Empire of Shadows

Lance arrived at Senator Cleveland’s estate early in the morning to wait for him. Although Senator Cleveland had said he would be available after three o’clock, there was always a chance he might return early.

Furthermore, if a sudden issue required his attention, everyone knew what the Senator would prioritize: dealing with the urgent matter before meeting Lance, which would make Lance wait longer.

Therefore, arriving early, about twenty minutes ahead of time, was neither too early nor too late.

The Senator was not currently there, but Lance was a familiar figure. His driver contacted Tom, and Tom came to receive Lance.

Although Lance was acquainted with the Senator, without someone to receive him, he could not simply enter the estate without the Senator’s confirmation.

”You’re a bit early,” Tom said, standing on the steps leading from the garage to the parking lot, his face alight with an irrepressible smile.

Lance got out of the car, shrugged his shoulders to make his clothes sit better, and asked curiously, ”You look very happy.”

”Do you have a new life (child)?”

Tom paused, then waved his hand. ”No, that’s not it. What makes me happy is that the war is over, and everything is returning to normal.”

As Lance walked up the steps, Tom, being very familiar with him, didn’t bother with a handshake. He turned and walked toward the house, speaking as he went.”The end of the war means many things will start anew. And I think the reason the Senator asked you to come today might be related to the general election.” He pushed the door open, allowing Lance to enter first.

Lance said ”Thank you,” and waited by the door for Tom to join him. They walked toward Tom’s office.

Tom now had his own office. As the second-ranked aide to Senator Cleveland and being actively involved in Federal politics with extensive connections, he had achieved his own status.

Upon entering the office, they sat not on the sofa but on chairs on either side of Tom’s desk.

”What about the election?” Lance asked.

Tom pressed a button on the phone to have the servants send over some coffee.

Senator Cleveland’s estate had many work-related needs, and since his aides sometimes worked there and had to receive guests, the kitchen was staffed twenty-four hours a day.

Whenever someone needed food, drinks, or coffee, it was their job to prepare it.

After ordering the coffee, Tom looked at Lance. ”You know, some things happened during the mid-term elections.”

Lance nodded but offered no opinion. There had been significant public controversy at the time regarding the President using questionable methods to win, and some people strongly criticized him.

Even more unexpectedly, the Federation became involved in a war toward the end of his term, which led to a significant extension of his term.

Of course, the result was favorable: they won the war. This meant that when judging his contributions and mistakes, his contributions would clearly outweigh his mistakes.

Public discussion about his questionable methods had now largely subsided, with most people focusing on his good performance during the war.

However, this didn’t mean the political elite would forget what had happened.

Regardless of the current outcomes of the war, they had little to do with the President personally. Even if a pig had been in that position, Congress and the Federal government would still have achieved the current success.

The previously concealed conflicts caused by the centralization of power were resurfacing. A new storm was brewing in Federal politics.

The intensity of this storm was like a spring: having been suppressed for so many years, its explosion would be astonishingly powerful.

The servants knocked on the door. The two paused their conversation. After the servants delivered the coffee and left, Tom continued, ”We’ve conducted some public opinion polls. People generally believe that the long-term control of power by the Socialist Party has led to a decline in the Federation’s development.”

”After all, a new Great Depression was unfolding before the war. So, people want to try a different party, perhaps one that will bring new changes and plans?”

Lance stirred his coffee, then took a small sip. It was typical Federal coffee, with plenty of milk to temper the acidity. Thankfully, it didn’t have too much sugar; otherwise, he wouldn’t enjoy it.

He simply disliked sweet milk.

”I’ve consistently heard that the Liberal Party has a strong chance of winning this time. Some states have also expressed dissatisfaction with the Socialist Party’s platform.”

Tom affirmed this. ”However, no one can say for sure what the final election result will be. Perhaps people feel the Socialist Party performed well during the war and will vote for them again.”

”But the outcome is still uncertain.”

Lance was slightly puzzled. ”It looks like another... storm is coming in the second half of the year. Perhaps I have work to do as well?”

Tom looked at him, his expression subtly strange. He seemed to want to say something, but ultimately restrained himself.

To succeed in politics, one must first learn to keep silent when necessary. Things that shouldn’t be revealed must remain hidden, even from one’s wife.

Lance didn’t press him to reveal what he was thinking but made a mental note of it.

They chatted for a few more minutes when the phone on the desk rang. It was the Senator. ”I hear Lance is in your office?”

”Send him up here. I need to talk to him.”

Tom hung up and looked at Lance. ”The Senator is back. We should go up now.”

Lance stood up, supporting himself on the armrest. ”Of course. Let me go see the Senator and find out what he needs me to do.”

The two soon arrived at the Senator’s office. Senator Cleveland did not ask Tom to stay. After Tom brought coffee for Lance and the Senator, he politely left, leaving Lance and the Senator alone.

Senator Cleveland walked with his coffee to the window. The weather was starting to get warm, reaching about 23 or 24 degrees in the New Golden City. Many people on the streets were already wearing early summer clothes.

The clothes were light, with short sleeves and long skirts. The air was filled with the rich smell of summer sun and wildly growing plants, and the dazzling white bodies on the beaches.

”I am handling the issue with the President. You don’t need to worry about that.”

”You made the greatest effort you could for us, and you should receive your reward. Otherwise, people will lose trust in us.”

Lance nodded. ”I am not in a hurry to receive these things. If it belongs to me, no one can take it away. If it doesn’t belong to me, even if I claim it, it will slip from my grasp.”

Senator Cleveland contemplated this. ”A very philosophical thought. You always manage to surprise me.”

He paused, then walked back to his desk and sat down. ”I asked you to come here today because I hope you can help me with a few things—things I can’t conveniently do, but which you can easily achieve.”

Lance nodded, remaining silent. Senator Cleveland continued, ”You must have heard that the general election is taking place at the end of the year.”

This was dictated by the Federal Constitution. If a war broke out toward the end of a President’s term, and the President’s tenure had clearly exceeded the maximum limit of their term upon the war’s conclusion, then a general election had to be held that year.

There were still six months left until the end of the year, which wasn’t too rushed. Congress had already begun preparing for the election.

The process for nominating party candidates had also started.

Federal politics was divided by parties—the Socialist Party, the Liberal Party, and the Federalist Party—but also by stance and faction. Some members of the Socialist and Liberal Parties might share the same views and interests on certain issues, forming a shared political stance.

Even within the same party, there were many factions. For example, Senator Cleveland belonged to one faction, and other Socialist Party members naturally belonged to others.

It was a highly complex relationship; what people saw was not necessarily the final reality.

It was similar to how, despite the clear conflict between the Socialist Party and the Liberal Party, they could still unite on certain issues to oppose the Federalist Party.

The Federalist Party, since its complete decline, was getting weaker by the day, but they too sometimes cooperated with other parties to pursue certain interests.

Interest was the eternal truth of politics.

The internal party candidate race had begun, with different factions putting forward their own candidates. They would officially compete within the party.

The ultimate winner would be heavily entrusted by the party to run as the Presidential candidate in this year’s general election.

The party’s resources would be concentrated on this individual. Of course, they would also arrange for other candidates to ”run alongside” for added assurance, but there was only one main contender.

”We didn’t originally plan to participate in this Presidential election, but...” Senator Cleveland’s gaze settled on Lance. ”Your performance over the past few years has been absolutely flawless. Our strength and influence have grown rapidly.”

”You know, if an otter colony only has three or five members, they only want a small spot in a small river.”

”But if the otter colony has dozens or a hundred members, the small river can no longer contain them. They must go to a larger place, a wider world, to build grander dams.”

”Our situation is the same now. Our influence is too large. Not participating in this Presidential election is unfriendly to the people below us!”

Senator Cleveland spread his hands. ”Everyone wants the interest group they rely on to grow bigger and bigger. After all, only then can individuals within the interest group gain more benefits.”

”So we will participate this time. Even though I don’t believe it’s a good thing, I don’t intend to win this time.”

”The Socialist Party’s chances of retaining power are slim.”

Lance could only agree with his view, as the facts supported it. If not for the war, the President might have been forced to flee his position in disgrace amidst the scorn of the lower classes.

Then a new President, one not from the Socialist Party, would take office and begin settling scores over the foolish and wrong things the previous President did during his term.

But thanks to the war and the victory dividends, he escaped that fate. However, people still wouldn’t favor the Socialist Party remaining in power.

Why not try someone new?

Lance understood Senator Cleveland’s thinking.

”The Federal society will enter a period of rapid development. Both class conflicts and economic pressures have been released. Therefore, if the Liberal Party wins, there’s a strong chance they will be re-elected.”

”While we don’t want to fully contest this election, we also don’t want a Liberal President to be re-elected.”

”I have some materials here—a list of the candidates nominated within the Liberal Party. I need you to investigate them and see if they have any compromising information.”

He pushed a file envelope toward Lance. Lance opened it and quickly skimmed the contents in front of Senator Cleveland.

There were seven candidates listed, meaning seven factions within the Liberal Party intended to vie for the nomination. Each faction put forward its own candidate.

The reason for such a large number was directly related to the high probability of the Liberal Party winning this year’s general election.

Previously, people were indifferent because the Liberal Party didn’t have an electoral advantage.

But now, the Liberal Party clearly had an unprecedented advantage in the general election, and all factions hoped their candidate would be the one to ascend to the top.

Although people claimed Congress was the highest ruling body in the Federation, the President still held many privileges. If their faction’s person became President, their faction would have a much easier time over the next few years.

Lance reviewed the materials, organized them, and placed them back in the envelope. ”I will arrange for people to investigate.”

Senator Cleveland looked at him curiously. ”You didn’t ask if I need to expose this compromising information.”

Lance couldn’t help but laugh. ”I’m not that foolish, Senator.”

Senator Cleveland often felt a strange urge when dealing with Lance. He knew this emotion was slightly inappropriate, but he couldn’t help but want to test Lance, to see how far ahead he could think.

He gestured for Lance to continue and adopted a listening posture.

Lance spoke without hesitation. ”What we need is to find the candidate with the most compromising information and help him ascend to power.”

Senator Cleveland was visibly shocked. He stared at Lance with wide eyes, as if... meeting him for the nth time!

”You astound me, Lance!”

”Your political intuition is incredibly sharp!”

”Yes, you are right. We need to put the candidate with the most compromising information in the Presidential position, and subtly ensure those with insufficient dirt don’t get there.”

”This is not convenient for me to do. Too many eyes are watching me and the people I work with, but not many are watching you. And I believe you have the means to achieve this.”

”Figure out who would make the best target, and ensure that target successfully wins the election.”

As for why they would do this, it was clearly so that four years later, they could use this compromising material to pull the President down from power.

Not every President in the Federation serves eight years. Some Presidents, due to various reasons—such as a zipper breaking—only serve four.

So, dragging a President down might be a metaphor or a joke to the lower classes, but to the political elite, it was merely a means to an end.

After finishing the official business, Senator Cleveland frowned, which puzzled Lance, though he remained silent.

After about twenty seconds, the Senator spoke. ”The FBI Director recently submitted a report to Congress and the Presidential Office regarding an investigation into the Federal gangs.”

”In this report, he clearly articulated the birth and development of the gangs, the necessity of the gangs in the early stages of society, and the current uncontrolled expansion of the gangs.”

”He believes that after the war, with the Federal government’s prestige at its peak, we no longer need the gangs to manage the populace effectively.”

”Therefore, he submitted a ’Draft Anti-Gang Act,’ which proposes the regulation, control, suppression, and ultimate elimination of gangs.”

”This proposal has been passed by Congress, and they will begin implementing these measures soon.”

Senator Cleveland, concerned that Lance might not grasp the full implications, explained further. ”This FBI Director is very... capable. He successfully advocated for the passage of another bill that allows the FBI to investigate criminal cases nationwide and any actions, individuals, or incidents that could threaten Federal security.”

”This subtly increases the centralization of power in the Presidential Office and Congress. You know, we’ve had difficulty directly interfering in local affairs for years.”

”Even when we established the Hazardous Materials Administration, many people protested.”

”But under his coordination, the local reaction to this new bill was minimal. While a few states are still reluctant to cooperate, their compliance is only a matter of time.”

”Congress is very satisfied with the reforms proposed by the FBI, and consequently, the Draft Anti-Gang Act he submitted was also passed.”

”Yesterday, when I spoke with the President about who obstructed your Gold Heart Medal, he also brought up this topic.”

”I think you should be cautious. Settle any potential loose ends you may have.”

”Society will continue to develop, and artifacts of that era, like the gangs, will eventually be eliminated.”