Empire of Shadows

After going around in circles, this ”decisive role” ultimately fell back onto Lance.

At this moment, Diego also understood this point.

Lance was the one controlling everything from behind the scenes.

A federal gangster boss he had once looked down on.

The sales representative looked at President Diego’s constipated expression. He didn’t know if the president had thought of something, or if he just felt this was very difficult to achieve.

After all, it added up to seventy or eighty million Federal Sols. This was no small sum.

At the same time, the sales representative himself was a little curious. Was bootlegging really that profitable?

For him, the concept of ”making money” was that Lance could now take out tens of millions to lend to the Rapa government, but this wasn’t considered a huge fortune.

As a sales representative for an arms industry group, he knew very well that every military procurement plan by the federal government was in the hundreds of millions. An order of one or two hundred million, two or three hundred million, was no small sum!

Compared to the annual military procurement projects worth billions, Lance’s bootlegging business was still a bit lacking.However, compared to other businesses, this was already very profitable.

”I’ll leave this price list here, along with the quotation I calculated.” He left the form that calculated 200,000 sets of equipment and their matching ammunition. ”You can actually see if other companies can give you a more favorable quote.”

”We are a free market. Until you decide and pay all the final balances, you have the right to regret.”

”Then...” As the sales representative spoke, he had already packed up his other things. He looked at President Diego. ”I’ll go back and prepare first?”

President Diego nodded, stood up, and shook his hand. ”Sorry to have made you run an errand.”

The sales representative bowed slightly to show his respect for the president. ”No trouble, it is my honor to be of service to you.”

This sentence brought a trace of a smile to Diego’s face. He liked being flattered by federal people.

He suddenly had a decision.

After the civil war was over, if he won this civil war, then he would hire a few federal people to kiss his ass every day.

This feeling of a foreigner kissing his ass was much more comfortable than his own people doing it!

After seeing off the sales representative, Diego returned to his office. He picked up the phone, thought for a few seconds, and dialed Lance’s number.

The call was quickly connected. Lance had also been waiting for this call.

”Lance?”

”Yes, Mr. President.”

Diego frowned. The fact that Lance had recognized his identity in one go made him feel a little uncomfortable.

This discomfort was like those children who had once wanted to prove ”they are free,” but in the end, had returned to the track that their parents had guided, or even arranged, and were living a life that they had, in their youth, considered to be a life of despair.

He had this feeling now. No matter how he tried, no matter which direction he worked hard in, in the end, he would return to the original place and continue to move forward.

Rebellious, but unable to rebel. This feeling, besides making him feel desperate, also made him a little embarrassed and even ashamed.

After a good few seconds, he finally adjusted his emotions. ”I’ve seen that your investment in Rapa has increased a lot recently.”

He didn’t get straight to the point, but had adopted a roundabout method.

Lance did not deny it, because the construction sites that were constantly starting work had confirmed this.

Anyone, as long as they took a look at the place he had demarcated, could see that a large number of buildings were being demolished, and at the same time, some new buildings were also rising from the ground.

Factories, residential areas, he was building these.

Of course, the construction cost of these buildings was not high. The federal method of building with steel-structured prefabricated parts was still too advanced for this era.

Even a 200-story building could be built, let alone a three- or five-story, or six- or seven-story building.

When the civil war had broken out, the construction of many enterprises and investors had stopped. They were worried that what if Diego lost, and those anti-government armed forces had entered Zhuolan, and would not recognize the various agreements they had signed with the Diego regime. Then their investment would have been in vain.

At the same time, they were also afraid that the war would eventually reach Zhuolan. At that time, the newly built buildings might be destroyed in the war, so they had basically all stopped, except for Lance’s.

Even if these steel structures of Lance’s were damaged, they would still be worth the price of steel.

Diego also knew that Lance was still building all kinds of buildings, and investing in factories. He took a deep breath. ”It seems, Lance, that you are very optimistic about Rapa’s future.”

Lance said ”hmm.” ”Yes, Your Excellency President.”

”Rapa has a population of 12 million. Of course, that was in the past. After this civil war and this lasting, great famine, it’s hard to say how many people will be left.”

”But even if the population is small, there will always be seven or eight million.”

”A cheap labor market with a huge population. This place is more suitable than the Federation for building all kinds of labor-intensive enterprises, if you know what I’m talking about.”

Diego felt that he was being looked down upon by Lance again. Although he didn’t quite understand what this ”labor-intensive” meant, he still, with his neck stiff, said that he understood everything!

Listening to his insincere words, Lance smiled, and did not expose him.

”Mr. President, then what is your purpose in calling me this time?”

President Diego lit a cigarette. He took a deep drag, letting his whole person seem to be submerged in the smoke.

After a few seconds, he exhaled the smoke, which had already lost most of its floating particles, and looked much lighter. ”Since you are so optimistic about Rapa’s future, I have a business I want to talk to you about.”

”This is very interesting. Then what do you want to talk to me about?” Lance asked.

”I want to borrow a sum of money from you,” Diego said bluntly, without hiding anything. He had directly stated his purpose.

He knew that to beat around the bush was not his strong suit, at least not with Lance. It was better to be a little more direct, and just be frank.

Lance continued to ask, ”How much are you planning to borrow from me?”

Diego was a little embarrassed to say it. ”Ninety million.”

Lance chuckled. ”A funny joke. You have a humorous cell, Mr. President.”

Diego frowned, and his voice also got a little louder. ”I’m not joking with you, Lance!”

Lance’s tone carried something that he didn’t like. ”I thought you were joking with me!”

”Ninety million?”

”How did you come to think that I could lend you this money?”

Diego’s speaking speed had become a little faster now. Since he did not intend to beat around the bush with Lance, he had said it all in one go. ”The sales representative of the arms industry group told me that if I don’t have enough money, I can find you.”

After he had finished speaking, he did not speak anymore. The hand that was holding the receiver had, with a little more force, as if he wanted to crush the receiver!

His face was also turning slightly red. A president, to be borrowing money from a federal merchant. He felt that his face had been completely lost.

If he could go to the Federation and to communicate with the federal president, he would understand that in fact, for the federal government to borrow money from the capitalists was a basic operation. There was nothing to be embarrassed or to feel ashamed about.

”Are you serious?” Lance asked.

Diego’s tone was a little impatient. ”Isn’t this your trick?”

”Don’t beat around the bush with me, Lance. Let’s be direct. Under what conditions are you willing to lend me this money?”

Lance laughed twice again. ”It’s not impossible to lend you money, but I didn’t know you wanted to borrow so much. Ninety million, Paras?”

Diego added some emphasis to his tone. ”Don’t try to fool me. What I want is Federal Sols.”

”Ninety million Federal Sols. What do you have that you can mortgage to me?”

”With this much money, if you don’t have any collateral, I can’t lend it to you.”

At this moment, the first thing Diego thought of was not where he should get some collateral for Lance, but rather, he said with some shock, ”You really have it?!”

In his eyes, 90 million Federal Sols was already an astonishing wealth. Let alone an ordinary person, even he, this president, did not have so much cash in his hands.

But Lance could take it out. This had given him an unrealistic feeling.

Lance did not answer him, but remained silent. At a time like this, silence was the best way to answer.

Diego’s brows had relaxed in the face of this great wealth. ”What do you want?”

Lance did not talk to him on the phone. ”It’s getting late. Let’s talk about this face to face tomorrow morning. What do you think?”

”A problem like this certainly can’t be settled on the phone.”

Diego considered for a moment, and agreed. ”Then I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

After he had hung up the phone, Lance had immediately given Senator Cleveland a call. However, it was a pity that the senator was out socializing, and would not be able to be reached until after ten. Lance had no choice but to wait.

At 10:15, Lance had again dialed the number of the senator’s manor. This time, the senator was already at home.

From his voice and tone, it could be felt that he had probably had a lot to drink in the evening.

In federal social life, there is no such thing as downing a drink in one gulp. Everyone just takes a sip.

But just a small sip, if you drink too much, it’s very difficult for an ordinary person to take it.

His tone was filled with a drunken, and also a nasal sound. ”I had something in the evening. They said you had called before.”

A simple explanation. In the past, he had never explained this to Lance. A congressman, in what he was doing, did he still need to explain to an ordinary person?

But recently, he had begun to explain. This showed that Lance’s status was still continuously rising, and had already reached the point where Senator Cleveland needed to ”take the initiative to be perfunctory.”

This was a good phenomenon, because he had been confirmed, and had been taken as a serious matter.

Lance did not dwell on Senator Cleveland’s explanation. This kind of an explanation was just like a girlfriend telling you ”he’s just my best friend,” and had no practical meaning.

Because no matter what you do, you have changed these things, and you can’t in the future.

”Senator, in the evening, Diego gave me a call. He wants to borrow money from me.”

Senator Cleveland was, at this time, leaning back on the sofa with his face up.

The butler had brought a very hot towel, which was covering his face.

The heat had made him feel a little more comfortable, and his person also seemed to have become a little more energetic.

In fact, after drinking too much, some people are not very used to cold things. Whether it is a cold wind, or cold water. Some people, after drinking too much, will, by splashing their face with cold water, to make themselves throw up.

On the contrary, a hot towel, although it couldn’t make a person completely sober up, the discomfort of excessive drinking could be relieved a little.

He took off the towel and sat up straight. ”How much did he ask for?”

”Ninety million.”

”Federal Sols.”

He had added a unit. This unit was more important than the number.

Hearing this, Senator Cleveland’s spirit had become a little better. ”Have you talked to him?”

”Not yet. We’ve arranged to talk tomorrow morning, so I’m giving you a call first.”

”If there are no other things that need to be revised, then tomorrow I will talk to him, and there is a high probability that I will be able to sign this loan agreement.”

Lance’s words had, without missing a single one, all entered Senator Cleveland’s ears. He had pondered for a long while. ”I have nothing to add. You can sign with confidence.”

”So much money, no matter what, in the end, it will definitely give you an explanation.”

”If they don’t give you an explanation, then I will give you an explanation!”

Lance, after hearing this, had laughed a few times. ”Can I still not trust you?”

”Mr. Senator!”

”Then I’ll just sign with him according to the agreement we had discussed before.”

Senator Cleveland had said ”good,” and then had said, ”If there is any further news, remember to contact me in time...”

The next morning, Lance’s armored car convoy had brought him to the presidential office in the Presidential Palace.

Seeing that Lance seemed to be a little fatter than when he had seen him before, Diego was, in a rare good mood, and had joked with him, ”Has anyone told you that you’ve gained weight recently?”

Everyone in Rapa knew that President Diego liked fatter people.

The fatter, the more he liked.

Some said that this was because when he was standing with those who were fatter than him, people would shift their attention from him to the others.

As for whether it was true, perhaps only he himself knew.

The two had shaken hands. Before his hand had even separated, Lance had patted his chest, and had made a clearly somewhat muffled, hollow sound. ”It’s not that I’ve gotten fat. This is a bulletproof vest. I have to ensure my own safety.”

”It’s too chaotic now. There have also been some vicious cases in Zhuolan, such as robbery and murder.”

Diego’s eyes had twitched. He had let go of his hand and had turned to invite this young man, who didn’t know how to talk, to sit down.

After the coffee, the cigarettes, the wine, and other things had been served, the people in the room had all left, leaving only Mador and Diego’s head steward standing not far from the door.

”After our call last night, I had someone make an inventory. I can now take out this money, but just like a bank.”

”I can lend you the money, but I will not bear any risk. If you want this money, then you have to come up with an equivalent, or even an excess of, collateral. Otherwise, it will be very difficult for me to give you any wealth.”

”You want 90 million, and I can also give you 90 million. But do you now have 90 million worth of, and internationally accepted and recognized, collateral?”

Diego’s face remained calm. After the phone call last night, he had also had someone make a statistic, of how much of the previous things Rapa still had, including in his own, the Grand Presidential Palace, how many of the previous works of art, and the like, had all been picked out, and then their price had been calculated.

After the statistics, the things he could now take out as collateral were only about 17 or 18 million, and this also included his manor and the things inside.

If these things were not counted, the Presidential Palace actually did not have much of the previous things.

He would not take out his own private property as a bargaining chip on the gambling table, because this was his last retreat.

If Diego were to say that he only had a few million, Lance would definitely leave, so he had thought for a moment and had said, ”Are you interested in mining?”

”There are a large amount of mineral resources in the territory of Rapa. If you are willing to mine, I can make the decision to give you a few more.”

The same means and statement, to treat other people’s assets as his own to trade with Lance. As for whether Lance could complete the handover, that was not something he should consider. He had fulfilled his promise, and that was enough.

But Lance shook his head. ”I’m not interested in this. Let’s talk about something else.”

Diego had said some other things, for example, gold bars, gems, and the like.

Lance, on the grounds that the valuation of these things was problematic, had refused Diego’s offer. And Diego, in turn, could not accept Lance’s lowball offer. In the end, the two had talked for a long while and had not been able to reach an agreement on this issue.

He had said a lot of things, such as real estate, such as franchises, and the like, a lot. Lance had rejected them all.

Seeing that there seemed to be nothing else that he could take out, Diego’s annoyance had also reached its peak—

”Come on!”

”Lance, the reason and purpose of our sitting here and talking today, you should know better than me. If there is anything you want, you can tell me directly now.”

”Instead of me trying my best to scrape up some valuable things, and you telling me that this is not what you want.”

”Let’s make things simpler, not so complicated, okay?”

Lance lit a cigarette. He crossed his legs. To be honest, to be crossing his legs and smoking in front of a country’s president was indeed a little impolite, but Lance didn’t care. He believed that Diego also didn’t.

”You still have land,” he prompted.

Diego was stunned for a moment. ”You want to buy land?”

If Lance really wanted to buy land, he, on the contrary, had breathed a sigh of relief. Although Rapa’s population density was considered relatively high in the Yalan region, there was still a lot of wasteland.

If Lance really wanted land, then he might as well just give him a bit more, lest he say that this 90 million was not worth it.

The thought of being able to get 90 million just by using some ownerless wasteland, for a moment, President Diego felt that he had gotten a huge bargain!

If I had known, I would have asked for more. Maybe 150 million or 200 million?

He looked at Lance with a chuckle. This guy, Lance, whom he had found annoying, at this moment, also seemed handsome and pleasing to the eye.