Empire of Shadows

Mr. Richard had just returned to his office when one of his trusted subordinates came over, tilted his head slightly, and even shielded his mouth with his hand as he said in a low voice, ”The two truckloads of goods we sent to the east are missing.”

This sentence made Mr. Richard stop in his tracks. He turned to look at his trusted man, his expression already somewhat serious. ”Is it... someone playing black-eat-black, or is it a problem with the driver?”

His subordinate pursed his lips, looking very serious. ”It’s not clear yet. The client’s side has been constantly asking where our truck has gone. We’ll have to wait a few more days to know if it’s a problem on the client’s side.”

Mr. Richard closed the door and then walked back to his desk and sat down. ”How much is this batch of goods worth?”

”The market price is about 1.2 million.”

”1.2 million... Is there any response from their side?” Mr. Richard was asking about the gang that had ordered this batch of wine.

The Lance Family had been pouring the wine they produced into society in a big way, making a lot of money. The Gold Label Distillery’s side was naturally unable to hold back.

They also had a franchise to produce legally. They could store it legally, but they couldn’t transport it.

Because these wines were nominally military supplies, it was impossible for them to be circulated on the market, and the packaging was also different.

Production and storage were not a problem, but as long as it was circulated, it was illegal.However, the laws of the Federation have always been a game of money. As long as the money is spent in the right place, whether it is illegal or not has never been a problem.

The Gold Label Distillery was envious of the profits on Lance’s side, and they also began to secretly sell liquor to the public.

They lacked channels in this aspect. They did not know so many gangs, so they also had an intermediary link.

To put it simply, they were actually selling the wine to an intermediary, and then the intermediary would resell it to the gangs. But the intermediary himself was not responsible for storage and transportation, which was directly handled by them.

It might seem that adding an extra link was meaningless, but it also avoided some legal risks. All three parties had gotten what they wanted.

In the world of capital, as long as the profit is large enough, the capitalists dare to trample on all the laws in the world, so the laws of the Federation can no longer stop these greedy capitalists.

It wasn’t just the Gold Label Distillery. Many distilleries were secretly selling wine to the outside. The profit from the defense orders was still too low compared to these.

Gold Label Whiskey had a wide market and a high degree of recognition in the south of the Federation, so there was no worry about selling it.

The cooperation with the gangs had also been very smooth. The brand value, plus the appropriate selling price, and the ability to replenish the goods at any time had ensured the interests of both sides.

All along, everyone’s cooperation had been quite pleasant. To suddenly lose a truckload of goods was indeed a bit of a headache.

Mr. Richard picked up the phone and dialed the intermediary’s number. ”We’ve lost two trucks.”

The intermediary, who had also made a large sum of money from the continuous supply of goods, was also very attentive to this Mr. Richard. ”If you hadn’t called me, I was planning to call you.”

”This batch of goods may have been swallowed.”

Mr. Richard couldn’t help but say a word that a character like him would not easily come into contact with. ”Black-eat-black?”

This sentence made the intermediary unable to help but laugh. ”Why would you think that?”

”It shouldn’t be!”

”I know these clients. A stable supply channel has always been what they desire. And the public’s recognition of Gold Label Whiskey is very high. They wouldn’t smash their own business.”

”I still need to follow up. I’ll give you any news as soon as I have it.”

The intermediary’s side had hung up the phone. Mr. Richard’s face became even uglier. He put down the phone and cursed a couple of times.

In front of his trusted man, he didn’t need to hide too much. Everyone knew each other’s roots.

As for why he was cursing, the reason was also very simple.

The intermediary was also making money from this, and quite a lot, at least over 5%.

He had provided the channels, and had also allowed the company to not have to directly contact the gangs, which could also be considered a ”firewall.” So for the intermediary’s side to seek a little benefit for himself, the board of directors had not investigated too deeply.

But everyone knew very well that this was only for the present. The Gold Label Distillery was not yet familiar with the gangster industry.

After they became familiar with it, they would kick this intermediary to the curb.

It just seemed that this time was very likely to be greatly advanced.

He took out a cigarette and lit it, took a drag. ”We can’t just leave this matter to them. This is too passive for us.”

He glanced at his trusted subordinate. ”Do you know any gangs or the like, the kind with a very good relationship, that can be controlled by us?”

”Even if the scale is a little smaller, it’s fine. With our current size, it’s not a problem to support a gang to grow stronger.”

His trusted subordinate nodded and said, ”I will inquire.”

The tax revenue of the Gold Label Distillery was enough to make the local government make appropriate concessions on some issues. It was just supporting a gang. If you were to put it another way, and say it was a security company, no one could find fault with it.

After they had finished talking about this matter, Mr. Richard changed the subject. After all, there was nothing to discuss too much about this topic, and it was also a bit inappropriate to keep talking about it.

He talked about business matters. ”Our sales have dropped a lot this month. Have you investigated what the situation is?”

The trusted subordinate’s expression became much more serious. ”I have investigated. Maybe you know about this.”

He paused for a moment. ”Golden Lion Wine.”

After hearing this name, Mr. Richard was stunned for a moment, and then he couldn’t help but curse a few more times. Ever since he had been fiercely targeted by Lance at the industry committee, his temper had become very bad.

As long as his temper flared up, the elegant Mr. Richard would become the irritable and cursing Mr. Richard. Some people even suspected that he would ”evolve” to the point of hitting people at will.

As soon as he heard this name, his head ached. ”Their wine has also begun to be sold on our side?”

The trusted subordinate briefly introduced what had happened on the New Birmingham side. ”Now many gangs are getting their wine from the New Birmingham side and have become their loyal customers.”

”I hear that every day, many trucks enter New Birmingham, and then leave after being filled with liquor.”

After listening, Mr. Richard couldn’t help but say, ”That dog shit Lance!”

”Shit!”

He slammed the table in a huff. ”Is their wine cheaper than ours?” This was the reason he could think of.

A price war is the first step in the competition between capitals. To complete a market monopoly by burning money, and then to raise the price, and to earn back the lost profits with interest.

This set of game rules has been used for an unknown number of years, so his first thought was that Lance’s wine was very cheap.

But his subordinate shook his head. ”It’s not cheaper than ours. It can only be said that it’s about the same. For example, their Silver Label and Gold Label are a little more expensive than ours.”

”Only the Copper Label is cheaper than ours.”

Mr. Richard had a look of incomprehension on his face. ”Then why?”

His trusted subordinate was actually not very clear either, and could only answer uncertainly, ”I hear it has something to do with the gubernatorial election.”

The conflict between Mayor Wade and the lieutenant governor had already been put on the table. From a certain point of view, they had completely torn their faces, and the conflict had intensified.

The consequence of the intensified conflict was that neither side had a way out. Either they would fight it out face to face with real knives and real guns, or they would find a way to directly withdraw.

But both sides were political figures with a certain degree of achievement. If they were to shrink back at this time, then basically their lives would have no more direct relationship with the political world.

In the future, they might not even be able to be a broker. Who would like a person who shrinks back in the face of difficulties?

What if someone needs them to solve a problem that is a bit troublesome, and they directly choose to quit? Not only will it waste money, but it will also waste time, leading to the failure of the matter.

On the contrary, the price of losing a competition is a little smaller. To do one’s best, and to lose to someone else, is very normal.

The politicians who have failed in the presidential election will not become worthless because of their failure. On the contrary, because they ”almost” defeated their opponent to become president, they will gain greater political influence.

So now, whether it was the lieutenant governor or Mayor Wade, they were all trying their best to strengthen themselves.

Mayor Wade, with the help of Lance’s power, the simplest thing he had done was to ”promise” and ”distribute money.” He had promised the mayors on his side that after he came to power, he would quickly revitalize the economy of Indeno State and ensure everyone’s core interests.

If the economy is good, and the income of the public becomes higher, then the approval rate for the current ruler will rise. This is also the basic foundation of the politicians, which can allow them to go further in the political arena.

At the same time, in terms of personal income, he had, through the method of ”franchisees” distributing money, tied these mayors with tangible benefits.

As long as the smuggled liquor sold in their cities came from the Golden Lion Distillery, from Lance, then Lance would share the account with them.

For a relatively small city, like New Birmingham, for the mayor to be able to make some money was already very happy. As long as it was not pitifully little, he could accept it.

For the mayors of the larger cities, the monthly sales of smuggled liquor itself was an astonishing number!

No one could refuse this money. This was regarded by Mayor Wade as a kind of welfare for them to follow him.

Although the welfare was good, there were also conditions to get it!

This condition was the profit from the sales of Golden Lion Wine in the city.

How much of Lance’s wine had flowed into their cities, there were records on this side. Among the profits generated, there was a part of theirs.

The more Golden Lion Wine sold in their cities, the more money they would get.

The other way around was also the same. If there were no sales of Golden Lion Wine in their cities, they would not get a single cent!

Since these people had already decided to walk with Mayor Wade, then they would not be hesitant about this kind of benefit.

Many of the police in the cooperating cities were sending a message to the gangs—the mayor doesn’t like Gold Label wine, the mayor likes Golden Lion wine!

If you sell Gold Label wine, the police will all check on you.

If you sell Golden Lion wine, the police will all help you!

What to sell, do you still need someone to teach you?