Empire of Shadows

In the morning, just as Ryder (the old tailor’s son-in-law, the garment factory’s manager) arrived at his office and had just hung up his hat and sat down, someone knocked on the door outside.

The garment factory’s business was good now.

On one hand, Lance’s side needed a large number of new work clothes. These work clothes would be given to the garment factory at a normal price, considered as an independent business.

If the Lance Family wanted to go further, they couldn’t have all their businesses be illegal. That wouldn’t get them far.

And as society began to stabilize, a wave of crackdowns on organized crime would gradually emerge. People’s attitudes towards gangs would also change from habit and acceptance to disgust and aversion.

This was a trend, an unchangeable trend, so setting up some legal industries in advance would make it more convenient to transition in the future.

Lance’s vision was very far-sighted, or rather, he had a very clear understanding of the future!

In a country like the Federation, only by mastering wealth, power, and great influence can one live comfortably.

A labor-intensive enterprise like a garment factory was a good project. Hundreds of people relied on it to live, and these people, in order not to lose this job, would inevitably protect the interests of the factory and Lance.

The capitalists had already proven the effectiveness of this plan, using wages, loan bills, and pension and medical problems to “kidnap” workers into accepting their exploitation and oppression.From the consumption habits of ordinary people in the Federation, this was actually the result of a huge and successful social experiment!

They had never considered this point—

Why would banks be so kind as to give them loans, even loans that didn’t require collateral?

Was it just because they thought they could pay back the money, so they gave them the loan?

No, in fact, credit loans themselves were a huge social experiment, its essence being the same as the Prohibition.

They used this method to make ordinary people start consuming in advance, letting them enjoy the fun of consumption and the satisfaction brought by material life.

At the same time, it also made them dare not easily lose their jobs, because they knew very well that once they lost their jobs, everything they were enjoying now would leave them!

Their newly bought cars, newly bought houses, newly bought furniture, newly bought clothes…

All the valuable things would no longer belong to them, so they could only work hard.

The ones who were most afraid of losing their jobs in the whole society were actually not the bottom class, but the middle class. They were the targeted group of the experiment.

But after this experiment was verified, it was no longer an experiment targeting the middle class. It targeted the whole society, all non-privileged classes, non-ruling class groups, the masses, the people.

As long as these people in the garment factory did not want their lives to become unstable, they had to take the initiative to protect the interests of the factory and Lance. They would even be more determined than Lance to defend everything here!

Under this circumstance, Ryder’s life was quite good. He was not the kind of person who could live very well in the family.

There are always some people who are suitable for fighting and killing, and some who are not. Ryder was this kind of person.

Lance didn’t hire him to make him exert a force he couldn’t exert, to help him get rid of someone. Lance just let him exert his own value in the field he was familiar with.

He was stunned for a moment. There were a few shadows flickering outside the frosted glass. He lifted the armrests of the chair with both hands and moved forward, getting ready, “Come in.”

Soon, a few workers wearing blue and gray plaid flat caps came in. Ryder knew them; they were a few of the skilled workers in the factory.

They had helped Ryder and this factory a lot when it was first established. Their experience had allowed those unskilled workers to make great progress and grow, so Ryder was actually quite good to them.

For lunch, he would give each of them about two to three pieces of beef, adding up to the size of a duck egg.

Besides the difference in diet, they could also rest for an extra thirty minutes every day, fifteen minutes more in the morning and fifteen minutes more in the afternoon.

And each person also had a ration of six cigarettes a day, for free, for them to relieve their fatigue.

In Ryder’s view, these people were very comfortable. They could rest for a while when they were tired, have a smoke, or chat with others. Work was no longer a burden for them.

So his attitude was very good, “Is something the matter?”

He even took the initiative to invite them to sit down, “You can sit on the chairs, or the sofa, either is fine.”

Among the few, there was a middle-aged man of about forty. He took off the flat cap on his head and held it in his hand. The hair that was lifted up by taking off the cap was a bit messy. While smoothing his hair with his hand, he said—

“Mr. Ryder, I’ve been out here for half a year.”

Ryder nodded. He lit a cigarette himself, and at the same time opened the cigarette case, signaling them to take one too.

But no one made a move. Everyone was looking at him.

This made Ryder already sense that something not so good was happening. His expression also became a little more serious, “What do you want to say?”

The man clasped the flat cap in both hands, rolling it into a tube. He looked somewhat embarrassed, “Mr. Ryder, I want to ask if we can get a raise?”

The basic salary of these skilled workers was $47.50. If other subsidies were added, they could get $52 a month.

This included transportation and meal subsidies, which added up to $4.50.

Ryder took a drag on his cigarette. He thought for a moment, “A raise… okay, I can give you $53.”

None of the several people said “thank you,” which meant they actually hadn’t accepted this price. Ryder’s brow furrowed a little harder, a crack squeezed out between his two eyebrows.

“How much do you want?”

“$55, Mr. Ryder.”

Ryder looked at him, his eyes carrying a look of inquiry, “There is no such price on the market right now.”

He had already started to integrate into the local area. Because he would also take on other orders when the factory was idle, making all kinds of clothes and related products, he still had some contact with his peers.

Now the common salary for skilled workers was $52 or $53. In some places, some people were still getting $50. Their current income was actually not low. It could be said that they were ahead of most people.

The person speaking showed some difficulty, “Let me be honest, Mr. Ryder. Someone offered $54 to poach us.”

“We’ve been here for a while, and we still have some feelings for you and the factory.”

“But…” he looked at the people around him, “we’ve spoken so plainly. Even if you give us $54, there will inevitably be a rift. So if you can’t offer $55, we plan to leave.”

“After all, everyone wants to earn more money. We also have to live.”

Ryder looked at him, looking straight into the other’s eyes. The worker only looked at him for a few seconds before uncomfortably looking away. He was feeling guilty.

The purpose of the Federation of Labor was to protect the interests of skilled workers, but it did not include requiring them to work for others at a low price.

At the same time, the reason why the Federation of Labor had power was because they could unite the vast majority of skilled workers.

To achieve this, the first thing was not to become the enemy of the working class, especially the skilled workers.

Even if Ryder told Lance now, and Lance told Ms. Debbie, it couldn’t change the current situation.

Ms. Debbie could at most find some skilled workers from other places who were willing to come and work. There was nothing she could do about these people choosing to leave.

Ryder took two puffs of his cigarette with a gloomy mood. Actually, raising the salary was simple, but if you raised the salary of the skilled workers, did the salary of the ordinary workers also have to be raised?

If their monthly salary increased by one or two dollars, all the expenses at the end of the month would increase by one or two hundred dollars.

Although Ryder knew that $100 or $200 was nothing in Lance’s eyes, this was not a matter of $100 or $200.

This was a confrontation between laborers and capitalists!

If he bowed his head now, he believed that before long, these people would propose the need for more salary, or more rest time, or more vacation time.

They would test the bottom line of the capitalists step by step, and then finally break through it!

Ryder had heard of many such things. For example, a certain capitalist was very dependent on a certain worker, and this worker would step by step change his role with the capitalist.

Although he was still a laborer, he would soon, through his own methods, change himself from a dominated person to a dominator, although he was still a laborer.

“Impossible!” After Ryder thought it through, he directly gave them a firm response.

The several skilled workers didn’t seem too disappointed. They seemed to have already made a judgment.

The person in the lead showed a regretful expression, “If that’s the case, Mr. Ryder, then we’ll have to leave after the 15th.”

The 15th was payday. Ryder had a bit of a headache, but in the end, he could only choose to agree.

This was their freedom; he couldn’t force them.

The few of them then left. Just as Ryder was considering how to tell Lance about this, someone knocked on the door again.

His heart inexplicably tightened, “Come in.”

A few ordinary workers walked in. They were a little hesitant and had even forgotten to take off their hats.

You pull me, I push you. In the end, a slightly older guy said, “Manager Ryder, we plan to quit after the 15th.”

Ryder already had a premonition, but he still asked, “Why?”

The man said with some embarrassment, “Our master is leaving here, and he hopes we can go with him.”

In the perception of the people of the Federation, there was actually no concept of “master,” but as a “skill transmitter,” a master, could also have a certain influence on them.

They were used to working with these transmitters, and also liked this atmosphere. And the other party said they could seamlessly provide a job with more salary. They had no reason to refuse.

Ryder asked with a headache, “Is it because of the salary?”

The man said shyly, “It’s not just because of the salary, Mr. Ryder.”

At this point, persuasion was actually useless. He could only approve.

In one morning, more than thirty people planned to leave here after the 15th. Now the entire factory had just over a hundred people. To suddenly lose a quarter of the workers, and also skilled workers.

This would definitely be a heavy blow to subsequent production!

He spent the whole morning dealing with these things, talking with the workers, hoping to keep some of them.

The newly recruited workers couldn’t finish the work as quickly as these workers. They would definitely need an adaptation period. During lunch, he stood upstairs looking at the workers gathered together eating, his mind considering how to deal with this “crisis.”

What he was actually thinking was, with so many people leaving at the same time, there must be someone behind the scenes causing trouble, otherwise it would be impossible for so many to leave at once.

He smoked several cigarettes in the morning.

After the factory had finished the summer equipment for the Lance Family, there were no other core production tasks, so he had taken on many other orders.

With international trade now prevalent, clothes, especially low-cost, cheap garments, not only had good sales performance domestically, but also had very good performance internationally.

Some third-rate local brands that no one had even heard of in the Federation would be transformed into “well-known Federation brands” when they went abroad, and many people would believe it.

Many foreigners, especially those in backward regions, were always very superstitious, as if as long as it was something produced in the Federation, it must be a good thing!

These orders were all signed contracts, requiring a guarantee of the qualification rate and the final completion date. If any one of these was exceeded, they would either have to make up for the qualified products or pay compensation.

The capitalists of the Federation would never only make money in one aspect. If you didn’t do a good job, they would not only take your goods but also ask you for more compensation.

Thinking about the subsequent few orders and business, Ryder vaguely understood that he had encountered a sniping from a peer.

He flicked the cigarette out of the manager’s office window, turned around, came to the desk, and dialed the firm’s number.

About twenty or thirty seconds later, the call was connected.

“Mr. Lance, it’s me, Ryder.”

“Our factory may have encountered some trouble. The situation is like this…”

He described the matter very objectively without personal emotion. Although it was without emotion, from his perspective, what he saw, even if neutral and objective, was still with some emotion.

“We have several more orders at the end of the month and next month. Although it’s still in time to recruit workers now, I’m always a little worried.”

“If this is non-compliant commercial competition, it’s possible that their actions won’t stop here!”

After he finished speaking, he waited for Lance’s response. This past half year had been the most comfortable life for him.

He had become a manager, managing a factory of more than a hundred people, and had a basic salary of over a hundred dollars a month, as well as some commission.

Lance had promised him that for the extra orders he took, he would be rewarded with five percent of the profit, which was why he was so motivated!

His family had been in the Federation for some time, and their lives had not improved at all. It was not until they met Lance that their lives began to get better.

He didn’t want to mess up anything Lance had assigned him, nor did he want his life to go back to the way it was before!

After about twenty or thirty seconds, Lance’s voice came from the receiver, “I know. Do you have any suspects?”

“I’m not very familiar with the industrial area. Do we have any competitors, on the same order, or any other possibilities?”

Ryder already had some guesses, but not many, “There are two garment factories. We competed for an order, and we got it.”

“They were very unfriendly. It might be related to them, but I can’t be completely sure.”

“Give me their names!” Lance said words that made Ryder breathe a sigh of relief.

He said the names of the two garment factories. Then Lance asked again, “How much can we earn from these orders?”

A smile appeared on Ryder’s face. After deducting all expenses, it was about $7,000.

“$7,000?”

Hearing this number, Lance was a little dazed. This was not even enough for his bar to earn in one night.

But he quickly realized that this money was clean, and at the same time, this was a legitimate business.

In more than a month, a factory of more than a hundred people brought him a profit of $7,000. Each worker earned him about $60. Perhaps this was what capital and capitalists pursued.

Ryder heard some “sensitivity” in Lance’s voice about this number. He was a little embarrassed, “If we continue to expand the factory scale, our income will be higher.”

He was a little expectant. After all, he also hoped that he could become that kind of super factory.

No need to take the initiative to fight for orders; orders would line up to be delivered to their door, and they wouldn’t make any excessive demands.

“Then let’s continue to expand. I believe in your judgment, Ryder. Since this is a profitable industry, then let it bring us more profit!”

“I will support you, whether it’s in terms of funds or other aspects.”

After ending the call, Lance wanted to find someone to handle this matter, but for a moment, it seemed that everyone had their own things to do. Just when he was not sure who to look for, he heard Alan’s laughter from outside.

He suddenly shouted, “Alan, come to my office!”

Before long, Alan pushed open the door and walked in, “Boss, you were looking for me?”

The first time he saw this young man was when Elvin was beaten. He had a good impression of this young man, “I remember you’ve been here for half a year?”

Alan vaguely realized something when he heard this. He became a little excited, “Yes, Boss, more than half a year!”

Lance nodded slightly, “I have been watching your performance in the family. You have done better than some others. I want to give you a chance.”

He handed over the piece of paper with the recorded content, “We have a garment factory in the industrial area, but now the manager suspects that someone is targeting us. Go and investigate clearly, find out if someone is targeting us.”

“If necessary, you can contact the manager.”

“Go find Mello, have him give you $500, and also weapons, and then you go pick a few people.”

Lance opened and took a cigar from the table, took a puff. He blew the smoke from his mouth at Alan, “If you do it well, you will be the captain!”