Empire of Shadows

Mr. Chobaf had heard of Red High Heels and even knew a little about it.

The girls they sent out were always full of life, but those brought back were not always in perfect condition; some were missing arms or legs, and some were even corpses.

You can never figure out what kind of fetishes those seemingly respectable big shots have!

[Writing this, I hope readers remember our domain name: Taiwan Novel Network → 𝘵 𝘸 𝘬 𝘢 𝘯 . 𝘤 𝘰 𝘮]

A girl who had once served a big shot disappeared overnight because she had said a few words – her companions were worried that she had been abused, but she said that she had entered a house, then changed into special clothes to whip and harm an adult federal male, and was rewarded for it.

The big shots know about the existence of Red High Heels and even allow it to exist, obviously not because they can't shut it down, but because they don't want to, because it also has value.

There are many big capitalists or politicians in the federal upper class who like to hunt.

But do they really hunt often because they love hunting?

No, they don't like the competitive process between hunter and prey; they simply want to kill.

There was once a governor in the Federation who liked to be a butcher in his spare time on a farm.

Some people saw this behavior as a sign of loyalty to the landlord class, and others said that even though he had become a governor, he had not forgotten the traditions of the farmers, and personally slaughtered pigs, cattle, and sheep as a form of inheritance.

This earned him a lot of votes and political donations from local farmers and the landlord class.

The public and the media believed these words, thinking that he was really just maintaining some traditions of the farmers and trying to get more votes.

It wasn't until a sudden outbreak of a missing person case that all the clues eventually pointed to him, and people realized that he usually had other similar hobbies besides slaughtering pigs, cattle, and sheep.

Of course, the person who exposed this matter may not have been doing it for justice; there has never been the word "justice" in the federal upper class, only "interests".

People's desires are like this; some can be controlled, but some will gradually become uncontrollable in the process of continuous accumulation.

Rather than causing huge destruction, mainly self-destruction, because they can't control it, then spending some money and releasing pressure through some "non-illegal" means becomes a good choice for them.

Those illegal immigrants are invisible people from a legal point of view; they don't exist.

After they disappear, no one will report to the police, no one will go around looking for the media for their disappearance, and no one will think about doing anything for a group of people without status.

So this becomes a safe way; they can better serve society after releasing their desires and pressure.

It is seen by Liam, and even Heller, as a ladder, a shortcut, to the upper class.

It can indeed get you in touch with many big shots: church pastors, respectable people in the Bay Area upper class, celebrities, and dignitaries.

If they have desires and needs, they will definitely contact Red High Heels, because it is one of the few places in King's Port that can satisfy their special fetishes.

Having the contact information and connections of these people is indeed full of temptation for ambitious people at the bottom.

Mr. Chobaf's eyes flickered a little. Lance reiterated his position, "I don't do this."

"Whoever likes to do it can do it, but I don't do this."

"Mr. Chobaf, I also advise you not to touch it."

"You think you have a more private connection and a closer relationship with those big shots because of this kind of thing, but to them, you are the only eyewitness who has mastered their criminal evidence."

"When they need you, they will naturally think you are a reliable person."

"But when they don't need you, they will start to worry about whether you will expose their affairs or trade them away."

"The person who does this will not end well, no matter who he is."

"I believe that when the news of Liam's death suddenly spreads in society, his clients may be happier than me!"

Mr. Chobaf looked at Lance, listened to what he said, and finally realized that he was a little impatient, "You are right, I shouldn't think about these things."

Lance nodded, "Your value is not in this, Mr. Chobaf."

He didn't continue to talk about this, after all, this is a disgraceful thing, "I will tell the mayor truthfully."

The serious topic ended, and Mr. Chobaf's face showed less seriousness and more gentleness, "The mayor has been under a lot of pressure recently, Lance, what do you think I should do next?"

He admired Lance more and more and wanted to hear Lance's opinion.

Lance gave him a suggestion, "Continue to play to your strengths, Mr. Chobaf."

"The more money you have, the more they can't live without you, that's where your value lies."

"When you have no money, that's when you lose your value."

"If you want to gain more respect, become richer!"

Mr. Chobaf left quickly, sitting in the car and looking at the bustling office, he felt an increasingly wonderful feeling at this time.

It's like... observing the whole process of a volcanic eruption. Maybe it's just emitting a puff of smoke now, and hasn't even spewed out a spark, but the rhythm of the earth produced by it hidden beneath the ground can already be clearly grasped by people.

When he heard from the mayor that Lance could provide 20,000 votes, his first thought was that it was impossible.

Even if there are hundreds of thousands of Imperials in the Imperial District, there are not many among them who have votes and the right to vote.

But now he understands that those 20,000 votes do not all come from the Imperial District.

After returning to the mayor's side, he immediately went to see the mayor. He was not young anymore, but when facing the mayor, who was younger than him, he couldn't see the respect he should have gained at this age.

Of course, he himself has no need for respect.

"I have already met with Lance. Lance agreed to the two proposals, but he proposed that he will not do the Red High Heels business."

From the moment he entered the door until now, he has been standing by the door.

Although the decoration in the room is not luxurious, it is definitely not shabby.

There is a simple sofa, and there are three chairs opposite the mayor's desk, but the mayor did not ask Mr. Chobaf to sit down, and he himself did not take the initiative to go over.

During this time, he felt that the strictness of the hierarchy in the Federation was even more terrifying than in the Empire!

Those nobles would sometimes put their arms around your shoulders and make a few jokes with you, but here...

The mayor put down the pen in his hand, "I am not familiar with Red High Heels, and I don't plan to understand it. All I need is the stability of the Imperial District and the votes he can control."

The mayor frowned slightly and thought for a while, "Sometimes you should learn from him!"

This is like a comment, and it may also be a sentence with other hints, but Mr. Chobaf doesn't seem to have heard it.

"Okay, I still have a lot of work to do. Go do your thing. Don't always stand here. If others see it, they will think I don't respect the elderly."

Mr. Chobaf bowed slightly, "I'm getting old. The doctor advised me to move around more. Sitting for a long time is not good for my waist."

The corners of the mayor's mouth curled up slightly. People all like power, and that's the charm of power.

Even if you point to a pile of shit and say that eating it will be beneficial, someone will rush to stuff it into their mouth!

He raised his hand and made a "get out" gesture. Mr. Chobaf left the office directly, and the mayor began to work on his work again.

As the nominal and actual ruler of this city, how could he not know about Red High Heels?

It's just that his future is destined to be the Presidential Palace or Capitol Hill, so he should try not to touch these things as much as possible.

But he hopes that there will be someone of his own who can accept it. Maybe it won't be used now, but one day, it may be useful.

The next morning, at the pier, a large group of people surrounded Irwin and stood together.

During this time, most of the people here have heard about what happened. The news at the pier is very well-informed, but no one will think about helping Lance do something.

It's not that they are ungrateful, it's just that for most blue-collar workers, they are just ordinary illegal immigrants. Maybe if Lance falls, their work and survival problems will be more serious.

But these things don't mean that they can't survive here. Lance just gave them a job so that they can barely fill their stomachs and have a little hope.

It doesn't mean that they have to fight with a "well-known" gang for a dozen dollars a month.

Now the fight seems to be over. The Camila gang has become a thing of the past. When Irwin came to the pier, these blue-collar workers immediately surrounded him.

They asked all sorts of questions about what had happened during this time, such as why the war started, whether there were any losses in the battle, and some follow-up questions.

Irwin came today to recruit some people. Lance said at the meeting last night that the meaning of the people above is that the Imperial District should be stabilized as soon as possible.

The big mountain of the Camila gang has been moved away, so a new big mountain must be replaced.

This big mountain is not completely designated by the big shots above. This is also a "test". They must solve the problems of those street families and small gangs that may cause a decline in the crime rate as soon as possible.

It is obviously too exaggerated for twenty people to manage an administrative district. They need some peripheral members.

"...It will definitely be more dangerous in the gang than you are at the pier. This time we lost seven people..."

When Elvin said these things, it was obvious that the people who had been enthusiastic a moment ago began to think, or even shrink back.

Death is always a frightening thing, and the death of seven people at once made them consider whether it was worth it.

Of course, there were also people willing to join, but Elvin didn't immediately agree. "I'm just telling you now that we'll need about one to two hundred people, and each person will get thirty-five dollars a month."

"In addition, we will guarantee your food and accommodation. If you are injured due to some conflict, we will also provide you with treatment here."

"In fact, these conditions are very good, and Lance told me that after our situation improves, your income will gradually increase."

"Ordinary members will get about forty-five to sixty dollars a month, and core combat members will be able to get about eighty dollars."

"Recently, we will be very tired because we plan to take over all the territory of the Camilla gang in the Imperial District. Some people will definitely compete with us, so there will definitely be some battles."

"But you don't have to worry too much. It's unlikely that there will be large-scale firefights, and if there really is a firefight, we will go up too."

Elvin said a lot. Some people were afraid of injury and death, and they retreated.

Some people also felt that staying at the dock was not a long-term solution. If they couldn't solve their identity problem in one day, they wouldn't be able to get their full salary.

It's better to join a gang and take a chance.

People always have to do something for themselves!

Elvin told people to spread the news. Not everyone who wants to join will be accepted. They only need elites!

Lance, who was in the distance, saw this and turned around to throw the cigarette butt on the ground, grinding it with the shiny toe of his leather shoe, and then went to the office of the dock workers' union.

He was here to find Vaughn (one of the vice presidents of the dock workers' union). He didn't want the rumors on the street during this period to cause unnecessary trouble and ruin his plan to control the dock area.

Vaughn had already arrived. Although he didn't look like a member of the working class, he had the working class's rigorous work and rest schedule. Maybe this was one of the few ways he was close to the working class.

Lance knocked on the door. Vaughn was looking at some documents. He was a little surprised to see Lance, and then immediately stood up, went around the table to greet him, and shook hands with Lance. "I didn't know you were coming."

The two entered the room. The New Year was coming soon, and the temperature was already a bit low.

Lance took off his trench coat and hung his hat on the hanger. "A lot has happened during this time, and I'm often not sure what I should do."

"Didn't I delay your work?"

Vaughn took the initiative to have someone bring two cups of hot coffee over. "No, just some things from the general union." He was referring to the Federal Dock Workers' General Union.

Lance sighed softly, "You must have heard some things related to me."

Vaughn nodded, "I couldn't believe it at first."

No one could have imagined that the young man they were cooperating with would suddenly overthrow a well-known gang and be stepping onto the stage of the times.

Moreover, Lance and the Lance family had also begun to appear in front of people, which made Vaughn a little at a loss.

The dock workers' union and the gang, or rather the family, were cooperating?

He didn't know.

Lance took out a check for a thousand dollars from his pocket and placed it on the coffee table.

He looked into Vaughn's eyes, "I'm going to go to Yalan in a few days to inspect some factories, and I really can't spare the time this month, so I'll just give you two months' worth of donations together."

Vaughn subconsciously glanced at the check, which was for a thousand dollars.

The price he and Lance had discussed before was not this.

Perhaps seeing Vaughn's doubts, he explained, "Use the extra two hundred dollars to buy some small gifts or something to bring some smiles to everyone. After all, the club will open after the New Year, and I still need your help."

This sounded like a joke, but it was also a test. If Vaughn said, "This matter is not easy to handle," it would mean that something had gone wrong with his renting of the club.

If he didn't say it, it would mean that nothing had gone wrong.

Vaughn's mind raced. The three hundred dollars in the small account was still in the safe, and now there was another thousand dollars.

He suddenly felt his scalp was a little hot and very itchy, and couldn't help but scratch it. "Lance..."

"Is there a problem?" Lance asked.

Vaughn took a deep breath, "They're rumored that you are..."

"A gangster?"

Lance directly stated it, "Do you think we are?"

Vaughn shook his head, "I don't think you are..." Just as he was speaking, the secretary knocked on the door and brought in two cups of coffee.

After the two thanked her, the secretary thoughtfully closed the door. At the moment when the door was about to close, her eyes lingered on the check on the table.

"Vaughn, we never extort anyone. We can say that the money we earn may not be legal, but we can definitely get through it with a clear conscience."

"If they hadn't forced us to want to kill us, so many things wouldn't have happened. We're just resisting under pressure."

"No one wants to enter this industry, but this world doesn't allow us to do anything else."

"I can guarantee that the dock is still yours, and no one will interfere with your work."

"Moreover, if you feel that our cooperation is no longer suitable, you can stop it at any time. I just hope that our people can have a better working environment and atmosphere at the dock, that's all!"

"All my efforts are to improve their situation, with no other thoughts or intentions."

He leaned forward slightly, "Give me a chance, and give yourself a chance."

Vaughn looked at Lance for a while, then looked at the check. In the end, he was convinced by himself, "Okay..."

"What about Coster's side?"

Vaughn put away the check, "I will persuade President Coster."

Lance thought for a while, then took out another check with a number already on it: two hundred dollars.

He handed the check to Vaughn, and seeing the confusion on Vaughn's face, he smiled, "My thanks!"

"Don't refuse, aren't we friends?"

Having accepted the first check for a thousand dollars, the second check for two hundred dollars didn't seem so difficult to accept.

He finally put it in his pocket as well, "You always make people feel embarrassed, Lance."

That's what he said, but from the smile on his face, it could be seen that he liked this gift.

The New Year was coming soon, and he could buy his wife a beautiful dress and give his children some pocket money. They were at the age of dating, and they always complained that they didn't have enough money.

Vaughn could also buy himself a brand-name razor that he had always wanted, or buy a new pair of leather shoes?

He had many choices, based on the fact that he had more freely disposable wealth.

Only people who have reached his class, or who have lived their lives clearly, will understand what is called "family income" and what is called "freely disposable wealth."

Sometimes your monthly income does not mean the money you can freely dispose of!

Mr. Lance, he is so generous!