Empire of Shadows

Money is something you can never earn enough of; Lance firmly believed this.

As long as there are people and desires, there will be a market and ways to profit.

Since money can never be fully earned, why sacrifice environmental development for short-term gains?

A person who is stingy with every penny will not have any friends.

When they encounter trouble, no one will offer a helping hand. Instead, many will anticipate seeing them served on a platter, brought to the dinner table.

Because they are too wealthy, everyone wants a piece for themselves, even if it's just a bite, it's better than nothing at all.

But if someone is generous, they will surely have many friends.

Friends surround them not because they are noble, but because of self-interest.

To prevent these benefits from being divided among more people, they will ensure that this person doesn't become the next main course.

This is how a network of interests forms. Eventually, each node connects, creating a massive web, a huge umbrella, to withstand any crisis.

The contract fee is just a fraction of the total profits in Lance's Goldport City, not a significant portion, so he wouldn't be stingy with that money.

Furthermore, more people will benefit from this money: the fire department, customs, the prosecutor's office, and even the courts and judges.

As long as they dare to take it, Lance dares to give it.

When leaving the club that night, Chief Dale walked last, he had something he wanted to discuss with Lance privately. Lance saw this, so he invited him into his car.

He told the driver to drive around nearby, not rushing to any destination.

Everyone had drunk quite a bit, and both men were now smoking, using nicotine to suppress the agitation of their thoughts.

After finishing a cigarette and enjoying the evening breeze, as calmness and reason returned, the two began to discuss serious matters.

"I heard... you're quite familiar with Senator Cleveland," Chief Dale said tactfully, his current connections in Congress being completely unreliable.

It wasn't that he hadn't performed well; he believed he had done his best. If it were anyone else, they would have been finished long ago.

The fact that he could get this far, saving himself from desperate situations multiple times, showed he had used his greatest wisdom and ability.

But he also knew that there were many like him.

As far as Congress was concerned, those who could work for them were all like him: top talents graduating from elite league schools.

Such talent is rare in society as a whole, perhaps only one in a thousand or ten thousand.

But from the perspective of the bigwigs, there were many, for a simple reason.

They were concentrated together.

His impressive performances might seem "okay, not bad" to the senators, nothing more.

There were many people around the senators who could do what he did. He wasn't unique, nor was he irreplaceable.

When he couldn't impress everyone, he was destined to be abandoned by his circle. After all, he was just a marginal figure in his previous circle.

Since his previous circle no longer valued him, why not switch to a new one?

Senator Cleveland's circle was rising strongly. No one knew how far they could go, but everyone knew that this political circle would be in its "prime" for the next four or even twelve years.

How many four or twelve-year periods does one have in a lifetime?

He decided to take a gamble.

Lance looked at him, and when he saw that Dale himself seemed a bit... embarrassed, Lance said, "Right now, you have no value, Dale."

"While I don't want to be so blunt, what value does a city's hazardous materials bureau chief have to a senator?"

"Can you help them deal with dissenting political enemies, or can you sway an entire state's votes for them?"

"Or can you provide them with a large amount of irreplaceable political resources?"

He shook his head. "No, you can't do any of that. Anyone can replace you, even something that's not human."

"A cat, a dog, as long as it gets appointed, someone will complete its work for it."

"You have no value."

Lance's words were very blunt and direct, but that was the truth.

He wasn't irreplaceable, unlike Lance.

Until someone emerges in Goldport City who can overturn the current underground world structure, Lance is irreplaceable.

And it would be difficult for Congress to support interfering in the matter of overthrowing the Lance family because they cannot directly interfere with local administration.

They can't demand that the mayor do this or that because the gap is too wide!

Within the underlying social framework of the mayoral system, if the mayor doesn't pursue higher political positions, such as becoming governor or entering Congress, he can completely ignore the hints from Congress.

Especially these local political forces with their own factions, which are the biggest headache for Congress because they simply don't care what Congress does.

Senators will always change and be replaced, but local factional political forces will be passed down from generation to generation and become stronger.

Those states ruled by certain families are still beyond Congress's reach. From the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general... to the local mayors, almost all of them are their people.

You make things difficult for them?

They will only make things more difficult for you.

So Lance's base is very stable and irreplaceable. Losing him would mean losing millions in annual political donations.

The things that can be accomplished with this money would become impossible without it.

Therefore, Lance is irreplaceable, he has value, and important value. Senator Cleveland cannot abandon him or replace him.

He even has to treat him well, lest he defect to the enemy's camp.

Political competition is not as simple as addition and subtraction. Under constant resources, if you are a little stronger, you actually lead your opponent by two points.

But what does Chief Dale have?

He is just the lowest-level chief of a congressional vertical management agency. A congressional prohibition committee administrative order, not even needed, just a phone call, and he will soon be reassigned.

What irreplaceable quality does he have?

Lance's words stung, so much so that Chief Dale didn't know how to refute them. For a moment, he fell into silence and self-doubt.

"While you have no value to Congress, right now, you still have some value to me."

"Settle your subordinates, and then go to the state prohibition committee."

"Look, Goldport City's annual private liquor business can provide us with over a hundred million in profits, so what about the entire state?"

Chief Dale's eyes lit up slightly when he heard this. He wasn't stupid enough to ask Lance why he didn't have Senator Cleveland reach out. If Lance did that, most of these profits would have to be transferred to Congress again.

Neither Lance, nor he, nor anyone else, are selfless little bees. They also have vested interests.

So, as it stands, he seems to be the most suitable candidate.

At the same time, Lance was sending him an important signal—

The person you should be loyal to is me, not Congress!

Seeing Chief Dale fall into thought, Lance knew that he understood what he meant, but he didn't force Dale to express his position.

It was indeed a bit difficult for a man of that age to suddenly bow his head and pledge allegiance to a twenty-something gangster boss.

Lance patted him on the arm. "Think about it."

"Only tangible benefits that you can get your hands on are worth investing in. Those illusory things may not come true."

"We are friends, we must consider each other and fulfill our responsibilities as friends, wouldn't you say?"

Chief Dale pursed his lips, nodded, and said, "You're right, Boss."

Lance was slightly stunned, then couldn't help but burst out laughing. He pointed at Chief Dale, "You are truly an interesting person, I have high hopes for your future!"

He used a slightly joking "Boss" to express his determination without making the scene too awkward or greasy, and also maintained his own dignity and demeanor.

It is comfortable and pleasant to talk with smart people, much more comfortable than with those in the gang.

But when it comes to peace of mind, the old brothers are more reassuring.

"After handling your work during this period, after you go to the state prohibition committee, win over those people as soon as possible. Money, sex, anything, as long as we have it and they want it, give it to them."

"If anyone doesn't give face, send me their name and information."

"We are a gang. On some issues, the methods of handling things are not so complicated, understand?"

Chief Dale nodded vigorously. "I know what to do."

He had already experienced it. The deputy chief, because he was disobedient, has now fled due to charges such as "job-related crimes," even if he dies, he will have a hard time clearing his name.

This is the style of the gang, or rather, Lance's style.

If it were him, he would have to think of many ways and use some political means to handle it, which would make things full of variables and complexity.

Unlike Lance and them, who handle it so easily.

The car soon stopped outside the community where Chief Dale lived. After all, he hadn't settled his subordinates yet and still needed to maintain some semblance of dignity.

As for his car left at the club, someone would send it back.

Watching Chief Dale stand there and watch his car disappear into the night, Lance smiled and shook his head.

Why do emperors like jesters? Isn't it because jesters can make them happy?

Hopefully, Chief Dale will be "worth his salt."

The next day, Director Blue met with the director of the city's fire department and Lance. Before the fire chief met Lance, he had no idea how he could possibly be connected to this "big shot."

The director was a local, so he was very cautious. He knew what Lance and his current position meant to the city and the people who lived there.

Director Blue said there would be benefits, and he thought it might be a token gesture of tens of thousands of dollars, but Lance directly gave him one million.

At the same time, he also told him the most basic requirements:

"Everyone must get a share of this money, even the guards at the entrance of your fire station."

"This is a long-term thing, so I hope you can use your brain and don't let me pay this money and still have people think I'm doing it wrong. Do you understand what I mean?"

The fire chief nodded repeatedly. As a local, he was very decisive. "I understand what you mean, Mr. Lance."

"I will divide most of this money equally among all firefighters and tell them that this money comes from your free donation."

Lance was very satisfied after hearing this. This was a pragmatic person.

The joy of having money in hand and being able to spend it freely lies here, and what's even more pleasing is that this money, once spent, will return in other ways in the future.

"The city is constantly expanding, and the scope that the fire department needs to cover is also getting larger and larger. I heard that our fire department hasn't updated its equipment for some time?"

The fire chief nodded quickly, "That's true. Our fire trucks are still from more than ten years ago..."

"I will donate another twenty of the latest fire trucks to you, hoping that it can reduce the casualties of our firefighters and also allow you to save more people's lives and property."

If it weren't for the fact that people in the Federation didn't usually kowtow, the fire chief would have wanted to kowtow to Lance right now!

The fire department's work is very dangerous, and many insurance companies refuse to provide commercial insurance when they hear that they are firefighters.

In this era of relatively backward equipment, the environment in the fire scene will not become simpler because of the backwardness of fire equipment. Carelessness can easily lead to major casualties.

The city's fire safety has always been a top priority, but people are not very concerned about the safety of firefighters.

Lance can not only give them some benefits, but also donate some fire trucks. The fire chief has nothing to say.

Or, should he apply to build a fire station next to Lance's office?

The weather in September was getting hotter and hotter, and it was already the hottest time of the year. Lance's work to infiltrate the city government system was temporarily suspended because Brunie came.

This time Brunie came to check on the progress of the military base construction. Although the Republic of Danterra did not give the federal government a positive diplomatic response to establishing a naval base in Goldport City, they began to increase their patrol warships in the East Ocean and constantly encroached northward.

This is a very dangerous signal. They are probing, and this kind of silent probing is more unsettling than vocal probing.

The Department of Defense and the President's Office decided to arrange for warships to come as soon as possible, even if the military base was not built, at least to ensure that there was a military counterattack force here.

Brunie, as a major general in the Department of Defense, was considered the vanguard. The navy would arrive here around the end of October.

With only a month and a half left, he had to ensure that the camp's infrastructure was built so that the naval officers and soldiers had a place to live.

When Lance met Brunie, there was another guy beside him, Owen (the mayor's secretary).

Originally, this kind of thing should have been the mayor's responsibility, but everyone subconsciously skipped the mayor.

But this time it was official business. According to the official process, the Department of Defense sent a document to the Goldport City Hall, so the mayor knew that Brunie was coming.

He originally wanted to entertain the Major General of the Department of Defense himself, but after Brunie came, he directly proposed to hand over the matter to Lance. After the mayor was stunned for a while, he sent his secretary to accompany him throughout the process.

The reason was also very simple. He himself was "not feeling well" and could not accompany him throughout the process, so he arranged for a mayor's secretary to accompany him.

Any needs could be communicated to his secretary, and his secretary could help him handle various official matters.

Brunie did not refuse this, because he might indeed need it.

The two met at another hotel in Goldport City. As soon as they met, Brunie's face was full of smiles, because they were "good friends."

Under Owen's somewhat surprised and suspicious gaze, the two did not shake hands, but directly hugged.

Brunie took the initiative to hug first, and Lance cooperated with him.

"I've been wanting to come over, but there's too much work at the Department of Defense. You know, it's all related to that big guy across the sea!"

Lance nodded, "I can understand. The Danterra Military Alliance is gradually going crazy. I heard that they have already invaded Slad?"

Major General Brunie nodded solemnly, "Yes, and they also carried out massacres in the cities they occupied."

When he said these words, his tone was a little heavy. Massacres are barbaric acts, but as belligerents, everyone is actually disgusted with this kind of behavior, but not to the point of being unable to hear it.

After all, the people of the Federation are not good birds themselves. After they came to this land, they also massacred many local natives.

Their own butts are covered in shit, so now they can't laugh at other people's butts being covered in shit.

Lance still sighed, "A terrible news, no wonder there are more and more refugees."

Major General Brunie nodded. He didn't want to say more on this issue, "So the Department of Defense sent me over to check on the construction situation here."

Lance glanced at his watch, "If you don't have other work, we can go to the site to take a look now."

Major General Brunie stood up, "That's what I hope for."

Lance glanced at the mayor's secretary, who smiled and lowered his head, saying nothing.

The group quickly went to the construction site of the naval base. When Major General Brunie got out of the car and went to a high place with Lance to overlook the entire construction site, a shocked expression appeared on his face!

The ground of the entire naval base had basically completed the basic leveling work, and some underground spaces were being built according to the drawings.

There were many huge water pipes on the construction site, constantly spraying water mist to the workers around to cool down.

Just looking at it, you could feel how hot it was on the construction site!

The super construction site of tens of thousands of people, Major General Brunie couldn't help but turn his head to look at Lance, "They..."

He only said one word, and then couldn't say anything else. He originally wanted to ask questions like "How do they endure the high temperature", but he quickly realized that asking this question was meaningless.

These are all refugees. If they don't do it, there are plenty of people outside who will do it, so there is no need to consider issues such as the working environment. As long as they don't die, they will work to death.

"Some areas around have already begun to lay concrete. We expect to complete the concrete laying and solidification work by the end of this month..."