Empire of Shadows

Our

You can buy coins here to unlock advanced chapters: https://gravitytales.com/coins-purchase-page/

Advanced chapter until 450+ at /caleredhair

When a small school of fish faces a deep-sea predator, they will gather together in groups, which makes them look like a huge individual.

Although most of the time it’s useless, and instead allows the predator to eat its fill without running too far, but… it should ultimately have some effect.

Huddling together for warmth is something that both animals and people do.

After the car got on the road, it headed southwest. Director Dale had already understood the mayor’s meaning. He now needed to think.

Thinking requires time, and the mayor happened to provide such a time.

He took another sip of liquor. “Why not?”

The mayor smiled, expressing his goodwill, and then began to chat.“When I first came to Golden Port, I had many ideas. The geographical location of this city is too good. It will definitely become one of the most important cities in the Federation in the future.”

“The first thing I did when I came here was to inspect the Golden Port Docks, the place that created a miracle.”

“I come from an inland city. I had never seen such a huge and sophisticated port. It was an early morning in late autumn. A thick fog hung over the docks, the sun had just risen, and the golden light made it hazy. It was as beautiful as a fairyland!”

“I stood there and watched for a long, long time.”

“When people began to go to their work posts and blew away the thick fog, a more real port appeared.”

“Countless ships would come here to leave their cargo, and then load new cargo and leave. The docking of each ship represented an increase in income for the city and the people living here.”

“I had never seen such a city!”

Director Dale took a sip from his glass. He had to agree with this point. He came by boat and had witnessed the prosperity and substance of the Golden Port Docks.

“Yes, this is a miracle, a world miracle!”

The mayor nodded slightly. “Actually, it was just six years ago. At that time, the utilization rate of the Golden Port Docks had already reached seventy percent.”

“In other words, as long as the world economy experienced another round of growth, the Golden Port Docks could potentially operate at full capacity.”

“So my idea at the time was that for the development of the city, we must build a new port to cope with the economic boom that could break out at any time.”

After listening, Director Dale quite agreed with the mayor’s point of view. “The economic level of the whole world is increasing, the population is increasing, and the wealth created is also increasing. You are not wrong on this point.”

“Yes, that’s what I thought. I also held a municipal meeting. Every one of them smiled and told me that this was a good idea and that they would all support me.”

“And then…” he shrugged, “they welcomed me warmly, in their own unique way.”

“After the New Port District plan was made, problems kept cropping up. Not particularly big problems, but these problems were endless.”

“Either a worker was injured, or the workers went on strike, or there was a shortage of raw materials. Anyway, they always had ways to slow down the construction of the New Port Docks.”

“I gradually understood that I had touched their interests. They couldn’t openly oppose me because I was the mayor appointed by the federal government, I was a member of the Socialist Party, and I had my own circle.”

“So they used this method to fight against me.”

“At that time, I thought their methods were very childish. Did they think that by slowing down the construction period and preventing me from finishing the work, I would cancel these decisions?”

“At that time, I didn’t think they were anything special, some city councilors, some gangs. This is the Federation, not their backyard.”

“I found some investors from out of town. I told them my plan: to build a new port around the New Port District, and a new living area, the New Bay Area.”

Director Dale suddenly laughed. “Mr. Mayor, no offense, but just hearing you mention the names of these administrative planning areas, I feel… you were declaring war on them.”

The mayor also laughed heartily. “Yes, yes, did you see it?”

“I was just telling them that I was going to ditch them, that I could do what I wanted without them, and I didn’t think I was doing anything wrong.”

“These investors from out of town had worked with me before and had a foundation of trust. Materials, workers, we got everything from out of town.”

“Maybe they had never seen such a situation. At first, it did catch them a bit off guard, and they didn’t know how to respond.”

“The New Bay Area… was also partially built.”

“But soon, their retaliation came…”

The mayor suddenly fell silent for a while, seeming to be recalling those bloody days.

“They unscrupulously assassinated the investors I favored, publicly discussed and did not allow people to buy real estate in the New Bay Area, to the extent that those houses are still stuck in the hands of the investors.”

“The workers who came from out of town were harassed. They poisoned the food, and a large number of workers received death threats. Soon they ran away.”

“Even when we gave them more wages, they were unwilling to stay in this terrible place.”

The car had now reached a deserted section of the road. A huge new port stood by the coastline.

But compared to the Golden Port Docks, the New Port Docks were significantly more deserted.

There were also some ships docked here because the fees were lower, but it could only attract a few supply ships.

Large cargo ships still docked at the Golden Port Docks. They not only had to unload their cargo there but also load cargo there.

Most of the cargo was piled up at the Golden Port Docks. If it were to be transported over, it would be another transportation fee, so some ships would rather wait a few days than load and unload here.

The main costs of sea transportation are fuel and crew costs. If these cargo ships are just docked at an ordinary port, or even at sea, as long as the engine is not started, the cost will be very low.

They could use small boats to send the crew to the docks to relax, as a form of vacation for them, thereby reducing some labor costs.

Of course, most of the time the Golden Port Docks were not crowded; this was just a very rare situation.

Compared to the bustling Golden Port Docks, this place was like a nursing home. It was clearly a newly built port, yet it had an incongruous sense of dusk.

The workers stood in groups of three or five at the edge of the docks, chatting or strolling, without any sense of a tense work atmosphere.

The mayor sighed. “They held a banquet and invited me.”

“Eleven local city councilors, representatives of the Five Families, they stood together and said to me, ‘Welcome to Golden Port’.”

“At that time, I found it very comical. I wanted to ask them, does this place belong to the Federation, or to them?”

“But I knew that in their hearts, they would say it belongs to them, but on their lips, they would not admit it.”

“From that day on, I understood a profound truth.”

“Golden Port belongs to the people of Golden Port. It does not, and cannot, belong to outsiders.”

He raised his glass and drained it in one gulp, then looked at Director Dale. “Before, I was the only outsider. I was no match for them. But now, there is one more of you.”

“Dale, don’t think about joining them. Of course, I’m not stopping you from doing so. You can try, and then you will find that they will not truly accept you.”

“Because you are ultimately just an outsider, unless you can marry a daughter from one of their families and take root here, otherwise you will never be able to integrate into this city.”

“This damn city, filled with extreme xenophobia from top to bottom!”

“In the past, I could only rely on myself, but now, there is one more choice.”

The car slowly came to a stop. The two got out of the car and stood at the edge of the port. One step forward was the undulating sea, and opposite was the New Port Docks, like a giant ship.

The sun was at its zenith, shining brightly but not scorchingly on the human world.

The sea breeze, carrying a salty scent, brushed against their faces. Before them was the sea, and that feeling of exhilaration suddenly spread.

It was as if the space between heaven and earth had become larger, and ambitions soared!

Neither of them spoke, just feeling the grandeur of heaven and earth. After a while, the mayor turned to look at Director Dale. “If we don’t huddle together, we will never be their match!”

“Here, we will be unable to move a single step!”

Director Dale actually hadn’t expected the situation here to be so complicated. It was clearly the most important economic engine of the Federation, but it was firmly occupied by stubborn local forces.

He thought about many things, from the central hub to the local level, from Congress to himself.

“You are leaving in two years. After you leave, I will become their target.”

This was not a refusal, but a negotiation of terms, because both he and the mayor knew that in two years, they would arrange for a new mayor to come over.

They could still huddle together.

The mayor smiled. “In two years, if nothing unexpected happens, I will go to the state assembly to serve as the Speaker of the House. I can still help you, and with more help.”

“At that time, I will be in the state assembly, you and the new mayor will be here, and we will form a new triangle.”

“In terms of law enforcement, management, and with my assistance from a higher position, you can do more of what you want to do, instead of like this.”

“Dale, this is how you deal with evil. If you can’t push them back step by step, they will turn around and constantly test your bottom line, making you retreat.”

“We all want to do something. Let’s not regret our lives.”

Director Dale gazed at the sea for some time. He thought about many things. It seemed that huddling with the mayor had become one of the few choices that were beneficial to him.

The current situation could be said to be as bad as it gets. So why not give it a try?

Half a minute later, two hands clasped together. Director Dale seemed a bit more relaxed. If the mayor could really play a role, he might not be unable to turn the situation around again.

This year, or rather this month, these two weeks, had been the most damn exciting two weeks of his life.

It constantly broke his perceptions. He had already pulled out the most brilliant moves of his life, but he was still defeated step by step. This was the only turning point. He needed the mayor, obviously more than the mayor needed him.

“So, how do you plan to make a move?”

The mayor rubbed his chin; the stubble was a bit prickly. He needed a shave. “Let’s start with the gangs.”

“These gangs and local political groups are sometimes hard to distinguish. Sometimes they are opposed, but sometimes they are one and the same.”

“Compared to directly targeting people like Williams and Wade and triggering a series of hurricanes and tsunamis, it’s better to start with these gangs.”

“They are black, and we are white. Our job is to clean them up. Even if we take the lawsuit to Congress, we have no chance of losing!”

“Now that the profits from liquor are so high, it’s impossible for them not to try to do smuggling business. As long as they do it, we will catch them!”

This was a very good keynote. The price of liquor was changing every day, and with the bombing of the Golden Port Bureau of Dangerous Goods becoming known to more people and places, the intensity of Prohibition had strengthened a bit.

Members of Congress believed that this was a challenge to the authority of law and order by criminal groups and alcoholics. If they could not fight back hard, then Prohibition would soon become a joke.

In the next few years, the situation of Prohibition would only become more severe, and this would also make the profits from smuggled liquor higher and higher.

It was impossible for those criminal groups to turn a blind eye to such high profits. As long as they reached out their hands, there was a possibility of being caught.

Even if they cut off their arms to survive, they couldn’t keep cutting them off forever!

Perhaps it was because Director Dale had withdrawn his agents, allowing some illegal establishments to start operating again, or perhaps it was because he had taken no further measures, letting the “locals” see his attitude. In short, the rumors that were originally surrounding him disappeared in an instant.

People no longer laughed at him for “having some knowledge.” Some tip-off letters and photos were also put into safes by certain people. Everything seemed to have returned to two weeks ago. Golden Port was still the golden, splendid Golden Port.

No one could see in the corners that a part of it had already begun to rot and fester.

But these things would definitely not just disappear from people’s memories as if nothing had happened.

Something must have happened, and it must have had some subsequent impact, but people just couldn’t see it yet.

Soon, Lance received a notice that his men had all been released.

“Sorry, Lance, you know this was a decision from above. I couldn’t refuse,” Imperial Precinct Chief Bruce said with an apologetic face.

For the past few days, some members of the Lance family in the Empire District had been arrested for “suspected sale of smuggled liquor,” but now it was proven that this liquor had existed before the Prohibition, so the illegal smuggling and storage were not established.

But they still violated the “prohibition of selling alcoholic beverages to the public” rule, so they had to accept a fine and be detained for a period of time, waiting for the court’s verdict.

The court only sentenced them to a fine and community service. After Lance paid the fine, he came to pick up his men with the documents issued by the court.

Precinct Chief Bruce was a bit embarrassed and also a bit scared, because the men were all detained here.

Lance patted his arm without any sign of unfamiliarity, let alone taking this matter to heart. “These are all small problems. They won’t affect our relationship.”

As he spoke, he asked about the matter he was concerned about. “Regarding the police get-together, have you made a decision?”

Precinct Chief Bruce nodded. He walked around Lance and closed the door.

“I’ve talked with the other precinct chiefs. They want to know how this get-together will happen and what benefits it will have for us.”

“There are more than ten thousand police officers in the entire Golden Port. Who can participate, who can’t, all of these require a detailed charter.”

He looked at Precinct Chief Bruce for a couple of extra seconds. Precinct Chief Bruce touched his cheek with some confusion. “Is there something dirty?”

He shook his head. “No, I just find it a bit unexpected that you can suddenly be so decisive.”

“When I get back, I’ll have someone make a plan. At that time, you can invite all the other precinct chiefs, and we can sit down and talk.”

Precinct Chief Bruce nodded. “They are also very interested in you.”

Someone had privately estimated that to hold a police get-together, it would cost a lot of money.

If the money invested was too little, it would not have any effect, and it would be better not to do it.

If too much was invested… not just anyone could do it.

At this moment, someone knocked on the door. “Lance, everyone’s here. We can go.”

After Lance said goodbye to Precinct Chief Bruce, he left with the motorcade.

This imprisonment was actually a novel experience for each of them. It couldn’t be called suffering; Precinct Chief Bruce didn’t dare to make them suffer, but it certainly wasn’t that comfortable either.

After all, there were other people inside.

Sitting in the car, as dusk fell, the pedestrians on the road began to increase as it was time to get off work. The breath of life rushed towards them. It was no different from the past, but it always felt a little different.

Just as he returned to the nightclub, Lance saw a rare guest.

Mr. Jobav’s assistant appeared here, his expression a bit complicated, especially after seeing Lance.

After the two shook hands, they sat down separately. Lance had someone get some coffee.

After the coffee was served, the assistant said softly, “There’s something I might need your help with. Of course, don’t worry, it’s not for free. Mr. Jobav and I will offer twenty thousand in total. I don’t know if it’s enough.”

Lance raised his eyebrows. “First tell me what you need me to do. If it’s something I can’t do, please forgive me for not being able to agree.”

The assistant said urgently, “You can definitely do it!” After he finished speaking, he realized that what he said was not quite right. He quickly apologized for it and then stated the reason for his visit.

“My nephew was killed by Jimmy. I want revenge. I’ve thought about it over and over, and only you can help us.”

“Lance, I implore you to help me find Jimmy, and then I want to kill him with my own hands!”

The murder of his nephew had always been a source of guilt and torment for Jobav and his assistant. Before Bing Polly ran into trouble, even the mayor was unwilling to say much on this issue.

Jobav didn’t know the reason, but the mayor did. He didn’t talk about these things on the surface, but in reality, he found it disgusting and annoying.

Behind any small character, there could be some locals. It’s not to say that they necessarily had a solid bond of interest, but when their enemy became an outsider like himself, these locals, who might have had some conflicts before, would unite.

But now, Polly was dead, and the Brotherhood had become very chaotic. This was a good time for their revenge!

(End of this chapter)

***

Additional chapters: /caleredhair