Empire of Shadows

On the way back to the police station, the Police Chief’s mind was still lingering on Lance’s last words to him—By the book!

In fact, compared to this ”by the book,” he would have preferred to hear something else, for example, Lance arranging for someone to retaliate, or telling him not to interfere.

This would mean that this matter was still ”a gang matter to be solved by the gang.” He could even arrange a firefight for these two gangs, in a place outside of New Golden City.

As long as the city wasn’t in chaos, he didn’t care how many of these people died outside. In any case, it was gang members who were dying, which could be considered a good thing.

In fact, this kind of thinking, this idea of the Police Chief’s, was a common cognition in this era.

Just like when the Lance Family was just starting out, the Camilla gang wanted to have a firefight with them. The city’s police department, the gentlemen of the Bay Area, had all arranged a time and place for them.

This was to prevent an uncontrolled, unrestrained firefight from turning the entire city’s security into a joke.

After all, they still had to live in this city. How could they possibly want this city to become chaotic?

If they had really gone to the wild to have a firefight, it would have been a good thing for the Police Chief. But as fate would have it, Lance wanted it done ”by the book.”

Logically speaking, as a law enforcer of the Federation, he should have adhered to the federal law as the standard and handled it by the book. But as it happened, these law enforcers, or those government officials, sometimes, what they feared the most was handling things ”by the book.”There was no particularly complicated reason. Handling things by the book would offend people.

In the political circles of the Federation, there is a very famous saying—Don’t offend anyone over work.

To put it more bluntly, whether it’s a law enforcer or an official, their work is not for themselves. They are not like those capitalists.

The money that the capitalists make, in the end, goes into their own pockets. But these law enforcers, these government officials, no matter how hard they work, in the end, neither the money nor the benefits will go into their pockets.

But if they offend someone, then they have truly and genuinely offended someone.

To, for the sake of official business, offend someone, in some people’s eyes, this is actually very stupid.

Many people say that the society of the Federation is a highly self-disciplined society, with no human connections. And this, as it happens, is the most wrong view.

The Federation, more than other places, needs human connections, and needs all kinds of unwritten rules.

The police can blatantly take black money, politicians can unscrupulously stuff their pockets, and capitalists can wave their banknotes to corrupt officials. This definitely has nothing to do with the superiority of the social system.

So the Police Chief had hoped that Lance would indicate that he would take care of this matter himself, and for the police not to meddle. This way, he wouldn’t offend anyone.

But as it happened, he now had to handle it ”by the book.”

At the thought of this, the Police Chief couldn’t help but light a cigarette for himself, and also slammed the steering wheel.

He had accidentally hit the horn. The sudden ”beep” sound had made the car that had just stopped at the red light in front suddenly lurch forward, and with a ”clang,” had rear-ended another.

The driver of the car in front had gotten out, full of anger. But when he saw that the one behind him was a police car, the anger on his face had, in an instant, disappeared.

The Police Chief was, in a gloomy mood, smoking. He was thinking about how to deal with this.

After he had returned to the police station, he had dialed the mayor’s number, and had explained the situation here.

”You mean to say, Lance wants you to handle this by the book, to interrogate these people?” The mayor had also, for the first time, heard of such an unruly gang. How could a gang, after ”fighting,” call the police?

He had even, at this moment, had the same thought as Fran—The gangs from the south are so fucking unruly!

Your gang’s own matters, you can just find a place to solve it yourselves. Why do you have to occupy public resources?

”Yes, Lance said that the nature of this matter is very bad. The bar is registered in the building of the embassy. This is a diplomatic incident, and must be handled by the book.”

To be involved in diplomacy, this matter was not easy to handle. The mayor also had a bit of a headache.

He also understood at this time that this ”capable assistant” of his did not want to take the blame himself, so he had made this call.

There is a big difference between making a call and not. Even if the final result is the same.

Because as long as the call is made, the initiative is transferred. It is transferred from the Police Chief, to the mayor. No matter how the follow-up develops, the first responsible person will change from the chief to the mayor.

Even if someone is offended, the Perez family’s people will also feel that this matter is the mayor’s fault, not the chief’s. After all, for the mayor, the chief is just a small character.

The mayor rubbed his temples. ”I really shouldn’t have answered your call!”

He didn’t want to be implicated either. The Perez family was not just a gang.

A pure gang has no way to become one of the five major families at the highest level. They have their own companies, more than one, and also their own factories, with maybe tens of thousands of workers or even more.

Their relationship with the unions is also not bad. Sometimes the unions also need their help to deal with those disobedient scabs.

They have many industries in society, and their influence is very large. If it is said that the continuous development of the arms industry will, in the end, lead to a deformed ”military-industrial complex,” then the uncontrolled, continuous expansion of the gangs will also lead to a distorted ”gangster complex.”

They are no longer simply just gangs. They can be called a super force with crime as its core, which has infiltrated into the political arena, into capital, and into the ordinary working class.

They are, on the contrary, even harder to deal with than the pure capitalists.

The mayor also didn’t want to offend anyone. His scalp was a little itchy. ”Let’s just drag it out for now.”

”Drag it out for a while. When their tempers have all cooled down, this matter will just be left unresolved.”

A few more smiles appeared on the Police Chief’s face. No matter what the mayor said, he would agree. This way, his responsibility would be the smallest. ”Okay, that’s all we can do for now.”

”You bastard. Next time there is such a thing, don’t fucking call me. You handle it yourself!”

The mayor had, with some displeasure, hung up the phone, but the chief’s face, on the contrary, had shown a relaxed smile.

He had called the two police chiefs who had escorted these people in, and had had them close the office door. And he himself, had twisted the blinds, so that the changes inside could not be seen from the outside.

”Treat the ones who need to be treated. Lock these people up separately, but don’t interrogate them.”

”Don’t interrogate?” One of the police chiefs was a little confused. ”Then why did we arrest them?”

If there is no interrogation, then there will be no confession and evidence.

If there is no confession and evidence, then at most they can only be detained for 48 hours, and then they have to be released. In that case, it would be better to just let these people go after they were caught.

The Police Chief was a little annoyed. Lance, the mayor, and also Fran, he was a little hard to deal with. Did he still have to let his subordinates?

”I’m telling you to do this, so you just do it. Don’t fucking ask me why. Are you the chief, or am I the chief?”

His subordinate had pursed his lips, abashed. ”You’re the boss, Boss.”

The chief glared at him. ”Just like that. If anyone asks, just say there are other reasons. Don’t say what the reason is.”

”Motherfucker, these are all troubles, you know?”

”It’s like a hot coal. You’re trying to pick it up with your hands. Aren’t you afraid of getting your skin burned off?”

”Alright, get back to work!”

”I’m really fed up with this day-to-day work!”

After the two police chiefs had left, he had returned to his chair and had sat down. He had let out a long sigh of relief. He hoped that this matter would not continue to ”deteriorate.”

It was just, he had a feeling that there was a high probability that things would not go as he, or as the mayor, wished.

He hadn’t been thinking about these things for long, when the phone on his desk had suddenly rung. The originally somewhat relaxed mood had suddenly become tense again.

After the phone had rung for four or five times, and was still ringing, he had no choice but to pick up the phone. ”This is the Police Chief’s Office.”

”Mr. Chief?”

”Haha, it’s Boni.”

Boni Perez was one of Fran’s nephews. Perez was a large family, and had developed for a long enough time. In addition, they were northerners, and their thinking was also relatively conservative. Abortion was not allowed in the family.

From the second or third generation of the family, they had regarded ”children” as a gift from God to the family.

For that relatively barbaric era, the more men in the family, the more advantageous they were in the competition.

In addition, they had money, and they didn’t care about these things. Some of the family members might only have one wife, but they had seven or eight mistresses, and these would all bear them children.

A family member with only one or two mistresses was either really innocent, or was a non-core member.

Boni was relatively active. In New Golden City, and in addition, he had graduated from a prestigious university, some of the matters that required him to show his face were all done by this Boni.

They had dealt with each other before.

The chief sighed silently. ”Is there something?”

Boni laughed twice again. ”Mr. Chief, you arrested some people tonight.”

”Yes?”

”These people are friends I know. Their families are very worried about their encounter, and are willing to compensate for the losses. They hope to be able to bail them out as soon as possible.”

The Police Chief had a bit of a headache. One side wanted him to handle it by the book, and the other side clearly didn’t plan to. The Perez family’s side was the correct way for a gang to do things.

Do the deed, and then spend money to get the person out.

If it had been in the past, and these people had not done anything that had too much of an impact, he would have just, as a favor, let these people be bailed out. But now the situation was a bit unclear, and he did not dare to make a random decision.

”Boni, this matter is a little more complicated than you think. At least for these two days, it’s impossible.”

Boni did not, because he was rejected, appear to be cold. He was still so enthusiastic. ”Hey, Mr. Chief, these are all small matters. Do you have any other arrangements after work?”

”If not, I’d like to meet with you.”

The chief refused. ”In a short period of time, it’s really not possible...” he thought for a moment, and felt that this matter, it was best to let them, the gangs, to solve it themselves.

So he revealed some information. ”Lance’s side has requested to handle this by the book. He said you have attacked the embassy. You know, this is a diplomatic incident. I don’t have the authority to handle it.”

”Unless you can get them to withdraw the case.”

”Otherwise...”

He did not say ”otherwise” what, but the meaning in his words was very clear. Boni, seeing that he had already said this much, also knew that to want to meet with him was impossible.

To be able to be the police chief in New Golden City, you have to be somewhat sensitive. At a time like this, to go out and meet with the Perez family?

Isn’t that just looking for trouble for yourself?

The two had exchanged a few simple pleasantries, and had said some meaningless, but very necessary, nonsense, such as ”I’ll treat you to a meal when I’m free” and ”I’ll definitely go when I’m free,” and then had hung up.

The smile on Boni’s face had, the moment he had put down the phone, disappeared. He had, with some respect, looked at Fran. ”He said that Lance has reported to the police that these people have attacked the embassy. This involves diplomatic matters, and he can’t make the decision.”

Fran nodded slightly, likewise expressionless. He had originally thought that this was a good idea.

No matter how Lance had responded, in the end, he would have lost both his substance and his face.

But who the fuck would have thought that these people would be so unscrupulous as to call the police?

He looked at the people who were sitting on the sofa, these elites of the family who had received a higher education. ”What now?”

One of them, who could also be considered his nephew, raised his hand slightly. ”Two ways. On the one hand, we can arrange for someone to go and see the people who have been caught, and to have them take the blame for these crimes. These have nothing to do with us. Let them bear it themselves.”

”If it really comes to the point of going to court, this matter also has nothing to do with us. They can’t produce any evidence to accuse us. At most, it’s just that it’s a little unsightly.”

”There is another way, which is to contact Lance. As long as they withdraw the case, this matter can be calmed down.”

As soon as he had finished his last sentence, Fran had become a little irritable. ”Go and beg Lance?”

”Fuck!”

”Fuck you, asshole!”

”Don’t even think about it. Arrange for someone to go and have them take the blame!”

Originally, this matter had started because of Lance. Although in fact, it was them who had provoked first, but they would not think that this was their own problem.

Fran even felt that although Paige had made a fool of himself, he had done a good job, and had not lost the momentum of the Perez family.

The conflict between the two families, it was already impossible to talk about who was right, who was wrong, and who had started it. Now they were on opposite sides, and one side had to fall, or to bow their head.

To go and find Lance now, would only make the Perez family even more laughed at!

The others in the family, seeing this, did not say anything. A cousin of Fran’s looked at Boni. ”You arrange it.”

Boni nodded, and took the initiative to leave. He didn’t want to be cursed again.

...

At the same time, in the Rapa embassy, Ambassador Cassia had gathered the ambassadors of several other, small Yalan countries.

Yalan was not a region with a high degree of ideological unity. Some countries did not want to be annexed by the Federation, but there were also some small countries, for example, Makan, which had a population of only two or three million. They simply did not have the strength or the courage to resist.

If it weren’t for the fact that they were too close to the Jede Republic, they might have already surrendered.

These small countries, which were willing to get a little closer to the Federation, but were, due to the Jede Republic’s current dominance in the Yalan region, and the Federation’s, for the time being, not planning to, by force, to annex Yalan, had all, one after another, sent their ambassadors.

To be prepared, at any time, to reach some agreements with the Federation.

These small countries were also very poor, and their normal days were not easy.

Ambassador Cassia, in this group of them, could be said to be the one who was living the best.

Unlike Ambassador Cassia, who still had a large, independent house, for example, the Makan Ambassador, he only had an office, so there was no such thing as ”embassy territory,” let alone the ability to operate a bar or other gray industries.

Usually, they would also come to Ambassador Cassia’s side to get free food and drinks. After all, Ambassador Cassia’s current life was the best among them.

Not only had his whole family already immigrated to the Federation, but even he himself had become a pure federal person—this was the most magical part.

A federal citizen is actually a diplomatic ambassador sent from another country to the Federation. Perhaps this kind of situation would only appear when the relationship between the two countries is tense.

In addition, with the money that Lance had given him, and the commission from the bar, Ambassador Cassia’s life was still not bad.

He was also willing to help these poor brothers. He, by himself, was, more or less, still a little weak, but with so many ambassadors added together, in the end, they still had a little weight.

Now these ambassadors had all been called over by him, and were gathered in his office.

”This is Mr. Lance White. To be honest, for us to be here today, Mr. Lance has a lot of credit!”

Ambassador Cassia was, with a beaming smile, introducing Lance to these ambassadors. In his heart, at this very moment, he also had an indescribable, magical feeling. Since when has betraying one’s country also become a business?

In a daze, he smiled, and drove this thought out of his mind. How is this betraying one’s country?

This is progress!

For a barbaric society to move closer to a beacon of civilization, isn’t this progress?

The ambassadors in the room had, one after another, walked over and had, enthusiastically, shaken hands with Lance. Lance, while shaking hands with them, had observed their attire. It could only be said to be shabby.

After everyone had introduced themselves, and had sat down, Lance had, in a somewhat uncertain tone, asked, ”Everyone, it’s not that I...”

He had flipped his wrist, and had glanced at Ambassador Cassia. ”Your recent situation doesn’t look very good.”

They were all dressed rather plainly, and could even be described as ”in distress”!

Compared to Ambassador Cassia, they were just like poor people.

The ambassadors all laughed awkwardly. At this time, it was still Ambassador Cassia who had come out to speak for them. ”Mr. Lance, you don’t know. Yalan is currently experiencing an unprecedented, huge famine.”

”Besides the Jede Republic, which has not been affected, almost all the other countries have been.”

”Now our people can’t even eat their fill. All the funds are being used to buy grain, so on our side, it is indeed a little tight, financially.”

Lance, as if he had heard it for the first time, nodded. It was as if these were not at all what he had planned. ”That’s really terrible.”

He looked at these ambassadors. ”Do you want to make some money?”