Empire of Shadows

In fact, the Congress was not in New Kin City, but it was relatively close to New Kin City, and New Kin City was developing very well, and the gentlemen were willing to live here.

So, over time, New Kin City had a large number of congressional offices, and coupled with its proximity to the Congress, people sometimes thought that the Congress was in New Kin City.

In fact, the federal government did not intend to explain these things to the people, because even now, some people do not understand how to use a telephone.

Yes, the Federation always produces some strange people. Some people don't know how to use a flush toilet, some don't know how to use a toaster, and some don't know how to use a telephone.

So, is the Congress in New Kin City?

No problem!

Tom drove the car around the traffic jam and directly onto the expressway, arriving at the northwest side of New Kin City, where there were many very private villas and manors, and the gentlemen liked to live there.

The car slowly entered a villa, and Lance's two cars were required to stop at the gate. They were not allowed to enter the villa.

After inspection and a body search, Lance was led into the room by Tom.

Several people were sitting in the living room. When Lance and the others came in, these people all turned to look at them, and some even stood up.

However, these people should not be the "protagonists", because they did not have a "protagonist" face. They should be the subordinates of those people.

"They are waiting for you inside. I can only send you here," Tom said, standing outside a corridor and pointing to the room at the end of the corridor.

"Go knock on the door, and then someone will take you in. Pay attention to your manners and appearance, although I know you're fine."

He patted Lance's arm, "You are a lucky guy, I wish you good luck as always!"

Lance said thank you and turned to walk towards the door.

It was a double door, which looked heavy, luxurious, and noble. The distance was not long, and he didn't even have time to prepare himself mentally before he arrived at the door.

He knocked on the door. The knocking sound was not loud or soft. Soon a crack in the door opened, and a guy who looked to be in his sixties looked at him, sizing him up and down, "Lance?"

Lance nodded, "Yes, sir."

The man looked Lance up and down and said, "Wait a moment." He then closed the door.

Lance thought he would only wait for thirty or fifty seconds, or a minute or two, but he waited for more than ten minutes.

The gentlemen inside didn't want him to know what they were discussing, so now was not the time for him to go in.

If a real, twenty-something-year-old person with his current achievements were here, perhaps that person would really be a little angry.

But Lance was not young. He knew that when you are not qualified and you have to forcibly try to contact a higher level, you will only end up with bruises all over your body.

It's like a child standing on a chair to reach for something high up. Falling to the ground is the ending of most of their stories.

Even those who can really reach it may not really be able to squeeze in, just like Mr. Chobaf.

After waiting for more than ten minutes, the door reopened, the old man nodded to him, and then moved aside to allow him to enter the room sideways.

Lance tidied up his clothes and squeezed through the crack in the door.

There were already about five or six people sitting in the room. He didn't count them carefully, but it could be seen that these gentlemen all had a "protagonist" face. The strong self-confidence emanating from the inside out made them completely different from those outside!

Senator Cleveland leaned back on the sofa, with a cigarette in his hand, looking very comfortable and relaxed.

"Lance, we just happened to be talking about some issues in Goldport City, and you can solve some problems for us here," Senator Cleveland introduced him to everyone, "You should have seen his name in the newspapers."

The others nodded. The five major families of Goldport City had become a thing of the past, and the rise of the Lance family was unstoppable.

Of course, this information was hidden in the news article "Who is the New Owner of the Cash Ranch?" The news referred to the casino industry in Goldport City as a "cash cow", and the owner of this ranch used to be the Koda family.

Bundy always appeared on various occasions, which gave him a little fame. He was actually only one step away from launching a political figure in front of the stage for the family's transformation!

But unfortunately, everything ended this spring and came to a halt.

The winner of the casino franchise was Lance White, a name that was not completely unfamiliar, because the Labor Union's "Lance White Grading Method" had been fully promoted, and many people knew Lance through this name.

In short, the report claimed that this mysterious young man would become the holder of the new cash ranch and looked forward to his subsequent performance.

The report did mention the decline of the five major families and the rise of the Lance family, believing that he was the one who caused everything.

This news was published or rewritten nationwide, and Lance could be considered to have made a name for himself.

So when Senator Cleveland said this, no one denied it.

Lance bowed slightly to show his respect for them and his own humility.

"Lance, we were just talking about the issue of building a military base in Goldport City. Where do you think would be a more suitable location?" Senator Cleveland asked.

"We want to hear your opinion as a local."

This was an easy question. Lance pondered for a moment and then said, "I think the northwest corner of the city is more suitable. That place has not been fully developed yet, and to the north is the city's industrial area."

"Although there are not many heavy industry enterprises in the industrial area, it should not take much effort to convert production during wartime."

"And there is a complete warehouse and transportation system there, which can support the military base with materials anytime and anywhere."

"Moreover, that side presents a concave bay structure, and some defensive works can be built on both sides to ensure that even if the flames of war accidentally spread to the mainland, we can form the first line of defense here."

There was a map in the room, and Lance even walked to the map and gestured simply with his hand.

Senator Cleveland's eyes changed slightly again when he looked at Lance. Who the hell would have thought that a gang leader could actually say something of substance in such a setting?

He originally thought that Lance would not have too many insights, and that he would just say two things casually as a perfunctory response.

He didn't expect that he would actually say something, and it was completely the same as one of their alternative plans.

The conversion of production in the industrial area can quickly increase the potential for war, and it is right behind the naval base. Whether it is supply or other tasks, it can be completed quickly.

"However, there is also a problem with building a naval base here, that is, it is almost completely undeveloped. If it is to be developed, the time may not be enough."

A gentleman in military uniform said this.

Senator Cleveland introduced him to Lance, "This is Bruni, Major General of the Department of Defense, responsible for base construction and other work."

Lance quickly greeted him. This was a lucrative position, and it also made him realize that there might be some opportunities here.

"Mr. Bruni…"

"Don't use 'Mr.', it sounds weird," Bruni said with a smile, correcting Lance's address.

He was so easy-going not because he was really so easy-going, but purely because of Senator Cleveland's face.

"Mr. Bruni, in fact, I think this is precisely the least of the problems!"

Someone at the table picked up a glass of wine and took a sip, "Oh?"

"We won't have much time. At the latest by the end of this year, or the first half of next year, the war will break out. In such a short period of time, how can you ensure that the naval base can be built?"

Their other alternative plan was actually to transform the New Port Area into a military base.

But this also had a problem, that is, the New Port Area was too close to the city, which had both advantages and disadvantages.

In terms of construction period, this was actually the fastest plan. It only required building a wall and enclosing some parts.

Senator Cleveland introduced Lance again, "This is Grayson, Executive Member of the Budget Committee."

After Lance greeted him again, he said, "One worker can only do the work of one person in a day, and ten workers can do the work of ten people in a day, Mr. Grayson."

The latter frowned when he heard these nonsense, and the others didn't know what he was going to say. Lance smiled slightly, "There shouldn't be any particularly high-rise buildings in the naval base, right?"

Bruni nodded, "Yes, at most three or four floors, maybe the command platform will be a little higher, but it won't be as high as the houses here."

Lance said with a smile, "Then we only need to hire enough people to complete all the construction work in a very short period of time."

"The berthing port can temporarily use the New Port Terminal, where there are enough berths and supporting facilities. At the same time, we can build some more docks outside the naval base."

"As long as there are enough people working, the construction period can be short enough."

"If ten people can only build one house in a week, then one hundred thousand people can build ten thousand houses in a week!"

The faces of the others in the room showed some signs of interest, while Bruni frowned slightly, "But hiring too many people will exceed our budget."

Lance bowed slightly and said, "There are hundreds of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of refugees there, gentlemen."

Some people showed knowing expressions, some raised their eyebrows, and some showed admiring smiles.

Senator Cleveland also said with a smile, "Very interesting."

What he meant by interesting was the Federation's use of slaves.

Don't think that the entire Federation has completely abolished slavery on the surface. In reality, there are still many places doing it in other ways, and it's not the first or second time they've paved the Federation's path to rise with other people's lives and blood. They're already used to it.

In addition, Mr. Yi also quite agreed and said, "This is a method, but I have a question, Lance."

Lance lowered his chin, "Please speak, sir."

"These refugees are backed by Slader and its allies. We can't go too far. Even if we use some means, it's still a lot of money."

The other gentlemen nodded in agreement. Although exploiting these refugees was a good idea, it would still cost money after all.

"Sir, gentlemen, the price of grain is constantly rising. What if we used grain distribution instead of paying wages?"

"We would have no additional expenses, and at the same time, we would solve the problem of refugees starving to death."

"If someone uses these things to attack our government, then we can counterattack and tell them that the people who starved to death were just lazy people who were unwilling to work."

"Without spending too much money, we can solve the labor problem. I think this should be a good plan."

The price of grain is entirely up to Congress. As long as they say today that grain is a controlled military strategic material, then the price of grain will take off tomorrow!

Only by making people unable to afford food can the importance of food be reflected, and the price of food can be raised.

Working for a month and distributing thirty pounds of wheat, it seems…

They looked at Lance with a bit more friendliness in their eyes. No one here hates smart people, because smart people can help them better govern this country.

Before these smart people have their own power, if they want to achieve anything or realize any wishes, they can only do so through them.

Going through them is their credit, so the act of killing these smart people out of jealousy of their clever minds will only happen in operas.

"Good, it's a good idea," Senator Grayson agreed with Lance's point of view. "Jeffrey said that you can do anything you want in Goldport City without anyone opposing your decisions, is that right?"

Lance nodded, "Although it's not very humble to say so, but… yes, sir."

"Very good, let's discuss it further."

Lance immediately knew that it was time for him to leave, "I'll leave for a while."

Senator Cleveland nodded, and he turned and left the room.

After the door was closed again, the atmosphere of the few people was more relaxed than before.

After all, with a stranger present, they had to put on some airs. Now that the stranger had left, they could completely relax.

"An interesting young man. I think his ideas are feasible," Senator Grayson said. "The military base, frankly speaking, is just leveling the ground and then building some camps, warehouses, and houses on it. It's not a difficult job."

"As long as there are enough people, it can indeed be completed in a short time. The only thing that takes time is the port wharf, but if we use the New Port wharf first, there won't be a problem of insufficient time."

"I think it's feasible, but can he really do it?"

What he questioned was whether Lance could coordinate everything well. "He looks too young, only in his twenties!"

Senator Cleveland held a cigarette in one hand and a wine glass in the other. "He married the daughter of a local big farm owner. The civil servants in the city, including the upcoming mayor, are all his friends."

"Or they are at his command, so you don't have to worry about these problems at all."

Major General Bruni was also very satisfied. "I think we can do it this way."

The others didn't seem to have any problems either, and another gentleman said, "Then we have to do the cost and budget next."

His eyes flickered slightly, "Although he's using refugees, but…"

These people are a very close-knit combination of interests. Their political interests are highly tied. He only said this sentence, and the others knew what he meant.

A meaningful smile appeared on their faces.

Although Lance may be using refugees and doing his best to exploit and oppress them, they can price it according to the budget of ordinary workers, and the excess will naturally flow into their pockets.

This kind of large project involves tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of dollars. Even if they only get a dozen or twenty percent from it, that's a lot of money.

After Lance left the room, he went directly to the living room. People's eyes quickly moved to him. During this time, some of Lance's information had been found out.

They didn't look down on Lance. Being able to enter this villa and go to the room inside, no matter if he spoke or how much he spoke.

It meant that he was already standing on the same level as the people in this room.

"Tom, why don't you introduce us?" Someone took the initiative to say this. In fact, they knew everything, but that's how socializing is.

Knowing the obvious.

Tom began to introduce these people to Lance. They were all staff members around the senators, as well as two majors from the Department of Defense. Everyone seemed very enthusiastic.

Lance brought business cards today and exchanged them with them. Although it was just getting to know each other and exchanging business cards, there was no deeper interaction.

But maybe they will need Lance someday, or Lance will need them, and the social network will be completely opened up.

Until after five o'clock in the afternoon, Lance was not called in. They sat in the living room talking about very… trendy topics.

It had nothing to do with politics, nothing to do with military affairs, and nothing to do with the international situation.

They were talking about women, celebrities, and movies, but they didn't talk about what they should be talking about.

Did these people not want to talk about it?

No, in fact, they really wanted to talk about it, to inquire about something they didn't know, but they were equally afraid of letting something slip.

Maybe their boss hadn't told them "Don't say something to the outside world," but in reality, they defaulted that this matter could not be said casually, and if they accidentally said it, it would cause trouble.

This kind of thing had happened more than once. After this kind of thing happened, the one who was wrong was definitely not the senator inside, but these people.

They didn't even know what to say and what not to say, so how could they continue to hold important positions?

So instead of talking about dangerous topics, it's better to talk about ordinary things.

Who could have imagined that some high-ranking gentlemen would sit together and talk about actresses.

Around five or six o'clock, the sound of opening the door came from the end of the corridor. They immediately stopped talking and laughing and stood up.

Soon, several gentlemen came out from inside. At the door of the living room, Senator Cleveland shook hands with them to say goodbye, and their staff and subordinates also left one by one…