Shadow Empire

Chapter 200: Taxpayers are the masters of the country and the second bomb

William clapped his hands and walked down from a small platform.

This is just like an ordinary wooden box. Its only function used to be to hold things, but now it has a new function, which is to allow people to stand taller.

Soon someone picked up the box and put it into a van on the roadside, while William was talking to passers-by who had not yet dispersed.

It seems that some of his views are supported by the people here, which is a very good phenomenon.

Grassroots politicians have very few channels to promote themselves, and only when they get close to people can they hear what they say.

He cannot be like those well-known politicians, who would use the headline "So-and-so politician made a loud noise in public" to tell the public even if they just farted in public.

Moreover, he is not famous. Even if he is in the newspaper, people will not know who he is and will not be impressed.

How could it be like now?
After waiting for more than twenty minutes, people gradually dispersed. William and his two assistants whispered a few words and ran across the road.

He opened the car door and got in. "Are you passing by here?"

Lance nodded. "I'm going to the bank to take care of some things." He paused. "They seem to like you very much."

William had a smug look on his face. “No, they like the truth and the future.”

He talked about what he said to the people, "You have made the public security here very good now, so we can't start from here. I think of medical problems and education problems."

"There are too few schools in the Empire District. I told them that I would try my best to persuade some education groups or municipal councils to build more schools here so that more people can enjoy education without having to travel so far from home."

In fact, the federal government began discussing and implementing compulsory education as early as seventy or eighty years ago. More than ten years ago, during the election campaign, the Socialist President proposed an education reform plan of "universal high school students", which was implemented very smoothly.

However, implementation does not mean enforcement. Implementation only means that children are eligible to go directly to high school, but whether there are high schools near their families and what the various fees are are not decided by the federal government.

They simply promised and delivered that any citizen who wanted could receive a high school education.

This is a major reform of the education system, but so far there has been no significant change in whether it can really bring about a turning point in the fate of high school students.

Primary school and high school students still work in the same workshop, and high school students do not have an upper hand just because they have three more years of study.

On the contrary, they have received a few more years of education than their peers who graduated from primary school. By the time they start to enter the workshop, those primary school graduates may have already become skilled workers, earning higher wages and enjoying better factory welfare benefits.

The lower class people can indeed change a lot of things by going to school, but the things that most people want to change the most are unchangeable, such as fate.

That is something only a very few lucky people can do, and the fact that they can change their destiny often has nothing to do with studying.

In short, there are very few high schools in the Imperial District, and William intends to use this as a breakthrough point for publicity.

"And I encourage people to take on more obligations and enjoy more rights."

Lance couldn't help but laugh after hearing this and said, "It's a very federal politician's tone."

William couldn't help laughing, "But they like this."

Lance took out a pack of cigarettes, which cost nine cents. It’s not that he didn’t have money, but he was trying to maintain the role of a cutting-edge politician who was closer to the people.

When an official takes out a pack of cigarettes that costs one dollar, although it looks like... only twenty times the price of a pack of cigarettes that costs five cents, it is enough to make those who smoke a pack of cigarettes that costs five cents shut their mouths at the critical moment.

Because the price of this pack of cigarettes will make them realize clearly that we are not the same kind of people.

But cigarettes for nine cents are pretty good.

Its price is higher than the handmade cigarettes that everyone smokes or the cheap cigarettes that cost two, three, or three or five cents, but not too much more. Instead, it gives people a feeling of being free from class constraints.

The two of them got together, lit it up and Lance took a sip, it was very strong.

When you smoke a cigarette rolled directly from relatively low-quality raw tobacco, it feels like there are two boxers inside your body, one is hitting your throat hard with left and right punches, and the other is hooking your head with left and right punches.

Lance usually charges a little more money, but he is much gentler.

Lance quickly rolled down the window to let the wind in.

"I found that the people in the Empire State lacked a sense of identity from the federal government and the federal people. I talked to some people about these things and they wanted to be respected."

"If you pay attention to national affairs, you will understand that Congress has been discussing the issue of making ordinary people pay taxes."

"I asked around in the Federal Party and they're planning to make everyone who earns more than eighteen dollars pay taxes."

"The Socialists are pushing this policy, the federal seats have been convinced, and the Liberal resistance will not last long."

“So this is an entry point.”

After listening to this, Lance agreed, "Paying taxes is a good idea. We also paid to build this country, and we are also the masters of this country."

William was stunned for a moment, he quickly took out his notebook and wrote down what Lance said, "I have requisitioned this sentence you said, I will use it in my next speech."

When he finished writing, he stopped writing, "Yes, we built this country, and no one can deny that we are the masters of this country."

"Is there any more?"

"Some words like this that can cheer people up!"

Lance shook his head. "If I think of it, I'll write it down and give it to you."

After chatting about some other things, William left. He had other places to go, and he had to let people in the Imperial area know about him as soon as possible.

Before Ruth could react and formulate a countermeasure.

On the way back to the nightclub, Lance saw two more cars from the Hazardous Materials Administration. The Brotherhood had made them lose face. The later they caught Big Polly, the more face they would lose.

Director Dell of the Hazardous Materials Administration has privately stated that his target has always been only one person, Big Polly, who was responsible for this horrific bombing, so he must be brought to justice no matter what.

As long as he is caught, everything will calm down again.

Because of these words, the underground world of Jingang District became somewhat uneasy.

At night, in a detached house near the sea in the port area, Polly paced back and forth anxiously.

There were several senior officials sitting in the living room, including Jimmy.

Everybody was looking at him.

"Recently our area was heavily raided by the Dangerous Goods Administration. Almost all the bars were closed down, and some other places that could bring us profits were basically closed down."

"They keep coming over to disturb every guest, some are even taken away for questioning, if they don't stop immediately, most of our income will be cut off."

“Even the regulatory fees are becoming a little difficult to collect now.”

A senior official sat on the sofa with a frown on his face. The Hazardous Materials Administration is not the police station or the FBI. They need to go through legal procedures if they want to search a place.

The Hazardous Materials Administration has strong support from Congress and the Department of Justice, and the process is simple.

After the bombing, they were even able to enforce the law first and then complete the legal documents.

Like some strip clubs or places where the sex trade is run, these people come once a day, and then make the guests stand in a line at the door, shine a light on each of their faces, and ask them questions.

No guest can stand this. They come here to consume and find happiness, not to suffer!
Therefore, the Brotherhood's industries were basically shut down and could no longer provide them with a steady stream of cash. At this time, another senior cadre said with some complaints, "You really shouldn't have placed those bombs!"

Polly seemed to be stimulated by something. He turned around and pulled out his pistol, pointing it at the speaker's head. "I say again, I didn't plant those bombs!"

The people who had guns pointed at their heads were not that scared. They were all child gangs, and the core of the child gangs were almost all children who had experienced miserable childhoods in welfare homes and orphanages.

Their values, spirit, and attitude towards society are different from those of normal people, including their attitude towards life and death.

Although I am afraid, I am not as afraid as ordinary people.

The senior cadre, whose head was already pointed at by a gun, showed no fear at all. Instead, he looked at Polly sharply and said, "You can't prove this, and this style is very similar to yours."

"People are speculating on how you're going to deal with the destruction of hundreds of thousands of bottles of your wine, and then they get blown up, and everyone can blame us without any evidence, and you're the only one with the motive."

The two looked at each other, one without any fear, the other full of anger. Polly finally took back the gun, "I'll say it again, it wasn't me!"

The senior official straightened his clothes and adjusted his sitting position. "Whether it was you who did it or not, it's your fault now. We have to find a way to solve this problem."

"Now the Red Dog Gang has been driven out of the Empire District by Lance and his gang, and has begun to expand their operations in our territory."

"If we don't get out now, after the situation calms down, there may not be a place for us in the harbor area, or even in Jingang City."

Polly's face turned red and I felt like a wounded dwarf lion. Why a dwarf lion? Because he was not tall.

His chest rose and fell violently, and he paced back and forth, as if he had made some kind of decision, "Since they insist on saying that we did it, then we'll do it again!"

"Since we can't clear ourselves of this crime anyway, we might as well help them pin the blame on me!"

Almost everyone looked at Polly as if he was a madman. Perhaps this was the reason why Polly could become the leader. He was cruel enough, crazy enough, and desperate enough!
As long as he can keep doing this, the gang members who regard him as an idol will continue to work hard for him.

Although people thought this idea was crazy and outrageous,... no one spoke up to object.

They have been very angry for some time. Now that Polly has an idea, it might work wonders.

At this time, these senior officials were very clear that this was actually a dead end, because once Polly was caught, he would definitely be put on the electric chair.

The loss of Polly's Brotherhood does not mean that there is no second leader. It's just that now it has become the focus of the Hazardous Materials Administration. No matter who comes to power, it will be difficult to change the gang's decline.

So, why not give it a try, what if you succeed?

Polly's emotions seemed to have eased somewhat after making the decision. He lit a cigarette and stood in front of these senior officials.

"Give them a hard blow, let them know that this is Jingang City, and I, Big Polly, am not someone they can easily frame."

"Whoever caused the first explosion has nothing to do with me, but since they have identified me, I will blow them up again!"

"Then I will negotiate with them. If they don't want to continue being bombed, then we'd better sit down..."

Others were analyzing this possibility. Some nodded in agreement with his idea, while others did not agree but did not object either.

The opinions were reached in an incredible situation, and a long-lost smile appeared on Polly's face.

He is a man with strong execution ability. After he made the decision, he started to have people assemble the bomb. This time he wanted a big one!
Two days later, in the morning, the constant flow of vehicles entering and leaving the Hazardous Materials Administration made the place look very busy.

Everyone has been working non-stop for a week, and many people have not gone home to rest. When they are tired and sleepy, they just lie down on a chair in the office for a while, or find a car to go in and lie down for a while.

The explosion killed their colleagues and also affected their own safety, filling each of them with fear and anger!
If Big Polly is not caught, no one knows whether he will commit a second bombing!
Including Director Dell, he did not go back to his house to rest for a week, and almost all of his eating, drinking, defecating and urinating were done in the office building.

The most popular foods people ate during this week were various types of pizza and takeout. At first, some agents who didn't often eat takeout seemed very happy.

After all, takeout is always much more delicious than the food at home, but if you eat it for so long in one go, even the best appetite will be ruined. No one wants to eat takeout that makes them lose their appetite just by looking at it.

But there is no other way but to not eat these.

There are more than 200 people in the entire Hazardous Materials Administration Bureau. It is impossible for any business to carefully prepare 200 servings of food, so the quality of takeout is often not very good, which is unavoidable.

At noon, the agent who stayed in the office counted the number of people and ordered some pizza, hot dogs and hamburgers, as well as French fries and fried chicken.

Coffee and juice are also necessary, as well as the strange-tasting sparkling water that is becoming more and more popular. At first, it was said that merchants promoted it as a cure for colds.

When others found out it was the same lunch again, they couldn't help but complain, but they could only complain.

At 12:10 noon, a large number of delivery people appeared in the office building and brought lunch to the agents.

Even though these agents say they don't like it and that they have physiological reactions when they see these foods, they still have to eat them when it's time.

In fact, fast food also has its advantages. At least it can fill people's stomachs quickly, bring a lot of calories, and help people fight against the difficult afternoon hours.

"Hey, there's another big box here. Whose stuff is it that hasn't been taken away?"

When lunch was almost over, a female agent stood in the middle of the office holding a box that was slightly larger than a basketball.

It has the "House of Delicious" logo printed on the outside and a note that says "Layered Pineapple Pie."

People in the office looked at her, but no one reacted because the food they ordered was delivered to their hands.

Someone said, "Maybe I ordered the wrong thing, or maybe I ordered too much, who knows?"

"What is that, apple pie, or strawberry pie?"

The female officer handed over the box. "It says pineapple pie on it. If you're not full, I think it will do the trick for you."

The male agent felt a little embarrassed because he did have a big appetite, but he still had to make sure so as not to eat someone else's food.

Although this matter is not a big deal, everyone is working around the clock now, and they are emotionally, mentally and physically tense. He doesn't want any misunderstanding to occur.

Director Dell was in his office discussing some of the next work items with the assistant director and several senior agents.

Polly's gang went into hiding and couldn't be caught in a short time.

Just as people, including Lance, thought, the later they caught Polly, the more they would lose face!

"We have already put a lot of pressure on the Brotherhood. We need some breakthroughs at this time. If someone is willing to reveal Polly's location, we can negotiate with them."

Director Dell showed them a document. "These are some suggestions from Congress. When necessary, in order to advance some cases as quickly as possible, we can make some appropriate promises to them."

A document explaining and supporting the "plea agreement". To put it simply, as long as they admit their guilt and accept the charges given to them by the Administration, they can get a shorter sentence.

If they have made meritorious contributions, they may even be able to be released from prison without having to serve long periods of time.

"We will continue to maintain a high-pressure policy against the Brotherhood, and then persuade those who have been captured to reveal where Polly is."

"They must know something, and along with those senior officials we haven't caught, they must be together."

Just as Dell was about to say something about the explanation from the bigwigs in Congress, he suddenly felt that he was a little unstable, and then a huge explosion came from downstairs...

His expression changed drastically and the word "Fuck" came out of his mouth.

(End of this chapter)