Empire of Shadows

The call between Charlie and Bandy didn’t last long before it ended. They both had their own important matters to attend to and no time for a lengthy chat.

Neither of them discussed the idea of asking the big shots for help, because they both knew it was impossible.

If their opponent were someone like the mayor, then they could call for aid, as it was indeed not something they could handle on their own.

Just like Councilman Williams, who brought in Senator Cleveland, and all of the mayor’s schemes were dismantled the moment the senator arrived.

But to deal with a “minor character” like Lance, it was better that he didn’t approach those big shots. Once he did, the big shots would have to consider whether it was time to get a new pair of gloves.

You can’t even handle a single gangster, and you dare to expect a senator or a state assemblyman to personally step in to deal with them?

That’s somewhat… ridiculous, isn’t it?

If your opponent was some big shot, a governor, or even the president, they might show some interest. But a gangster…

Bandy knew this, which was why he had never mentioned this matter to his superiors. Talking about it would bring no positive impact or effect, only further disgrace.

Only by defeating Lance with their own methods could they prove their worth.Bandy hung up the phone and sat in his chair.

In just a few days, the conflict with Lance had resulted in numerous casualties. A preliminary count showed at least thirty-odd men had died in the first round of gunfire when they stormed the bars, and another thirty to forty had been wounded.

It could be said that the losses were not light. It was only because their family’s businesses were so large that these casualties didn’t seem particularly heavy.

If it were a smaller faction, they would probably be considering how to protect themselves by now.

Although he had agreed to Charlie’s request, he still had a headache about the specific course of action.

He called Gorry over. “How many men can we mobilize right now?”

Gorry quickly calculated in his head. “Two hundred?”

He tentatively offered a number, but it seemed Bandy was not satisfied with it. He could only explain, “We have to maintain the security of several casinos. You know, it’s hard for us to be sure if he’ll attack our other casinos.”

“The casinos are now using double the security and double the gunmen.”

“If you want to mobilize more men, then we can only reduce the security force at the casinos, but I don’t recommend doing that. It’s very dangerous.”

Gorry frowned as he spoke and asked, “Why the sudden need to mobilize men again?”

“Aren’t Lance and his crew already trapped?”

With the Bureau of Hazardous Materials plus the police department, as long as any one of them talked, Lance would be in huge trouble!

In Gorry’s view, although they had suffered heavy casualties in the past few days, these sacrifices were worth it!

This one punch had a high chance of knocking Lance out!

Bandy’s expression was not so good, which made him realize that things might not be as smooth as he had imagined.

“Hunter is dead.”

“What?” Gorry sat up straight upon hearing this news, looking at least half a head taller. “The Hunter you’re talking about, is it the Hunter I’m thinking of?”

Bandy nodded. “Yes, the police chief, Hunter. He died, just this morning.”

“How did he die?” Gorry still found it hard to believe. “Did someone just walk into the police station with a gun, ask him ‘Are you Hunter?’ and then pull the trigger?”

He didn’t think anyone could actually do that, so his tone was filled with a sense of disbelief and absurdity.

Bandy told him the truth. Listening to the cause of Hunter’s death, Gorry was at a loss for how to express his feelings for a moment. In the end, it condensed into a single sentence—

“What kind of fucking idiot was he?”

With Hunter dead, their chances of winning had dropped to just fifty percent. He also understood why Bandy was asking about the number of men they could mobilize at this time.

“Charlie wants us to hold Lance’s attention for now. After he’s settled on a new chief, we’ll deal with Lance together. This time, we’ll strike directly and give them no chance to fight back.”

Gorry nodded. “It’s about time,” he paused. “When do you need the men?”

“As soon as possible!”

Mobilizing men for a gang was not a simple matter. If the number was small, it was fine. But if the number was relatively large, various aspects had to be considered.

Running a gang well is much harder than running a business!

The news of Hunter’s death still got out by the evening. After all, so many police officers had rushed to the scene, and “Hunter’s puzzle game” was still ongoing. It was said that several forensic interns had already been brought to tears.

Even the experienced city police department medical examiner, who had seen all kinds of corpses, couldn’t help but step away for a moment upon seeing a large bucket of minced meat.

That night, Charlie called a private meeting with the people he thought were suitable to discuss the details of replacing the chief and purging the police department from within.

As long as the moles in the police department were not cleared out, it would be difficult for them to achieve the greatest victory when dealing with Lance.

In fact, at this point, Charlie believed that the capture of so many of Lance’s men was a deliberate act, and the reason was to lure Hunter out and kill him!

That sinister and despicable Lance!

The discussion did yield some results. They drew up a list of nearly a hundred people, ranging from management to patrol officers on the street.

These were all people who were not trusted by them, suspected of having contact with Lance—”moles.”

Charlie glanced at the list. Nate was on it. As for how many people on this list were real moles and how many were wrongly accused, he no longer cared.

As long as he could achieve stable rule, that was enough.

The next morning at 9:30, he arrived outside City Hall early and requested to visit the mayor.

As a councilman from the Bay Area, Charlie now had no problem seeing the mayor. The secretary also welcomed him into the office with a smile.

The mayor looked at Charlie calmly, even though his hatred for this old man surpassed his hatred for the people of the Bay Area.

The people of the Bay Area could be called his opponents. It was like an unfair yet very fair boxing match. His side had a group of people, the other side had a group of people, and everyone was playing the game on the same stage.

As long as there was a contest, there would be winners and losers. It didn’t matter who won or lost; you had to accept it.

But Charlie wasn’t a person; he was a dog. When he threw a punch, it would bark at him, or bare its teeth and growl, or even bite him. Although the damage was not strong, the humiliation was immense!

Maintaining a calm expression was already a sign of his great self-restraint. If it were someone else, he might not have seen him at all.

“I heard… Hunter is dead?” the mayor spoke first. He knew what Charlie was here to talk about.

Charlie didn’t expect this news to be hidden from anyone. He nodded. “Yes, I’m here to talk about this matter.”

The mayor picked up his coffee and took a sip. “Who did it?”

Charlie almost blurted out the name “Lance,” but so far they had no evidence pointing to Lance, let alone sending him to court. He could only shake his head with a grim face. “It’s not clear yet, but I believe we will definitely find the evidence and bring this group to justice!”

The mayor laughed twice. “I hope you can really do that…” he paused. “So what is your purpose for coming this time?”

Getting to the main topic, Charlie placed several files he had brought with him on the table. The secretary picked them up, opened them, and then handed them to the mayor.

The mayor put on his reading glasses and looked at them for a while. They were all files of police officers.

“I regret that Chief Hunter fell in the line of duty, but now the work and tasks of the police force are very severe. We don’t have time to slowly select a suitable successor.”

“Your Honor, you know me. I have served the police force for nearly forty years. I know everything about it very well.”

“These few are very suitable to be successors. They are responsible, capable, and are all very good choices.”

“You can choose a successor from among them to continue to serve you and the public order of this city.”

The mayor put the files on the table and took off his reading glasses. “I see. I will screen them carefully.”

Charlie looked at the mayor, and the mayor looked back at him. The two stared at each other.

Charlie wanted to use this invisible pressure to force the mayor to make a choice immediately. The mayor’s gaze, unyielding yet not sharp, seemed to be telling him that the mayor would definitely stick to his position.

He licked his lips. “The gentlemen of the Bay Area called me early this morning. They are very worried about the police department losing its chief, worried whether the police department’s work can proceed normally, and also worried if criminals will take advantage of this special situation to commit crimes everywhere.”

The gentlemen of the Bay Area were like a card in Charlie’s hand, and this card had already beaten the mayor once.

The mayor’s eyes flickered slightly. “I have some things to do this morning. The appointment will arrive at the police station this afternoon.”

A smile appeared on Charlie’s face. He quickly stood up. “That would be best. Then I won’t disturb your work. Farewell, Mr. Mayor!”

He knew the mayor wouldn’t shake his hand, so he didn’t try to be snubbed. He took his hat, placed it on his chest, and bowed slightly, as a kind of formal thanks. Then he said, “No need to see me out,” pulled open the door himself, and left.

Watching the slowly closing door and the disappearing back of Charlie, the mayor’s face was not, as Charlie had guessed, covered in dark clouds.

Instead, he showed an expectant smile.

He might have been knocked down in the ring, but even if he was down, he was not a dog that could be ordered around!

He was looking forward to it, looking forward to the clash between Charlie and Lance!

(End of a Chapter)