Shadow Empire

Chapter 521: The Road to Movie King
In the evening, Ponda returned home. After resting for a while, he called Lance.

The call was quickly answered.

"What are you going to do next?" Ponda asked while smoking in the study.

Today, the Hazardous Materials Administration Bureau also began interrogating the bar operators who were captured. Some of them were also tortured, but the effect was equally poor.

But as it happened, Ponda was in charge of the main interrogation work.

Because everyone knows that he and the Lance family don't get along well.

Whether it is the ordinary agents or Director Dale, they will feel at ease handing over the cases related to the Lance family to him.

The pressure from the Hazardous Materials Administration is much less than that from the police station. Hunter is anxious because if he can't handle this matter, he will really die.

It can be said that he is betting his life and everything on this action. If he wins, he will gain the deepest friendship of the Kodak family and the appreciation of the Bay Area.

He is the next Charlie, and he may try to use the police chief as a springboard to jump into politics.

Of course, if he loses, then all he has to pay is his life.

In order to survive and for a better future, he was really anxious and worked very hard.

Director Dell seemed to be less anxious these days, and there was even a smile on his face, which made everyone feel a little strange.

In the end, Chief Dell felt better because they might have caught a big case.

What Ponda didn't know was that in the circle that Director Dell had access to, people's views of Director Dell had actually changed somewhat because of this case.

In the past, many people thought he was just a clown who could flatter others. When he was in Golden State, he hung around those masters like their servant.

Some say he once used his hands to catch cigarette ashes for a big shot!
When people talked about Director Dell, most of their smiles were filled with disdain and contempt, and some even suspected that he had sold out his ass to get such an opportunity.

Being a jester always has to pay something, and having your buttocks done to you is just one of them.

If Director Dell was like a clown in the eyes of higher-ups before, now they think that Director Dell is a "ruthless clown."

Although he is still a clown, this clown has undergone the most fundamental changes.

It's like a clown in a circus performing those funny moves which only make people laugh but not make people respect him because he is just a funny clown.

But if a killer is dressed up as a clown with a bloody knife in his hand, even if his appearance makes people feel funny and ridiculous, people will just remain silent and offer their respect.

This is the case with the current Director Dale. Many people are saying that Weber just wanted to replace him. Before Weber's uncle could finalize this matter, he colluded with others to get rid of Weber, causing their plan to fail.

According to rumors, he has become a ruthless character who is decisive and murderous, so much so that some people who coveted his position and wanted to harm him have temporarily given up this idea.

You don't know when and from what angle he will suddenly hit you.

You don’t know if you will be the next Weber.

As expected, a dog that bites never barks. This son of a bitch is really cruel!
Director Dale could swear on his chest that he didn't do it and he had never even thought about it.

But there are always people who think so, it’s such a coincidence!

Once the coincidence reaches a certain level, it may not be a coincidence.

For example, the rich man who had an erection anytime and anywhere, happened to fall when he met a lady, and happened to accidentally push the lady down face to face, and happened that fate accurately found its home, and happened that he was a man who could not stand the test, and happened to extract the genetic material.

And coincidentally, he won the case.

The lady who had slandered him for raping her and tried to extort a large sum of money from him was thrown into prison and then was never heard from again.

It’s too coincidental. Sometimes it’s not a coincidence, it’s an arrangement.

Many people think that Weber's death was an accident, but some people think that Weber's death was an abnormal arrangement.

"Dale is a ruthless man!"

This sentence has spread in their circle. People will not be in awe of those who are funny, but they will be in awe of those with bloody hands.

His pressure is now much less. Someone who hadn't called him for a long time suddenly called him and told him not to worry so much and that he had not been abandoned yet.

Well, even though he swore that he didn't do these things, being misunderstood... didn't seem unacceptable.

Chief Dale was under less pressure, and the entire Hazardous Materials Administration was under less pressure, compared to Hunter's urgency to "solve the case."

Director Dell, on the contrary, felt that things should be done more slowly so that he could think about how to deal with some subsequent issues.

Therefore, Ponda can go home and rest at night instead of being forced to simply take a nap in the office.

Lance on the other side of the receiver asked after a few seconds, "According to your current laws, what will happen to them?"

"A bar manager might have been there for more than 10 years, a bartender three to six years, and everyone else one to three years."

This is a relatively common sentencing standard, but he added, "If they confess to you, then they can get a reduced sentence. We have prepared confessions for them today, and we should start talking to them soon in the next two days."

"Dale's attitude is a bit strange. I'm a little confused about what he means."

After listening to this, Lance asked, "Is there any other way to reduce the sentence?"

"Unfortunately, not really."

"I'll let Lawyer Robben handle this matter. You can handle it as usual. There's no need to make any special arrangements."

Lawyer Robben has connections in the Ministry of Justice, and the Prison Administration Bureau is under the vertical management of the Ministry of Justice. It is not realistic to get him out directly, but there should be no problem getting him out after two or three years.

Lance didn't say anything extra, and Ponda was relieved. He was afraid that Lance would ask him to do something dangerous.

He is now filled with desire for power. He wants to climb higher and wants all those who once looked down on him to look up to him.

Those who had tried to hurt him and his family fell at his feet and begged for forgiveness.

Lance then added, "There will be something you need to do in a few days."

"What's the matter?" Ponda asked. He took a puff of cigarette and exhaled slowly.

"I'll give you another great favor. We are currently searching for the Kodak family's warehouse. Once you find it, you can take people to destroy their warehouse."

“Is this considered a great achievement?”

Ponda smiled more, "Thank you."

"You're welcome. We're friends, remember?"

"Friends should help each other..."

After hanging up the phone, Ponda walked over to Lisa, who looked a little depressed, put his arms around her shoulders, buried his head in her neck, and greedily sniffed the scent emanating from her body.

Lisa stroked his hair gently. Neither of them spoke. They just sat there, quietly.

At this time in the city police station, Hunter was about to throw the cigarette in his hand into the ashtray. He glanced at the piled up ashtray and couldn't find a place to start, so he walked to the trash can with the ashtray.

The phone on the table suddenly rang. He looked back with a cigarette in his mouth, then turned his head and poured the ashes in the ashtray into the trash can.

The rising ash gave him an uncomfortable feeling, as if just inhaling a little would make him feel worse.

But he actually didn't know that the ashes were actually very clean. Not only had they been sterilized at hundreds of degrees Celsius, but it was also difficult for them to become stubborn residues.

On the contrary, it is the tar and thousands of chemical elements that are truly harmful.

He pressed the cigarette into the ashtray, clapped his hands, and answered the phone, "This is the director's office."

Internal calls can only be made through the police station’s internal lines.

The call was from Nate, "I think there's some news I should tell you."

Hunter was subconsciously surprised when he heard this. "Please, give me some good news. I urgently need good news now." Nate's laughter was relaxed in the receiver. "Okay, your prayers have been heard by God. Someone is willing to talk, but they have to talk to you alone. You have to come over."

After hanging up the phone, Hunter waved his fist and immediately ran towards Nate's office.

Many police officers looked at him along the way. Some of them found it baffling, but others realized that a breakthrough might have been found in the case.

Only when there is a breakthrough, Hunter, who has been anxious for the past two days, will run so relaxedly.

More than a minute later, the office door was pushed open and Hunter walked in, accompanied by his voice, "Where is he now?"

He closed the door of the room and saw the person being interrogated sitting on a chair.

He had obvious injuries on his body and his face was covered in bruises. Just one look at him made people think, "This guy is so fucking miserable."

It appears suddenly and cannot be shaken off.

Nate raised his hand, and the two police officers packed up their things and walked towards the door. Hunter looked at them and reminded them, "Don't talk nonsense after you get out."

He also realized that there might be Lance's undercover agent in the police station. After all, Lance's infiltration of the police system was extremely strong.

After the two officers left, Nate and Hunter walked to the corner and talked briefly.

It was simply that he couldn't stand the torture and finally compromised.

Hunter didn't find this situation strange.

As a criminal police supervisor, he has participated in the investigation of many criminal cases.

The federal police have always advocated the "presumption of innocence" approach to handling cases, but this is actually just casual talk, but some people really believe it!

In fact, police all over the world are the same. The first thing they do after finding a suspect is to find evidence. This idiot is the person they are looking for, and the same goes for the federal police.

Otherwise, why would prosecutors and police go to so much trouble to collect evidence and prove the charges?
After explaining some things, Nate looked at the young man and said, "Hunter is here, you two can talk alone."

He looked back at Hunter, who gave him a reassuring look before he left the room as well.

At this time, only Hunter and the listless young man sitting in the chair were left in the room.

Hunter was so excited that he wanted to fly, but on the surface he was extremely calm. He clasped his hands in his arms, pressed his buttocks on the edge of the desk, and looked at the young man sitting on the chair, "I'm here, what do you want to tell me?"

"Our time is limited, and there are many people out there who need me. If you can't come up with something that interests me, I won't leave you much time."

It was a very strong statement, as if he didn't care whether the young man would confess or not.

The young man looked up at him. "Give me a cigarette."

The two looked at each other for a moment, about seven or eight seconds, and then Hunter took out a cigarette, lit it, and put it into the other's mouth.

The young man took a long drag on his cigarette and slumped back in his chair.

He felt extremely relaxed and took another breath.

Hunter frowned. He didn't want to show his nervousness, but now he urgently needed to know the "truth". He could only remind the other party, "If you don't tell me, I will leave now, and I will make them work harder to greet you as a reward for your teasing me."

The young man glanced at him sideways, "They said that if I plead guilty and testify against Lance, you can reduce my sentence?"

Hunter nodded, "Yes, I did."

"Should I sign anything?" the young man asked.

Hunter looked him over again. "Yes, we have an agreement, and you have to come up with something that satisfies me, otherwise I won't give it to you."

The young man took two puffs of his cigarette and said, "I don't want to go to jail, and I need some money."

This was a line that did not exist in the plan, but he actually added some drama to himself at this critical moment!

But far from finding this part of the performance unusual, Hunter felt that the young people became more real.

Greed is always the most true portrayal of these gangsters.

He neither agreed nor refused, and continued to suppress the other party with technology, "It depends on whether you can bring me something different."

"More than one person out there has confessed to their crimes and is willing to accuse Lance."

"If you can only do something similar to them, then I can't promise you anything. You are not as valuable as you think."

It was a very common, but also very effective line of speech. The young man did not think too long this time. "Actually, I have a notebook in my hand. It records some of the things and a small amount of evidence I left behind when I worked in the Lance family."

"There are also some things I personally know about the transportation of alcoholic beverages by escorting trucks. I don't know if this is valuable."

It's so damn valuable!

Hunter pursed his lips, "Where is the thing?"

He did not show any excitement, but instead acted calm and thoughtful.

The young man gave a location, on the outskirts of the city, and Hunter immediately picked up the phone, but was interrupted by the young man, "Are you going to send someone to get it?"

Hunter looked back at him with a frown, "Yeah, what's wrong?"

The young man had a look on his face that said “are you kidding me” and asked, “You actually asked someone to get it?”

Hunter looked confused, and at this moment he had no patience. He wanted to get evidence that could indict Lance, so his tone became more impatient, "So what the fuck happened?"

The young man was not afraid of his bad temper at all. "He has people in the police station, Fuck, do you really not know or are you pretending not to know?"

"What if the person you called over was one of his people?"

"He's going to come into the fucking police station and kill me!"

"Fuck, you're so fucking unreliable. I wouldn't have told you if I had known!"

The young man changed his play. According to the script, he should ask Hunter to get it himself, but he thought about it for a whole day and felt that it was not a good idea to take the initiative to talk about this matter. Hunter might find out something was wrong.

So he cancelled that part of the requirement and asked Hunter to get it himself, but kept denying his candidates.

Hunter's actions were indeed hesitant. According to the young man, the account book was very important and it was not a complete account book.

But it contains a lot of important records that could put Lance on the electric chair, such as shipping records and records of a young man being assigned by Lance to kill someone on a certain day.

He frowned deeply, "Should I ask Nate to get it?"

"That's the officer here just now."

The young man's reaction was quick, "He's Lance's too!"

Hunter's first reaction was "Impossible". Nate had worked with him for more than ten years, so how could he be Lance's man?
He also knew Nate's situation very well. If Nate was really Lance's man, his life should be more affluent.

But now he has begun to be suspicious. This young man said so decisively that Nate is Lance's man. Could it be true?

He was a little skeptical. He didn't believe it immediately, but he didn't disbelieve it either. He wanted to test it out.

He pointed at the young man and left the room, finding Nate at the door, "Come with me, I have something to tell you."

Nate was a little confused, but he followed Hunter to the corner. After they stood, Nate asked, "What did he say?"

As soon as these words came out, Hunter had a very strange feeling. Is this really something you can ask?
Sometimes preconceived notions are so terrible. Even though he convinced himself that Nate was not Lance's man, under the influence of the young man, he increasingly felt that there might be something wrong with Nate.

He lowered his voice and said, "The man inside just now told me that you are Lance's man."

His eyes were fixed on Nate's eyes and expression. Nate's pupils shrank quickly after hearing the news, and then an incredible expression appeared on his face. He looked at him and asked stiffly, "Do you believe it?"

(End of this chapter)