Shadow Empire

Chapter 264: Sink, the Athletic Conference, and Greed

Lance had actually already told Vaughn what he had said to President Scott, but he was worried that Vaughn might consider some issues, so he spoke very tactfully.

This is the biggest problem with passing on messages: attitude, emotions, and expressions can never be exactly the same.

As long as they are not exactly the same, problems may arise.

Perhaps some of Lance's requests, such as having to sit on the podium, might be passed on to Vaughn, who said "Lance hopes to sit in a more prominent position", and thus he was arranged in the first row under the podium.

This kind of thing is very likely to happen and has happened many times in other places and events.

It was difficult for Vaughn to say these things as harshly as he had said to Lance. If he was too tactful, his attitude would be misleading.

So Lance had to express it himself.

President Scott didn't think it was excessive. People had spent money. He had worked at the dock for so many years that he no longer had those unrealistic ideas he had when he was young.

He immediately nodded and expressed his attitude more strongly, "Lance, you can trust me, I am not a person who forgets my roots!"

"You've helped me so much. You're one of my best friends. If there's anything I can do for you, I definitely won't refuse!"

A good statement, at least for the moment.

After finishing this somewhat private topic, the “rehearsal” began, mainly the organizers rehearsing the general process of the entire process.

Lance's position was originally on the far right of the podium, but now it has moved closer to the middle. Overall, it is about three-quarters of the way to the right. Scott is very smart.

Including going on stage to present awards, several people took turns doing so.

Of course, they still have some distribution as to who comes first and who comes later. Lance is probably ranked fourth, following the vice president of the Likalai State Labor Federation, the commissioner of the Federation of Trade Unions and the president of the Likalai State Dockworkers' Union, to present medals and bonuses, one position ahead of President Scott.

This is the value of the sponsor. If the AFL-CIO hadn't insisted on joining in the fun, Lance would definitely be ranked third.

If it were another event, as a sponsor, Lans would definitely be ranked first or second, but this time it was different.

Under the slogan of "Workers' Unity", the federal working class at this time believed that they had the power to change the world!

Therefore, capitalists cannot be ranked above them!
This is also the biggest headache for the federal government and capitalists, because they really have this power!
When the AFL-CIO launches a general strike, both the federal government and the capitalists have to pay for it, and an industry or even the entire society may come to a standstill!

They are currently studying ways to resolve this problem and make the "keys" in their hands ineffective, but it seems that this may take some time.

The whole process was arranged very carefully, and what was somewhat unexpected to Lance was that he also saw a very special young man.

There were some people around the young man, and even President Coster, when he saw him, took the initiative to apologize to Lance and went to greet him.

"Who is this?" Lance had never seen this young man before, but judging from his clothes and temperament, he should not be an ordinary person.

Vaughn glanced at Lance in surprise, "This is the mayor's secretary, but some people also say he's a staff member."

Perhaps noticing the gazes here, the young man actually smiled and nodded at Lance. Lance also politely reached out and touched his hat.

Vaughn said in an envious tone, "I graduated from a well-known Union University, and was spotted by the mayor right after graduation. I became his secretary, and I have been there until today."

"Many people say the mayor is grooming him as his political successor, and everyone believes it. You can see that he is the one doing everything, not that person."

The "that person" that Vaughn was referring to was obviously the rumored illegitimate son Eric, but judging from Lance's past dealings with Eric, Eric was indeed not up to the job.

And there will be no chance in the future because he is highly dependent on painkillers. No one likes a patient who needs painkillers anytime and anywhere, and his identity as an illegitimate child is not so presentable.

It seems that raising another one has become an inevitable choice.

Lance thought of something more. If the mayor did not have a blood heir, he would not have many enemies in the political arena.

The fact that he has no blood descendants to inherit his glory and hatred means that everything will come to a perfect or imperfect end the moment he loses his ability to work.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons why he was able to come to Jingang City. No one was worried that he would become the next "mountain boss"!
But what Lance found more interesting was Vaughn, "You seem to be very familiar with these people in City Hall."

Vaughn also heard the sarcasm in Lance's words, but he didn't care at all. "This is also part of my job. I have to figure out who I should go to when the workers are persecuted in order to solve the problem."

"I agree with you."

Vaughn laughed after hearing this. "I don't need approval, Lance. This is my job!"

As he spoke, the man and President Scott walked over. When they were still a few steps away, the young man stretched out his hand, "Sink."

"Lance." The two men shook hands. Lance felt very strange that this young man named Xinke had no desire to get to know him.

But he soon found out that the mayor also knew about this, but... it was not convenient for him to be here, so he sent this Xinke to participate.

This avoids some issues, for example, the mayor may not be sitting in the center of the podium, and the AFL-CIO people will not discuss with you whether you are the mayor.

Even if he's the president, people from the AFL want to wrestle with him, let alone a mayor.

So he wouldn't come himself, but sent Sinke instead.

"I'll sit next to you then." Sinke also offered Lance a cigarette.

Cigarettes are always a social tool. Even strangers or even people in an "opposing" relationship can have a few words with each other.

Lance puffed on his cigarette and looked him over again, "I thought you guys would hide."

Sink's eyes narrowed into slits as he smiled. "Hiding won't solve the problem, Mr. Lance."

"And I think there is nothing that cannot be discussed. Politics, gangs, economy, finance, trade, countries and even wars can all be discussed and resolved."

This sentence made Lance figure out something different. "Are you lobbying for the mayor?"

Sink straightened his back and shook his head. "Come on, do I really look like a fool?"

"You rejected his invitation before, and you won't do it now. Everyone can see that he doesn't have any advantage."

"This city is as stubborn as a piece of steel. Even if there are some holes and bumps on the surface, it is difficult to find cracks big enough to tear it apart."

"The reason I say this is that sooner or later we will have to leave each other. When we are no longer in opposition, we can still be friends."

"I'm very interested in you, Lance."

Lance took a step back, "I'm not against this, but I can't bring myself to accept it either."

He was expressing his attitude in a relatively gentle way. Sinke laughed after hearing it. "I heard that you went from being an illegal immigrant to where you are today, and you used some tricks to become a local in a very short time. To be honest, this is incredible!"

"So I think you're very interesting and I want to get to know you better, maybe I can discover more of your magical practices."

"Instead of...", he looked down and then smiled apologetically, "...I'm not interested in this either."

The communication ended here. He extended his hand again and shook hands with Lance. "I have something else. It's fun to talk to you, Mr. Lance."

Lance also expressed at least superficial kindness, "You are also an interesting person, Mr. Sink."

Without further conversation, Xinke nodded and questioned the others, then shook his arm with Lance and turned away.

Looking at his departing back, Lance thought he was a very strange person.

President Vaughn and President Scott, who were standing and chatting not far away, came back here again, "I didn't know you knew each other." President Scott found it a little magical, shouldn't they be on opposing sides?
Lance smiled but didn't answer, "If there's nothing else, I'll go check out the club."

They didn't refuse, so Lance walked straight to the club.

Along the way, the workers greeted Lance enthusiastically and Lance also responded to them enthusiastically.

Everyone respected Lance, mainly because the alcohol in the club was really cheap, and the blue workers spread the word that Lance was losing thousands of dollars every month, and the purpose of his doing this was just to allow everyone to drink a glass of beer or other alcohol that they could afford after get off work. The working class is actually very easy to be persuaded, of course, this does not mean that they are easily fooled.

They have a stronger sense of participation and empathy, and they can feel Lance's respect for them, so it is normal for them to respect Lance and also be in awe of him.

The club is closed until after get off work in the evening, but many people here are already preparing for the evening opening.

They need to sweep the floor and then organize various things, including cleaning some props and so on.

Seeing Lance, the guy in charge ran over and said, "Lance..."

Lance bumped fists with him. This guy was called Robert. He was from the same hometown as Erwin and was also one of the first people to join the Lance family.

"I just came to take a look..." He noticed that there were many people's photos on the wall, as well as the honors they had received.

"They actually value this!" Because the business hours here are exactly reversed, he rarely goes back to his house in the New Bay Area.

He introduced Lance to the latest situation of the club, the people who could be hung on the walls, and what they got.

A medal that is actually worthless, a certificate, and a bonus ranging from tens to hundreds of dollars!

"A little bit of reward can make their work more passionate. Some dock companies and management companies came to me and said they wanted to give us some sponsorship, but I refused."

He said this with some trepidation, but Lance looked at him with admiration, "Well done, we are not short of money, and you have to let them know that what they get is what I give them at a loss, not from those capitalists."

"When things don't come easy, they defend us, but when they feel like anyone can do it, then we become less important to them."

"At that time, they will think that it is all the capitalists' money anyway, and we are just organizers on the stage. They will not be grateful to us, but will think that we are the capitalists' running dogs."

“So it’s OK to stay independent and pure and continue to lose money.”

"The more I lose, the happier I am, and I don't have to worry about making huge losses here."

“I’m losing money much faster than I’m making it.”

"Pour a fuller glass of beer, put more meat in your food, and pour more soup."

Robert followed closely behind Lance, remembering these things firmly.

When people didn't attach much importance to spiritual satisfaction, Lance's way of doing things was absolutely dominant.

It satisfies people's appetite, their desire for alcohol intake, and their spiritual needs.

Painkillers can only make people dependent on pain, but these can help them overcome the pain!
Suddenly, several gunshots were heard from the opposite side of the port, followed by intense gunfire, which lasted for about three or four minutes before completely stopping.

The intensity of the firefight could be felt from a distance.

"The port area is becoming more and more chaotic. Now there are gunshots almost every day." Robert sighed. It was very peaceful here before, but as the mayor no longer hides himself hypocritically, conflicts escalate and the port area becomes more and more chaotic.

In the distance, Vaughn trotted over, panting slightly, "Should we get some police officers to come and maintain order tomorrow?"

"These gunfights are a little too scary right now!"

Lance thought about it and nodded. "It just so happens that I know the new chief of the Hong Kong District Police Station. Leave this matter to me."

He went to the labor agency in the afternoon. There were more than 9,000 illegal immigrants registered with the labor agency, as well as some legal immigrants and locals.

The total number of people who could be included in the statistics exceeded 13,000.

And as the Wanli Labor Agency grew larger, more locals who didn't want to work but wanted to get paid began to send in their work cards.

There are very complete resources and statistical methods here to ensure that everyone's work card can be used to the maximum extent, so that they can get a high salary of at least 40 yuan per month!

You don’t have to work, but you can still earn close to the standard average wage. This is like an advertisement, attracting more people to join!

It's a virtuous cycle that only gets better.

The entrance of the labor agency was already crowded with people, and it had become a spontaneous "talent center". Many companies directly posted recruitment notices nearby and indeed recruited some people.

After chatting with Sean for a while, Lance went to his office.

He hasn't been here for a while, but someone cleans the place every day.

He sat down and dialed John's number, which was quickly picked up.

"It's me, Lance."

"Hey Lance, how's your day?"

"Very good, there is something I would like to communicate with you."

"Go ahead. I'm listening."

Lance stroked the question, "Tomorrow there will be an opening ceremony for the dock workers' competition at the dock, which will last for a few days."

"But the port area has been a bit noisy lately. I hope you can help maintain order tomorrow. It would be best if you could talk to those gangs and get them to quiet down for a few days."

Lance waited a few seconds and looked at the receiver, "Are you listening?"

"Yes, Lance, I am considering your suggestion, but I am a little embarrassed now."

Lance raised his eyebrows, "What's the problem? Maybe I can help you solve it?"

"We don't have this job content, such as helping you maintain law and order in the port area. If the police officers are sent to places outside their job duties, it may make the public very dissatisfied."

"These ordinary people are very difficult to deal with. They will call to complain. You have never been a police officer, so you don't know how annoying they are..."

Lance interrupted him, "I'll donate two thousand dollars to the Port Branch."

John's voice in the receiver really became lighter, "That's not what I meant..."

"Three thousand. If it's more, I'll let Blue do it across the district."

John agreed immediately. "This is a matter within my jurisdiction. It's not reasonable for them to cross the district. But I think what you said does make some sense."

"I will arrange for people to go on duty tomorrow. I guarantee that there will be no shootings in the port area in the next three days!"

"Very good, it's settled. It'd be better if nothing unexpected happens."

John's cheerful voice came from the receiver, "I promise nothing will happen, Mr. Lance!"

After Lance hung up the phone, he thought about it for a while, and when he decided there was no problem, he left.

He discussed the matter with Chief of Blue in the evening, and expressed his support for Lance's choice.

It is indeed not a good idea for police officers to work across districts, as it is disrespectful to their colleagues. However, he also reminded Lance that John is a very greedy person, and if he can avoid contact with him, he should try to have as little contact with him as possible.

Before dawn the next day, the entire dock was hung with colorful flags, and many workers came here with their families.

Although there is still work to be done today, this is a grand event after all. Both the terminal management company and those businesses have expressed their support.

As the time approached half past nine, the convoy, led by police cars, drove straight from the hotel to the pier.

When the convoy entered the gate of the dock, President Scott even ordered a salute!
It can be seen that he really invested a lot of money!
Lance's car was the fourth one. Today he specially changed into new clothes that he had asked the old tailor to make some time ago. He looked more energetic!
When the car stopped, a large number of reporters around were frantically pressing the shutter buttons. This was definitely a historic moment!
To the unions and the AFL!

(End of this chapter)