Shadow Empire

Chapter 1268 Growing Old
Everything was planned from the very beginning of the "game" design, and there were no unexpected events.

This is a game in which many people are seizing political gains, so no one feels dissatisfied with this game.

Some people from the Golden Harbor Consortium can also take this opportunity to go further on the political stage in Likale, which is only beneficial to everyone and has no downsides.

The same applies to the general public; even if it doesn't bring much benefit, it won't cause much harm either.

No one will get hurt in here.

William listened attentively to Lance's explanation of the follow-up plans and even took the initiative to communicate with him.

He took this matter very seriously, given Mantegnon's special position. If he could serve as mayor for two years and not do too badly, it would greatly reduce the obstacles to his gubernatorial campaign.

And he is unlikely to do a bad job.

Just like William is in Lake City now, he has raised the level of Lake City's economic development to a level that far exceeds the limits that previous mayors could achieve!
Besides his own genuine abilities, the involvement of Lance and the Lawrence family behind the scenes was also crucial.

For a small city with only 200,000 permanent residents, a rough calculation would only yield about 30,000 to 40,000 people. After removing those who are not suitable for work, the working-age population is only tens of thousands.

Even providing a new factory with 1,000 jobs for the city could increase the employment rate by several percentage points in a very short time.

Not to mention that the Lance and Lawrence families have invested a considerable amount in Lake City, entirely to make William's political record look good.

For the locals, it doesn't matter whether these foreign investments are due to their mayor, William, or because the area is genuinely suitable for investment. For ordinary people living in Lake City, these new jobs and opportunities are real.

Even if these jobs exist for a specific purpose, people gain more job opportunities and a better working environment because of them.

They will, and also need to, thank William.

Therefore, Lance is not worried at all that William will not be selected as one of the top ten mayors.

Moreover, even if he were to be eliminated, Lance, as the "organizer," could simply add him in.

While methods like Mandnon might be less effective, they are still valid.

They talked a lot about what William needed to do in the follow-up plans, and then the conversation ended a little after nine o'clock.

William returned to his house with satisfaction. The old man had prepared a house of his own for each member of the family, a detached house.

These houses are not the style of villas in the city, and they are even quite different from the detached houses in typical middle-class communities.

These are individual small houses standing in the manor, surrounded by greenery. It's like a clean and tidy little community, but it lacks some of the atmosphere of a city.

Back at the villa, Emily immediately came to greet him, helped William take off his coat, and hung it on the hanger.

The two entered the living room, where the television was playing the hottest TV series in Likale.

Ever since News Corporation of Golden Harbor, at Lance's suggestion, created this kind of "continuous film" story drama, people immediately became obsessed with television series. Many people would immediately put down everything they were doing and quietly sit in front of the television, waiting for the series to start.

With its simplicity, straightforwardness, and ease of viewing, TV dramas are becoming an indispensable part of entertainment for ordinary people in the Federation.

From the governor's wife to the homeless people on the street, they are all obsessed with various TV series.

Golden Harbor News Corporation now frequently sells its TV series to television stations in other states; their experience and concepts in producing TV dramas are ahead of their time.

She lowered her voice slightly; life on the farm was somewhat boring.

Emily did not take Victor away to live in the city.

She was very clear about one thing: the core of the future must be Lance's son, Ace.

Rather than taking Victor back to the city and away from the true "next generation core" of the interest group, it would be better to leave him here and let Victor become part of this next generation interest group as well.

Therefore, watching TV dramas became her main form of entertainment.

"What did you talk about that took so long?" she asked, pouring William a cup of coffee.

William leaned back on the sofa, his conversation with Lance bringing him many new shocks, not just about how he went to Mantegnon to become mayor, but also about many "political tactics" he had never seen before.

William was not an ordinary man, although he accomplished almost nothing in the first half of his life, merely serving as a dispensable civil servant in the Golden Harbor City Hall.

But this kind of life and work also gave him a very good understanding of how the government works. He never thought that politics could be described as a "game" in Lance's words.

Capitalization, entertainment, and it seems pretty good!
Yes, it's not bad.

He sometimes gets obsessed with television programs, and people's dependence on television is constantly deepening, which will become a propaganda channel with a greater influence than newspapers and magazines.

Moreover, making politics entertaining can attract more grassroots voters to participate.

According to statistics from unofficial federal agencies, about 30 percent of voters do not vote each year. They are not interested in voting, and even if some political parties lure them with fried chicken and food stamps, they are too lazy to go out and cast their ballots for people they do not know or care about.

There's a saying in election games: "Whoever can get those who don't want to vote to the polls will control the future of the Union!"

Perhaps... with these measures by Lance, more people will be able to go to the polling station and vote for him.

He talked to Emily about it, and for the first time at home, he discussed his plan to run for mayor in Mantegnon.

"My God!" Emily looked at her husband in disbelief. Although she wasn't particularly interested in politics, it didn't mean she wasn't sensitive to it.

Her pupils were undergoing a prolonged earthquake, the constant contraction of which amused William. "What's wrong with you?"

Emily then came to her senses and straddled William. "You mean, the market in Mantegnon, you?"

"Hmm!" William responded with a laugh.

"Hooligan crab, when I chat with some friends, they always say... if someone becomes the mayor of Mantegnon, then he will definitely be a big shot in the state government in the future, right?"

Emily was undoubtedly excited at this moment. She was now considered a "lady of leisure" and had quite a reputation in the social circles of ladies of leisure.

She knew where all these changes came from and had even imagined the future, but she never expected the future to come so quickly!
In such a short time, it appeared right in front of her, within reach!

After a few seconds of consideration, William nodded and said, "Yes, they are right. Mantegnon, as the capital of Licale, is undoubtedly an important location."

"Furthermore, the state government is located in Mantegnon, a position that will attract a lot of attention from the state government. As long as they don't perform too badly, they will eventually be placed in the state government."

"Important positions in the two houses of government, or governorships or deputy governorships."

Emily's eyes widened even more. "Lance won't just let you be a lieutenant governor or something, will he?"

She asked very seriously, and William didn't brush her off. "We've talked about this, and I will be running for governor later."

Emily seemed to become lighter, as if she were floating on air!

She looked at William with surprise and delight. The couple stared at each other for about four or five seconds before she suddenly started to undo William's belt.

William tried to stop her, but to no avail. She straddled him, clinging to his neck, like the most skilled female rider on the farm.

After everything calmed down, William lit a cigarette, but Emily took it from him after he had only taken two puffs. She took one too. "I need to calm down. This news is too shocking. I'm about to become the governor's wife!"

William was all smiles; he was actually quite happy and excited, but he pretended to be nonchalant and said, "It's all about serving the people." He was met with a glare in return. "I'm going to be the Governor's wife!" she exclaimed to William, puffing out a puff of smoke. It would be the most glorious moment of her life, bar none!

The annual Segunda Divine Farm festival is the most important day of the year for the people on the farm, and everyone's face is filled with smiles. But this year is a little different.

Although people were still happy, there were other emotions hidden beneath the surface.

On the day of Saint Farm, Herbert appeared at the event in a wheelchair. He looked a little worse than in the previous days and was often distracted.

Lance called over the doctor stationed there and inquired about Herbert's condition, concluding that it was very bad.

"I think he was doing quite well in the first half of the year?" Lance asked the doctor, standing at the edge of the crowd.

In the first half of the year, Herbert looked no different from a normal person, but in just a few months, his condition deteriorated.

The doctor adjusted his glasses. "Mr. Lance, I'm sorry, but there's not much I can do."

"Although science has made great progress, we still cannot unravel the mysteries of the human body. The human body is like a treasure trove, a sophisticated instrument."

"When one part malfunctions, it will cause other working parts to break down, and the machine will not stop until it is completely scrapped."

"This process develops very quickly. It might start with just one gear breaking, then the second gear, the third, the bearing, and with each rotation, the damage to the machine increases exponentially."

Lance lit a cigarette. "How much longer can he live?"

The doctor glanced at the elderly Herbert, who was sitting in a wheelchair in the distance, staring blankly at the campfire. "If it's just about keeping him 'alive,' we can let him hold on for a few more years."

"But if we want him to stay alive and conscious, then maybe after winter is over."

After winter, which is next March, he will have six months left.

Lance nodded. He had a good impression of the old man, Herbert. The old man was very hospitable and had even gotten him a horse, although he didn't ride it much.

"If we were to give him an organ transplant..."

The doctor considered for a moment, "He might not even make it off the operating table, but he might also have his lifespan extended for a while, not too long, maybe... half a year, or a year."

“His biggest problem is that he is too old, and that cannot be solved by replacing his organs with younger ones.”

Lance nodded. "I understand. Then take good care of him during his final days."

"To allow him to leave with his dignity intact."

Lance returned to the event, and the huge bonfire illuminated everyone's faces, as if all worries were being burned away in the firelight.

On the second day of Saint Farm, old Herbert seemed to be in better condition than the day before. He talked quite a bit and inquired about the results of some activities in the town and surrounding cities.

Like giant pumpkin competitions, shooting competitions, and the like.

This year, the farm won first place in the giant pumpkin competition. The seeds they received from the champion last year played a key role, and the more expensive cultivation costs combined to produce a beautiful giant pumpkin that made Lawrence Farm the champion.

They are all trivial matters.

Lance stayed a few more days, and some of the people who had returned for the festival began to leave one after another. William left even earlier, departing early on the second day of Sacred Farm, as he had to go back to take care of his city.

The bustling farm gradually quieted down again, and everyone quickly returned to their roles.

On November 1st, Lance said goodbye to Patricia and Ace. As he sat in the departing car, he glanced back at the three old men sitting in rocking chairs under the eaves of the big house. Perhaps the next time he returned, there would only be two left.

The tax investigation in Licarle surrounding Lance and those around him, including the Wanli Group, has stalled; they simply couldn't find any tax issues.

Actually, there are such problems, quite a few, but Lance has covered them up through legal means.

For example, he might send some artworks to auction and receive a large sum of money. The tax authorities wouldn't find anything wrong with him, and he would pay taxes in full according to the new tax law.

As for the people or companies that buy these artworks, whether their money comes from legitimate sources is another matter entirely.

The individuals or companies that acquire these artworks are virtually impossible to trace. Typically, all relevant personnel mysteriously disappear after the transaction is completed, and the company is dissolved.

Tracing this back to Lance is virtually impossible, and the State Taxation Administration has not considered pursuing the matter further.

You don't know whether the person you're chasing is Little Red Riding Hood or the Big Bad Wolf.

So they submitted the report to their superiors, and that was the end of the case.

Although the head of the federal tax bureau maintained a neutral stance, he was ultimately nominated and approved by the socialists. After confirming that the state tax bureau's report was without problems, he also stopped further investigations into Lance and the Wanli Group, so everything came to an end.

With nothing else to deal with, Lance devoted more of his time and energy to the new city project that was under construction, where there were still some troubles that required his attention.

"That imperial merchant group has been very active lately; they are contacting some local companies and making large-scale acquisitions."

"It's clear that this time they've turned their attention directly to us."

At the Brooks Group board meeting, these local big capitalists sat together, discussing some of the Imperial Group's initiatives around the time of Saint Farm.

Roger and his team have made a lot of money following Lance. Over the years, they've been involved in not only ordinary businesses, but also, to varying degrees, the liquor business.

Roger's first step into South Yaan State was to acquire some local businesses in Scheer and the surrounding area.

Their goal is very clear: to improve people's livelihoods. Supermarkets were their first acquisition project. Currently, they have acquired three large supermarkets in Scheer, and negotiations are underway for some smaller supermarkets as well.

Next comes logistics.

The new city project involves a large number of transfers, requiring extensive logistics services. They established a "Wansuda Logistics Company" to handle this work and also began poaching truck drivers from the surrounding areas.

In fact, from the perspective of the entire state, this may only be some changes in Sher City and the surrounding area, but for the entire Brooks Corporation, the Imperial Merchant Guild has sent a strong signal of challenge.

When faced with challenges, they should confront them, not avoid them.

The group's vice chairman of the board of directors pursed his lips tightly. "The problem now is that we have no way to compete with them commercially."

"The logistics companies only need to do their jobs well to meet their business needs and ensure that every truck driver has something to do every day."

"The supermarkets... they can also ship food and goods from other places. Lawrence Farms is the largest agricultural supplier in Likalai, and they're also part of the local industry. They have their own supply system, and it's difficult for us to put up a strong countermeasure in this regard."

"And more goods are coming in here, but there's nothing we can do about it."

The chairman of the board sat there and thought for a while. "If we let them do nothing, they will only continue to erode our market share. We must compete with them, even in the smallest business, and make them realize that challenging us is not so easy!"

"We have the advantage of local agricultural supply, and everything we sell is five percent cheaper than theirs. We'll keep a close eye on them!"

"We may not make money, but they must lose money. The bigger they go, the more they will lose. In the end, we certainly won't be the first to give up!"

"In addition, after some consideration, we decided that we could also promote our own 'New City Plan' and continue to compete with them."

"We have a good reputation and brand effect locally, so there's no reason why we can't compete with these outsiders!"

(End of this chapter)