Empire of Shadows

Returning to the hall, the Mayor, the moment he pushed open the door, had a smile on his face that looked very sincere.

A politician always knows how to express and present himself correctly, at the right time and in the right place.

Holding a glass of wine, he walked into the crowd. This was a small gathering, and everyone here had been invited by him.

Among them were some capitalists from out of town who supported him, some local frustrated speculators who could never break through the class barrier, and all sorts of other people.

Some were new friends, joining such a gathering for the first time, but there were also some old friends.

The Mayor walked to the very center of the crowd and sat down on the sofa.

He had been sitting here before. After he left, no one had sat here. Even though there were no other sofas or places to sit nearby, people still wouldn't touch this spot.

Now that he sat back down, the crowd immediately quieted down and everyone looked at him.

"Eric got into a fight with some local young people…," he said, taking a sip from his glass, "…he got his head broken…"

Some people exclaimed in surprise, while others hurriedly asked if Eric was safe. The Mayor just smiled and said he was fine.

"I've been thinking about a problem. We've been making concessions for six years, but our continued concessions haven't brought peace."

"Our investments in Gold Harbor City have been terminated, our construction has been delayed, and our interests haven't been realized."

"Now, even our children are being beaten."

"This isn't a kind city. Its name is 'City of Angels,' but angels don't live here. What lives here are demons."

"Some time ago, when Mike and the others came over, we had a chat and talked about the development of New Harbor."

The environment, which had been murmuring about Eric being beaten, quieted down once again.

The new friends didn't understand these things deeply enough, but they still felt the dissatisfaction emanating from the people around them.

"The Social Democratic Party's state office strongly supports us continuing to strengthen the imprint we leave here. Gold Harbor Pier has been around for a long time, even though it was also built under the auspices of Social Democrats."

"But for the new generation of young people, they don't have much of a deep impression!"

"They will feel that Gold Harbor Pier has existed since they were born. They won't trace back to who proposed the construction of Gold Harbor Pier, who rescued this city from a group of planters and farmers."

"They will take everything for granted, and then gloss over it when studying local history."

"We need a stronger imprint, so that the people of this era will still remember everything the Social Democratic Party has done here."

"To make people realize that their happy lives come from us."

"If we let New Harbor Pier start accelerating again, the state government and the Social Democratic Party will support us."

This was indeed good news for some people who had invested a lot of money in the New Harbor District and New Bay District.

This meant that their previous investments would be rewarded. This was also why they were closely following the Mayor—perhaps friendship was part of the reason, but more than that, it was for profit.

But some people seemed worried. "Sidney (the Mayor's name), I don't want to dampen your enthusiasm, but the local forces are still too strong. It will be difficult for us to break out of their encirclement and forge a bloody path."

The speaker was a businessman who participated in the first development of the New Harbor District. They were "tricked in to be slaughtered." After a large amount of capital was invested, the locals immediately changed their faces.

Their large initial investment couldn't be said to have gone down the drain, but it was far from the returns they had expected, and it also dragged down their experience.

In fact…they all knew very well that the purpose of the locals in doing this, apart from not wanting to develop a New Harbor District, was also to annex their basic investments.

Once the Mayor left here, they could take the opportunity to annex all the basic construction and investment in the New Harbor District, which would save them a lot of money.

Now, the contest between the two sides is not fair, and fairness cannot be found.

The Mayor didn't deny this. "So, I want to introduce a new friend to you!" He glanced at the watch on his wrist, and his personal secretary opened the door and left for a while. When he came back, he brought a smiling, blond fat man.

Not very fat, but fatter than ordinary people.

His obesity made his clothes look a little ill-fitting, but no one would laugh at him, because they all knew this danger.

"Dale, also our new friend!"

The Mayor took the initiative to stand up and introduce this "familiar stranger" to everyone. Soon everyone began to shake hands with him and introduce themselves.

After a round, the Mayor beckoned Dale to sit next to him.

"If Dale hadn't joined, I would have let you continue to maintain the status quo. We wouldn't fight, we wouldn't grab, and when I go to the State Assembly, we would free up our hands little by little to clean up these people."

"But with Dale's joining, our 'revenge' cause will be unprecedentedly accelerated!"

People's eyes turned to Dale. Some people still had doubts, but some people's eyes began to become fiery!

Not everyone understood what the Mayor was saying. Of course, in order to make those who didn't understand understand, he didn't mind going into more detail.

"That old dog Charlie's nickname is 'Bay Area Hound.' He's a dog raised by the locals. When it doesn't involve the interests of the locals, he'll listen to me."

"But when something involves the interests of the locals, he will become that loyal dog again, barking at us around his master's feet."

"We don't have our own law enforcement power, so we have always been passive, just like the big strike that year and what happened later!"

What he was talking about was the big strike that took place five years ago, not long after the official construction of New Harbor Pier. Because a worker was "accidentally" injured, they demanded at least 20,000 yuan in compensation from the investors.

In order to appease the workers' emotions, they paid the money, and then the second injured worker appeared, the third, more.

This was obviously extortion. The foreign businessmen who invested in New Harbor Pier refused to pay the money, and then the big strike began, limited to New Harbor Pier.

At that time, the Mayor realized this, but he thought everything was still under control. He asked Chief Charlie to investigate these injured workers to see if they were really injured and if there was any fraud.

But Chief Charlie blatantly敷衍told him that these people had determined that they had no problems without any investigation.

He knew that this was a conspiracy.

But the decisive force was not on his side. It was impossible for him to investigate these issues himself. He was just the Mayor, not the Chief of Police.

Even if he knew what had happened, he eventually had to accept the workers' various unreasonable demands, because the construction period was very important.

But even if he accepted it, the workers' work was constantly delayed. They constantly demanded wage increases, increased benefits, and reduced working hours.

As long as they were not satisfied, they would immediately strike.

But if they were satisfied, they would only work four or five hours a day, and most of the time they would not work.

Later, the Mayor and the investors transferred a group of workers from other places to continue construction. After about four months, just when they thought there was no problem this time, a new round of attacks began.

Gang members constantly caused trouble. They created contradictions and conflicts. Although Chief Charlie arrested many gang members, he also arrested many workers.

His reason was that both sides might be fighting each other, rather than unilateral beatings, so they all had to be taken back for questioning.

The workers were sent into detention rooms full of gang members, and soon they were covered in bruises.

At the same time, the workers on the pier construction site were constantly poisoned and collapsed because someone had poisoned them.

Although not many people died, this series of actions ultimately successfully persuaded the workers to quit.

They only came here to make some money, not to leave their lives here.

With the obvious bias of law enforcement agencies, the Mayor and his supporters lost completely.

In fact, this can't be blamed on Chief Charlie. For him, although the Mayor is big, he will eventually leave this city.

Only Councilor Wade, Councilor Williams, and other local political forces rooted here, and the five major families, will always exist.

If he doesn't want to find his family packed into oil drums one day after he wakes up, ready to be thrown into Angel Lake, then he had better figure out why he is called the "Bay Area Hound" instead of the "Justice Hound" or the "Mayor's Hound" or something like that.

In today's world, where the FBI's core business is still "who the hell is talking bad about the President," and local law enforcers led by Chief Charlie are all on the side of the locals, having Dale, this "foreign law enforcer," is equivalent to filling the most important gap in their struggle with the locals!

Law enforcement power, from a political struggle point of view, is the most direct and deadly weapon. Whoever controls more law enforcement power is closer to victory.

So, the Mayor has never launched a frontal war. He has no weapons in his hands. How can he fight these people who are carrying guns and pushing cannons?

But now that he not only has powerful weapons, but also stronger and better weapons than the other side, then he is qualified to go to war.

These words finally made some people understand why the Mayor suddenly had motivation again. One of them asked, "So, where do we start?"

The Mayor picked up his glass and took a big sip, "Start with Eric being beaten…"

Inside the Starlight District Police Station, the precinct chief was standing in front of his desk. Why wasn't he sitting?

Because his "chief's throne" was occupied by a middle-aged man.

This middle-aged man was Fleming's uncle. He looked to be around forty-five or forty-six years old, dressed very meticulously, and even wearing a bow tie. He must have attended some event that evening, and rushed back before it even ended.

He pressed his hands on the desk, pushing against his brow bone, obscuring most of his face.

He rubbed his brow bone forcefully, seeking some relaxation that even he didn't know he needed.

The slight scent of alcohol emanating from him indicated that he must have drunk a lot that night.

The Coda family had many social engagements, because not only locals gambled in their casinos, but also people from out of town, the state government, and those old geezers.

As long as you warmly welcomed any one of them, you had to warmly welcome the others.

Similarly, once you had entertained them once, you would definitely have to entertain them every time thereafter. It was a matter of face.

All distinguished guests did not want to be the one ignored or neglected, so the Coda family had a large number of receptions to host.

Even though this was the precinct chief's office, it felt like his own office at this moment.

He sat while the precinct chief stood.

"So… I can't take Fleming back?"

"Did you see his nose bleeding?" the middle-aged man asked, lowering his hands. He had a face that looked somewhat handsome.

It was rare for wealthy people to be ugly. Wealth and status gave them more opportunities to improve their genes than ordinary people.

His slightly curly brown hair gave him an air of nobility, making it hard to imagine he came from a gangster family.

"Mr. Cory, the mayor said that Mr. Fleming cannot leave…"

The middle-aged man, addressed as "Mr. Cory," leaned back in his chair. "I won't make things difficult for you. I'll take him to treat his injuries. Once the doctor says his condition is stable, I'll send him back. How about that?"

The precinct chief wanted to say something, but Cory slowly stood up and looked directly at him.

In the end, the precinct chief nodded. "I think that's fine, Mr. Cory."

Mr. Cory revealed a slight smile. He walked towards the door of the office, stopped in front of the precinct chief, and straightened his slightly disheveled collar. "Think about where every penny of your salary comes from. Next time, I don't want to hear any refusals!"

As he spoke, he patted the precinct chief's cheek before walking out.

In Goldport City, there was a common sense that only locals knew… that the salaries of local civil servants came from the Coda family's taxes.

This was not a joke or a fabrication, it was a fact.

Perhaps it was a slight exaggeration, but not by much.

Casino taxes were very high, and Goldport City had far more civil servants than other places. Relying solely on the taxes paid by the wealthy could not support the vast civil service system.

Therefore, the Coda family filled this funding gap. It was said that someone had calculated that approximately forty percent of the municipal expenditure, including the salaries of civil servants, came from this money.

The Coda family supported most of the civil servants in Goldport City. It was no laughing matter!

The precinct chief's expression was ugly, but considering that the other party was a core member of the Coda family, he ultimately took a deep breath and comforted himself with "I don't need to argue with a bastard," before following him out in a few steps.

He followed Mr. Cory to the hall like a lackey. Fleming was sitting there,捂着鼻子(wuzhe bizi -捂着鼻子 means holding his nose) holding his nose, with several police officers taking care of him.

He stood up when he saw Cory. "Uncle."

Cory nodded slightly. "It's alright. Go to the hospital to have your nose checked, Fleming. I can't imagine that you were actually beaten by an outsider!"

Fleming's face showed a wry smile. "He ambushed me…"

"Alright, I don't want to hear your excuses," Mr. Cory said, raising his hand to stop him. "You have to earn back the face you lost yourself."

After he finished speaking, he shook his head and walked out. He still had a lot of work to do.

Fleming looked displeased. He glanced sideways at the precinct chief, finally gathered his things, and left.

When the others saw him leave, they also stood up sparsely. Before long, all these young masters who had been arrested had actually left.

However, some of them also left behind some lackeys to be convicted, such as Arthur.

He left a lackey behind, saying that he himself hadn't laid a hand on anyone, and that it was all the lackey who had done the work.

Although the precinct chief had seen Arthur jumping up and punching a guy the moment he arrived at the scene, he ultimately adopted Arthur's self-defense.

He didn't want to receive a call from Councilor Williams at this time to inquire about the situation. He still wanted to live a few more years.

Looking at the chaotic hall, the precinct chief sighed heavily. What the hell was all this?

Just when the precinct chief thought that today's "misfortune" had come to an end, the mayor's secretary suddenly came in person, bringing some people with him.

He had just secretly drunk a little wine in the office to relax his nerves. In just a short while, he had been made so nervous by these young masters with terrifying backgrounds that he felt like he was suffocating!

Only a drink could make him feel a little relaxed.

But just as he was immersed in the effects of the alcohol, the moment the mayor's secretary pushed the door open, his heart almost stopped beating!

"Where's Fleming?"

The mayor's secretary asked with a serious expression, "I didn't see him in the detention room."

The precinct chief didn't know what to say or how to explain. His eyes were somewhat dull as he looked at the other party, his mouth half-open, unable to say anything for a long time!

The mayor's secretary walked up to him and sniffed. "You've been drinking."

The precinct chief nodded slightly. The mayor's secretary sneered. "Congress and the Presidential Palace have been constantly mentioning the issue of prohibition. As one of Goldport City's law enforcers, you are drinking while on duty."

"I am very disappointed with Goldport City's police system. Have Charlie come over here. That's all. I'll wait for him here!"

Clearly, the precinct chief knew that he had been drawn into a high-level power struggle.

But at this time, he had no other choice but to obey.

He called Chief Charlie and explained the situation. Chief Charlie cursed a few times in his heart before hanging up.

He was thinking about countermeasures. He knew what had happened that night, so he hid immediately.

He thought the matter had been resolved, but he didn't expect the mayor to suddenly act contrary to the tacit understanding.

Now he needed to make a choice.

Whether the mayor's stick would ultimately fall on the precinct chief or on himself was a troublesome matter!