Empire of Shadows

The professor slowly placed the phone back on its base. The cigarette in the ashtray had already burned out, even though he'd only taken two puffs.

He took out another one, lit it, and looked utterly颓废 [tuifei] (dejected/spiritless).

Wolf didn't speak, only watched him.

He probably knew what had happened, but surprisingly, he didn't show any rage.

"I made a mistake."

He took a puff of the cigarette, placed it on the ashtray, vigorously rubbed his face with both hands, then massaged his head, and finally, as if suddenly exploding with rage, he swept everything off the table onto the floor!

Wolf didn't speak, still watching him.

The professor, slightly out of breath, bent down to pick up the cigarette that had fallen on the floor, took another drag, "I made an empiricist error."

"I treated them like ordinary gangs."

He felt a wave of itching on his scalp, scratched it, "We shouldn't have considered using Lance and the others to wear down those small gangs. We should have focused our strength on dealing with them from the start!"

The professor's idea wasn't entirely wrong. The small gangs that were now forced to join the Wolf Gang were obedient on the surface.

But if they were asked to do something without being given enough benefits, they might not be as obedient as usual.

So the professor's idea was simple: use Lance as a whetstone to grind away all the troublemakers in the Zhejiang West small gangs.

It was like a fish that had all its bones removed, ready to be swallowed in one gulp.

But he didn't expect the Lance family to be so efficient!

In just three days, they found the locations of all the Wolf Gang's bars and, before he could even consider it, took them all down in one fell swoop.

In the professor's mind, the Lance family should still be fighting and killing with those small gangs. They had to guard against the small gangs' mischief on one hand, and worry about the Wolf Gang's changes on the other. They shouldn't dare to leave the Imperial District casually.

But the reality slapped him in the face. Not only did they leave, but they also wiped out all their bars in one go.

Wolf also lit a cigarette, "How did they know the locations of our bars?"

The professor picked up the ashtray, tapped it on the ground, and then placed it back on the table, "The workers."

"The ones at the docks?"

The professor nodded, "Only they know where our bars are located."

The workers had always been the main consumers at the bars, especially in the last two days, the bars' business had been particularly good, and they were celebrating it!

If they could maintain this momentum, their income would increase exponentially!

With money, they could recruit more people, buy more weapons, and continue to grow stronger.

In a sense, the Black Society is also a kind of enterprise, a special kind of enterprise.

But any enterprise, if it wants to develop and grow, cannot do without money and power.

Now, the workers who paid for their drinks had betrayed the addresses of these bars.

Wolf's eyelids twitched uncontrollably, "Then is it possible for us to use the same method to find out where Lance's bars are located?"

The professor replied, "Yes!", but then added, "But this takes time, and it takes a lot of time."

"Lance and the others are all Imperials, and the customers of the bars they run in the Imperial District are all Imperials. Let's not even discuss whether those drunkards trust us or are willing to lead the way for us."

"How to find those drunkards who know the bars, and how to ensure that they won't tell Lance about it, is a big problem!"

"You can't just grab someone on the street and ask them if they live in the Imperial District, if they've been to the Lance family's bars, and if they're willing to tell us where the bars are. We can't do that!"

Wolf's expression was somewhat disappointed. The professor, who was omnipotent in his eyes, seemed… to have suddenly encountered a math problem he couldn't solve.

He didn't know how to describe this feeling, it was as if the professor was "not working" anymore!

"Are we not going to do anything?"

The professor took a puff of his cigarette, "Wait."

"Wait?"

The professor nodded emphatically, "He wants us to cause chaos. We've done what we should do. Next, it's up to the Mayor to see what solutions he has to solve all the troubles at once!"

"Now we are at a disadvantage. There is no need to fight them. Even if we are lucky and win."

"Do you think those small gangs will continue to give us time to recover?"

On the other side, Lance took out a handkerchief to wipe a drop of blood from his trouser leg. He picked up the phone again and dialed a number.

In a cold drink shop diagonally opposite the arcade, a waiter held the phone and looked at the few customers in the restaurant, "There's a phone call looking for a Mr… Can I help you?"

A man in a floral shirt and straw hat raised his hand, he trotted over and answered the phone, "Hello?"

"Have they come out yet?"

The floral shirt glanced at the closed door of the arcade. Although Lance couldn't see him, he shook his head, "I haven't seen them come out."

If these people came out now, Lance would take people to directly take their headquarters, and then go find trouble with them.

But the other party was now guarding in the arcade, and the losses from a strong attack were too great, he could only wait.

"Keep an eye on them. If they come out, notify us immediately. Just call the company's phone."

After he hung up the phone, he looked at Ennio, "Sorry to trouble you, contact Gallio."

Ennio nodded. He didn't ask why, and Lance told him directly.

"Gallio (leader of the Imperials gang in Fides City) is a gang in Fides, he must know the Wolf Gang very well. Ask him for more detailed information about Professor and Wolf."

"Don't be afraid to spend money. As long as the information is true, whether he wants money or wine, give it to him, but it must be true!"

"People living in this world can't really have no worries. Everyone will have something they care about."

"Aren't they not coming out?"

"Then force them out."

Ennio nodded, indicating that he understood.

And Lance made another call, this time to Branch Director Blue.

"I'm giving you a few big favors. I've swept away several bars of the Wolf Gang in the port area, and someone will give you the address later."

"You help me dispose of these corpses, and I'll give you the credit."

"The price of gasoline barrels has risen too high recently, and I don't want to pay another sum for garbage."

Branch Director Blue was silent for a while, then said, "Deal!"

In fact, the police can also investigate cases related to alcohol, but currently the federal government mainly investigates these cases through the Tobacco, Alcohol and Hazardous Materials Administration.

They specialize in investigating these crimes, and have great power. They can also directly request the police to transfer relevant cases and suspects to them.

So this has led to the fact that the police in various places are actually not very active in meddling in other people's business, after all, when they are about to achieve results in the investigation, the other party asks you to let go, which means that all the previous efforts have been wasted.

But this doesn't mean they can't investigate. If they can investigate and achieve results, they will also be rewarded!

Investigating several bars in a row is also a dazzling achievement for Branch Director Blue, and he cannot possibly refuse.

As for the dead Black Society members?

Isn't this a very simple matter?

They investigated these cases, and as a result, these Black Society members fought back vigorously, so they had to kill all the Black Society members to maintain the justice and security of Jin Gang City!

Of course, he can't always do these things alone. He also called on the newly appointed acting director of the Port Branch, and the two of them discussed and immediately dispatched a large number of police forces to handle this matter.

Jin Gang City has been in chaos for many days, and many people say that the police are just decorations, so now solving such a big case, although it has nothing to do with security, can at least prove that they are not rice buckets.

Lance stood up and glanced at the messy bar, the ground was full of corpses and broken glass from the wine bottles.

He walked towards the outside, the glass shards made a creaking sound under his feet, and finally shattered even more.

The convoy was divided into two groups, one group returned to the Imperial District for rest. Some people were injured in this sudden attack. Everyone was talking with hot weapons, as long as they fought back, they couldn't guarantee that no one would be injured.

The injured had to go to treat their injuries, and two unlucky guys were sent to the emergency room, and whether they could survive depended on their luck.

And Lance and the others went directly to the port.

The strike at the port was still going on, but it was clearly not as large as yesterday.

The threat of the Black Society is indeed a great threat to these ordinary workers. The arrival of the convoy attracted the attention of some people, and when they saw Lance, they had an indescribable feeling!

Many people took the initiative to walk over, and Johnny was among them, and walked in a very forward position.

"Mr. Lance!"

"It's Mr. Lance!"

Lance still has some status in the minds of these dock workers.

Lance raised his hand and pressed it down to calm them down.

"I heard from Dave that you have been threatened by the Black Society?"

Some people were silent, while others actively gave feedback. Watching them arguing, Lance continued to press his hand to calm them down.

"I have already given the Wolf Gang a profound lesson, and I believe they will not be able to take care of you in a short time."

"If they dare to cause you trouble again, call me immediately, and I will arrange for someone to take them away from you!"

"It's not just them who have guns, we have them too!"

A force seemed to be hidden in Lance's eyes. Those who were stared at by him felt a power beginning to sprout and rise within their bodies.

"I've heard about the reasons for your strike, and I support your strike!"

"It is your hard work and sweat that has built the prosperity of Goldport City, but they have forgotten this!"

"Without you, there would be no Goldport City today. You are more deserving of being the masters of this city than those who sit in offices!"

"If the money they give is not enough to pay for the value you create here, then why should we work for them?!"

"Striking is a fundamental right granted to us by this country, and no one can take it away from us!"

"It's time to make those vampires at the port management company understand this: we are the masters here!"

More and more people gathered around, their emotions stirred by Lance's words!

The more society recognizes the legitimacy of strikes, the stronger their desire to strike becomes. Right now, the news is all about the mayor's assassination and the city's unrest. The dockworkers' strike, which should be big news, has been cleverly suppressed.

Lance's approval and recognition are part of the motivation for them to keep going.

Seeing the growing crowd, Linus jumped onto a nearby oil drum to make himself look taller.

"Don't be afraid, brothers!"

"Speak your minds loudly! No one has the right to silence you!"

"Not the congressmen, the president in the presidential palace, or even the gangsters!"

"They don't have the right. It's something we're born with!"

"The fact that they're hiring gangsters to threaten you just shows that they're afraid. They're trying to use some irregular means to force the strike to end, because they're scared."

"They deeply realize that the outcome of the strike will be our victory, so they can't wait to use some means outside the rules."

"Now is the most difficult time, but I believe that as long as we get through this period, the problem will be solved."

"Brothers, we all know that they are more anxious about this strike than we are, and they want it to end as soon as possible."

"If they want us to return to our jobs, let them send someone to talk to us, to talk with sincerity!"

"Otherwise, screw them!"

"F*ck them!"

Lance gave the middle finger to the port management company's office building in the distance. Nothing resonates more with the grassroots than swear words!

The workers immediately roared with laughter and gave the middle finger in the direction of the port management company, just like Lance. "Screw them!"

People started shouting all sorts of things, most of which Lance couldn't hear clearly, but he kept nodding, as if he agreed with their points of view.

After everyone had vented their emotions for a while, Lance said, "If you have any problems, you can come to me, and I will do my best to solve them for you."

"Don't worry about the club. We'll solve it soon, so everyone can drink cheap wine again!"

"This is what you deserve, and it's my respect for each of your hard work!"

Vaughn also hurried over from the union office, though the union office wasn't far from here, but a few hundred meters wasn't a short distance for a middle-aged man.

He squeezed through the crowd to reach Lance, and seeing Lance's reputation on the dock soaring again, he sighed slightly.

He squeezed through the crowd and walked to Lance's side. After the two shook hands, Vaughn invited Lance to the office to talk. Lance didn't refuse.

After entering the office, the secretary wiggled her plump buttocks back and forth in front of the two men several times. She seemed very confident in her buttocks.

But what she didn't know was that in men's hearts, money and power came first, and what these two gentlemen were about to talk about was exactly what was most important to men.

"Is there any trouble?"

Vaughn nodded. "I have some acquaintances in the port management company. The board of directors is very dissatisfied with the manager's progress. They plan to change their approach to force the workers to return to their jobs."

He looked at Lance, his expression a little serious. "Wages."

Lance looked around Vaughn's office and quickly found a calendar. He glanced at it. There wasn't much time left in this month.

The port pays wages on the weekend of the first week of each month, which is the first Friday.

There are less than ten days left until that time.

"Are you saying they plan not to pay wages first?"

Vaughn nodded. "The financial situation of most dockworkers' families is very bad. They can't save any money, and many families have no savings."

"Now they will face the problem of paying bills and living expenses, and some people will definitely choose to compromise."

"These problems haven't broken out yet, but next month, they will definitely use this trick to force the workers to compromise."

Vaughn looked at Lance. "What do you think we should do to solve this problem?"

His intention was to let Lance see if he could think of a solution. After all, Lance himself ran a financial company, and most of its business was related to dockworkers.

On the other hand, he also knew that Lance ran a bar business, and bars at this time were simply super profitable. He should be able to take out some money.

Not much is needed, 100,000 or 200,000, and this problem can be solved.

This way, not only will the strike be able to continue, but he and Lance will also be able to gain more prestige.

Lance considered for a while, "I'll take care of this matter."

He left some people behind at the dock to be responsible for the security of the dock, and also called Chief Blue to arrange for some police officers to protect the safety of the striking group.

Chief Blue, who had just received a big gift, would definitely not refuse. These were all small matters.

Soon there were many more police officers at the dock, and some of Lance's family members were hidden in the crowd.

With Lance's support, the momentum of the striking group became even greater, and many workers who had been hesitant because of the gangsters' threats returned to the striking group.

Looking at the striking crowd downstairs that had increased rather than decreased, the manager had thrown everything he could reach on the ground!

He walked back and forth several times in anger, returned to the table, and dialed the professor's phone. "Did your people take action?"

The professor was a little embarrassed. "I encountered a little trouble…"

"F*ck, your trouble is trouble, but my trouble isn't trouble?"

The manager wasn't polite at all and started cursing directly. "If you can't handle them, don't talk big to me. You wasted a day of my time!"

He slammed the phone down and sat back in his chair, his mind blank, with no other way to deal with it.

Perhaps, he was doomed this time!