hands, and Lawyer Robben smiled and said goodbye to Lance, telling him that everything was arranged, and reminded him that they could meet Ennio again in the parking lot behind the court.

Of course, if they have a lot to say, it's best to give five dollars each to the court police and driver responsible for escorting them.

A few minutes later, three court police officers and the driver said they needed to smoke a cigarette before leaving, giving them some time.

When Ennio saw Lance at first, he was a little excited, but soon his face was full of shame, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Lance asked.

Ennio shook his head. "There were many things. If I hadn't gotten into trouble, I would have definitely been there that day. Maybe we could have saved two lives. Even one would have been a good thing."

"Everyone is in such a big trouble, but I can only stay here and can't help at all. And I need you to find a lawyer for me."

"Lance, I feel like I don't have the face to see you anymore."

Lance smiled and punched him on the shoulder, "There's still a long way to go!"

"All we have is time and opportunity. You will have the chance to do something for us, and don't forget, you will soon have to play your part."

A senior official of the Camilla Gang also surrendered himself. He wanted to use the time and time in jail to escape from Lance and his gang's pursuit.

To be honest, this is a good idea, but he should not turn himself in in Jingang City. He could have turned himself in in the next city, such as Valley City, or somewhere else, and nothing would have happened.

But by surrendering himself here, he gave Lance such an opportunity.

Ennio nodded, "I will deal with him and avenge my brothers!" His tone was firm and resolute. Besides him, there were Ethan and another person.

It's not difficult for three people to deal with one person.

Lance gave a hug, "When you encounter provocation in there, just bear with it. We won't be stupid and reckless. We will wait for you all to come out!"

Ennio nodded, "I know what to do. I need to conserve my strength."

Then came the others, hugging him and hoping that he would return safely and with honor.

The court police and the driver didn't care how long they could talk because Lance gave them ten dollars each.

It’s more than 170 kilometers from here to the state prison, and they made up a random excuse to make the mismatched times match.

When everything was over, Ennio got into the escort car. The court police, including the driver, said goodbye to Lance warmly - "Goodbye, Mr. Lance!"

After the escort vehicle disappeared at the end of the road, the group let out a long breath and returned to the vehicle.

On the way back, Erwin talked about the recruitment at the dock today, "I have spread the news today, and many people are interested."

“But I don’t think we can just hire everyone.”

Lance nodded. "Some are just here to get by. We don't want them. Also, I need to make sure that every person we recruit has a solid background."

"Have them tell us about their connections in the Empire, and then have someone you know look it up. I don't want some little rat learning an Imperial accent and sneaking in."

Erwin found this a bit strange. "Is there anyone who wants to get involved in a small family like ours?"

Lance shook his head and said, "Little?"

"Not at all, Erwin. We killed the Camilla gang. Although we used some tricks and didn't kill them head-on, we did it."

"We are qualified to be served at the table, but we may also be qualified to sit at the table. We will have more invisible competitors, risks, and opportunities."

"We are no longer small figures in the pit. Maybe we are no longer 'that guy' in the mouths of big figures, but people with names and surnames."

"So, don't underestimate yourself!"

Erwin listened with amusement, "Sounds great, I'll keep an eye on it."

"Hurry up!" Lance reminded again.

When the office was getting ready to close in the evening, William (Patricia's father) came. This was his first time in Lance's office, and he was immediately shocked by the crowded scene outside the office!
He had seen some labor dispatch companies, and they were very deserted, but here, it was almost full of people!
There was so much space to stand in the office that most people stood outside the door.

What made him feel even more unusual was that these people were all wearing uniform blue work clothes. When some of them looked at him, he felt pressured.

"Lance, there's a guy named William who says he's your friend..."

"Let him in." Lance didn't know who it was, but since he said he was his friend, he must be a friend.

When William came in, Lance realized which William it was.

"There are too many people here!" William took off his hat and scarf and put them on the hanger, but did not take off his coat.

"Pat was worried about you when you disappeared during this time."

Lance scratched his head and said, "I hope I didn't scare her." He paused and then slightly lowered his chin. He was asking William the purpose of coming here.

"I heard that you killed several thousand people from the Camilla Gang..."

Lance was nodding for the first third of the story, but when the word "thousands" appeared, he raised his hand. "Who told you that I killed thousands of them?"

"Everyone is saying that!" William said as if it was a matter of course.

In fact, he didn't believe it at first, but he couldn't stand what everyone said, so he gradually became half-believing and half-doubting.

Half-belief and half-doubt are often the basis of belief. When he saw so many blue work uniforms outside the office, he began to believe it a little.

Lance rolled his eyes. "There may not even be two hundred people in total. You are exaggerating. No wonder I felt that everyone who saw me was so enthusiastic today."

"So you don't think I'm that good!"

"But they're afraid that I might go crazy suddenly!"

William immediately realized that the number was inaccurate, but his attention was not here. "Whether it was a few hundred or a few thousand people, at least you dealt with the Camilla gang."

"Who did you turn to?"

He suddenly asked a question that caught Lance off guard.

After being stunned for two seconds, he opened the cigarette box on the desk, took out a cigarette, and lit it. "Why do you say that?"

William also took a cigarette from the box, curled his lips at the cigarette label, then took out a lighter and lit his own. Both of them leaned back in their chairs, smoking and talking.

"Since Charlie only mentioned the eradication of the Camilla Gang to the media, I knew someone must have spoken for you."

"I'm not looking down on you, Lance. You may be able to get to know people at this level, but if you don't give anything, they won't speak for you."

"I think about it, this is the only possibility."

"Who did you turn to?"

(End of this chapter)