Empire of Shadows

Chapter 539: The Target of Public Criticism [666+9]

“Have you heard any news?”

On the lawn of a large villa in the Bay Area, several gentlemen sat, enjoying the beauty of spring.

In the gentle sea breeze, one could no longer feel the harshness and biting cold of winter, only the tenderness full of life.

It was difficult to describe the wind blowing at this time with an accurate word, but it was gentle, like the hands of those young women.

The hands of little girls were either too light or too heavy, only the strength of those young women was just right.

The spring breeze caressed the face, and the whole person seemed to melt into spring at this moment.

Some of the gentlemen wore scarves, and some did not. For some of the older people, it was still a bit cold.

One of them asked curiously, “I’ve heard some, but I don’t know if it’s what you’re talking about.”

The gentleman who started the topic asked him, “What is your news about?”

The gentleman who answered shrugged, “About the Navy, I heard they have already decided that an entire fleet will be stationed in Goldport City, but not in the city. They will build a larger military base in the west.”

“The number of troops stationed in the first phase will exceed 20,000.”

Another gentleman wearing a scarf whistled, “So many people?”

The well-informed gentleman shook his head and said, “The news I heard is that the number of personnel will continue to increase in the future. Their plan is to station 50,000 people here.”

The expressions of the gentlemen on the lawn became serious. A naval base with 50,000 people seemed a bit wasteful for strategic defense.

Everyone seemed to think of the news that had been frequently reported in the newspapers recently—

The Secretary of State is negotiating with another military alliance on the Tanfite Continent on the issue of alliance and war.

They invited the Federation to join their military alliance and fight against the Dante Republic people together.

The news revealed by the Secretary of State and the President’s Office was very restrained, and a general from the Department of Defense even declared in a semi-public occasion that the Federation would never intervene in this war.

Until now, everyone believed that the Federation would not blindly and meaninglessly join this war, but looking at the current situation, they seemed not so sure.

The gentleman who started the topic said after a moment of silence, “Didn’t the President say that he would not intervene in wars that have nothing to do with us?”

The gentleman wearing the scarf chuckled, “He also said he would respect the election results.”

As soon as this sentence came out, everyone laughed loudly. Yes, his words were not credible. He had a previous record of lying, and more than once.

After laughing for a while, everyone’s mood relaxed a little, but there were also some worries.

“If a war really breaks out, Goldport City will immediately become the front line…”

When they thought that their sunny beaches would be filled with numerous fortifications, when they thought that their docks would start providing free services to the military, when they thought that most of the factories in the city, including the people, would have to work for the Navy for free.

Even their wealth would have to be donated to the Navy as a part of their “selfless patriotism,” they felt a little lost again.

“Hopefully… there won’t be such a bad future. The gentlemen in Congress will stop the President.”

Everyone did not continue to discuss this topic in depth. It was not a topic suitable for discussion in such comfortable weather.

The topic returned to the gentleman who started the topic, and someone asked him, “Is this the news you heard?”

That person shook his head and did not continue to maintain his mystery, “I heard that Charlie has recently encountered some trouble.”

“What trouble can that old dog encounter?” someone asked.

His idea was taken for granted. Charlie basically had no natural enemies in Goldport City, and now he was wearing a layer of politician’s skin.

Even the lowest-level politician is still a politician. It would be very troublesome and costly to deal with him.

“The State Attorney’s Office seems to be investigating the corruption of the Goldport City Police Department, and they seem to have caught many of Charlie’s men.”

Hearing this news, the expressions on the faces of those gentlemen who originally did not feel that there was any problem changed.

The gentleman wearing the scarf asked, “Who did you hear this from?”

“Someone told me that the new director named Blue had caught Charlie’s men. At first, I thought they were just children’s tricks.”

“You know, they are just like this, fighting back and forth, and there can’t be any results.”

“I heard that Charlie asked the prosecutor about the State Attorney’s Office a few days ago. He specifically asked if there were any documents for assisting in the investigation.”

He pointed vaguely, “It’s the matter they said they wanted to investigate the police corruption problem last year.”

“So I suspect that the State Attorney’s Office is investigating him.”

The others fell into a state of thinking, and someone added, “Last time Senator Cleveland came, it seemed that Lance also talked to Terry.”

“Has he already mixed into Senator Cleveland’s circle?”

If this is the case, they have to consider adjusting their strategy.

No one knows the real situation, but they don’t think Lance can get in. He is just a gangster at the bottom of society. Why can he get into the highest political circle?

“I think it might still be William’s relationship. Williams has some connections with their circle, and Lance and Williams are very close now.”

What he said was a bit unclear, but everyone understood.

Lance and Williams are now on the same path, so Williams will naturally introduce him to higher-level circles, but this does not mean that Lance can join in.

He is like a handy tool. When they are socializing upwards, if Charlie is there, they will also introduce Charlie. This is the director of the Goldport City Police Department, but he may not be able to jump into those circles.

“I don’t really care about this. I just want to know what Charlie’s situation is.”

The gentleman wearing the scarf frowned, “Call him and ask him to come over and explain.”

Then someone went to call Charlie, as old men, they don’t need to call Charlie themselves.

But after waiting for seven or eight minutes, no news came. After waiting for a while, a secretary-like guy walked over, with an unnatural expression on his face, and said, “I called all the phones, but no one answered.”

Now the expressions of the gentlemen became not as natural as just now, as if everything was controlled by them.

The arrogance hidden behind peace began to appear, but then a trace of unnatural expression was revealed.

“Let people go find him, and bring him here as soon as possible.”

The secretary-like guy quickly went to arrange it. The gentlemen on the lawn looked at me, I looked at you, and their expressions became serious.

Charlie is very useful, and very handy to use. He has been used for more than 30 years, and he has become people’s “habit.”

“He knows too much.”

The gentleman wearing the scarf took out his pipe, lit it, and took a puff.

Thick smoke came out of his mouth, “I’ll make a call.”

This gentleman wearing the scarf has a lot of connections in the state government. The others nodded, and he supported the armrest of the chair and stood up, walking into the room.

He didn’t come out of the room until more than ten minutes later. There was some seriousness on his face, “I just called Terry and asked about the progress of this matter.”

“He told me that he had never arranged similar work.”

“I think he’s lying.”

Another person couldn’t help but say, “Then find Charlie and let him explain the problem clearly.”

The gentleman wearing the scarf sighed, “I’m afraid we can’t find him.”

They sent more people out to find Charlie. For ordinary people, Goldport City is very big. With so many administrative districts, 1.7 million, 1.8 million, and 1.9 million people, it is very difficult to find a person in such a big city.

But for the old men in the Bay Area, it is not too difficult to find a person, and this person is someone they are very familiar with.

A large number of people were looking for Charlie outside, but they still couldn’t find him. After more than an hour, they realized something was wrong even if they were slow.

What’s worse, Charlie’s family has disappeared!

For a time, the Bay Area seemed to have experienced an earthquake. The news that Charlie might have been arrested by the State Attorney’s Office began to spread, and everyone was trying to understand the truth through their own means.

Indeed, some people have a little ability. They got a message that Charlie was not arrested, but the investigation did exist.

Immediately, many big shots sat together urgently to discuss how to deal with this matter.

Mr. Hoff hurried in from outside, took off his hat and put it on the hanger, and found a place to sit down.

Many people in the room greeted him, “What’s the situation now?”

“Charlie may have run away.”

“I heard they are also looking for him. We must find him before they find him.”

Mr. Hoff nodded in agreement. He had accidentally killed a high-end escort before. At that time, his whole person fell into a special state of excitement, and he had no ability to process external information.

When he broke free from that state, the girl was already dead.

As an important regional opinion leader, he has a very good position and reputation in Licari State. He cannot ruin his future because of a bitch.

So he asked Charlie and the Hunter gang to help him deal with it. That girl should now be living at the bottom of Angel Lake.

If Charlie is caught, will he confess these secrets in order to survive?

The thought filled Mr. Huff with unprecedented tension and unease.

At that moment, he, along with everyone else in the room, and even some further away, shared the same thought—

Find Charlie, and then silence him forever!