Empire of Shadows

”Ethan, you know him, my brother. He ran into some trouble and is currently at the police station...”

Lawyer Ruben interrupted him. ”Mr. Lance, I need to know: did Mr. Ethan injure someone, or... has some past action of his been brought to light?”

It was crucial to clarify this first, as it determined the defense strategy.

Lawyer Ruben was a highly professional criminal defense attorney specializing in serving gangs. He was well aware of the difference between the two scenarios.

If it was current assault, he would need to find a way to navigate the conflict, perhaps by fabricating a potential verbal altercation prior to the injury.

Then, he would argue that Ethan had mental issues, was prone to impulse, and suffered from persecution mania. With these three stacked in court, even if Ethan had killed someone today, the most likely outcome would still be twenty to thirty years in prison.

As for how to prove mental issues and mania?

Please, this was the Federation. With money, anything was possible.

If it was a past offense, he would need to consider how long ago the incident occurred, where it took place, whether there were any loopholes in the local law, and how to quickly secure forgiveness from the victim’s family.

Then, he would find people to vouch for Mr. Ethan, describing him as a very gentle, helpful, kind man who loved small animals, had donated to charity, and frequently attended church.Next, he would choose a state with favorable sentencing laws, aiming to cap the sentence at ten years, and with some legal maneuvering, get him released after three years.

In an instant, countless ideas flashed through his mind, followed by a continuously scrolling digital figure, but he didn’t wait for the number to settle; it wasn’t the right time.

Just as he prepared to receive ”grave” news from Lance, Lance gave him an answer that almost made him doubt his own hearing.

”Someone attacked him. He fought back and was injured.”

”I am concerned there might be further issues stemming from this, so I need legal aid from you to help him secure his rights and pursue action against the perpetrators.”

After a long pause, Lawyer Ruben carefully asked, ”Are you saying... he was the one who was beaten?”

Lance laughed slightly, thinking of something. ”Your grammar teacher must have been excellent. Your understanding is correct.”

Lawyer Ruben set down the pen he was holding, disappointed. ”If he was the victim of an assault, I can have my friend go over and assist.”

”That would be best!”

Lance paused. ”Have you considered expanding to the New Golden City?”

”I heard your business hasn’t been great recently; you’re taking small cases, not even getting divorce cases.”

Lance’s teasing made Lawyer Ruben blush. He defended himself. ”Divorce cases aren’t easy to get!”

His statement was true. The most profitable cases in the Federation were divorce and corporate lawsuits, especially wealthy divorce cases, where both spouses might lose, and the only winner was the lawyer.

These cases demanded rigorous ”track records” from lawyers, a factor that the wealthy valued highly.

Lawyer Ruben had no track record in high-stakes divorce cases, so the wealthy wouldn’t choose him. Furthermore, his reputation was poor, and those wealthy clients feared that through the divorce process, the gangs might discover their net worth, making them the next target.

He was stuck handling minor, non-weighty cases, earning only a hundred or two, or sometimes just tens of dollars per case.

From a monthly income perspective, his earnings were far higher than the average person’s, but from the perspective of a top-tier lawyer, he was nearly broke.

Perhaps all he had left was his fragile pride.

”This is a suggestion. I trust you more than anyone else.”

Lawyer Ruben thought for a moment. ”Are you planning to establish roots in Gold State?”

”The word ’establish roots’ isn’t quite right. I prefer ’conquer.’ Of course, that sounds a bit aggressive. We are indeed starting a business here.”

”We will inevitably need frequent dealings with the police department, and even the FBI, so we need a lawyer with sufficient experience in this area and whom we both trust.”

”If you come here, we can either pay you per case, or we can negotiate a salary plus commission.”

Ruben knew Lance had money, so he wasn’t worried about Lance being unable to pay. His only concern was external factors. ”I have some people in the Justice Department who don’t like me. I might not be very effective if I come here.”

”You may have heard, or realized from other sources, that I came to Likalai State from Gold State precisely because those people made life too difficult for me.”

”Some Supreme Court Justices have immense influence over judicial proceedings and outcomes. Sometimes, even if I win the argument in court, the final result can be terrible.”

Lance chuckled after hearing this. ”Those are non-issues, Ruben.”

”Don’t forget, we have influence in Congress, and as for the Justice Department, that’s even less of a problem.”

”If they want to follow the rules, we follow the rules.”

”If they don’t follow the rules, neither do we.”

”When can you come?”

Upon hearing this, Lawyer Ruben was completely sold. After all, it was Gold State, the New Golden City, the heart of the Federation.

No matter how well he did in Likalai State, people would still see him as a minor lawyer from the savage South.

Only by excelling in the New Golden City could he become an undeniable force in the legal profession!

”If you can secure influence in the Justice Department, I can come over anytime.”

He had made his commitment. A person had to seize the moment while they still had the drive.

He had been driven out by those people once. Now, this was an opportunity to return and fight back!

”Then come over.”

”Take the soonest boat. I’ll be waiting for you here.”

”Also, give me your friend’s number. I’ll contact him first.”

Lawyer Ruben had no other reservations and immediately agreed. ”Great, I’ll be there right away. Here is the number...”

After hanging up, Lance called the number Lawyer Reuben provided. It was a law office. ”I’d like to speak to Lawyer Goghe.”

The call was quickly transferred to Lawyer Goghe’s office. Lance explained his purpose. ”Lawyer Ruben gave me this number, saying you could provide me with legal aid.”

”Ruben?” Lawyer Goghe sounded surprised. ”My goodness, I haven’t heard that name in a while.”

”And how should I address you?”

”Lance, Lance White.”

”Wait, I think I’ve heard that name somewhere. Let me try to recall!”

Lance didn’t give him time to reminisce. ”My man was attacked and is now at the police station. I need a lawyer. Perhaps you can recall later, after we meet?”

Goghe immediately realized this wasn’t a casual chat. ”Apologies. Hearing that name threw me off. So, shall we meet at the police station entrance?”

”Agreed.”

Lance hung up and left the room, walking into the main hall.

The people chatting, watching TV, or doing other things in the hall immediately stopped and stood up.

Lance’s gaze fixed on Alan. Alan had performed exceptionally well in Indeno State and had been promoted to a cadre position.

”You. Take your men and weapons and come with me.”

Alan nodded. ”How many people should I bring?”

Lance thought for a moment. ”Four cars. Including the drivers, twenty people.”

That was roughly two combat captains and their subordinates. Although Alan was surprised by the number of men, he didn’t question it and immediately went to arrange it.

There was a large area behind the estate. Ordinary members were usually in other rooms or parts of the estate. With a single phone call, they drove to the main building.

Two cars in front and two cars behind, sandwiching Lance’s armored car, they drove toward the police station.

”Why do we need so many people?”

Mador, sitting in the passenger seat, asked curiously. He didn’t understand. Usually, they were followed by a few cars, but each only had two or three people.

Today was clearly ”full strength,” which seemed odd, especially since Lance had instructed them to bring weapons.

”I have a premonition!” Lance pulled out his yellowish ivory cigarette case and lit a cigarette. ”A force is actively maneuvering around us.”

”It’s always better to be cautious than negligent in a situation like this.”

Mador was even more confused. ”Then why are we going out?”

Lance looked at the street view outside. ”We have to let them realize their plan succeeded, right?”

”Otherwise, if they upgrade their tactics next time, it will be more troublesome.”

”I hope I’m just overthinking this.”

The motorcade quickly arrived at the police station. Lance met Lawyer Goghe, a tall, thin middle-aged man who immediately rushed forward when he saw Lance’s motorcade arrive.

After hanging up the phone, Goghe had remembered who Lance was and immediately realized this could be a major client, which made him very proactive.

”Mr. White!” Goghe immediately greeted Lance with respect as he stepped out of the car.

Lance extended his hand and shook his. ”Thank you for coming all this way. I honestly don’t know what happened.”

He shared the limited information he had with Lawyer Goghe and walked with him toward the police station.

After listening to Lance’s account, Lawyer Goghe said, ”If that’s the only issue, no matter what Mr. Ethan did, I can ensure his innocence.”

”If he injured someone during the counterattack, we can pay bail and secure his immediate release. I will handle the subsequent court hearing.”

The group entered the police station. Lance asked the front desk officer, and they were escorted to a room upstairs.

Ethan was sitting in a chair, with two nurses stitching a wound on his head. He had a noticeable gash on his forehead.

From Lance’s angle, he could see the skin had peeled back, revealing the fresh, red tissue underneath.

The tissue had been cleaned, making it appear particularly vibrant and highly vital.

This made the stitching slightly complicated; the sutures had to be pulled tightly to ensure proper closure.

The procedure was done without anesthetic, and Ethan was managing the pain.

He tried to stand up when he saw Lance arrive, but Lance quickly raised his hand to stop him. ”Is that the only wound?”

Ethan grinned. ”A few, but this one is the most severe.”

Lance nodded. ”How are they?”

”I don’t know. I took down several, and the rest were caught by the patrol officers who arrived.”

This was almost no information. Lance nodded. Just as he was about to speak, the door opened, and the Police Chief walked in.

His gaze was fixed solely on Lance.

When he heard Lance had arrived, he felt a certain... discomfort. He seemed to have an allergic reaction to Lance.

He immediately dropped what he was doing and rushed over.

After confirming Lance’s identity, he glanced at Ethan. Seeing the wound on his forehead, he said, ”I didn’t know you and this boxer were friends.”

Lance turned and stood up. ”There’s a lot you don’t know.”

He showed the Police Chief no respect, nor did he need to. From their previous encounters, he knew this man was not on his side.

Lance’s bluntness clearly embarrassed the Police Chief. He stared at Lance for a moment. ”Someone will be here shortly to handle your case. I’ve reviewed the file. This boxer is the victim, and he can leave once we finish questioning him.”

He glanced at Ethan again, then turned and left. He felt uncomfortable being in the same room as Lance.

Lance frowned. He had thought this was a trap, a setup, but it seemed... like a genuine, isolated incident?

He didn’t think so. Something was definitely amiss.

After the Police Chief left, Lance returned his attention to Ethan. ”Who attacked you?”

”Why did they attack you?”

Ethan shook his head. ”I don’t know. Aside from training at the gym and fighting in the ring, I don’t socialize much and haven’t offended anyone.”

”They didn’t tell me why they attacked me either.”

Lance looked at Lawyer Goghe. ”Could you find out for me? I want to know why my brother was attacked.”

Goghe immediately agreed. ”No problem. That’s simple. I’ll be right back.”

In the New Golden City, any lawyer from a somewhat reputable firm had internal contacts in the police department.

This was virtually a prerequisite for any law firm. Without internal contacts, they would be very disadvantaged in any case.

The Federal law enforcement agencies had just expanded with the creation of the FBI, but before that, the police department largely handled everything.

To find out the specifics of a case, they needed an insider to leak the details.

Some notable cases where procedural errors led to the acquittal of suspects were entirely due to internal police procedural mistakes.

That a police officer who handled hundreds of cases could make a novice mistake on a crucial case was often the result of behind-the-scenes maneuvering by these lawyers.

Goghe also had his contacts here. He returned quickly, just as he said he would.

”I asked around. They said Ethan’s last match caused them to lose money, so they wanted to ’teach him a lesson.’”

”’A lesson’?” Lance seized upon the keyword he had been looking for. Clearly, this wasn’t what Lawyer Goghe thought he should focus on.

Goghe believed Lance should focus on the ”match” and ”losing money,” not on ”teaching Ethan a lesson.”

But to an affluent man, money was god. Goghe nodded. ”Yes, they wanted to teach Ethan a lesson.”

Lance’s gaze fell on Ethan’s injuries. ”If Ethan wasn’t strong and tough, this wouldn’t have been ’a lesson.’”

”If your arm was broken, even if it healed, would it affect your career?”

Ethan nodded, which made the nurse protest. ”We are stitching you up, you can’t move!”

Ethan apologized, then continued to answer Lance’s question. ”If my hand was broken, my career would most likely end, especially if I had a skull fracture.”

Even a healed skull fracture carried risk, making retirement the wiser choice.

Some fighters continued competing after injuries, but they often moved into blue-collar roles or less intense, lower-level matches, not the heavyweight division.

If the attackers had succeeded, it would have been devastating for Ethan and his career.

Lance nodded. He looked back at Lawyer Goghe. ”Could you look into their background? I want to talk to them about this attack.”

Lawyer Goghe’s lips moved. He knew Lance intended to retaliate; gangs always operated this way.

You hurt me, I hurt you back twice as hard, leading to a turf war, with people getting hurt and disappearing.

He took a deep breath. ”I’ll go find out right away.”

Soon, police officers came in for a routine questioning. After taking Ethan’s testimony, Ethan was released, just as the Police Chief had promised.

At the police station entrance, Lance received the attackers’ personal information from Goghe. Noticing Goghe’s hesitation, Lance handed him a check while asking, ”Is there anything you’re reluctant to tell me?”

Goghe glanced at the check, which was for five hundred dollars, exceeding his expectation.

He had been there for only about forty minutes, and his standard fee was at most three hundred dollars.

But Lance gave him five hundred.

Motivated by the money and the respect, he whispered, ”I heard from my friend that these men might be from the Perez family.”