Empire of Shadows

With the election imminent, the Presidential candidate nominated by Senator Cleveland’s faction failed to secure the nomination within the Socialist Party. However, this did not mean they would completely abandon the election and the potential profits it could bring.

It was like a poker game. They were all sitting at the table. Just because they lost their chance to be the dealer didn’t mean they wouldn’t bet when someone else was dealing.

They were a powerful group, and their bets could cause disruption and shifts in the election’s trajectory.

Many people believed the Liberal Party was guaranteed to win, but who could guarantee a 100% Liberal Party victory before the results were final?

No one could guarantee that outcome. Therefore, these politicians, who had already placed heavy bets, needed to gather as much intelligence as possible.

This time, Senator Cleveland’s faction did not intend to put forth maximum effort, so they weren’t sending out their own surveillance teams.

If it were the next election, or if they planned to go all-in, they would arrange for similar people to do the same thing:

Monitor more rivals and seek valuable information from their operations.

”Hand over the list of influential people. I’ll take care of them.”

”As for the Police Department and the FBI, I assume they are watching you, right?”It was a question, but he spoke with such certainty that he turned it into a declarative statement.

He knew why the FBI and the police were watching Lance: the de-gangsterization issue raised by Mr. Potter’s campaign.

Every presidential candidate delivered numerous speeches outlining their political platform. If elected, they would prioritize and solve those issues.

About 70% to 80% of the promises they made to the public were things they knew they couldn’t deliver.

For instance, candidates always brought up healthcare and education issues, but very few actually fulfilled those promises.

Yet, they had to mention them, because voters cared.

So, they needed a tactical approach, presenting other goals or actions that they could accomplish.

Just like Mr. Potter raising the issue of corruption. He wanted to correct the corrupt practices, but he was unlikely to succeed. That goal would only be used as a political tool against rivals.

If he failed to deliver, the public would be disappointed, harming his chances in the mid-term elections.

Therefore, he needed to show partial success in some areas to convince people that he had completed some of his promises and deserved more time to finish the rest.

Even though those remaining promises would likely never be completed, the Presidents rarely cared because they wouldn’t run again.

Compared to those difficult promises, de-gangsterization, while not easy, was highly visible to the public.

Facing Senator Cleveland’s probing, Lance did not respond with a casual tone but countered with a question. ”Senator, the FBI has too many privileges. Is it possible they are using the pretext of investigating me to gather intelligence on you and others?”

”We can’t rule out that possibility. After all, the FBI’s very creation was for political maneuvering.”

”It’s just that the previous Directors were incompetent. They didn’t want to offend anyone, so they never showed any real teeth.”

”I know Roland. He is an ambitious man who can endure a lot. He might not be willing to remain a pawn indefinitely.”

The previous Directors only targeted minor figures and ordinary citizens. They dared not touch politicians, especially those in Congress or the high echelons of the three major parties.

They didn’t even dare to monitor them or gather evidence, which was why the FBI remained an obscure agency.

Now, Roland had taken office and was actively consolidating power.

Senator Cleveland pondered this but neither fully agreed nor fully disagreed with Lance. ”We do need to be vigilant about that. I’ll need to think this over.”

”If the people you caught are harmless, let them go.”

”If they can’t be released easily, find a way to minimize the fallout. You know what to do.”

The Senator hung up, resting his hands on his chin, his eyes thoughtful and calculating.

He could tell Lance wanted to cause trouble for the FBI, and he was not opposed. In fact, he was somewhat supportive, as he felt he had been personally slighted.

Those people knew he was hosting important guests, yet they still monitored the building. Were they recording the guests? Were they recording other activities?

On the surface, this was ”official business” and not directly aimed at him, but inherently, these people had offended him.

Roland.

He curled his lip. He had previously felt neither strongly positive nor negative about Roland, but now, he disliked the man.

On the other side, Lance eliminated the uncooperative agents. Those who endured the interrogation and failed to break were let go. He treated the uncooperative ones harshly, knowing releasing them would expose him.

He was put in oil drums, filled with concrete, and dumped into the ocean, forgotten in a corner of the world.

This method of disposal was efficient.

Lance didn’t know if Senator Cleveland would act or how he would act, but he knew he had planted a thorn.

He reviewed the entire process, confirmed there were no leaks, and called Major General Bruni (an official in the Ministry of Defense).

”This is Bruni.”

”It’s me, Lance.”

”Lance?” Major General Bruni sounded surprised. ”I didn’t expect you to call.”

”Is something the matter?”

While Lance had a working relationship with the Ministry of Defense and had provided profit transfers, his ties weren’t as tight or as consolidated as his relationship with Congress. Their relationship was largely ”official business.”

The Ministry of Defense bought military supplies from him, and Lance gave them kickbacks.

However, the scope of this business was shrinking due to the end of the war and the necessary demobilization. This meant profits and kickbacks would decrease, making the reduced contact between him and the Ministry of Defense understandable.

Lance chuckled. ”A small matter. I just met with the Senator. He informed me the military is about to begin demobilization. I’ve been thinking about setting up a security company to hire some retired soldiers.”

”You know, given my close cooperation with the military and the Ministry of Defense, I understand that these people need a transition period after leaving the service.”

”I have made a good deal of money over the years, and I am willing to take on some responsibility.”

”I wanted to ask if this would be convenient.”

Major General Bruni was delighted. ”Convenient? Of course, it’s convenient! Why would it not be?”

”How many people do you plan to hire?”

If the average salary was $70 per person, he could hire between five thousand and ten thousand people.

This would ensure he still made a small profit annually.

However, he wouldn’t tell Brunie the full figure. ”Six thousand people.”

”Six thousand people?”

”Six thousand is not a small number. This matter... your timing is excellent. We are discussing this exact issue. How exactly do you plan to arrange this?”

The Ministry of Defense was certainly facing a headache. Many of these soldiers, especially the young ones, were coaxed and pressured into joining the army.

They had been disconnected from civilian life for years. Now, no longer needed, kicking them out immediately had already caused discontent.

Finding employment for these demobilized soldiers was a constant problem. Helping them transition back into normal work life was crucial.

Lance’s proactive suggestion could set a precedent and be a model for arranging work for retired soldiers.

Making him an example would make it easier to solve the remaining problems.

Lance knew this wasn’t a simple matter, so he suggested, ”We can meet and talk.”

Major General Bruni considered it. ”No problem, but I am busy today.”

”How about tomorrow? I have a meeting that starts at three o’clock and ends around 3:40 PM. We can meet then to discuss the details.”

Lance immediately agreed.

After hanging up, he called Ford (the senior Agent Supervisor). ”Tomorrow afternoon, around four o’clock, my motorcade will be outside Johnson Park. Leak this information immediately.”

Senior Agent Supervisor Ford paused, then agreed. ”Should the Perez family also know?”

”Otherwise?” Lance countered. ”Don’t mess this up. It’s important.”

The senior Agent Supervisor agreed, promising to execute the task perfectly.

Since being persuaded by his friend and receiving Lance’s first payment, he had been firmly tied to Lance.

Roland instructing him to monitor Lance and track his movements was now part of his job.

He quickly reported the situation to Roland: an informant stated Lance was going to Johnson Park tomorrow afternoon around four o’clock.

Roland praised Ford, then used his channels to leak the information to the Perez family.

The Perez family, who were plotting Lance’s assassination, received the information in less than ten minutes, and it was relayed to Bob.

”Is the source reliable?” Bob sounded somewhat surprised on the phone. He was unsure if the intelligence was genuine.

If Lance’s itinerary were so easily compromised, he surely wouldn’t be alive today.

But he thought again. The Perez family did have connections in the New Golden City, and this wasn’t Lance’s first time being attacked.

The Perez family member in charge of the assassination in the New Golden City vouched for the information’s reliability, claiming a trustworthy source.

He also assured Bob that even if the intelligence was false, they wouldn’t suffer any loss; it would only be a wasted trip.

Furthermore, the New Golden City police had a poor relationship with Lance, so they wouldn’t face trouble from law enforcement.

Listening to this, Bob ultimately approved the plan to try it.

If the news was true, even if they failed to eliminate Lance, they could give him an unforgettable lesson.

If the news was false, they would lose nothing.

With Bob’s approval, the Perez family members in the New Golden City immediately began preparing for the assassination attempt the next day.

The next afternoon, shortly after 3:10 PM, Lance’s car arrived outside the Ministry of Defense. By 3:30 PM, Major General Bruni’s meeting had ended.

Following Lance’s suggestion to ”find a place to talk,” Major General Bruni got into Lance’s car. Lance was to drive him back after their conversation.

Discussing such matters inside the Ministry of Defense wasn’t ideal. Too many eyes, and if he spent too long in his office with Lance, it might lead to rumors.

Major General Bruni, sitting in Lance’s luxurious armored car, patted the plush seat cushion. ”You certainly know how to live well.”

Lance chuckled. ”If you like it, I’ll send you one.”

This statement completely stunned Major General Bruni. He stared at Lance, wide-eyed. ”You’re making me consider it, honestly.”

”Has anyone ever told you that you are too... direct?”

Lance laughed heartily. ”Isn’t it better if we keep things simple?”

Major General Bruni thought for a moment, then laughed too. ”It is good.”

He paused, then began asking the questions he wanted answers to. ”How do you plan to employ these retired soldiers?”

Lance began outlining his ideas. ”We have many reconstruction plans on the Tanfit Continent. You know, our relationship with the locals there, including the Slad people, is complicated.”

”I hear there are local extremist groups in Slad who view us as invaders and spread hostile rhetoric.”

”These people could disrupt the work of Federal companies and threaten workers. So, I plan to establish a security company to protect Federal personnel and property on the Slad territory and the entire Tanfit Continent.”

”Because this task is inherently risky, they will need to be armed and maintain semi-military management.”

”Of course, I will pay them a satisfactory salary.”