Shadow Empire

Chapter 865 00:00:00
69:24:17
The crackling sound of electric welding echoed throughout the production workshop, where huge steel-structured warship modules were being produced in a heavy factory.

Last year, the federal government allocated funds to expand the federal navy, and the navy felt that their good days had finally come!
The bidding process has been going on for almost ten months at this point, and the module in front of us will take at most six months to be fully completed.

When it is transported to the dock and assembled, a battleship is born.

The Federation's mature industrial supporting facilities are now beginning to demonstrate their unparalleled potential and strength in the construction of large-scale industries!
All shipyards and heavy industrial enterprises capable of manufacturing modules, as long as they have no need to produce tanks, are now producing structural components for warships.

There are many workers and engineers on site. They check whether each process is qualified according to the drawings and whether the hull data is consistent with the drawing requirements.

Because the final assembly may not be able to be assembled if it is just a little bit off, there cannot be any mistakes in the specifications.

There are more than 2,000 people in the entire factory, working in three shifts 24 hours a day. When you come here at any time and any place, you can see the sparks produced by the electric welding falling from great heights.

The manager walked out of the office and waved to the team leaders of each work group, motioning them to come over.

Soon, all the team leaders in the production workshops gathered in the manager's office. As the production tasks increased, each workshop had its own production tasks.

This may be the most "fulfilling" period for this factory in the past five years, or even ten years. There are no workshops that have stopped working, only exhausted workers.

They had also recently heard about the failed strike in Jingang City. To be honest, whether it was the team leaders or company managers, they were actually quite envious of the situation in Jingang City.

Logically speaking, the team leader also comes from a working-class background, so he shouldn't side with Lance.

However, the team leaders have actually left the most basic level of labor workers and have reached the stage of managing workers. They no longer gain wealth and social status by working in the workshop.

Instead, they supervise other workers to complete work with guaranteed quality and quantity. They are no longer simply working class.

Compared to those workers who always ask to stop and rest for a while, they actually prefer those workers who are not afraid of hardship and fatigue and can endure hardship and fatigue, even if they do not have federal citizenship.

It's just that they don't find it easy to say such things.

At this time, the manager's office was crowded with these people. The manager asked them to stand or sit separately, and then began to convey the board's decision.

"I just received a call from the board of directors..." He pointed at the phone, as if by doing this people could really see what had just happened by observing the phone!
"What the board means is that our construction period is still too long and we need to continue to reduce it by another 20 percent."

As soon as these words came out, all the team leaders quit.

They were making a lot of noise and talking so loudly that I couldn't hear anything.

After the manager asked them to be quiet several times, they gradually quieted down.

"I know we have some problems now, but that's not a reason why we can't shorten the construction period."

"Go talk to the workers. If they can hold on, they should hold on a little longer. Eight hours will pass quickly."

"If they really can't hold on, then let them shorten it by two hours and recruit another group of people."

After hearing what the manager said, the team leaders thought this method was feasible, but someone asked, "How do we calculate the salary?"

The manager said as if it was a matter of course, "Of course it's calculated based on six hours!"

"Other factories work eleven hours a day, but we sympathize with them and let them work eight hours a day. They still need to rest, so why not just have a good rest?"

"You get paid for a few hours of work. The company's money doesn't come from a flood, it's earned penny by penny."

"We pay them according to the value they create. This is reasonable!"

The team leader who was speaking added with some dissatisfaction, "They will definitely make trouble!"

The manager's attitude was very tough. "Then fire them. A qualified society will never lack workers. You can tell others that if there are more positions, we will consider negotiating with Wanli Group on labor support."

"They'll have plenty of time to rest then!"

It is indeed a good idea to stimulate them with the labor package of Wanli Group.

The Wanli Group now has considerable reputation in the federal government, and its de-unionization approach has been supported by many employers.

Moreover, it is said that the welfare benefits for contracted workers are quite good.

They can still have a great impact and deterrence on ordinary workers and union workers. In fact, everyone is not afraid of competition, but what they are afraid of is not even having the opportunity to compete.

Someone in the crowd said "despicable". The manager raised his eyebrows and looked in the direction of the voice. He was not sure who said it. "I know who it was, but don't let me find out a second time, or you can go back to the workshop. There are many people willing to take over your job."

He paused, "Okay, that's it."

61:00:00
At twelve o'clock in the evening, the largest and most popular bar in Jingangcheng Bay Area entered its busiest business hour. The little black guys stood on the stage and sang rhythmic songs, and the bar was full of people who were looking for fun.

The decoration here is very good, the location is very good, and the group of people who can consume here is also very good.

There is never a shortage of wealthy people patronizing bars in the Bay Area. For rich people, if squandering money can bring them some happiness from their mundane lives, they don't mind spending money lavishly.

This is the most common problem faced by people at the bottom:

Why do rich people prefer to squander their money rather than give it to the poor?
He gives alms to you, what can you bring to him?
To comfort his cow or to make him feel happy?
No, you can't do anything. Your simple thank you can't even make their emotions fluctuate, let alone make them feel good!

But they squander here on tobacco, alcohol and sex, which allow them to release their desires and gain the simplest, most primitive and most transparent happiness!

The security guards from the bar management team patrol the entire bar from behind the railing on the second floor, looking for those who break the rules. If they find them, they will first explain the situation to them.

If reason didn't make sense, like if the guys were drunk, they would be beaten up and thrown out.

Arthur hugged the two girls, and the two girls were attacking each other for a lollipop. This made Arthur feel very happy and relaxed. This was the life a man should live!

He has already talked to the general manager of Wanli Production Company. He will invest 100,000 yuan to test the waters and make a movie to see if he can make some money or still suffer losses.

No one knows who leaked this news, which resulted in him being surrounded by many girls who wanted to become famous every day.

In the past when opera was king, it was not easy to sing opera well. It took more than ten years of professional study to become an opera star.

And the most crucial point is that you must have a strong background to survive in the opera industry which is full of opera tyrants.

There are too many requirements and conditions to be an opera star, but being a movie star not only makes money quickly, but also does not require any professional skills.

As long as you can show off your charm, that's what the audience likes.

So in order to have a better life in the future, these girls were willing to fight for Arthur's lollipop.

Arthur couldn't help laughing when he saw them tearing each other's hair!

52:15:07
"I have one thing to announce now. My birthday was originally scheduled for next week, but I have some things to do next week and I may not be able to be in Jingang City, so I plan to celebrate it a week in advance."

Lance announced this in the company, and no one else thought there was anything wrong with it. It was normal to celebrate a birthday in advance.

In fact, compared to the ritual of celebrating birthdays on the birthday itself, birthdays are more often a time for everyone to forget about everything and have fun together.

Everyone expressed support for this decision. No one jumped out to oppose it, and there was no need to oppose it.

Then Lance said, "We are celebrating our birthday in Valley City this time. Jerard's (a fellow movie actor) new movie is about to premiere, so we can go to the premiere."

Lance raised his wrist and glanced at the calendar on his wrist. "We'll go there tomorrow, or early the day after tomorrow. We'll have lunch together at noon, walk around in the afternoon, and then come back in the evening or the next day."

Someone raised his hand, "Can I not go?"

Lance neither objected nor expressed clear support, "You can try."

"If you say so, I'm fine."

Everyone burst into laughter, and Lance was laughing too, "But my advice is, you'd better not try it!"

"Okay, everyone has to go. Stop making excuses for yourselves. The city can function stably now without us." "If any captain wants to go, he can go too."

After he made this announcement, he clapped his hands, "Okay, go do your thing!"

"Assholes!"

He turned and went back to his office, but Mello followed him.

"Did something happen?" he asked after closing the door.

Lance walked over to the bar and poured himself a drink, "Why would you think that?"

Then he took out a bottle of whiskey and said, "Drink?"

Melo shook his head. "I don't know. It's just a feeling."

Lance took a sip in a short time. There were ice cubes in it. The chilled whiskey was easier to drink, and the aroma and sweetness of the wine were easier to detect.

He raised his glass slightly, "You just have to do what I say."

This is a very standard affirmative answer, but it does not contain any affirmative sentences or dialogues.

Mello nodded solemnly, "Should we ask Alvin and the others to come back?"

"Don't!"

Then Lance notified some people on the pretext of his birthday. No one said anything about Lance wanting to go to Valley City to celebrate his birthday.

It takes more than three hours to drive from Jingang City to Xigu City. You can go there for lunch in the morning and come back in the afternoon.

Mayor Williams is still constantly expanding the scale of Jingang City. It is said that in the new plan, Jingang City will expand about ten to twenty kilometers to the northwest.

By that time, it would only take more than two hours to travel from Jingang City to Xigu City.

Mayor Williams' urban expansion plan has also made some people think of the issue of urban annexation.

Many people have been discussing this issue recently: whether it is necessary to incorporate Xigu City into Jingang City. People are discussing this both among the public and in official circles.

Merging into Jingang City is not all bad for Xigu City, but it is not all good either. Some people support it, some oppose it, and everyone is discussing it very heatedly.

Someone also asked Lance, and Lance thought it was unlikely to be possible.

If the two cities merge, there will be one less administrative system, which means that the interests of many people will be harmed.

The federal government is actually not efficient at all, and has no spirit of sacrifice. These people will not sacrifice themselves for the growth of Jingang City unless a higher-level decisive force intervenes.

So even if the two cities are really close together, they will not merge.

However, this has also made many people think about traveling to Valley City. As the weather gets warmer and Valley City's status in the film industry becomes higher and higher, many Jingang people will choose Valley City as one of their tourist destinations.

26:16:39
The new team of lawyers sent by the Labor Federation has met with Mr. Walter, as well as the previous legal representatives and his team.

Although the Labor Federation said it trusted the lawyer representatives, it still sent a new team of lawyers.

The lawyer representative had no objection to this. In fact, for lawyers like them, it was a good thing to have someone share the responsibility with them, because they would definitely ask for every penny less.

Their team’s legal fees will not be reduced from 2,000 yuan a day to 1,000 yuan a day just because other legal teams are involved.

The other team will not reduce their income on their own initiative. Instead, they may increase their fee requirements due to some ideas they put forward.

Mr. Walter's case was once again presented in its entirety, and the police also provided copies of some evidence, exhibits and testimonies, which cost six hundred dollars to obtain. In the conference room in the police station, the new team of lawyers, after reviewing all the materials, gave Mr. Walter the same opinion as the legal representative.

"It's impossible to win. All the evidence and witnesses are against you, and most importantly, you were drunk."

"Alcohol will make you lose your self-control, so the jury will be more convinced that you lost control after drinking, which is the best development. We can't let them think that you did it with subjective malice."

Mr. Walter hadn't shaved in recent days, which made him look very disheveled and haggard. "I've been thinking about this issue these days. We mentioned the issue of interstate extradition before."

"So is it possible to extradite me to another state for trial?"

"As long as I'm not tried on Lance's turf, I'll have a chance to plead not guilty, right?"

Both groups of lawyers agreed with his point of view, but not completely. The new team indicated to the lawyer representative that it was mainly a statement of stance.

Although they are here, they do not intend to lead the lawsuit.

The lawyer accepted the offer, nodded slightly and said, "It's possible, but it's also unlikely."

"To extradite you to another state, you first need to have committed a crime in another state and someone has called the police, and then we have a chance to get you there."

"It's probably too late to find someone to create some problems now, and it's more likely that the court in Likalai State will not release the person."

"Once the local court trial is over, even if you appeal to another state, other circuit courts may not support your not guilty plea."

"The most important thing is that we are too late."

"The evidence structure of this case is so complete that the trial will begin next week at the latest."

"So I discussed with them and decided that we should try to move towards the direction of 'guilty but not serving sentence' as much as possible, which is more likely."

Mr. Walter was devastated when he heard these words. Even if they really helped him avoid serving his sentence, his life was ruined.

A criminal is not qualified to become a person of such noble status as the Chairman of the National Congress of the Workers' Party. His career and his dreams are all over!

Mr. Walter took a deep breath, “Last time I asked you to help me contact Lance…”

The attorney nodded and said, "I contacted him and mentioned that you wanted to communicate with him, but Mr. Lance just asked me to tell you a message."

"What?"

"Good luck!"

"Fake!"

Mr. Walter pounded the table hard. He could no longer sit still. He stood up and walked back and forth several steps. "What did the Labor Federation say?"

The new lawyer team representative shook his head and said, "We don't know about this. They just asked us to learn about the situation here and see if there is anything we can do to help."

Mr. Walter was completely desperate. He could only seek what his lawyer said: plead guilty and accept punishment, but try not to go to jail. This was the limit of what he could accept at the moment.

It was naturally very good that Mr. Walter was willing to accept this defense plan, and then they began to discuss what to do next.

This includes finding the waitress, providing her with adequate compensation, and finding a way to obtain her letter of forgiveness.

Although the jury cannot decide how many years he should be sentenced to, they can express their opinions to the judge and sentence him to a shorter sentence or no sentence at all.

They chatted for more than two hours before separating and each went to prepare to work on the case.

00:25:27
On a fishing boat that was fishing east of Jingangcheng, the crew member who was collecting the net suddenly stopped his work and looked towards the sea further east.

Seeing that the other party still did not cooperate with him, his partner could not help but look at him, "What are you daydreaming about?"

The crew member said nothing, still staring at the position behind him. His companion had a curious look on his face, slowly turned around and looked back.

In the distance, some black objects were rapidly growing larger and rushing towards them...

(End of this chapter)