Empire of Shadows

In life, one must inevitably face one or many opportunities to make choices they aren’t entirely willing to make.

Perhaps the thought that one day he could avenge his wife and child slightly lifted the Bearded Director’s spirits. ”I know the Perez family has a warehouse in the suburbs.”

”Go on.”

The Bearded Director lit another cigarette. For him now, cigarettes were the only comfort.

He took a deep drag. The thick smoke filled his lungs, permeating every cell, giving him a sense of being completely filled and secure.

As he exhaled, the smoke vanished instantly, and the ensuing emptiness made him crave the next drag.

”The Perez family’s business is composed of two main parts: liquor and their Maple Herb. I believe you are familiar with their operations.”

”You burned their farm before.”

The impact of burning the farm and allegedly roasting direct Perez family members was huge in the Federal underworld. It was a super-storm unleashed by the Lance family!

While some small gangs ignored the demands of the Federal Five Families every year, sometimes even fighting them,These conflicts were usually minor and invariably ended with the small gangs compromising or being eliminated.

Occasional turbulence was suppressed.

The storm the Lance family created was different. A vital farm and crops were burned, and crucial family members were allegedly tied up and roasted.

Everyone was shocked. They expected the natural ending to this story, but instead, they got a science fiction story.

Although the sci-fi story was subsequently upgraded to ”2.0” and ”3.0,” the ”1.0” version was still the most shocking!

So, it was not unusual that the Bearded Director knew about the incident.

Lance hummed. ”So, you think I should destroy this warehouse?”

”How much pain would destroying this warehouse inflict on them?”

The Bearded Director gave a dry laugh, his voice filled with hatred. ”It would make them hurt intensely!”

Lance considered this for a moment. ”Give me the address and the details of the location. I’ll think about how to handle it.”

They ended the call. Lance took the address and called Hiram, instructing him to investigate the location.

Meanwhile, Lance’s primary focus was on the Liberal Party candidates his men had investigated.

The Liberal Party’s internal election was set to conclude in August. Time was running short, but the investigation results were now on Lance’s desk.

There were seven files in total.

”They have that many nominated candidates?” Lance looked at the files, curling his lip. Clearly, everyone wanted a piece of the pie.

He didn’t wait for a reply. He picked out the file of the man Senator Cleveland had mentioned—the one likely to win the Liberal Party nomination—a man named Edwin Potter. He began reviewing the document.

This ”Edwin Potter” was a very typical Liberal Party member. To be more direct, one of his ancestors appeared in that famous oil painting.

This guaranteed him the foundation for realizing his free will—something most people could never achieve.

He chose to stay with the Liberal Party after the split of the Social Liberal Party. He had previously served as State Senator and Governor, but never as a U.S. Senator.

Because he had been Governor, his ”track record” in transactional politics was better than the other nominees’.

Capitalists and politicians favored his ability to ”deliver returns” and his ”honesty.” Furthermore, being a former Governor meant he had built many connections and had favors he could call in.

Looking at the report, which wasn’t very detailed and even had some typos, Lance looked up at the men in the room. ”This is why I say you need to study. I’ve already found several spelling errors, and this is just the first page.”

Alan, sitting on the sofa, smiled, taking a drag from his cigarette. ”We could just hire some university students. That’s easier than becoming one ourselves.”

Lance didn’t object to his point; he even agreed slightly. ”But you’d have to ensure that student’s loyalty to you and our organization.”

He moved past the topic and continued reviewing the document. Potter had some minor issues, but nothing so fatal that it would destroy his political career.

For example, he had a record of using call girls. They even found the prostitutes who had serviced Potter, but what use was that?

They had no direct evidence. Throughout the transaction, the call girls were led into a car with blacked-out windows and driven to a building.

After servicing Potter, they were driven away the same way. The only contact they had was during the service itself. Potter was not involved in commission payment or the arrangements.

This kind of accusation wouldn’t be enough to take Potter down, as there was no tangible proof. Even if a Supreme Court Justice sided with Senator Cleveland, the accusation could only be used as a reference, not fact.

”It looks like there’s no major issue.” Lance quickly finished the file and tossed it onto the desk. ”His family members haven’t even had an abortion, according to your investigation. He’s too clean.”

”But this very cleanliness suggests he has deeper secrets we haven’t uncovered. However, I doubt we could dig them out even if we tried.”

”He must have hidden them extremely well.”

Lance put down Potter’s file, then looked at the other candidates. Their files were of similar quality, though two were slightly weaker.

After reviewing all the files, he collected them, gave his men the rest of the day off, and headed to Senator Cleveland’s office.

Senator Cleveland was indeed not very busy these days, but his social calendar was full. With the general election approaching and Congressional seats facing a major adjustment, he wasn’t guaranteed to retain his important position and his ”veto power.”

Everyone was socializing frantically, hoping to gain even a sliver of insight into the ”future” from others.

Some sought intelligence, some made connections, and others were desperately making deals in the final moments of their power.

The entire political sphere was filled with a peculiar, raw, and unartistic atmosphere.

When Lance met Senator Cleveland, the Senator still smelled of liquor. It was just after lunchtime. Typically, drinking alcohol at lunch was avoided in the Federation, as liquor was reserved for dinner.

Dinner was a formal and important part of Federal social etiquette, unlike breakfast and lunch, which were merely functional. Hence, the dinner ritual was stronger.

Drinking at lunchtime suggested a politically charged meal—drinking to warm up the atmosphere and strengthen bonds.

The Senator scratched the hair behind his ear, then tore off his tie. He slumped onto the sofa, looking slightly disheveled.

”This is the situation my men investigated. You should take a look,” Lance said, sitting opposite him and handing over the file envelope.

Senator Cleveland glanced at it, then instructed his butler to bring him a hot towel. After applying the hot compress to his face for a few moments, he looked slightly more alert.

”Let me see.” He opened the envelope and took out the documents, specifically pulling out Potter’s file.

As he read, he spoke. ”Potter’s popularity within the Liberal Party is very high right now. He has likely already reached agreements with some people. Barring any accidents, he will probably win the nomination and officially become the Liberal Party’s Presidential candidate.”

”So... let me take a look.”

He read very quickly, likely due to his work habits. He was used to quickly skimming documents and extracting the necessary information.

In just ten minutes, he finished the file and tossed it onto the coffee table.

”It aligns with information I’ve received from other sources. He has no major flaws. Even his minor issues aren’t enough to sink his career.”

”I expected this, but I naively hoped they might have overlooked something.”

He lit a cigarette. Smoking after drinking offered a more pleasurable experience. ”To ensure his victory, his team and suppotters will definitely whitewash any past blemishes. It looks like controlling his term this way is unlikely to work.”

Senator Cleveland took two drags of his cigarette, looking at Lance twice during the process.

”I’ve investigated your situation.”

”Roland (the FBI Director) is backed by Potter and his associates.”

”I heard they are very confident about winning this election and are already planning for the next election. De-gangsterization is one of their core campaign slogans. You’ll soon see it in their speeches and advertisements.”

”This is a key component Potter’s team is using to build their campaign: lowering taxes for ordinary people, increasing their disposable income, de-gangsterization, and creating more jobs, along with other reforms.”

”Some of our friends mentioned that the Liberal Party might have larger, broader, long-term plans. They plan to use this election and subsequent re-election to ensure the successor also comes from the Liberal Party.”

”This would give them at least twelve, possibly sixteen, years in power—a long enough time to reverse the situation currently unfavorable to them.”

He was referring to the political conflict between the Liberal and Socialist Parties. They were once one, then split into two political groups. The Socialist Party secured long-term power, maximizing its influence.

Now, the Liberal Party aimed to replicate the Socialist Party’s strategy, creating a long-term governance plan to gain wider public support.

The subsequent political decisions would favor them.

Lance roughly understood. Ultimately, the gangs were just a bargaining chip placed on the table by the top politicians, a gambling table aimed at the public. Their chips were policy, and the public’s chips were themselves—public opinion.

These chips were clearly attractive. Lance himself agreed, believing that societal development would eventually make de-gangsterization commonplace.

Understanding and acceptance were two different things. Even though he knew this was coming, if the hammer fell on him, he would fight back.

”If we eliminate Potter, will the situation improve?” Lance asked.

Senator Cleveland’s expression subtly changed. He felt he was being very discreet. ”Yes, some of the policies centered on him might lose their current attention. You know, simply doing something and fully committing to it lead to completely different beginnings, processes, and results.”

”With a different person, they might still support de-gangsterization, but they would focus more on economic reforms.”

”I can’t say for sure, but this is a series of policies outlined by the Liberal Party Committee. Even if one part is de-prioritized, it remains part of the platform.”

Lance listened, then replied, ”So, even if it’s not Potter, the overall political direction won’t change much?”

Senator Cleveland did not deny it. ”Unless we manage to pull the President down from that carriage four years from now, and put one of our own back on!”

Lance rubbed the ruby ring on his finger. ”I have two ideas that might give you some insight.”

Senator Cleveland nodded. ”Please share.”

”First: Eliminate him.”

Senator Cleveland looked at Lance with an expression that screamed, ”Are you kidding me?” His mouth dropped open, but he slowly closed it, his expression shifting from shock and disbelief to thoughtful consideration.

”Physically eliminating the source of the trouble is always much simpler than solving the trouble itself,” Lance added.

”Since they have a ’perfect’ candidate, we smash that perfect candidate. They don’t have time to select and groom another perfect candidate now.”

Senator Cleveland raised his hand, seemingly contemplating whether such an action was necessary.

But Lance knew this was just a facade. The Senator had been subtly trying to lead him to this choice through hints and suggestions.

Lance was only voicing the words the Senator wanted to say. Why the pretense of deep, complex deliberation?

They were all acting. Even without a director, they couldn’t ignore the script.

Senator Cleveland was indeed contemplating this. They chose Potter because they wanted him to take office without flaws—at least, flaws that could get him pulled down due to his own problems.

A saying was very true: once a person reaches a certain status and class in society, secular laws no longer apply to them.

Murder, corruption, or more severe crimes could not be used as the justification or excuse for judging them.

The only things that could judge him were party infighting and political maneuvering!

Only people at the same level—a unified consensus of many people—could deliver ”divine punishment” upon him!

The Liberal Party would surely protect him fiercely, so there would be no divine punishment. Therefore, eliminating him before he took office and replacing him with a less reliable candidate might better serve their future plans.

But now, he wanted to hear Lance’s second idea.

”What else?”

”The second option is that he is clean, but we create problems for him.”

”If his family commits a crime, and he covers for them?”

Senator Cleveland considered this for a moment and said cautiously, ”That depends on the crime.”

”For instance... murder?”

”His son kills a prostitute while drunk. Potter, as a father, doesn’t want his son harmed, so he uses his power and influence to cover up the facts.”

”Or his wife uses his influence for fraud, and he covers that up after the fact.”

”Or... he has ties to foreigners and is exposed in a massive international scandal?”

Hearing these suggestions, Senator Cleveland gasped. ”Can you do all of that?”

Lance smiled, neither confirming nor denying, but his confident expression suggested he was certain he could.

Senator Cleveland looked agitated. ”If you can do this... then he would be the perfect candidate!”

”But you must guarantee you can pull it off!”

Lance nodded. ”During the election, he will try to cover up these issues for stability, at least for one of them.”

”As for the other two, we can implement them after he wins the election. It will be much easier then than now.”

Senator Cleveland’s previous decisions began to shift due to Lance’s suggestions. He stood up and paced the room. ”Do as you say, and do it quickly!”

”I will instruct the Governor to give you appropriate leeway. Get this done right, understood?”