Empire of Shadows

Mr. Walter had seen many people.

As the rotating vice president of the Labor Federation, he always had to come into contact with people from all walks of life, so he had seen many people.

Great capitalists, the kind whose net worth had exceeded a billion twenty years ago!

Politicians who could even be called statesmen—the first leader of the Socialist Party, the chairman of the committee, the founder of the Socialist Party.

He had also seen the leaders of the major gangs, the leaders of one of the five major families of the Federation.

He had seen the best opera emperor and opera queen in the Federation, he had seen the most popular magician in the Federation, he had seen the most amazing animal tamer in the Federation, he had seen...

He had seen many people, but no one, could give him the feeling of a low-key arrogance like Lance.

These two words, when placed alone, have no problem, but when combined, they are a bit uncoordinated, a bit in conflict with each other.

It’s like a word like ”a thick, thin slice,” which is a conflict, but Lance had just given him this feeling.

He was holding a newspaper. In the newspaper, Lance was wearing his very iconic soft felt hat, with some prints on the red silk hatband.His face was not looking in the direction of the camera, but at the exit of the courtroom, with a smile on his face.

Carl was following closely behind him, also with a smile on his face.

Around them were all their people. Looking at the same armband on their left arm, for some reason, it gave people a feeling of their scalp tingling slightly.

They had lost the lawsuit, but their smiles were arrogant. He seemed to be, in this way, to tell Mr. Walter that this was his kingdom, or was he fiercely mocking him!

Mr. Walter threw the newspaper back onto the desk. He glanced at the legal representative. ”What can we do to intervene in the investigation of Carl?”

The legal representative shook his head slightly. ”We have no right to interfere with the prosecutor’s work, and I have heard a piece of news from a friend.”

”Terry, the Attorney General of the Likalai State Prosecutor’s Office, has a very good relationship with Lance. The Secretary of State also has a good relationship with Lance.”

Mr. Walter’s hand was tapping the desk rhythmically, back and forth, like he was playing the piano, with a regular and fluctuating tapping on the desk, but without making a sound.

”So you mean we can’t do anything about Carl?”

The legal representative nodded. ”If the Attorney General’s side can’t stand on our side, at least he can’t remain neutral in this matter, then for us, there is no question of a way or no way.”

The legal representative spread his hands. They could not show us the progress of the investigation, and they could also delay this time indefinitely. As long as they were not afraid of public opinion criticism, they could completely do nothing, and not allow us to do anything.

In the current federal system, in the area of law enforcement investigation, the prosecutor has a higher level of authority.

As long as they take over a case, it is very difficult for other law enforcement departments to continue to investigate, unless this matter is related to national security, and only then is it possible for the Department of Defense to take over.

But... a fucking refugee gangster boss and national security simply can’t be linked together, and Mr. Walter also didn’t know anyone in the Department of Defense, let alone let the people from the Department of Defense do this for him.

He sat there and thought for a moment. ”Is it possible to realize the matter we mentioned last time?”

The legal representative did not hesitate much. ”We can try to do it, but I can’t guarantee whether it can be done.”

The matter they were talking about was to forge a case related to Carl in another state, to have the local prosecutor apply for Carl’s arrest, and then to secretly arrest Carl here.

As long as the Likalai State prosecutor has not yet gone through the process of imprisoning Carl, then the prosecutors of other states, as long as they have caught Carl, can give priority to completing the trial of their case.

To put it simply, it is kidnapping!

This is definitely illegal. Whether it is forging documents, or kidnapping Carl, these are not in line with the legal provisions of the Federation.

But sometimes, in the face of some cases, if you don’t use some under-the-table tricks, there is simply no possibility of moving forward, just like now!

If they don’t make a move on Carl, then this case will never be able to be pushed forward.

Now the Labor Federation also had different views on this matter. Some people thought that there was no need to have a direct confrontation with Lance, who represented the power of Congress.

At present, the most important work of the Labor Federation is to establish a workers’ party. Now the Federation’s economy is improving, and the income of the workers is rising, which means that they will have a higher degree of participation in the process of social operation!

This is of great help to the establishment of the workers’ party and to its influence.

But there were also some who believed that if they couldn’t handle the Lance Family and let them shake the foundation of the Labor Federation and the union, it would be tantamount to ”setting an example” for Congress, letting them know how to deal with the Labor Federation and the union.

Even if they established a workers’ party, they would also gradually lose those workers, and lose their influence.

The lack of unity between the two camps made the chairman very annoyed. Now there was no need to consider whether it was legal or not. First, solve Carl, and then consider whether to have peace talks, or to have a direct face-to-face confrontation!

Mr. Walter, having considered this, pursed his lips and nodded. ”We can do it. To wait any longer will only make the situation worse.”

The legal representative did not object. Anyway, he was just working for the union, for Mr. Walter. ”In terms of the cost...”

Mr. Walter asked, ”How much money is needed?”

The legal representative made a simple calculation. ”The cost of paying the state prosecutor’s office and the judicial department is about 800,000. In addition, there is another 200,000 as my personal fee, for a total of 1.05 million.”

Mr. Walter agreed with a smile. As a vice president, he still had this authority, and the chairman also knew about this.

It’s not that they don’t have money. In fact, they are also very rich. How can a political group as large as the Labor Federation, to the point of being distorted, not have money?

It’s just that their money and the money of the capitalists have become the same. They will not give it to the public, to the workers for no reason.

Mr. Walter’s agreement made a smile appear on the legal representative’s face. He was very happy to get this 200,000. Of course, he would also pay taxes. Nominally it was a consultation fee. In fact, he could get a little over 130,000, or a little over 140,000, after using some legal tax avoidance methods.

Interpersonal relationships have value and can also be sold, which is why these elites of the Federation are always managing their network of relationships to get more opportunities.

After the legal representative had left, the president of the Likalai State branch came to Mr. Walter’s office. He looked at Mr. Walter and did not speak immediately.

Mr. Walter was a little unnerved by his stare. He placed his hands flat on the table. ”If you came to my office just to see what I’m doing, you’ve done it now!”

He meant that if there was nothing else, he would leave immediately.

Only then did the president continue, that Debbie had been in contact with some of the people who had been injured in the parade these two days.

When he heard this, Mr. Walter immediately became vigilant. ”What does she want to do?”

He actually also knew very well that these injured demonstrators were a trouble, so at the first opportunity, he had arranged for public relations to handle these people.

Including helping them to lock down the ”perpetrator,” to strengthen the concept that ”any problem should be pursued against the perpetrator and not others,” to help them to communicate with the hospital, to help them to go to the bank to inquire about mortgage loans, and also to organize a legal team to help them to fight a lawsuit.

Doing these things, on the one hand, was to show the concern of the Labor Federation for these demonstrators, and at the same time, it was also to shirk a part of the responsibility.

Otherwise, if they didn’t care about anything, they would definitely find the Labor Federation. Now it was a very important period for the Labor Federation.

In fact, everyone, including Mr. Walter, knew very well that the simplest and most effective method was to first give these people a sum of money to pay for their losses and medical expenses, and then they would find a way to get back the losses.

But at the same time, everyone knew very well that this was impossible to do, or rather, they could not do it.

A strike is like the sharpest dagger in their hands, which can take away the most precious thing of others—life.

But at the same time, the dagger itself is not worth much. A dagger only costs a few cents.

If the dagger is broken, they will not consider going to find a sharpener, and to spend a price far exceeding that of the dagger to have the sharpener re-sharpen it.

They will only casually throw the dagger in the trash, and then change to another dagger.

They cannot let ”sharpening a dagger” become a traceable management, nor can they, for an worthless dagger, get themselves hurt.

So everyone knows what is the most correct way to do it, but everyone also knows that right and wrong have no meaning in some issues, because what is meaningful is the stance.

When he heard that Ms. Debbie, this former member of the Labor Federation, was in contact with the injured workers, he knew there was some trouble.

”What does she want to do?” Mr. Walter asked.

The local branch president pursed his lips. ”She may have some misunderstanding about our work!”

Mr. Walter shook his head and smiled. ”You go and have a talk with her, and make it clear to her that suspending her duties now has always been to protect her... in short, you find a reason yourself, and handle her!”

The president sighed. ”I see.”

Then he stood up and left.

After Mr. Walter and the others had left, he stood up and walked to the window, looking at the slightly gloomy sky outside, his gaze deep and grave.

The difficulty of handling the matters here was greater than he had imagined!

He had originally been a little confident, but the things he had experienced during this period, from the attitude of the locals, of the people of this state, it could be seen that they did not welcome him.

He had not not encountered the home-field advantage before, but he had never encountered such a great one. Those people were almost openly telling him that they were all on Lance’s side.

From the players to the referee to the commentator to the organizer of the match, so much so that even the stadium was the other party’s people. How could this match be played?

Just as Mr. Walter was thinking about how to continue to break the deadlock, Lance had already begun to make arrangements to leave Golden Port City.

He had contacted Senator Cleveland again. The senator had said that their target for a surprise attack on the Golden Port Docks was mainly placed on the two port docks, and also the military base.

Of course, it was not out of the question that they would, in a fit of private anger, fire some shells into the urban area. This probability existed. Before, the federal fleet had attacked two of the Dantra Republic’s ports, causing a large number of civilian casualties—

From the perspective of the federal people and the Slad people, such a shelling was just.

Because those young people, those adult male Dantra citizens, would most likely become soldiers on the battlefield in the end.

To help them solve the most annoying problem now was equivalent to, before they had become soldiers, to turn the bullets that would have originally been shot at them on the battlefield into shells, and to shoot them at this time.

The federal people had opened fire on the Dantra civilians. Lance certainly did not think that the Dantra’s navy would let go of this opportunity to open fire on the federal civilians!

In fact, to a certain extent, to kill each other’s civilians in a war is also a means used to seek victory. There is no question of right or wrong and morality.

War only talks about winning and losing, not about anything else.

The summer weather is just like this, it changes as it pleases.

One moment it might be a clear sky, and the next it would be covered with dark clouds. A military port of Dantra had suddenly begun to have a heavy rain. A drenched guy had rushed into a roadside coffee house.

He, while taking off his hat, and holding his clothes to prevent them from sticking to his body, had asked a waiter for a cup of coffee and a pastry.

He had chosen a seat by the window. Many of the people around knew him. He was a resident who had just moved here after the New Year. He claimed to be a painter, and he did indeed have a good painting ability.

He would sometimes set up his easel on the balcony on the third floor, to paint some of the nearby scenery, and sometimes he would be on the side of the road, painting for the passing pedestrians.

This was a very enthusiastic painter in his thirties, and some people also called him an artist.

It has to be said that his appearance was not bad, and he was also very humorous, and was very much liked by the girls on this street.

There would often be some girls around him, but so far, no one had really been able to get together with him. He always put more of his enthusiasm into his painting and his life.

He was like the ideal image of life that people had. Everyone liked him very much.

The waiter brought his coffee. ”Please enjoy, our great painter!”

Some of the customers who were sheltering from the rain all laughed out loud, but it was not the kind of mocking malice, but with a good intention.

Someone couldn’t help but ask loudly, ”When is the great painter going to hold his own art exhibition?”

This was perhaps one of the dreams of every painter, to hold his own art exhibition or even an art show!

The painter’s face was filled with a smile that was completely different from the dark clouds outside, like a brilliant sun. His eyes were Lance’s, deep and charming.

”Soon I will have saved enough money to rent an art gallery. Maybe it won’t be long!”

At this time, a female voice suddenly sounded. ”I can lend you the money!”

The people immediately burst into laughter. People liked the current plot, an enthusiastic and unrestrained girl, and a wandering artist full of artistic atmosphere and charming romance.

The painter laughed heartily. ”Thank you for your kindness, but I still want to earn this money with my own ability.”

His noble quality made people like him. Everyone chatted for a while more, and then the sound of the chat became smaller.

Because the thunderstorm outside had already arrived.

Raindrops the size of soybeans were hitting this world with a pitter-patter, as if they were going to shatter everything on the earth!

The painter looked at the blurry world, as if he were looking at a special oil painting.

It was fragmented, in small pieces.

Every drop of rain had shattered this world and hidden a fragment of it within its own heart. Thus, this naturally formed masterpiece of exquisite beauty came into being.

Every second of it was unique. Every change in color was full of a change that made people want to explore.

Just as he was in a daze, he suddenly noticed that there was a touch of gray, which was constantly moving in the distance of this special oil painting.

His pupils contracted slightly.

He was a painter, and also a secret agent. His job was to keep an eye on the military port of Dantra. Once there was any change in the fleet here, he had to notify the country.

He had graduated from the Federal Ellert Art Academy. Ellert was a person’s name, one of the greatest artists in the history of the Federation.

Although the Federation did not have much history, the artist was a real artist. Some of the oil paintings he had painted were now basically between a few tens of thousands and a hundred thousand.

A small portion with a special value and meaning had already reached a high price of several hundred thousand, not at all inferior to the works of famous artists from other continents from a few hundred years ago.

If there were no accidents, it was very likely that in his life, he would really just be a painter, an artist.

But some things had happened in between, which had forced him to embark on this path.

After he had received training, he had been sent to Dantra to lurk. The latest job that had been assigned to him was to keep an eye on the warships in the military port, to find out the daily departure and return changes of these warships.

How many warships had gone out, which ones they were, and how many had come back, which ones they were, how long was the interval, and the like.

It was very boring, but for him, this was precisely the job he liked the most.

He didn’t have to be nervous and think about what to infiltrate, what to steal, what to assassinate. He just had to choose a suitable position, and then set up his easel.

While painting, and observing the situation of the port, he could complete a whole day’s work.

This job was so peaceful that he had almost forgotten that he was a secret agent—of course, this was impossible, but the job was just too peaceful.

Until this moment.

”Oh no, I forgot to bring in my clothes!”

The painter stood up. The line of sight here was not good. He needed a better position. ”And I don’t think I’ve closed the balcony door.”

The others all laughed heartily. This is how it is on the seaside in summer. It rains as it pleases. What he had encountered, many people had also encountered.

The painter took out some money and placed it on the table, grabbed a pastry and ate it in two or three bites, and then picked up his coffee and drank it in one gulp. He said goodbye to everyone and rushed into the rain.

The people’s discussion about the painter also ended here.

After returning to the third floor, the painter took out a pair of binoculars and looked at the military port in the distant storm. A large number of warships, painted with the colors of the Dantra’s navy or some other country’s navy, were leaving the port in large numbers!