Empire of Shadows

The combat captains gathered together. Ennio looked at them and couldn’t help but laugh again. ”I feel like we’re not a gang right now, we’re the police!”

Who would have thought that a group of men viewed as gang members would be gathering in police uniforms for a meeting?

It was a shame no one had a camera here; he would have insisted on a photo—a moment filled with history and laughter.

”I just spoke with Lance a little while ago. Hull was just attacked. He sustained some injuries, but thankfully, he’s fine.”

”This failed attack will change the dynamics of our fight against the Perez family.”

”We can consider a more aggressive offensive.”

”Therefore, I have a plan!”

He looked at the combat captains. ”We are going to sweep the Perez family’s businesses. No permanent occupation, no looting—just a sweep.”

”We’ll smash their doors, eliminate their men, and set fire to their properties...”

Meanwhile, a meeting was also underway at the FBI headquarters.Roland leaned back in his chair, tilted far back, appearing somewhat languid.

He had collected a good amount of dirt on both sides of the conflict, though he still hadn’t touched the individuals he most wanted, such as Fran and Lance. But he had secured some usable evidence.

For instance, they had obtained a photo of Hiram holding a gun and his firing posture. This evidence could be filed separately and potentially integrated into a larger, comprehensive lawsuit when necessary.

However, he was still unsatisfied with the current pace. He was listening to the agents’ report when he suddenly sat up straight, rapping his fingers on the table twice to stop the briefing.

”It’s too slow.”

The agent giving the report froze. ”Was my speaking pace too slow? I can try to speak faster and skip unnecessary details...”

”No!” Roland shook his head. ”I’m not talking about your pace. I’m talking about the speed of this operation.”

”Gentlemen, it’s already August. We have three months until the Presidential election results are announced, but there’s a high chance we won’t have dismantled the Lance and Perez family organizations before the President takes office.”

”This means we won’t be able to present the success of de-gangsterization as an achievement in the President’s inaugural speech.”

”So, we need to pick up the pace.”

One senior Agent Supervisor asked, ”How do we make them speed up?”

”Should we apply more pressure?”

”Or is there another method?”

Roland scanned the office, confirming that only his trusted men were present. ”We need to continuously intensify the conflict between them. They are currently too reserved.”

”Look, they’re playing some sort of turn-based game: ’You hit me, I hit you.’ Both sides seem to be trying to inflict maximum damage, and the losses are significant.”

”But, gentlemen, these are two enormous criminal organizations! The losses they are currently incurring are a mere fraction of their total assets!”

”Lance lost tens of thousands of dollars worth of goods, but his annual profit transfer is over a hundred million!”

”The Perez family reportedly lost millions in Maple Herb extract, but that is just one of many warehouses in the Federal central region.”

”Even the casualties are few—a few hundred men at most. That is trivial to them.”

”Their fighting isn’t intense enough. It needs to become much more violent!”

Everyone fell silent in contemplation. From the perspective of an ordinary person, or someone observing a normal gang, the current fighting was indeed serious.

But Roland’s critique made them feel that the two sides were still merely skirmishing, not fully committed to war.

However, one person offered a differing view. ”Fran is injured. They’re probably doing the best they can.”

Roland looked at the speaker, staring at him until the man shifted uncomfortably. He shook his head. ”You lack sensitivity.”

”If Fran’s injuries were this severe, and this was truly his decision, they would have already engaged in a full-scale war with the Lance family.”

”They wouldn’t care about the police restraints. The attack on Hull yesterday was the only thing that looked remotely like a serious gang move.”

”But because Fran is injured, and unable to return to the family, the intensity of their conflict is low.”

”If Fran had fully entrusted control to Bob, his chances of returning would be slim. Before he returns, the gunfight will be intense, but controlled.”

”We don’t need this kind of limited fighting. We need escalation, more violence, more evidence, and more grounds for prosecution!”

”Find a way to leak sensitive information about Lance to the Perez family, inciting a cadre to attack Lance.”

”Then, leak that same information to Lance, encouraging him to hit back harder.”

The senior Agent Supervisors exchanged glances. From Roland’s words, they realized the Director was now deeply invested in the outcome of this conflict.

They had suspected this was tied to the new President.

The election campaigns had started. The Federal Election storm was back. The FBI, as the new ”central law enforcement agency,” was responsible for campaign security.

This included assigning agents to protect Presidential candidates and ensuring no attacks occurred during campaign speeches.

They would also be deployed to monitor ballot boxes when necessary to prevent cheating.

The FBI’s jurisdiction had expanded significantly, and this power came at a cost.

Authority is never granted arbitrarily; someone made a trade-off and paid the price to secure this power.

They realized the price was Roland’s absolute loyalty and competence. What they stood to gain was the total resurgence of the FBI!

Everyone was highly motivated. This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Once people choose a side, their moral compass naturally aligns with their choice.

They accepted Roland’s plan—which essentially meant putting the FBI on the ground to deliberately instigate chaos—because it served the greater goal of justice.

Seeing no one object, Roland looked pleased. ”As long as we maintain unity, there is nothing in this world we cannot overcome!”

He spoke with deep sincerity, genuinely believing his own words.

”Arrange for the Perez family to attack Lance, then let Lance retaliate. We are only responsible for relaying sensitive information; we aren’t even directly engaging in the conflict.”

He held back some details. He was even considering arranging for Fran’s death. If Fran died, Bob would be in full control.

If Bob wanted to secure his position, he would have to avenge Fran—a gang tradition.

The person who avenges the previous leader is the one qualified to take the seat.

Even if the Perez family didn’t have that tradition, Bob would ensure they adopted it.

Whether for his own power or to avoid being purged later, he would have every reason to fight Lance to the death.

Roland dismissed the men after assigning their tasks. The senior Agent Supervisor who had defected to Lance showed no visible signs of distress.

He returned to his office to continue his work, responsible for monitoring the core members of both the Perez family and the Lance family across multiple cities, including Lance himself.

He had already completed several transactions with Lance and now had a deeper understanding of his ”generosity.”

The rumors were true: Lance was extremely generous to his friends.

He had accrued over $30,000 in ”hardship pay” from Lance, which flowed into his pocket through legal means.

Investment profits.

He bought into a private equity fund product and was lucky enough to receive a return. That was the cover.

Everything was plausible, with no obvious illegalities. The Federation did not prohibit government employees from engaging in commercial activities or financial investment.

After work, he went home, spent a few moments with his family, then changed into workout clothes for a jog on the street outside his community.

He did this regularly now. He was turning actions he disliked into habits to minimize the risk of exposure.

When he passed a public bench, he would sit down for a quick rest, then leave.

A few minutes later, another person would pass by, stop, and sit in the exact spot he had sat, stay for a while, and then leave.

As a senior Agent Supervisor, he knew how immense the FBI’s current authority was. They could tap any phone they wanted.

Personal privacy was irrelevant in the face of state power.

He didn’t know if Roland was tapping the phones of his senior Agent Supervisors. His deeper interaction with Roland revealed the Director’s dark side.

The once righteous and imposing Roland was now exposing many flaws up close.

Roland was certainly not a pure, heroic figure. He sometimes seemed more like a villain, using tactics that blurred the lines of justice and law, such as orchestrating the gang war.

Now, he planned to actively leak information to the Perez family, inciting them to assassinate Lance, all to escalate the conflict.

These actions, while seemingly pragmatic, carried real, long-lasting negative social consequences.

He felt Roland was crossing a line.

How could a person who used any means necessary, even disregarding the law, be a genuine force for good?

While he might be rationalizing his defection to Lance, his assessment of Roland was accurate.

Would a man who was so ruthless truly trust his inner circle?

He didn’t think so. So, he was careful, refusing to use the phone and relying on coded messages.

He wrote the message on a piece of paper and hid it in a small metal box, which he tucked into a gap connecting the armrest to the seat of the bench—difficult to notice, especially at night.

He then chewed gum and pressed it onto the bench. This signified that he had left a message there.

If someone saw the gum on the bench, they would retrieve the box.

Without the gum, no one would approach the bench.

The method wasn’t brilliant, but it was effective.

The small metal box was quickly delivered to Lance, who decoded the message.

After reading it, he shook his head slightly, then set the paper on fire.

He knew Director Ford (the senior Agent Supervisor) disliked Roland. He didn’t like him either.

No one would like Roland, except his new masters.

However, he took the warning seriously. He was deeply concerned about the possibility of the Perez family attempting to assassinate him.

Arrogance was the main cause of failure. He would learn the lesson and ensure he didn’t appear arrogant.

He then summoned Devon. The investigation into the Presidential candidates was mostly complete, and the cadres and captains were now idle.

”I have a task for you,” he said, opening his cigarette case and tossing a cigar to Devon.

Devon froze, then his face lit up with joy!

The rumor in the family was that if Lance called you into his office and gave you a cigar, it meant the organization had a new cadre!

Becoming a cadre meant not only a change in status but a symbol of power and an increase in income from the family’s businesses.

As a captain, Devon had about ten men under him, some of whom were his friends or local youths.

As a cadre, he could command three to five captains, controlling forty to fifty men, and he would earn more to support his larger team.

Lance never limited the number of captains a cadre could command or the number of subordinates a captain could have; it depended entirely on their ability.

The official gang members were paid by the family.

But the peripheral members were paid by the captains and cadres themselves.

Everyone wanted to become a cadre, to climb higher and go further. Devon was no exception.

He took a deep breath to calm himself, but his voice still trembled. ”What does the family need me to do?”

Lance pushed Roland’s personal file across the desk. ”This matter is troublesome, but only troublesome.”

”I truly dislike this man Roland. He presents himself as an emissary of justice, a clown who repeatedly tramples on justice and law. He is a phony.”

”He is currently planning an operation specifically targeting me...”

Seeing Devon’s sudden fury, Lance raised his hand. ”Since I know about this, I won’t let their plan succeed, but we can’t do nothing.”

”Passivity is not my habit. So, I need you to do something.”

”Find out everything about Roland, then deliver a warning to him. Make him understand that he is only the Director of the FBI.”

”He has to pay a heavy price to kill someone.”

”But we do not.”

”Maintain subtlety. Do you understand what I mean?”

Devon took a deep breath and nodded forcefully. ”I understand completely, Boss.”

”Good. Let me see what you can do. If you handle this brilliantly, I will promote you to cadre.”

Devon immediately stood up. ”Watch me, Boss. I won’t disappoint you!”

Leaving the office, Devon felt elated. At the same time, he was trying to figure out how to handle the assignment. He was so focused that he bumped into Alan, who was coming the other way.

”You look troubled?”

Devon first gasped, then nodded. ”I just received a mission.”

Alan immediately noticed the cigar in his hand and whistled. ”Congratulations. You’re going to be a cadre.”

Devon looked at the cigar in his hand and quickly put it in his pocket. ”Don’t tell anyone yet. I don’t know if I can pull this off.”

”I won’t say a word,” Alan promised. He didn’t ask what Lance’s task was. Although there was no explicit rule against it, everyone tacitly agreed not to inquire about each other’s work.

”But I will prepare a celebration party. I look forward to your good news. If you need anything, just call me.”

They embraced and separated. Devon was already formulating a plan.

He was highly skilled in interrogation, which meant he knew how to instill fear in others!

Both physical and psychological fear.

He immediately began investigating Roland, handling the investigation personally.

With Lance’s connections clearing the path, he quickly gathered information about Roland.

Roland’s family life was strange. He was engaged but not fully married. He had a fiancée whom he lived with for years, but they had no children and hadn’t wed.

This unusual situation immediately made Devon suspect Roland might have a secret illegitimate child.

His current fiancée was likely just a public facade.