Shadow Empire

Chapter 381 Lance's Treat
For federal capitalists, once they are caught up in antitrust and unfair competition investigations, it will be a very, very troublesome thing.

First of all, you will understand that you don't really have a monopoly, and the investigators also understand this.

But they must investigate whether you have monopolistic behavior or unfair competition, and only after obtaining these evidences can they tell the public -

After our investigation, we found that this company does not have a monopoly and does not engage in unfair competition.

It sounds good. After judicial investigation, the law finally gave a fair result.

However, many companies are still unwilling to accept it, because this antitrust investigation is actually very dangerous. Although it may not necessarily find out that a company has monopolistic behavior, it is very likely to find out other business violations.

In the federal government, no company dares to say that its butt is clean; they are all full of shit.

When they put on a thick layer of perfume and spray it on their pants, no one can smell it. Even if someone can smell it, those who can get close to them can't tell whether it's the other person who stinks or themselves.

However, antitrust investigations are like forcing people to take off their pants, so that it is clear at a glance whether there is shit on their buttocks.

What happens then?
Others started pointing at your butt and said that the stench he smelled a few days ago came from you. Another person said that the shit next to his desk came from you. You couldn't explain it clearly, and eventually you were drowned, killed, dismembered, and became food and stuffed into their stomachs.

Therefore, even the chaebols and conglomerates will be damaged after an antitrust investigation, not to mention the existence of more terminal management companies.

The local prosecutor and the dock management company obviously had a vested interest in each other. After the state attorney general found him in his room and explained the situation to him, he immediately called the desk of the executive director of the dock management company.

After hearing the disturbing content on the phone, the executive director held an emergency interim board meeting to discuss the matter.

They must come up with a strategy to respond before the bigwigs decide to retaliate against their offense.

You have to choose between surrender and confrontation.

That's the beauty of power, and why every politician strives to become a senator or president.

Because of your thought, idea, or even a look.

The fate of a large group of people will be changed, and the pleasure brought by this change will make them feel like "I am God"!

Federal people don't like to discuss company matters in their private time, but it depends on what the matter is.

They had their things, and Lance had his own things.

The game room is the headquarters location chosen by the Wolf Gang after arriving in Jingang City. It is located in the middle of the port area and is a good location.

The transportation is convenient, there are many commercial streets, and the night market is also nearby. It is very lively whether it is day or night.

When Lance pushed the door open and walked into the game room, the glass panels of the pinball machines were already covered with a layer of dust.

The same is true on the pool table, the clay has become dull and no longer bright.

The darts dropped on the ground and the debris scattered everywhere showed that the last group of people who left were very panicked. They didn't pay any attention to the environment here. Lance picked up a wine glass on the pool table.

The wine inside had disappeared, but the traces left on the table allowed him to guess that the wine had been drunk by the table.

"Clean it up. We can't let our guests talk to us in such an environment." Lance shook his head. It was too dirty.

But this is normal. The Wolf Gang actually still had a few people, twenty to thirty, or thirty to forty. But when the news of the professor and Wolf's death came, they just ran away with whatever they could take away.

Wolf is the wolf king. If the wolf king dies and no one is willing to become the new wolf king to lead them to revenge or expand the tribe, then the remaining wolves will flee.

Just like it is now.

He came to the innermost office on the second floor and pushed open the door. The hinges needed oiling and there was a creaking sound.

You may not be able to hear it during the day, but at night when it is quiet, you can hear it, but it is also a bit scary.

At least Lance didn't like this sound very much. It's not that he was afraid of anything, he just didn't like it.

Just like just because you are not afraid of shit, it doesn’t mean you have to be with shit. If he doesn’t like the sound, then he won’t listen to it.

He came to the innermost chair and wanted to sit down to feel whether Wolf's chair was as comfortable as Heller's (Camilla Gang leader) chair, but when he saw the dust on it, he gave up.

Alvin asked a lot of people to come and clean up, and it took more than twenty minutes to clean the place thoroughly.

Lance sat on Wolfe's chair as he wished.

A truck came outside and delivered a large round table, a lot of tableware, and even high-backed chairs for dining.

"Mr. Lance, this is the wine you chose..."

The restaurant manager stood beside Lance with a smile on his face, his feet together, showing Lance the wine for tonight.

"We have fine cognac, champagne, whiskey and red wine. If any guest doesn't like brandy, there are alternatives."

"I asked before, but I'm not sure if there are any ladies, so I also brought two bottles of red wine. If you don't need it, I will take it back and it won't be included in the bill."

Lance took the wine and looked at the label, then nodded. This was Cognac from Larria, so they didn't fool him.

It’s not that Yalan’s brandy is bad, it’s just that there are too many cheap brandies being sold as good ones, so people are generally skeptical about Yalan’s brandy.

Especially once you have tasted something inferior and passed it off as good quality, you will obviously become distrustful.

The eastern grape-producing region of Larria also produces high-quality grapes, and many wealthy people have their own wineries there. Nowadays, when brandy is needed for some high-end banquets, brandy from the Larria region is used.

Lance returned the bottle to the other party. "No problem." He paused and said, "How is that stubborn Anderson these days?"

The manager had a different smile on his face. He was the manager of Anderson Restaurant, the same Anderson Restaurant that had been hit by shit and fart.

He handed the wine to the person next to him, "Thanks to your concern, our business has been pretty good recently!"

After paying back the money, Anderson trusted the manager even more. The manager took out a loan himself and bought shares in the restaurant. Now he is still the lobby manager on the surface.

But in fact, he is already a partner in the restaurant.

"Large-scale takeout" like the current one was also carried out at his request. They would provide tables, chairs, tablecloths, cutlery... and everything else, including what was needed for cooking.

The chefs will then prepare a sumptuous dinner for the customers at the designated time, which is indeed very convenient for those who do not want to dine in public.

The wealthy people in the Bay Area often call them. They don’t need to bring these things when they go to the Bay Area, they just need to bring the ingredients and the cook.

The charge for such a "takeout" table is about between five hundred and one thousand yuan. If you add in drinks, particularly expensive ingredients, and the corresponding service fee, Lance will end up paying about two thousand yuan.

It does seem like a lot, but to rich people, it's nothing.

Thanks to this special service, Anderson's restaurant is now doing better and better, and they are planning to open a branch in the Bay Area.

Lance laughed out loud after hearing this. "If he knew I missed him, he would be so angry that he would be hospitalized!"

"Sometimes I'm actually grateful to Anderson. If he wasn't so difficult, some things might be different!"

He paused, "Thank you for coming, let's do it now, we will start at 7:30 at the latest."

The manager nodded and left to urge the chefs to work hard.

Originally, Lance was planning to dine at a restaurant, but thinking that if blood was involved and that it wasn't easy for the boss to do business, he simply decided to eat at this location.

Tonight he invited some leaders of the remaining small gangs in the port area to discuss the next issues with them.

Whether to continue the war or do something else, there must be a result.

You can’t just pretend nothing happened every day!
Soon, the aroma of prepared food filled the game room. The smell drifted in from outside, and many people began to feel hungry.

But unfortunately, they may not be able to have this meal tonight.

Just after seven o'clock, a convoy appeared outside the game room. Many people got out of the three cars. Among them was a young man wearing a rather exaggerated short-sleeved shirt. He glanced at the people at the door and walked inside.

Lance was just lamenting that Wolfe didn't know how to enjoy himself and that his chair was hard and uncomfortable when one of his men came in to report the news, "Blood Shark's men have arrived."

The Blood Sharks are a small gang in the port area, with a total of about thirty people, and they rule a street.

They are also the kind of group that gradually evolved from banding together to exploiting others to internal exploitation. At the beginning, they only had five or six people together in order to avoid being bullied.

Then other young people on the block started joining them, thinking that this was cool, or a way to bully others without being bullied.

As a result, the number of people in this small gang increased. As the number of people increased, they had to consider how to support these people, and collecting protection fees, extortion, and blackmail became their means of making a living.

Maybe they don't ask for as much as the previous people, but at least they ask for something. As for when they will completely lose their conscience, it depends on how far they can go.

Their logo is a blood-red great white shark emerging from the water, so they are also called the "Blood Shark Gang."

Lance stood up by holding the armrest, "Throw away this broken chair and replace it with a more comfortable one."

He patted the pants that were stuck to his butt and walked towards the door. He felt stuffy and uncomfortable. He deserved to be thrown away!

As soon as I came out of the room, I saw the leader of the Blood Shark Gang, a young man named Kerry, in the lobby on the first floor.

He was about the same age as Lance, probably a little older, with a defiant expression on his face.

The two of them, one above and one below, stared at each other for a moment from a distance in the air. Lance smiled, "Carrie?"

He walked down the stairs, and the expression of "not giving in to anyone" on Carrie's face faded a lot.

It seems that the professor and Wolfe taught him how to be a human being.

Lance bumped fists with him. "You've come just in time. We can fill our stomachs before dinner starts."

He motioned for Carrie to follow him, and the two of them came to the yard behind the game room, where the cooks were cooking dinner.

These chefs are Anderson's signed apprentices, which is also the manager's requirement.

Anderson will teach them real cooking techniques, but they must serve Anderson's restaurant for ten years.

During these ten years, the restaurant will not deduct their wages, they can take breaks when they need them and get pay raises when they need them, and except that they cannot leave the restaurant at will to work in other restaurants, there are almost no other restrictions!
It is very difficult to learn a craft these days. Anderson was reluctant at first. He felt that he should use these people for free for a few years before teaching them a little bit of technology.

But the manager told him that times had changed and convinced Anderson as well.

After the incident with Lance, Anderson trusted the manager very much.

Lance brought Carrie to the barbecue stove and signaled the chef to bring out two pieces of barbecue first.

These ingredients are kept in reserve, and there are quite a lot of them, just to prevent the guests from not eating enough or new guests from suddenly joining in.

Most of these receptions are parties or gatherings, and it is actually quite normal to suddenly have a few friends who you didn’t tell us about in advance show up.

The chef skillfully manipulated the long-handled knife and fork to cut a piece of meat in the oven. The gravy and blood slowly overflowed from the slightly discolored meat and dripped onto the charcoal fire, crackling, which was very tempting to look at.

Two minutes later, Lance handed the plate to Carrie and walked with him to the edge of the yard.

"Try it, their barbecue tastes good."

Kerry actually couldn't eat much, but Lance was so enthusiastic that he could only pick up his fork, pick up a piece, and take a bite.

It was indeed delicious. To be honest, his movements of chewing the meat became more natural.

Lance had a few meaningless words with him, and Carrie could no longer hold back her temper, "Lance, how are you going to deal with us?"

Lance put the plate on the table next to him. He turned and looked at Kairi, "Didn't you see it?"

"I was just about to treat you to a meal. This meal will cost me one or two thousand."

Kerry is not Lance. He is not as cunning as Lance, and he can't keep his cool. "I'm talking about the territory. Will you kick us out?"

Lance smiled and calmed him down, "It's not that exaggerated. I personally prefer that we make money together."

Kerry rolled his eyes, "I don't really understand."

"A bar, smuggling liquor, or other profitable businesses. I'm not opposed to making money with you, Kerry."

"What I reject is making money that disrupts public order. I don't know how to put it..."

He frowned. "It's like you killed a chicken because you wanted to eat eggs, and then took out the eggs from its stomach and ate them. You shouldn't do that."

"You can only eat it once if you do this. The chicken will die and there will be no follow-up."

"We should raise chickens and let them lay an egg for us every day so that we can eat for a long time."

"Environment, order, and rules!"

Kerry's eyebrows went up when he heard this. "Just tell me what to do. I don't understand a thing you're saying."

If he had understood, he wouldn't have become the leader of a neighborhood gang.

"It's easy!" Lance gave him a cigarette, "Disband the gang, then go about your business, and I'll keep you safe."

After hearing this, Carrie said directly, "This is impossible!"

"How can I ensure our safety if the gang is disbanded?" He looked at Lance and did not give in.

Lance asked back, "Can you ensure your safety if you don't disband the gang?"

He held the cigarette sideways and handed over the lit but not yet extinguished match. Carrie lit the cigarette in her hand with the long match in his hand.

At the same time, Lance's question also made him think.

Lance raised his hand and gently placed it on his shoulder, "Think about it, how do you compare to those people at Wolfe?"

"They died, and we are still alive, as victors."

"It's not safe to hold a knife, Kerry, it makes me think you want to stab me with the knife in your hand."

"I might react in the wrong way, and maybe you didn't mean to do that, but the result is unacceptable to both of us."

"But if you put the knife down, I wouldn't feel any danger and there wouldn't be any bad misunderstandings!"

"You can continue to run the bar or other businesses with your friends, and I will protect your safety. If there are any problems, I will take care of them. What a good offer!"

"I really can't think of a reason to refuse!"

Lance looked at him. Although this guy acted very defiant, the fact that he was the first to come showed that he was actually inclined to compromise in his heart.

When Lance brought up the fall of the Wolf Gang, he could feel Kerry's shoulders relax a little.

"Think about it carefully, we still have time!"

Lance patted his shoulder. Erwin was walking towards them. "Excuse me."

He left this side and walked towards Erwin.

"Two more are coming." Lance looked at his watch. It was already past seven.

"How many families did we invite in total?" Lance has been very busy lately and can't quite remember.

Maybe he didn't think it was a very important matter, so he didn't take it to heart.

"There are seven families, and only three have come now, but there are still more than ten minutes."

Lance nodded slightly, "I'll go and receive them first."

In fact, Erwin had always said that he would do these things, but Lance refused.

You are holding a weapon, and others are also holding weapons. If you don't show sincerity, why would others lay down their weapons first, or even allow you not to lay down your weapons?
So sincerity is very important. This time Lance’s treat was full of sincerity, and he hoped that everyone could feel his sincerity.

Achieve peace and unification of the port area without resorting to force.

But this is just hope, maybe they will have other ideas.

Lance returned to the hall and looked at the two new gang leaders, and immediately smiled, "Are you okay?"

"my friend!"

(End of this chapter)