Empire of Shadows

At past eight in the evening, Devon , full of excitement, dialed Lance’s phone number.

“Guess what I found?” His tone was very rapid, not from anxiety, but from excitement.

Lance’s voice, in contrast, was very calm, giving a sense of power, even though he wasn’t speaking loudly or emphasizing anything. “What?”

“One account is completely untraceable, but the other account... I tracked it to a woman and a child. They live in a middle-class community.”

“Tonight, she might have seen my car, and then the police came and searched the whole community very quickly. I feel like this situation is very wrong.”

“I’m thinking, is it possible this woman has some relationship with Roland ?”

Lance thought for a moment after hearing this. “It’s possible, but we can’t be so arbitrary in confirming it. Maybe it’s just his friend’s wife, or some other situation. You need to continue investigating.”

“Although we are the villains and bastards in people’s mouths, we can’t actually be villains and bastards. Every action, from its start to its end, has its reason.”

“Go investigate. Look into this woman’s family situation. See if it’s what you think.”

“If it is, tell me the answer, and then we’ll find a chance to do something.”

“By the way, you weren’t exposed, were you?”

Devon immediately gave a negative reply. “No, I went with a real estate agent under the guise of looking at a house. If they want to find trouble with me, they’ll have to find trouble with the agent first.”

This was one of the things Lance appreciated about Devon . He was a very meticulous person. If it had been a hothead like Hiram, he would have definitely found the community service company’s manager and ”talked” to him.

Although that method is very much in line with the gangster style, his methods and thinking are a bit too crude.

“I’ll wait for your good news. But be quick.”

Lance then hung up the phone and walked out of the room.

In the living room, two strangers were sitting on the sofa. They were dressed very appropriately, looked very polite, and were complete gentlemen.

But they were the same kind of people as Lance . They were all Federal gangsters.

“Sorry, I had an important call I had to take.” He walked to his seat and sat down. “Where were we?”

The middle-aged man in his thirties, sitting opposite him, said with a broad smile, “We were just talking about the ’council’ meeting at the end of the month. Mr. Clark wants to set the location for the council in Golden Port City this time, and he wants to invite you to attend as an important guest.”

The “council” he spoke of was certainly not a Federal government council or organization, but one spearheaded by the five major Federal families, connecting the more powerful gangs from various states to sit down for business discussions. It was held once every one or two years.

The original purpose of holding such a large-scale gang event was to standardize and plan the sphere of influence for each gang, to avoid conflicts.

But as its prestige grew, these gangs, which held leadership positions, soon began to set rules for the entire Federation’s gangs, such as rules for smuggling, human trafficking, Maple Herb , and various criminal activities.

“The industrialization, scaling, and integration of criminal activities” was the new standard proposed by these people at the gang council. These new standards strengthened cooperation between gangs, allowing the business of crime to enter a period of rapid development.

In its heyday, you could often see multiple large gangs cooperating across cities, or even across states, to pull off many major cases.

Like some of the more famous gold heists, they would even rob the armed Federal bank trains used to transport currency and gold!

However, in recent years, this cooperative relationship has gradually ”stabilized.” This is also because gangs are, after all, gangs. Greed, cruelty, and cunning are their nature. Due to some uneven splits of the spoils, the frequency and understanding of cooperation between members began to have problems.

Now, it’s purely a ”year-end meeting” for planning criminal activities and territory, and a chance to network.

In truth, Lance didn’t really want to attend. Showing off his success in front of a group of guys who couldn’t really make it to the big stage held no appeal for him. But since these people had extended the invitation, and were even planning to hold it in Golden Port City , their sincerity was clear. It wouldn’t be good for him to refuse, would it?

He nodded. “I have always heard about Mr. Clark’s deeds, but I have not yet met him in person. This should be a good opportunity for me to meet him.”

“In principle, I have no objection. I can arrange for the meeting to be held at the Golden Casino. It is the most luxurious casino here.”

“Meetings, accommodations, casino, entertainment, all in one place. I believe you all will like it.”

“Of course, I have one additional question: how will the expenses for the entire council be settled?”

Lance heard that over a hundred gang bosses or representatives were coming. Sometimes he found the brain circuits of these Federal gang bosses strange. If so many people gathered in one place and were rounded up in one go, wouldn’t the Federal gang business be set back twenty years?

And to do it with such fanfare, as if afraid people wouldn’t know. Were they afraid the police and the FBI wouldn’t keep an eye on them?

You have to remember, over in Gold State , Mr. Potter is still shouting about completely eradicating gangs and purifying society, and here they are, gathering for such an event. This might be a resounding slap in Mr. Potter’s face!

Hopefully, his expression won’t be too ugly!

The middle-aged man sitting opposite him smiled. “Mr. White, you don’t need to worry. All expenses will be covered by the Five Families.”

As he spoke, he seemed to remember something, “It’s the Four Families now!”

“I heard Mr. Clark say that they are considering letting you and the Lance Family fill the vacancy left by the Perez Family , to become the new Fifth Family of the Federation!”

This was a tempting proposition for any gang boss.

Just like a chef who doesn’t want to be a general isn’t a good soldier, a fool who doesn’t want to stand at the pinnacle of the gangster industry isn’t a good leader. Almost all gang bosses want to be among the Federal Five Families.

This is an affirmation of their career!

After so many years of criminal activity, there isn’t much recognition they can get from society. But ”The Five Families” is clearly a fine honor.

Lance considered it, then shook his head. “I haven’t thought about that for the time being.”

The middle-aged man opposite him was stunned. It was the first time he had heard someone uninterested in this honor. However, he didn’t press the issue.

Anyone tasked with communicating with a ”tough customer” like Lance would certainly not be a muscle-headed idiot. The fate of the Perez Family had already proven that.

“That’s too bad. This will be our loss!” he said, as if he truly meant it.

“Then... may I go back and contact Mr. Clark to convey your opinion?”

“About us holding this year’s council in Golden Port City , and inviting you as a special guest.”

Lance did not refuse, and nodded. “I would also like to network with my peers...”

The two men then got up and left. Lance glanced at the gifts they had brought. He felt this Mckaykin family understood a bit about human decency.

Of course, maybe they didn’t understand before, but they learned after seeing the fall of the Perez Family .

People always learn respect only after they first learn fear!

Within two days, Supervisor Ike was picked up by Roland’s men. It was a completely failed operation. It’s said that Director Roland even conducted a self-criticism within the bureau.

This news came from another Senior Agent Supervisor, Mr. Ford. Director Roland , in the meeting room, conducted a profound self-criticism of the series of failures over the past two or three months. He believed he had made serious errors of empiricism, as well as being too arrogant and conceited, which led to the series of operations not going smoothly.

This self-criticism surprised every supervisor, but it had to be said, it was very timely. Public opinion had already begun to question whether Director Roland was truly competent to be the FBI Director.

Although the decision on whether he kept his seat wasn’t made by public opinion, but by the President and Mr. Potter, public opinion could still influence judgment and was also a blow to his prestige within the system.

He needed to calm down, gather his emotions and thoughts, and start over.

The atmosphere within the bureau, which had been somewhat restless, stabilized because of his self-criticism. Director Roland has ability, good ideas, and strong execution. But unfortunately, he has too few cards and resources, and the opponent he has chosen for himself is too strong.

This situation isn’t really about his personal ability. It’s like asking an excellent person, with his bare hands and no tools, to complete the development from the Stone Age to the Industrial Age. It’s simply an impossible task!

It’s not that he can’t deal with Lance. He absolutely can.

With the FBI’s currently growing market and power, he is fully capable of becoming Lance’s biggest headache, instead of being a headache for himself.

But the problem is, this can’t be done in a short time. It’s impossible to get fatal leverage on Lance, and even send him and the people behind him to prison, in just three to five months, without any prior, thorough investigation!

It’s simply impossible!

Only by first dealing with Senator Cleveland’s group, preventing them from continuing to protect Lance and making Lance vulnerable to the law, can the FBI then use some not-so-legal, but not-quite-illegal, gray-area methods to continuously collect evidence.

Then, bit by bit, force Lance and the Lance Family into a corner, and then deliver a heavy blow.

This process might take three or four years, or even longer. It’s a job that requires energy and time, not something that can be done in a short period.

However, you can see from this that Director Roland is under a lot of pressure right now.

Lance had also created a lot of trouble for him. He was now back in New Golden City dealing with some investigations and accusations from the Prosecutor’s Office.

The police chief had ultimately thrown all the responsibility onto him. With Lance spending big money, the media was also questioning why the FBI, after obtaining news of the criminal action in advance, would still deliberately let Lance be attacked.

Added to the social phenomena sparked by people digging into Director Roland’s past, he is now being suspected of having a personal grudge against Lance and using his power to settle his own affairs.

As for why not keep it quiet? After all, this was an attack in New Golden City , and firearms were likely to be used. If it was ignored, it would have a certain impact on the ongoing election.

He had to both get his private revenge and show that law enforcement had control of the situation, which is why this happened.

Sometimes the media is better at connecting the dots than he is. If he had contacted the media before making these decisions and talked about his ideas, he might have had a better plan.

In short, he is in some trouble now. The prosecutor is investigating him personally, including his wife, who is also beginning to undergo a systematic review.

In addition, some extreme conservatives are accusing him of childlessness and making his wife have an abortion, which is suspected to be illegal. There are also some growing equal rights organizations claiming he is ”enslaving” his wife, calling it a more cruel form of domestic violence. His image in the Federation’s upper-class society is very poor right now.

If he can’t even control his home base at the FBI, his days will be even harder.

As for Lance ?

He can’t spare the attention for him right now.

This wasn’t much of a cause for celebration for Lance , because he had always held the initiative.

A few more days passed, and some gangs began to arrive in Golden Port City one after another. People also noticed that the Lance Family patrols on the streets had begun to increase.

They gathered in groups of three and five, spread throughout the city. Coupled with some strange rumors, the number of tourists in Golden Port City actually increased!

People all knew that Golden Port City was an especially safe city. The Lance Family being here wasn’t a secret, it was something that could be discussed openly, and they were very visible!

Everyone who came to Golden Port City , after leaving, would tell their family and friends about the magic of the place.

For example, if they lost their wallet here, or had it stolen, there was no need to call the police at all. Just find those men with the armbands.

These men were easy to identify, and they were very willing to help. Their efficiency was also much higher than the police.

Calling the police is actually a very stressful thing for ordinary Federal citizens. After all, you don’t know if the arriving police will shoot you first, or the criminal first.

Or maybe shoot both.

If you have a problem and a troublemaker, just get rid of one, and the problem is gone.

People wanted to see what those famous gang members looked like up close. Even many reporters from the Federal mainland came. They gathered outside the Golden Casino almost all day, constantly taking pictures of those checking in, who might be gang bosses.

“These people look like... I don’t want to use those uncivilized words.” Lance stood in the highest-floor office of the casino, holding a glass and looking through the floor-to-ceiling window at the small, flashing points of light below.

Each small point of light represented a reporter. Some people were on the red carpet, accepting the reporters’ photos. They even felt honored to be ableto show their faces to the entire Federal populace.

Melo , standing next to Lance , also looked at the people below. They had been with Lance for a long time, so they knew very well that Lance didn’t actually like being in the public eye so much.

And they, influenced by Lance , also didn’t like to act in a high-profile way.

Melo smiled and said, “Maybe everyone has a dream of being a star?”

Lance turned to look at him. “You too?”

Melo smiled and waved his hand. “I’ll just stick to being an honest man!”

Morris walked in from outside. “I’ve arranged it. You will hold the event in the conference room on the ninth floor. There’s a huge conference table there that can seat over a hundred people.”

The design concept for the Golden Casino all came from Lance . And all the ideas and thoughts Lance possessed came from another world, over a hundred years in the future.

An integrated, all-in-one casino is the major trend for future development. And it can’t just emphasize the casino, it must also emphasize its ”office nature.”

A common gambling addict, even if he tries his hardest, can only make the casino earn a few hundred or a few thousand.

But a public official with even a little power, or a corporate employee, as long as they dare to embezzle public funds, they can lose countless amounts of money to the company.

Cultivating more corporate users is very helpful for the casino’s image and development. In a tourist city like Golden Port City , having the best administrative work atmosphere in the best hotel... many large companies will book rooms here.

Enjoying a vacation while also getting work done, and by the way, playing a few hands in the casino.

Lance nodded. He sized up Morris’s complexion. “You look alright.”

Morris coughed twice. He shook his head. “Actually, not great. I can feel it.”

“Right now, I feel like I need to use a little effort to breathe. I went to the hospital for a check-up last time. The doctor said some of the scars inside my body are growing, and they’re affecting some normal organs.”

“I need to take medicine now. Sometimes I feel very irritable.”

Lance walked to the sofa and sat down. “They are already preparing over there. You can go over and take a look in a while.”

“They will arrange some tests for you, then help you find a suitable organ... carrier. You just have to wait for the surgery.”

Lance has a cooperative project with the medical group. They set up a medical laboratory in the Yalan region, specifically to overcome organ transplant technology.

The population in the Yalan region isn’t worth much. You can buy one for just a few dozen Federal Sols.

Organ transplants require good health, not looks, height, or anything like that. So, they aren’t picky about appearance, and the price is naturally not high.

The technology has gradually matured. The only thing left is to pick the one with the least rejection reaction.