Empire of Shadows

Lance wasn't surprised that McCock recognized him immediately.

Although he might still be a small figure in the eyes of those at the top, he was already a big shot in the eyes of ordinary people.

"If there isn't a second Lance family in Goldport City, then you must be talking about me."

They released their handshake, and Lance invited them to sit down, "I don't know what you guys like to eat, so I haven't ordered yet…"

He snapped his fingers, and a waiter quickly approached with a menu.

"Don't save on my account; you know I'm good at making money!"

McCock laughed heartily, "Yes, I know, you all are very good at making money."

"Then today, I'll take advantage of your generosity and eat something I usually can't afford?"

"Be my guest!"

In reality, McCock didn't order anything extravagant—a steak, some lamb chops, and some diced beef.

All of this added up to only about a dozen coins.

Jack ordered things of similar price, not because he wanted to rip Lance off, but because if he ordered something too cheap, it would highlight the high price of McCock's order.

This would make McCock uncomfortable, so ordering appropriately was also a skill. Lance ordered roughly the same.

While waiting for the food to arrive, they naturally chatted, with Lance starting by expressing his curiosity about McCock's job.

"Our job is the same every day—patrolling on time and dealing with all sorts of boring work."

"If your ship loses power at sea, and if you have a radio, you can contact us, and we will also be responsible for the rescue."

"And seizing smuggling ships, but more often, it's helping some ships in the dock with towing work."

"There are too many ships here; without towing, it could cause chaos. In short, I feel like we're not much like a coast patrol team, more like ordinary dockworkers!"

They were indeed responsible for many things; it wasn't an easy job.

Lance offered him a cigarette, "The Congress recently strengthened the coast patrol team; your work should be a little more comfortable now."

McCock lit the cigarette, tilting his body slightly, "How do I put it?"

"Our equipment is indeed better, but it's also harder to slack off."

"They require us to increase the number of patrols to curb maritime smuggling routes."

"But Lance, you should understand, the coastline is so long that patrolling only once is definitely not enough; we can only keep patrolling."

"Before, we could find reasons not to do it so much, like saying the patrol boat wasn't good enough, or some other reason, but now we can't find any reason at all."

He looked at the table, seemingly wanting to grab the wine, but seeing only lemonade on the table, he picked it up and put it down again.

At this moment, the waiter walked over with a tray, and Lance asked, "Do you have the wine I stored here?"

The waiter nodded, "Of course, sir. May I ask what kind of wine you stored?"

"I stored several bottles; pick the strongest one from them!"

The waiter nodded slightly but still reminded him, "Sir, our service fees are very expensive."

Lance waved his hand, not caring too much.

Although the Dangerous Goods Administration was cracking down on the issue of private wine everywhere, many restaurants were still selling alcohol under the guise of "wine storage."

Because the profit from alcohol was too great!

For restaurants, a meal like the one Lance and his party were having, costing nearly fifty coins, would have a cost of more than twenty coins.

After deducting other expenses from the remaining thirty coins of gross profit, the restaurant could probably earn about fifteen coins.

Seems like a lot?

But a bottle of mid-to-high-end wine could bring the restaurant that much profit!

Taking a bottle of wine from its hiding place and putting it on the table was equivalent to the profit from an entire table of food.

Plus, after the Prohibition, people's desire for alcohol became even greater, and anyone with money would want to have some!

They couldn't resist it!

"Mr. Lance, everyone says you are very generous, and now it seems that is indeed the case!"

McCock seemed very happy. The waiter brought a bottle of wine, "Sir, is this the wine you stored here?"

There was a slip of paper under the bottle, with the number "100" written in cursive.

Outwardly, it was promoted as the storage number, but in reality, it was the price of the wine.

This bottle of wine cost less than twenty coins, but now its price was one hundred, which was why the restaurant couldn't resist it!

"Yes, please open it, thank you."

The waiter smiled and opened the wine, taking the initiative to pour it for the three of them. Soon, someone brought over a screen to provide some cover.

McCock took a sip, took a deep breath, and then exhaled heavily, the exhaled air filled with the smell of alcohol.

"Good wine!"

In fact, he couldn't tell what made it good wine or not; it was just that one hundred coins made him have to think that it was a good wine.

"I have a question, McCock, may I call you that?"

McCock nodded, "Of course, you bought me a drink, so we are friends!"

"Friends all call me that."

"I'm honored that we can be friends, McCock."

"What usually happens to the smuggled goods you confiscate?"

McCock was stunned for a moment, "Of course, they are handled according to the procedure. Some, if they are willing to pay the fines and make up for the tariffs, we will return them."

"But most people are unwilling. You know, their smuggling costs are far lower than the taxes they have to pay."

"If one out of three trips gets through, they'll make a profit, so most things will be put in the warehouse, and finally destroyed or auctioned off according to regulations."

Lance also raised his glass and clinked it with him, "What about the money from the auction?"

"Of course, it's handed over to the Ministry of Finance!"

McCock curled his lips, "They treat us as a revenue-generating department."

Currently, the coast patrol team still belongs to the Federal Ministry of Finance. The proceeds from those auctions must be handed over, and they themselves don't really get any benefits.

At most, they secretly take some things back for their own use or sell them off, but they can't do too much.

Someone from the Ministry of Finance is also responsible for regular inspections. Once something is in the warehouse, it basically can't be moved.

Even if it can be moved, it's the result of those people turning a blind eye.

Lance listened and seemed quite sympathetic to him, "This job sounds very tiring and doesn't have a good income, right?"

McCock curled his lips, "Definitely not as much as you can earn."

"Who doesn't want to have money?"

"But we don't have a good way…"

As he spoke, he fell silent, "Lance, this is our first meeting. Jack and I are friends. If you have anything to say, just say it directly."

"If you have anything you want to bring in, my suggestion is to wait a bit."

"They've been cracking down very hard recently. We're patrolling almost constantly, and we don't even have time to rest."

He also thought Lance wanted to smuggle something in. With Jack vouching for him, plus Lance treating him to a meal and ordering a one-hundred-coin bottle of wine, he felt respected.

So he might as well make things a little clearer, which wasn't necessarily a refusal.

If he wanted to help, it couldn't be now; he'd see about the future.

Lance also understood, but he didn't stop, because he knew that McCock would definitely choose to stand on his side.

"What do you usually do with the alcohol you confiscate?"

He asked an even more specific question.

McCock poured himself another glass of wine, "If it's alcohol, these things will be handed over to the Dangerous Goods Administration, and they will publicly destroy it."

As he said that, a smile appeared on his face, "But we can also drink a little, as long as we don't go too far."

Lance offered him a cigarette, "Have you considered dealing with that alcohol yourselves?"

McCock realized what Lance meant, "Did you have alcohol confiscated?"

He thought for a moment, "I haven't heard anything about it these days?"

"But even if it really was confiscated, it would be difficult to manipulate. Someone is watching us over there; everyone hopes to be able to find a big case."

As he said that, he shook his head with a smile, "Where are there so many big cases to catch?"

Lance took a drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaled, "There will be one tomorrow."

McCock, who was eating, was stunned for a moment, "I don't quite understand, Lance."

"Alcohol worth six or seven hundred thousand is coming in."

"Yours?"

McCock looked around, but because of the screen, the area he could see was actually very limited. He lowered his voice and said, "Are you crazy?"

"So much alcohol, if it's caught, it's all over!"

Lance told the truth, "It's not mine; it's someone else's. This guy has some conflicts with me."

"I don't want him to make this deal."

"You guys take this batch of alcohol down and then sell it to me."

"I'll give you two hundred and fifty thousand, in cash."

McCock's heart suddenly began to beat uncontrollably. The number two hundred and fifty thousand frightened him!

Whether it was because of these things or because he had drunk two glasses of wine, he suddenly became dry-mouthed.

Even the lemonade he didn't like, he picked it up and took a big gulp.

"Mr. Lance, don't… joke."

Lance shook his head and said, "I'm not joking."

"You can think about it."

"No matter what decision you make, I will tell you the time and address of the delivery. You will definitely be able to find them, and you will also be able to find this batch of goods."

"You can hand them over to the Dangerous Goods Administration, and then they can secretly sell them or publicly destroy them, and receive awards from the Presidential Palace and Congress."

“Everyone can get a big bonus and accumulate capital for promotion from it.”

“But you people will get nothing. No bonus, no spotlight, no reward. Maybe just a sentence or two in the news.”

“There's another way. You sell me the liquor. No one knows except you and the people you trust!”

“The delivery guy doesn't know, the receiving guy doesn't know, only you, me, we know.”

“I can keep selling my liquor, and you can get 250,000 in cash.”

“I don't care if a few of you split it, or a dozen.”

“But my suggestion is, if you choose to sell me the liquor, I can arrange for my people to board the ship, so you can split even more money.”

“Think about it, McCook, I'm not in a hurry for you to decide.”

“Even if you decide not to cooperate with me, I'll give you the information, just like I said, I have a grudge against him.”

“But I sincerely hope you'll consider the second option. After all, the results you risk your life for will only become someone else's capital for rewards and promotions.”

“I feel it's not worth it for you, friend!”

Lance looked at his watch as he spoke, "I have some things to do this afternoon, so I'll leave first."

He waved his hand, counted out one hundred and eighty dollars and put it on the tray, "Keep the change."

Then he looked at McCook, "You can have this kind of life every day too!"

Jack next to him was also a little dazed. In fact, he was also struggling with something similar in his heart, because someone had also offered him a large sum of money for a simple favor.

The choice he faced was not much different from McCook's.

Looking at the liquor in the glass, McCook picked it up and drank it all. He glanced at Jack, "You've given me a tough question to think about."

Jack also sighed, "Who says it isn't?"

He didn't finish all the liquor, and had the restaurant pack it up in a kraft paper bag, then stuffed it into his arms.

After returning to the Coastal Patrol, he had to go out to sea for patrol in the afternoon. While sitting on the sea, he couldn't help but take out the liquor and take a sip.

He felt comfortable all over in an instant.

The difference between good liquor and bad liquor is huge!

The sea breeze was blowing, sometimes mixed with salt crystals, and coupled with the scorching sun, he was red and black all over!

He remembered when he was young, when he first came to the Coastal Patrol, he would shed a layer of skin every day!

This is not a comfortable job. He was at sea in the hottest summer and the coldest winter.

Even now that they have changed to armed ships, they still have to stand guard.

The next morning, he finished work, returned to land, and drove home.

As soon as he entered the house, his wife couldn't help but nag, "The bill date is coming soon. If you don't want to be approached like last time, you better prepare in advance."

"I said long ago, we shouldn't have changed the car, especially at this time!"

"Also, the teachers at the children's school called me. They all have the opportunity to go to college and asked us if we were considering it."

"If we want them to go to college, the teacher is willing to write them a letter of recommendation…"

She babbled a lot of things. Almost none of the words mentioned money, but every sentence was inextricably linked to money!

He sat on the old sofa he bought when they got married, staring blankly at the bright sky outside the window.

His wife's words were like a curse, making his head spin!

In his life, he had never really enjoyed himself. Even eating out and gathering with friends, he had to calculate carefully so as not to overspend.

He had to be frugal in everything he did, but when he thought about Lance, he casually gave him one hundred and eighty dollars.

The money on the tray was still vivid in his mind!

Whether it was work or life, he felt…it was actually quite frustrating.

He slowly turned his head to look at his wife and asked hesitantly, with a somewhat dazed look in his eyes, "If…we let them go to college, will they have a bright future?"

His wife ironed the clothes as she said, "Of course, after they graduate, they can go to big companies and earn salaries of seventy or eighty, or even one or two hundred thousand, unlike us!"

"Buying discounted clothes, buying discounted food, living in discounted houses, driving discounted cars…"

"How much does it cost to go to college?"

She didn't even lift her head, but said absentmindedly, "If both of them go, it will cost about seven to eight hundred thousand a year."

"Per person."

"At least."

McCook sat blankly for a while, then suddenly stood up. His wife asked, "Aren't you off today?"

McCook shook his head and drove back directly. He found the captain on duty today and talked about switching shifts.

"I might be going out in a few days, can I switch shifts with you?"

"I'll work tonight, and you can cover for me in a few days?"

This kind of thing was too normal for colleagues of decades.

Who doesn't have a difficult time?

The other party quickly agreed. McCook returned to the office and dialed the phone number Lance had left him…

Half an hour later, McCook's confidants arrived.

The number of people was more than Lance had imagined, a full eleven people.

When they discovered that there were some strangers going out to sea with them, they seemed a little confused, but with their trust in McCook, they didn't say anything.

Some colleagues didn't come, and there were some strangers, so there must be some changes.

After the ship left the coast, McCook called them all over and briefly explained the matter.

"We just need to intercept the ship, and then…they'll do the killing."

"The ship and the goods will go with us. When we get close to the coastline, they will disassemble and take them away."

"We'll continue to patrol as usual. After it's over, they promised to give us two hundred thousand."

For a moment, everyone gasped.

He observed these people. Except for a few individuals, the others had surprise in their eyes!

One of the guys who had been with him the longest couldn't help but ask, "How will the money be split?"

McCook pursed his lips, "I'll take forty thousand, and you guys split the rest equally."

They weren't very good at math. After writing and drawing for a while, they came to a conclusion that each person could get more than fourteen thousand dollars.

Many people immediately stated, "Let's do it!"

Not to mention more than ten thousand dollars, even a few hundred or thousands of dollars would be enough to find a third-rate killer to kill someone.

Not to mention that this was more than ten thousand dollars, and they didn't need to do the dirty work themselves, just intercept the ship and then assist Lance's people in solving those smugglers.

Such a simple thing, a large sum of money could be made. Who wouldn't be tempted?

However, some people also asked, "Will there be any trouble?"

"After all, so much liquor, so much money!"

McCook's eyes flickered, "We've been drifting on the sea for almost our entire lives. I don't owe this country a single thing. It owes me!"

This sentence made everyone silent again. So many people had died in the case not long ago, and that was what was reported.

In fact, the Coastal Patrol dies every year, and many times it's not even reported, just dying silently.

The sea is terrible, even the offshore areas can be risky!

They could feel McCook's determination, so they didn't continue to persuade him.

Some people were very excited, and some people were very calm.

Everyone had different thoughts and attitudes…