Empire of Shadows

After returning from Lance's office, many of the young people there were asking Allen what Lance had called him in for.

Allen handled his interpersonal relationships well among these young people, and he had saved Elvin. Everyone knew about this. Although he wasn't yet a captain, just an ordinary member, no one would underestimate him.

As long as Elvin was alive, as long as Lance and Elvin's relationship remained good, then Allen would definitely be valued by these two people.

But opportunities like being directly called to Lance's office today were rare.

Sometimes others would come to inform them what to do, or a captain would come and take some people away. Lance didn't often directly issue instructions to them.

That's why they were curious about why Lance had called Allen.

Allen had an undisguised smile on his face. He pursed his lips, not revealing the truth, "There's something I need to do. The captains all have their own work right now."

"I need a few people to cooperate with me."

He looked at the people who had all stood up and pointed to two guys who had a good relationship with him. Finally, his gaze wandered back and forth several times before landing on a newcomer named Beno.

This young man, Beno, had only joined the Lance family for two months, but he was already able to become good friends with everyone and could talk to anyone.

He was cheerful and outgoing, but not the very assertive type.

Unlike some people who insist on making themselves the "core" in people's eyes, wanting everyone to revolve around them.

Beno was a very easy-going guy and suitable to be a friend. No one would refuse to become friends with him.

So he finally called Beno's name.

Beno waved his fist, "I knew you wouldn't forget me, Allen."

He bumped fists with Allen. Both were young people and could chat, and their relationship had always been good.

"Are we leaving now?"

Having found three people, that was enough manpower. This was just a small matter. Allen didn't plan to find too many people. The Imperial District hadn't been very peaceful recently, and Lance could launch an attack on the Wolf Gang and the port area at any time. Three people to help him was enough.

They went to the gunsmith to collect the weapons needed for this job—

Four alloy baseball bats from the sailboat team and a 1212 semi-automatic pistol.

Allen carried the pistol, and everyone had a baseball bat.

Before establishing the family rules, Lance understood a principle very well: when a person faces offense, as long as he has a weapon in his arms that can be used to kill the other party, then he will not choose to back down!

Especially young people, who often do some extreme things in the heat of the moment.

Lance didn't want the Lance family to become "fear" itself, didn't want people to show worry and tolerance when they talked about them, so except for special operations where firefights were inevitable, only captains and the like were equipped with guns during ordinary tasks, just in case.

After getting the weapons, the group went to Melo to collect the funds, five hundred dollars, which was already a lot in this era.

And a car.

The four drove towards the industrial area, and along the way, Allen was telling them about the task for this job.

"Find out the guy, or company, that's causing trouble for the factory behind the scenes, and then wait for Lance's instructions."

Allen clearly assigned the process of this job, so naturally, everyone had no objection. It was a very simple job.

After get off work in the evening, the workers in the factory left their jobs, and these workers were clearly divided into two parts.

One part was a small group, but this small group was obviously more attractive because people were constantly joining them.

The other group seemed more scattered, walking in groups of twos and threes.

Those who looked more united were composed of skilled workers and union workers, while many of those in the loose part were people from Lance's office.

They didn't have their own work cards and were unwilling to pay union dues, nor were they qualified to pay.

Not everyone can pay dues to become a union member. First of all, you must have your own work card, and this step blocked all illegal immigrants from joining the union.

In fact, this is a very wrong expression. Workers' unity doesn't mean "union workers unite together," it should be "the working class unites together."

Obviously, the people who first shouted these slogans, as well as the later established labor federations and various industry unions, have gradually deviated from their original track.

Several workers separated at the intersection, and they didn't notice that a car had been following them all along.

One of the guys walked alone towards another road, and Allen decided it was him.

The car accelerated and stopped a little ahead of him. The movement made the worker curse a few words in his heart, although he didn't say anything.

He yearned to become such a person while cursing these people. This was actually very common.

After the three got out, they all looked at him. Although the worker didn't know why they seemed to be looking for him, as a citizen of the Federation and a resident of Jincheng, his first thought was to run!

He turned around and ran back the way he came almost without any hesitation. Allen cursed. Before he could even run, Beno rushed out at extreme speed!

In that moment of hesitation, Beno had almost caught up with him. Allen and another person also chased after him.

Seeing that the man was about to run out of the street corner, and a shout would definitely attract his co-workers, Beno tried his best and reached out to push forward.

The two of them lost their balance almost at the same time and fell heavily to the ground, and they fell badly.

By the time Allen ran over, Beno was straddling the other person.

"You're injured!"

Allen was a little worried. Beno's arms were severely scratched, his clothes were torn, and there should be other injuries on his body.

However, Beno looked indifferent, "Just a little injury."

He gasped for breath and punched the guy on the ground, "I'm fucking asking you something, why are you running?"

The fallen worker also fell with a bruised nose and swollen face, and there were large abrasions on his face and arms. He wailed, "I'll say anything, don't hurt me!"

Beno panted heavily, got up from him, grabbed his collar, and pushed him against the wall on the side of the road.

He had just fallen heavily, and now he was pushed and hit the wall, he felt like his whole body was about to be finished!

"Don't hurt me, I feel like I'm about to die!"

Beno was just about to wave his fist and give this guy a few blows to let him feel what it really meant to be about to die when Allen stopped him.

He walked up to this person, "Listen, there's a question. If you tell me, I'll not only let you go but also give you ten dollars."

"But if you lie, I'll find you again."

He also took out two five-dollar bills, holding them with his index and middle fingers, which made him feel cool.

His favorite thing was to watch Lance, to watch the captains spend money. He thought those actions were just so cool!

He had always wanted to do this, but he never had the chance.

After all, no matter what he did, he couldn't be the one in the spotlight. He could only be one of the background boards, even if it was an important background board.

But now, he was enjoying this moment.

Between choosing to be beaten up and taking ten dollars and leaving, the worker wisely chose to compromise, "What do you want to know?"

Allen asked the question he cared about, "After the fifteenth, what factory did you agree to work at?"

The worker immediately realized where the problem was, "Are you people from Ryder?"

He couldn't believe it was true!

Usually, Ryder never showed any of this. Although some people said that Ryder's boss might know Debbie from the local labor federation, it was just Debbie.

As a front-line skilled worker, he really didn't take Debbie seriously. She was just like that.

The current labor federation actually doesn't have a strong binding force on skilled workers. On the contrary, they rely more on the skilled workers' unity because only a large number of skilled workers can unite, and the labor federation has power and value.

On the contrary, if the skilled workers don't take them seriously, the skilled workers themselves won't lack job opportunities, but the labor federation will lose its say, so Debbie can't stop them from leaving.

This is also the reason why the labor federation sent a state-level vice president to visit the dockworkers' union competition!

They are seeking ways to control skilled workers. They had thought of many ways before, but they all failed.

And Lance provided them with a very effective method, which is the Lance White grading system!

They can propose to capitalists to pay wages according to the level of work, so that the labor federation has a way to control the workers.

What level of worker you are is up to the labor federation. If you don't listen to the labor federation, the federation will directly demote you, and the capitalists will definitely not pay you wages according to your original level.

Perhaps this doesn't have a huge impact on those top workers, but how many top workers are there in the entire Federation?

The grading system mentioned by Lance provides them with such an excellent solution. Why not give him a name?

So no one objected to directly naming this grading system after Lance's name. It will be groundbreaking, revolutionary, and subversive!

Of course, none of that matters now. The worker was shocked that someone as seemingly approachable as Ryder was backed by such people. It surprised him a little, but it also felt reasonable.

In Goldport City, how could you succeed in business without some reliable backing?

You either know people in the Black Hand or people on the police side. You have to know some!

He looked at the group, his gaze finally settling on the person in front of him. "I don't know. They said on the sixteenth, they'd take us to a new factory in the morning, and we'd get forty dollars a month."

Forty dollars, even if it was only a small increase compared to before, was a huge change for ordinary people.

"Tell me the name!"

The worker said the name of the team leader who taught him how to sew clothes quickly, while also feeling a little guilty. "Can I go now?"

Allen took two steps back. He slowly took two steps, and when he saw that they didn't intend to harm him, the abrasions from the fall suddenly started to hurt. He grimaced, about to leave, when Allen's shout came from behind, "Wait a minute."

The expression on his face, which read "I'm really having bad luck," changed to a resigned helplessness. He slowly turned around, sighed, and said with some flattery, "What else do you want to ask?"

"Your ten dollars."

Show off!

Allen, imitating the feeling of Lance or Ervin, handed over the money, pinching it between two fingers. "I'm a man of my word."

He didn't care if the worker was happy or not, as long as he was happy. That slightly raised chin feeling made him feel good from the hair on his head to the tips of his toes!

The worker took the money and thanked him before leaving. As he left, the pain from his injuries seemed to lessen.

Allen only knew the name, but he didn't know the person. He first called Lance, and then Lance had him make another call.

Not long after, the person on the other end of the phone gave them an address.

Someone from the police station. Although the other person didn't introduce themselves, Allen could guess.

"Being able to find an address so quickly, it can only be the police. That's why I said, following the Boss is the right choice!"

"Look at the entire Goldport City, who else can be like us?"

"Not only do the police not cause us trouble, but they even become our friends!"

He glanced at Beno, "I'll tell you a secret, but don't tell anyone else."

He couldn't help but say this exciting result while driving.

Some words are hard to hide. Allen was still young, and he had a strong desire to show off. After showing off for a while, he couldn't hold back anymore.

"What?"

The other three asked.

Allen said in a tone of "I told you not to tell anyone, but you must tell me," "I might be promoted to team leader!"

His two good buddies were genuinely happy for him. Beno quickly became full of smiles and said that he would follow Allen in the future.

From the flattery of the three people, Allen once again gained great satisfaction, and his whole body felt transparent!

It was like a stuffy nose that had been blocked for days suddenly clearing, as if inhaling air could bring it straight into his brain!

The car quickly stopped outside an apartment in the Imperial District. Most of the people working in the industrial area lived in the Imperial District and the Port District. It was close to the industrial area, and at the same time, housing prices and rents were very cheap, making it the most suitable place for poor people to live.

They easily knocked on the door, found the skilled worker, and forced a factory name out of his mouth.

It was already late, after eight o'clock. Allen took the three of them to buy some food on the roadside before returning to the dormitory.

The Lance family supplied alcohol to its members, but it also cost money, but only at cost price, and each person was limited.

It wasn't that they were afraid that they would take it out and resell it. A small amount of resale by one person would not affect the family's entire alcohol business. Lance was afraid that they would become alcoholics!

In this environment where ordinary people don't have access to serious dependencies, alcohol has become a relatively easy-to-access and very harmful addictive substance.

He didn't want his subordinates to be drunkards. Not only were they unsightly and smelled bad, but they were also prone to messing up work.

The four of them ate for a while, drank a little wine, and then returned to their respective rooms.

The next day, Beno got up early. He went out, found a safe place, and made a phone call to Lucar.

"You haven't called me in a long time. I was beginning to suspect that you had really joined them!"

"But you still have to be careful. If they find out that you are an undercover agent, you already know how they deal with undercover agents!"

This sentence seemed to remind him to be careful, but it also seemed to warn him that if he did not provide information as agreed, then Lucar would have a way to expose his identity.

Beno frowned slightly. He didn't like Lucar's statement, but considering that he could help him eventually become an agent of the Dangerous Goods Administration, he endured it for now.

"I've been busy patrolling the streets these days. Lucar, you don't think that someone in my new role can attend their core meetings, do you?"

This sentence left Lucar speechless. He could only hum a couple of times, "You better not forget!"

He paused for a moment, "What do you want to say by calling this time?"

Beno lit a cigarette. He originally thought that betrayal would not be a big burden, but in reality, it was still there.

"There is a factory in the factory area that is related to Lance and his people. They have encountered some competitors. I am handling this matter today. I don't know if it will be of any use to you."

"Also, the person I'm following, named Allen, is about to be promoted to team leader. Do you understand what I mean?"

Lucar certainly understood, "Do you want me to help you?"

Beno did not deny it. "If I can perform better on Allen's side and get more appreciation from Lance, he will be able to attend core meetings."

"He saved Ervin and is considered a core peripheral figure, just one step away from scoring!"

"We have a good relationship. If he can join the core meeting, then I can get more information about the core of the Lance family from him."

After thinking seriously for a while, Lucar asked, "How do you want me to help you?"

Beno looked around. There was no one on the street. "I heard that they plan to go to war with the Wolf Gang. A bar opened by the Wolf Gang here was strafed by them."

"I believe that if I can provide one or two specific locations of the Wolf Gang's bars, it will be of great help for Allen to be promoted to team leader and enter the core meeting!"

Lucar quickly refused, "You don't know the things, how can I know?"

"Come on, Lucar, you know, we all know that you and the Wolf Gang are actually in cahoots!"

This sentence made Lucar blush a little and also made him a little annoyed, "That's them, not me!"

He paused, then gave him an address, "I heard that there is a bar here. The specific situation inside is not very clear, you have to figure it out yourself!"