Empire of Shadows

The words of the Cleveland Senator plunged the rest of the people in the room into contemplation.

The executive director and other directors briefly discussed it. "I don't think there's a problem with the operation, but what if they cause trouble? What do we do then?"

"We have to make sure our interests are not infringed upon. So many workers causing trouble is definitely a troublesome thing!"

Senator Cleveland didn't speak. Lance cleared his throat lightly, "The police and I will take care of these problems."

"And I believe not too many people will cause trouble. After all, they are just ordinary people."

"Ordinary people, which means they have fatal weaknesses."

"Life, family, children, these are all reasons why they don't dare to cause trouble casually. The real 'enemies' we need to face are actually not that many!"

After pondering for a moment, the CEO agreed to try it out first. "How much time do you need to gather so many people?"

Lance thought for a moment, two or three days.

Gathering tens of thousands of workers in two or three days sounds incredible. After all, even if you notify them one by one, there wouldn't be enough time.

But in reality, it doesn't need to be that troublesome. He just needs to let those refugees know that they can work now, and then there won't be any problems.

After leaving the hotel, Lance got into the car. Alvin asked softly, "Didn't you reach an agreement?"

"I saw those workers leave first."

Lance nodded and explained what happened. Alvin was immediately annoyed, "These people really don't know how to be grateful. We just helped them!"

He was furious. No one likes this feeling. You just helped someone, and that person turns around and kicks you aside.

Lance instead comforted him, "This is their problem. There's a very correct saying that I think you should listen to."

"Don't punish yourself for other people's mistakes. Getting angry is a form of punishment."

Lance lit a cigarette, "Actually, this matter is more beneficial to us."

Alvin was a little puzzled, "How so?"

"These refugees basically don't have legal entry permits. In other words, most of them are illegal immigrants."

"No one knows better than us what kind of lives illegal immigrants lead in the Federation. If they want to settle down, they can only rely on us."

"My original plan was to turn the docks into our people. Now, it's just a change of group, but the result is the same."

After listening, Alvin asked, "But how will you solve the votes?"

"If we do this, those workers won't listen!"

"It will become very troublesome to get their votes."

Lance shook his head, disagreeing with his view, "I have the opposite view. I think they will become more obedient, because if they lose this job, it will be difficult to find other jobs."

"And I will talk to Senator Cleveland to see if we can push forward some things about the immigration law. Didn't the President say he was considering it?"

"He's so busy, he must have overlooked these problems. We can't remind him, but if a senator talks to him about this matter, he will definitely pay attention."

"Then we'll lend these people money to buy houses. While we have the votes, they will all owe us a sum of money, and interest!"

After listening to Lance's general idea, Alvin couldn't close his mouth. It took him a while to come back to his senses, "You're more terrifying than those capitalists!"

Lance laughed, "That's the best compliment in this era, Alvin!"

The motorcade swished into the traffic and disappeared…

Today's failed negotiations and the news of continued consultations began to spread among the workers. They were all satisfied with this result, but some people became worried.

Because it's almost payday, if the dock management company doesn't pay them, their bills will be in big trouble!

Although it's not like one bill can force them to their wit's end, it certainly won't make them comfortable. They'll have to borrow money or sell something to pay those annoying bills.

So the worker group at the dock is not a monolith. However, most people still feel that they should support the strike, because the benefits that the strike can bring them are too great!

When Johnny and Dave and the other "surrender faction" returned to the dock, they were met with boos wherever they went, which made them angry and helpless at the same time.

But the good news is that some workers took the initiative to find them and talk about whether there was a chance to join their team.

Although the strike is good, for the workers, having a stable job is the most important thing.

The worker group at the dock also began to split because of this.

At the same time, in the New Port area west of the port area, a considerable number of refugees gathered here.

The current refugees are mainly from the Tanfette Continent. The war forced them to abandon everything and come to the Federation.

But it is not easy to gain a foothold in the Federation. The first problem is housing, and then the problem of food.

Now the world's grain prices are rising. There is no longer bread for two cents a pound in the bakery. The cheapest is three or four cents, and the better ones are ten cents or more.

These refugees themselves have limited money, and they don't have jobs. Once the money they have runs out, it means they will lose their source of food.

The federal government does have some relief meals sometimes, but these relief meals are not open to these refugees now, and it is difficult for them to obtain a source of food from here.

The entire New Port area is now filled with gloom.

Some women have already gone out to sell their bodies in exchange for income, but what about those men?

They have indeed heard that there are such groups in Golden Port City, but they don't know how to find them, and they are not very comfortable with others behind them, or themselves behind others.

Without job opportunities and no source of income, even if it is as prosperous as the best city in the world, at this moment it is still dark and desperate in the eyes of these people!

"Do you know Sherry?"

A family huddled together, a father, a mother, two boys and a girl.

They fled to the Federation as a family. Most of their savings were used to pay for travel expenses. Now the money in everyone's pockets adds up to less than five yuan—

During this period, some people took advantage of their need to exchange money and cheated many people here. They were also cheated out of twenty yuan, which made their lives even worse.

The wife asked her husband, who nodded. Sherry is a young mother who came with her family. Her child is still very young and still breastfeeding.

Their situation is also very bad. The child is also sick and has spent all their savings.

They even sold some of the things they brought with them to pay off the remaining medical expenses.

The husband licked his dry lips, "If she wants to borrow money…", he thought of the two big melons Sherry hid in her clothes, even a little closer could smell the milky fragrance.

For some reason, the saliva in his mouth suddenly secreted sharply. He swallowed, "Lend them up to twenty cents, tell them, we are also in difficulty now."

They came on the same boat, and they can be regarded as "acquaintances", and these common experiences can deepen their trust in each other.

The woman shook her head, "It's not about borrowing money, she found a job yesterday."

The man took out his water bottle and took a sip. The water in the Federation is sweet, it's so delicious, and it also keeps him with a trace of longing for life.

However, this water also costs money. One cent will get a big bucket. The price is not expensive. Several families buy a bucket together and it can be used for a long time.

"What job?", there was some expectation in his eyes. Having a job means having a stable income, and having an income means that the family's life has been settled, "She is a lucky fellow, she can actually find a job, don't they ask her for a work card or something?"

The woman glanced at the three children next to her and lowered her voice a little, "She is selling breast milk."

The man seemed not to understand, "What did you say?"

"She, selling her breast milk!"

"My God!", the man showed an unbelievable expression, "Does her husband know?"

"Is it squeezed into a bottle and sold, or…"

The woman's expression was a little strange. This is the job her husband found for her. No work card or immigration certificate is needed. Nothing is needed, as long as there is breast milk.

I don't know where, but I heard her say that she will be taken to a very beautiful room, and there are also work clothes.

They will scrub her clean, she only needs to breastfeed the guests.

The man shrank back, obviously he had a reaction, so exciting!

"Will they…do that to her?", he wanted to know some details, which may be one of the few adjustments in this tragic time.

His wife didn't notice this, just shook her head and said, "I don't know, she said no, I don't know."

"She can get a commission of one yuan for each guest. Yesterday, she got seven yuan in one day."

At first, the man felt excited because the woman he knew was forced to take this path, but the next second he was attracted by the income of seven yuan a day.

But he quickly became vigilant, "You don't want to do these things too, do you?"

The woman touched her chest, "I want to, but they can't look up to me."

Dry, thin, and not beautiful, it's the kind that makeup can't save.

The man breathed a sigh of relief, but remained wary. "Don't do that, or anything else like it. We still have money."

His wife fell silent. The purpose of her words was to prepare her husband mentally.

She glanced at the children playing with other families' children and said softly, "What happens after our money runs out?"

The couple both fell silent. Although the man knew this was a way to solve the problem, he found it hard to accept.

He didn't understand why working in the Federation involved so much trouble. He would even ask for no wages, just a little more food, but still, no one was willing to hire them!

He was lost.

His wife squeezed his hand. "I won't bow to life until the very last moment, but if that moment comes, I'll go to the harbor area. I can earn a few dollars a day there, at least enough to support our family."

"We adults can endure hardship, but what about the children?"

The couple seemed to have adjusted their mindset. The looks they exchanged were filled with guilt.

This wasn't just their family's problem; it was the problem of this entire group!

Too many refugees had flooded in at once. The city couldn't absorb them all. Just having a place for them to temporarily hide was already good!

It was summer now, so it was slightly easier to arrange things. They could just find a place to lie down and sleep.

But what would happen in winter?

The wind blowing from the East Ocean could freeze people to death. Even the sea could freeze over. Living in the open air at that time would be no different from seeking death!

Just as the woman said, the adults could still endure and persevere, but what about the children?

Could they endure hardships like the adults?

This was a difficult problem. Life was never easy!

But just at this moment, about twenty large trucks suddenly appeared here, each with the words "Hiring" posted on it.

All the refugees on the entire street were instantly energized. They approached the trucks, running alongside the slow-moving vehicles, asking the drivers how many people they needed, how much they would pay, and explaining that they didn't have work cards or immigration permits.

When the trucks came to a stop, almost every vehicle was surrounded.

Mero was surprised to see so many people. New Port District was very remote, and there hadn't been much activity since the failed development.

There were actually quite a few refugees at the docks, but they were scattered in small groups here and there. He hadn't expected so many refugees here!

Looking at the disheveled refugees, he couldn't help but recall when he had first arrived in the Federation.

"Don't rush, everyone, don't rush!" He stood on a tire, trying to calm the crowd. "This time, we need about five thousand dockworkers, at twenty dollars a month, paid daily!"

Although the wages weren't high, this money could save their lives now!

That's about sixty-five cents a day. Ten cents would be enough for their family to fill their stomachs, and they would still have fifty-five cents left over, which they could save to prepare for winter.

After all, it was already August, and winter wasn't far away.

Instantly, people raised their hands and shouted that they were capable of doing the job. Some even offered to lower their wage demands—

These people were typical egoists. They didn't care about others; they only thought about themselves.

So Lance had specifically instructed them not to recruit such people.

"We want people who can work hard, who are strong. We don't want anyone too thin!"

Mero and the others began to select people. If there were any elderly people here, everything here might evoke some memories of the past.

Those people stood together wearing loincloths, being examined for their physique, and then the strong ones were picked…

One by one, people jumped onto the trucks with smiles on their faces. The fewer spots left, the more frightened and uneasy the others became.

But no matter how they pleaded, it was difficult to sway the "selecting officials'." will.

They didn't finish selecting everyone until after six in the evening.

Looking at those who were still reluctant to leave, Mero and the others felt a bit emotional.

However, Lance had instructed them in advance. He said loudly, "We may need workers later, so you all still have a chance."

"Goldenport City is a place full of miracles. As long as you are not afraid of hardship, you will definitely find a place that will accept you!"

How could capitalists not like this kind of labor force that comes to your door?

They hadn't really adapted to life here yet. As long as you were willing to accept extreme exploitation and oppression, at least surviving wasn't a problem.

It would take many trips to transport five thousand people. They weren't taken directly to the docks but were first taken to the industrial area.

Here, they also saw Lance.

"We are from Wanli Labor Agency. My name is Lance, Lance White."

"You don't know me, that's okay, we have plenty of time to get to know each other!"

Under the industrial light bulbs, a dense crowd of people stood together. Most of them were only wearing underwear or had found something to cover their waists.

Lance had just given them a shower with a fire hose. These people smelled terrible; some hadn't showered in quite a while.

It was a little troublesome to go to the sea in New Port District because the docks there were unfinished and the situation was a bit complicated.

Going to New Bay District or the harbor and beach area was very far away.

Most people hadn't showered.

Now that they had showered, they looked much more energetic.

"From today on, we are partners."

"I provide you with work, and you pay me an agency fee. I can guarantee that the work I introduce to you does not require a work card or immigration certificate, but correspondingly, the income is not very high."

"Each month, you need to pay me one dollar, which I will deduct directly from your wages."

"So you will actually get nineteen dollars each month. If anyone has any objections or is unwilling to accept this, you can leave, and I will arrange for someone to take you back."

Everyone remained silent; no one left.

Lance nodded with satisfaction. "Actually, I am just like you; I came to the Federation to escape the war. I know your thoughts and feelings. If you are willing to trust me, then listen to me first."

"Earn some money so that you and your family will at least not starve or freeze to death, and then gradually look for opportunities to become a Federation citizen or get an immigration certificate."

"Life is too heavy; someone has to carry it forward. If you don't want your wives or your children to do it, then you must be strong!"

"Hardship will never sympathize with your situation and current state; it will only mock you harshly and then make it even harder for you to endure."

"The only thing we can do now is to grit our teeth and overcome it!"

He paused and said, "Anyone with technical skills, who can operate forklifts, cranes, excavators, whatever skills you have, stand up."

He wanted to keep some talent for himself. As his voice ended, many people walked out of the crowd.

Lance looked at the first person who came out, a guy who looked about fifty years old and wore thick glasses, and asked, "What are you good at?"

"Lockpicking…"