Shadow Empire

Chapter 830 New Order
The midday sun shone right into the entire alley. People walking on the sidewalks on both sides were heading towards the intersection. On the road, a convoy was moving slowly.

The young policeman looked at this silent scene and swallowed subconsciously.

He glanced at his partner with some horror in his eyes, and the old policeman also showed an expression of fear and uneasiness on his face. This was the first time he had noticed this in his partner, who could be regarded as both a teacher and a friend.

This old partner has worked in New Bern for more than 20 years and he will retire soon.

Even if there was a gang fight on weekdays, he would easily hold a cup of coffee in one hand and a donut in the other and wait for the fight to be over, and then easily walk over to clean up the mess.

The young policeman had asked him before why he was not afraid.

The old policeman smiled and told him that these people were pretending to be scary, they were not really scary.

If you fear them, their evil will be magnified.

If you are not afraid of them, their evil will shrink and they will be afraid of you instead.

He had always thought that his partner would never be afraid, until this moment.

A large number of people wearing iron-gray windbreakers and fedoras of the same color walked on both sides of the street.

The red satin hatband, red tie and red pocket handkerchief add some magical chemical reaction to the dull iron-gray tone.

They were not walking fast, but certainly not slow either, as if they were guarding a convoy in the middle of the road.

For some reason, at this moment, the young police officer's mind emerged from one of the few texts he could remember in part during high school - The Emperor's Knights Protect the Emperor!
He felt a chill down his spine, followed by goose bumps all over his body. As he watched the other person approach, even his breathing slowed down.

No one said they would stop them, and no one said they would arrest them, even though some of them might still have blood on their legs and bodies.

The police officer in charge of guarding this side suddenly shouted loudly, "Move the roadblock away!"

The police officers around him began to obey almost subconsciously. They lowered their heads and ran to the roadblock, folded up the roadblock, lifted it up and placed it on the side of the road. It didn't feel out of place at all.

The citizens who were watching the excitement from afar and who had been chattering before, now remained silent. Some were so scared that they even turned around to find the toilet!
The Lance family, these "men in gray", brought them too much shock, just in these short thirty minutes.

The police officer nervously went up to him. It was one of the men who had made the handover with him before. He had a smile on his face, without any of the solemnity and sense of justice that a police officer would have when meeting a gang member. There was only a kind of "don't take me seriously" that made people feel funny and silent.

"Mr. Ennio, when are we going there?"

Ennio glanced at the watch on his hand, "Our brothers will be cleaned up soon, give them ten minutes!"

"After their truck comes out, you go over there. This way we can try to avoid any embarrassing situations for both of us."

"When the time comes, you will be responsible for registering and seeing how many citizens have suffered losses."

"The windows that were shattered by bullets, the walls where bullets may have gone in, the damaged ceilings and furniture, the damage to some of the things in the restaurant, and the damage to the vehicles parked on the roadside."

"Make a count and give it to me, or anyone from the Lance family. We will complete the compensation as soon as possible within three days."

Ennio smiled and patted the officer's arm, "Don't be nervous, we are not the enemy!"

The lead car of the convoy passed by here, and the police officer subconsciously held his breath and looked at the lead car.

There was no Lance in the lead car, only Hiram, who was picking his nose.

The police officer closed his eyes, thinking it was all an illusion. When the second car came over, he exhaled and took a deep breath at the same time, then held it in his chest.

He saw Mr. Lance sitting in the back seat, and it seemed that Lance also noticed him. Their eyes met in the air. The police officer sighed at Lance's youth and lowered his head, avoiding Lance's gaze.

All of this was seen by the young policemen surrounding them. Facing the scrutinizing or questioning looks from these gang members and the murderous intent that had yet to dissipate from them, everyone felt a chill in their hearts!
The young policeman also looked away immediately because he couldn't stand it anymore.

Those people were obviously about the same age as him, but the look in their eyes made him feel terrified. It was a disregard for life, a kind of authority that could take his life at any time and anywhere!
He felt uneasy, scared and wanted to leave.

His partner was in a similar situation as him. He lowered his head and looked at his toes early on, seemingly completely immersed in his own world!

Ennio patted the police officer's arm again, and then left with the main force.

The police only breathed a sigh of relief after the group of people walked away.

The young police officer couldn't help but ask, "Are all these gangs from big cities... oppressive like this?"

In the past, he thought that there was not much difference between big cities and small cities, but at this moment, he realized that they were different after all.

His partner was holding a cigarette in his mouth, and he was in desperate need of the comfort of nicotine. After trying several times to light a cigarette without success, the young policeman handed him a pack of matches, and he was able to light it successfully.

He took a deep breath, and his whole mood seemed to relax in an instant.

He squinted his eyes slightly and seemed to be able to see the traces left by the group of people passing by.

"I don't know what the situation is in Likalai Province, but the big gangs in Red Stone City don't have such power."

The police officer also came back to his senses at this time. He shouted loudly, "Why are you all in a daze?"

"Now, as I told you before, be prepared to register the people's losses. The Lance family will compensate them within a few days!"

The policemen let out a weak "oh" and, to be honest, felt very discouraged.

They are obviously the defenders of the city's law and order, but at this moment in front of the Lance family, they feel a bit like clowns.

About ten minutes later, five trucks left here at a not very fast speed. Water was dripping from the truck beds and a strong fishy smell was emitted. People took the initiative to avoid them from a distance.

Then the police and the public curiously came to the middle of the street and saw the ground that had been professionally cleaned.

Apart from the stench of internal organs mixed with blood that was still lingering in the air, there was almost no blood or body parts to be seen.

If it weren't for the dense white bullet marks on the ground that looked like hail, they would have believed that no gunfight had taken place here.

The police quickly got to work, as they needed to register the losses of these citizens.

Later that day, the Lance family issued a statement.

Starting from midnight tonight, the city of New Bermingham is under the management of the Lance family. All gangs, block families, and community gangs must register at the place designated by the Lance family.

Some gangs need to be disbanded on the spot, and some can stay, but they must obey the rules of the Lance family.

They also promulgated many new "regulations", such as prohibiting serious crimes from occurring for any reason in the entire city.

Robbery, burglary, kidnapping, all of these count.

No matter who it is, as long as they trigger this rule, they will be hunted down by the Lance family.

Secondly, gangs are no longer allowed to collect protection fees in New Bern, nor are they allowed to force girls to prostitute on the street.

Of course, girls who voluntarily stand on the streets must register at the place designated by the Lans family. The Lans family will issue them with professional licenses and arrange physical examinations for them regularly!

They issued a lot of new rules, which gave people a somewhat absurd and funny feeling.

Obviously, almost everything they say is related to crime, but people don’t dislike them, let alone hate them. Instead, they think that this gang is more useful than the federal government and the police!
It also says above that if anyone is threatened, beaten, injured, or forced to stand on the street by gangs, they can file a complaint with the Lance Family. The Lance Family will handle these cases and help people get justice in their own way.

This is so popular!
At this time, it would be better to hope that God will send down a thunder than to expect the police to solve your troubles!
What happened this afternoon made them realize that they now have a new choice. In addition to calling the police and praying, they also have the choice to file a complaint.

This was clearly supposed to be a tragic invasion by a foreign gang, but inexplicably, it ended this way.

In the afternoon, after the young policeman and his old partner finished their work and handed the notebook in their hands to the chief of the branch, just as they were about to leave, the chief asked them to stay for a while.

"Don't go back after get off work today. I have something to announce."

The young police officer just nodded. He didn't know what happened yet, but the old police officer was curious. "What happened?"

The branch director smiled a little, but soon restrained himself and said, "Don't worry, it's a good thing!"

The old police officer continued to inquire for a while, but the police chief refused to say anything at all, saying that he was afraid of affecting the work of the police officers in the afternoon.

After all, there is still a little bit of chaos in the city now. A large number of gangs are disbanding or fleeing. They are no match for the Lance family. They either disband or get out.

So there was a little bit of unrest in the city, but not a big one.

Lance was good at dealing with these problems.

To be honest, the population of New Berming City is only 200,000, which is not even as large as the population of the Imperial District, so he does not need many people to manage it properly.

At half past six, the police station begins to hand over work, and seven o'clock is the official end of get off work and the start of the night shift.

At about 6:45, the branch director walked into the office lobby. He clapped his hands and asked everyone to stop what they were doing and look at him.

"I have two announcements to make...three to be exact."

"The first thing is that we have reached a cooperative relationship with Wanli Labor Service Company, and the entire New Bermingham Police Department has formed a cooperative relationship with them."

"They give us $25 per person, $15 in cash and $10 in food stamps every month."

“Food stamps can be used in their designated supermarkets!”

All the police officers looked at him in disbelief. Someone couldn't help but shout, "This sounds like a fucking story. Are you kidding me?!"

In small places, interpersonal relationships are not as rigid as those in big cities, and branch directors also come from among them.

He pinched his waist and cursed with a smile, "I'm fucking kidding you, do you think I have nothing to do like you?!"

This made all the police officers excited, as they earned an extra twenty-five dollars a month, which was something they had never dared to imagine in the past!

Moreover, fifteen of the twenty-five dollars are in cash and ten dollars are food stamps, all of which can be used in their daily lives!
In fact, they didn't know that the money given by Likalai State was all in cash, but they would soon start replacing it.

Lawrence Farm is still expanding, and some items are not suitable for winemaking, so they will be sold through the "Lawrence Supermarket".

They had not considered this matter originally, but Lance thought it was actually a good opportunity. Exporting agricultural products would be equivalent to giving them money to buy their own goods.

This is much better than just giving them money and letting them use it for other things.

Because the food sold to them has its own profit, Lance certainly won't take this part of the profit, but it won't be wasted either.

These profits eventually flowed to Lawrence Farms, which was like the meat rotting in the pot, while also increasing the popularity of Lawrence Farms.

No one would think that his approach is a way of trying to please others, because everyone needs to eat, drink water or beverages to survive, which are necessary for their lives, so food stamps are also considered an alternative hard currency in the federal government.

Watching the police officers cheering and clapping, after they had been busy for a while, the branch chief raised his hand and said, "The second thing is that it is still Wanli Labor Service Company. They plan to build a number of apartments and rent them out for free to our police officers who don't have their own houses."

"If anyone needs to apply, they can go to Wendy's and get the application form later, fill it out and give it to me."

The old police officer nudged the young police officer and asked, "Aren't you still renting a house?"

The young police officer came back to his senses, his expression a little complicated, "But I heard... the parent company of Wanli Labor Service Company, Wanli Group, is the property of the Lance family."

The old police officer motioned him to look around, "Do you think it makes sense for you to resist alone?"

"And to be honest, judging from some of their actions, I don't think they are gangsters in the traditional sense at all. Maybe... we can observe them without prejudice."

"See if they are really different from what they say they are."

The young police officer thought seriously for a while, then nodded, his expression as complicated as ever, "I will."

After the police officers cheered for a while, the chief said, "The third thing is that we will also set up a police club. They have built a large club in the eastern suburbs, and there are even some children's amusement facilities. You can bring your children over to play."

"I heard they even have a nursery. If it's inconvenient for you to take care of your children, you can send them there."

The police officers started cheering again!
There aren't many entertainment activities in New Bern, and it's a small place, so the police officers go home after get off work.

In the past, they might have gone to the bar, but now, they can only go home.

Now they have a new place to go, whether it's after get off work or on holidays.

In fact, everyone knows that this is Lance's way of buying them off, but who can refuse?
Wanli Labor Service Company and its parent company Wanli Group are not criminal groups; they are legal and tax-paying businesses.

If a company is willing to donate to the local police system, that is its own business. If you don't want it, that's fine, but if others are willing to accept the gift, you can't change everyone's mind.

And that’s a lot!
Twenty-five bucks a month and a free apartment, who the hell could say no to that?
The young police officer watched his colleagues around him running to get forms and inquire about how to receive the fifteen plus ten subsidy. He suddenly felt that he could no longer distinguish between justice and evil.

He lined up silently and started to collect the application forms.

There are only three branches in Newberming City, and none of them are very large, with a total of only about 1,300 people.

Lans subsidizes each of them with 40 yuan per month, which is only more than 50,000 yuan.

Many of them cost less than 40 yuan.

With just such a small amount of money, all the police officers were bribed and formed into a close interest group.

Anyone who opposes himself will become the enemy of his colleagues before he becomes his enemy.

Because what this person wants to do is to destroy everyone's jobs instead of dealing with Lance!

The mayor was also paying close attention to some of today's developments. He learned that Lance easily killed several gang leaders and strangled their remaining forces.

Either they were killed or they escaped. He didn't know what to say for a moment.

Not only the young police officer's three views were challenged in this incident, but the mayor's three views were also challenged!

He had thought about cleaning up these gangs before, but he was never able to do it.

No matter it's because someone tipped them off and allowed them to always run away at the last minute, or it's because of the damn judicial process that allowed them to always escape legal sanctions, in short, these dark forces are like stubborn tartar that can't be removed no matter what you do!
He thought these gangs would accompany New Bern for a long, long time to come, but today, they became a thing of the past.

He began to doubt whether the federal government's system was appropriate. If the federal government's system was appropriate, why could problems that everyone could see not be solved within the system?
For a moment, the mayor fell into deep thought.

(End of this chapter)