Empire of Shadows

Joshua pursed his lips after hanging up the phone, he knew exactly what those people were thinking.

They were treating him as a handy tool to get rid of the Lance family, and then throw him into the trash heap!

The ruling class in every region thinks and acts this way, because it's so useful.

Using gangs to govern the lower levels of society, using gangs to govern gangs, is the basic policy now promoted by the federal government, so even if the gangs are so rampant that they interfere with mayoral elections, the federal government still hasn't issued any laws to crack down on gangs.

Isn't that incredible?

Everyone knows that these gangs disregard the law, use crime as a means of obtaining benefits, and rule neighborhoods with violence and fear.

They even created the Federal Gang Organization Federation, and even the news sometimes reports on these things.

But why does the federal government, Congress, and the President's Office act like they don't see it?

For them, perhaps it's just a matter of having their secretary write a proposal and then everyone raising their hands to vote it through, so why do they pretend not to see it and not deal with it?

It's because gangs, for the still relatively "primitive" federal society, are more beneficial than harmful to the ruling class.

That's why they are allowed to exist—to exist openly.

But some gangs have realized this, perhaps because their leaders are smart enough, like Lance.

It's also possible that they were hurt by those in power, used as tools for a while, and then discarded.

Joshua is the latter; he's suffered such losses.

A thousand years ago, there were many religious organizations in the Federation, and in fact, not just in the Federation, but all over the world.

Because "1000" is a perfect number.

The poorly educated lower classes would feel a sense of fear about "perfection," and some myths were based on "millennia" as a cycle.

Those who hadn't received higher education and didn't understand time and history would be fearful.

They thought that when it reached a thousand years, time would restart, the world would restart, and everything would become nothingness!

People felt fear about returning and resetting, the church could no longer soothe their souls and emotions, and many bizarre news stories appeared in society.

For example, some people killed their entire families and then committed suicide, reasoning that they didn't want their families to suffer during the universe's restart.

Many such things happened, and ignorance was the biggest culprit.

But at the same time, this also allowed some people to discover opportunities; they used the uneasy emotions of these ignorant people to do things that were beneficial to themselves.

So, various religious organizations began to appear.

Some sects just wanted to make some money; they would create some heresies and then tell the believers.

As long as you donate money, you can avoid disaster and go to heaven, and everyone can enjoy eternal happiness.

People believed this, because God did the same!

But there were also some religious organizations whose creators might have been crazy; they made up a theory, wrapped themselves up in it, and then wanted to take everyone to Genesis!

This caused a large number of folk religious terrorist incidents around 999, which had a particularly bad impact on the entire federal society.

Originally, the federal government didn't want to care about these things too much, but the impact was too great, so they had to start cleaning up these potentially bad religions.

The problems of some religions were relatively superficial; it was obvious that they were not serious religions, and the federal government could solve these problems themselves.

Just find a fault with them, and then let the police come to the door, and the problem would be over.

But there were also some religions whose problems were hidden deeper; they usually didn't discuss these things, but they had similar signs.

The Federation, a country that values procedural justice and the law, found it difficult to take action against these hidden malicious religions without evidence.

They were also unwilling to let these malicious religions, like bombs, explode, so they found Joshua's father, the second-generation leader of the Holy Bell Party.

They asked Joshua's father to follow their instructions and kill the potential bombs one by one, ensuring the stability of the people of Licarley.

At least no major malicious incidents occurred.

In this process, Joshua's father not only completed the task well but also used these things to quickly put the Holy Bell Party into a period of rapid development—

The federal government provided a lot of resources for them to find "enemies," ignoring the killings they caused and even helping them solve some remaining troubles.

The Holy Bell Party immediately gained a lot of support among some groups, and they also gained a lot of wealth through the killing of folk religious groups.

At that time, the Holy Bell Party could be said to be the strongest folk semi-religious organization in Licarley.

If things ended here, then this might be another typical case of close cooperation between gangs and the federal government.

But the problem was that the Holy Bell Party developed and expanded too quickly, and the Licarley government was unwilling to eliminate those small folk religious organizations and create a larger, more dangerous one.

So, they used some evidence they already had to send Joshua's father to prison on a charge of first-degree murder.

His father didn't last long in prison before he was stabbed to death in his cell because of a conflict with other prisoners.

Some other key members of the Holy Bell Party were also hit to varying degrees; some committed suicide at home, and some simply disappeared.

The once-powerful Holy Bell Party almost collapsed.

With the help of some remaining core forces, Joshua barely supported the dilapidated organization, shrank its scale, and hunkered down, which gave them a chance to breathe.

The Licarley government saw that those most threatening people were dead, and since this tool was indeed useful, they didn't continue to besiege Joshua and the others, allowing them to develop to the present.

In fact, it hasn't been long; from the time Joshua's father was arrested to the present, it's only been about twenty years.

It was precisely because the Licarley government's knife cut into the main artery, as well as some lingering psychological shadows, that Joshua's request was very direct.

He knew very well that he couldn't refuse to cooperate with the masters just because he had been tricked once.

Those farmers could indeed provide him with great help, but if he wanted to go out, have a bigger stage, and go further and higher, the masters were also indispensable.

He wouldn't completely trust those masters like his father did; wanted him to work?

No problem!

But he couldn't be the only one getting dirty; everyone had to jump into the sewage together, then there would be no problem!

After hanging up the phone, he looked at the others in the room.

Although it was called a room, it was actually a space similar to a small church.

The Holy Bell Party's lair was in the suburbs of the western part of Licarley, in a valley.

This church was already there before; they didn't build it themselves.

During the slave liberation movement, there was a priest here, a kind old man.

He sheltered many runaway slaves.

According to federal law, for any reason, federal law enforcement officers are not allowed to use violence or force in churches.

So, many runaway slaves and even criminals would go to find a church to shelter themselves.

They just didn't know that the Holy Bell Party was not a law enforcement agency, and they didn't abide by this law.

The Holy Bell Party massacred this church, reportedly killing hundreds of slaves, who were cruelly executed by the Holy Bell Party in the open space outside the church, under the reflection of the cross.

Even the priest was executed along with them, on the grounds that he had betrayed the glory of God.

Since then, this place has become the Holy Bell Party's lair.

It's located in the valley, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it's also relatively hidden.

Behind Joshua was a large stained-glass window, and there was also a crucifixion.

When sunlight shone through the stained-glass window, those gorgeous colored spots would fall around him.

The dust in the church would make those colored lights form beams of light, which looked particularly sacred.

At the same time, the suffering image blocked part of the light, making his seat in the very center of the "true cross".

The light from above made him look a bit more sacred.

Although the priests were not necessarily good people, and they were not necessarily excellent in their profession, they were still very good at building.

Sitting in a large chair, Joshua's gentle and gentlemanly temperament made everything look like it came with a warm light special effect.

"Some Hoff in Goldport City, and some big shots, want us to deal with the Lance family for them."

"Perfect, we've been discussing this matter recently."

The people in the church all nodded. The reasons why these people came here were varied, but now, their purposes were the same.

Money.

Power.

"Two hundred million!" He sighed, "Lance White is indeed a talent; he was able to firmly grasp the city's moonshine business in his own hands in this way."

"Even God would be tempted in the face of such a huge number!"

"We've been considering how to arrange our people in without alarming Lance and find a suitable opportunity."

"Now we don't need to be so troublesome; once Hoff agrees to my conditions, we will soon be able to master all of this."

His eyes moved through his glasses over the "clergy" on both sides, eventually stopping on the second-to-last person on the right, "Richie, this task is entrusted to you; I hope you can bring good news back to me and God."

Rich was also forty-seven or forty-eight years old, about the same age as Joshua. He looked as simple and honest as a farmer from a farm.

But what he did had nothing to do with farming.

Joshua chose him because David was his man. David helped them discover this "business opportunity," so as a reward, Joshua was willing to give Rich and David a chance to bask in the Lord's gospel and glory!

Rich's face showed an excited expression, "I will bring back his head and offer it to you!"

Joshua nodded, "Go and prepare, you will be leaving soon."

Rich had more than a dozen wives.

The doctrine of the Holy Bell Party stipulates that men can have more wives, so most members of the Holy Bell Party have at least two or more wives.

Because of religious freedom and respect, this behavior is not considered illegal.

In the Federation, there are also religions that specialize in providing polygamy or polyandry for the rich. As long as you believe in them and register, you can avoid the law and marry multiple wives or marry multiple husbands at the same time.

The rich always have ways to achieve what ordinary people can only dream of. Otherwise, what's the point of having so much money?

In fact, Joshua's guess was correct. After Mr. Hoff hung up the phone and briefly communicated with Mr. Charles, he had already made a decision.

Compared to his potentially closer relationship with the Holy Bell Party, which could jeopardize his position within the Socialist Party, the Lance family and Lance himself posed a greater threat to them!

Losing his status as a regional opinion leader, he was still a wealthy man who could live in the Bay Area and enjoy everything that only two percent of the population could enjoy.

But if he did nothing, he might lose not only his identity as an opinion leader, but also his wealth and everything he owned.

When both choices involve stabbing oneself, with the left choice being a stab with a dagger and the right choice being a stab with a longsword, the decision doesn't seem so difficult.

Soon, Mr. Hoff contacted Joshua again and agreed on some things to do next. That night, Mr. Hoff's motorcade crossed most of the city and left Goldport City.

If anyone noticed, they would realize that Mr. Hoff had left.

Lance had also heard the news, but he didn't care whether Mr. Hoff left or not. He was busy tidying up the "ledger" found in the Red High Heels Club, which recorded the solicitation information of various Bay Area dignitaries, as well as some evidence of crimes.

In reality, at their level, being caught soliciting prostitutes wouldn't completely knock them off the pyramid.

But their lives would definitely not be easy. Otherwise, the Bay Area wouldn't be in such a hurry to silence relevant insiders multiple times.

This information would cause them to be discredited on the surface, such as resigning to take responsibility or resigning from their positions.

These countermeasures are essentially to fool the lower-class people, just like Mr. Charles. If a large number of scandals were exposed, his resignation to take responsibility and his resignation from the position of president of the group company would only mean that he retired from the front stage to behind the scenes.

No one would ask him to give away his shares in the company to others because of the scandal.

Even if they really demanded to repurchase his shares, he would receive a large amount of compensation.

So these things are just for ordinary people to see, to give ordinary people, those at the bottom of society, a perception—even if the masters make mistakes, they will be severely punished, and this society is fair and just.

However, this is also what Lance needs. As long as they lose some of their public identities, it will be much easier to deal with them.

For example, dealing with Mr. Hoff, he is now a regional opinion leader, a proper politician, and a member of the Socialist Party.

The cost of killing him is too high, which would arouse the vigilance and hostility of the entire Likalei State Socialist Party Committee.

Just like the federal government and Congress prohibit initiating investigations against incumbent leaders, they also need a sense of security!

Mayor Williams's words to Lance not to make things too ugly were essentially hoping that Lance would not be too impulsive.

But what if he lost his identity as an opinion leader?

He is no longer a glamorous politician, and public opinion has turned him into a pile of dog shit. Even some people who would have protected him now hope he will die.

At that time, his demise and the subsequent shock would be much smaller.

Even the Socialist Party would actively suppress the case in order to prevent public opinion from continuing to ferment.

Lance has a large amount of such material in his hands. Since the two sides have already started a war around "interests" and "ruling power," then he no longer needs to hide it.

After sorting out these materials, he categorized them and then called Chairman Vaughn.

"How is the matter I asked you to do last time going?" Lance still secretly gives the dockworkers' union a sum of money every month, and also bribes Chairman Vaughn and some core management.

This money is only a small part for Lance now, but it can help him maintain the entire dockworkers' union.

When communicating with Chairman Vaughn, he is more like a slightly higher-ranking, but not-so-important friend. He doesn't use honorifics, just ordinary communication.

Chairman Vaughn gave a positive response, "I have a list. Do you need it now?"

Lance considered for a moment, "Come over, come to my office. We still have some things to talk about."

A dozen minutes later, Chairman Vaughn drove here and handed over the list in the office.

Lance just glanced at it roughly. Hundreds of shareholders made his head hurt.

But this is also normal. It is said that the federal government's major banks have tens of thousands of shareholders!

Lance returned the list, "There are too many, it makes my head spin. Just tell me!"

"Are there any who have a good relationship with you and can be won over?"

"We will soon take action against some of these people. We need some help, some strength, and we also need to distinguish between friends and foes."

Chairman Vaughn frowned. He took out a pen and wrote and drew on the list for a while, "These people have a good relationship with me. I can talk to them. As for the others…"

He shook his head. Although they also rely heavily on the workers' union, the main contact with the workers' union is the manager of the dock management company, not these shareholders.

Lance glanced at the circled names. Their combined shares were less than ten percent, but it was better than nothing.

"Contact them and invite them to be guests, preferably tonight. Just say that there are very important things to discuss with them."

"If they are not available, please ask them to find an agent to come."

"Use your name first, not mine, lest it scare them…"