Empire of Shadows

Downstairs, an even longer motorcade of luxury cars slowly pulled up to the main entrance. As the door of the main car opened, a large number of uniformly dressed gang members quickly got out and spread out.

The moment Clark Mckaykin stepped out of this customized, extended luxury sedan worth tens of thousands of dollars, the reporters’ flashes nearly blinded him.

He was wearing sunglasses and was psychologically prepared, but he was still knocked down by the media’s enthusiasm.

He adjusted his attire and quickly walked across the red carpet. The surrounding people, who were exclaiming, and the reporters with cameras shouting ”Look this way, sir,” gave Mr. Clark an unprecedented... feeling.

At this moment, he wasn’t the gang boss who made people’s expressions change when they mentioned him. He was supposed to be a star or something. He was very curious, why was people’s attitude toward him so different here?

Was it perhaps... related to the Lance Family ?

He had heard that the people of this city were very supportive, one might even say they adored the Lance Family , treating them like saviors.

Therefore, they were not afraid of gangs.

Mr. Clark quickly crossed the red carpet and entered the hotel. Someone immediately came to guide him to his room.

Lance had arranged the best suites, the Presidential Suites, for these few large gang organizations.

In any case, they were settling their own room bills, so the one-thousand-two-hundred-dollar-a-day rooms were arranged for them.

The rest, depending on their reputation, were arranged in suites of varying sizes, the cheaper ones costing two or three hundred, and the more expensive ones five or six, or seven or eight hundred.

In the lobby, Mr. Clark saw some old friends.

Walking toward him was Kevin, the head of the Byrne family, one of the five major Federal families.

The two had a decent relationship, mainly because they had no conflicts in business. They hugged each other. ”You always used to be earlier, but this time you’re later than me!”

Mr. Clark smiled and released him, not forgetting to explain, ”I had to solve a little trouble before coming. And I’ve already rushed here as fast as I could. I heard you’ve been here for a day?”

”How is it? What’s the difference between here and our side?”

There was still a big difference between the Federal South and North. Culture, social ideology, and all sorts of aspects were quite different.

Kevin shook his head. ”No, the people here are very friendly, and the city is very well-developed. If I could, I’d hope to retire here.”

”I like the beaches here, and the casino. You should really try it... before you know it, you’ll be in there until midnight!”

Last night, Mr. Kevin had lost over a hundred thousand dollars in the casino. Although he was cursing when he realized it, he didn’t make trouble here.

After all, this was Lance’s territory. Making trouble for him in Lance’s casino was equivalent to making trouble for himself.

This was a young man who was not easy to deal with or provoke. Everyone now had a clear understanding of this.

However, this also made him realize that perhaps the Byrne family could also find a way to run a casino. He had just done a rough calculation; the daily profit was an astonishing number!

Besides the casino, there was everything else that could make a person happy: wine, sex, all kinds of performances, entertainment, acrobatics, and even indoor circus performances and opera.

They could even get some stars. Of course, this wasn’t by force, but a transaction between both parties.

In Creek Valley City , there were many minor stars who might have shot one or two movies, but the reception was mediocre, and they were quickly eliminated by the market.

After years of development, the Federation’s film industry had gradually matured. People realized that after the ”land rush” was over, if you wanted to get famous, to become a big star, you definitely needed the blessing of capital.

One movie might not make you famous, but two movies, three movies, or even a movie every month... there was always a way to attract more attention and gain more support.

And all this required someone to be willing to support them.

Most of these young actors who wanted to be stars came from ordinary families. They came to make it big with dreams of becoming a superstar, and then ran into a wall.

So at this time, if someone could help them out, they were very willing.

The talent agencies were also very happy to facilitate such things. After all, only when the artists they signed worked and made money could they take their cut. So, basically, most agencies also moonlighted as pimps.

And the main targets, besides those capitalists and entrepreneurs, also had some arrangements here in Golden Port City .

Just like some small agencies, they would promise their artists and models that as long as they responded to a few ”call” jobs and saved up enough money, they would shoot a new movie and let them star in it.

The price of a star ranged from two thousand to tens of thousands. For the poor, this might just be a rumor, but for the gentlemen staying in rooms costing hundreds a night, this was their diversion.

The two chatted about the beauty of this place while greeting the people around them.

They got on the elevator and went to a relatively high floor. Mr. Kevin didn’t bother Clark any further, but told him there would be a simple dinner party tonight for everyone to meet.

Then tomorrow afternoon, the council meeting would officially begin.

Many people in the Federation were paying attention to this first semi-public gang council. It was also the first time people knew that these gangs would team up.

Even Senator Cleveland made a special call to ask about it.

”...What are you thinking?” Senator Cleveland asked. ”Want to give Potter a hard time?”

In Senator Cleveland’s view, these gangs gathering at this time was clearly to embarrass Mr. Potter . Potter was vigorously promoting anti-gang policies, and here the gangs were, gathering in great numbers. It was said to be a massive event. This was equivalent to a direct confrontation.

Lance didn’t see it that way. ”This is just their normal behavior. They gather once every one or two years. I think the reason they’re holding this gang council so high-profile this time is likely because they’re feeling the pressure from Potter’s side.”

”The fall of the Perez Family only happened a few months ago. There were no signs before that. This is a huge threat and intimidation to them.”

”Think about it. Their supposedly solid enterprise was toppled with a single push by a Federal government resolution. How could they not be afraid?”

Senator Cleveland thought for a moment after hearing this. ”You have a point. It seems the Perez Family incident put too much pressure on them.”

This made him think of more things.

Internally, when they were discussing it within the government, people like Senator Cleveland believed that ”de-gangsterization” could be done, but it couldn’t be done with such fanfare.

You have to remember, the main force for suppressing Federal public strikes and riots is the gangs, not the police or other law enforcement. Once the gangs are gone, or if they are hit too hard, then the labor forces will rise again.

The Labor Federation and the General Union are quiet now, partly because the economy is on the upswing, jobs are plentiful, almost all workers have jobs, and their incomes have significantly increased.

So it’s hard to incite workers to march, demonstrate, or strike.

But this won’t last long, because the Labor Party has already confirmed they will take two seats in Congress after Mr. Potter takes office—the selection of senators is put forward by the state government and state legislators.

The Labor Party has already taken a small state. Although it’s small, it can still contribute two senators.

After two Labor Party senators enter Congress, they won’t have much of an effect on their own. But to gain more political influence, they will definitely find ways to play the cards in their hands.

At that time, the union forces will experience a round of recovery and expansion.

The best way to restrain them is to use gangs. Gangs don’t need evidence to deal with them, nor do they need to find reasons. As long as they see them not at their workstations, taking to the streets, gathering, they just violently disperse them.

This method is irreplaceable. But now, Mr. Potter is so actively using anti-gang policies as a platform, which will only gradually tilt this ”balance.”

Now that these gangs are actively banding together, perhaps it’s a good thing.

However, Senator Cleveland still gave a reminder, ”Don’t be too high-profile.”

”I know...”

He wasn’t too worried about Lance . Lance’s abilities meant he didn’t need to worry about these things.

That evening, in the huge banquet hall on the fifth floor of the Golden Casino, Lance hosted a simple dinner party. A large amount of exquisite food was piled on the dining tables. All the participants were gang bosses and their entourages; no one else was there.

With the arrival of Lance and the other Four Families, the atmosphere reached its peak. Many people had only heard of Lance until their ears were calloused, but this was the first time they were seeing him.

They were amazed by Lance’s youth, and also impressed by his methods and abilities.

They didn’t chat about anything profound at the dinner party. After all, people were constantly coming over to meet Lance . Each person’s chat time was within one or two minutes.

Even so, he spent the entire hour-plus-long dinner party in the process of constantly meeting new friends.

The night passed without incident. The next morning, Lance was enjoying breakfast while reading the news from the Federal Post.

This article was on the third page. The first page was still about Mr. Potter . According to the polls from the three major survey agencies, Mr. Potter’s approval rating was already at 70%.

This approval rating basically locked in his high probability of winning this election. This was definitely a very important node and poll result, so putting it on the front page was very appropriate.

The front-page photo was a snapshot of Mr. Potter waving his arm at a podium, giving a sense of power.

The second page discussed speculation about minor adjustments in Congress. Previously, the Socialist Party had occupied more than 60% of the seats, so it was their echo chamber.

But this time, if Mr. Potter wins, it’s clear the situation of the Socialist Party’s complete dominance will be reversed. The Post’s editor-in-chief believed the Liberal Party’s seats might exceed half. And with the Labor Party’s two seats, the Socialist Party, after losing the important position of Majority Leader, might also lose the Speaker position.

This also signaled the full retreat of the Socialist Party’s power in Congress. A new era dominated by the Liberal Party was coming. Many people felt this would be a new leap forward for the Federation!

At this time, no one discussed that the foundation for this takeoff was the war victory, a victory presided over by the Socialist Party. People always forget the past, and can only see the little bit of the future right in front of them.

And the third page was about this almost completely public gang council. It used a large number of photos and articles to introduce the members participating, and the families behind them.

Gangs were not a ”forbidden” topic in this era. The level of discussion was always high. And gangs were all around people; this was a fact no one could deny.

The public’s tolerance for gangs was also very high. After all, maybe your neighbor, your friend, was a gang member. Their figures were in all walks of life. They were like the ”shadow of the Federal government.” Although there was no direct relationship between the two, they were both intervening, influencing, and even managing the operation of society in their own ways.

Aside from the already-killed Bob and Fran , the representatives of the remaining Four Families were placed at the top. Then came the most famous gangs from each state, and some specially mentioned city-overlord-level gangs.

Lance read these reports very seriously. The reporter who wrote this article knew more about these gangs than he did. It was clearly a reporter who often covered gang news.

”...For the Federation’s mafia organizations to gather so openly is a first in Federal history. From a side perspective, their gathering may have a certain impact on the Federation’s entire social order.”

”In a general environment where ’de-gangsterization’ is gradually being understood, comprehended, and accepted by people, this gathering may also be to cope with this issue.”

”Any policy should have a process, rather than being forcibly pushed. We need to give the whole society a process to adapt, otherwise it may bring disastrous consequences.”

You couldn’t say it was well-written, but it had a very typical ”predictive viewpoint.” This was also one of the favorite things people in Federal politics do—I knew this would happen, but you still did it!

In two or three years, when some big incident occurs, this report will be taken out and placed in front of people again. Then they will use this newspaper’s content to fire cannons at Mr. Potter , who should be president by then.

Although you couldn’t say it was fatal, it was definitely a heavy blow.

The main report did not introduce Lance . After all, Lance himself was not considered a gang boss. Of course, this was also related to the Post actively omitting him.

But another newspaper, the Federal Daily, the oldest in the Federation, did include Lance . The reporter threw the question to society, and at the end of the article, asked every reader what role they thought Lance was, and what role he played in this.

Lance , who was reading the paper, heard footsteps. He looked up at Melo , who was walking in. Melo’s face was slightly grim, which made Lance put down the paper. ”It seems someone doesn’t want me to have a good morning.”

Melo nodded. ”Two guys who came for the council lost their tempers in the casino and beat up another guest at the same table...”

A place like a casino... even if you go in thinking you’ll only spend a hundred dollars.

The moment you really sit down at the table, unless your pockets are empty, as long as you lose money, you will keep putting more on the table.

Whether it’s the Golden Port Casino or the Golden Casino, exchanging chips is very convenient. So basically, once people sit down, they either leave fully loaded, or with empty pockets.

These two gambling addicts were being used as a lighthouse by another player at the table. They bet big, the other guy bet small.

They bet small, the other guy bet big. And the key was, they were indeed losing more than winning.

When a person loses money or wins money, they will definitely lose some control of their emotions. The degree of losing control is greater when losing.

After all, losing money is very frustrating, and then to be targeted like that.

The two sides quickly got into a verbal argument. Immediately after, the two guys couldn’t help but start throwing punches. They pinned the other guest to the ground and hammered him. Not only that, but one of them used a dagger to stab the guest’s thigh.

The casino security came quickly, but no matter how fast, it still took thirty or fifty seconds.

It all happened in that short time. Now the injured guest has been sent to the hospital, and the two men have been detained.

”So?” Lance was a bit curious after hearing this. ”Just handle it according to the rules, isn’t that enough?”

Melo scratched his head. ”Someone came to plead for them.”

Lance nodded thoughtfully. ”There are always people who want to test the waters.”

He picked up a sandwich and took a bite. ”After the injured guest’s wound is bandaged, bring him back.”

”Although those two guys are my guests, on my territory, not following my rules is disrespecting me.”

”Why should I give face to people who don’t give me face?”

Soon, the guest who had been stabbed was brought back in a wheelchair. The injury wasn’t serious; it hadn’t hit any blood vessels, bones, or nerves. It was purely a flesh wound, and this guest was relatively fat, with plenty of meat on his leg.

After being disinfected, cleaned, and stitched up, it was basically over.

When he saw Lance , his eyes quickly filled with tears. ”Mr. Lance , please, you must give me justice!”