Empire of Shadows

Inside the room, Lance sat across from Bandi, the two gazing at each other.

Of course, there wasn't any sweet atmosphere here, nor was the air particularly volatile!

Their meeting was much more peaceful than others had imagined.

Lance crossed his legs, nodded slightly, and answered the question Bandi had just posed, "Yes, it's just as you said."

"The Koda family, and you, have grown alongside this city for the most important thirty years; you and a part of it are highly intertwined."

"The good, the bad, that which is under the sunlight, and that in the shadows, people will be afraid."

"If it were me, I would also be afraid of someone knowing my secrets, especially when I don't want anyone to know these secrets."

"Will he expose my secrets and ruin my reputation?"

"Or is he planning to use this secret to blackmail me, to make me lose my status and self in front of him?"

"I don't know what he will do, but I know one thing—"

Lance leaned his body forward slightly, tilted his head, lowered his voice, just like whispering, "As long as I kill him, no one will have those troubling questions."

After he finished speaking, a hint of a smile appeared on his face, then he sat back again, the expression on his face quickly receding, becoming indifferent again, "Originally, I was planning to wait a little longer to see if more people would be pushed over by you, voluntarily or passively drawn into this game."

"But when you took such a huge risk to make this choice, I knew it was no longer necessary; we are all ready."

Bandi looked at Lance. Lance was younger than Fleming, but when facing Lance, he didn't feel like he was facing a young man.

He knew what Lance meant by "all ready"; he was ready to accept the result of failure.

The two looked at each other for a moment. Bandi didn't want to bow his head and admit defeat to a young man younger than his own son. He deliberately said, "Maybe that's just what you think?"

Lance spread his hands, "Some things don't matter 'what you think' or 'what I think'; they've already gone to find Fleming."

Bandi's expression visibly tightened. He wanted to pretend not to care, wanting to force a smile and then mock Lance, "That won't work on him," but his smile disappeared as soon as it was squeezed out.

He couldn't maintain that smile he wouldn't admit to. He was afraid, he was worried, he couldn't smile.

His expression became somewhat panicked, "All of this was my decision; they are innocent."

Lance shook his head and said, "No one is innocent."

This made the unease in his heart even stronger. "What do you want?" he could only take the initiative to propose this basic condition for "reconciliation", letting Lance name his price.

Lance smiled as if he had thought of something, "Last time, I offered a price, but you refused."

A very ordinary sentence, used to sting him, made Bandi truly feel the stinging regret!

If he had agreed at that time, wouldn't there have been so many twists and turns?

Wouldn't they have been able to leave safely together?

"I…" he lowered his head and rubbed his cheeks with his hands, "I accept your offer now."

Lance's eyes were filled with a kind of cheap pity, "Now it's another price."

Bandi had no right to refuse.

While waiting for the lawyers and other relevant personnel, Bandi asked about Stone.

He was also very curious, curious as to why Stone would betray him, until Lance said that he had been killed twice.

Originally, Bandi, who was still somewhat resentful of Stone no matter how he tried to defend him in his heart, suddenly didn't hate him so much, and even somewhat understood him.

The fear of dying twice in a row was enough to break many people. Now that he thought about it, all of this couldn't be blamed on Stone.

He felt relieved, and for a moment, his whole person seemed to calm down.

Before long, under the cameras of multiple lawyers and cameras, Bandi first confirmed his mental state, that he had not been drinking, and had not used any anesthetic or sedative drugs or injections.

He had not been subjected to any threats, and he had full capacity for action and could also bear responsibility.

Subsequently, he signed a series of transfer agreements, transferring the remaining operating rights of the five casino licenses to Lance for operation.

The price was… one dollar.

Some documents were also signed during this period, but these were not filmed; they belonged to another part.

After repeatedly confirming with the lawyers that these things had legal effect, Lance slowly stood up.

He stretched out his hand, waiting for Bandi to take the initiative to come over and shake hands with him, "You made the right choice this time, Bandi."

Bandi sighed, "I hope so too."

He didn't seem to trust Lance very much, but Lance didn't care about this kind of thing at all, "Then there's one last thing, have you prepared yourself mentally?"

Bandi nodded, "I'm always ready."

Lance patted him on the arm, gave him a sure look, and then left the room.

Bandi's lawyer didn't quite understand what their conversation meant, but Bandi had no desire to explain, just telling him that he could leave.

Soon the lawyer left here with the team, and at the same time, he told Bandi that Stone didn't want to see him and couldn't come out either.

He didn't continue to force it. After he knew that Stone didn't owe him and the family anything, his whole state was very relaxed.

The news that Lance and Bandi had talked in the interrogation room for more than forty minutes was spread out by someone, and Chief Blue was said to have been very angry about it, but strangely, he didn't investigate who released the news.

However, some people will take the initiative to improve the news when they spread it, which is also what many rumor-mongers like to do most.

They will process the rumors they hear, make them look more reasonable, more in line with their own understanding of the matter, before taking them out for re-transmission.

This also led to the fact that the reason why rumors can spread quickly is because the people who create them know what people really want, and can make the places that those people think are unreasonable become reasonable.

This news once again made the Bay Area a little restless, and at the same time, it made them hate Charlie again.

If Charlie hadn't lost the law enforcement department, they would have been so passive as they are now.

As the city's most basic force, the role and importance of the law enforcement department absolutely exceeds people's imagination.

They kept blaming Charlie, feeling that Charlie had screwed everything up, but ignored the core reason for Charlie's downfall, which appeared in them.

Fortunately, they still knew some police officers over the years. As the embodiment of the "evil" of capital, they always firmly believed that no one in this world could not be bought.

Even the president would be bought by big capital tycoons and consortia, let alone they just wanted to buy a small policeman.

In the evening, a police officer drove home somewhat tiredly. His recent situation was very bad.

His family member was seriously ill and needed to see a doctor, and he had managed to make an appointment with the doctor by using some small tricks.

As a policeman, he also had some privileges, although these privileges didn't seem like privileges to others.

The doctor told him that his wife had a tumor, and possibly more, and that it was now deteriorating.

The hospital's advice was to surgically remove these tumors, and then use some new drugs to see if they could save her from the hands of death.

But these required money, a lot of money.

The federal medical system had long been monopolized by medical capital groups. From doctors to hospitals to medicines, everyone in every link was seeking more profit!

The doctor gave him a discounted price, fifty thousand dollars.

With the advancement of medical equipment, more doctors have begun to invest in the research of cancer.

Of course, they will not realize that this disease cannot be solved by humans, at least it will be difficult to have any effective means within a hundred or even two hundred years.

However, they have also come up with some therapies, such as the most common cutting and irradiation with radioactive materials, which all require a lot of money.

And the patient will also be very painful.

He deeply loved his wife and could only try to find a solution, even if he planned to sell the house, there was still a long way to go from that astonishing astronomical figure.

Thinking of his wife lying on the bed, showing a painful expression from time to time, thinking of her always telling him while crying, don't waste more money on her.

He felt an indescribable pain. He wanted to save his wife, no matter the cost!

He had just parked the car, and before he had time to get out, someone opened the passenger door and sat in.

He looked at the young man sitting in the passenger seat with some astonishment, and reached out to grab the gun in the armrest box.

In this "paradise-like country" of the Federation, you have to be careful to deal with the problems that appear around you at any time and place, and you have to treat them carefully, using the most vicious thoughts to speculate on the purpose of others, which is the key to your survival.

It's just that his hand had already grabbed the gun, but in the end, he couldn't take the gun out.

Because the young man sitting in the passenger seat grabbed his wrist, he tried to use force, but there was no effect.

The young man looked at him and said, "If I were you, before I get angered by you, I wouldn't do those stupid things you're doing."

This sentence showed his purpose, he wasn't here to hurt anyone. The two looked at each other for a moment, and the police officer let go of his hand.

The young man grabbed his wrist and slowly lifted it up until his hand was taken out of the armrest box.

Then the young man closed the glove compartment, "You see, it's not that hard!"

The officer withdrew his hand, placing both hands on the steering wheel, signaling to the young man in the passenger seat that he didn't intend to do anything dangerous.

In the Federation's terrible environment, it's important to make others believe you have no ill intentions!

They might empty their magazines just because you wanted to take out your ID, but they couldn't see your hands.

Or they might tell you to "stop" permanently just because you took a few steps forward, hoping to keep their distance.

So, his approach was textbook and correct.

"I don't know you."

The young man nodded, saying, "Yes, actually, I don't know you either, but I know what you need."

The officer asked, "What do I need?"

"Money!" the young man bluntly stated the word he didn't want to hear but deeply craved in his heart, even adding an adjective, "A lot of money!"

The officer didn't speak, merely shifting his gaze; he was already struggling internally.

The young man seemed to sense his internal struggle, a victorious smile spreading across his face, "I can give you fifty thousand dollars if you do something for me."

The officer abruptly turned to look at him, "Cash?"

"Cash!" he affirmed.

The officer took a deep breath, "Fifty thousand isn't enough, I want a hundred thousand."

The young man was taken aback by his proactive offer; after a couple of seconds, he said with a hint of a smile, "You're greedy!"

He was a little annoyed, a hundred thousand dollars!

Although he wasn't the one paying, if the higher-ups knew he personally negotiated and the result was a hundred thousand, they'd think he was useless.

It wasn't simply that he thought a hundred thousand was too much or that this guy was too greedy.

The officer slightly shook his head, saying, "I don't know what you want me to do, but I know that fifty thousand can buy a lot of people in New Port to do your bidding."

"That means what you want me to do is worth the price."

"There's a high probability I won't come back after doing this, I need to prepare for my wife's future; fifty thousand for our entire lives, I don't think it's too much."

The young man was silent after hearing this; he had to admit, this guy made a lot of sense.

Once he did it, he would definitely be caught; that was absolute.

Suddenly, he didn't think a hundred thousand was that much anymore.

After thinking for a while, he agreed, "I need you to deliver a cup of coffee to Bandi."

The officer instinctively wanted to say he couldn't get close to Bandi, but before he could speak, he thought of the hundred thousand dollars.

The young man continued, "I've inquired; he usually passes by his place. You just need to hand him a cup of coffee."

"No one will notice anything; that's the only thing you need to do."

"Whether you turn yourself in or run away after doing this is none of my concern; I just want to see the result."

The officer nodded, "Okay."

He paused, "When will I get the money?"

The young man stared at his expression, confirming that he didn't at least look like he was lying or deceiving, before saying, "Anytime, anywhere."

For some reason, a relieved smile appeared on his face, "Then let's do it as soon as possible; I can't wait!"

His wife couldn't wait either!

He got out of the car, returned to the room, and directly called their attending physician.

He said he had gotten the money and asked the doctor when the surgery could be performed; the doctor told him, within a week.

Many people are studying cancer now because cancer cells are unique, and people hope to discover something even more remarkable from related research, such as business opportunities.

Vaccines and specialized surgeries are always one of the most profitable businesses for medical groups, followed by various highly addictive chemically synthesized drugs.

Low cost, explosive profits.

So, when such a case appears, there will be doctors willing to perform the surgery.

The officer went to the bedroom; his wife was lying on the bed, her entire being tormented by cancer, her spirit already withered, her skin already showing an unhealthy, withered white.

He walked over, sat on the bedside, and gently stroked his wife's withered yellow hair, "There's good news."

His wife勉强 opened her eyes, "What is it?"

The officer's face was full of smiles, "You're saved; the hospital said you're a rare case, and they're willing to treat you for free while hoping to study your illness."

A smile immediately appeared on his wife's face, but it quickly turned into surprise and doubt, "You wouldn't… have done something and lied to me that the hospital is treating me for free, would you?"

She knew her husband too well.

The officer raised his hand, "Honey, what do you think I could do to raise fifty thousand dollars in such a short time?"

"Even if we sold our house, we could only raise half of that!"

Some desire to live also grew in his wife's eyes, "So… all of this is real."

"Real!"

"They'll come to pick you up soon. You know, I'll be very busy during this time, and I won't be able to stay with you all the time."

"But I promise, I'll come to see you as soon as the surgery is over!"

His wife supported her thin body to sit up, hugging him, "Thank the merciful and almighty Lord, my illness is curable…"

That night, perhaps because the news was too good, in order to better and more actively face the surgery, she ate something and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

At the entrance, the officer intercepted a suitcase and a small box from the policeman.

"Inside are the medicines, two pills. You have one chance to fail."

"The rest is your reward. I hope you understand one thing, which is that our money is not to be taken casually."

"We have ways to recover it in various ways. Do you understand what I mean?"

The officer opened the bag containing the money without hesitation, counted it, and then nodded, "The money is fine."

He didn't care what the young man said at all. The young man originally wanted to say something, but finally closed his mouth, "Waiting for your good news."

The officer nodded.

The next morning, an ambulance came here and took the officer's wife to the ambulance.

The couple was very reluctant, but they also made an agreement.

After the officer's affairs during this period were over, he would visit her as soon as possible.

He took a day off, first paid all the medical expenses, and then divided the remaining money, of which 40,000 yuan was used to purchase four different, more reputable investment funds.

They promised to give at least 5.5% of the investment amount as a return each year, which is about more than 2,000 yuan in total.

Even if one or two of them do not achieve the expected profit, as long as the other two, or even one, are satisfied, his wife will not be unable to live because of this.

Another 10,000 yuan was deposited into several anonymous accounts as contingency funds.

After doing all this, he tidied himself up again, took the small box the young man gave him, and returned to the police station.