Empire of Shadows

Outside the city hall, countless people had gathered, shouting anxiously. A large number of police officers had arrived, forming a wall in front of the city hall.

They held small round shields and batons, and some had their hands on their holstered guns, each appearing exceptionally grim.

Perhaps that word wasn't quite right, because they weren't facing gangsters or thugs, but a grim look did appear on their faces.

The kind of expression they should only show when facing criminals and crime was now displayed when facing ordinary citizens who had suffered losses.

This was a fantastical world, where sometimes people couldn't distinguish whether the police were really police, just as they couldn't tell if the citizens hoping to recover their losses and seek justice were good or bad.

The police line firmly blocked the citizens outside the city hall. They surged like a flood, but were repelled each time.

Thank goodness, the police finally played the role they were supposed to!

Terrified and angry crowds were everywhere, having been swindled out of all their wealth, now pinning their only hope of recovery on the city hall.

The mayor stood behind the window of his office, watching the chaotic plaza in front of the city hall. His secretary informed him that the people for the meeting had arrived.

He didn't leave immediately, but stood there, watching everything below.

After about two minutes, he turned and walked towards the conference room. They had indeed presented him with a difficult problem, but it wouldn't be the one to bring him down!

Almost all the heads of departments were gathered in the conference room, also discussing the matter, though it was unclear whether their discussion was about the defrauded citizens who had suffered losses.

It was also possible they were discussing how the mayor would overcome this crisis.

The moment the mayor entered the conference room, the entire room fell silent.

Some greeted him, but others simply looked at him with a faint smile at the corner of their lips.

They enjoyed seeing the mayor embarrassed.

For most people here, the mayor's existence was always a hidden danger.

They received their salaries from the federal government while also receiving additional benefits from the local interest system.

The mayor raised his hand in response and then sat in his seat. "It wasn't until this moment that I truly understood what was happening in this city."

"I trust each and every one of you, and I trust the professional ethics that each of you possesses."

"You are government officials, and your job is to solve problems for the people who live here."

"I haven't seen too many instances of you solving problems; instead, I've seen you failing to solve problems, allowing them to become a ticking time bomb!"

"I certainly bear some responsibility for this matter. As mayor, I have clearly failed in my duty."

"But some of you must also bear the same responsibility. In the process of your specific urban management work, you didn't discover this problem, allowing it to become a hidden danger and trouble. This is your dereliction of duty!"

"I am not a patient man. I will apologize to the public later, and after I return, I hope to see your letters of resignation on my desk."

He said, standing up, "This is the last bit of dignity I'll give you."

After speaking, he strode out of the conference room without waiting for the officials who had already begun to say something.

The secretary followed closely behind with a smile. They had already gathered a large number of reporters; the mayor was going to apologize to the city's citizens and take responsibility by holding people accountable.

The scammers were very likely unrecoverable, and the money was very likely unrecoverable, but he could get rid of some officials to vent everyone's anger.

In reality, this crisis was a problem for him, but also an opportunity!

He had a legitimate reason to thoroughly cleanse the government officials within the entire city hall, removing all those who didn't originally stand on his side.

As for the deceived public?

He had a way to deal with it.

At ten fifteen, in another hall of the city hall, the gathered reporters had already prepared to "interrogate" the mayor.

From the moment he entered the hall, almost every reporter raised their hand, stating the question they wanted the mayor to answer!

The mayor walked to his position, quietly watching them make noise. After two or three minutes, the reporters finally quieted down.

"Are you done?" His words silenced the scene, which had still had some noise.

He looked at the other reporters. "Today's press conference mainly needs to address a few things. First, I need to apologize to all the defrauded citizens!"

He walked to the side of the podium, bowed, and slowly straightened up after a while.

He was already old. Although it was just a bow, it made his face flush.

He took a deep breath, and his complexion improved slightly. "When I first heard about this matter, I also felt extremely shocked, especially that our government officials didn't realize its risk."

"The first time I learned some of its details, such as the extremely high rebates, this obviously illogical situation has existed for a long time, but no one has ever questioned it, no one has done any review work. This is our dereliction of duty, the dereliction of duty of government officials."

"All officials related to this matter will receive corresponding punishment, and there will be a more formal explanation later."

"At the same time, I also believe that someone would always discover some clues from their operations, but they just didn't know who to tell or how to say it."

"The police, the judicial department, the prosecutor, there doesn't seem to be a suitable department to handle this matter, so much so that many people can only watch helplessly as they are deceived."

"So this is the second thing I want to mention. Starting today, we will establish multiple reporting and supervision mechanisms."

"Citizens can tell us about the dangerous and potentially risky problems and events they believe to exist by filling out forms, making phone calls, and other methods."

"We will open a special hotline at the city hall to handle these complaints from citizens and solve their problems."

The mayor paused for a moment, "Now you can ask questions."

For a time, all the reporters raised their arms and shook them vigorously. The mayor chose a reporter he had seen a few times, from the 'Today Jin Gang' newspaper.

The reporter stood up, first thanking the mayor for allowing him to be the first questioner, and then asked a very concerned question, "We are currently unclear how much money is involved in this financial fraud case. According to inaccurate calculations, it may have exceeded ten million."

"If this money cannot be recovered, it will inevitably have a great impact on people's lives. How do you plan to solve the problem of these people returning to their lives?"

A very neutral question, the mayor was very satisfied and remembered this person. In the future, when calling on people to ask questions, he could let him stand up and answer first.

"Good question!"

"We will ask the bank to help us track the flow of funds as much as possible to see if we can regain control of them before they disappear."

"In addition, I will talk to the bank about providing necessary low-interest or interest-free loans to some victims who have invested all their funds."

"This money can help them stabilize their current lives first. In addition, we will conduct a safety assessment of all financial companies in the city."

"We will prevent similar things from happening again from the source!"

Lance sat in his office, listening to the radio broadcast from the city hall press conference. He looked at the glorious and beautiful city outside the window, thinking about the words the mayor said.

If he had questioned whether the mayor could control the city before, now he could feel that the mayor was gradually disintegrating the city's defenses.

Just because he had a helper, a helper who could leverage huge benefits and had law enforcement power!

While thinking about these issues, the phone on the desk in front of him suddenly rang. He picked it up casually, "This is Wanli Affairs Office."

"Hey, Lance, are you free tonight?"

It was Alberto's call, "I may not have time. What's the matter?"

"Paul invited some other gangs who are still standing with us. We need to have closer ties. Everyone will sit down and chat tonight."

"You're also on the invitation list."

Lance considered it, "Location?"

"On the top floor of the Dingsheng Hotel in the city center."

The Dingsheng Hotel is possibly the best hotel in Jin Gang City, without exception. Two presidents and dozens of senators have briefly stayed here.

It is precisely because of these special "experiences" that more big figures choose the Dingsheng Hotel as a place to stay when they come to Jin Gang City, and it is because of these people's choices that it becomes more legendary!

It is said that until now, the Dingsheng Hotel has retained some daily necessities used by the two presidents, even the newspapers they read and the pens they used!

Someone once hoped to buy one of the pens used by the president for three hundred yuan, but was rejected. Now someone has offered two thousand yuan, but they are still unwilling to sell it.

Negotiating or doing other things in such a legendary hotel will have a inexplicable sense of historical weight.

Paul chose a good place!

After considering it again and again, Lance agreed. "I will take people there. Also, push the time back as much as possible. I think nine o'clock is a good time."

Alberto immediately replied, "No problem, I will talk to Paul about the time. Bringing people is also no problem, but the number should not be too large."

"Mr. Paul will not bring too many people either. At the same time, the three major families will guarantee your safety…"

After hanging up the phone, the news on the radio had ended. He twisted his raised ankle a few times. He could feel that Pasreito and the other two families felt tremendous pressure!

They didn't seem to have any good solutions, but the mayor's footsteps didn't stop!

They had to band together, otherwise they would likely not be a match for the mayor. They had been suppressing the mayor all along!

Perhaps this is the essence of the world. No one can always occupy the peak. Predecessors will always be caught up, even surpassed, by latecomers.

Each time the wheels of time roll forward, they crush those who were once glorious at the very bottom, shattering all pride!

The problems and impact brought about by the Barz Investment Bank's collapse continue to spread. People throughout the city are discussing these matters.

Some have already lost hope for the future and life. They invested not only the wealth they had in their hands, but also borrowed a large sum of money to invest.

Some people, from anger and fear, suddenly became a little gleeful, because compared to those who were even more unlucky, their losses didn't even count for much.

Of course, the happiest people were those who didn't have money to invest. They escaped this disaster because of their poverty and discussed this scam and other things with those around them with smiles on their faces.

The mayor has once again become the central figure in public opinion. People are discussing his apology to the citizens, his arrangements, and his handling methods. It is said that several major banks have voluntarily stood up, expressing their willingness to obey the mayor's arrangements and provide the defrauded people with low-interest or interest-free loans.

People think the mayor is amazing. Although this money has to be repaid, it does solve the problems of many people, allowing them to continue their work and lives.

The scale of people who were defrauded this time is too large, and it will take a lot of time to gather statistics.

Barbara was very unlucky and was also taken away by the police for investigation. As one of the company's employees, even if she was also a victim, she had to go through the entire investigation process.

I don't know if it was because of this incident, but tonight almost all the bars in the city were packed.

Some people were gloating, raising their glasses and loudly showing off to the people around them, saying things like "A friend of mine went bankrupt." It seems that such topics can always attract a lot of people and attract even more people to say things like "That's nothing" and "I also have a friend who lost even more."

Of course, there were also some people around them, sitting alone in a corner, holding a glass and gulping down the wine in the glass.

They don't join the small circles of those around them because they are the "friend of mine" that those people are talking about.

Allen was also drinking. They were arranged to enter the bar first. Beno had spent money here before and was familiar with the doorman, so he could bring more people in.

He squeezed out of the crowd. He had just gone to the bathroom and almost couldn't find them when he came back!

His expression at this time was a little strange, with a kind of hatred and disgust, and his face was constantly changing.

"What's wrong?" Beno asked.

Allen's face was a little flushed. After a while, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Someone touched my little brother just now, when I was walking back!"

"Fuck, if I find him, I will definitely kill him!"

He didn't tell these people that the bastard also pinched him.

It hurt a little, but it was also a little… inexplicably comfortable.

He was a little embarrassed and used anger to cover it up.

The three laughed loudly after hearing this. Beno put his arm around his shoulder, "Think about it. Maybe it's a girl?"

Allen said in a muffled voice, "That arm was covered in hair!"

The three laughed even louder after hearing this. Only he was sulking, but as he sulked, he couldn't help but laugh in the end.

"Are they here?" Beno asked.

There is a small window in the toilet that can see outside. It can't be opened, but you can talk or observe. Allen has already seen Hiram and the others.

The four put their glasses on the small round table next to them and turned to walk towards the security guards standing in the corner. The glasses of wine they left behind were snatched away in less than a few seconds.

At this time, the door of the bar was knocked again. The doorman cursed and pulled open the observation window. He would have to get a raise from the professor sooner or later.

Doing this job every day can drive people crazy. It hadn't been quiet for long before there was a 'slap, slap, slap' of knocking on the door, and then the same action was repeated over and over again.

He was a gangster member, not a doorman specifically hired by his mom!

He glanced at the two people outside with some irritability, "It's full, go somewhere else."

As he said that, he slammed the window shut, but soon the knocking on the door rang again. He pulled the window open again, and just as he was about to curse again, he suddenly stopped.

In front of him was a five-dollar bill, and the person behind the bill, "You dropped five dollars here. If you don't take it away, I'll put it in my pocket."

He watched the bill fall to the ground. After only hesitating for two seconds, he pulled open the latch, "That's my money, you sons of bitches, don't touch it!"

He opened the door, happily bending over, his hand already touching the five dollars on the ground, but unexpectedly found that there were more than two people standing in front of him.

There were more pairs of shiny leather shoes. He even felt a chill on the back of his head. He slowly straightened up and saw a scene that chilled him to the bone.

Twenty or thirty people had gathered at the door, or maybe more. They were all staring at him, obviously with ill intentions!

With the sound of a gunshot, the people in the bar quickly ran out like crazy. Just as the bodyguard next to Allen pulled out his pistol, he pulled out his gun and killed the opponent. In an instant, the bar became even more chaotic.

A few minutes later, Hiram sat in the manager's office chair and made a phone call to Lance using the phone on the table, telling him that everything was done.

As for the manager?

He was lying in a pool of blood next to him.

After ending the call, the group left quickly. By the time the Professor and Wolf arrived with people, only ruins remained!

At the same time, Lance, in his souped-up luxury car, appeared outside the Dingsheng Hotel.

Today's Dingsheng Hotel was a little different from usual. From outside the gate, there were groups of three or five people gathered together, wary of each other and on guard against each other.