Shadow Empire

Chapter 844 Strikes and Conflicts

In the following days, the workers' group connections became more frequent, and many factory workers who were not actually in contact began to spontaneously connect to expand the scale of the strike.

The way the labor federation lobbies them is simple.

This time, the industry Lance is targeting is not the one they are in, but that doesn’t mean that next time, their employers won’t contact Lance and get cheaper labor from him and abandon them.

By the 14th, some small factories in Jingang City had begun to go on strike, and a large number of reporters also started working.

They could fully feel the tense atmosphere in Jingang City at this moment. Everyone was full of anticipation and became excited.

Production in many factories has come to a standstill. There will be a general strike tomorrow. Many workers are no longer able to concentrate on production. They always make mistakes in a certain process or damage the products in their hands.

The factory owner had to stop the assembly line.

The only factories that were still operating normally were those that had signed labor support contracts with Lens. They were not affected by the strike at all, and the unions could not even get in.

Lance not only provided them with workers, but also provided "security" services. Those security guards holding rubber batons were not just for show. They would really drive away anyone who wanted to enter the factory.

Carl was also ready at this time. He seemed a little excited because tomorrow was a good opportunity for him to show his worth.

In front of him, more than twenty of his small leaders were gathered together, listening carefully to his arrangements for the next work.

He stood while these people sat. He waved the steel pipe in his hand and told them how to treat those rogue workers on strike and how to treat those unemployed people who were making trouble.

Sometimes there was a ruthless expression on his face, and sometimes a somewhat unbridled smile, as if a mysterious force was eroding the hearts of the young people in front of him!
Let them become cruel, unbridled and dangerous!

For these young people, Carl is the living embodiment of the federal dream, and they will definitely do nothing wrong in following Carl.

Lance is discussing tomorrow's arrangements with Chief Blue and Deputy Chief Duke.

“When the demonstrations begin, you must deploy people to several important areas and fill them up.”

"You don't need to leave too many people at the police station. I will send people to support your police in law enforcement. Don't worry about this."

"Once the demonstrations start, don't attack them, even if they provoke you."

"There are many reporters filming at the scene. If you take action first, there will be huge pressure from public opinion, and even Mayor Williams may not be able to withstand it."

“Let the police officers wear helmets and shields and form a human wall instead of facing the protesting workers alone.”

"Then wait, wait for Carl's men to rush out."

Director Blue and Deputy Director Duke knew Carl. After Carl joined Lance, he would definitely gain the loyalty of these people. They had also had brief contact with him and knew that there was such a person and what he was doing now.

Although the things he did would make some people who are morally obsessed with having enough food to eat and warm clothes to wear feel disgusted, Carl still has a good reputation among the refugee community.

He didn't do anything bad, but was able to help some people get enough food.

If people are in a society where they are targeted, sometimes even if they are desperate and want to take off their clothes to make money without any dignity, they may not have the opportunity or the place to take off their clothes!
But Carl gave many people some opportunities to live. He also recruited some people himself and helped Lance recruit some easy-to-manage workers. So his reputation is actually quite good, not at all like what outsiders imagine.

People who don't know much about the refugee community think that the refugees will hate Carl, but in fact, they have a good feeling about Carl.

After the two understood what he said, Lance continued, "If they clash with the parade, you will go in."

"Don't worry about Carl's people. Go after the workers who are leading the strike. Don't worry about public opinion or the reporters. Just hit them on the head with sticks."

"After they were knocked down, they were handcuffed and taken away, thrown aside, and then they continued to attack the protesters."

"Don't arrest Carl's people. Let them continue to cause chaos so that you can stop the entire demonstration. Do you understand?"

Lance took a puff of his cigarette and slowly exhaled, "There are quite a few media outlets here this time. After this is over, it will definitely be reported in various newspapers. By then, there will inevitably be some public opinion turmoil."

"Pick two or three branch chiefs and let them take responsibility. Tell them not to panic. My company will accept them."

"If anyone gets hurt or any other accidents happen during this operation, I will cover all the expenses incurred!"

"Leave the legal issues to me. You just need to follow my plan. Do you understand?"

Both directors nodded, "Understood!"

Chief Blue asked, "Mr. Lance, can I come to work for you?"

Lance glanced at him with a half-smile, and pointed at him with the hand holding the cigarette, "Nonsense!"

As he said this he laughed, and Chief Blue and Deputy Chief Duke also laughed.

Everything has been arranged, including the fire department, and everything is ready.

If the crowd gets out of control, they use water cannons.

The whole city spent the whole day in a strange state of expectation.

The next morning, Lance woke up more than ten minutes earlier than usual.

He actually sleeps very well, having inherited the ability to sleep from another world. As long as he lies down on the bed, he will fall asleep within five minutes, and when he opens his eyes again, it will be the next day.

My sleep quality is good and the sleep time is stable, but I woke up a little early today, which shows that I am still a little concerned.

He arrived at the restaurant at about 7:40, and there were already some people in the room.

Everyone's expression was serious. Lance said it was just a small matter, but they also knew that it was not that "small".

This can actually be seen as a "challenge" to the Lance family.

The challenges in the past were all the same, challenges from the underworld, and they defeated these challengers or defeated the gatekeepers.

Now, the challenges and difficulties do not come from the underground world, but from the official side, under the sun, and the situations we face will be more complicated.

Lance walked to the sofa, someone made a seat for him, and he sat down.

"We will face many similar situations in the future, and our enemies will change from gangsters to capitalists and even politicians."

"Some of the things we were able to do before, the means we were able to use, will be suppressed."

"For example, this time!"

Someone brought him cigarettes and matches. He took them, lit them, squinted his eyes and took a sip. "If it were in the past, we would have had people beat them down, or tied them up with heavy objects and thrown them into the sea."

"If killing one is not enough, kill two. Whoever dares to take the lead will be killed. I can always press the kill button for them."

"But it won't work this time. Too many people are watching us. If we take action, public opinion will soon overwhelm us."

"Although the federal government condones the gangs, it doesn't mean they can just watch us trample on the law in front of everyone, so we don't have the opportunity to take action at all."

"There will be many more situations like this in the future, so you have to be mentally prepared. We may not win every time, but we will definitely be the winner in the end!"

He patted the shoulder of the person next to him and said, "Okay, let's have breakfast!"

"We have to choose a better position later so we can watch the performance carefully!"

At this time, the parade outside had begun to gather, and a large number of workers took to the streets in their work clothes and held various signs.

A large number of reporters on the roadside began to press the shutter buttons frantically, the spotlights kept popping and bursting into balls of fire!

The flashing of these spotlights was like a clarion call for attack, and the striking workers began to march and demonstrate along their routes.

They have two relatively important locations. One is outside the city hall. They want to use these people to increase pressure on the mayor.

The final destination is outside Lance’s labor company.

In addition to these demonstrators, there were also many ordinary citizens who came to watch the fun. Federal people like to watch the fun, and of course watching the fun is human nature, which also made the entire demonstration more powerful! A reporter from the Federal Post was looking for a suitable angle to take a photo while smoking a cigarette.

He did not come alone. The Federal Post arranged a team of six reporters.

They will witness this grand parade from different angles and positions.

In addition to himself and his colleagues, the reporter is accompanied by two apprentices.

It is not easy to achieve certain results as a journalist.

With so many journalists entering the industry every year, how many can actually win the “Golden Newspaper Award”?

This journalist has won a Golden Newspaper Award and is also qualified to take apprentices.

"These anti-epidemic marches and demonstrations are very vigorous, and the Labor Federation is definitely good at this!" the reporter said casually while looking for an opportunity to take a photo.

One of the two apprentices behind him, who were carrying bags and some supplies, couldn't help but ask, "You don't like these people?"

The reporter glanced back at the two apprentices, then returned his gaze to the protest group, "Do you like them?"

"What do you like about them?"

The cigarette in the corner of his mouth trembled as he spoke. The ash was still slightly warm and fell into his hand, causing him to shudder.

The spotlight flickered on with a bang. He couldn't help but curse and refilled the bottle with some magnesium powder.

Then I looked up at the sky. It rained last night and the ground was wet. I didn’t know if it would clear up soon.

The sky is still a bit gloomy now. If it doesn’t clear up, we will have to use spotlights all day.

Then he said, concentrating on finding the right moment to take the photo, “There’s nothing to like about these people.”

"You see, they disrupted production, affected people's normal lives, and used the wrong means to express their demands."

"If they succeed in this demonstration, they will become more dependent on this method, and the next time they encounter problems, as long as their needs are not met, they will continue to strike, march and protest."

"If everyone follows their example, what kind of chaos will this society become?"

One of his apprentices fell into deep thought, but the other one retorted, "But they are working class, and their interests represent the interests of the vast majority of the lower classes!"

"Supporting them is equivalent to supporting ourselves!"

The reporter turned around and looked at the person who was speaking. "There are so many demonstrations in the federation every year. Has your salary increased, or have your benefits become better?"

He shook his head. “We have never been them, and they can never represent us.”

The apprentice was still a little unwilling, "But if people don't pay attention to them and don't support them today, then when we get into trouble in the future, will people also pay attention to us and don't support us?"

The reporter was a little speechless. "I supported the strikes in previous years, but now, strikes have become a tool for the labor federation to fight for power and profit."

"You should be inside, not here."

"We are journalists, we should look at the issue more impartially!"

The young apprentice was still a little unconvinced, but the reporter was too lazy to say more to him and had made a decision. He would find something for him to do when he returned, and kick him out if he failed to do it well.

The money for journalists' meals comes from capitalists, not these poor people. The poor are just a means for them to expand their influence, not their financial backers.

In fact, journalists and politicians have some common characteristics. Their jobs require them to please the vast majority of the grassroots people, but it is their enemies and those of the grassroots people who can provide them with wealth.

It's funny, but also very true.

Another apprentice asked, "Do you think this march will achieve the results they want?"

The reporter thought for a while and said, "I don't know. Their target this time is not so easy to deal with."

Another apprentice waved his fist firmly, "They will definitely win!"

At around 11 o'clock in the morning, a large number of striking workers had been staying outside the city hall for a while. They waved their fists and shouted unified slogans, demanding the expulsion of illegal immigrants and refugees and seeking to protect their legitimate interests.

Mayor Williams stood in his office with a calm expression, watching everything that happened here, but he had no intention of going out and saying anything.

Every time this happens, no matter what the mayor says, it's wrong.

If you say something to appease them, you are offending the capitalists.

If you ask them to calm down and resolve the issue through communication, you will offend those who are protesting.

So just don't show up, say nothing, and wait for them to disperse on their own.

After holding out outside the city hall for half an hour, some trucks appeared on the street. These trucks were also arranged by the Labor Federation. The trucks were filled with food boxes containing their lunch.

Everyone also received a bottle of soda. From the advertisement on the truck, it can be seen that the soda supplier not only gave away a lot of soda for free, but also paid extra money.

The reporter from the Post took a picture of this scene as soon as possible, and he felt that the photo was very readable.

There are not only conflicts between labor and capital, but also scenes of harmony.

The strikers ate rice with chicken nuggets, drank soda, and talked about today's demonstrations.

Everyone was very excited. They once again proved with practical actions that the power of the united working people is invincible!
Reporters also gathered together to eat, but it was obvious that they were not as excited as they were in the morning.

"Wasn't it said there would be a conflict?"

"Why is everyone so restrained?"

Another reporter from the Post gathered with his colleagues. The reporter with two apprentices also frowned and said vaguely while swallowing the dry bread he brought and spreading butter on it, "Maybe we have to wait until the afternoon or tomorrow or the day after tomorrow?"

"I understand from the city hall that the strike will continue until Wanli Group agrees to their demands."

"The longer the strike lasts, the greater the pressure on Wanli Group will be. A conflict will surely break out in a few days at most, but we don't know when."

Other reporters agreed with his view, with one reporter exclaiming, "This Wanli Group is really... reckless. They actually confronted the AFL head-on. I don't know what to say."

“Once the Workers’ Party is established and gains a certain political status, the Wanli Group will have a hard time!”

When a political group starts targeting a capital group, regardless of the consequences, it is obvious that this capital group will also feel uncomfortable.

Wanli Group is not a capital group in the strict sense, and their ability to resist risks is even lower.

The reporters were all expressing their opinions, but generally their enthusiasm was not as high as in the morning.

At noon, everyone quickly filled their stomachs and rested for half an hour. Then the protest began again. A large number of people moved from the Imperial District to the Port District, shouting slogans.

A little after two o'clock in the afternoon, the group finally arrived at the street where the labor agency was located.

There were still quite a few people on the street at this time. They were looking for jobs at the company's door, and they also noticed these people.

The reporters finally showed some interest. Seeing the refugees or illegal immigrants gathering together to find work, they vaguely realized that perhaps the conflict would break out here!

Some leaders at the front of the parade began to push the refugees and illegal immigrants, and the tension between the two sides began to increase.

At the moment when a refugee worker was pushed down, a lot of guys holding sticks suddenly rushed out from the surroundings.

They were wearing not very clean clothes and had a slightly darker skin color, looking like they were suffering from long-term malnutrition, making it obvious at a glance that they were refugees!

Holding sticks and steel pipes in their hands, these refugees began to attack the marching team crazily. The reporters and onlookers became excited in an instant, and the spotlight that had been silent for several hours began to shine again!

(End of this chapter)