Empire of Shadows

For the capitalists of the Federation, once they find themselves in an anti-monopoly and unfair competition investigation, it becomes a very

For the capitalists of the Federation, once they find themselves in an anti-monopoly and unfair competition investigation, it becomes a very, very troublesome matter.

First, you will understand that you are not really a monopoly, and the investigators also understand this.

But they must investigate whether you have monopolistic behavior or unfair competition behavior, and only after obtaining this evidence can they say to the public—

After our investigation, this enterprise does not have monopolistic or unfair competition behavior.

It sounds pretty good. After a judicial investigation, the law finally gives a just result.

But many enterprises are still unwilling to accept it, because this anti-monopoly investigation is actually very dangerous. Although it may not necessarily find that a company has monopolistic behavior, it is very likely to find that there are other commercial illegal behaviors.

In the Federation, no enterprise dares to say that its ass is clean. They all have a load of shit.

When you put on your pants and spray a thick layer of perfume, no one can fucking smell it. Even if they do, those who can get close to them can’t tell if it’s someone else who stinks or if they themselves stink.

But, an anti-monopoly investigation is like forcing people to take off their pants. It’s clear at a glance whether there’s shit on your ass.And then what happens?

Everyone else starts pointing at your ass and saying that the stench they smelled a few days ago came from you. Another person says that the shit next to his desk came from you. You can’t explain it, and you are eventually submerged, killed, dismembered, and become food to fill their stomachs.

So even for financial magnates and consortiums, they will be greatly weakened after an anti-monopoly investigation, let alone the many dock management companies.

The local prosecutor and the dock management company clearly have interests intertwined. After the state attorney general found him and gave him some instructions in his room, he immediately made a call to the executive director of the dock management company.

Listening to the unsettling content on the phone, the executive director hung up and convened an emergency temporary board meeting to discuss the matter.

They had to come up with a counter-strategy before the big shots decided to retaliate for their offense.

Whether to surrender or to fight, they had to choose one.

This is the beauty of power, and also why every politician strives to become a senator or president.

Because of one of your ideas, one of your thoughts, even one of your glances…

The fate of a large group of people below will be changed. The pleasure brought by this change will give them a feeling of “I am God.”

Federation people don’t like to discuss company matters in their private time, but that also depends on what the matter is.

They had their business, and Lance had his own.

The arcade, the headquarters chosen by the Wolf Gang after arriving in Golden Port. It was located in the very center of the Port District, a good location.

Transportation was convenient, there were many commercial streets, and the night market was also nearby. It was very lively, day or night.

When Lance pushed open the door of the arcade, the glass panels of the pinball machines were already covered with a layer of dust.

The same was true for the pool tables. The felt had become dull, no longer vibrant.

The darts fallen on the floor and the various sundries scattered around showed that the last group of people to leave were in a great panic. They had paid no attention to the environment here. Lance casually righted a wine glass on the pool table.

The liquor inside was gone, but the residue on the felt made him guess that the table had drunk the liquor.

“Clean it up. We can’t have our guests talking to us in such an environment,” Lance shook his head. It was too dirty.

But this was normal. The Wolf Gang actually had a few people left, twenty or thirty, or thirty or forty. But as the news of the deaths of the Professor and Wolf spread, they took what they could and ran.

Wolf was the Wolf King. The Wolf King was dead, and no one was willing to come out and become the new Wolf King to lead them to revenge or to grow the pack. So the remaining wolves would flee this place.

Just like now.

He came to the innermost office on the second floor, pushed open the door. The hinges needed oiling; there was a creaking sound.

You might not hear it during the day. At night, when it’s quiet, you can hear it, but it’s also a bit scary.

At least Lance didn’t like this sound very much. It wasn’t that he was afraid of anything, just that he didn’t like it.

Just like you’re not afraid of shit, but it doesn’t mean you have to be with shit. He didn’t like this sound, so he wouldn’t listen to it.

He came to the chair at the far end. He originally wanted to sit down and feel if Wolf’s chair was as comfortable as Heller’s (the leader of the Camille Gang), but looking at the dust on it, he decided against it.

Elvin found a number of people to come and clean. It took more than twenty minutes to clean the place up.

Lance also got his wish and sat in Wolf’s chair.

A truck came from outside, delivering a large round table, as well as many utensils, and even high-backed chairs for dining.

“Mr. Lance, this is the wine you selected…”

The restaurant manager stood by Lance’s side with a smile on his face, his feet together, presenting the dinner wine for tonight to Lance.

“Fine Cognac brandy. We have also prepared some champagne, whiskey, and red wine. If any guests don’t like brandy, there are also alternatives.”

“I have inquired before, but I am not sure if there will be any ladies, so I also brought two bottles of red wine. If you don’t use them, I will take them back. This part will not be included in the bill.”

Lance took the bottle and glanced at the label, nodding. Cognac brandy from the Laria region. They hadn’t tried to fool him.

It wasn’t that Yalan’s brandy was bad, it was just that too many cheap brandies were passed off as high-quality, so people were now generally skeptical of Yalan’s brandy.

Especially after drinking a shoddy one once, they would become distinctly distrustful.

The eastern grape-producing region of Laria also produced high-quality grapes, and many rich people had their own wineries there. Now, for more upscale banquets that required brandy, they all used brandy from the Laria region.

Lance returned the bottle to the other party. “No problem.” He paused. “How has that old stubborn fool Anderson been recently?”

A different kind of smile appeared on the manager’s face. He was the manager of Anderson’s Restaurant, the very same Anderson’s Restaurant that had been blasted with shit and farts.

He handed the wine to the person beside him. “Thanks to your concern, our business has been pretty good lately!”

After paying back the money, Anderson trusted the manager even more. The manager took out a loan himself and became a shareholder in the restaurant. Now, on the surface, he was still the lobby manager.

But in reality, he was already a partner in the restaurant.

This kind of “large-scale catering” was also launched at his request. They would provide tables, chairs, tablecloths, utensils… everything, including the things needed for cooking.

Then the chefs would help the client prepare a sumptuous dinner at a specified time. This was indeed very convenient for some people who did not want to dine in public places.

The rich people in the Bay Area often called them. They didn’t need to bring these things when they went to the Bay Area, just the ingredients and the chefs.

A “catered” meal like this would cost about five hundred to a thousand dollars. If you added wine and particularly expensive ingredients, as well as the corresponding service fee, Lance would ultimately need to pay about two thousand.

It seemed like a lot, but for the rich, it was nothing.

And because of this special service, Anderson’s Restaurant’s business was getting better and better. They were planning to open a branch in the Bay Area.

Lance laughed out loud after hearing this. “If he knew I was thinking of him, he would definitely be angry enough to be hospitalized.”

“Sometimes I’m actually very grateful to Anderson. If he wasn’t so difficult to deal with, some things might have been different.”

He paused. “Thank you for coming. Let’s get started now. At the latest, we will begin at seven-thirty.”

The manager nodded and took the initiative to leave to supervise the chefs to work seriously.

Originally, Lance was planning to dine at the restaurant, but thinking that if there was going to be bloodshed, it wouldn’t be easy for the restaurant owner to do business, he decided to set it at this location.

Tonight, he had invited the leaders of the remaining small gang forces in the Port District to talk about the upcoming problems.

Whether to continue the war, or something else, there had to be a result.

Pretending every day that nothing had happened was not an option.

Soon, the smell of cooking food filled the arcade. The smell drifted in from outside, making many people feel hungry.

But unfortunately, they might not be able to eat this meal tonight.

Just after seven o’clock, a convoy of cars appeared outside the arcade. A number of people got out of the three cars. Among them, a young man wearing a somewhat exaggerated short-sleeved shirt glanced at the people at the door and walked inside.

Lance was lamenting that Wolf didn’t know how to enjoy himself, that his chair was hard and uncomfortable, when one of his men came in to report, “The Blood Sharks are here.”

The Blood Sharks were a small gang in the Port District, with about thirty-odd members in total, ruling over one street.

They were also the kind of group that gradually evolved from banding together to defend against outsiders to exploiting their own. At first, they were just five or six people together to avoid being bullied.

Then other young people on the street began to join them, thinking it was cool, or that they could not only not be bullied but also bully others.

So this small gang grew larger and larger.

Once there were more people, they had to consider how to support them. Collecting protection fees, extortion, blackmail, became their means of livelihood.

Perhaps they didn’t demand as much as the previous people, but at least they did demand. As for when they would completely lose their conscience, it depended on how far they could go.

Their symbol was a blood-red great white shark leaping out of the water, also known as the “Blood Shark Gang.”

Lance stood up, pushing on the armrests. “Throw this broken chair away later and get a comfortable one.”

He patted the pants that were sticking to his butt and walked towards the door. It was stuffy and uncomfortable, it deserved to be thrown away.

Just as he came out of the room, he saw the leader of the Blood Shark Gang, a young man named Kerry, in the first-floor lobby.

He was about the same age as Lance, probably a little older, with a defiant expression.

The two of them, one above and one below, looked at each other from a distance for a moment. A smile appeared on Lance’s face. “Kerry?”

He walked down the stairs. The “who-the-fuck-do-you-think-you-are” expression on Kerry’s face subsided a lot.

It seemed that the Professor and Wolf had taught him how to behave.

Lance bumped fists with him. “You’ve come at a good time. Before dinner starts, we can have a little something to tide us over.”

He gestured for Kerry to walk with him. The two came to the courtyard behind the arcade, where the chefs were cooking dinner.

These chefs were all Anderson’s signed apprentices, which was also the manager’s request.

Anderson would teach them real cooking techniques, but they had to serve Anderson’s restaurant for ten years.

During these ten years, the restaurant would not withhold their wages. They would get rest when they should, and raises when they should. Besides not being able to leave the restaurant to work at another restaurant at will, there were almost no other restrictions.

In this day and age, learning a trade is very difficult. At first, Anderson was unwilling. He felt that after using these people for free for a few years, he would only teach them a little bit of technique.

But the manager told him that times had changed, and he also convinced Anderson.

After that incident with Lance, Anderson trusted the manager very much.

Lance took Kerry to the side of the barbecue grill. He gestured for the chef to prepare two pieces of barbecue first.

These ingredients were all spares, and there were quite a few of them, just in case the guests were not full, or if new guests suddenly joined.

This kind of hospitality was mostly for parties or gatherings. It was quite normal for a few friends who hadn’t been mentioned beforehand to show up suddenly.

The chef skillfully manipulated the long-handled knife and fork on the grill, cutting open a piece of meat. The slightly discolored meat had meat juices and blood slowly seeping out, dripping onto the charcoal fire, crackling and looking very tempting.

Two minutes later, Lance handed the plate in his hand to Kerry, and then came to the edge of the courtyard with him.

“Try it, their barbecue tastes good.”

Kerry didn’t really have an appetite, but Lance was very enthusiastic. He could only pick up a fork, spear a piece, and take a bite.

It was indeed delicious. To be honest, the movement of his chewing the meat also became a little more natural.

Lance made some small talk with him. Kerry couldn’t hold back any longer. “Lance, what do you plan to do with us?”

Lance put the plate on a nearby table. He turned to look at Kerry. “Didn’t you see?”

“I’m about to treat you all to dinner. This meal will cost me one or two thousand.”

Kerry was not Lance. He didn’t have such deep city-smarts, nor could he hold back. “I’m talking about the territory issue. Are you going to kick us out?”

Lance smiled and soothed his emotions. “It’s not that exaggerated. I personally prefer that everyone makes money together.”

Kerry’s eyes darted around. “I don’t quite understand.”

“Bars, smuggled liquor, or other profitable businesses. I don’t exclude making money with you, Kerry.”

“What I exclude is making money by disrupting order. I don’t know how to say it…”

He frowned. “It’s like you kill the chicken because you want to eat the eggs, and you take out the eggs from its belly to eat. You shouldn’t do that.”

“If you do that, you can only eat once. The chicken is dead, and there’s no follow-up.”

“We should raise the chicken, let it lay an egg for us every day, so we can eat for a long time.”

“Environment, order, rules!”

Kerry’s eyebrows shot up as he listened. “Just tell me what to do. I don’t understand any of this.”

If he could understand, he wouldn’t have become the leader of a neighborhood gang.

“It’s simple!” Lance gave him a cigarette. “Disband the gang, and then do your business. I will guarantee your safety.”

Kerry immediately said after hearing this, “That’s impossible!”

“If I disband the gang, how can I ensure our safety?” He looked at Lance, making no concessions.

Lance retorted, “If you don’t disband the gang, can you ensure your safety?”

He held the cigarette at an angle in his mouth, and passed the lit but not yet extinguished match over. Kerry lit his cigarette with the long matchstick in his hand.

At the same time, Lance’s question also made him fall into thought.

Lance gently placed his hand on his shoulder. “Think about it. How do you compare to Wolf and those people?”

“They are dead, and we are still alive, with the status and posture of victors.”

“Holding a knife is not safe, Kerry. It will make me think that you want to stab me with the knife in your hand.”

“I might overreact and make some wrong reactions. Maybe you didn’t mean to do that, but the result is unacceptable to both of us.”

“But if you put down the knife, I won’t feel danger, and there won’t be any terrible misunderstandings.”

“You can continue to run your bar or other businesses with your friends. I will protect your safety. If there’s a problem, I’ll handle it. What a good condition is that?”

“I really can’t think of any reason to refuse.”

Lance looked at him. Although this guy acted very defiant, the fact that he was the first to come showed that he was actually inclined to compromise in his heart.

When Lance brought up the demise of the Wolf Gang, he could feel Kerry’s shoulders relax a little.

“Think about it carefully. We still have time!”

Lance patted his shoulder. Elvin was walking towards them. “Excuse me for a moment.”

He left here and walked towards Elvin.

“Two more have arrived.” Lance glanced at his watch. It was already past seven-ten.

“How many families did we invite in total?” Lance had a lot on his mind recently and couldn’t remember clearly.

Maybe it was also because in his view, this was indeed not a very important matter, so he didn’t take it to heart.

“Seven families. Only three have arrived now, but there are still more than ten minutes left.”

Lance nodded slightly. “I’ll go and greet them first.”

Actually, Elvin had always said that he would do these things, but Lance refused.

You are holding a weapon, and others are also holding weapons. If you can’t show sincerity, why would others put down their weapons first, and even allow you not to put down yours?

So sincerity is very important. This time, Lance’s treat was full of sincerity. He hoped everyone could feel his sincerity.

To achieve peace and unity in the Port District without resorting to force.

But this was just a hope. Maybe they would have other ideas.

Lance returned to the lobby and saw the two new gang leaders. He immediately showed a smile. “How are you?”

“My friends!”

(End of chapter)

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