Empire of Shadows

”...Director Roland believed there was some conflict of interest between Lance and the Perez Family . There have always been rumors of them fighting over certain things.”

”But because we lacked definitive evidence, perhaps Director Roland hoped to obtain some important clues or evidence by observing this attack.”

”As a fellow law enforcement agency, I chose to cooperate with the FBI’s operation. This is the reason the plaintiff’s attorney has been wanting to know.”

He stated this frankly, and his personal problems in this case were suddenly resolved. Cooperating with another law enforcement agency—this reason was plausible.

Then everything could be explained. It was like a famous magazine in the Federation called ”Psychic,” which introduced many psychics and their so-called true stories.

In the early years, many people were fooled, and this magazine also became a platform and a form of advertising.

Later, because its influence grew a bit too large, according to rumors, a certain big shot’s wife also came to believe in these psychics and, at their request, did some things that were detrimental to the family’s interests.

So this big shot was very angry, but he couldn’t just shut down the magazine or arrest these psychics.

Federal officials are all elected. Regardless of whether it’s true, public support is very important.

Any official who wants to go further in politics must grasp this point.Federal people are superstitious, they have faith. They believe their deceased family and friends go to heaven or hell, and these psychics who can communicate with the dead are clearly part of the real world.

Many people believed them. Forcing them down would only arouse public dissatisfaction. So, soon a major state-level newspaper began to publish articles exposing psychic scams.

When people realized that the miracles they thought were divine were just scientific tricks, they suddenly had a feeling of enlightenment.

It was just like the people in the gallery now, and all the people paying attention to this matter who didn’t know the truth.

There was no conspiracy, no hatred, at least not on the police chief’s side.

Once the case reached this point, there was no need to continue the trial. He just needed to provide some evidence, and the rest would be an investigation surrounding Roland .

Because he is a government employee, the investigation surrounding him would be taken over by professionals.

The moment the trial ended, this news flew out as if it had wings. Almost all media outlets and newspapers were reporting on it.

They weren’t discussing whether the police chief abused his power, but rather the limits of law enforcement for the FBI and all law enforcement agencies.

Without a doubt, this was a failed law enforcement operation, and the main person responsible was pointedly Director Roland of the FBI.

This Director Roland , who had recently been given honorary titles like ”Hero of Evil’sBane” by some media, was now exposed for these very unreasonable actions. This huge contrast not only detonated public discussion and attention but also sparked more investigation and curiosity about him from some people.

What kind of person could show so many different facets?

The public quickly split into two groups. Some people supported Director Roland’s actions. They also believed that although there was no evidence to prove Lance was a criminal group leader, everyone had heard he was a gang boss. To eradicate evil, doing this was acceptable and necessary.

The other group, guided by certain articles, developed a sense of worry.

If power can be indulged and abused like this, who will it ultimately harm?

Some articles reported on the innocent people injured in the firefight that day. Seven or eight passersby were hit by stray bullets while passing by. Some were seriously injured and are still unable to live independently.

Some were lightly injured and have already returned to their lives and jobs.

But their medical expenses and various other costs are still troubling them.

In addition, some cars were damaged, and some houses and shops were damaged. No one has compensated them for these losses.

And what led to all this was the indulgence of a gang firefight.

This also extended to another discussion: when in possession of criminal intelligence, should law enforcement prevent the crime from happening, or let the crime happen and then remedy it?

In short, Director Roland became famous, although he didn’t really want to be.

The FBI is not a place that can be in the spotlight. There are too many dark things hidden here. Once discovered, it will inevitably become a new news hotspot.

But he was in the spotlight, and his family was brought into it as well.

Including his long-term childless marriage, and various other things.

Roland was harassed, even in the Old City .

He knew Lance would definitely have a counter-move, but he didn’t expect it to come so quickly, and in this way—a way that drew national attention.

”Director, there are many reporters outside who want to interview you...” his subordinate stood at the office door, looking at him, only to be glared at.

This was clearly in anger. ”Get rid of them! Don’t let them disrupt our work. Find a lawyer to warn them, send them a lawyer’s letter.”

He walked somewhat agitatedly to the window. Many reporters were gathered outside the branch’s main entrance. They were clearly very eager to see him.

At this moment, the phone on the desk suddenly rang. He walked over and picked it up. ”This is Roland .”

”It’s me...”

The familiar voice from the receiver made Roland frown. ”I’ve told you, don’t call me when I’m working.”

”Whatever it is, we’ll talk about it tonight!”

He didn’t wait for the person on the other end to say anything and just hung up the phone.

The subordinate at the door shrank his neck and quickly left.

It was his wife who had called.

He had very complex feelings for this woman. You couldn’t call it love. There was also some resentment, and annoyance.

He disliked how this woman was always trying to seduce him, even though he also knew that he had wasted the best years of this woman’s life. But in the end, she had been willing.

It’s not that Director Roland was a saint. Like most men, he needed to release his sexual urges from time to time. But even if he went out to find a call girl, he would not sleep with that woman!

At this moment, on the other end of the line, the woman, who was much younger than Roland , had knuckles that turned white from gripping the phone too hard. She looked outside in terror. There were large numbers of reporters.

They were constantly pounding on the windows, the door, and making a racket, wanting her to accept their interview.

She had already called the police, but because this case was related to Director Roland , the police department was also very cautious. They only sent two officers over to maintain order, to prevent them from rushing into Director Roland’s home.

But as for doing anything more, they didn’t really dare.

These past few days, a rumor had been circulating in New Golden City ... ”the police are the FBI’s dogs.” Some fanatic and extreme news enthusiasts even held up highly insulting banners at the police station entrance to mock them.

Someone even custom-made a police uniform for their dog, then walked the dog back and forth in front of the police station, constantly making the dog greet its ”colleagues.”

In fact, in this era, people’s desire for entertainment and emotional release was stronger than ever before, or ever after.

This is an open and advanced society. People’s minds, due to various changes, have begun to become active, open, and craving individuality and social influence.

But this society lacks such a channel, lacks more forms of entertainment. When a flashpoint appears in public opinion, and many people start to participate, a carnival of public opinion begins.

In reality, this was, to a greater extent, an organized ”social violence,” collective social violence by the whole of society against an individual.

People’s desire for Director Roland’s personal details, privacy, and so on, allowed the media to see the power of monetization. Every link was fully playing its part, under the interference of some unseen forces.

Now they were no longer satisfied with just troubling Director Roland . They had also come to his home. His wife had also become an object of public attention.

This was supposed to be a story praised by people—the saved girl marrying the hero who saved her—but people found that this girl seemed very unhappy!

She appeared very dull, lifeless, rarely socialized, and they had no children.

Not having children was also an unacceptable thing for Federal people. If one of them couldn’t have children for some reason, that could be forgiven.

But a tabloid was the first to break a story, saying that Director Roland’s wife had an abortion after getting married.

Abortion is a very serious ”crime” in the Federation, because God told people they have no right to dispose of the little angels he sends to the world. So abortion is illegal. In many states, abortion has even evolved into a very profitable illegal business.

However, some areas do support abortion, but they conduct strict registration of every family that has one, ensuring the abortion ultimately doesn’t affect them.

This tabloid reporter obtained the records from that time: Director Roland took his wife to get an abortion.

This news once again detonated society. In this still predominantly conservative society, this was simply blasphemy!

Not to mention, the families of both Director Roland and his wife were devout believers. Including Director Roland himself, who in his youth, had also expressed that he was a devout believer.

These things he had said and done in the past were dug up one by one, forming an even larger phenomenon of public participation.

Someone ran over, smashed the house’s windows with bricks, and outside, cursed Director Roland’s wife as ”a vile bitch who defied God’s command.” Everything they did was making this woman unable to bear it.

The police wouldn’t do anything. She didn’t know who to call. Ever since the last time she tried everything to get pregnant, was discovered, and they had a huge fight, a clear crack had appeared in her relationship with Director Roland , one that couldn’t be repaired.

She didn’t know any of Director Roland’s subordinates, let alone proactively contact them for help. She was extremely helpless right now.

Actually, she knew. Director Roland probably had a real wife and children, otherwise, he wouldn’t be so repulsed by her.

Over the years, she had tried everything to change this, tried hard to become a qualified wife for him, but she never succeeded, and it only made the two grow further and further apart.

She herself didn’t know, this had already become her inner demon, an obsession. She was falling deeper into a hell that began with repaying a debt of gratitude!

In the end, it was her neighbor who couldn’t stand the noise and called the police. Only then did the police come and disperse the extremists and reporters at the door.

No longer feeling the surrounding noise, Roland’s wife finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Subsequently, they also reported this matter to Roland . Only then did Roland find out why his wife had suddenly called him.

He believed Lance was manipulating all of this from behind the scenes. Lance’s relentless pressure made him feel a sense of terror. He couldn’t describe it. That feeling constantly lingered around him, making him feel uneasy.

He couldn’t continue to react so passively. In the local investigation, Lance had almost no involvement in any crime. His liquor hadn’t even been transported over yet.

Even if it was transported, it would be useless.

As one of the defense providers, he had the right to produce and transport that liquor. He had a license. As long as there was no evidence to prove that it was Lance who transported the liquor here and sold it to those gangs, rather than the gangs stealing his liquor, then he was still not committing a crime.

Wanting to catch Lance’s tail... just following behind him was not enough. He had to take the initiative.

He stood by the window thinking for a long time, then returned to his desk and dialed Derrick’s (FBI Golden Port Branch Director) phone number.

”You’ve become a big celebrity!” Derrick’s relationship with him was relatively close. It was Director Roland who had chosen to promote Derrick, giving him a pull.

The two had a good relationship before. Now, although they were far apart, without the friction and conflicts that come from close contact, their relationship had actually gotten better.

”Don’t mention it. It’s really awful. I get a headache just seeing those reporters.”

”I’m calling you this time because I want to talk to you about Lance .”

Derrick quickly became serious. ”What do you want to talk about?”

Director Roland didn’t speak immediately, and his silence also let Derrick know that this was definitely not a good thing.

After about ten seconds, Director Roland spoke, ”I’ve been thinking for the past two days. Lance’s attacks have been fierce and fast, and we have been very passive.”

”This is because we are in a disadvantaged position. We are passively defending.”

”In war, the side that dares to attack always reaps more benefits, while those who only know how to defend will eventually lose every inch of ground beneath their feet!”

”We have been defending, constantly defending, constantly reacting passively. We are chasing this group of criminals all over the world!”

”Lance’s IQ is very high, and their gang’s discipline is very good. They hardly leave us anything useful.”

There is motive, there is execution, but there is no body, no weapon. A case cannot be filed. This is the most infuriating thing when facing these well-connected gangs and criminal groups.

The Lance Family has a real system for handling this. Director Roland even knew they had opened a ”Cleaner Company,” operating under the guise of exterminating rats, termites, and cockroaches, to quickly take over the cleanup work.

Because at this stage, pest extermination mainly uses toxic gas, as long as they pull up a cordon outside, and people see white smoke starting to rise, they will stay far away.

They won’t get close to observe what those people are carrying out of the house.

And some chemical agents will also destroy any traces that might be left at the scene. They carefully wipe every object that might have fingerprints, and use chemical agents to wipe every place stained with blood.

They are always very careful in their handling, leaving the scene with no value at all!

Facing such a systematic and large-scale criminal group, and their crimes... trying to follow them, you simply can’t keep up.

Director Roland knew this well, and Director Derrick, in Lance’s main territory, also knew this well.

”What do you plan to do?” When Director Derrick asked this, he couldn’t help but light a cigarette. He knew he would soon need a cigarette to calm his emotions.

Director Roland paused for a few more seconds. ”You said last time, you already have people who have infiltrated the Lance Family .”

”The periphery!” Director Derrick emphasized.

”Whether it’s the periphery or the inner circle, in short, he’s in, right?”

Although somewhat reluctant, Director Derrick still ”hmm-ed” in acknowledgment.

”Very good. I have a plan, and I need the help of these moles.”

”Instead of us always failing to find their criminal evidence, why don’t we directly create criminal evidence to frame them.”

”I know every gang’s methods for dealing with traitors are cruel. The Lance Family is the same. They like to carve words on the person’s body, then kill him, and hang him from a lamppost.”

”This is good. I need at least one mole to stand up, commit an act of betrayal against them, and then flee to a place we control.”

”As long as they make a move, we’ll bust them, grab them in the act.”

”With evidence, these people can be taken away by us for harsh interrogation. I don’t believe every one of them is a hard bone. If they really are, then I’ll break every bone they have!”

”Someone will eventually say what we want to know. These people’s confessions, their testimonies, will become the key for us to solve the Lance Family !”

Actually, at this moment, Director Roland could no longer tell if he truly had an obsession with cracking down on gang crime, or if it was just to prove to Lance , or others...

Evil cannot triumph over justice!

The other end of the phone, after a moment of silence, erupted—

”Fuck you!”