Shadow Empire

Chapter 409 Ambitious and Dream-filled

Luca really didn't want to continue working in Lawrence's family business. He was dealing with agricultural products all day long, and after a long time, he either smelled like cow dung or some earthy smell.

He wanted to do something different and get away from all the annoying family affairs.

Lance gave him a new option, and he gladly accepted it.

He then used Lance's money to register a shell company and submitted a transaction application to the Liji Group.

The entire process is reasonable, compliant and legal. Whether it is registering a company or spending money to purchase Liji Group's products, these are all in compliance with federal law.

As for the "delivery date" and "high penalty for failure to deliver beyond the date" mentioned in the contract, they are also within the scope of contract law. You can choose not to sign it, but you will definitely miss out on the profits from this business.

Lance had used this trick before. They clearly guessed that there might be a problem, but they still signed it because the huge profits forced them to obey.

Of course, Lance also found a reason for the high penalty. The company was worried that Liji Group would not be able to supply the grain on time, so it increased the penalty to urge them to handle this job better.

This kind of thing is very common in business. Sometimes business partners may make an unusual request, but as long as everything is reasonable, legal, and provides sufficient benefits, the Liji Group will not refuse.

They had no reason to refuse, even though they had just fought an inconclusive lawsuit with Lance over this matter not long ago, they still would not take this lesson to heart.

It’s not that they don’t care about the result, but driven by interests, all actions of capital are based on the pursuit of higher profits.

On the last day of August, Lance and his men arrived at the Pasretto family's estate. In addition to him and Francesco, there was also Sarifu.

Sarifu was wearing a white coat. His arm still had some way to go before it could heal. After the three of them sat down, he went straight into what they were going to discuss.

"I have talked to Fergal (the leader of the Keane family). He is not interested in the conflict between us and does not intend to intervene. So this time we only have to deal with the Cassia family and the Koda family who may help them."

"So once we start, we must be mentally prepared. We are not just dealing with the Cassia family, we may also have the support of the Kodak family."

"The Kodak family's strength has been preserved intact over the past period of time. We must be careful."

Sarifu's expression was a little serious and solemn. If it was just the Cassia family, he would not be very scared, but behind the Cassia family there is a guy called Bandy Koda.

Bandy is relatively low-key in the outside world and is not as famous as his brother Gory Koda, but he is smarter. Over the years, Bandy has built a huge network of relationships for the Koda family and is a somewhat tricky opponent.

During this period of time, the Kodak family did not directly attack them because of the mayor, and they still maintained appropriate contact. However, from Sarifu's point of view, this is also a betrayal!
As long as you are not on our side, you must be the enemy!

These people are no longer trusted, so Sarifu believes that the Koda family will obviously trust the Cassia family more than they trust them, as they have betrayed the five major families.

They will definitely find a way to support Rick behind the scenes, whether it is money, weapons, or people, or even through some political means to achieve this goal.

Bandy would not sit idly by and watch the Cassia family be wiped out, as that would make their position somewhat embarrassing and fatal.

Even if Alberto chose to stand on his side, it would not be easy for their two families to fight against the other two.

Sarifu originally wanted to pull Fergal into their camp. After all, the war between Fergal and the Bear Gang could be said to be the result of the mayor's manipulation, and he should stand on the side of these "victims."

But Fergal clearly rejected his invitation and said that this matter had nothing to do with him directly.

The ones who had a grudge against him were the Bear Gang, but they had already been driven away, so he did not get involved in conflicts between other families.

This made Sarifu a little angry. He realized that the five major families were no longer the same as before, and he even felt isolated.

Fortunately, Alberto found them another powerful helper, Lance and his Lance family.

If we were to ask which gang in Jingang City, apart from the five major families, has the highest influence and prestige, it would undoubtedly be the usually low-key Lance family.

Many people think that Lance is not very smart. They cancelled the fees and charges, and reportedly did some other things. They also took the initiative to maintain law and order, which is not like a normal gang at all.

However, it is undeniable that in the Empire District and the Port District, the dominance of the Lance family is constantly reaching new heights.

People also recognize them very much.

With his help, Sarifu became more confident about "revenge".

Lance thought for a while after listening to it, "This is a black and white matter, it's either this or that, there is no third form or choice."

"Since the Keane family is unwilling to stand on our side, we must be careful in our follow-up work so that they don't suddenly attack us. They may also be bribed."

Sarifu was a little unconvinced, "Isn't that possible?"

"I know Fergal very well. He wouldn't do such a thing!"

Lance smiled and said, "You should also know Bendy and Rick. What are they doing now?"

This sentence made Sarifu shut his mouth and even a little annoyed!

Before the conflict broke out, they had a good relationship and often made appointments to play cards, ball, etc.

Who knew that in the blink of an eye they were bribed by the mayor and became their opponents.

Alberto tapped the table with his finger. "Let's not talk about this for now, Salifu. What's your plan to deal with Rick and the others?"

Sarifu regained his focus, but also looked a bit troubled. "Rick has a lot of cheap gunmen under his command. Once the battle resumes, we must end it as soon as possible."

"Bandy will definitely provide him with funds. As long as he has money, he can continue to smuggle gunmen from Yalan."

"We have to use our brains to deal with him!"

Lance glanced at Alberto, "Can you find out how their people sneaked in and what route they took?"

Alberto thought for a while and said, "We can give it a try. I also know some people in Yalan."

As he spoke, he thought of how Lance dealt with Luigi's cargo ships, "You plan to intercept them at sea?"

When Sarifu heard these words, his eyes changed slightly. It is not an easy task to intercept such a smuggling boat at sea.

Either Lans had his own gunboat, but that seemed unlikely.

Either he has a good relationship with the Navy or the Coast Guard.

Thinking of this, although Sarifu felt happy that Lance could solve this part of the trouble, he also became a little alert.

As a warlord, he knew very well that when a force had not yet destroyed the balance of an ecological environment, everyone could coexist peacefully and there was a basis for peaceful coexistence.

But when this force expands to a certain extent, just like the most primitive ecological environment in nature, the big eating the small becomes inevitable.

The five major families have also annexed many small gangs over the years in order to maintain their rule. The rapid expansion of the Lance family made him feel some vague threats.

Especially since their tentacles seemed to have covered every aspect of Jingang City, it was hard for him not to be alert and cautious.

Neither Lance nor Alberto noticed Sarifo's change of mood, and even if they had, they would not have been able to guess what he was thinking.

Lance continued, "If we can control his men so that they can't get through, then it will be much easier to deal with him."

Without the deterrent power of cheap gunmen, the strength of the Cassia family will be greatly reduced.

Lance leaned back, took out a cigarette and placed it on the table, then lit one himself. "I have another question. If Bandy clearly supports the Cassia family, should we take action against the Kodak family?"

Alberto glanced at Lance meaningfully, while Sarifo frowned, "Bandy knows a lot of big shots in Likalai State. It will be troublesome for us to touch them."

"My idea is that this matter should be limited to the Cassia family. As long as we deal with Rick and their backbone, even if Bandy wants to intervene, he will have no place to intervene."

"I know him best. He won't go after all of us just to avenge Rick."

The state government officials, state legislators, and even senators and house members that Bandy knew were all characters that made Sarifo somewhat uneasy. With so much money being transferred out every year, they would definitely protect Bandy and the Kodak family.

These are the best times for gangs, but that doesn't mean they are qualified to challenge the federal government.

The Kodak family is not that evil anymore. After so many years of whitewashing, they are no longer the gangster force that relied on casinos and loan sharking to make their fortune!
Lance didn't say anything. Sarifu looked at Alberto, hoping that Alberto would say something.

The current Pasreto family claims that Francisco has inherited Paul's power and become the head of the family, but in fact, Alberto has the final say on all matters, big or small.

Sometimes Francisco would have his own ideas, and as long as they were not too wrong, Alberto would usually allow him to express his opinions on family affairs.

This is his way of learning how to become a qualified head of the family. This is a necessary process and no one can possess this knowledge without learning.

In the process of learning, he also has to make mistakes, then find the problem and correct the mistake. This is a cycle and a process.

Originally, this should have been something that Paul had accumulated little by little as he grew up. Now that Paul is dead, Alberto can only try his best to make him adapt to this kind of life as quickly as possible.

No one can achieve success without making mistakes, but as long as mistakes bring growth, then even if some losses may be incurred, it is completely acceptable.

He is still in the learning stage, so Alberto is in charge of everything at this time.

Some people in the Pasreto family had some objections to his actions. Some of them believed that Alberto used this method to indirectly control the leader and future of the Pasreto family.

Francisco is not averse to this teaching method, and he really can't do without Alberto now, and he is growing very fast.

Salifo was obviously aware of this, so from the beginning he did not consider asking Francisco for his opinion, but instead set his sights directly on Alberto.

He hopes Alberto can convince Lance that he wants to take out Rick, but he doesn't want to mess with Bendy.

Alberto turned to look at Lance, and the two exchanged glances. "Let's deal with Rick first, then consider the rest."

"It's a little too early to talk about this now. We haven't even dealt with Rick yet!" The first half of the sentence was said to Lance, and the second half was said to Salif.

Neither of them raised any objections, and the matter was basically settled.

What followed was some discussion about how to deal with Rick. Sarifu was quite familiar with Rick. The two sides had been fighting for such a long time. If he was not familiar with Rick, he would have been finished long ago.

After talking for twenty to thirty minutes, the general idea had been decided. The first thing to do was to cut off Rick's unlimited route of blasting troops from Asia and Blue.

After Salifo left, Lance and Alberto went to his Lezhu Finance Company.

There is no one here now. I don’t know where the beautiful girl at the front desk has gone, and there is a lot of dust in the office.

Even if the windows of storefronts facing the street are closed, a lot of dust will inexplicably flow in from other places.

Looking at this abandoned house, Alberto seemed a little disappointed.

After standing here for a while, the two left and went to a nearby park.

"Salifu may not be a reliable person," Lance said to Alberto after they sat down.

Alberto nodded, "Yes, I understand. I won't trust him unconditionally, but we need him now, so I will discuss with him how to deal with Rick."

What Francisco lacked after inheriting the family was prestige. If under his "hostage", they could severely damage or even eliminate the Cassia family, even if other people were involved in this matter, it would greatly enhance Francisco's prestige.

Alberto was indeed doing this for Francisco's own good. He was repaying the kindness that Paul had shown him many years ago. He is a real man!

Francisco did not follow because some of the things he said were not suitable for him to hear. He was still too young and sometimes he would let things slip.

"You just talked about Fergal, you want to bring them in as well?"

Lance gave Alberto a cigarette, and the two sat together and puffed smoke. "Look, I've already got the Empire District and the Port District. If I continue east, it will be Pricia, the Triangle District, and the Bay District."

"The Bay Area is not something we can touch right now, so I only have three directions for further development."

“An industrial area of ​​little value.”

"It's all trouble Priscilla."

“And downtown.”

Industrial areas are places where poor people gather because they are home to a large number of factories and workers.

Lance already had two places like this, and he didn't want another one.

His expenses are increasing now. Although he still has a lot of surplus every month, he always has to consider the future.

Taking over an area that could bring in greater profits obviously became his next plan. The Keane family and the Bear Gang were both badly hurt in the fight in the city center. If he found a reason to get rid of the Keane family at this time, then the city center would become Lance's territory.

There, Jingang City is second only to the Starlight District and the Bay Area in terms of prosperity, and has a higher consumption limit. The same wine can only be sold for 35 cents in the Empire District, but can be sold for 50 cents, or even 60 or 70 cents in the city center.

He still longed for the exponential profits.

When he told Alberto the direction of development in the next stage, Alberto understood it.

He frowned, "I'll support you, just like you support me."

Lance nodded, "Thank you."

Alberto looked at his profile for a long time, and couldn't help asking, "Are you planning to take action against other families as well?"

Lance thought for a moment and did not deny it. "Doesn't it sound like a fairy tale?"

"A less famous gang is going to take action against several of the five major families."

Alberto didn't think so. "If you can occupy the city center, you will control 20% or even 30% of the city. In terms of scale, you are actually stronger and bigger than us."

He looked up at the sky. "It's just that people have been blinded by the glory of the past. They have been arrogant for a long time and haven't lowered their heads to see if those who come later have caught up with them."

"Including the Pasretto family. If Paul had accepted your help earlier, perhaps the situation would have been different."

Lance smiled and said, "But it is also possible that they will boycott me together. What the five major families need are more obedient people, not a troublemaker."

Alberto laughed dumbly, "It is indeed possible. You are developing too fast. If we are not friends, I will also feel dangerous!"

Like gangs and capital, once they start to grow in size, they can only swallow up each other if they want to continue to develop.

Either you eat me or I eat you, someone has to be eaten, and most of the time it is the latecomer that eats the former.

"What about you?" Lance looked at him, "Have you been assisting Cisco?"

Alberto shook his head. “I don’t know. I’ll let him get control of the situation first, and then pull out those disobedient nails. Then I might go back to Sumurri Island.”

"There's someone over there who needs me to take care of him!"

"When I'm done with this, I'll probably come back to the Commonwealth and start the business again and then open a little bar."

"I go to collect bills with everyone else, and watch the girls striptease in the bar at night."

As he was talking, he suddenly burst into laughter, laughing so hard that tears came out. After a while, he took a deep breath and stopped laughing. "Do you think it's funny?"

"It turns out that the life I wanted most was actually what I had all along!"

(End of this chapter)