Shadow Empire

Chapter 816 Chance Encounter
Lance White.

The Lance family.

Sheriff Matthew reacted in a trance. He was stunned for a moment, and his tense body slowly relaxed.

Lance could hear the sound of his skin rubbing against his cheeks in the receiver. He must be very haggard.

"They are innocent, they were not involved in our operation, you shouldn't do this!" This is what Sheriff Matthew said after rubbing his cheeks for a while.

The fact that Lance could call here means that some things have become a foregone conclusion.

He wanted to awaken...the possible kindness in Lance, but of course this was just what he desired, "Leave them alone, and come at me if anything happens!"

Lance's voice was as calm as when he first answered the phone, "Those drivers and our young men are also innocent."

The plainer the tone, the more weight it carries at this moment.

Sheriff Matthew couldn't help but say, "They are transporting illegal materials. They are criminals!"

"You see, Sheriff Matthew, that's how people are."

“People always like to stand in a place that is advantageous to them and refuse others to approach them.”

"I heard a very interesting saying—"

"When you meet a rogue, you talk to him about reason, and he talks to you about morality."

"When you talk to him about morality, he talks to you about fists."

"When you raise your fist, he tells you to be reasonable."

“Is this the same as it is now?”

"Among those young men, the youngest is only nineteen years old, which seems to be one year younger than your son."

"When you killed him, did you ever consider his feelings?"

"Have you ever considered how his family feels?"

Sheriff Matthew actually couldn't listen at all. If he really could listen, he wouldn't do those things.

He took a deep breath. Now his family needed him to save, so he had to pull himself together. "What do you want?"

"Let me pay back the debt?"

"Or let me die?!"

He almost suppressed his anger and roared like a wounded beast!

Lance's laughter came from the receiver, "Your chief and I have talked. You should know the price I offered?"

"Money and life."

"Originally this matter is not that complicated, but you have made it complicated."

Lance's voice gradually became calm again, and a sense of indifference could be felt in his voice.

"In addition to these, you have to pay something else to save the lives of your family members."

“Your kids are adorable.”

Sheriff Matthew slumped in the chair, he tilted his head and looked at the blue sky outside the window. A flock of birds passed by the window. Seeing them flying freely made him feel panic and irritated.

"What else do you want from me?", he asked.

Lance's tone became a little softer. "Go...here, find a guy named John. He will tell you what to do."

When he said the name he thought of another John. What a terrible name.

This guy is Mayor Wade's man. He will obtain some evidence from Sheriff Matthew to attack the State Police Chief and drag the Deputy Governor into the water.

Of course, this is just an ideal state. Even if Sheriff Matthew really has important evidence, even if the Chief of the State Police Department stands on Mayor Wade's side and is willing to help him deal with his former boss.

The governor will not allow Indeno State to fall into chaos because of these small matters. He will immediately intervene to calm the situation.

But these are enough, Lance will achieve his goal, and Mayor Wade will get what he wants.

Sheriff Matthew still doesn't know what kind of game he is involved in, but as a chess piece in the game, he seems to have no other way out except to obey the arrangements of the chess player.

Although he didn't say anything, he wrote down the address with a pen.

Neither of them spoke again for about ten seconds before Lance took the initiative and said, "That's it!"

"Sheriff Matthew, although we have never met, I will respect your choice, and I also hope that you can respect the choice you make. Goodbye!"

Lance hung up the phone very decisively, and Sheriff Matthew also hung up the phone slowly.

He looked at the address written on the paper and didn't give up completely. He thought he still had a chance!
Just as he picked up the phone and was about to call the chief, the deputy sheriff of the police station pushed the door open and said, "Matthew, the state bureau asked us to remove the roadblocks and let those vehicles pass."

Sheriff Matthew's hand had already lifted up a little after hanging up the phone, but his movement was frozen at that second.

His mouth was slightly open, his eyes full of surprise, "What... did you say?"

"The roadblocks have been removed?"

The deputy sheriff nodded several times in succession. "It's the state bureau's request. I think I need to talk to you about this."

Everyone in the local road police station knows that Sheriff Matthew's family has been kidnapped. They also know that checkpoints are set up to check passing vehicles in order to catch the kidnappers.

But now suddenly we have to withdraw...

Sheriff Matthew's face suddenly darkened, and he nodded, "I understand."

The deputy sheriff wanted to say something, but in the end he said nothing, turned around and left, not forgetting to close the door again.

Sheriff Matthew continued to pick up the phone and dialed the chief's number, and the call was quickly connected.

"They said you had the roadblock removed."

When the chief heard the voice of Sheriff Matthew, his expression suddenly became a little irritated, "Yes, it was my order."

"Matthew, this is a very tricky matter. The Secretary of State of Likalai State called the governor to protest, saying that our blockade prevented some goods from entering Likalai State on time, and many merchants are protesting to them."

"This incident put the governor in a passive position, and then directly put pressure on me. I don't want to do this, but I really have no choice!"

"I've tried as hard as I can. Sorry, Matthew, I have to stop."

Sheriff Matthew, who had still retained a glimmer of hope in his heart, suddenly felt his blood run cold and he was even a little at a loss!
He asked, "What about my family?"

The director of the state police department also had a headache at this time. He supported his forehead with one hand and held the phone with the other hand, looking uncomfortable. "I will set up a special team to take charge of this case."

"I will personally select the best police officers we have to form an investigation team and make sure they can bring your family back."

"Don't worry, I told them that although we are withdrawing our posts, we will not withdraw our personnel. The police officers will remain on standby at all times and patrols on interstate highways will be strengthened."

"If you see anyone calling for help, intervene immediately."

"I promise, I will do my best to bring your family back!"

Under the tremendous pressure, Sheriff Matthew could no longer hold back and asked, "How can you promise?"

"Why do you try your best?"

"Fake!"

"They have used such a huge force to exert pressure, which means that their people are still somewhere in Indeno State. As long as we continue to block the road, they will definitely not be able to return!"

"You are going to open the door for them at this time and send them out of the encirclement. Now you want to give me a promise. How can you give me a promise?"

Although Sheriff Matthew is indeed a bastard and as a policeman he often does things that robbers do, his professional ability is still worthy of recognition.

After all, for the lowest-level police officers, professional ability is an important factor that can determine their future.

But only at the lowest level can business capabilities demonstrate their value.

Because when you reach the middle level, what affects whether someone is likely to be promoted is no longer how good they are at solving cases or how well they know their job, but whether they have the favor of the director, whether someone can speak a few words for their promotion, and whether they are willing to pay a price for the promotion.

It could be dignity, it could be wealth, it could be bottom line, anything is possible.

Matthew didn't have any special family background, just an ordinary urban family.

He was also an upright guy and very enthusiastic when he was young.

After graduating from high school, he took the initiative to join the police academy. Because of his outstanding personal abilities, he graduated after a year and a half and started directly as a police officer.

However, many unforeseen things happened later, which gradually turned him into a different person.

Although he became the kind of person he disliked the most when he was young, the professional skills he mastered still exist.

As soon as he heard the director say these words, he knew that the Secretary of State of Likalai must have been commissioned by Lance to protest at this time.

It’s not because the road closure caused problems with supplies, or that the factory would have to stop production without these supplies.

Their goal is to allow the besieged Lance’s people to leave in a swagger!

Sheriff Matthew's original idea was to follow the interstate highway eastward from Red Rock City and he would definitely find clues about the kidnappers.

There are not so many cars coming and going in the countryside. In some villages and towns, as long as there are foreign vehicles, they can check them out by asking. It only takes two or three days, or at most five days, for them to check all the places along the way!
These people can't escape at all!

But now, everything is heading towards the worst direction. Once these roadblocks are removed, it means that the kidnappers can leave calmly. Sheriff Matthew is really angry.

He stood up and walked back and forth a few steps, "Can't you just hold it for a bit?"

"I give you so much money every year, and I need your help now, but you tell me you're under a lot of fucking pressure?"

"Fake!"

The state police chief on the other end of the line also became unhappy and even angry.

"Don't use those fucking dirty words when you talk to me. I'm your boss, you have to show me the most basic respect!"

Sheriff Matthew was completely relaxed, "Fuck your respect!"

“Send Q!”

"Why won't you let me respect you when you're f**king taking money?"

In the chief's office where Sheriff Matthew couldn't see, the chief's expression became a little ferocious. He didn't like Sheriff Matthew's tone at this moment, nor what he said.

It's his due that he gets paid. How much pressure has he endured to help these idiots?

What's wrong with taking some money?
"Matthew, remember your identity. I can understand that you are a little out of control because your family has been kidnapped, but you have to find a way to calm down."

"In short, there is no turning back on this matter. I can't refuse the governor's request. I will inform you when there is any new information."

He hung up the phone and sat down on the chair with a serious expression. He lit a cigarette and smoked it slowly.

The smoke shrouded his face, making his expression look a little weird.

What Sheriff Matthew said on the phone just now has made the chief want to kill!
It’s not because Sheriff Matthew kept swearing and Ha Yi was scolding him very specifically, but because Sheriff Matthew was losing his ability to think rationally!

This is very dangerous, which means that once a certain switch is turned on, he may say everything he should and shouldn't say without hesitation!

This is the threat, a huge threat!
Although everyone knows that they have some not-so-appropriate ways to make money, otherwise why would the director of the state police force, who only makes seventy or eighty dollars a month, wear a watch worth thousands of dollars?

Why does he live in a detached house in a middle- to upper-class neighborhood, drive a car worth thousands of dollars, and allow his two children to go to college without taking out loans?

Everybody knows what's going on, but no one says it!

Just like the mayor only earns more than 200 yuan a month, how can he live in a villa, drive a luxury car, and have a bank deposit of possibly millions?
Everyone has been through this, and this is something you can do but cannot say.

Sheriff Matthew has completely lost his mind because of his family. If he continues to talk nonsense, he will definitely get into big trouble.

The chief had already made up his mind. He picked up the phone again and dialed the police radio number.

The State Police Highway Police have a dedicated high-power radio for work, as they often work on the road.

Sometimes they don't come back at night and have to stay on the interstate highway, so it's not easy to contact them if there is anything important.

There were no telephones during this period, so radio became the best medium for one-way communication.

It is said that the new small interactive radio station has been completed, but it is not known how long it will take before it can be installed in the car.

The director asked the radio station to broadcast a missing person notice, and the radio station did so directly.

This is also the message they often insert, although most of the time it is useless.

After the radio station had arranged the broadcast, the director hung up the phone and sat quietly.

At this time, about forty minutes away from Sheriff Matthew, a police officer was driving with a tired look on his face.

He ran all night with the accelerator on his feet. The journey should have taken more than twenty hours, but he only took a dozen hours.

Driving at high speed for more than ten hours in a row had made him severely exhausted both physically and mentally. Now, if he stopped the car, he would fall asleep immediately, so he didn't dare to stop.

At least we can't stop now.

At times like this, the radio is the best companion for drivers. Some people say that listening to the radio while driving will cause distraction, but in fact, there is one thing that can help concentrate in a different way, which can help avoid excessive fatigue and inability to open your eyes.

"Now I'm going to interrupt you with a missing person message. The missing person is a female named Alice..."

The moment he heard the name Alice, the police officer instantly became alert, as if he was injected with energy out of nowhere!
His expression changed subtly as more details about this lost Alice were revealed.

This was an agreement between him and the director. If the director interrupted the broadcast, then no matter what job he was doing now.

Whether it's protection, investigation, or search, the key is to eliminate the target!

He licked his lips and stepped on the accelerator even harder, making the already fast car go even faster!

On the other side, Sheriff Matthew slammed the phone down and walked back and forth several times. His eyes quickly fell on the address recorded on the table.

The director is unreliable, and now our only hope lies in this address.

He gritted his teeth, made a decision, put on his pistol and holster, took his car keys and left the office.

He briefly explained to the other police officers that he was going out to do some business, and then drove away.

If others can't help him, then he can only help himself!
He drove his own car onto the highway and stepped on the accelerator towards New Birmingham.

About ten minutes later, on the interstate highway, he saw a police car from a distance driving in the direction he was coming from.

The "cop killer" in the opposite lane also noticed the police car in the opposite lane.

At first he didn't pay much attention to it because there were police cars everywhere. However, when the two sides approached, his eyes stayed on the driver's face in the driver's seat of the car for a moment, a very short time.

By the time he realized that this was his target, Sheriff Matthew's car had become very small in his rearview mirror.

The police killer swerved the car and drove it directly into the wasteland on the side of the road. He didn't dare to go any further, so he shifted gears and drove back onto the road, then stepped on the accelerator again.

At the same time, he also placed his weapons where he could easily reach them.

Two cars were running on the interstate highway, one in front of the other, and the distance between them was closing at a rapid speed.

Sheriff Matthew was still thinking about something until the police car behind him approached and the engine screamed, then he came to his senses.

He glanced through the rearview mirror and immediately felt something was wrong, because he seemed to have just passed by this car.

Does the other party have something to ask you?

He wasn't sure, so he reduced his speed and was even looking to pull over.

At this moment, the car that was approaching him quickly had already arrived behind his car, and as he was pulling over, it rushed up from the left and drove side by side with him.

At this moment, Sheriff Matthew looked at the driver in the car opposite through the car window, and the driver in the car driving side by side with him also looked at him.

The two looked at each other through the car window...

(End of this chapter)