Empire of Shadows

In the New Golden City’s largest square, Mr. Potter stood on the high podium. Below him were his supporters, waving flags bearing his campaign slogans or portrait. Their enthusiasm was as captivating as the damn hot weather.

Mr. Potter reveled in everything he enjoyed at this moment. The public support gave him the feeling that he was the center of the world!

He waved his arms at the voters. This was perhaps the most intimate moment between the Presidential candidate, the future President, and his constituents!

Only in this moment were their hearts tightly linked—

Mr. Potter hoped to do things to please these voters, and the voters hoped their support would help Mr. Potter gain power.

However, this scene wouldn’t last long. The moment he actually took office, after being sworn in as Federal President, everything would change.

The lower classes of the Federation perpetually failed to learn from the past. They elected President after President, but very few truly served their interests.

After each setback, they would rationalize the President’s betrayal, console themselves, and start the next round of the game.

Their failure to learn was, in another sense, the greatest tragedy of the lower-class voter.

They were powerless. They only had the right to accept, not to choose. When those in power made changes, all they could do was remain silent and comply.Just like this moment, the last moment, and every moment.

When the atmosphere reached the campaign team’s target, a staff member walked up to Mr. Potter, who was chatting warmly with voters, and quietly reminded him that he could begin.

He politely bid farewell to the group he was speaking with and returned to the podium, bowing slightly. A thunderous applause and cheering erupted.

He then stepped into his ”workstation” and raised his hands, speaking into the microphone, ”Quiet! Quiet down, my brothers and sisters!”

The voters below were mesmerized. The moment he spoke and made those gestures, they fell silent.

They seemed to forget their supposedly unbreakable spirit, the defiance that once made them curse even when being beaten by the police.

The crowd control was excellent. Mr. Potter nodded. ”I need to say something.”

”but what should I say?”

”Seeing you all, I actually don’t need to say much, because you are the best!”

”I don’t need encouragement, or anything else. You are all the best!”

”But I must say something, because I’ve been given a task. Today, right here!”

”So, I thought I’d start by discussing some recent events.”

He paused, glancing at the speech draft on the lectern. He had read the draft yesterday and briefly memorized it.

But he was an old man, and he could only vaguely remember the key points. The rest was mostly forgotten.

However, as a candidate poised to be a top politician, he had the necessary political skills.

The speech draft was different from those used at corporate meetings. The font was larger, and key phrases were highlighted in different colors.

For example, orange text was the core message of the paragraph, the points he should expand upon. Yellow text could be mentioned or skipped.

Green text was best ignored, and red text was absolutely forbidden.

Every important figure had their own way of interpreting things. If the speechwriter’s intended meaning conflicted with the speaker’s, the speaker only needed to remember the keywords and key sentences, adding their own commentary to deliver a relatively smooth, unscripted speech.

Mr. Potter quickly scanned the text, committing the keywords to memory. This demonstrated his political competence.

”A few days ago, you must have heard that a heinous attack occurred right here.”

”A gang attacked a legitimate businessman’s car, nearly threatening his life and the lives of other innocent citizens.”

”This is a blatant provocation to Federal law and social order.”

”This is precisely why I constantly emphasize that gangs contribute nothing to the stability of Federal society. They only destroy stability and productivity!”

He suddenly intensified his tone, linking the two events. He referred to Lance as a ”legitimate businessman” and omitted the fact that a Major General was in the car.

Mentioning the Major General would lead to too many questions: why was a high-ranking Ministry of Defense official in the same car as a private businessman who was attacked?

Was there some illicit deal happening?

To avoid offending the Ministry of Defense, Mr. Potter tactfully omitted the ”innocent citizen’s” sensitive identity.

He looked at the supporters below. ”The gang problem is long-standing. For many years, I’ve heard the most ridiculous claim: that gangs are an extension of the Federal government’s social management!”

”Some people actually believe the gangs exist to help the Federal government manage the country! That is utter nonsense!”

”I haven’t heard a funnier joke than that!”

”The Federal government does not need gangs to interfere with our national governance. Their existence is not benign. They are a tumor on the body of the Federal giant, and if we don’t cut them out, they will cause terrifying damage!”

”But many people don’t understand this, or rather, they understand but won’t say it.”

”I don’t know if there are deeper issues behind this incident, nor do I care if some people have colluded with the gangs. For me, de-gangsterization is essential regardless.”

”Otherwise, attacks like this will happen again, and more frequently.”

”Even ordinary citizens, innocent passersby, could be implicated, or even killed for being witnesses.”

”Social stability should not be this fragile. Social order should not be this chaotic. Cracking down on gangs and crime will be my top priority once I take office!”

”I will rescue the entire Federation from this unhealthy social structure. There will be no more gangs, no more extortion, no more violent crime.”

”Starting today!”

Mr. Potter passionately delivered the only part of his platform that was low-cost and high-impact: de-gangsterization.

Compared to genuinely tackling corruption, reforming healthcare, education, social security, and civil service—issues that affected many interests and guaranteed conflict—

De-gangsterization and crime crackdown offered the best results for the least cost.

Many people watched the public speech. Mr. Potter’s speech served as a wake-up call: society was changing, and the ”Era of the Big Gangs” was ending. Therefore, officials, celebrities, and politicians who had ties to gangs had to adjust their methods and attitudes.

This was not solely Mr. Potter’s idea; it was society’s demand.

The public desperately craved a stable, peaceful social order, which was why these policies gained traction.

The gangs, who rarely cared about politics, were unaware that a massive, nationwide crackdown on crime was imminent!

Meanwhile, in Old City, Lance and Director Roland had a brief, friendly ”chat.”

Director Roland’s presence on the front lines was requested by Mr. Potter’s faction, who wanted a trusted, centrally controlled law enforcement agency to infiltrate state and city level authorities and act on their behalf.

This would strengthen Mr. Potter’s control over the Federation. He did not want to be like previous Presidents who were helpless against Governors or Mayors.

He needed the FBI to be his sharp blade, and the blade, conveniently, needed a master. The two aligned perfectly.

The operation against the Perez family held immense significance for the FBI.

First, the Perez family was one of the infamous, long-established Federal Five Families.

Targeting them first would immediately create a huge public reaction if they were eliminated.

Fighting a small gang that no one had heard of wouldn’t impress voters; they would assume the FBI was wasting taxpayer money.

Given the recent tax reform, where even beggars were now taxpayers, voters were scrutinizing spending.

This was a good chance for Mr. Potter to campaign. He decided to use this opportunity for a major statement.

If the long-established Five Families could be eliminated at his request, he would gain massive public support!

Public opinion translated to votes, and votes meant victory. This operation could not fail. Even if Roland was reluctant, he had to stand with Lance.

This could be viewed as Mr. Potter’s way of protecting Roland and the FBI.

But it also subtly signaled a lack of complete trust in their competence.

The FBI had only recently become a proper law enforcement agency, and Mr. Potter was concerned about their ability to complete this arduous task.

If they were defeated by the gangs, it would be a humiliation for the FBI and a massive embarrassment for the future President.

So, the operation had to be executed without error.

He wasn’t the President yet, nor was he a Governor. He couldn’t deploy the militia or the Federal army. He could only rely on the Lance family—the aggressive group that had consistently humiliated the Perez family—to implement the plan.

This was a partnership between a gang and the FBI.

”What do you plan to do next?” Roland, seated opposite Lance, asked the question.

The room, filled with Lance’s men and FBI agents, was silent. The agents looked at Lance with inquiry and curiosity.

This was a surreal day for them: sitting at the same table as Lance, discussing the elimination of another gang.

It was ridiculous, and everyone knew it.

But that was politics—a form of unintelligible wisdom hidden within the absurdity.

Lance did not answer directly, throwing the question back at Roland. ”What do you propose? I’ll listen to your plan first. After all, when it comes to dealing with gangs...” He glanced at the senior Agent Supervisors, ”...you are the professionals.”

Some agents’ expressions hardened. This was a clear provocation directed right at them!

They were furious but remained silent out of respect for Roland’s high status and Lance’s own formidable reputation.

Director Roland chuckled, choosing to ignore Lance’s inflammatory remarks. ”The local police department should have criminal files on the Perez family. We can use those files to arrest them.”

”I believe we can use these individuals to extract more information about the family’s criminal activities, which would implicate a wider network.”

”Even if some remain tight-lipped, others are bound to crack under pressure.”

This was also a subtle counter-attack. He was reminding Lance that not everyone in the Lance family was unbreakable and that many would turn when faced with threats or incentives.

Lance smiled. ”That’s a good method, but it doesn’t apply now.”

”Your...” He paused. ”Mr. Potter wants this resolved quickly. If you investigate slowly, you might still be investigating next year.”

”A gang of tens of thousands, Director Roland. Have you considered what the men you truly want to catch will be doing while you are slowly investigating those with minor offenses?”

”I don’t mean to underestimate you, but you know nothing about the Perez family.”

”Your plan is entirely based on ’I think so.’”

Roland did not get angry, maintaining his calm, smiling demeanor. ”Then what do you propose we do?”

Lance slid the ashtray toward himself and tapped the ash out of his cigarette. ”Hit them directly!”