Empire of Shadows

In the interrogation room, everyone else had left, leaving only the Deputy Chief.

The two of them lit up cigarettes. The Deputy Chief’s expression was terrible. “We’re just letting him go like that?”

Hunter was silent for a moment, his tone filled with helplessness. “The mayor is protecting him.”

That one sentence was enough for the Deputy Chief to understand why Lance could leave. If the mayor was protecting him, then no one in this city could stand against him.

Or rather, unless some of the politically influential figures from the Bay Area stood up to confront the mayor, they simply couldn’t hold Lance.

Politics isn’t a street brawl where you punch me, and I punch you back.

The game of politics is incredibly complex. Even if the gentlemen of the Bay Area decided to step in again, they would first make all sorts of preparations before making a move.

Hunter glanced at the Deputy Chief. “What did Lance mean when he said ‘that night’ as he was leaving?”

The Deputy Chief was extremely uneasy. He didn’t know what to say. After a while, he said, “That night, the Camille Gang gave us a heads-up.”

Hunter immediately recalled “that night.” Heller, through his connections in the Bay Area, had contacted Charlie, saying he wanted to wipe out the Lance Family in one go and that there might be an intense firefight.In truth, this was no big deal for Charlie. Back in the day, when the Five Families fought, they didn’t have the habit of calling to give notice first.

But later, they established a series of rules to maintain their authority. This was equivalent to “I am applying for your permission for the ‘I’m going to kill you’ operation.” It was a means of protecting their own interests.

Heller was a timid person. Because of his immigrant status, even as a gangster in Golden Port, he didn’t have a very high standing, so his actions were understandable.

The Lance Family was disrupting the stability of the Empire District, which was very unfriendly to the ruling class.

The purpose of gangs in this society was to help the rulers manage the lower classes and criminals in a way that was beneficial to their administration, not for the gangs to create trouble.

Both the mayor and Charlie had agreed. To ensure the battle wouldn’t affect ordinary people and to resolve this small problem once and for all, Charlie had even arranged for men to be at the scene to “maintain order.”

At that time, when Lance knew their escape was hopeless, he had intended to let the two girls leave first, but they were refused.

And the person who had refused them was him.

Hearing this, Hunter didn’t know what to say. He could only offer some comfort. “Lance is in a world of trouble right now. He won’t make a move on you casually.”

“I’ll find a way to transfer you somewhere else first. You can come back after Lance is dealt with!”

The Deputy Chief was depressed. He asked with no confidence, “Can we win?”

Hunter’s hand, holding the cigarette, paused by his mouth for two seconds. Then he took a deep drag and nodded forcefully. “We can win!”

As they spoke, Lance was already walking out of the police station. When the station’s iron gate was pulled open, a chorus of “Boss!” could be heard from outside, loud enough to be heard inside the station.

Some officers couldn’t help but look over, their hearts filled with both resentment for the Lance Family’s blockade of the police station and fear of them.

Lance nodded slightly and turned to look at Roben the lawyer. “Thank you for tonight.”

Roben snapped out of his daze and immediately smiled. “It’s all part of my job. I should be thanking you, Mr. Lance, for giving me this opportunity to work.”

He paused for a moment. “I don’t think you need me now, but at any time, Mr. Lance, whenever you are facing the police or in a law enforcement agency, you must not say anything. You must wait for me to arrive!”

Lance nodded in agreement. “I will. I won’t say a word until you get here.” He had someone bring a manila envelope from the trunk. Inside was 2,000, which he handed to Roben. “For your trouble.”

The moment Roben got his hands on it, he had a rough idea of the amount. A wide grin spread across his face. “No trouble, no trouble at all. I won’t disturb you any further. Call me anytime if you need anything!”

With that, he got into a nearby car and quickly drove away.

Lance got into his own car. “Get me some information on that Deputy Chief. He looks like the one who blocked us from leaving the Triangle District that night.”

“If it’s him…” Lance looked at Elvin without finishing the sentence, but Elvin understood his meaning.

He nodded. “I understand.”

“Have the Kodak Family’s men entered our territory?” This question was for Bolton.

Bolton nodded. “They’re on our side, looking for those cars.”

The five modified cars had very distinct features. If they could find these cars, not only could they get a handle on Lance, but they might also recover some of the lost money.

A look of disdain flashed across Lance’s face. He looked around. “Where’s Hiram?”

“Here, here!” Hiram’s voice came from the entrance of the police station. The crowd parted, and a car adjusted its direction, shining its headlights on Hiram.

He had pulled down his pants and was squatting at the entrance of the police station. Now he was bent over, his other hand clearly wiping his rear.

Lance could even see the turd between his legs.

“Fuck!”

Lance cursed and then couldn’t help but laugh. “You always manage to show me something new!”

He paused. “Clean up the little mice that have snuck in.”

Hiram, still wiping his butt, readily agreed. “Okay, I’ll get right on it. Just wait for my good news!”

Lance nodded slightly. Everything that needed to be said and ordered had been done. He rolled up the car window, and the cars and people at the police station entrance quickly dispersed.

After returning to the villa, Lance called the mayor. He started with a single “Thank you.”

“How could you tell it was me?” the mayor asked. “Maybe someone else also put pressure on Hunter. For example, Williams. I hear you two have been getting close lately.”

Lance didn’t deny it. “Councilman Williams would certainly inquire about this matter, but whether he could get me released so quickly is not a certainty.”

In the current political landscape of Golden Port, Councilman Williams was still part of the “Bay Area” faction; they were a single entity.

Until Councilman Williams truly reached that top position, he would not excessively offend the Bay Area.

In fact, both he and the gentlemen of the Bay Area knew very well that some things would change after he took power, but for now, they were on the same side, and it was not certain that things wouldn’t change in a new way.

After hearing this, the mayor’s understanding of Lance deepened. “What do you plan to do next?”

Lance said with a laugh, “What else can I do?”

“Fucking crush them!”

Listening to Lance’s words, the mayor had a strange, surreal feeling. If he hadn’t been so considerate back then, would he have lost at the last moment?

But no one could say for sure what had already passed. He could only let out a soft sigh. “I hope you succeed.”

They were originally enemies, but now, for some inexplicable reason, their interests were somewhat aligned.

“I will.”

That night, intense gunfire erupted in several parts of the Empire District, but no one called the police. They were used to it.

The next morning, apart from a few spots where some overlooked bloodstains remained, everything was basically cleaned up.

Even these overlooked stains were now being vigorously scrubbed by someone with a brush and caustic soda.

These people were not necessarily from the Lance Family; they could be residents of the surrounding area. They did this not out of fear or because they were threatened, but simply because they didn’t want the Lance Family to get into trouble.

There was no better gang than them. In this world, they could hardly even be called a gang.

Bandy didn’t get to sleep until almost dawn, and even then, he only slept for three or four hours before waking up.

He simply couldn’t sleep.

And he wasn’t the only one. Gorry, Stone, and Fleming were also sleepless. The enemy they were facing now was not like the small families they could crush at will in the past.

They had grabbed a nail, and the nail had pierced their finger, leaving them with a hand full of blood.

“None of the teams sent into the Empire District last night came back.”

In the dining room, Gorry, also looking haggard, said, “I knew it. We can’t just let these small gangs expand wildly. Their strength is already enough to threaten us.”

Bandy, who had been a little hungry, now had no appetite at all.

Having lost so much money and now so many men, and with no idea what was coming next, his head was throbbing.

Before he could nurse his headache for long, the phone rang. He glanced at it, walked to a corner, and answered. “This is Bandy.”

“I hear you’ve run into some trouble?”

The voice on the other end of the line was familiar. Even if he didn’t introduce himself, Bandy knew who it was.

A broker from the state capital. As part of the local interest-peddling machine, he connected the Kodak Family with some of the state’s politicians.

Bandy also understood why he was calling. It wasn’t to ask if he needed help, but to ask if these events would affect the normal flow of profits.

This annoyed Bandy. “It’s just a small problem. It won’t affect our cooperation.”

The guy on the other end of the line sounded much more relaxed. “Is there anything I can help with?”

This was obviously bullshit. He might be able to connect two politicians who didn’t know each other, and he could help capitalists who were willing to pay to achieve their ideals with politicians. He could even help push or cancel proposals in the state legislature.

But he had no way to directly interfere in the internal affairs of a single region.

“No need. I can handle it!” Bandy said with a bit more force.

The guy on the other end laughed twice. “Alright, it seems you really don’t need it. If you need anything and I happen to be able to help, remember to give me a call!”

(End of Chapter)