Shadow Empire

Chapter 574 The End of the Old Era
The Kodak family has been brought to the table, but before that, Bandy was not so... clear and lucid about this concept.

But as the situation continued to develop, those who were supposed to be his "helpers" and "protectors" began to tell him that they were powerless.

It's not that they are completely helpless, it's just that they find that their good friends around them have a wonderful fragrance.

The smell of the fat and profitable Kodak family made them salivate like crazy, and they couldn't wait to put him on the menu.

Especially those who didn't have good food before and now have the choice of seats and menus.

Although the amount of food was increasing, it was ultimately not enough to fill everyone's appetite.

Hunger drove them crazy. They no longer cared where the food came from. All they wanted now was to fill their stomachs and have the ability to deal with the next batch of diners.

If Bendy could accept these things after he thought them through, then the appearance of Lance was something he could not accept.

A guy who had never been taken seriously by him before suddenly became a cook.

It was the chef who cooked for him. He didn't understand what was so special about Lance that allowed him to stand at the dining table in a different way?

Sometimes, if a good "ingredient" lacks a qualified chef, people would rather wait a little longer than rush to use up the precious ingredient.

The appearance of Lance allowed these diners to discover a chef who could handle these "ingredients", so the Kodak family's precious ingredient was included in their menu.

Once the order of the menu is determined, even if the chef is replaced, the menu will not be changed because they are already starving.

Even if Lance is gone now, there will still be people like Red S and Yellow S to take over his job and deliver the delicious food cooked by the Kodak family to the table for the diners to enjoy.

Since they cannot escape the fate of becoming food ingredients, they must leave some hope.

There was still some confusion, some misunderstanding, and some disbelief in Fleming's eyes.

They have always been diners at the table. When were they served at the table?

"This may be the last lesson I teach you, Fleming."

Bandy looked at him and tidied up his unruly hair. He slowly used his hands to push his hair back and make it neat.

"We've actually been making a mistake all along."

Bendy glanced at him and said, "Pour me some wine."

Fleming immediately poured him a glass of wine. He took a sip and said, "We are still too slow."

"The speed of whitewashing is too slow."

"The hosts of this never-ending party are the gentlemen in Congress."

“They decide who is the eater and who is the ingredient, who should be at the table and who should be at the table.”

"We were lucky enough to be at the table in the last batch of names. It might be just a small table, but it also saved us from becoming food."

"We devoured everything with greed, and the Kodak family has grown far beyond the other five families."

"But our muscles grow so slowly that there has been little change over the years."

"There is still no one among us who can be called a 'politician'."

He looked at Fleming. In fact, Fleming was his chosen successor. He would use his own influence and that of his family to help Fleming become a politician. He was already making arrangements.

But it was still a little slow, and he misunderstood the rules of the banquet. He thought that changing the list would be a matter of a long time in the future, who knew it would come so soon!

"We eat too fast, making us fat, and every inch of our skin is filled with the taste of profit."

"But we grow too slowly. We don't have tough skin, strong muscles, or the power to make others fear the consequences!"

"In this banquet, as long as you don't show your strength to others, whether you are a guest or food, the distinction is sometimes not so clear."

"If only..."

He shook his head and could only sigh to regret his greed.

Yes, to some extent, it was his greed that ruined the entire family.

When he had a little understanding of their status and where their future lay, he did not want his son to do this.

Instead, he chose one from his brothers and sisters, who would be in their thirties at that time, which was a good time.

They still have a seat at the table and enough influence to elevate their status.

But he was greedy. He hoped that such huge benefits would eventually be absorbed by his own line, rather than him and his brothers working hard all their lives only to let other cousins ​​become the core of the family.

He waited and waited, and missed all the opportunities, so that he suddenly understood at the last moment.

He was given the opportunity, but he didn't seize it.

No one else can be blamed for this.

"After you leave, live a low-key life with your family and children. Don't be high-profile or ostentatious. Don't let others know how much money you have or how glorious your past was."

"You need to become ordinary people, an ordinary family, and try to take root in the new environment."

"With so much money and resources, you and we may have a chance to get back to the table in the future."

"Fleming, you have a heavy responsibility on your shoulders. Whether the family can be revived depends on you."

Bendy took another sip of his drink, "I know this is selfish, I shouldn't put everything I can't do on you, hoping you can do it, it's not fair to you."

"But I hope you can try your best. If you really can't do it..."

He smiled and said, "Then I can't do it."

"When you grow up, the future is your world, and you get to decide how to go at every fork in the road."

"I can no longer give you any more advice, nor can I watch you make the next and all subsequent decisions and remind you whether you should do it or not."

"Think more, that's all I can leave you with."

He paused here and said, "Okay, leave as soon as possible!"

"Lance, it's almost here!"

Gowrie failed to assassinate Lance, and he knew very well that Lance's revenge would come soon.

It's like a cook standing by the sink preparing ingredients, and the ingredients almost hurt the cook. Then the cook will definitely let out a good vent without ruining the appearance and taste of the dish.

It was him who used that method first, so he can't blame Lance for revenge.

Fleming also realized the seriousness of the matter. He pursed his lips, walked over and hugged Bendy.

In a trance, Bendy seemed to have gone back to a day long, long ago. He hugged Fleming and gave him a warm, supportive embrace, which made him full of confidence and courage in this world full of dangers and opportunities.

"Well, you are now the head of the family, you should set an example." He patted Fleming on the back and let him go. "Go, take our hope with you."

Fleming didn't linger any longer. He nodded, turned around and strode away. At the last moment before opening the door and walking out, he looked back.

The gaze between the father and son was separated by the slowly closing door, and then footsteps were heard in the corridor outside, getting farther and farther away.

Bandy leaned back in his chair, looking out the window at the good weather. The tender green lawn seemed to be covered with a layer of emerald green fluorescence.

He thought of Gowrie, of Stone, of everything. What a pity!

Later that night, a large number of police officers rushed into the manor, and Chief Blue appeared in front of him with an arrest warrant, "Mr. Bandy, you can call a lawyer now."

Bendy nodded, not really trying to cheer himself up, just trying to make himself look less... disappointing.

This disappointed the family members, who still didn't know what was going on. They thought they were at the dining table instead of at the table. The lawyer came quickly. After reading the relevant legal documents, he nodded to Bandy with a slightly gloomy face, "The documents are fine, Mr. Bandy, you need to go with them, but I will accompany you."

"Excuse me!" Bandy then stood up and the police asked to handcuff him. The lawyer argued but failed.

In fact, sometimes handcuffs are not necessary. During this period, the police enforce the law mainly based on their emotions.

But if they insist on saying "regulations", then wearing handcuffs is the regulation, and even if the lawyer takes the case to the Supreme Court, there will be no chance of winning.

Bandy was handcuffed with shiny silver handcuffs, and they even refused to put a hood on Bandy, so he walked out of his house in handcuffs.

Many members of the Kodak family looked at this scene in disbelief. Some wanted to step forward and ask him what had happened, but they were stopped by the police.

Soon, news about Bandy's arrest began to ferment in the city, and more rumors about why he was arrested also began to spread rapidly.

Rumors about the Kodak family being involved in a large number of crimes have once again become the focus of discussion. This time people even linked the strange story of the annual rise in the water level of Angel Lake to the Kodak family.

It’s like... the rising water level of Angel Lake is purely caused by them doing so many bad things!
In addition to these news, there are some more explosive news. For example, Stone, the fourth core figure of the Kodak family, has now become a tainted witness and is willing to testify in court to accuse the Kodak family of a series of criminal acts.

His cousin, another member of the Kodak family, although not a core member, was also willing to become a tainted witness and accuse the Kodak family of some criminal acts.

These include a series of horrific crimes such as beating, kidnapping, extortion, blackmail, rape, injury, murder, desecration of corpses, smuggling and trafficking of alcohol, etc.

The entire Likalai State was shocked by this incident, because the Kodak family was very famous throughout the Likalai State.

Not to mention Jingang City, it was like a disturbing bomb suddenly exploded, catching many people in the Bay Area off guard!

Especially those who have transactions with the Kodak family and some behind-the-scenes exchanges of interests. If those problems of the Kodak family are dug out by them in detail, some of the masters in the Bay Area will also suffer heavy losses!
Although the lawyer hired by Bandy and the legal team hired later tried every possible means, they were unable to get Bandy released on bail.

This time, in addition to Attorney General Terry's intervention to maintain "judicial justice", some people in the Bay Area were also using some means to prevent Bandy from being released on bail.

The reason for not allowing Bandy to be released on bail is that they don't want Bandy to get out and run around everywhere, so they plan to take action against Bandy.

Eliminating all factors that threaten the Bay Area is one of the reasons why the Bay Area has been expanding over the years.

If Bandy fell at a banquet with the state as the table, then at this small banquet with Jingang City as the largest table, the organizers of the banquet were greedy and put everything that could be put on the table.

They don't even need a cook. Whether it's raw or cooked, as long as it can make a profit for them, they will just grab it with their hands and stuff it into their mouths.

At the same time, they also remove factors that may affect their eating, such as captured bandits.

In the interrogation room of the city police station, Bandy's lawyer stood in front of him with an apologetic look on his face. "I'm sorry, Mr. Bandy, I have tried my best, but they refused to sign the documents allowing you to be released on bail."

"so……"

Bendy shook his head, "This has nothing to do with you. We both know that someone doesn't want me running around right now."

He said this and laughed twice, which must have included those who were once his good friends.

He took out a cigarette and lit it. The room was filled with a strong smell of smoke and there were quite a few cigarette butts on the floor.

The police station did not prohibit him from smoking. Instead, they provided him with whatever he wanted. It was very humane.

He didn't make any excessive demands, just asked for cigarettes.

He looked at the lawyer, "How is the family situation now?"

The lawyer was silent for a moment, "Blue and Duke, with a large number of police officers, have begun arresting your people. They are being held solitary in their own rooms, not allowed to communicate with anyone else, in the manor."

"The entire manor has become a huge interrogation room. Some of your... clansmen have made statements that are unfavorable to you and your family."

“We approached a few people but they rejected our offer.”

The lawyer asked them not to say anything against the family, but it was clear that no one took his words seriously.

Everyone can see that the giant ship of the Kodak family is about to sink. If you don't say anything at this time, you will only sink to the deep sea with it.

Even if some family members have not committed any serious crimes, it is impossible for all of them to have committed crimes, and a considerable number of them have not participated in any criminal activities.

But even so they would be afraid because the ship was too big.

The downward suction created when it sinks will sweep everyone down to the bottom of the sea.

Even those floating on the water are no exception.

So before it starts to sink, they have to save themselves.

No one knew better than them what bad things the family had done. Cases were confessed one after another, and shocking news spread in society.

Even the governor was very concerned about this case and urged the mayor to investigate it thoroughly, collect all the evidence and send it to the state government.

He requested that such a serious case be tried in a state court, because he doubted whether the Jingang City court could treat these cases and the parties involved fairly and impartially.

Everyone knew clearly and deeply that they were doomed.

Therefore, Bandi believes that there is nothing wrong with the self-rescue behavior of these tribesmen.

He shook his head. "Let them be."

"If they think they can extricate themselves from this crisis by doing this, then they are oversimplifying this disaster."

He paused for a moment, and asked in a complicated, guilty, and cautious tone that he himself did not realize was true, "How is Shi Dong doing?"

"Stone has now become a tainted witness, and it is said that the Department of Justice is discussing whether to sign an immunity order for him."

“Once the Department of Justice clears this discussion, he will be exempt from charges.”

Bendy smiled a little, "That's good news."

The lawyer had a somewhat bewildered expression on his face, as if asking him, shouldn't he hate Stone?

From the moment Gao Li died, he had actually "let it go" and forced himself to let it go.

He had tried his best, and Gao Li and Shi Dong had also sacrificed a lot. If failure was inevitable, he would have no regrets.

If Shi Dong could survive, he would have an explanation to Gao Li.

So he was glad that Stone had a chance to avoid being charged, if that was true.

"Can I talk to Stone?", he asked.

He still has some things in his hands that only he and Gao Li know. If Stone reveals these things, there may be a chance to increase his weight and value in the eyes of those people in the Ministry of Justice who can decide their fate.

After thinking for a while, the lawyer did not give him an accurate answer, "I can try, but it may not work."

Bandy said calmly, "Let's give it a try. Whether we succeed or fail, at least we tried our best."

He had a lot to say to Stone.

The lawyer reported to him the latest progress of the case and then left. Not long after, a person who was unexpected but reasonable came, Lance.

He didn't stand up the moment he saw Lance. If it were in the past, he would definitely stand up, but now he is the biggest one.

Because he was about to die, he knew that he would never live to see the day of sentencing, so what was the point of him caring about these things?
"I just... you know, if you want to make some people nervous, you have to make them doubt enough to make them uneasy."

Lance walked over to the table and sat down, saying something casually.

Bandy smiled and nodded, "They will definitely be curious about what we talked about and whether it will be harmful to them."

"In order to avoid more unplanned problems, they will try to kill me."

"Is it right?"

(End of this chapter)