Shadow Empire

Chapter 705: Rising Flames and You Will Accept the Price

Lance had been in New Gold City for nearly a month. Seeing that the Federation's war machine had fully started to operate, the masters had neither the time nor the energy to talk to him, so he planned to return to Jingang City.

He gained a lot from this trip and met many people from the upper class, who will be of great help to his future whitewashing.

It's not that he is unwilling to clear his name now, but that he cannot do so now. At least before the situation stabilizes, it is much better to scare people than to make them feel that you can control them.

The "mysterious deaths" of five police officers in the Xinjin City Police Department were enough to scare those who were interested. In addition, Lance was moving between the military and Congress, so even the Angel of Death stopped touching him.

It’s not that the Angel of Death intends to give up on Lance, but the people and relationships that Lance is currently in contact with make the Angel of Death’s big boss feel a little uneasy.

Anyone who can run a gang to this scale across multiple regions in the Federation is definitely not a fool.

Idiots don't have the chance to run their gang so big, and they will be swallowed up by other gangs.

So Lance was still safe during this period.

Those gentlemen didn't think much about Lance leaving. For them, when they needed to see Lance, they didn't need to call him in person.

He told his staff, his men, his butler, anyone, "I want to see Lance," and Lance would be here soon.

On the contrary, some of the "lackeys" in daily interactions still hope to spend more time with Lans.

They didn't know how Lance could catch the attention of the military and Congress, but they knew one thing: Lance had strong connections, and they never knew when and for what purpose they might need Lance's help in the future.

There aren't that many people in total, maybe thirty or forty, or a little more?
This is not a dinner party, but more like a salon.

Everyone sat together and chatted, there were chefs cooking food on site, and there were various drinks and alcoholic beverages.

The biggest feeling Lance had after arriving in New Gold City was the prohibition of alcohol. It seemed to be as ineffective as a fart here!

No matter what level of officials or capitalists, whether in public or private occasions, they will still drink when they need to drink, and will never stop drinking because of the prohibition.

The "Four Major Suppliers to Congress" do not refer to the people who supply stationery, office supplies, etc. to Congress, but to the businessmen who supply high-end liquor.

Lance has also met with them, and they have the support of members of Congress behind them, otherwise their wine would not be sold to Congress.

Maybe they will have to share the money they earn from Congress with these gentlemen in the end.

Lance's plan requires a large amount of alcohol, so those gentlemen may not really just want to get kickbacks from this project. They also want to make more money as a "defense supplier."

These politicians have reached the highest level in the game of thrones, senators of Congress.

When it comes to pursuing economic benefits, they are no less aggressive than their senators.

They agreed to meet again in February or March. By then, the entire plan would be approved and the Ministry of National Defense would start bidding, so they had to present a united front.

It’s not that Lance didn’t want to take the order to supply the entire Ministry of Defense, but the order was too big for him to handle, and he didn’t dare to take it all.

It’s such a big order, so take less. We are all friends.

If he takes more, he will become the enemy of others.

Due to various factors, this salon was still very lively.

Lance's recent remarks that "the federation must win" have also sparked some discussions in the New Gold City. In the eyes of many people, he seems to have become a rising "social activist."

The core topics of this salon conversation also revolved around war and social changes. They wanted to dig out some information from Lance that they didn't know but could feel.

So most of the time, it was Lance who took the initiative to participate and stole the limelight.

The salon lasted for more than three hours. In the end, Lance didn't reveal anything, but he still firmly believed that the Federation would win, and he got along well with everyone.

After the salon ended, Lance and his men left. At this time, behind a window that they had not noticed, two people were staring at Lance's back.

Lance, who had just opened the car door and was about to get in, seemed to have noticed something. He stopped where he was, then turned sideways in several steps, turned his head, and looked at the building behind him.

He took a quick look and soon found someone seemed to be standing behind a window.

The two people's eyes met in the air, and because of the reflection of the glass, Lance seemed unable to see clearly who that person was.

But he could sense a faint malice emanating from those who were looking at him.

After the two looked at each other for a moment, Lance got into the car. In Jingang City, not everyone liked him, not to mention in Xinjin City, there would always be people who regarded him as a thorn in their eyes.

In the political arena, or some capitalists, speculators, and brokers.

While he was achieving his plan and winning over various forces, he inevitably also disrupted the plans of others.

He didn't know who that was, but he knew that if the other party dared to lay a hand on him, he would chop off their claws.

After getting in the car, Lance rocked back and forth a few times to prevent his butt from pressing on his clothes, "Drive."

The car moved slowly and blended into the traffic with the convoy. He was about to leave Xinjin City.

Behind the window, the two watched Lance's car disappear without a trace, and one of the young men's eyes even turned red.

The cruelty and hatred in his eyes made anyone see at a glance how excited he was at the moment!
"He has left."

The older man next to him said soothingly, sighing softly.

"I know." The young man gritted his teeth and made a sound. You could even hear the sound of his tooth enamel rubbing against each other.

There was deep hatred in his voice, because he was the child of the older policeman who died among the five policemen who died mysteriously.

He was studying in another city and was about to graduate this year. After graduation, his original plan was to join the Xinjin City Police Department.

The income of the Xinjin City Police Department is not low, the social status is slightly higher than that of other cities, and the extra income is also not small, so it is considered a good job.

It’s hard to say how decent it is, but at least it’s much better than the workers and not as dangerous.

With his status as a college student, he can be promoted to a position like assistant chief of police as soon as he enters. He has a high starting point and it is possible for him to become a police inspector or even a deputy superintendent in the future.

His father knew the police in Xinjin City very well, so he strongly supported and affirmed his choice.

But unexpectedly, he came back for two days during the Chinese New Year. Not long after he left, the police station asked him to come back to identify the body and handle the funeral.

He found the police chief and asked about the matter, but the police chief did not give him any answers, but only said that it might be a case of burglary and murder.

And told him not to pursue the case.

This was an obvious act of protection. He was not so stupid as to think that the police chief was a bad guy. After all, he had met the director of the Inspectorate several times before.

Through his school alumni connections, he got in touch with a capable alumnus who was also active in the police force, and then he learned the inside story!
His father was killed because of catching criminals!

Many people know who that person is, but they dare not take action, not only because there is a big shot behind him, but more importantly because of his attitude of "I will kill you if you touch me"!

The colleagues of the young man's father were just colleagues. They would not take such a big risk to do anything for a colleague who was already finished.

So everyone pretended not to know about it.

But now he knew, he wanted revenge!
"I've made up my mind," he said suddenly after a moment's silence. "I'm going to the FBI."

The "senior" beside him nodded slightly, "This is what I wanted to tell you, too."

"Even if you become the chief of police, you can't do anything about someone like Lance White." "Because there are countless people who have ways to make you unable to do anything and become extremely dangerous."

"But the FBI is different. Our new director is a man with ideas. Now we are in a state of war and the president is starting to centralize power."

He paused as he spoke, as some of his words would be a little too profound to explain further. "Anyway, this is a very good choice, and I also plan to transfer to the FBI."

"After joining this department, we report directly to the director and the president. Even if there are congressmen or military personnel behind Lance White, they will not confront the presidential palace head-on for a gangster like him."

The young man pursed his lips tightly, his lips turned white and bloodless due to the strong squeezing, and he even tasted a hint of fishy sweetness.

He bit his lip unconsciously and nodded, "I know."

The middle-aged man admired his look and said, "You are a college student, and it is easier for you to be promoted than us. You should keep the hatred in your heart and don't let it interfere with you."

"When you grow tall enough, then you can deal with him."

"Time will make you stronger and give you the power to defeat your enemies. You have to be able to endure it all. I know it's hard!"

He patted the young man on the shoulder and said, "Come on, it's time for us to leave."

The young man looked again in the direction where the Lans convoy disappeared, made the decision in his heart to avenge his parents, and then left with his senior.

Originally, his senior didn't agree to let him come, fearing that he would act impulsively, but he wanted so badly to see Lance in person that he engraved his appearance into his bones.

If there is anyone who wants Lance to live without any illness or disaster at this moment, it must be this young man.

He hoped to take revenge personally, hoped that nothing would happen to Lance, and waited for the moment when he would walk in front of him and send him to the electric chair!
Lance didn't know that someone could hate him so much, but even if he knew, he wouldn't care.

There are so many people in this world who hate him, it doesn't matter if there is one more or one less.

Anyone who wants to deal with him must be prepared to die!
Mr. Charles did not have such awareness. He is now very uneasy and frightened. He was sentenced to three months in prison, and the judge rejected his request to be transferred to a private prison on the grounds that the three-month sentence would be over soon.

If he wanted to be transferred to another prison, he would have to go through a lot of legal procedures, and it would also have to be assessed whether he was eligible for the transfer, etc. By the time the assessment came out, his sentence was almost over, so he was directly refused.

His lawyer helped him appeal to the Court of Appeal, which believed that the judgment and sentencing results of the Jingangcheng City Court were very appropriate.

The crime of soliciting prostitution is indeed an illegal act, and considering that Mr. Charles has experience in charity and is willing to continue doing charity, he was given a minimal sentence of three months.

Lance was behind this matter, and Attorney General Terry had a very good relationship with the people at the State Department of Justice. After all, the two sides often had to cooperate.

The appeals court judges said it was shameful for lawyers to use moral blackmail to allow Mr Charles to escape legal sanctions if they continued to dwell on the fact that they had committed a crime but wanted to spend money without bearing the consequences.

The Court of Appeal will then increase the sentence to ten months.

At this point, Mr. Charles' "escape" plan completely failed, and he would have to stay here for a full three months.

He was grateful that he had money, because as soon as he entered the prison, he asked the warden to make good arrangements for him and manage him separately from ordinary prisoners.

His lawyer also told him that he had been detained outside for more than half a month, but he would actually serve only a little more than two months in prison, and these days would pass quickly.

Although the conditions in public prisons are not good, there is one good thing: the warden has unlimited power within the prison unless he or she touches the prison administration!

They brought a lot of money to the warden so that he could live well here.

Of course, I still say that, the so-called good thing just means there is no forced labor.

Forced labor is also used in federal prisons.

After a senator in Congress proposed the idea that "even prisoners are members of the Union, and as long as they are members of the Union, they should contribute their strength to the Union's war", forced labor has now begun throughout the federal public prisons.

They will produce some military equipment that they can, such as kettles, military leather boots and the like.

If you don’t do well here, it means getting beaten, but fortunately, Charles and the other Bay Area tycoons who went to jail with him didn’t have to do this.

Not only Mr. Charles was sent to jail, but others were also sent to jail for prostitution. Mr. Charles could not escape this jail sentence, let alone others!
When he learned that Lance already had a large number of shares of the Wharf Investment Company in his hands, he was terrified!
Only then did he realize that Lance and Mayor Williams both had their own purposes!

But now he is in prison and there is nothing he can do. He can only think of a way to deal with it after he gets out.

At the end of January, almost February, his lawyer came to visit him in prison.

Normally, there is only one visit every six months, but he pays a lot of money, so there are people who come to visit him anytime and anywhere.

When Mr. Charles was brought into the room, he sat across from the lawyer with some confusion, "This meeting was not in our plan. Did something happen?"

The lawyer's expression did not change at all and he looked very professional.

"You are right, Mr. Charles, there have been some minor problems."

"Mr. Lance said he wants to buy the shares of Pier Investment Company that you have, and he hopes you can sell them to him."

Mr. Charles' expression changed. He had seen a lot of things, and he didn't get angry because of the lawyer's unclear position. He stared into the other's eyes and asked, "You work for Lance now?"

The lawyer nodded, but then shook his head, "I am still your personal lawyer, Mr. Charles."

"But you know that our law firm doesn't just accept your commissions, although we want to do that too!"

"From a work perspective, your case has been closed, and my work has also ended, so our subsequent contact will be based on personal work issues between you and me."

"Mr. Lance made a job offer to the law firm, and it was difficult for the law firm to refuse, so I came here."

The law firm of such a famous lawyer wanted to "take over" the entire case, and the price was ridiculously high. Even Charles couldn't afford to squander his money like that.

There is nothing wrong with what the lawyer said. The law firm cannot refuse to accept Lance's commission just because Mr. Charles and Lance are in an antagonistic relationship.

And on the surface, the cooperative relationship between Mr. Charles and the law firm has been terminated because the case was closed due to his imprisonment, which does not violate professional ethics.

Mr. Charles had a lot to say, but in the end he said nothing.

"How much is he willing to pay?" he asked this key question.

He made a rough calculation that Lance should now hold more than thirty-three point four shares. In other words, he could already veto.

This is a terrible situation, a veto means no one can fucking work.

If the other party's offer is sincere enough, it is not impossible for him to sell it and leave.

Anyway, I have made so much money over the years and can make more by selling stocks.

Not too bad.

Life in prison made him think a lot of things through. Mayor Williams' power was solid, and Lance's power was growing. He was no match for these two men.

Instead of continuing to struggle, it is better to leave early.

The lawyer had a strange look on his face. He took out a transfer agreement and handed it to him. "You'd better take a look at it yourself."

It was a very standard share transfer agreement, but when he saw the part where Lance made a bid, his face suddenly turned red!
"There's no way I'll agree to this!" He stood up and said, "Don't waste time. Go tell Lance that if he really wants it, he can make a good offer."

“But if he comes like this, I won’t sell him the stock!”

When the lawyer took one look at the "one dollar" mark, he knew this would be the result.

But he was not too disappointed, because Lance said that Mr. Charles would change his mind in three days at most!
(End of this chapter)