Empire of Shadows

The emergency plan, to put it bluntly, is a choice of how to deal with an unexpected event when it occurs.

When Tom stated this idea, Senator Cleveland’s first thought was that the mediation might not be successful.

He frowned slightly. Although he had listened very carefully to Tom’s retelling of those things, there were still some things he might have missed.

After all, this was just a small matter for him. It shouldn’t be so troublesome.

Seeing the look of confusion on Senator Cleveland’s face, Tom stated his own idea.

“Mayor Williams and the local tycoons have already formed an absolute opposition. Their goal is to make the other party disappear from this world.”

“From their actions these past few days, there is a high probability that mediation will not work.”

“If it doesn’t work, will the situation worsen further?”

Tom said very tactfully, “Animals will flee when they sense danger. If they can’t escape, they will fight back desperately.”

“Humans are more advanced than animals. Whether it’s their thoughts or their actions, they are much more complex and difficult to guess than animals.”“We can’t rule out a good development, but we also can’t ignore the possible result of developing in a bad direction.”

Senator Cleveland nodded. He took out a cigarette and lit it himself. “Not bad. Your reminder is very reasonable!”

He took two puffs of his cigarette and thought for a moment. “Has Admiral Miles been in contact with Lance?”

Tom nodded. “They have been in contact, and they should be getting along quite well.”

A smile appeared on Senator Cleveland’s face. “With him over there, we can ensure that there will be no major problems.”

After he finished speaking, he picked up his pen again. “I still have a lot of work to do. You handle these things.”

Tom understood his idea and then said, “I see,” and left the office.

Admiral Miles and Lance were on the same side, which was roughly equivalent to being on the same side as Mayor Williams. If it was really irreconcilable and one side had to die, Senator Cleveland was not a saint. He certainly hoped that Lance, who could provide him with value, interests, and a good relationship, could stay.

But this was just in case, the final solution. Maybe Lance and the others didn’t need to use such cruel means?

The office door closed again. Senator Cleveland, who was about to re-immerse himself in his work, suddenly seemed to have remembered something. He looked at the closed door and frowned.

But he quickly shook his head and returned to his work.

Lance put down the phone and came to the dining room. Patricia had already gotten up while he was on the phone and was making breakfast.

The breakfast might not be so sumptuous, nor so full of color, aroma, and taste, but at least it was edible.

Today’s breakfast was milk with banana slices and whole-wheat rings, as well as Lance’s favorite bacon and fried eggs.

He was quite fond of the specially flavored smoked bacon, and with a bowl of “soup,” it could be considered a sumptuous meal.

Lance walked behind Patricia and hugged her waist. The girl’s delicate and smooth skin was irresistible.

The room had a central heating system. It might be a few or a dozen degrees below zero outside, but the temperature in the room was above 25 degrees.

The two of them, wearing bathrobes and barefoot, did not feel cold.

The heat radiating from the floor and walls made the temperature in the house just right at this time.

“Don’t touch me!” The girl dodged, but she couldn’t get away. She turned around and glared at Lance with an angry look, but it wasn’t fierce at all. On the contrary, it aroused Lance’s desire to win.

She was picked up by Lance and placed directly on the dining table amidst her cries of surprise. “I still have to go to work!”

Her cry for help did not stop Lance, but only made him faster!

After watching Patricia enter the Bureau of Commercial Services, Lance made a turn and, not long after, arrived at City Hall.

Two groups of people had already gathered outside City Hall.

One group was the refugees. They were holding up signs like “Refugees are also human” and “Refugees also have the right to survive,” demanding that Mayor Williams not expel them.

To be fair, although the cost of living in Golden Port City was relatively high, and it was not so easy for them to survive, this was a big city after all!

In fact, if they were willing to go to remote cities with less pressure of life, they might not be like now, with no guarantee of life at all.

But this was precisely the most complex side of human beings.

They would rather starve to death in a big city than go to a remote rural village and live a life where they could support themselves by farming.

They didn’t want to leave this city. They still wanted to find opportunities in this city, to develop, and even to become a part of it in the end.

The people of the Federation are very “free” and don’t really understand the life of these refugees from Slad in their hometown. Many of them have never left the countryside, never left the town, in their entire lives. They don’t even have the most basic qualifications to go and live in a big city.

To be able to come and live in a place like Golden Port City, some of them have already used the most simple method to prove how much they want to stay—

Husbands let their wives sell their bodies, parents let their daughters sell their bodies, and young girls take the initiative to sell their bodies.

As long as they could stay, they were willing to give everything.

And those refugees who had more or less considered these problems might have already started a new life in some places.

Opposite them was another group. They were also holding up signs like “This place does not belong to the refugees,” “Let the traitors stay away from us,” “Go back to your country,” and standing there.

These people were typical old Federation citizens in their thinking. This was the Federation of the people of the Federation. They were full of hatred and disgust for the refugees who were destroying the city’s ecological environment.

They were more willing than anyone else to expel these refugees.

The two groups were constantly cursing at each other. Similar situations had occurred in many places in the city, but it has to be said that the choice of the Bay Area was not a smart choice in essence.

After all, these refugees were all outsiders, but at the same time, this was also the most suitable choice for them.

If they chose to use the locals to fight with the Williams family, to fight with Lance, there was a high probability that those people would turn around and give them a blow.

The Williams family had left too many marks on this land. People could not avoid such a family, a group of people.

Only the refugee group, these outsiders who were eager to settle down, they would not care about the inheritance and the relationship of the rulers here. Whoever could let them live here, live a stable life, and obtain the corresponding rights, they would rely on.

Lance entered City Hall from the side. It could be seen that the atmosphere in City Hall was also a little tense. Some people might not understand what was happening, but there were also some people who had already felt that Mayor Williams’s regime was being challenged.

He went directly to the outside of the mayor’s office. The mayor’s secretary immediately called and informed some of Mayor Williams, and then took the initiative to open the door of the mayor’s office for Lance.

After the door was opened, Mayor Williams was already walking towards the main door. After Lance had taken off his hat and coat, he shook hands with him. This was an attitude of equal treatment.

They returned to sit on both sides of the desk. Mayor Williams first sighed, and then said, “From last night until now, many people have called me.”

“Some I’ve only heard of by name, and I don’t even know them!”

“Do you know what they said to me?”

Although Lance had his guesses, he still pretended that he didn’t know anything. “What did they say?”

“They said they would fully support me in expelling the refugees from the city. As long as I agree and start to do so, they will speak out.”

Mayor Williams said while shaking his head, “There are mayors of other cities, municipal councilmen, state legislators, and also some socialites, celebrities, and the like.”

“This is the first time I have received so many ‘friendly’ phone calls in such a short period of time, as if I were about to light the flame of human civilization!”

As he spoke, he laughed a few times. “The call of a mission!”

Lance couldn’t help but laugh as well. “They’re treating you like a fool.”

Mayor Williams shook his head. “No, they’ve seen my predicament. No one is really considering for me. They just hope that I will set an example.”

“I feel fear, Lance.”

He couldn’t help but pick up the cigarette case on the table and lit a cigarette for himself. “So many people call you at eleven or twelve o’clock at night, and the meaning between the lines is to let you die!”

Once he really did that, his days would definitely be very difficult. A mayor could not bear the responsibility of damaging the relations between the two countries in a war. It would be about right for a governor.

He was just a small mayor. His ability to withstand political pressure was limited to the state.

Once Congress decided to make a move on him, and the state government couldn’t protect him, the Williams family would not only not leave a mark on this city, but would on the contrary become a joke in its development history!

An ant trying to stop a fast-moving chariot!

So those people were supporting him on the surface, encouraging him, but at the core, they were letting him crash head-on into a tungsten steel city wall at a faster speed, to smash himself to pieces.

“So I’ve brought some good news!” Lance didn’t keep him in suspense anymore. Mayor Williams raised his eyebrows, signaling him to continue.

“Tom called me this morning…” Many people were called by this name. Not only were there many people with this name, but there were also cats and dogs and the like.

It was normal for him not to remember it for a moment. Lance reminded him, “Senator Cleveland’s aide, Tom.”

“Oh, it’s him. I remember him, a young man. What about him?”

“He called me and talked about this matter. Congress has already started to pay attention to this matter, and soon they will send someone to mediate.”

“Mediate?” Mayor Williams was also not optimistic about this result. After all, he was one of the parties involved!

“We have already completely fallen out. Either they are finished, or I am finished. At a time like this, mediation is meaningless!”

He took a puff of his cigarette. “But our goal has also been achieved. When are they coming?”

The “goal” he was talking about was to use extreme conservatism, with the slogan of expelling refugees, as a political bargaining chip in exchange, to at least keep his current position.

Politics is simple. It’s you give me what I want, I give you what you want, and then everyone shakes hands.

But politics is also very complex, because behind every matter, there will be more than one driving force.

When ordinary people go to the toilet, it may really just be that they want to go to the toilet. But in politics, when a politician goes to the toilet, it may not just be as simple as wanting to go to the toilet, but for other purposes.

As for how it would develop later, no one knew now.

Lance actually didn’t really know how long this would take either, and could only answer with a vague word, “Soon!”

While Lance and the others were discussing the current situation in the city, Mr. Charles and the others had also gathered to discuss some of the current changes.

“This is Mr. Hope Wright, a gentleman from Slad, who has considerable prestige among the refugee community.”

“Some of you may be meeting for the first time. Let me introduce you first. Our contact will be closer in the future.”

Hope, who was already wearing a suit worth thousands, shook hands with the gentlemen who were introducing themselves one by one without any stage fright, and exchanged business cards.

This was what he had dreamed of getting: wealth, status, and the respect of the rich!

For many years in the past, he had been engaged in the matter of expanding his own influence. But on the Slad side, the class solidification was even more serious than on the Federation’s side, and he had no chance of getting ahead.

So he had chosen to take a risk and come to the Federation. Now, his dream was already beckoning to him. He had already begun to touch his dream!

At this moment, his body felt light, and his entire soul was joyful, so the smile, attitude, and emotions he showed were also full.

But even so, the gentlemen here still looked down on this person a little in their hearts, just like looking at a dog.

They and Mayor Williams had completely split over some issues this time, but they still agreed with some of Mayor Williams’s sharp comments on these refugees at the press conference.

If a war broke out on the Federation’s homeland, there was a high probability that they would also run, but before the fact of them running away happened, they would still stand on the moral high ground and despise these people.

But despise is despise, and looking down is looking down. Cooperation is still needed. Now he was needed.

After they had gotten to know each other, Mr. Charles had everyone sit down. Hope sat in a position relatively far back.

Mr. Charles took out a cigarette. Someone immediately lit it for him. He crossed his legs and leaned back on the single sofa, his toes swaying slightly, giving people a feeling of being arrogant.

With a puff of smoke, he opened his mouth and said, “The plan is going very successfully. The only small flaw is that the group from the Holy Bell Party has lost Arthur.”

“Otherwise, we would soon be able to win this game with an absolute advantage!”

Arthur was originally of great use to him. He was going to use Arthur’s life to threaten Mayor Williams, to have him admit his mistake, and then resign in disgrace.

This actually had two possibilities. It was possible that Mayor Williams would do as he was told and announce his resignation in disgrace. Then this story would be over for now.

It was just a “paragraph.” They would wait. After the turmoil had ended for a period of time, they would deal with Mayor Williams and his family, and find an excuse.

To say that they had failed and moved to another place together. As for where they had moved, no one knew. This reason was very reasonable, and the public would accept it.

The entire city would be under the control of the Bay Area again, and everything would be as before.

The other possibility was that Mayor Williams would not announce his resignation in disgrace. Then Mr. Charles would have the people of the Holy Bell Party kill Arthur, and then expose this matter!

Of course, he would not expose that he had asked Mayor Williams to do so, but because he had not done so, that was why Arthur had died.

He would tell the public that Mayor Williams was greedy for power. Even when faced with the life-and-death choice of his most beloved younger son, he had resolutely refused to hand over the power in his hands.

This pot of dirty water would be poured on him, giving him a double blow both physically and psychologically. At his age, he might not be able to withstand such a thing.

Then they would use the matter of the refugees to continue to target him frantically, and even find a way to threaten James’s safety.

One Arthur had died, and he could still hold on. What if another James died?

He would definitely not be able to hold on.

Mr. Charles already had a whole set of plans and methods to execute these, but Arthur had been lost.

Fortunately, losing Arthur would make things a little more troublesome than planned, but only a little.

The dissatisfaction he showed towards the Holy Bell Party at this time was also the thought of many people in their hearts.

Hope, sitting at the end, thought that perhaps he could use those refugees to form a large-scale gang in Likalai State.

Slad also had gangs, but their scale was not so large, unlike here in the Federation.

He had browsed a lot of content related to gangs these few days. Gangs could even participate in the game of top-level politics—assassinating the president.

This made him feel that this was also a path.

Now that Mr. Charles was talking about these things, and Lance and Mayor Williams were on the same side, after Mayor Williams was dealt with, Lance would definitely also have to be driven away.

At that time, the vacuum left behind would become the stage where he could display his talents.

Mr. Charles did not know that this guy he looked down on in his heart had thought so much. He was still talking about some of his ideas.

“From the current situation, Williams is already very passive. Although many citizens are supporting him now, I hear that last night the Slad ambassador had a late-night meeting with the Secretary of State to discuss this matter.”

“It seems that Congress is also investigating this matter and is starting to intervene.”

“It’s just that at this point, it’s still lacking a little bit of heat. We need them to be more extreme and violent. It’s best if more bloodshed and casualties occur, so that the conflict can be completely intensified and irreconcilable!”

“Only in this way can we make the higher-ups completely lose hope in Mayor Williams, and we will have a chance to completely overthrow him in one go!”

His gaze quickly fell on Hope. “Mr. Hope, for the work that comes next, you are the key!”

(End of a Chapter)