Shadow Empire

Chapter 1245 A Hopeless Case

The phone rang for half a minute but no one answered. This often happened, since there were no mobile phones or anything like that back then, so you couldn't contact someone anytime.

So it's normal to not be able to reach someone by phone often, but today's normality gave the chairman an uneasy feeling.

He made several more calls, but received no results.

After a while, as if he had remembered something, he dialed another phone number that he had almost forgotten.

The call was answered quickly, "Old Mai's Groceries..."

"Hey, it's me. My brother and I bought a lot of cigarettes from you last time, you should remember?"

Old Mai's Grocery Store is right next to his brother's company, about ten meters away. It sells all kinds of groceries, including cigarettes.

Actually, it wasn't common for the federal government to give cigarettes as gifts, but they would give cigars. However, back then, they didn't buy cigarettes to give to people of equal status, but to deliver them to the construction sites as a benefit for the workers.

Compared to a fried chicken or anything else, a pack or two of cigarettes costing ten cents is presentable, and the key is that it saves money.

It was during that transaction that they got to know the owner of the grocery store and exchanged phone numbers.

The grocery store owner hoped that these two big customers would patronize his business more often in the future. Even though he only made two cents on a pack of cigarettes, it would add up to a lot of money if he sold a large quantity.

It can't compare to those big bosses whose numbers skyrocket every day, but it earns much more than the average worker!

The chairman left his phone number so he could call him when he needed cigarettes.

“I remember you, big boss,” the grocery store owner said with a lighthearted and teasing tone. “Any business you’d like to do for me?”

The chairman was silent for two seconds, then said, "Send...one thousand boxes of cigarettes to...this address, before six o'clock tomorrow night."

Upon hearing that another big order was coming in, promising him more than twenty yuan in one go, the grocery store owner beamed with joy. "No problem, I've memorized the address. I'll arrange for someone to deliver it to you right away..."

The chairman then said, "There's one more thing. I have a friend who works at the company to your right. You should have met him last time; we went together."

"I kept calling him but couldn't get through. There was no one in the office or at the front desk. Do you know what happened?"

The grocery store owner paused for a moment, then said with a hint of regret, "Several police cars and prosecutors came today. They arrested everyone in your friend's company, including your friend."

The chairman's tone became more urgent, "How did you know it was a prosecutor?"

The grocer laughed and said, "Of course I know, but the undisguised arrogance they exuded from afar pierced my eyes. Your friend must have done something big to attract so many people..."

The chairman couldn't hear anything more. He gave a few perfunctory replies, hung up the phone, and turned to look at his nephew. "You heard that."

His nephew's face was full of anxiety. "Yes, he was arrested, but why?"

The chairman frowned. "Has your father done something bad lately?"

His nephew shook his head and said, "I've never heard him say that, and you know, I don't get involved in what he does, nor can I interfere with it."

These things are, after all, a crime in the strict sense. In order to protect his own son, the chairman's brother did not allow this guy to get involved in their "family business".

So it's normal that he didn't know.

"I'll make a few more calls to inquire."

The union and the police often have various collaborations, some of which are pleasant, while others are not so pleasant.

Fortunately, police officers also have a union—the Federal Police Brotherhood.

More than 150,000 police officers are registered in this union, and it is not the only police union; there is also a "House of Justice".

Because police officers often encounter issues such as excessive enforcement and disputes with those they enforce the law against, some retired police officers were the first to form the House of Justice in order to better help officers protect their personal rights.

At the House of Justice, they shared their work experience with officers who were still on duty and helped them resolve legal issues.

Over time, more and more retired police officers joined the House of Justice, and it began to grow larger and larger. In addition to sharing their work experience, its main job was to help registered members win legal cases against them.

Police officers in many cities register with one of these guilds. The Brotherhood is mostly registered by young officers, while the House of Justice is mostly registered by officers who are about to retire or who have encountered trouble.

According to an inaccurate survey by the Union News, approximately 300,000 police officers across the federal government are registered with these two unions.

Since it's a union, after some twists and turns, everyone will be able to find someone they know.

After making several phone calls and pulling strings, the chairman found out why his brother had been imprisoned.

"...I've already asked around. Your brother might be in trouble this time. Someone has filed some information with the state attorney general about him violating...you wouldn't know even if I told you, but anyway, he and his company are involved in unfair competition."

"This case is under the jurisdiction of the state prosecutor's office. The person has already been sent to the capital. I heard that the evidence is very strong, and it's basically the kind of case where... a verdict can be announced in a few days."

The chairman was still in shock when he heard this. "He never takes on outside work and doesn't compete with anyone. How could he possibly violate..."

At this point, his mind finally caught on. The person on the other end of the line, noticing his sudden pause, chuckled and said, "See, you've realized the problem too."

"Alright, I have something to do. You owe me a favor. Let's talk later."

"...We'll talk later."

The chairman hung up the phone. His brother's company had always made money by following in his footsteps. After several rounds of negotiations, the capitalists finally agreed to the union's demands, adding a meal with at least half a pound of meat to the construction workers' meals every day.

The Commonwealth people were very fond of meat patties and canned meat products for easy transportation, production, and sales.

This is a business where costs can be high or low. The chairman, through his influence, practically named his brother's company as the supplier, and the capitalists were well aware of the shady dealings involved.

They may refuse, but the strike will not stop. Since a compromise has already been made, it doesn't matter who earns the money.

As long as their offers are not excessive, capitalists are willing to reach a "deal" with the chairman. This tacit understanding was formed early on in the long-term labor-capital conflict.

Each month, his brother's company supplies construction sites in three cities with meat patties worth several thousand dollars, with a net profit of about 10 percent, or four or five hundred dollars.

It may not seem like a lot of money, but it adds up to more than 10,000 yuan a month. Then the brothers divide it up, and the chairman can get seven or eight thousand or even ten thousand yuan.

Suppliers in other cities are also selected through "open bidding" by the labor union, which inevitably involves the transfer of benefits; everyone makes money this way.

There had been no problem before, so the sudden appearance of a problem now seems very suspicious.

If there's anything that could have triggered all this recently, the chairman would find it hard not to think of Wanli Group.

He immediately sent his nephew home to rest, and at the same time called the vice president to explain the situation.

The vice president was also making money in this way. He immediately called his company, but the call went unanswered. At this point, they finally realized that the problem was serious.

It was already past 8 p.m. when they proactively visited the union lawyer, eager to find out whether the consequences of this incident would affect them.

The union lawyer hadn't expected there to be work-related matters after working hours. He stood at the entrance, looking at the two union presidents with some surprise, then raised his wrist to look at his watch. "It's almost nine o'clock now."

He was reminding the two of them that this was their private time. The chairman wiped the sweat from his brow. "The union will count it as overtime, and I'll give you double the overtime pay separately. We've run into a little trouble."

The union lawyer immediately smiled. He wasn't entirely a union employee; his law firm had a cooperative relationship with the construction workers' union.

The union will contact their law firm for any legal matters, and the firm will send the bill to the union at the end of the month. The union will then make the payment directly according to the bill.

The price for unions is slightly lower than that for ordinary customers. This is partly because unions have a lot of lawsuits, and they are always profitable, regardless of the size of the case.

Secondly, law firms also need to train new lawyers. If they try to find small cases for novice lawyers on their own, they may not be able to find that many, and the prices are difficult to negotiate.

However, the union assigned the case to the firm's intern lawyer at the normal lawyer's rate. The firm made more money, the intern lawyer gained practical experience, the union solved its problem, and the workers' interests were protected. It was a win-win situation, a complete victory!

However, this also gives union lawyers the right to refuse legal advice or cases from the union. Fortunately, the president is well aware of what these lawyers want, and he simply uses money to pave the way.

"Please come in..." The union lawyer invited them into the room, and as they passed through the living room, he asked his wife, who was watching TV, to get a pot of coffee and bring it to his study.

He then led the two presidents to his study.

After the three were seated, the lawyer's wife brought in coffee and pastries. The lawyer then pressed a button on a timer, and the pendulum began to tick.

The voice wasn't loud, but everyone could hear it, and it gave the two presidents a sense of tension and pressure.

“I have to submit a work order to the firm, please understand!” the union lawyer smiled. “After all, it’s not the firm that’s assigning me this time.”

He paused for a moment, allowing the two of them to adjust to the atmosphere, before saying, "So, what trouble have you two encountered so late at night?"

The president immediately recounted what had happened that day. The union lawyer listened attentively, and after he finished, he frowned. "As a lawyer, I hope I can help you with my professional skills."

"But that requires you to tell me the whole truth honestly!"

“This is clearly a very clear accusation, and you said that the prosecutor’s office has started making arrests, which means they have entered the prosecution stage, that is, the chain of evidence is complete.”

"May I ask, is there indeed an unfair competitive relationship involved here?"

His expression was serious and earnest, even though he didn't actually care as much as he appeared to. He had to convince the two presidents that the money they spent was worthwhile.

Both the president and vice president shook their heads. The president then spoke up, "At the time, we basically designated the suppliers and didn't have them exchange technician certificates..."

Did you submit any bids?

"Should we resolve the supply issue through a bidding process?"

The president and vice president exchanged a glance. "Yes, we..."

The union lawyer sighed after hearing this, "Then I'd like to ask you another question: have you received any financial benefits from these companies?"

"I need the truth because it relates to a series of subsequent legal issues."

The vice president shook his head and said, "No."

However, the president remained silent, and his attitude spoke volumes.

The union lawyer shook his head. "This is very troublesome because now we have a plaintiff, regardless of whether they are genuinely suing you over unfair competition or... something else."

"Putting those things aside, you are indeed suspected of violating the law and committing crimes, and that is an undeniable fact."

"If I believe they can use this as a breakthrough to break through your defenses, then they must have complete evidence, complete evidence that makes it impossible for you to resist."

"In other words... what you're thinking about now isn't how to get your friends and family out, but how to keep yourselves out of jail!"

“According to our state law and federal law, if the allegations here are proven true, you could go to jail for three to five years and face fines.”

Hearing this, the chairman's face turned pale, and the vice chairman's condition wasn't much better. For a moment, neither of them knew what to say or how to say it, so they just sat there silently.

After a long while, the chairman took a deep breath and snapped out of his dazed state. "I... need to do something?" he asked, his hand trembling slightly as he pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lit one for himself.

The union lawyer shook his head slightly and repeatedly. "Lance White is a very capable man."

"His strength lies in the fact that he is different from ordinary capitalists, including conglomerates."

"First of all, he comes from a gang. Although he uses cigarettes to cover it up, we all know that he is a gang leader."

"This means that he can use means other than legitimate channels to achieve his goals at any time, which is very important!"

"Secondly, he is very rich, richer than any conglomerate. When we people in the industry chat, we say that his annual profit from selling alcohol alone is hundreds of millions of federal soles or more. Now he has also taken over the alcohol market in our state and Indenau state."

"I simply can't imagine how much money he makes every year!"

"A staggering amount of money, richer than any conglomerate!"

"At the same time, he also has very close working relationships with top federal political groups. Although the Socialist Party is no longer in power, its influence and base remain."

"Why did they send the case directly to the state attorney general's office instead of the local attorney general's office?"

"Because they can speak directly with the governor, the attorney general, and the state court judge!"

"A complete and utter crushing defeat. The two presidents had no chance or ability to resist. Although I understand your purpose and reasons for wanting to oppose him, but..."

He couldn't help but chuckle twice, picked up his coffee and took a small sip, "...doing this will only make you all sink deeper into trouble, it's completely pointless."

The vice president, somewhat embarrassed and angry, slammed his hand on the table. "You should be trying to help us clear our names, not criticizing us here!"

The union lawyer calmly put down his coffee cup. "I'm just stating a fact. Don't be so impatient."

"This is just a legal consultation. If you want me to represent you, we need to sign a new contract, and we also need the firm's approval tomorrow."

"These kinds of cases that are bound to be lost are basically only handled by trainee lawyers."

The federal government is a very pragmatic and utilitarian society. Before taking on a case, all lawyers will first study whether the case can be won, what the chances of winning are, and what the chances of losing are.

They need to determine where they went wrong and whether there are other ways to cover up their losses. They won't take on a case unless they're certain they can win.

As required by the federal constitutional amendment, courts can now provide defense lawyers to defendants who do not have legal counsel, but these lawyers generally lose more than they win and are just going through the motions.

Even if they leave the court and go solo, they can basically only handle small cases.

For truly big cases, the wealthy don't care how much money they spend; what they want is a lawyer with an undefeated record, not one who loses all the time.

Although this union lawyer is not a big name, he has had very few defeats in his career. Even if he were willing to defend the two presidents, the law firm would most likely not give him the opportunity.

After all, the fewer failed defenses you have, the more you can ask for next time!
The president's face was now quite pale. He glared at the vice president first, then apologized for his earlier rash actions, "Is there really no other way?"

The union lawyer glanced at the two men and shook his head. "Even if the Minister of Justice came, we'd still lose!"

(End of this chapter)