Shadow Empire

Chapter 410: Putting sails on the warrior's dream and sinking to the bottom of the water

This is often the case, we are always struggling in dissatisfaction and looking for direction after getting lost.

Until we see the light again, we will realize that the happiness we want is actually what we have had a long, long time ago.

It’s just that happiness was lost in the process of struggle and loss.

But there are some things that require choices, choices of self, choices of humanity.

Perhaps many years later they will still recall what they talked about that day and the story that made Alberto laugh until he cried.

I just don’t know what kind of mood they will be in when that time comes.

"Psyker's grandfathers and uncles, do you want my help?" Lance asked.

Alberto understood what he meant. Lance wanted to know whether he needed his help in getting rid of these old antiques.

The existence of these old antiques is an obstacle for Francisco to grasp the power of the family. They will try their best to prevent him from grasping the actual power of the family. Killing them will make everything simple.

Alberto shook his head. “I want to leave these people to him as a gift for his coming of age ceremony.”

“Besides…” Alberto raised the corner of his mouth, but this expression was definitely not a smile. “After all, I am not from the Pasretto family. Only Sisko can decide their fate.”

Lance curled his lips. This was typical ignorant thinking. "I thought you were as young as me and would be more forward-thinking."

Alberto laughed and said, "It's a tradition..."

“Traditions are not necessarily good. If traditions were always good, why would science make progress?”

"Isn't this very typical 'untraditional'?"

Alberto shook his head and didn't continue discussing the issue with him. He knew that he was no match for Lance.

"I have said everything I need to say. I am going back now and you should also be prepared."

Lance stood up, and Alberto stood up as well and hugged him, then the two separated and walked away in different directions.

Lance shook his head slightly as he got back into the car. Sometimes Alberto looked quite fashionable, but on some issues, he seemed very old-fashioned.

In his opinion, the easiest thing now is to quickly establish prestige for Francisco, and then use these things to resolve the opposition voices in the family and quickly unite the family's strength.

Whether it is used for self-protection or outward expansion, at least there will be a good foundation.

As for the four major families that would fight against Sumuli Island?

I hope he can come back alive and realize the dream he once had!
In September, there were only twenty days left before the results of the municipal council election were announced, and there were a little more election activities in Jingang City, but only a little.

The results of the municipal council elections are actually basically decided from the beginning.

Most politicians must have done basic research and surveys before running for city council members. They will not run for election in administrative districts where no one knows them. They will only run in places where they are most likely to win.

Like William, he lives in Priscillin, but he is running for election in the Imperial District, not because the election situation here is simpler and clearer, but because he has the greatest chance of winning!
It can even be said that the victory was secured from the beginning, which is why he came.

Even the election of the lowest-level municipal councilors requires a lot of money. If these people cannot secure victory in advance, the investors behind them, or the people in the party, will not allocate resources to them.

During this period, William has been running around the Imperial District every day, promoting his theories. If he didn't know that he was only running for city councilor, some of his issues could be used in the presidential election, such as solving the education problem.

There is no doubt that his chances of winning are very high. On the contrary, Mr. Jobaf has already withdrawn from the election and his campaign office has been disbanded because he cannot afford the campaign funds.

People like him rely entirely on their own financial support to participate in elections. They have no supporters and no investors. Once there is a problem with his funds, the entire campaign process will be immediately interrupted.

The loopholes in the bank were getting bigger and bigger, and he was overwhelmed by the crackdown on him by other banks. He was almost unable to hold on, so how could he possibly come up with the money to continue his election campaign?
William will become a city councilor of the Imperial District with an absolute advantage. At the same time, there is one more thing that Lance needs, and that is "giving money."

As the children chased and ran, Alvin smiled and grabbed a handful of change and threw it at them.

The children screamed and chased the coins, carefully picking them up from the gaps between bricks or from the ground, holding them safely in their hands, and thanking Lance and Erwin for their generosity.

Every time Lance sees this scene, he looks very relaxed. A small gain can make them smile with satisfaction, and these pure and innocent smiles can also infect others.

A homeless man plucked up his courage and walked towards Lance, but before he got close to Lance's car, he was stopped.

"I have a few words to say to Mr. Lance," he said to others.

Lance looked at the homeless man and felt that he looked a little familiar. He nodded and was allowed to come over.

"Make sure your hands are in our sight, otherwise we might misjudge!" People said this to him, and he didn't dare to act rashly, making sure his hands hung at his sides.

"I think I've seen you before." Lance sat in the car and looked at the clean homeless man.

The homeless man smiled, "Mr. Lance, I accidentally touched some water in the winter, and you kindly gave me some money to help me get through this cold winter."

Lance suddenly remembered, "It's you!"

He smiled more, then took out a cigarette and handed it over, "Do you smoke?"

The homeless man was somewhat flattered and took the cigarette with both hands, "Of course, of course..."

He carefully put the cigarette in his mouth and took out a match. At that moment, he suddenly felt a creepy feeling.

He had no choice but to slow down and take his hand out of his pocket little by little, and it was indeed a box of matches.

Although he didn't see it, he knew that there must be many weapons pointed at him.

But he had no complaints at all. After all, a kind-hearted person like Mr. Lance really needed to pay attention to his own safety.

He struck a match and hesitated. Lance reached out and caught part of the cigarette butt. He hurriedly walked over with a smile, bent down, lit the cigarette for Lance, and then lit his own.

"Mr. Lance, I don't know how to put it into words. Your kindness has given me the strength to face life again."

"I'm ready to get back on the road and give life one more try!" He smiled, turned his head slightly and exhaled the smoke from his mouth to the side.

"I have always wanted to face you in person and say 'thank you' to you. You have given me courage and goals. I will not continue to be depressed."

"After this conversation with you, I will leave here soon to look for opportunities."

Lance found this homeless man very interesting. "What are you going to do?"

The tramp thought for a while and said, "I plan to find a job as a sailor, travel around and see the wider world, then save some money and find my own way."

“I don’t know what kind of person I will be in the future, but no matter what, I will never stop!”

"I will use the courage you gave me to create my own life and world!"

Lance took a deep puff of the cigarette and then slowly exhaled. He nodded slowly and easily, "You have a heart of gold. I wish you success."

He thought about asking Erwin to take out two hundred dollars and gave it to him. "Don't refuse. I don't know what you will face in the future, but since I have inspired you, please accept my help."

“It won’t change your future, it will only put your dreams on the sails and make them swim faster than we expected!”

The homeless man hesitated for a while, but finally did not refuse. "I accept it, Mr. Lance. I don't know...how to say it."

"You are the best person in the world to me. I feel like crying now!"

Lance smiled and raised his hand, "This is an exciting moment, I wish you the best, may I ask your name?"

"Maybe one day in the future, I may need your help, but I don't know your name."

"Marv, Marv Adams."

Lance walked out of the car and held out his hand, "Marv, I have a feeling that you will become a successful person."

Ma Fu put the cigarette at his feet, held Lance's hands with both hands, and bent down. "Stand up, straighten your back!" Lance looked at him, "You are a man now, you should stand up straight and hold your head high to face the future, this is the demeanor of a man."

Ma Fu was so excited that he didn't know what to say. He nodded repeatedly, tears dripping onto Lance's hand. He let go of his hand and patted his shoulder. "Everything will be fine. I firmly believe it!"

He fulfilled his wish before leaving. Not only did he thank Lance in person for giving him the courage to face life again, he also completed the task in excess and received Lance's encouragement.

It took him a while to calm down. "Thank you, Mr. Lance. Thank you. I don't know what else I can say to express how I feel right now."

"I don't have much time left. I have to leave in the afternoon, so..."

Lance nodded, "Go, embrace your new life, which is also your new life."

Before leaving, he lowered his voice a little, "Finally, there is one thing that I find a little strange. There is a homeless man who doesn't communicate with others or beg."

"I noticed that he has been observing you and this place, and his limp is not actually lame. I don't know...if he has any malicious intentions."

"He's right there."

He was about to turn around when Lance grabbed him, "Don't look back, don't look at him, I'll make arrangements."

Lance himself didn't even look at it, and if he looked at it at this time, it would only make the homeless man suspicious.

Seeing that Lance took his words so seriously, Ma Fu had no other emotions except being touched.

He had to say goodbye to Lance because he was leaving with the ship in the afternoon. If he didn't know when he would be back, he might have held back for a while before saying these words.

At first he thought that Lance would not be able to communicate with him so easily, but he didn't expect that all this was like a dream!
The weather is hot, and his heart is even hotter!

He will face the world again with the courage and blessing given to him by Mr. Lance!

Lance asked someone to drive Ma Fu away, and he entered the company without even looking at the homeless man.

"The homeless man Ma Fu just told me that there is a lame man among the homeless people who has been staring at us. Catch him and see if there is any problem."

Hiram's cold has gotten much better, but he still has some nasal sounds, and at least he doesn't do those disgusting things anymore.

He nodded and led a few people out through the main door.

At this time, someone was distributing money to the homeless people at the door, one dollar per person, which was enough for their living expenses for a week.

Of course, money is not distributed every day, but only once a week or two weeks.

Paying them too frequently would make these homeless people even less willing to work. If they were willing to work, Lance could actually arrange for them to work.

However, it is difficult for most homeless people to return to work as they have become accustomed to this rhythm of living without having to work.

Asking them to accept exploitation and oppression from capitalists is a bit unrealistic.

The lame man was also queuing up to get money. If everyone else came to get money but he didn't, it would seem very unreasonable.

So he also stood here and moved slowly.

When Hiram and his men came out of the house, he just glanced at them and didn't pay much attention.

There are often groups of these people standing together in front of the company, smoking or chatting. They don't have fights or work to do every day, and most of the time they are actually quite free.

They were observing the homeless people, and as the team continued to move forward, Hiram and his men also discovered their target this time, and then walked towards the cripple.

The lame man looked at these people walking towards him and felt vaguely uneasy, but he didn't think he was exposed.

He just continued to keep his head down, standing in line, pretending nothing had happened.

It was not until the moment Hiram raised his hand that he realized that they were really here to find him!

The next second he ran away, with Hiram and his men following closely behind.

The lame man's limp was no longer there, and he was running damn fast. The distance between them was gradually widening, but this was the Imperial District.

There are indeed people on the road who will actively move out of the way, but there will also be young people who will suddenly pounce on the lame man.

The lame man suddenly lost his balance and fell heavily to the ground. He struggled to put his hands into his arms, but Hiram directly took out a pistol.

The guy who knocked the lame man down quickly rolled to the side, and then there was the sound of gunfire and fragments of gunfire that shot into his body, causing him severe pain!
The Cripple eventually became a Dead Cripple, but Lance also figured out who he was - the young gunman in the killer group.

The older one was killed and the younger one ran away. He has been looking for an opportunity to assassinate Lance, not only for the mayor's bounty, but also for revenge.

But assassinating Lance is not an easy task. As Lance has been attacked many times, his security force has now been upgraded to more than one level.

Most of the time when he went in and out, precautions had been taken around him, and if there was any unusual movement, the gunman on the house might open fire.

Many of these gunmen are professional soldiers, and their marksmanship is definitely not comparable to that of ordinary gang members.

Although he wanted to avenge his family, he was not yet willing to sacrifice his own life.

But he didn't expect that he was exposed before his plan was implemented.

This incident did not cause any discussion, but the group of homeless people outside the company was dispersed and several more commanding heights were added.

A few days later, Lance called McCock to make an appointment. Alberto had already found out the smuggling route of the Cassia family.

When I met McCock before, he was just an ordinary coast patrol captain, nothing special about him.

But this time when we met, his mental outlook was very different from before.

He exuded confidence, ease and casualness from the inside out. Except for being a little restrained when facing Lance, he actually looked like a completely different person from before!
"I heard that your son has already enrolled in college?"

McCock's expression was a little unnatural, but Lance didn't explain and just kept smiling.

He nodded and took off his sunglasses. "Yes, I have already registered at the university."

The money he got from Lance solved all the troubles in his life.

But he is very low-key. He did not spend lavishly. He just changed to a better used car and rented a better house. These were all within his spending power.

At the same time, he also applied for a student loan, so that his son's college tuition would have a clear source that could be checked.

It seems that this money has not changed his life, but in fact it has changed a lot.

When a person has thirty, fifty, or even a hundred yuan in his pocket at all times, that is change.

That's when he and his family can stop caring about the suffocating student loans.

He is planning to have several people move to other places to live so that the money can be taken out bit by bit and used openly.

It's normal for a captain of a coast patrol to have a higher spending power than ordinary people, right?!
Confidence can make people blind, and Lance doesn't want him to be a blind person, so he gave him a little reminder that everything is still under control!

"I envy those students who can go to college. They will have a better social foundation after graduation, unlike us, who can only rely on fighting with others to get promoted."

He took a sip of his coffee and said, "I need your help with something. There is a smuggling boat coming, and they will take this route..."

Lance handed over the route with some coordinates recorded in his hand. He couldn't understand it, but McCock could understand it in detail.

McCock glanced at them. "You want me to arrest them?"

Lance shook his head. "I want you to sink them into the sea..."

(End of this chapter)