Empire of Shadows

The ringing of the telephone interrupted Lance's conversation with Chief Blue. Lance glanced at the phone, picked it up, and said, "This is Wanli Office."

"Mr. Lance?"

"I'm Roger!"

"I don't know how to say this, but I can't see any of the family's people on the streets now. Has something happened?"

Roger was a little nervous.

This book is first published on the entire network by 𝕥 𝕨 𝕜 𝕒 𝕟 . 𝕔 𝕠 𝕞

Today, he took a turn outside, but unexpectedly discovered that those people with red armbands who often appeared on the streets had suddenly disappeared!

This shocked him. Although the Chamber of Commerce didn't deduct his money, even if they disappeared, he wouldn't suffer any loss.

But at this time, he, like many people in the Imperial District, didn't want the Lance family to disappear.

The half-year period since the Lance family appeared can be said to be the most comfortable time in the Imperial District!

Although some vicious cases occasionally occur, they are basically much less than before.

No one is kidnapped and then their family is blackmailed, no girls suddenly disappear and are never seen again, and robbers on the road are basically invisible.

This is like a real civilized city. People are polite, no one swears, and no one holds a weapon and asks you to take out your money.

Everything is so beautiful, so beautiful that it feels a little unreal!

The house prices in the Imperial District, the Port District, and the Xilin District are the lowest in Jincheng, but it is in this half year.

Due to the excellent public security situation in the Imperial District, housing prices here have begun to show a significant increase, and its price has reached the level of the Creek Valley District.

Many people believe that in another two years, perhaps the housing prices in the Imperial District may touch the tail of the housing prices in the Prussia District.

This is what people yearn for, and the Federation and Federation life in their cognition, everything is hopeful, and everything has the possibility of realization.

But now, the people who maintain all this have disappeared!

Roger and others are inquiring about what happened. Fortunately, Lance's phone can still be reached, so he called immediately.

"Something happened, Roger, but don't worry, we won't leave."

"The reason you can't see them now is just that we have shrunk our forces to avoid being taken advantage of by our opponents."

"If you, or others, encounter trouble, call me again and I will arrange someone to help you solve it."

"Tell the friends in the Chamber of Commerce, don't run around recently. If there is nothing to do, it is best to stay near your home and don't go to other places."

"Especially at night, it's best to go back early to avoid accidents."

Roger wanted to ask more questions, but Lance didn't give him a chance to speak, "That's it, I have something else to do."

He hung up the phone and shook his head slightly. This old man was a little too sensitive.

Chief Blue flattered from the side, "Lance, everyone loves you!"

No one would hate flattery, as long as the technique is not too bad, no one would hate it.

Lance wouldn't hate it either. If someone says you're good, you can't say "I'm not good." That's not right, and it doesn't conform to the actual situation.

He raised his hand to signal Blue to stop there, "Let's talk about our business."

"Blue, can I trust you?"

Chief Blue nodded quickly, "I am absolutely loyal, Lance!"

A trace of a smile appeared on Lance's face. Since he killed John, Chief Blue's performance has become even more blatant.

However, this was within Lance's expectations. Submitting to the strong is actually a smart move, and there is no conflict between him and Chief Blue, but rather a good relationship.

When everyone is friends, you can be good to me and I can be good to you, but if you do things together, you must distinguish between superiors and subordinates.

It is impossible for Lance to be below him, and it is impossible for him to be so stupid as to think that just because he is the chief of a branch, he should be equal to Lance, or even higher than him.

So he directly expressed his position, using the word "loyalty!"

Loyalty to love is for husband and wife.

Loyalty to friendship is for brothers.

Loyalty to career can only be a superior-subordinate relationship!

He opened the cigarette case and threw a cigar over. He caught it in a fluster, "The five major families can't be counted on anymore, and the two councilors may also have encountered trouble, Blue, do you know?"

"The 'glory of the locals' that they have been promoting has now seemed to be crumbling!"

"When the old rules are broken, it is when the new rules appear."

Chief Blue skillfully cut a small opening in the cigar, and then started to bake the tobacco with fire. He was seriously doing this while thinking about what Lance said.

He looked at Lance, "You mean..."

"Everyone is writing the rules of Jincheng, and I want to too."

Chief Blue was stunned for a moment, and then quickly put his attention back on his hands. He took the cigar away from the alcohol lamp.

This was not for his own consumption, he was preparing it for Lance. Lance looked at him with a smile, and he returned the smile.

Lance reached out and picked up the cigar, put it close to the flame and took a puff. He pointed at Blue with the cigar in his hand, "Do you know what I like about you?"

He took another cigar and gave it to Blue. This time Blue was doing it for himself. As he was doing it, he said, "I'm not sure, maybe it's because I'm handsome?"

Both of them laughed. Chief Blue was not related to being handsome. He was an ordinary middle-aged federal man. He was not tall or strong, and there was nothing particularly impressive about him.

This was just his humor, and it could also be regarded as a reverse self-deprecation.

After laughing for a while, Lance said his answer, "You can do multiple-choice questions."

Chief Blue was a little puzzled, "I don't quite understand."

Lance leaned on the sofa, "ABCD, multiple-choice questions, maybe the options are sometimes a little less, sometimes a little more, but no matter how you choose, there will only be one correct answer."

"You can choose it, this is your advantage..."

He paused, "Charlie has resigned, and he still wants to control the police force. I don't like his approach."

"Tomorrow he will call you over for a meeting. I believe he will definitely say that you need to unite. I don't like his approach."

"Obviously the police force is a very powerful law enforcement department, but in recent years, under Charlie's control, what has the police force become?"

Lance spread his hands, with a look of disdain, "A bunch of lackeys who specialize in wiping the ass of the Bay Area!"

"Whether they want to deal with some difficult things, or solve some troubles for the workers, they will eventually push it to you."

"He has been a dog for too long, so that he has forgotten that he was originally a person, and he has also forgotten that only he is a dog."

"By the way, and Hunter."

"So I want to change it a bit, to make the police force stronger and more dynamic again, no longer anyone's lackey, tool, but to truly play the role of the police force."

It sounds ridiculous that a gang leader tells a branch chief that the police force should play the role of enforcing justice. Perhaps this is the most absurd scene of this era.

But it is also the most interesting and exciting scene of this era!

Chief Blue listened carefully to what Lance said. He took small sips of the cigar. In fact, he didn't eat cigars very often. It wasn't that he couldn't afford to eat them, but that he couldn't understand the fun of the bosses!

Because compared to directly inhaling the cigarette into the lungs, he was not used to this eating process that ended by stirring it in the mouth.

But today, he felt a little bit of pleasure, based on a better cigar.

Regarding what Charlie did, everyone actually has their own opinions, but no matter what, he is the boss of the Jincheng police system. Even if everyone knows that he has the nickname "Bay Area Hound", they still have to obey his management.

Those who did not obey have already seen the results.

Most people couldn't stand the targeting and left the police force. Some people were unwilling to leave, so they went to the farthest and worst places to do the hardest work.

As for the worst, they have disappeared quietly.

Obedience is a habit. After more than ten years, everyone has gotten used to it.

Lance suddenly mentioned that he wanted to make some changes now, and Chief Blue obviously had some thoughts and intentions. He took a small sip of the cigar, and the changes in the front, middle, and back flavors made him feel comfortable.

"How many police officers are there in Jincheng?" Lance asked suddenly.

Chief Blue was stunned for a moment, and immediately said, "Official statistics show that there are nearly four thousand people."

"There are also some治安官, temporary auxiliary police, adding up to about more than 10,000 people."

Lance pursed his lips, "If I double the income of these police officers, do you think they will listen to me?"

The first feeling Chief Blue had after hearing this was that it was impossible!

This is not dozens of police officers, hundreds of police officers, this is 10,000 police officers!

Even if the wages of those治安官 and auxiliary police are relatively low, they still have to be given more than thirty-five yuan, right? You can't let them do the most dangerous work and get wages that are not as good as ordinary work, right?

Then there is a series of welfare benefits issues. Even temporary police officers can take away about forty-five to fifty yuan from the city's finances every month.

Official police officers can take away about sixty yuan, which refers to including welfare benefits, not pure cash.

Only a small portion of the money obtained by the police station is distributed to temporary workers, and most of the money is distributed to official workers and deposited in the small treasury.

Even if calculated at an average of fifty-five yuan per person, this is a monthly expenditure of five hundred and fifty thousand!

He simply couldn't imagine what an astonishing expense this would be!

Bureau Chief Blue stared at him, feeling almost flustered, unsure of what to do with his hands. "I... This is an astounding number, Lance."

"You'd need to prepare at least six hundred thousand to double everyone's income!"

Lance smiled reservedly. "Blue, do you know why those tycoons in the Bay Area are always on top, while you, I'm sorry, I don't mean to say it like this, but do you know why you're always under their feet?"

Without waiting for Blue to answer, Lance said, "Because you never know how much this city is worth!"

Lance's bar already brings in hundreds of thousands each month, and he hasn't even continued expanding, plus the price of drinks is still going up.

If you include his other income, he's currently making a stable three hundred thousand a month, and that's just in the Empire District.

What if he took over more areas?

Like the downtown area with the strongest spending power, Prussia, Starlight District, or even the Bay Area!

How much could he earn in a month?

Two million?

Or three million?

And if you add in other income, like casinos, like... protecting those self-degrading girls, like smuggling, there are so many businesses!

How much money could he make each month?

He was shocked when he calculated it himself. In this era where the average income is only forty-odd dollars, earning millions a month seems like an outrageous thing.

But thirty years ago, someone already had a billion!

The world of wealth is always breathtaking. When you think a billion thirty years ago was a big deal, weren't those ancient kings and powerful officials all richer than a country?

Thinking about it like that, it seems like... millions of dollars in income each month isn't that difficult?

No, actually, it's a very difficult thing because to do it, Lance needs to fill the entire city with bars, he needs to monopolize most of King's Port City's highly profitable criminal businesses.

Why criminal businesses and not legitimate businesses?

Because with his current small size, it would be very troublesome to really run into those giant capital groups.

On the contrary, the big capitalists aren't interested in criminal businesses, which is why criminal organizations have fertile ground to survive.

But those are all far off. At this moment, Blue was somewhat intimidated by the confidence in Lance's words. He says he's very loyal to Lance, but on this issue, he's still hesitant.

Lance looked at him, appreciating the bewildered expression on his face. This is the best emotional management.

He's forcing himself to believe, but his reason and subconscious are resisting. Lance watched his expression twitch continuously and couldn't help but laugh, "There's no need to be so conflicted, Blue."

"What I can guarantee is that it won't be long before I can do all of this."

"You can leak a little of this news to your friends in the police force, but you also need to let them know that I'm not a philanthropist. I can't possibly double their salaries for no reason."

"If they want to get this money from me, there has to be some kind of quid pro quo, don't you think?"

Blue's attention quickly shifted from "Can Lance really get this much money?" to "Is there any profit in this for me?" and then he realized that there really was a profit!

He's Lance's good friend. If all the police in King's Port City leaned over to his side, wouldn't that mean... he would become the chief?

Not the precinct chief, but the chief of the King's Port City Police Department?

In a few short seconds, his expression went through several stages: "doubt," "shock," "realization," "joy," and finally, his face was full of smiles.

"I believe you, Lance. I believe you can do this more than anyone!"

"If they want to get this money, then they must offer their loyalty. We are not philanthropists!"

He quietly added himself to a "we," binding himself to Lance.

Lance didn't expose his little trick. "Yes, they must remain loyal to us. You understand quickly."

"Do you think they will offer their loyalty?"

Bureau Chief Blue began to seriously analyze the matter. "It might be a little difficult, but I believe they will make the right choice."

He knew the police officers in King's Port City, including the temporary workers, better than Lance. They were definitely not risking their lives for justice and the badge on their wide-brimmed hats. The only thing that could make them risk their lives was money.

Undeniably, some police officers do have a sense of justice, but Lance isn't trying to become independent. He just... wants the police officers to have a better life!

No one would refuse that!

The look in his eyes towards Lance became even more fervent. If he were a girl, or if he had a daughter or something, he would be willing to take his relationship with Lance a step further!

Lance laughed and scolded, "The look in your eyes isn't quite right, Blue."

"You go to the meeting tomorrow and listen to what they say, then see who is one of them and who can be won over."

"Next, we will annex the Port District, so in addition to these, you need to understand the situation of the Port District branch. Their branch chief just died, see who is in charge now."

"Win him over and tell him the benefits of joining us."

Bureau Chief Blue suddenly asked, "What if this person, or these people, disagree?"

Lance said as a matter of course, "Then change one!

"There will always be someone willing to work with us, Blue, don't worry about that, there are many opponents, but there are even more supporters!"

"What you need to consider is how to do things well, how to do the job well."

"You see, our people only didn't show up on the streets for a day, and they called to ask if something had happened, instead of calling you."

"This is what Charlie did during his tenure. He made people no longer trust the police, and what we have to do is reverse this and make people trust the police again."

"And also make the police, in people's eyes, no longer equated with the gang!"

Many people actually think that the current federal police are licensed gangs. They also extort merchants and blackmail passersby, stopping passersby for any reason and then searching them.

Framing or simply robbing, these people have no way to resist.

King's Port City is full of wealth, and if Lance wants this wealth, he will inevitably need a more stable King's Port City!

Bureau Chief Blue left with a belly full of thoughts. He was now full of energy, feeling several years younger. He now believed in Lance's ability to make a big career even more than Lance himself!

If he couldn't do it, how could he have thought of so many things?

Reorganizing the police industry, re-establishing the rules of the police, he seemed to have already seen a behind-the-scenes emperor about to be above everyone else, slowly extending his claws to the city...

No, that word isn't quite right, it should be spreading his gospel, the gospel of the new era!