Shadow Empire

Chapter 546: Exchange of Interests and New Students Registration

"They thought...that with Charlie dead, we were no longer a threat to them."

Councillor Williams said, sitting behind his desk, cigarette in hand.

He knew why those people agreed to come to the party tonight in the first place, it was because everyone knew that Charlie had been arrested.

Charlie has been doing dirty work for the Bay Area for almost forty years, and he holds too many secrets related to the Bay Area.

The reason why those old men in the Bay Area didn't take action against him before was simply because this old dog was too useful and they couldn't find anyone to replace him for a while.

Hunter might be a candidate, but Hunter is still not as good as Charlie. When Charlie’s interests were highly tied to theirs, they allowed Charlie to exist for so long.

Charlie was even just a little bit away from having a chance to truly squeeze into their circle as an individual, even if it was the outermost one.

But he just fell short by a tiny bit, and ultimately he failed, so he had to die.

Even if the two large trucks couldn't stop him, they still had other backup plans.

They still have their people in the Highway Police Department, and they will do everything they can to finish Charlie off.

Of course, if Charlie didn't die and fell into Lance's hands, he would have fallen into the hands of Congressman Williams.

So when Congressman Williams invited them to the party, almost everyone agreed with a smile.

Then what happened next happened naturally. Charlie died on the side of the road. No one knew those secrets anymore, at least no one knew them openly.

Congressman Williams had no leverage over them, and they no longer needed to feel intimidated or threatened, so they threw a party of their own.

Congressman Williams knew the reason, so he said it directly, which also meant that the rift between him and the Bay Area became even wider.

Lance nodded and said, "We don't necessarily need Charlie to deal with them."

Congressman Williams laughed. "You are absolutely right. We don't necessarily need Charlie to deal with them. Even if we don't have any evidence against them, we still have ways to deal with them."

"It's just that with Charlie, some things can become easier." He paused, "What are you going to do with the Kodak family?"

Lance also had a cigarette in his hand. After eating and drinking, he lit a cigarette and was as happy as God!
The satisfaction brought by the appetite and nicotine combined together, that's double the happiness!

"Charlie is finished. The cleanup at the police station will be over soon."

"As soon as this is over, I will take action against the Kodak family."

After hearing this, Senator Williams nodded repeatedly, "Yes, especially at times like this, we must be calm and cautious."

"So, the Kodak family can't hold on for much longer?"

Lance smiled and said, "The countdown to life has begun."

Councilman Williams closed his eyes and thought for a moment, "What do you think of those license plates in his hand?"

The reason why the Kodak family waited until last to deal with them was because of the licenses they held.

These license plates represent huge profits, and people in state governments and Congress will be keeping an eye on these profits. They can be replaced, but the profits they deliver cannot stop.

It is not that complicated to deal with the Kodak family, but how to continue to maintain the entire interest transfer link is a more troublesome matter.

As an old Golden Port native and an old Likalai native, Congressman Williams understands the political ecological environment here much better than Lance.

Lance knew he was saying this to offer some help, because he would need more help from Lance later.

This is actually also a kind of transaction.

Why is it said that only when people are of the same class can normal social relations be established?
Just like Lance at this moment, he was from a completely different class from Senator Cleave. A problem that was very difficult for him could be solved by Senator Cleave with just one phone call.

On the other hand, if Senator Cleave encountered some problems, he would not be able to provide any help even if he ran himself ragged.

Even if help can be provided, it will come at a huge cost.

In this case, the contributions and benefits of both parties are not equal, so they cannot have an equal relationship.

But Lance is now in the same class as Congressman Williams.

He controlled the city's police force, the largest gangs, and the workers on the docks.

He already has the ability to arm wrestle with anyone, at least in this city.

If you want to get his help, you must pay a price, and Congressman Williams's price is the complicated relationships behind him.

Now, he needed to know what Lance was thinking before giving any advice.

Lance paused for a moment, "The benefits delivered to Congress will generally remain the same, but the direction of delivery will change a little."

He glanced at Congressman Williams and said, "Tom's people will be responsible for the subsequent benefit transfer issues."

It was he who introduced Lance to Senator Cleland, and now he seemed to have a closer relationship with them. Congressman Williams must have felt a little weird and uncomfortable.

Because they communicated without him, but he couldn't say anything. That was Lance's ability. He could use him as a springboard to reach Congress. That was Lance's ability, and he couldn't stop Lance.

He could only nod slightly, "What about those in the state?"

Lance did not hide it, "We need to sort it out again. Those who are valuable to us can continue to be our friends."

"If they are of no value to us, then kick them out."

Councilman Williams smiled a little more, "I can help you sort it out."

Lance nodded, "Thank you for your help then."

He waved his hand, "Help each other."

The sorting out here does not mean telling Lance who can continue to benefit from these licenses and who cannot benefit from them.

While he did give Lance a list of names, he would also introduce Lance to these people.

This is the sharing of personal connections, and it is not easy to do this.

Bandy has been doing this for so many years, and his connections in the state government and Congress are only maintained by the benefits he has transferred to them.

Once these interests are to be cut off, the higher the status of these people, the faster they will be cut off, such as those in Congress.

Perhaps the first moment Senator Cleveland intervened, they would wish they had never met Bandy, and hope that someone could make Bandy shut up forever.

A relationship that relies heavily on the most superficial connections of interest will never last.

What Congressman Williams needs to do is not only to enable Lance to transfer the benefits, but also to enable him to establish a more stable relationship with these people.

Lance looked at him, knowing that these were definitely not free lunches, and that these connections were worth far more than what he had done for Senator Williams, and he was waiting.

Besides the two of them, there were James and Arthur in the room.

He was begged by his wife to...

Sometimes, young wives often have more advantages when dealing with these elderly people, especially elderly men.

All she had to do was put on some nice lingerie and act like she wanted it, and Senator Williams would surrender.

He is so old, he can't bear it anymore. And it's not just a matter of not being able to bear it, he needs to put more energy into maintaining his health, he needs more time.

So Arthur can now follow him and James, but one thing will not change, that is, he will not let Arthur participate in the family's political work.

Arthur started too late, and he had no right to inherit these. If he had talent, he could have created his own future by leveraging his family's advantages.

Councilman Williams looked at James and said, "My original plan was to serve as mayor for four years."

Lance nodded. This was indeed his plan, and he had said this more than once.

"But now, I've changed my mind," Williams flicked the cigarette in his hand and said in front of James' surprised eyes, "I plan to run for re-election."

The federal government does not have any strict age requirements for officials. Even if you only have money in your trouser pockets, as long as you think you can do it and others think you can do it, you can continue to serve the people.

So even if he might be in his seventies in eight years, that wouldn't be a problem. "I want to lay the most solid foundation for the Williams family!"

James stood up almost subconsciously, and Arthur, who was in a daze, also quickly stood up following his star brother, although he didn't know why.

"Father..." James' expression was a little excited and moved. He knew very well why his father said that.

Eight years later, he was in his forties, at the prime of his life.

With these eight years of foundation, he can follow in Congressman Williams' footsteps and connect directly!
At that time, the entire city was under the feet of their family, and they were the kings of this city!
With such a foundation, the Williams family's influence and social status will be greatly enhanced.

Maybe there will be a chance for a governor to appear in the family in the future!
That's the governor...

When he thought that Congressman Wade had only been promised that he would be nominated as a candidate for governor to run in the gubernatorial election, he gave up everything here.

At this moment, he also had that kind of ambition!
Once a governor emerges, and they have the base in Jingang City, after one or two generations of accumulation, they can also become a true "political family."

No one can say no to this wonderful future, not even Congressman Williams.

James also knew that this was not an easy task. His father would use all his energy for the rest of his life to pave the way for him. Apart from being moved, he had no other thoughts.

Oh, by the way, there is another idea, which is to make the Williams family even more glorious and great!

If he wants to be re-elected, he certainly cannot do without Lance's support.

Because Lance controls huge amounts of money, he will gradually control the entire city's underground world.

If his goal is to become the "ruler under the sun", then Lance is on the road to becoming the "emperor of the underworld".

Everyone is making great progress, and at that time, he will need Lance's help more than Lance needs him.

Therefore, some things need to be made clear from the beginning to avoid any conflicts later due to information misunderstandings.

Lance nodded slightly, "I'll help you."

Congressman Williams laughed. "It's a pity that I will never have a daughter in this lifetime, otherwise I would definitely let my daughter give birth to one for you."

He suddenly looked at James, who was stunned for a moment. He smiled and said, "I'll do my best."

James has no children yet, and if he hadn't run for Congress, he might not have been married yet.

On the contrary, Arthur was merciful everywhere.

In fact, at this moment, an inexplicable thought flashed through James' mind, but he quickly suppressed it, because there was actually a suitable person in the family, but it was too offensive to think so.

The harmonious atmosphere made the situation very relaxed, and Senator Williams did not ask Lance how to deal with the remaining forces of the other five major families.

Because he knew very well that as long as Lance could deal with the Kodak family, the rest would not be his match at all.

In this model of gangsters plus police, who can stop them?

nobody!
As Lance was about to leave, Congressman Williams spoke to him privately and asked a question.

"Do you think...Charlie might have a notebook or something like that?"

Lance looked at him for a while, and the old man smiled and looked away. He seemed to say something, but it seemed as if he said nothing.

After returning to the villa, Lance called Ennio over and said, "Go check where Charlie's family went."

Seeing Ennio's bewildered look, he explained, "Charlie's son and daughter have their own careers and their own families. They left very smartly this time. It's impossible that they didn't leave any clues."

"Go and ask the community service company where they live, and ask the postmen if there are any delivery services for train or boat tickets recently."

"Send some more people to keep an eye on their relatives, especially those on his son's wife and daughter's husband's side. They left so smartly, those people will definitely find a way to contact them."

"In short, do everything you can to find these people."

Ennio listened carefully and nodded continuously. "After we find them, should we go directly... or bring them back?"

Lance thought for a moment, "Bring them back with their belongings."

Ennio nodded and agreed.

He is the "Secretary of Household Affairs" of the Lance Family, responsible for dealing with outside gangs. Although he is reluctant to admit it, he did inherit some "sales" skills from his father.

He knows how to deal with those strangers, and now the Imperial gangs in various regions of Likalai State have a good relationship with him.

It would be more convenient for him to find Charlie's family than for others.

Then Lance asked Alvin to send some people to search Charlie's house to see if there were any safes or secret rooms, including Charlie's old house and office.

However, this time the people sent by Alvin came back soon. They brought back the news that Charlie's office and house had been ransacked. They searched everywhere but found nothing valuable left.

There is no doubt that it was done by people in the Bay Area, and they may also be tracking down the whereabouts of Charlie's family.

Perhaps Charlie knew from the beginning what his future would be like. When he faced his "future self" for the first time, he might have understood the arrangement of fate.

It’s just that when people stand in that position, sometimes it’s not that they don’t understand that their choice may not be a good one, it’s just that they simply don’t have any other options!

The next day, Charlie returned to Jingang City in the form of a corpse.

He was put in a body bag, and the highway police did not perform an autopsy on him, but left that task to their forensic colleagues in Jingang City.

However, they took away a bullet to make a record of the ballistic traces, just in case.

If the killer who killed Charlie used the gun to commit a crime on the highway again and they happened to catch him, they could accuse him.

This situation seems like the impossible, but what if?
When Chief Blue saw Charlie again, he felt a little sad, and there was also a weird feeling as if he had been teased by fate.

Charlie's face was very pale and he was bled immediately to prevent the corpse from decaying faster and the blood vessels from rupturing after decay, which would contaminate the body and accelerate decay.

So when the body is sent to the forensic doctor, even if he does not intend to perform an autopsy, the blood will be drained immediately.

This also caused Charlie's face to turn extremely pale at this moment.

Chief Blue had seen corpses before, so he was not afraid of this. He looked at him with a complicated expression for a while, then sighed and zipped up his pants again.

After dealing with Charlie, he looked at a policeman standing next to the car.

The guy was wearing a highway police uniform and sunglasses, and looked a little restrained.

Chief Blue walked over and offered his hand, "Blue, Chief of Police."

The man quickly extended his hand and shook his hand, "Walker, Walker Kingston."

"I saw your reply, so when do I start work?"

This policeman was the one who was attacked while escorting Charlie back to the highway police station that day. He regarded this as a shame in his life.

The purpose of applying to be transferred to Jingang City this time was to find out who wanted to silence Charlie and then bring these people to court.

Chief Blue found his idea of ​​justice a little ridiculous, but he supported him very much.

He hoped that this guy could perform a miracle, however unlikely.

"You don't have a place to live yet?"

"First, find a place to settle down, then take a walk around the city and rest for two days. Then I'll send you to start work."

Walker said quickly, "I can start working immediately."

Chief Blue shook his head. "No, not yet, because we..."

He pursed his lips, "We are cleaning up!"

Every day police officers are arrested and taken somewhere to explain themselves.

This has also made the police force somewhat uneasy. People don't know whether this huge purge will affect them, so they can only bite the bullet and face the "storm" from the upper level.

(End of this chapter)