Shadow Empire

Chapter 1248 They are afraid of me, so I am afraid of them too.

Humans are strange animals because they possess great intelligence.

Wisdom not only enables us to use tools and think, but also gives us a more independent and complete personality.

Animals do not possess high intelligence; they cannot develop independent personalities. For animals, instinct is the primary driving force for their existence.

When they are hungry, they will forage for food; when they are tired, they will find a safe place to lie down and sleep. They do not think about things like self, existence, or the future. These are the unique worries of humans, highly intelligent beings.

However, this also means that human behavior patterns can be understood.

An animal that is hungry will not stop eating for any reason; on the contrary, it may need more food due to certain external stimuli.

Humans are different. When human behavior patterns are forced to change, it may worsen further, or it may turn out for the better.

The president faced this problem, which is known in psychology as the "broken windows theory." Once a person's bottom line is broken once, continuous external stimuli force him to keep giving in, and he will break his bottom line again and again.

From pleading guilty to saying things at the prosecutors' instruction, he admitted in court that he incited construction workers to fight against the Wanli Group because he felt threatened by the Wanli Group.

“This is a company that is not threatened by the union, which is something we do not want to see and cannot allow to happen. That’s why we are discussing getting them (Wanli Group and Lance White) back on the right track.”

When the chairman uttered these words in court, in front of all the spectators and reporters, even the judge showed a look of surprise!

The judge specifically asked, "Do you know what you mean by what you're saying?"

The president nodded in affirmation of the judge's question, "I know."

"Actually, we have always been like this. It is a complex social relationship, Your Honor. I don't know how to describe it specifically."

"We, namely the labor unions, the capital forces, and the workers, have formed a strange ecosystem of contradictions, oppositions, and mutual needs."

“Wanli Group and the labor agency have disrupted this balance, which will cause huge changes in labor relations throughout our state, once the union can no longer play an important role…”

As he spoke, he looked at some of the union presidents from various industries in the audience, whose faces were ashen, like the bottom of a pot, as well as the special envoy from the labor federation, and said, "We will become worthless!"

"Because people have discovered that things don't really change much without our presence. Whether it's workers or capitalists, they can actually solve the problems themselves."

He withdrew his gaze, ignoring the people who had already stood up and were glaring at him, and said, "I want to apologize to everyone who was hurt in this matter. It was my greed that harmed you. I'm sorry."

"I also want to apologize to Wanli Group. None of this should have happened in the first place."

“I have let down those who trusted me and every union staff member. I have not truly put the interests of the workers first, as we thought we would.”

"I'm sorry, this is my problem."

The scene immediately became noisy, with many reporters unable to resist loudly asking a series of pointed questions.

The judge pounded his gavel and shouted "Silence!" before order was restored in the courtroom after two reporters were expelled.

The judge sighed. He didn't know exactly what had happened, but he knew that this would become a very special "typical case".

The things this chairman said here will be published in major newspapers in the federal government and even worldwide, becoming a hot topic of public opinion recently.

"A ten-minute recess," the judge said, standing up. He tidied up the documents and notebook on his desk and quickly left the judge's bench, followed by the others.

The chairman was taken back to the detention room, and the murmurs in the courtroom immediately grew louder.

Robben, the lawyer, was also present, along with the lawyer from his firm who had handled Lance's case; they were seated in the audience.

Unfair competition is usually a civil case, but since it involves economic crimes such as social moral fraud and fraud, it has been transformed from a civil case into a criminal case. Therefore, this case was handed over to the prosecutor's office.

The procedures for criminal cases are different from those for civil cases. As public prosecutors, prosecutors do not need to do any work in court, such as lawyer Robben and his partner. They only need to sit in the audience and wait for the verdict.

"Clean and efficient," Robben commented quietly.

His lawyer remarked with some emotion, "Even if I get a lot more cases like this, I won't be afraid. They only take a little time to resolve, it's so easy!"

"To be honest, I haven't handled such an easy case since my mock classes ended in college!"

He couldn't help but laugh as he spoke, "And our employer is a generous boss; he pays a lot of money!"

Actually, they didn't do anything complicated. They provided Lance with some clues and requirements, and then Lance made a phone call and everything was resolved.

Whether it was collecting evidence or delivering it to the Attorney General, everything was given the green light. He even began to suspect that even without any strong evidence, Lance could fabricate evidence, and that the Attorney General's office and the judiciary would acknowledge the authenticity of this fabricated evidence.

This is the origin of the saying "the outcome is always outside the courtroom." In some cases, the sentencing result is already determined before the trial even begins. This is no joke!
If the law truly requires a courtroom to provide a real answer or a result, then the federal government would have been in chaos long ago!

When faced with his colleague's感慨 (gǎnkǎi, mixed feelings of emotion and reflection), lawyer Robben seemed quite nonchalant, saying, "You'll get used to it; after all, he's one of the richest people in the world."

"If you work hard, you might even have the chance to open your own law firm!"

This is perhaps one of the ultimate aspirations of every lawyer: to own their own law firm, to take on all kinds of cases, to become the most unique one in high society, and perhaps even to enter politics.

The lawyer's face was full of anticipation for a better future. "I will work hard."

They had no more questions about the lawsuit.

Time flew by, and ten minutes later the judge returned to the courtroom with his team. After some procedural issues were resolved, everyone sat back down, and the trial resumed.

The prosecutor, the tall prosecutor, and the chairman cooperated well in some respects, completing all the procedures in less than twenty minutes and delivering a verdict in court.

Because the chairman actively confessed and showed remorse, he was sentenced to nine months in prison and fined 50,000 yuan after a brief discussion in court.

If you don't consider the possibility of going to jail, this is actually a mild punishment. However, with actual imprisonment, it becomes a bit of a pain. When the tall prosecutor said goodbye to him, he whispered some tips to the chairman, "When you're in prison, you can talk to the warden first. Maybe he can give you some help and make things easier for you inside."

"I've also inquired about it for you. You can apply for parole in three months, and then you can start a new life."

The chairman didn't look happy. He had lost everything, and the only thing that gave him some comfort was that he still had a lot of money.

This money would have been his guarantee for his later years, but he almost met his destruction simply because he couldn't control his ambition and desires.

The Federation of Federal Construction Workers Unions followed up on the matter immediately. In fact, they had known about it for several days, but they did not intervene rashly and were waiting to see how things developed.

They were unaware that things were progressing so quickly. While they were still considering how to respond, the chairman had already surrendered, not only thwarting all their ideas and plans but also making the construction workers' union infamous throughout the Federation.

A group of specialists are on their way, and it will take at least a few days. During these days, the local construction workers' union will be completely shut down and lifeless.

Lance learned about this immediately and was very satisfied with the result. He then instructed some construction workers registered with the labor agency to contact more construction workers, including those who had not yet registered, and to gather them together.

The method used was very simple: two-dollar food coupons. There was nothing more affordable than that. Regardless of whether people liked Lance or not, when they heard about the two-dollar food coupons, they would come over, just for those two dollars!
Lance gathered them at a large open-air rugby stadium in Scheer, which could hold at least 20,000 people at the same time and was the largest stadium in the city.

When Lance arrived, the place was already packed with people.

It's not just construction workers here; there are also workers from other unions here.

As the main characters in all the recent events, they were eager to know what Lance had to say here.

However, they also discovered something very interesting: in the very center of the rugby field, there was a podium, and all four sides of the podium, including the top, were made of glass.

It is not completely enclosed; it has two layers that are staggered. Although it is not completely enclosed, there is no gap that one can directly "enter".

Some people could guess that this was arranged by Lance because he was worried that someone would shoot him in the back. Some of the workers who came to this "gathering" to take advantage of the situation found it ridiculous that Lance White was such a coward.

Their impression of Lance could only be worse.

Some people don't think there's anything wrong with it, after all, he's a wealthy man, and it's not excessive for him to ensure his safety.

At ten o'clock, the convoy drove directly onto the lawn and arrived at the podium. Lance got out of the car and quickly went into the glass house.

All the glass is bulletproof, so unless the enemy uses artillery, they basically can't take down Lance.

If someone were to use artillery to kill Lance, they would have been discovered long ago.

Moreover, the podium itself is made of steel, and if you look at it from a different angle, you'll find that it actually resembles a coffin.

Even if artillery shells or machine gun fire came, Lance could simply duck into the gap under the podium, press a button to knock it down, and completely cover himself.

In short, he takes his safety very seriously.

When he walked to the very center of the "stage", the noisy noise in the room became much quieter.

Lance tapped the microphone twice. "This is a test microphone..."

Some people laughed for no apparent reason, finding it amusing because it was nothing like what a "tycoon" would do.

For these people at the bottom of society, those high-ranking officials probably wouldn't be so... unsophisticated. They don't know what it means to be down-to-earth, but they know that if they were to go up there, they would most likely tap the microphone and say something similar.

Unlike the workers who were just watching the spectacle, there were also some union management personnel, representatives from various unions, and even some capitalists' informants present.

What they saw was a "capitalist" with a different style, a dangerous capitalist.

"I know many people are curious why I lock myself in this transparent cage. Is it because I'm afraid of dying?"

Lance speaks quickly, but his pronunciation is very clear, ensuring that everyone can understand him.

His words immediately drew everyone's attention. Just as people were beginning to guess how he would answer this somewhat embarrassing question, Lance actually answered directly, "Yes."

"Yes, I'm very afraid of dying."

You might be wondering, why are you so afraid of death?

"The reason is actually very simple. Not long ago, I was attacked. A bullet pierced my arm and almost hit my body."

"If you look through previous news articles, you should be able to see it."

People laughed or scoffed at first, but were quickly drawn in by his words.

"Most people here don't actually know me or are familiar with me. After all, our lives and work haven't intersected before, so I need to introduce myself."

"I, Lance White, a Commonwealth citizen, am known by some as the most inspirational person because just ten years ago, I was just like you, doing the hardest and dirtiest jobs, and I didn't even get paid!"

"I've spent the last ten years standing here, standing before you, becoming someone who, in your eyes, is not on the same level as you!"

"That's not actually the case!"

"Because I come from the very bottom of society, I know what real workers need."

"Because I come from the very bottom of society, there will always be some people who are afraid of me, afraid that I will not only change myself, but also change you, change this society, and even this country!"

The outdoor rugby stadium, which can seat 20,000 people, was completely silent!

(End of this chapter)