Shadow Empire

Chapter 764 Promote
Listening to Lance's words, Tom probably knew what he was thinking. "Will you engage in a large-scale gunfight?"

“The senator is concerned about this.”

Lance replied in the negative. "My opponent this time is very smart, not stupid at all, so it is very likely that we will not have a large-scale fight like you imagined."

"Even if there is, it will be in the suburbs, not in the city, and we will control the time."

"I will control the situation and will not lose control."

Lance just needs to keep an eye on himself, as for the Perez family?

Given their capital operations, as long as they don't intend to narrow their path, they actually hope that there will be no large-scale fighting more than Lance, Tom and the Senator.

Who wants to do business with a group of people who reason with bullets?

Tom said "hmm" and did not speak immediately. Instead, he remained silent for about twenty or thirty seconds.

If it weren't for the sound of his breathing in the receiver, Lance would have thought the line was disconnected or he had left the phone.

But he did not disturb Tom's thinking. The sudden silence during the call meant that he must have encountered something very important or was thinking about something very important.

After a while, "Are you sure you can knock them to the ground?"

Lance frowned. He didn't think it would be a problem if the other party were a group of idiots.

But now there are at least smart people on the other side, so it will not be so easy to deal with them, at least it will be difficult to kill them with one blow.

He felt that there might be some senators' ideas behind this, or perhaps they saw the benefits.

With interests, there is driving force. If Lance can bite them all over, or even break their throats, then the wealth and interests they leave behind will not be decided by the masters, right?

It's not just the capitalists who are plundering, there are politicians as well.

The higher up they are, the more likely they are to do this, and the more greedy they are, whether they are capitalists, politicians, or anyone else.

"I don't know. A big force like them would most likely compromise immediately after suffering a certain degree of loss or fatal injury."

"They are no longer pure gangs. I want them to fight me to the end, but it is impossible."

This was the answer Lance got after studying the intelligence on the Perez family.

The descendants of a group of people who have succeeded by working hard are often least likely to inherit the trait of working hard.

Their elders, the generation that created all this, had nothing, so all they had to do was move forward with their weapons in hand. Every extra step they took was a boundary they drew for their future children.

But the young people born in the "golden age" have more views and outlooks that are more inclined towards the privileged class and the ruling class who live a life of luxury.

Let them fight to the death with a bunch of lackeys?
Do not make jokes!
They might even step back to avoid getting mud on their legs.

Lance had actually foreseen some of the results of this battle. The Perez family would definitely choose to negotiate after suffering heavy losses. This is also the most common choice in capital and politics.

When things are not in their favor, they choose the one with the least loss. This is their characteristic, not the gang's.

Tom also understood what Lance meant. "I will talk to the senator about your statement. Who do you think will make it to the end?"

Lance answered without hesitation, "Me."

His tone was full of certainty about the matter. He didn't think there was any other possibility. This strong self-confidence infected Tom, and his tone became lighter.

"If you need anything, please contact me. If there is any new development, I will also contact you. Keep the communication open!"

After Lance hung up the phone, he called everyone who was still awake. Many of them lived in Lance's manor, but each of them had his own house.

Even if you don't live here, you live nearby.

Lance found a way to buy all the surrounding land, and it gradually became a building complex with the Lance family as the core.

People work and live here, and their children will also be here. Lance has been thinking about this recently, whether to involve some real estate development.

For example, build this place into a "fortress that will never be breached", so that even if the federal army comes, they will have to fight before they can enter.

Soon, everyone arrived.

As the weather gradually gets warmer, people's dress becomes more casual, and some people even wear shorts and floral shirts.

Lance wanted to laugh when he saw this scene. People only understand something when they lose something. Just like when he lost the ability to wear short-sleeved shirts and shorts in April and May forever, he realized how powerful he was when he was young!
He came back to his senses from his trance and motioned for everyone to sit down. He did not appear to be anxious.

Worrying won't change anything, it will just make things worse.

"We had some trouble. Four movie theaters burned down in the Golden State."

Someone immediately stood up and slammed the table, "Who did it?"

"Those people who attacked us last time?"

"Give me some people and weapons, and I will send them all back to God's arms!"

Hiram clamored to teach them a lesson. Suddenly, an idea flashed through Lance's mind. Could it be done by the Angel of Death?

It is very likely, because recently, their conflicts are the deepest.

But now is not the time to talk about that.

Lance raised his hand and motioned for him to sit back down, "Don't mess around."

His ease helped to soothe the emotions of other people in the room. Some people laughed and teased Hiram, who also shook his hair and argued with them.

Lance poured himself a glass of wine, "The Perez family is different from the opponents we have encountered before. They use their brains and have plans."

"They are very familiar with the local police, prosecutors, and judiciary."

“Just like us!”

He turned around with his drink in hand and looked at these people, opening his arms. "If anyone dares to come to Likalai State, we can make them die miserably."

"Similarly, they should have already set up the trap, waiting for us to step into it."

"So we don't need to be so impulsive now."

"They have many industries. Such a huge force will definitely not operate in one place. Their business must be all over the federation, and they even have business here."

"I called you here to tell you not to go to Jinzhou recently, including the area near Jinzhou."

"Photos of us are never hidden. If they need to, they can know what we look like at the first time."

“The second thing is to find the companies that the Perez family has hidden in the South.”

“Here, next to us, and in states further west.”

"We have better control here. We can find their people, whether they are regular or irregular."

He looked at Bolton who was always sitting in the corner. This guy always maintained a cautious attitude and never stood in a conspicuous place.

If someone who doesn't know him appears here and sees Bolton for the first time, they will think that this person is just a punching bag.

After all, who among us would be willing to sit in an inconspicuous corner?

But Bolton was willing.

"Bolton."

Bolton stood up immediately when he heard Lance calling his name, "Boss?"

"Now that you have my trust, I will allocate a sum of money to you so that you can continue to develop your informants. I want the entire South to have our informants and our people!"

Bolton was stunned for a moment, and his fist hidden behind the other person's body was clenched tightly and trembling slightly.

He didn't mean to punch Lance, but he was excited!

One city and one state have made him the respected "Mr. Bolton". If he could expand his influence to more areas, he couldn't imagine what a great man he would become!
Lance looked him straight in the eyes, "Can you do this?"

"I need you to get these done as quickly as possible. We can't just focus on a place like Likalai State."

“It turns out that even if we have Likalai State and friends in Congress and the military, we will still encounter provocations and troubles.”

He held up a finger. "But trouble often means opportunity. This is our opportunity, a very good one."

"Continue to expand!" Bolton nodded vigorously, his voice trembling slightly. "Of course, I mean, no problem, Boss."

"I'll get these done ASAP!"

Lance nodded. "Don't be stingy with the power in your hands. You can train some reliable people and let them handle some small matters."

Lance pointed at him, "You're already a big shot!"

Bolton is very keen on power, but also rather independent. He actually has an intelligence distribution center under his command, with twenty or thirty young men sitting there, receiving intelligence from Jingang City and surrounding cities.

This also includes news passed on by Imperial gangs in other cities.

This distributed analysis center reports directly to him. In other words, he controls the entire organization alone.

He is very busy every day, analyzing some valuable information from a lot of information that may not have any meaning.

He may still be able to take responsibility now, but as the number of intelligence outlets increases, he will not be able to take charge of so many things.

Lance stared into his eyes, "You have to learn to be a big shot. Big shots never have to do the work themselves. They just need to know how to put the right people in the right positions!"

He paused, "Anyway, think about it and do it as soon as possible."

He turned to look at Melo, then looked at Irving, "We need to continue to recruit more people."

Lance’s previous idea was not to expand out, to occupy the state of Likalai, and then to close the door and do his own business. In fact, he did so.

So he doesn't need so many people.

If a gang organization that does not engage in what people consider to be "proper business" has thousands of thugs and gunmen, then this gang will definitely become a concern for some bigwigs.

He didn't want to cause trouble, but now it seemed that he had to do something.

Mello nodded, leaning against the bar, "How many people are we going to hire?"

There are only 700 to 800 people now. Lance thought for a while and said, "Let's recruit 2,000 people first."

Hiram whistled; he liked crowds and new faces.

Melo asked again, "Does it include our current personnel, or does it not include them?"

"Not included."

"Mador."

Mador also stood up. He looked very energetic. His military temperament and his attire gave him a very special...texture!
"All of these people will be trained by you. Don't worry that they can't handle it. Require them to follow military standards."

Mador was also a little surprised, but he still agreed. This was what he should do. "I promise to complete the task!"

Lance then assigned some more tasks before letting people go.

The speed at which information spreads among gangs is countless times faster than in other areas, and it is also very accurate.

At dawn, rumors that "the Perez family burned down four cinemas of the Lans Company and dared not say a word" began to spread from the central region of the federation to the entire federation.

Some people were quite moved when they heard the news. The Perez family's ability to act is still so strong and efficient.

Some people are also looking forward to the subsequent developments.

What kind of sparks will be created between a newly emerging gang and an old gang.

The Perez family has also made various preparations for the response. What they fear most now is not that Lance will cause trouble for them, but that Lance will not cause trouble for them.

Of course, Lance was not the kind of person who could tolerate such a thing, and he was also very clear about what the consequences would be if he did what the Perez family expected.

So he changed his approach.

At around two o'clock in the afternoon, Lance had arrived in Valley City. At the invitation of the director, a large number of film industry practitioners and some production companies came to Valley City.

The news that Wanli Pictures spent more than one million dollars to shoot a movie has spread throughout the entire film industry, even though they are not interested in the Wanli Group behind Wanli Pictures or Lance.

Now they also have to listen to what Lance has to say.

After all, Lance still has some face here, and they also rely on the channels and box office of Wanli Distribution Company.

Lance booked an auditorium and many people had already arrived. They all came over to greet Lance and the director. After a brief greeting and introductions, they walked aside.

When almost all the invited guests arrived, the director picked up the microphone and clapped his hands, attracting the attention of everyone present.

"I am very grateful for the invitation to come here during the busy working hours. I just talked to Mr. Lans. All the gentlemen present today, whether you are practitioners, production companies, or anything else."

"As long as your film is released here, we will reduce the price by two points."

Interests are always more "sincere" than words!
You can say a hundred or a thousand sincere words, but if you never pay equivalent money, it will be more shocking!

Both men and women put down their glasses and began to applaud enthusiastically.

Two percent, is that too much?

In terms of percentage structure, it is not much at all, just like two yuan more than a hundred yuan.

But considering the box office sharing structure formulated by Lance, two percent is a lot.

It accounts for about 5% of the total revenue of the producers, which is not a small amount. It also shows that Lance is indeed sincere.

But as to whether it can be implemented in the end and to what extent, they are still unclear.

But this did not stop them from applauding enthusiastically!
What if he's telling the truth?
After all, many production companies now, especially some small production companies and independent producers that do not have the ability to obtain box office revenue themselves, are very dependent on Lans' distribution channels and repayments.

Nowadays, the cost of filming movies is getting higher and higher, and the salaries of actors are also getting higher and higher. The days of shooting a movie and then selling copies at film festivals like in the past have failed to keep up with the development of the times.

Box office sharing is a very beneficial operating model for both parties. Once its benefits are deeply understood, the film industry will become increasingly dependent on it.

Whoever controls the channels controls the basis for monopoly, which is why so many people came today.

"Next, I will hand over the leadership to Mr. Lance."

He gestured to Lance that he could begin. Lance walked calmly to the podium. He looked at the several hundred guests present, his expression a little serious and sad.

"There was something that happened yesterday that I don't know if you know about."

"Four of my movie theaters in Golden State were set on fire, and nineteen innocent moviegoers died."

This news had not yet spread in Valley City. Many people heard it for the first time and they all looked shocked.

Comments like "This is horrible", "How could this happen", and "Oh my God" pop up almost constantly.

After they sighed for a while, Lance nodded slightly and said, "The arsonists are a well-known gangster organization in the Federation. They saw that I was doing well in the film industry, and after they failed to blackmail me, they set fire to the cinema."

"The film industry is developing at a speed that is unimaginable. We are facing huge opportunities and challenges, but also huge threats."

"Some of the threats are mild, just run-of-the-mill industry competition."

"But there are some threats, which are disturbing, coming from criminal organizations."

"Movies should not be a place for criminal organizations to run wild. Movies are an art form that is close to people's lives. They carry the development and progress of an era. If we compromise in the face of such things,

"I bowed my head, apologized, and gave them the money as they asked."

"Then the film industry is doomed!"

"I will not compromise, and I cannot compromise, but my own strength is not enough, I need more strength to unite!"

He looked at these people and said, "The development of the film industry needs to be regulated and has rules. We also need to help and protect each other."

"So today I asked the director to invite you all here for two main reasons."

"First, the Federal Arts Council is preparing to establish a film committee and an industry union. You should know better than me what this means to me and to you."

"We can't let them take control!"

"Second, we cannot remain silent about the gang's wanton behavior this time!"

(End of this chapter)