Shadow Empire

Chapter 1252 Agent

The vehicle slowly drove away, and as the gang leader watched it disappear into the distance, the obsequiousness on his face gradually faded.

"Boss, do we really need to fawn over him like this?" His subordinates were a little confused about what had happened. Why was their charismatic boss gone, replaced by someone they didn't like?

In the federal government, gangs originated from ordinary people's resistance against the hegemony of the federal government, and were a symbol of a free spirit, even if that free spirit was rather ridiculous.

Ordinary people might think they've changed, but some of the gang members themselves still consider themselves free spirits who oppose government tyranny.

Freedom shouldn't be like this.

There was a hint of disappointment in the young man's eyes. This wasn't the life he wanted, the gangster life he envisioned. They should be living for freedom.

His boss turned his gaze from the departing car to the cadre beside him, his face bearing an indescribable expression, as if he wanted to laugh.

"Whether it is necessary or not cannot be seen from the surface. We are facing some troubles that we could not have imagined in the past."

"If I could gain the favor of some important people by doing something small, I would be willing to do it, even if it would put me in a difficult position!"

"I'm not just doing this for myself, but also for you."

He did not elaborate further, but the degangsterization bill, pushed by President Porter, had already begun implementation.

As a gang leader, he was able to sense changes in society very quickly.

The simplest and most direct thing is that the police have stopped accepting bribes.

Lower-ranking officers and patrol officers might still be willing to exchange some "funding" with them, but sergeant-level officers have basically refused their offers of benefits.

The police's attitude towards handling some cases and issues has also changed. In the past, they would try their best to calm things down, get the victims to give some compensation, and then coax and deceive the victims and gang members into reaching an understanding, and the matter would be over.

But now they don't do that anymore; they've started to respect the wishes of the victims instead of actively helping the gangs to downplay the severity of the problem.

This also made some things that wouldn't normally be troublesome become troublesome. For example, not long ago he sent two of his henchmen to teach a merchant who refused to pay protection money a lesson, smashed their shop window, and beat up the owner.

In the past, when this happened, the police would come over, ask a few questions, take a statement, tell him "we'll catch that guy," and then leave.

If the shop owner remains determined to find the people who did this, or actively requests that the police arrest the gang members, then the police will discuss the matter with him privately.

Are you sure you want to do this?

“You have to understand, they just smashed your shop window and maybe beat you up. Even if we catch them, you’d be willing to let them go to court. At most, it’ll just be a fine and community service.”

“They are gangsters, this little bit of money is nothing to them, and they don’t care about doing voluntary labor. No community would dare to actually go to court and say that they never participate in voluntary labor.”

"What will you do then, my friend?"

"You still want to do business on this street? Have you thought about how they'll come to bother you every day and might even threaten your and your family's safety?"

"Listen to me, as a police officer I don't like this happening, but I know it happens every day!"

"Offending the gangs is not a good idea. I've had contact with the people you mentioned. If you're willing, I can help you mediate and let this matter drop..."

After being told this by the police, many people gave up on pursuing the responsibility for the vandalism and the beatings.

But now, all they do is sound the sirens and yell "Ura ura ura" as they go to arrest those gangsters.

The fast-track courts have also become much stricter in their trials of these cases; what used to be a minor fine now results in imprisonment for three to six months.

These subtle changes, when accumulated, did not become a good thing. The stable structure between gangs and the federal government began to crumble due to the implementation of the Degangsterization Act, and the two carriages that once ruled the lower classes and ensured order began to go their separate ways.

Sadly, the gangsters, like a horse-drawn carriage, simply cannot outrun the federal government, which has now become a train!

Therefore, this is not a good thing for the gang.

The gangsters' lives will only get worse from now on. If they don't clean up their act now, it will be too late when the noose is around their own necks.

He shook his head. "You wouldn't understand even if I told you. Go get the car ready, we'll head over now."

Those around him tried to offer some advice, but the gang leader seemed to sense his intentions and his tone became stern, "Why aren't you going yet?"

His men sighed in exasperation and ran toward the parking lot.

Before long, several cars stopped in front of him...

His goal this time was to contact the suppliers of Golden Lion Winery and buy a large quantity of wine.

As a gang that has been selling Golden Lion liquor and is quite well-known in the underworld, his identity is not problematic, and he can easily gain the trust of these people.

Once he completes this "mission," he will have taken the first step in clearing his name and found a reliable backer!

While sitting in the car, he was still recalling his encounter with "Mr. Blake." For some reason, he felt that "Mr. Blake" looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place where he had seen him before.

The more this was the case, the more he believed that this "Mr. Black" must be a big shot, and perhaps he had seen this man in the newspaper!
The request to contact the supplier went smoothly, and the two parties met at a smuggling transit point in the nearest state of Licale.

As large quantities of alcohol were smuggled into the northern states, a small town on the border between the two states, within the state of Likalai, began to thrive due to the smuggling and repackaging of goods.

People gather because of wealth.

Initially, it was just farmers from the surrounding area who came over to help out after finishing their farm work. But as more and more goods were being packaged here, more and more people started to gather here, hoping to make some money.

These liquor smuggling gangs were very wealthy. They didn't mind paying farmers three or five yuan to help them repackage the liquor. During this process, they also needed to rest, and so the village gradually grew into a small village.

There are bars, hotels, and countless escort services.

A philosopher once said that a person's moral level is closely related to their wealth or poverty.

The women standing on the street here are all local farmers and their daughters. They might only earn a couple hundred yuan a year working in the fields.

But if you stand here for a month, you'll reach this number, which has led to an increasing number of streetwalkers here.

Alcohol and sex held a terrible allure for people in this era, gradually attracting some consumers from the surrounding area. Gradually, the village became more prosperous, even comparable to the city center of some small cities.

When the gang leader's car approached the village, it was stopped by the local farmers.

They were carrying weapons, and there was a frame in the middle of the road blocking the way to the village.

A farmer walked up to the car, patted the front, then looked down slightly into the car. After looking around, his gaze fell on the gang leader in the back seat. "This is private property."

The gang leader pulled out a business card and handed it over, saying, "I've never heard anyone say that before."

A business card and a five-yuan banknote.

The farmer readily accepted the business card and banknotes, casually stuffed the money into his pocket, and then glanced at the business card.

He is a well-known merchant in the "village" and has close ties with the Lance family. He is also one of the original founders of the village.

He handed the business card back, his attitude becoming much warmer. "We'll move it for you right away, just a moment, sir!"

He also saluted, and then he and his friend pushed aside the roadblock in the middle of the road to let the car pass.

After driving for about another kilometer, a village gradually came into view. Outside the village was a large parking lot. On the left were all kinds of luxury cars, while on the right were a large number of trucks, and many of them were loading and unloading goods.

At least dozens of farmers were toiling under the scorching sun, sweating profusely. They made no attempt to hide from anyone, and when the car window was rolled down slightly, the rich aroma of alcohol wafted in—enough to make anyone drunk if they stayed there a little longer. Everything here astonished the gang leader and his men, but it also gradually made him realize what he was facing—a gang that held the power to dictate the laws of the entire state's underworld, and whose rules everyone obeyed!

As soon as they entered the parking lot, someone came over to direct them to park, saying, "You can't park randomly here, otherwise it will cause chaos when the cars behind you come in."

The gang leader gave him a two-dollar tip, and then led his men into the village.

It's very bustling. Although there are no skyscrapers here, it's very prosperous. There are many pedestrians on the street, and there are many gold shops and luxury goods stores along the roadside. The gang leader even randomly picked a store to take a look. Almost all of them were the latest luxury goods from the last two years.

However, he also noticed something amiss: most of these luxury goods were stolen goods, making this the largest place for selling stolen goods in the area, but the prices were indeed very tempting.

Items that cost over a thousand yuan outside can be taken away here for four or five hundred yuan. Items with heavy signs of use can be taken away for one or two hundred yuan.

He saw a number of people selecting goods; they didn't look like members of a gang, but rather like legitimate businessmen.

This place is like a hidden paradise unknown to most people.

He didn't wander around for long before arriving at the agreed office. As soon as he entered, the person sitting behind the desk stood up and invited them to sit down.

“This is our first meeting!” The office owner extended his hand and shook hands with him. “I heard you’re looking to buy a large quantity of goods?”

After shaking hands with the contact, the gang leader sat down and straightened his clothes. "Yes, a large shipment."

He emphasized the phrase "a large batch of goods" and seemed very confident!

The contact looked him up and down. "I'm very interested in this business, but to be honest, you don't look like someone who can afford a large quantity of goods!"

The gang leader pursed his lips. He was looked down upon, but he wasn't angry because he knew these people had the right to look down on him.

"Money shouldn't be worn on your body, sir!"

"Whether I have money or not has nothing to do with what I wear. Maybe I just like dressing this way?"

After listening, the contact gave him a meaningful look, then burst into laughter. "You're right, everyone has their own preferred way of dressing. I really shouldn't have looked at you like that."

"Alright then, how much do you want for the goods?"

The gang leader held up one finger, and the contact chuckled, "One million?"

"To be honest, a million-dollar deal isn't a big deal here. When do you want it?"

"It's ten million!" the gang leader interrupted him. "We've cooperated a few times before, through those outsiders, but now I'm no longer satisfied with getting loose goods from them, nor am I satisfied with selling in just one place."

"I plan to capture the market in several surrounding cities, so I need ten million worth of goods, all at once!"

This amount truly shocked the contact person. Transactions of 500,000 or 1 million are quite common here, while transactions of 2 or 3 million or 3 to 5 million are relatively rare.

He had never had ten million before. His eyes widened as he looked the gang leader up and down again, as if he were getting to know him all over again!
“That’s a lot of money, but you don’t look like you could come up with ten million. I’m sorry to say that, but that’s how it looks.”

The gang leader took a bank draft from his bag and handed it over, saying, "You can try it out first; this is a deposit."

"Once the deal is done, all the rest of the money will be paid in cash, and we can do the transactions in batches."

The contact took the bank draft and examined it carefully. "Would you mind if I made a phone call?"

After the gang leader gestured for him to proceed, the contact immediately dialed the bank's verification number.

Every bank draft has a unique code, and the simplest way to verify it is by contacting the issuing bank. Instead of calling the bank that issued the draft, he dialed the phone number of a bank in his state.

The other party told him to call back in ten minutes, as the bank needed to verify the information internally.

After hanging up the phone, the contact became even more interested in the deal. He opened the cigarette case, revealing the cigars inside, and gestured for the other party to take one.

Bank drafts are hard to issue, especially those for a million. "What do you want? I want to hear the truth."

The gang leader smiled slightly; money really is a useful thing.

Those who looked down on him just a moment ago are now becoming enthusiastic.

The gang leader casually picked up a bottle, cutting it open as he said, "Golden Lion liquor is of good quality and very popular in our area. Recently, we took down our biggest competitor, and I have a larger market share."

"I suddenly realized that there was no one in the surrounding cities who could be considered my rival, so why don't I expand my business to the surrounding areas?"

"I want to become an agent, just like you, to get the goods directly from the source and then distribute them to make big money!"

The contact nodded. "It's a smart move. It's faster, more profitable, and safer."

“Your choice is right…” he said, pausing for a moment, “With ten million, it’s hard for me to make a decision about this shipment. If there’s no problem with your promissory note, I need to communicate with my superiors.”

The gang leader nodded. "I understand."

After a while, the two chatted about interesting things related to drinks. Ten minutes later, the contact person called the bank again, and they received confirmation that the promissory note was genuine and valid, and could be cashed anytime, anywhere.

After hanging up the phone, a bigger smile appeared on his face. "No problem," he said, handing the promissory note back to the gang leader. "You can stay here for a couple of days. I'll contact the company; they'll be interested in your proposal. After all... it means we're expanding our market."

"You can rest at this address. No one will bother you there. If anyone harasses you, just show them my business card, and they will behave themselves."

"Once I have the results, I'll have someone come to you. We should have the results tomorrow or the day after!"

The gang leader didn't dawdle; after putting away the promissory note, he stood up and said, "See you later."

"See you later?"

After the person had walked away, the contact frowned, but he still called the company. "Boss, someone said they want ten million worth of goods, and the deposit will be paid by promissory note."

Enio, who was watching TV, paused for a moment, "Payment by promissory note?"

Have you verified it?

"Yes, the bank said there was no problem with the promissory note. I asked someone I knew."

Ennio switched the receiver from his right hand to his left and turned off the TV. "Looks like a big deal. Tell me the details."

He soon learned the general situation: a rising gang in the neighboring state was planning to take over more market share, and Lion Liquor was indeed the best choice because Lance offered a lower wholesale price and the quality was very good, which meant it was very competitive in the market!
"It sounds like there's no problem. I'll ask around and wait for my reply."

Ennio then called some gang members he knew in the neighboring state. He was very good at gang networking; he inherited his father's social skills and business acumen, which he had developed as a salesman.

He's currently in charge of alcohol sales, and he also has many friends in the neighboring state.

He soon learned the "truth" from his friend: the gang had indeed colluded with the police to eliminate their rivals recently and had become a deterrent to four or five surrounding cities.

It does sound like there's nothing wrong with it.

The next morning, while the gang leader was still asleep, there was a loud knocking on the door.

He shoved the girl away, cursing, and walked to the door, pulling it open. "Who the hell is there?"

Two people stood outside the door, looking at him expressionlessly. "The boss wants to see you."

(End of this chapter)