Shadow Empire

Chapter 820 Countermeasures
The Wave is one of the most widely circulated newspapers in the state of Indno and is known for its relatively neutral stance.

There is nothing absolute in this world. It’s just that compared to some other newspapers with obvious political stances, they can deal with some things that happen relatively rationally.

In addition to reading their favorite newspapers with obvious political stances, readers with political stances also want to see what the opposition and neutral parties are saying and how they evaluate them.

Especially the neutrals!

Some of them are reluctant to read newspapers with opposing views because they are afraid of being offended, but it is different for neutral ones.

People soon realized the influence of The Wave in Indno, and supporters and members of the three major parties would send manuscripts with their own opinions, hoping to color The Wave the color they wanted.

They deal with a lot of manuscripts every day, only a small part of which can be used directly, while most of them still need to be re-investigated and revised.

The editor-in-chief poured out the materials in his hand, and he picked up one of the pages and started reading.

He just picked up a page at random and had no idea what was on it.

He frowned for a while, his expression became serious, then he took the glasses on the corner of the table, unfolded them and put them on his nose.

With his lips slightly moving, he began to read the contents of the paper, then quickly picked up another page.

He spent more than ten minutes reading part of it, just part of it.

Ten minutes later, he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, then rubbed his cheeks, which made him relax a little.

"Who mailed this?" He looked up at the editor-in-chief, who shook his head. "It was put together with other news articles."

He had actually seen part of it, so he brought it over.

The things recorded here... are really horrifying!

He only read half of one of the pages and didn't dare to continue reading. He just sent it over because he was afraid that something might happen to him.

Usually, behind explosive news like this, there is often a struggle between some major forces.

The aftermath of a clash of forces of this magnitude would be enough to kill a small newspaper editor.

So he gave this opportunity to become famous to the editor-in-chief, hoping that the editor-in-chief could handle it.

In fact, he overestimated the editor-in-chief, because the editor-in-chief might not be able to handle it.

But he did want to report it if the content of the news was true.

He took a deep breath and lit a cigarette.

The warm light from the desk lamp shone on the rising smoke from the cigarette, making it less obvious.

After taking a few puffs, the editor-in-chief called the director who was on duty at that time. After the two communicated for a while, the editor-in-chief tidied up the things on the table and went to meet the director alone.

The editor-in-chief didn't know what the conversation between the editor-in-chief and the directors was like. Half an hour later, the president, several directors and shareholders came over.

The newspaper editors and reporters who were still working at night all felt a slight sense of tension in the atmosphere.

They didn't know what was going on, but they knew that it must be a big deal, otherwise there wouldn't be a need for so many "big shots" to appear here at the same time.

Every night before the final draft is published is the busiest time for the newspaper.

In fact, people in newspaper offices don’t work during the day as people imagine. Many people actually work at night.

On the one hand, writing requires summarizing and organizing the materials obtained and the results of interviews, and only after finding the entry point can you start writing.

So this time is usually at night.

They can write at home, but there is a lack of atmosphere at home. On the contrary, the atmosphere at the newspaper office is better. If there is something they can't remember for a while or need help, it is more convenient.

And if the manuscript is finished early, it may be able to catch up with the newspaper published the next day.

On the other hand, temporary withdrawal of manuscripts and insertion of new manuscripts are also very normal things, which require people to cooperate and work.

So there were quite a few people in the office at night, and most people's attention was focused on the door of the conference room.

There were also some people who looked at the editor from time to time, and even took the initiative to ask him for some information, because everything happened after he sent some materials to the editor-in-chief's office.

The editor-in-chief is very tight-lipped and not at all as bold as he was when he was a reporter, who dared to say anything.

About forty minutes later, the senior executives of the newspaper came out of the conference room. The directors went to another room alone, and the editor-in-chief also called some chief editors to his office.

"Go collect some documents and files and see if we have any..."

He casually mentioned some things that needed to be investigated, which were basically related to the case of the highway serial killer.

Except for the editor-in-chief at the beginning who knew why this was done, the other editors thought that another serial killer had been caught!
This is big news!

The level of attention people are paying to these things is simply unimaginable. Tomorrow's newspaper will definitely sell out.

If the newspaper sells well, they will get bonuses, and they want the newspaper to sell well more than the boss does.

A group of people immediately started working.

They have reported many cases of highway serial killers in the past, and the interview transcripts and files of these cases have been preserved.

Soon the newspaper got hold of some files from past cases. After comparing them with the testimonies of some of the criminals, the editor-in-chief believed that the "news materials" mailed over were very authentic.

This means that this will be a super scandal and a super bomb!
He is not sure whether this super bomb should explode or whether they should ignite it. This is something the newspaper president, the board of directors and the shareholders need to think about, but he will be the guy holding the torch to light the fuse!

He was waiting for a phone call. As long as the president informed him, he would change the layout for tomorrow's edition.

Before the printing press starts working, change the entire thing and shock the whole state for the whole fucking day!

At this moment, the president, who can decide whether this news will appear in tomorrow's newspaper, is on the phone talking to the company's real owner, a capital group in Indeno State.

In the Federation, any person, organization, or company that dares to take a neutral stance and has grown large enough that it has not been swallowed up by any one camp can understand that there is a support behind them that allows them to do so.

Of course, it is also possible that these things cannot be decided in such a short time.

This is a very complicated process, and any political contest cannot be resolved by just thinking about it.

The next morning, no newspaper reported anything about the suspected major crime within the State Police Department, as if... all newspapers had not received the news material.

But in fact, the influence of this incident is still spreading among some people.

The deputy governor was the first to know about it, and the phone kept ringing at around 7 o'clock in the morning.

The calls were from his friends and acquaintances, who knew about the matter through various channels and then urgently notified the deputy governor.

The candidate for the state police chief is nominated by the deputy governor, who is also responsible for this part of the work.

If this is true, he must have an unshirkable responsibility for such a huge scandal involving the State Police Department.

If only one or two people called, he might think that these one or two people were very well-informed.

But as more and more people called, he realized that Mayor Wade was forcing him to make a choice.

Should I give up or fight to the death?

What will be the consequences if you give up?
What will be the outcome if you die?

He must be fully prepared mentally for his choice!
He had no concentration on work in the morning and was always thinking about these things.

He carefully recalled the relationship between himself and the director of the State Police Department. Apart from receiving benefits, he had no more relationship with the State Police Department. It can be said that he was the most innocent person in the whole incident!

He did not push these policemen to commit crimes, nor did he cover them up. He knew nothing!
The deputy governor took a leave in the afternoon. He returned to his villa and called all his office members over.

The lieutenant governor also has another office, or to put it more bluntly, he also has his own work team.

The team works for him, not for the state or a government agency.

These people are also responsible to him. He pays them salaries every month. He is the boss and these people are employees.

These people are usually responsible for his various government work and also provide him with some thinking assistance.

There are secretaries, drivers, bodyguards, and staff.

At this time, he sat with his staff and discussed how to deal with the matter.

"I am in a passive position now. Once people start discussing this matter on a large scale and are led by that bitch Wade to blame me, our support rate will be very bad when the governor's election comes!"

"I'm already 55 years old. If I miss this opportunity, the next one might be when I'm in my 60s."

"I'm not sure if I can still do this job at that time. This is no less than the last attempt in my life, so I don't want it to fail."

The deputy governor looked at the highly paid staff in the conference room. They all excelled in their respective fields and were very intelligent, otherwise he would not have spent a lot of money to hire them.

"Give some ideas, think of a solution, don't just sit there!"

As he urged them, the staff began to talk about their ideas.

Some people advocate saving the director but not his job, believing that this matter will eventually implicate him, and the director will have to bear all the problems himself and prevent the problems from spreading further.

As long as the deputy governor is not implicated, he can not only get away with it unscathed but also protect the director.

It's a trade-off, a transaction.

The staff all agree on the State Police Commissioner, that he will definitely be implicated by Sheriff Matthew, and Mayor Wade has already begun to do so.

There is almost no point in forcibly protecting him. It would require a lot of manpower, material resources and personal connections, but what can you get?
Can only get a bad name!

People will think that he is an official who protects corrupt officials, and will be more inclined to vote for Mayor Wade during the election.

Therefore, there is little point in saving the director.

The deputy governor shared the same view, but he was worried. "The director transfers a lot of benefits to us every year. I'm worried that if he gets too deeply involved in the case, he might say something we don't want to hear him say in order to protect himself."

"What will happen if he is deeply implicated?"

"In a situation where we cannot interfere with the course of justice!"

He must prepare for the worst. Once Mayor Wade launches an attack, he will definitely not be given the opportunity to interfere with judicial justice.

As long as the case reaches the litigation stage and is under the scrutiny of so many people, even if the court and the judge know him and have a good relationship with him, there will be no favoritism towards him.

This huge scandal cannot be covered up at all. It may become a national scandal and be known to the public.

In this situation, who would dare to mess around?
Among the staff there is a law graduate who has been studying Indenor state law and is dedicated to providing legal advice and services to the team.

"It depends on whether he has concealed some truth from us. If he knows some of the cases committed by Sheriff Matthew and does not stop him, he may be charged with multiple crimes."

"For example, there will definitely be occupational crimes and crimes of harboring criminals. If the judge wants to use them to establish his authority and reflect the fairness and seriousness of the judiciary, he may be convicted as an accomplice."

"Because as a police officer, he knew that Sheriff Matthew was doing this, but he not only did not arrest them or stop them, but he also took a portion of the money from the warehouse obtained by these people and put it in his own pocket. He is an accomplice and his crime may be more serious."

"Like organizing and leading a criminal group, this is also a serious crime!"

The legal aide shook his head. "He could be sentenced to more than 20 years in prison, or even sent to the electric chair."

The deputy governor listened to him with a grim expression and asked, "If he wants to make a contribution and confess something that the court doesn't know about, such as with us..."

The legal aide suddenly didn't know what to say. "He will definitely get a chance to have his sentence reduced because of his meritorious service. And, sir, I think your guess is very likely to come true."

"If the State Attorney's Office is in charge of this case, they may try to induce Sheriff Matthew and the Chief to confess. If these two fail to resist the inducement and confess some evidence against you, they can get a huge reduction in their sentences and put some big trouble on you."

This is what the deputy governor fears the most. "Random accusations" in political struggles are definitely a super killer move!

Even if people believed him, he was just making random accusations and falsely accusing others without any real evidence.

Before you can provide evidence to prove that you are indeed wrongly accused, people will believe their lies and start spreading them.

It is easy for a public figure to have his image ruined if someone says that your secretary was found to have a grim look on her face and to be trembling, and your trouser zipper was unzipped.

What is the truth is not important; what is important is what people want to be the truth.

The deputy governor's expression was grim. "So we have to find a way to shut them up."

This was not a question, but a simple statement. The staff did not express any opinions on this issue.

And the deputy governor does face great legal risks, and he did accept money.

No matter what the director gave it to him under what name, he accepted it anyway.

Another aide said, "We need to do two things now: shut up all those who should shut up, and we need someone who can stop this more forcefully to intervene in this matter."

"Although it looks serious, someone can still press the stop button before it breaks out completely!"

The deputy governor looked at him, a guy older than himself, and he seemed to understand the meaning of the other person's words, "Do you want me to go find the governor?"

The staff did not deny it. “What we need to do is to shift the conflict between us and Mayor Wade to the governor.”

"Once Mayor Wade does something harmful to us, the governor will also be hurt by him, and he will have to consider whether to reach a compromise with us to maximize his own interests."

The deputy governor thought seriously about what he said. This was the value of a large sum of money every month. It was not that he couldn't think of it, but it was impossible for him to think of it so quickly.

Maybe by the time he thinks about it, all the things that make him regret and too late may have already happened.

The aide continued, “And with the governor gone, some people who want to take advantage of us while we are at a disadvantage will consider whether they want to do so.”

"At the same time, we can also send a clear signal to the chief that if he keeps his mouth shut, we can ensure the safety of him and his family to the greatest extent possible."

"If he starts to make random accusations, he will not only offend us, but also the governor, Mayor Wade, and the Lance family, who he has already offended."

"As long as he is not a fool, he should know how to choose."

The deputy governor nodded as he listened. The staff member's idea was good, "But how do we make it happen?"

"How do we bring the governor into this?" he looked at the aide and others.

At this time, the aide pursed his lips and said, "It's actually not too difficult to do this. It depends on whether you have the determination and courage."

Facing the other party's gaze, the deputy governor felt vaguely that this must be a very bold plan!

The group discussed it for a while, and finally the deputy governor decided to take a risk.

Actually, it’s not that risky, it’s just… if he doesn’t take the risk, he will be implicated anyway, but if he takes the risk, he may not be implicated, which is not a bad thing…

(End of this chapter)