Shadow Empire

Chapter 697 Interview
A little after eight o'clock, more and more people came to the restaurant. Alvin picked up a newspaper that Lance had read and spread it out. His originally relaxed expression immediately became serious.

He also read books and newspapers, and in the past few years with Lance, he realized something he had never realized before.

This society, this world, is constantly moving forward, rolling forward!

For him when he was young, the so-called "past" was just a glance back, and the future was just words like "tomorrow", "the day after tomorrow", and "the day after tomorrow".

He sees no change and doesn't think about growth.

But now, with no shortage of wealth or status, he began to think more. He also began to require himself to read newspapers, listen to the radio, and occasionally read a book.

Humans are very interesting creatures. When they are ignorant, they are fearless and full of curiosity about the world. They explore all kinds of emotions, but the only thing they don't have is fear.

Look, the children dare to catch snakes with their bare hands and jump on the edge of the cliff. They are fearless because of their ignorance.

But when people begin to acquire knowledge, the more they know, the more timid and fearful they become.

He always felt that Lance was sometimes too cautious.

There is no problem that can't be solved by a bullet. If there is, then just fire a bullet.

But now that he knows more, he understands that many times even Lance is powerless.

Both of them were concentrating on the newspaper, and Eniohiram couldn't help but ask, "Do you have the Tide News?"

The people around were stunned for a moment, and then burst into laughter!
Someone teased him, "Besides the naizi in the Chao Bao, what else can you understand?"

Hiram was still a little unconvinced, "Don't you like to watch it?"

The guy who teased him was a little speechless for a moment, but he still answered the question honestly, "Who doesn't like to watch free naan?"

these people……

Lance smiled and shook his head. He put the newspaper down and said, "There's going to be a war."

Everyone in the carriage suddenly fell silent. Lance had always said before that a war would break out, but he had never told them as accurately as he did today.

"So fast?" Hiram, who was joking with his friends, restrained his playful expression and turned serious.

When the war breaks out, no one knows how it will turn out, and everyone is filled with fear of war.

So do they.

They came to the Federation because of the civil unrest in the Empire. That was just an internal problem, but the earth was about to crack apart due to the fighting.

Not to mention that the war now breaks out between multiple countries, the world will become a purgatory!
Lance threw the newspaper over. "A Federation freighter was sunk by the Navy of the Dentra Republic in the Eastern Ocean. Thousands of people died and tens of millions of dollars were lost. They have already sounded the clarion call for war."

Elvin asked from the side, "What if Dantra is willing to compensate?"

Lance shook his head. "There is no such possibility, not even one percent."

"After the outbreak of war, the number of visitors to Jingang City will definitely drop sharply, and the casino business will become difficult, but there is no need to worry too much about the income."

"The tension of war can make people more dependent on alcohol. People who didn't drink before will now consider having a drink."

"So the revenue from alcohol will only increase, not decrease."

"When you get back, control the development of gangs in the entire city. We don't need so many gangs now. Let some small gangs disband and find them jobs."

"Those who don't want to work..." Lance pursed his lips, "Send them to the army."

There were some laughter around the dining table. Joining the army at this time was actually no different from committing suicide.

The supervisor of the dining car asked the cooks to push the dining cart over, and plates of sumptuous breakfast were delivered to the table.

Beef, fish, protein...

All the delicious food is gathered together, even though it is just breakfast, it can still be described as sumptuous.

People in the Federation, or people all over the world, are actually not averse to eating these hearty breakfasts.

Under the influence of delicious food, the heavy topic was temporarily put aside, and Lance talked about some things in New Gold City.

Some of the people who came this time had not been here last time, so we just treated them as if we were taking them on a trip together.

The next morning, Lance met with Senator Cleveland.

"You should buy a house in Xinjin City. You may come here often in the future. If you want to buy a house, I can give you some recommendations!"

Lance nodded, "I have the same plan. You can give me some addresses or phone numbers."

Senator Cleveland glanced at Tom. "Remind me when you're done."

Tom nodded as he poured coffee for them. "I'll remember that."

Lance sat across from Senator Cleveland, who grasped the arms of his chair and pulled it forward, making sure he wasn't too far from the table.

"I really should replace this chair. There are many chairs with universal wheels now, which are very convenient."

"As long as you put a little strength on your legs, you can push me around!"

He just said that this chair has a long history and it is said that his grandfather's father has been using it.

It has been used to this day, with some repairs.

His grandfather was reluctant to throw away the chair and continued to use it in memory of his father.

By the time it came to Senator Cleveland's father, he felt that the chair might have some...special meaning, so he repaired it and continued to use it.

When it was the senator's turn, that special sense of mission and special significance became even more obvious. It was like the emperor's crown and scepter. It was no longer a matter of liking or commemoration, but represented "authority."

His children will continue to use the chair and restore it, and it will eventually appear in the family museum and be placed on high pedestal.

Yes, many big families in the Federation have their own family museums, which contain many precious collections, such as leather goods made of indigenous skins, ritual instruments made of their bones and so on.

Of course there are also artworks and collections from all over the world.

A family’s collection often represents the family’s heritage.

Tom came over with a tray, which contained coffee and a small silver bottle.

The Cleveland senator unscrewed it and poured out about an ounce of liquor, which he poured into the coffee. "Would you like to try it?"

Lance shook his head. "No, I don't even like coffee, let alone adding anything else to it."

Senator Cleveland smiled and said, "You might like it if you try it!"

He didn't force Lance to do it, paused, and then continued chatting about some more superficial topics.

Their interests are very closely related, but their face-to-face relationship is not that close, so the conversation will be gradual. "My friend and I have already called Likalai State. The state government, the Socialist Party, and the Liberal Party will no longer interfere in your affairs."

"I've provided you with a 'fair' environment. Now it's just a matter between you and them. No matter if you get screwed or they get screwed, no one else is allowed to interfere!"

"So you can do it with confidence, you know what I mean."

Lance took a sip of his coffee and said, "I appreciate your help. I don't feel any resistance now. Everything will be over when I return."

"That's the best!" Senator Cleveland nodded with satisfaction. "Don't let these little things get you hung up on us. You have more important things to do!"

He pointed at Lance emphatically, and the casual conversation ended at this moment.

Judging from Senator Cleveland's performance, his attitude towards Lance is much better than before.

Before, he always spoke to Lance directly, either because he was too lazy to waste time or because he just wanted to "say what he wanted to say". He didn't care about Lance's emotions and state because he didn't need to pay attention to Lance at all.

But this time, the situation was very different. He took Lance's emotions seriously and chatted with him so much.

He bought a house and told Lance that he was taking credit for those things, which showed that Lance already had the qualifications to make him official, so he greeted and was polite to Lance.

Lance still behaved appropriately, and he and Senator Cleveland talked and laughed, just like very good friends. Now that the small talk was over, it was time to get down to business.

"Did you read the newspaper when you came?", he asked.

Lance nodded and said, "Yes, I checked it out. There should be results within a week, right?"

Senator Cleveland curled his lips, "In fact, the results are already out."

Seeing Lance's eyes widen slightly, he smiled, "The Dantra Republic has refused to apologize or compensate. The president is already going through the process. He will have a 24-hour deadline."

"At eight o'clock tomorrow morning, if there is no further feedback from Dantra, the president will declare war on the Dantra Republic, and the entire country will enter a state of war."

Logically speaking, once a state of war is declared, the president has absolute power and can decide everything by signing presidential orders directly without going through Congress.

But now the President does not intend to do so, or he is very clear about the consequences if he really does so.

He needs to use some tricks to stay in the presidential palace, so naturally, his power in the political arena is not among the top and irreplaceable few.

Once he really wants to be a "dictator", unless he can do it for a lifetime, he and his family will be liquidated immediately as soon as the state of war stops.

Congress could mobilize the military to launch a coup without even having to stop.

Therefore, even during war, Congress will not stop functioning. On the contrary, its power will be greatly enhanced because of the war.

For example, when issuing instructions to state governments, they could previously resist the orders of Congress, but now at least they cannot resist openly, otherwise they will be considered traitors and will be suppressed!
As a rising senator from Cleveland, now in power, it is not surprising to hear such news.

He looked at Lance meaningfully, "Miles can't explain many things clearly. He only told me that you have a great opportunity and can make a lot of money."

“I’m interested in this.”

Lance knew that because of the war, the number of tourists in Golden Harbor City would drop sharply, and Senator Cleveland must have known this as well.

As the casino's profits decline, his income will also decrease. War is the best time to expand power, and he needs more funds to complete his power empire.

Since Lance offered to give him more money at this time, he must want to know more details.

In fact, Admiral Miles didn't remember much of what Lance said. He only remembered that he could raise tens of millions of funds every year.

That long string of numbers occupied all of his subconscious memory at the time, leaving no room for anything else, so when Senator Cleveland asked him about it, he stammered and was unclear.

Lance smiled and explained his idea in full, "I am only responsible for the supply of drinks on my side. As for other military bases and troops, I definitely cannot interfere, and I have never considered intervening."

"But if they can't supply the drinks, I can help a little."

Senator Cleveland listened to what he said with an expression of disbelief on his face, not because the idea was complex, profound, or difficult.

But it's too fucking simple, so damn simple that no one thought of it, and no one realized what's going on.

Three million troops and 600 million military supplies every month. When he thought of this number, he had an urge to stand up!
Before, he was a little worried that the profits provided by Lance's idea might not be enough to share. After all, it would take a lot of people's approval to make this happen.

Executive members of the Prohibition Committee, some key senators, such as the Armed Services Committee, the Budget Committee, etc., as well as the Cabinet and the Presidential Office.

With so many people involved, if we want to share some of the profits, we really can’t do without less money!
A pack of cigarettes outside costs only five cents, but a pack of cigarettes provided by the military costs one dollar. Do you think the tobacco there is good?

No, not at all, they use the most common tobacco, and there are only ten in a pack.

But why is it so expensive?
Because many people want to get their share from this pack of cigarettes.

Therefore, its profits must be high, only in this way can the interests of these people be satisfied.

Cigarettes cost one dollar a pack, and each of the three million soldiers buys a pack a week, that's only twelve million fucking dollars a month.

But that wine... two hundred dollars a bottle!
Senator Cleveland was already a little excited and wanted to swear.

He stared at his upper lip with his knuckles, applying a little force, and the blood disappeared where the knuckles touched his lips.

His emotions were high, and he looked at Lance, "How much is the profit?"

"Take away my share."

"The net profit, which is what you can put on the table, is about half."

Senator Cleveland looked at Tom and said, "Do the math."

Tom's mind immediately started working at high speed. In fact, he had already been calculating just now.

There are three million soldiers, and each person provides two hundred yuan worth of supplies every month, which is six hundred million, seventy-two billion a year, forty-five percent, which is four billion.

He gave such a number that Senator Cleveland looked at Lance differently.

Five percent of 4 billion is 200 million. How much 200 million can he get?
a year?
These days they are still considering how to keep the war within two to three years, because two years have passed in the president's term and this year is the third year.

In other words, the longer the war lasts, the better it is for the person in the presidential palace, but not everyone wants him to stay in office for that long. Some people hope he can get out as soon as possible.

So two or three years is a good time and very suitable.

But now he suddenly hoped that the war would last four or five years.

Seeing Senator Cleveland begin to daydream, Lance had to interrupt his thoughts.

"Senator, let's start with some spoilers."

Senator Cleveland came back to his senses. He was stunned for a moment, then nodded. "You go ahead."

Very friendly attitude, just like that between ordinary friends.

Lance wanted to pour some cold water on him first, "In fact, we can't calculate it completely like this. It's impossible to send three million troops to Tanfit right at the beginning of the war..."

Senator Cleveland began to calm down at this time. This is a skill that a senior politician must master to get himself out of some extreme emotions as quickly as possible.

If so many troops were deployed right from the start, the allied nations would certainly want them to be the main force, but this is not in the best interests of the Federation.

So at the beginning, the number of troops deployed may be only 500,000 to 600,000, or 700,000 to 800,000.

When he thought of this, he understood what Lance meant.

“So this is just a revenue situation when all-out war breaks out.”

Lance nodded slightly, "Yes, you are absolutely right."

"Secondly, this is only my offer. I am not very clear about the offers and profit distribution from other wine merchants."

"In the end, these profits will definitely be added together and then distributed, so the specific amount you get may fluctuate."

"But with a net profit of 20 to 30 million per year, there shouldn't be any problem."

Senator Cleveland frowned and thought. He was a little uncomfortable with the fall from his fantasy of earning over 100 million yuan a year. But this number was far beyond his expectations.

If there weren't so many people who wanted to get a share of this...

He picked up the coffee and took a sip to cover up the saliva that was growing due to greed. He didn't want to embarrass himself in front of Lance.

"You're right, Lance. I think there's nothing wrong with this plan."

"The Federation hasn't seen a war for many years. It's still unknown whether the soldiers can quickly adapt to the combat conditions on the front lines and whether they will face tremendous pressure."

"Those kids are going to the war for our country. We have to solve the problems they face and not create difficulties for them!"

"Don't leave these few days. I'll go talk to them first."

"They must love this plan!"

Neither Lance nor Senator Cleveland questioned this point. Who the hell can refuse hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars in benefits every year?

(End of this chapter)