Shadow Empire

Chapter 601: Acquisition and Construction

Three days is not a long time. Compared with the longer life, it is just a blink of an eye.

Three days were enough for Mr. Serre to figure out some things. When they got out of the car and were exposed to the sun again, they felt like their lives had been reborn.

The van was like a womb at that moment, and he was the child coming out of it, unable to even walk properly.

He hadn't stretched his body for three days. He was like a fetus. Although he didn't need to curl up in a dark corner, there was no place for him to stretch his body.

He never stood up and kept his legs curled up, so that after he got out of the car, he had to stand for a while holding the door before he could stagger and walk on his own.

Not long after, he saw Lance in a luxurious office.

"Please take a seat." Lance behaved like a gentleman.

The well-fitting suit and red pocket square gave him a very special temperament. He did not look like a gang leader at all, but more like a successful businessman.

Mr. Seeley walked over to the chair, holding onto its back, and sat down.

"Mr. Lance." He spoke in a low voice. People have to face reality. Three days is enough.

He didn't dare look up at Lance, and Lance didn't force him to look up.

"Smoking?" Lance asked.

Mr. Sere nodded. Although he had lost his freedom and had no place to move around during these three days, the people in the car did not deny him cigarettes or anything.

When other people smoked, they would give him one. He refused at first, but later he didn't refuse.

When people are depressed, they always need something.

"Thank you!", he thanked sincerely, then took the cigarette and lit it with a desktop lighter.

The mellow cigarette enters the lungs, nicotine is absorbed, sent into the blood, and easily crosses the blood-brain barrier to directly act on the brain.

The secretion of dopamine and some other hormones made Mr. Serre calm down a little.

"Can I ask a question?" He asked Lance slightly hunched over, cigarette in hand.

Lance didn't refuse, "Of course."

He took another puff of his cigarette, his eyes filled with anticipation, "Jordan, how is he...?"

He and Jordan are good friends, but the reason he asked Jordan at this time was obviously not because they were good friends.

He wanted to know Lance's attitude towards them through this incident.

Lance showed a regretful expression and shook his head, "He's dead. If you want to see him, you have to go to the bottom of the lake."

Mr. Serey was silent. He forced a smile, just a smile, which looked very bitter.

"No, no, thank you."

He took a deep breath and looked at Lance, "You're looking for me..."

Lance raised an eyebrow, his facial expression showing a little more emotion, because this was just a small role, he didn't need to hide his emotions or control his expression.

"You asked your friend to cause trouble for us, and now he is in trouble."

Lance immediately characterized the whole thing, "You know, for gangsters, we always believe in blood for blood, tooth for tooth, and eye for eye."

"You were planning to attack us, and we resolved the crisis, so now it's our turn."

"Mr. Seray, you will die, and so will your family."

Mr. Serey's breathing suddenly stopped. He held his breath, subconsciously, for more than half a minute before he could no longer help but start breathing again.

He didn't want to die if he could help it, but he was not in a position to make a decision for Lance right now.

Lance waited for him to gather his emotions before saying, "But I also have a suggestion..."

"What proposal?", he answered quickly this time, which made Lance smile.

"It's simple. Just transfer your fourteen cinemas to me."

"I will buy all the theaters for one dollar each, and you will get fourteen dollars and a chance to survive."

The fourteen cinemas belong to him, his father, his grandfather, and three generations, and are also the foundation of the family's rise.

These are priceless!

They are all in good locations, the prices there are still rising, and there are no other competing cinemas around.

They run a business that is exclusive to the region and can really make money.

These cinemas brought him hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue every year, but now, they are leaving him.

Mr. Serre didn't want to agree, and he was very resistant in his heart, but he had to agree because he didn't want to die even more.

Seeing that he remained silent, Lance opened the contract he had prepared, then took out a pen, unscrewed the pen cap, put it together with the contract, and pushed it over.

"You can take a look at it first. If you can accept it, just sign your name." "If you can't accept it, you don't have to sign it."

Mr. Serey smoked a cigarette and looked at the contract. He was stunned for a while and then began to read.

It was written very simply, that the land and buildings of the cinemas were voluntarily sold to Wanli Cinema for one dollar, and that after the handover, all rights to these cinemas were given up.

Mr. Seray picked up the pen. He was a little hesitant. He looked up at Lance. "You are a man of your word, right?"

Lance nodded slightly, "You can ask around."

Mr. Serre was ready to sign. It seemed as if he had many options, but in fact, if he didn't want to die, there was only this one option and he had no choice.

Lance reminded him, "I will let you go, but if there is a next time, I can't find anything that interests me in you."

"Then we won't meet again, they will just finish you off."

"do you understand?"

Mr. Serre nodded, then bit the butt of his cigarette and quickly signed his name on the contract. He also pressed his fingerprints at some key locations at Lance's request.

Lance took a look and smiled. "I'll arrange for someone to take you back and coordinate the ownership changes of these cinemas."

"Mr. Serey..."

Mr. Seray was in a trance for a moment, "Yes, I am here."

"I hope this is the last time we meet."

He nodded vigorously, "I hope so!"

He still has money, and a lot of it. Whether he starts over or just lays down his bed, it is enough for him to live a carefree life.

In fact, he was not forced into a desperate situation. When people realize that they still have a way out, it is difficult for them to make extreme choices.

Lance had him sent away.

After resolving this matter, he turned his attention to the chaotic docks and new port area. The influx of more refugees caused the public security in Jingang City to continue to decline.

The bad news is that just as he had thought, there were too many refugees gathered in the New Port area and the embryonic form of gangs had begun to emerge.

Some people who did not want to starve to death began to huddle together for warmth. They robbed others of their food and wealth and then used them to fill their own stomachs.

At the same time, some people who do not want to be harmed also start to form groups. They often form a group of a dozen or even dozens of refugee families.

Some young and strong men are selected from within the family to serve as "guards" to protect them.

These are actually two gangs, one that will do anything to survive, and the other that just wants to protect itself.

It's no use having police cars patrolling there all the time. Chief Blue even complained to him that some refugees were caught committing crimes on purpose just to go to jail.

Although the prison environment is bad and life is hard, at least there is free lunch to keep them alive!
Therefore, the public security in Jingang City will visibly deteriorate!
There are always some shops on the street that are suddenly robbed. After robbing the shops, the robbers do not leave, but wait for the police to come, then lie on the ground with their hands on their heads, waiting to be sent to the perfect "shelter".

Now the cost and budget of the Ministry of Defense have not been determined yet, and even Lance has no good solution.

At the end of the first week of August, the security in Jingang City had become even worse, and even some refugees appeared in the Starlight District and the Bay Area.

Many people in the city are fed up with these refugees, and the hostility is growing.

It was at this time that the Ministry of National Defense’s plan came down.

Congress approved their cost of $370 million, which included the cost of temporarily renovating the Newport dock, purchasing machinery, and all other first-phase expenses, but did not include the part about building a warship dock.

Those that were built due to construction needs were built by the Ministry of National Defense itself, using a different budget.

In short, the budget has been approved, and the next step is to enter the "sprint" phase.

Major General Grayson called Lance immediately and told him that he could start the action.

Lance immediately registered a construction company, and then through the Lawrence family's connections, he quickly filled some key jobs, and then they began recruiting people.

Lance gave some job opportunities to Bonny (a refugee teenager), which helped him gain a foothold in the refugee community more quickly.

The other part was selected on-site by people from Wanli Labor Agency. When those refugees learned that there was a big project, half of the New Port area was in an uproar!

With 20 million in advance project funds deposited into his account, Lance has never felt so confident!
As soon as he opened his mouth, 20,000 workers were hired, and his amusement park and golden casino were also to start construction. These were all large projects that would last a long time, at least more than a year!
With so many jobs available, it’s not just the refugees who are eagerly looking for job opportunities.

Even locals and immigrants are asking if there are suitable jobs for them.

Every day, the Wanli Labor Agency is crowded with people, and even the road is blocked. Cars passing here have to take a detour, otherwise they will be stuck in the middle of the road by the dense crowd!

Lance was recruiting people very quickly, and he was working as he was recruiting. People could already see workers constantly working in the wasteland north of the industrial zone.

They quickly remove anything that would affect leveling, like trees, rocks, and the like.

Then make sure the ground is roughly flat, and then start digging or pouring according to a simple design.

The entire area is a bustling construction site, exuding an atmosphere of prosperity.

(End of this chapter)