Empire of Shadows

”Sir, breakfast is ready.”

The plump cook placed all the food on the table. At her reminder, Lance smiled and put the newspaper in his hand to one side.

In fact, from his point of view, this plump cook’s cooking skills were definitely there, but it wasn’t necessarily that she had any outstanding experience.

Because sometimes, using good ingredients to make food doesn’t require any complicated cooking techniques. For example, some top-quality hams don’t even need to be cooked.

You just need to cut a thin slice, and it’s delicious mixed with anything.

After many years of aging, the unique aroma of the fat, mixed with the complex aroma that has penetrated into the muscle texture during the curing process, forms a very high-quality and unique flavor!

There is definitely a reason why top-quality ham sells at a high price, and whether it’s good or not, you can tell with one bite.

Ingredients like this can be delicious without any cooking, so how can this cook, who has always been serving the nobility and using top-quality ingredients, not be able to make delicious food?

If the things she makes are not delicious, there is only one possibility—the ingredients are not fresh.

Lance remembered a story he had read before, about a pig’s trotter that could be sold at a sky-high price.Many people were very curious about how a pig’s trotter could be made so delicious. In the end, it was only when the boss was retiring that he had revealed the secret.

He had used tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of supplementary materials to make a pig’s trotter. Let alone a pig’s trotter, even a shoe insole would not be unpalatable.

The secret of cooking is probably here.

Being willing to spend money.

The arrival of the plump cook had indeed also brought some changes. The ingredients in the villa had become more expensive.

In the past, Lance had thought that the bacon of a few dollars a pound was actually not bad, but now it had been replaced by a dozen or so dollars, and the taste was of course even better.

He did not expose the plump cook’s secret of ”making delicious food.” This guy’s son had died, and his son’s wife had run away, leaving only her two grandchildren.

In order not to continue to endure the terrible environment in the Empire, she had run out.

Lance would give her a salary of one hundred dollars a month, which was enough for her and her two grandchildren to live a good life.

At this time, the plump cook was standing by the dining table, a little uneasy. ”Mr. Lance, is the breakfast to your liking?”

Lance smiled and nodded, his face full of a sun-like smile. ”Of course, it’s very delicious. Thank you for the breakfast.”

The plump cook’s face bloomed with joy. She nodded repeatedly. ”I won’t disturb your meal, sir.”

In her eyes, Lance was like an angel, who had saved her and her family who were in despair.

She subconsciously glanced at the newspaper on the table. On the front-page headline, a photo of a person lying on the ground with his face to the side, the ground wet with blood, and his eyeballs protruding, had made her heart pound.

She quickly lowered her head, turned and left. It was too scary!

This report was written to Lance’s liking. Someone had to stand up and tear apart the hypocritical disguise. If you don’t expose the real inside, and don’t sting the hearts of the ordinary people, they will continue to play dumb.

In fact, even now, they were still just bargaining chips.

Ms. Debbie had also seen this news in the morning, and she was a little sweaty.

It was normal to sweat in the summer, but she was in a cold sweat. She was very uneasy.

She knew this person, Auge, because this person was the one she had recommended to Lance, and who was then working on Lance’s side.

At that time, she had also told Lance that Auge was a very high-level master tailor locally, and that many garment factories were lining up, waiting for him to resign.

The fact that he had been able to join Lance’s garment factory was purely for her sake!

People, if they want to raise their own status, they don’t have to jump up. They just need to appropriately exaggerate the difficulty.

But now, looking at Auge’s appearance of not being able to rest in peace, Ms. Debbie just felt a fear from the bottom of her heart that was spreading uncontrollably, in her body!

She shivered and threw down the newspaper in her hand, but soon she picked it up again and began to read it seriously.

These matters were related to her. She had to figure out what on earth had happened.

After she had finished reading the newspaper, she had quickly gathered the striking and parading workers who had been instigated by the Labor Federation in the city and had gathered them together.

”You should have already seen the news in the newspaper,” Ms. Debbie’s tone was very heavy. It wasn’t that she was really sad and grieving for Auge’s death.

For her, Auge was also just a bargaining chip in her, in Lance’s, in some of the big shots’ hands.

She had the entry-level performance that an entry-level politician should have.

More than a hundred people had come to this gathering. The number of this group of them was constantly growing. Although the Labor Federation had helped them to sue the refugees who had attacked them, and the refugees were also willing to compensate, they had no money.

Everyone had said that they were willing to actively compensate, and to actively admit their mistakes and repent, but if you wanted money, they had none.

And they were refugees, with no property that could be executed. In other words, they had won the lawsuit, but they had lost their lives.

Everyone was very dejected. Today, seeing such news, some people’s emotions had collapsed.

”This is not his fault!” Standing in the middle of the crowd, Debbie waved the newspaper in her hand, making a rustling sound, which was a bit harsh. ”What did he do wrong?”

”No, he didn’t do anything wrong. He followed the request of the Labor Federation, to go on strike, to take to the streets, to parade, to demonstrate.”

”I know Auge. He was a good father, a good husband. He had no arrogance, was serious and responsible in his work attitude, and was full of care for his family.”

”He was a good man, but now, he, because he had participated in the strike of the Labor Federation, his life has been permanently stopped at yesterday!”

”If you have to find a guilty person, then this person is the Labor Federation!”

The surrounding people all looked at her intently. In fact, as an intellectual, Ms. Debbie was very clear that the guilty person was sitting in one of the most luxurious offices in this city, and was, through the strings of numbers on the paper in front of him, examining his ”empire.”

But no one would associate it with this, because everything had, at the step where the refugees had pleaded guilty and were willing to compensate, completely stopped.

Carl was nowhere to be found. The case was over. They didn’t even have a chance to appeal.

They have fucking pleaded guilty. It’s not like they haven’t. The judge has also completely leaned towards their side in announcing the result. What more do you want?

And it was precisely because of this that they were confused.

Why had they become the biggest victims?

At this time, Ms. Debbie’s words had made them find an outlet for their dissatisfaction with the current situation. A strong man stood up.

One of his arms was fixed in a splint and was hanging on his chest. He forcefully waved his fist. ”Yes, it’s all the Labor Federation’s fault!”

”They should be responsible for our injuries!”

Ms. Debbie liked to see this scene. This was like a war between the opposite sexes. It’s not enough for one person to be active. The other person also has to be active.

She nodded and looked at the strong man. ”You’re right. If it weren’t for their request, we wouldn’t have given up our jobs to go on a parade, and the subsequent things wouldn’t have happened.”

”As the organizers, when we can’t get enough compensation, they should stand up and bear all our losses, instead of hiding and continuing to use us to achieve their ugly goals!”

”We can’t remain silent!” Ms. Debbie’s height was not tall, and her build was not strong, but her words gave people a very powerful feeling.

More people stood up. Of course, there were also some who couldn’t stand up. They would raise their hands to show their support for this.

”What do you want to do?”

”We all support you!”

”Yes, let’s do it!”

Ms. Debbie pursed her lips and nodded. ”I have made an appointment with a reporter from the Federal Post. He will be interviewing us and has promised to give us a huge space in the Federal Post!”

”We just need to tell them everything we have encountered!”

She couldn’t get in touch with a reporter from the Federal Post. As the top political and current affairs newspaper in the Federation, some of the well-known reporters, just by saying ”I’m going to write about you in the newspaper,” could threaten some politicians and make them have to compromise.

The chairman of the board of this newspaper had once, in a not-so-serious tone, talked about their influence—

”The first thing Mr. President does in the morning when he gets up on the toilet is to have someone send in the Federal Post.”

It represented the attitude of the Presidential Palace, Congress, the Department of Defense, and other top institutions. People used it to understand some of the changes in the domestic top political circle, and also some of the foreign affairs, but not much.

In other words, as long as it could be published in the Federal Post, it meant that this news would enter the eyes of the president, the vice president, the secretary of state, and all the members of the Senate and the House of Representatives!

Although Ms. Debbie could not get in touch with a reporter of this level, Senator Cleveland could. So much so that he didn’t even have to come forward himself. Tom had helped Lance to solve this problem.

Congress was very interested in what he was doing, and this was the reason why Lance could gain a foothold in Congress. He would make people feel that they could not leave him.

In the ten or so years that the Labor Federation had been messing around, there had never been a single person who could, like Lance, so quickly find its vital point, and to give it a heavy blow!

The better Lance performed, the higher his value.

The higher his value, the more the gentlemen would be inseparable from him.

And the more inseparable they were from him, his value would continue to increase.

Until one day, he could even stand on both ends of a balance with the gentlemen, and weigh them!

Ms. Debbie, as the ”initiator,” knew very well that this was a huge opportunity, a huge opportunity for her own life’s value to be raised!

In fact, the others didn’t know much about the Federal Post, but they were also very happy, because a reporter from a major newspaper was going to interview them. Maybe after the news was broadcast, it would change their situation.

At a little after ten, a reporter from the Federal Post had appeared at their meeting place. A total of two people had come.

One reporter, and one intern reporter.

After a simple pleasantry and a sign, the reporter sat on the sofa. He was holding a notebook in his hand and looked at Ms. Debbie. ”So where do we start?”

Ms. Debbie thought for a moment. ”Let’s start from when they contacted me to push for the strike, but I was against it...”

The reporter was a little surprised as he looked up at Ms. Debbie. ”I hear you are the director of the textile office of the Likalai State branch of the Labor Federation. Why, as a middle-level cadre, would you oppose the orders of the Labor Federation?”

A look of righteousness filled Ms. Debbie’s face as if it were beginning to glow. ”Because the working people, the working class, are not a tool for some people to fight for power and profit!”

Her voice was sonorous and powerful. Although the reporter knew that this was... a script, he still applauded Ms. Debbie’s wonderful performance.

The interview went very smoothly. These workers, who had been injured to the point of being on the verge of bankruptcy, or were already bankrupt, had a lot of resentment. Now they could finally vent it out.

As the most important low-level supporters of the Labor Federation, their performance was not as people had recognized, full of recognition and gratitude for the Labor Federation, but on the contrary, full of resentment.

After the interview was over, the two reporters took the initiative to say their goodbyes, and had refused Ms. Debbie’s invitation to have lunch with them, because they still had to go to Lance’s side.

In Mr. Anderson’s restaurant in the Bay Area, Lance had received these two people.

It was very important to have your own people in a media that could make a voice like the Federal Post, so Lance was willing to be friends with these two reporters.

The reporter was also willing to get to know Lance, because this relationship could be connected to Senator Cleveland.

From the senator’s point of view, he might just be someone who was casually recommended by someone. The next time he wanted to get in touch with someone of the senator’s level, there would be no chance.

So he was even more eager to seize this opportunity. He knew very well what a senator represented, and was not like an ordinary federal person who thought ”politicians are all elected by us.” That was too absurd!

Even in the face of a gangster boss like Lance, he still behaved very decently.

”Is the interview over?” Lance asked, before the meal.

The reporter nodded. ”Ms. Debbie and her friends were very well prepared, and their emotions were very full. We finished the interview in a short time.”

”I have a premonition that this piece of news will be able to stir up a huge wave in the country!”

Lance was very satisfied. He leaned forward slightly and said in a slightly stronger tone, ”The cattle and horses on a farm are injured, and the farmer knows to find a veterinarian to help them to treat their injuries.”

”And these people, they are injured, but the people who are raising them as cattle and horses are thinking of pushing the responsibility to others.”

”Not to mention, they are people, not cattle and horses. They should enjoy the protection of the law, and the law should not be partial to anyone.”

”I believe in the justice of the law, and I also feel sorry for the experience of these people. I will hire a legal team to help them to sue the Labor Federation.”

”If you are interested, you can make a long-term topic, because this matter will drag on for a long time.”

He leaned back at this point. ”The number of people who have been injured in the country because of the strikes and demonstrations initiated by the Labor Federation is not just one or two.”

”If justice falls on a small group of people, that’s not justice!”

The reporter was filled with respect. This Mr. Lance was going to fight against the Labor Federation to the end!

Although he was a little strange why a gang would go against the Labor Federation, he also knew that this was not his business.

He immediately stated that he was very interested. ”I will apply with the chief editor. There is a high probability that I will follow this case.”

In fact, he himself could not follow the whole process. He would only personally go down for the more important links. The rest of the time, he would leave it to the intern reporters under him.

Exploitation is not just something that capitalists will do.

As long as a person has a little bit of power in their hands, he will use this power to exploit others, no matter who it is.

The subsequent meal was very pleasant. This place was considered the ”main store” of Anderson’s Restaurant. Originally, the main store was not here, but because of Lance’s mess, he had no choice but to change to another place and reopen a main store.

As he was leaving, Lance handed over an envelope, which was very thick.

The reporter quickly declined, but was still stuffed into his pocket by Lance.

”I’ve been too busy during this period, and haven’t been able to properly entertain you. This is my apology!”

”The next time you come, I will definitely take you for a tour.”

This kind of polite talk was just to let the reporter accept the money with peace of mind. The reporter himself also knew this very well. He said a lot of words of thanks.

After all, he had also felt the envelope. It was really thick.

After they had returned to their hotel, he had opened the envelope that Lance had stuffed to him. Inside were twenty-five twenty-dollar bills.

He whistled, then pulled out two of them and handed them to the intern reporter. With a sigh, he said, “See? If you want to get rich, you don’t have to start a business or anything. As long as you’ve got enough resources in your hands, getting rich is just that simple!”

He paused for a moment. ”Alright, go and get the photos developed!”

”I also have to write a good article for this five hundred.”

He knew that this five hundred was just the money for their first meeting. After they were familiar with each other, maybe Lance would have a bigger job for him.

He could see that Lance was not the kind of person who could always remain quiet. He would definitely continue to cause some big trouble!

Speaking of this, there was also a very interesting thing that had happened.

The Golden Port Today manuscript had mentioned that Auge had been abusing painkillers and was addicted. In the daytime, the people from the pharmaceutical group had seen this report and had immediately found the Golden Port Today.

Although they had not written what painkillers Auge had used, this behavior had already harmed the interests of the pharmaceutical group.

They had demanded that whether it was a reprint or not, these segments had to be removed. Otherwise, they would sue the newspaper office.

In fact, the pharmaceutical group had always known that their painkillers had a strong dependency, whether it was the pills, or the... super special injections.

But in the entire country, in the entire world, before they were opposed, they would not stop. On the contrary, they would remove all obstacles and continue to sell the medicine like crazy.

The ordinary pills are all in a small package of three or five, but only the painkillers are in a bottle of fifty, a bottle of a hundred.

Of course, this was just a small interlude. The reporter from the Post clearly understood this. When he was writing the ”Auge incident,” he did not even mention the problem of drug addiction.

They had encountered more of these kinds of problems, and had long had a mature experience.

The two of them were full of energy. Besides the money given by Lance, to create a big news story was also what they longed for.