Empire of Shadows

"Mr. Lance, thank you so much!"

An old man in his fifties stood in front of Lance, bowing slightly, his hands tightly clasping Lance's, his expression very excited.

He had been in the Federation for seven or eight years, but had never obtained legal immigrant status.

He had consulted people more than once. The Immigration Bureau had indeed not closed the immigration channels, but to obtain legal immigrant status, one either had to follow the process or tell a story.

If they could follow the process, they wouldn't still be illegal immigrants. As for telling a story... some people might have succeeded, but more people failed.

GOOGLE search TWKAN

Telling a story is not an easy thing, and it has to be told very well, told in a way that people believe.

For example, some people say they have been persecuted by nobles, but they are just commoners. How could they be persecuted by nobles or even the royal family?

Did the nobles and the royal family need to persecute them and force them into exile?

A phone call could turn them into a forgotten soul of the era, one that wouldn't even make the headlines.

Others say they know a huge secret, but what secret cannot be told unless they first obtain legal status...

In short, for almost ten years, he was still an undocumented immigrant.

Until today, he felt that a "turning point" was truly appearing!

"No matter what, Mr. Lance, we will always remember what you have done for us!"

"If you ever need us for anything in the future, please be sure to tell me!"

Lance shook his arm. "Everything will be fine. May God bless you!"

A middle-aged man waiting for Lance to shake hands couldn't help but interject, "The Federation's God has never blessed us. On the contrary, Mr. Lance, you have always taken care of us."

People laughed a little, perhaps thinking these words were a bit exaggerated, a blasphemy against God, or perhaps thinking they were too much, and the laughter quickly subsided.

Lance always maintained a very humble attitude and did not become arrogant because of people's praise. He said softly, "I heard a saying that when a person is poor, the most important thing he should do is take care of himself."

"But if this person becomes wealthy, wealthy in terms of wealth and status, then he should take care of more people, instead of always focusing only on himself."

"I want to be a wealthy person, not only wealthy in terms of wealth and status, but also wealthy in terms of soul and morality!"

William, standing behind Lance, got goosebumps when he heard these words. He suddenly felt that he still had a lot to learn from Lance in terms of thick skin.

At least he couldn't say such cheesy and shameless words, but Lance could not only say them, but also say them so naturally and fluently!

The old man's eyes were a little red with excitement. "I thought of my deceased wife. If you had come here earlier, perhaps our lives would have been completely different!"

He once again tightly grasped Lance's hand with both hands, "Please take care of yourself, and then take care of us!"

"I will!"

Lance and the old man's words kept spreading among these people. They whispered these words to those who hadn't heard them, to those standing further away.

The way people looked at Lance was undergoing subtle changes, and this feeling was somewhat complicated.

It was like... suddenly having some confidence, someone to back them up, and the gloomy sky suddenly seemed to brighten up!

At first, William still felt it was very cheesy and got goosebumps all over, but soon he became serious, because he didn't feel that this was a lie, or that Lance was for real!

This made him start to feel awe. Anyone with lofty goals and ideals, and who is trying to achieve them, will earn the sincere respect of others!

Not to mention, they were in the same group.

William could already foresee that today's event would not only bring him great fame, but also bring a terrible influence to Lance among these groups!

Hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants, even if only half of them could be converted into legal immigrants, plus the Imperial District, Lance already possessed very solid "capital" in King's Gold City.

This also filled William with confidence in his future. Lance's previous words echoed unintentionally in his heart, resounding in his soul—

Not just a councilor!

Although he was already in his forties, he suddenly became passionate again for some reason!

Just as Lance and the others were about to leave, suddenly a group of police cars came from afar, speeding towards the dock, with traffic police leading the way, directing people not to occupy the road.

Not only were there police cars here, but also an armored car—

Its appearance was not much different from ordinary cars, except that its rear was higher, and the entire car's exterior was made of iron shells, which looked a bit funny.

Not many people knew about it. This was the Federation's current mainstream "armored vehicle", which was actually a car chassis, dragging an iron shell with bulletproof capabilities.

This armored car could accommodate six people, two in the driver's seat and co-driver's seat, and then four people in the back. These four people could sit or stand, could shoot outwards, and there was also a very small trunk.

This was the first time an armored car had appeared in King's Gold City, especially since it was not parked somewhere, but running on the street.

Lance stood at the hotel entrance looking towards this side. What he didn't know was that in this convoy, there was an "old acquaintance" of his.

Senior Agent Lucar sat in the back of a car's co-driver's seat, his expression focused and serious.

Not long after the director took office, he received a "report" that a warehouse was storing a large number of illegal smuggled alcohol, the amount of which was staggering, and it was in the port area.

"Catching a big one" has always been the meaning of the gentlemen in Congress. All localities must find a case with a very large value as soon as possible to solve it, only in this way can the situation of rampant private wine be curbed.

When Lucar and the others came back, the director was still at the state alcohol prohibition office and hadn't returned, because some words were not convenient to say to the bottom-level law enforcement officers.

Some big figures in Congress believe that, when necessary, even if some evidence is fabricated, it must serve the purpose of deterring criminals.

For example, if you only smuggled five boxes of wine, you might get out of jail in three years, which has no deterrent effect on criminals.

Because their smuggling costs are very low and their profits are very high. Even if they are caught, it will not curb crime, but will only make people think that it is just their bad luck.

People will continue to commit crimes, and even promote the occurrence of violations of the Prohibition Act.

So now, directly double the number of smuggled goods twenty times, fifty times, and make it one hundred boxes, two hundred boxes, enough to send them directly to the electric chair!

There is no need to carefully study the evidence, execute the person first, and then let more people know that someone has been sent to the electric chair for violating the Prohibition Act and executed.

The deterrence of death to crime is always greater than painless punishment. Only in this way will the Prohibition Act not look like a joke of Congress!

As for injustice?

They have already started committing crimes. If they are not caught, they will definitely get bigger and bigger in the future, or they will definitely be able to accumulate so much in their lifetime. Now it is just a premature judgment.

What is there to be wronged or not?

The director understood. He was still planning how to deal with this matter when someone took the initiative to send him a letter, giving him an address and telling him that there was a large amount of smuggled alcohol inside.

He didn't believe it at first, but he still sent someone to investigate and found that there was indeed a lot of alcohol.

He immediately began to organize a large team and start acting.

The reporters who had not completely dispersed were like sharks smelling blood, quickly following, which was also what the director wanted to see.

A dozen minutes later, in some southern parts of the port area, there was a brief exchange of fire, which quickly subsided.

At the scene, a large number of brandies were neatly placed in an open area, like the director's medal of honor!

Reporters took pictures frantically, while the director accepted interviews with reporters on camera.

"...Before I took office, I knew that King's Gold City has always been a disaster area for smuggled alcohol after the Prohibition Act was implemented."

"It has a very developed transportation system, land transportation, sea transportation, and many smuggled alcohol from abroad will land here."

"When I was named to come here, I felt a heavy responsibility on my shoulders. This is a kind of recognition for me, and also a challenge."

"Fortunately, I did not disappoint the expectations of my superiors. After our thorough investigation, we destroyed a den for storing smuggled alcohol today, killing two people and capturing two alive."

"Next, we will focus on these stolen goods and dig deep into the masterminds hidden behind the scenes..."

"Fuck!" A bottle of brandy was smashed hard on the ground, and glass shards and wine splashed everywhere. The whole room was quiet after a while.

The rich aroma of wine filled the room, but few people showed an expression of enjoyment. Everyone was very serious, even a little scared!

The small Big Polly walked around frantically. His hiding place for alcohol was wiped out.

Not only was it wiped out, but two people died. The Tobacco, Alcohol, and Hazardous Materials Administration even said that they would dig deep into these masterminds behind the scenes!

Since he became the leader of the Brotherhood, he has never suffered such a big loss!

That warehouse not only contained the alcohol he got from Heller, but also a batch of his own alcohol, and now it's all gone!

He lost at least two to three hundred thousand!

Even though more than half of it was Heller taking the initiative to deliver it.

"Someone must have sold us out, otherwise those sons of bitches wouldn't have found that place. Investigate everyone who's been there among us. See if anything's been off about them lately."

"Like if they suddenly disappeared for a while, or if anything's been unusual these past few days. Dig him out for me, I want to kill him with my own hands!"

He was about to say something more, but suddenly stopped. "Go now! I hope you can give me an answer as soon as possible!"

"Wait!" He looked at the senior executives who had already stood up to leave. "Find out who all participated in the operation this time. I want their files!"

After these people had left, Polly returned to his chair and sat down.

His chair was custom-made, slightly higher than ordinary chairs, so he wouldn't look like a joke—

He would look very short sitting in a normal chair. If someone came in from outside, they would only see his head and neck over the desk. He would look like a child sitting in an adult's seat.

He didn't like people looking at him like he was a child, so he made the chair higher, so he would look much more normal.

But the price was that his legs would leave the ground after he sat down.

But who would go around the table to see if his feet were off the ground?

If anyone really did that, he wouldn't mind giving them a shot and letting them feel the price of insulting him!

He picked up the receiver and dialed a number, which was quickly connected.

"My liquor was seized."

The voice in the receiver sounded a little gloating. "I saw the news. Liquor worth over three hundred thousand. I mean, is there really that much?"

Polly's temples throbbed a little. "At least two hundred and fifty thousand. If they calculate it at market price, it's about that much."

The person on the other end even laughed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to!"

"So, what's the purpose of your call now?" Polly asked.

"Do you know that damn director or whatever?" Polly asked.

The other party gave a negative answer. "I don't know him. They're an independent system, but I know a senior special agent inside, but he probably can't help you."

Polly patiently continued, "I don't care if you know him or not, find a way to get a message to that idiot. Return this batch of goods to me, and I'll give him thirty thousand dollars, plus my friendship."

The guy on the other end of the receiver didn't reply immediately, but after thinking for a while, he said, "Polly, they're not like us. If you want something, as long as the impact isn't too great, I'll give it to you."

"But they're different. They've transferred elites from various departments. They're not here to mess around with you. They're here to work!"

"I can guarantee that it's no problem for me to have someone take this message over, but not only will they not do that, but they will also keep an eye on you instead."

"I heard that they even have a judicial office internally, specializing in handling some legal documents that they can handle."

"In other words, they don't even need to notify the Justice Bureau to arrest you. They can handle the documents internally. Do you understand what I mean?"

"They and us, are absolutely different evils!"

"But if you strongly hope that I will help you convey these words, I can help you convey them, but whatever you encounter will have nothing to do with me."

Polly became even more angry after hearing this. "Is this just going to end like this?"

"It's best that way!"

"F***, f*** you!" Polly didn't care about anything and just started cursing.

The tone of the person on the other end of the receiver also became stiff. "You better f***ing watch who you're talking to. If you don't want me checking on you every day, you better shut your sh**-eating…"

With a bang, Polly slammed the receiver onto the base. This matter is not over!

While Polly was furious, a group of people were opening champagne.

Alberto had returned from Yalan, bringing two friends with him, two Yalan people.

"This is Mr. Calcia, and this is Mr. Gomez," Alberto introduced his two new friends to Lance. "Mr. Calcia is the Deputy Minister of Commerce of Lapa, and Mr. Gomez is the president of their country's largest chamber of commerce. This time, they are here at my invitation to travel and to investigate the federal business environment."

"This is Mr. White, Lance White, he is my best friend!"

After Lance shook hands with these people cordially, he walked to the side with Alberto. "What's going on?"

Alberto smiled happily. "That's just a small country. The population combined may not even be as large as Likalai State. You probably know something about the situation there. They mainly rely on the export of agricultural and trade commodities."

"I gave them a large order there, a large amount of juice and potato wine. My own bar needs this, and I accidentally became their major customer…"

For major customers, a country with a population of just over one million naturally attaches great importance to them, not to mention that this customer comes from the prosperous Federation.

But these two people don't look poor. Obviously, they are a small group among these one million people.

Alberto patted him on the shoulder. "Don't think so much, just eat well and have fun. They will supply me for a long time. If you need it, I can share some with you…"

He got some "hints" from Lance. Strong potato wine can be mixed with anything, whether it's juice or something else, which makes everything possible.

Yalan has abundant tropical fruit resources. These tropical fruit juices mixed with alcohol are good fruit wines, and they are not noticeable.

Naturally, Lance wouldn't say anything about this. He looked at the two "foreigners" and suddenly had some special ideas in his mind, but when he tried to think about it carefully, he couldn't quite grasp it. Perhaps this still takes time.

The Tobacco, Alcohol, and Hazardous Materials Administration's one-time shutdown of a huge stockpile of smuggled liquor warehouses did give the entire Goldport City a special shock, and liquor prices also rose significantly.

Some small bars have already taken the initiative to close to avoid becoming the "next one," but more are still rushing forward, after all, this allows them to earn more.

That is, two days later, the Tobacco, Alcohol, and Hazardous Materials Administration, in front of all reporters, crushed the confiscated liquor on the pier.

The liquor flowing out of the bottles flowed directly into the sea. The aroma of the liquor permeated most of the pier. If the weather wasn't too cold now, it is estimated that someone would have jumped into the sea to catch it.

Even so, some people still got a little seawater, but unfortunately, they couldn't taste the liquor.

This move also made the whole city realize that this new department was not friendly and their determination!

Interestingly, Mr. Pasleito's originally slow-selling high-end liquor began to sell well again. Alberto also negotiated some new sources of goods, and everything returned to normal!

Except for Polly, but he wasn't really that hurt. Heller's batch of liquor had already sold a lot, and he didn't really lose anything. It could only be said that he was happy for nothing.

But for him, this was already an unbearable pain!