Shadow Empire

Chapter 976 Account Frozen

Gomez suddenly came over during lunch.

During this time, Gomez has been running around with Roger. Previously, Gomez was the president of the Lapa Chamber of Commerce, helping Diego with business matters.

He was very knowledgeable about capital and business matters in Rapa.

With his help, Roger was able to save a lot of time in handling certain matters.

Lance didn't like this guy very much. He seemed a little clever, but deep down he was just plain stupid and hadn't received any education.

He dislikes stupid people and would never keep such a fool around.

Once things are settled in Lapa, if Gomez is smart, he might still have a chance to survive.

Gomez himself was well aware of this, so he had been working hard to cooperate with Roger's work.

But that alone is not enough.

“Mr. Lance, I’ve discovered some new information. I don’t know if it will be of any use to you.”

Lance nodded slightly, signaling him to continue.

"Leo came to see me this morning..."

"By the way, Leo is Diego's cousin."

"He asked me how I could quickly obtain federal immigration status, as he wanted to immigrate to the federal government with his family."

Lance asked upon hearing this, "You mean, Diego wants to retreat?"

Gomez scratched his head. "I don't know, Mr. Lance."

"But I have this feeling."

"Based on my understanding of the Lavila family, they wouldn't even consider leaving this place unless they were in danger!"

Gomez's connection with the La Villa family is not as weak as people imagine. In fact, he has deep ties with members of the La Villa family because he controls assets that belong to Diego but are not registered under the La Villa family's name.

The Lavila family is also divided into factions and has conflicts; they are not a monolithic entity.

Where there are people, there are classes. Although from the perspective of the lower classes, the Lavila family is a whole and everyone is a member of the family.

However, within the family, these people were also divided into several classes.

The highest level is naturally Diego, and then it continues downwards, with a lower level here as well.

Imbalances in the distribution of power and wealth can lead to conflict.

Gomez once managed a portion of Diego's private property, which Diego owned a great deal of wealth.

The total number of those under his name and those not under his name is enormous.

He couldn't possibly check the operations and records of every business regularly, let alone investigate certain things in these accounts. This provided some members of the Lavila family with the opportunity to put Diego's money into their own pockets.

Of course, they also need Gomez's cooperation.

In fact, some people in these industries know about these things to varying degrees, but the absolute corruption and decay that breeds absolute power leads most of these people to eventually join forces with them to make money.

report?

Someone may have done this, but in the end, their fate will certainly not be good.

Although Diego was a dictator and could be considered a tyrant, he would not be so ruthless towards his own people. He would not kill all of them just because they had taken advantage of him in the slightest.

After all, he needs these people too.

If he were to easily execute his own people over such “trivial matters”, who would dare to work for him in the future?
If even his own people are unwilling to stand with him and work for him, then who can he trust?
Those outsiders who are not related by blood?
Whether in backward and ignorant places or in advanced and civilized societies, people always have an innate sense of trust and goodwill towards blood ties.

If those who are reported are not executed, then the people who reported them will suffer.

These kinds of things don't need to happen all the time. Once they happen a few times and people find out, then no one will report the Lavila family's corrupt practices in Diego's businesses anymore.

They will only join together, because only by joining can they be trusted.

Under these circumstances, Gomez got to know many members of the La Villa family, including Diego's cousin, Leo.

These people themselves have no wealth; they acquire vast amounts of wealth entirely by sucking the blood of Diego.

In other words, if they were separated from Diego and lost him, their income would plummet!
People born into ruling families like these are not capable of doing specific things; they have become symbols, representing the face of the Lavila family and, to some extent, the prestige of the president.

You put someone who represents the family's reputation and the president's authority in a factory?

Therefore, these people will not leave here or Diego unless they are forced to.

But now they seem to be planning to leave, and the information behind this makes Magus feel somewhat uneasy.

After listening to his earnest explanation of everything, Lance praised his keenness and appropriately indicated that as long as he cooperated well with Roger's work.

In the future, Lapa will definitely have a place for him!
Although this guarantee did not explicitly promise anything specific, it was enough to make Gomez feel satisfied.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Gomez took his leave.

He's a bit smarter now than before.

Lance leaned back in his chair, and from what Gomez had said, he sensed that Diego might already be considering resigning.

Was he feeling pressured by the intense battles during this period?

Lance couldn't help but speculate in that direction.

Previously, those scattered anti-government armed groups seemed numerous, almost ubiquitous throughout the country.

However, only about ten of the anti-government forces were truly capable; the rest were minor figures, with some anti-government forces consisting of only twenty or thirty people and lacking firearms.

These people cannot be called anti-government forces; at most, they are gangs that take advantage of the chaos to make no attempt to hide their activities.

To deal with them, you don't even need to deploy the army; the police will suffice.

The pressure on the government forces wasn't too great. Although Fernandez had left, what he left behind was still very correct.

As long as the government forces follow his orders, there shouldn't be any major problems.

But now that the anti-government armed forces have united, things are very different.

A group of scattered people united, and a force that was originally harmless became threatening.

It wasn't just Pedro and Ross who banded together; other anti-government armed groups also started to form alliances, which put a lot of pressure on Diego.

In terms of morale, finances, and logistics.

Ammunition is indeed running low, and once it runs out, they will be in a predicament where their guns can't fire.

As for purchasing new weapons and ammunition from the federal government?

He had considered it, but hadn't made up his mind yet because it was too expensive.

Weapons are expensive, but you can grit your teeth and bear it. After all, as long as a gun can still fire when you pull the trigger, you can keep using it.

However, the price of bullets has also increased, more than doubled. Even if they can afford these weapons, they may not be able to sustain themselves in terms of ammunition for long.

Diego's mind gradually calmed down, and he began to seriously consider these issues, and to think about... his escape route.

He casually chatted about it with some family members—"If the situation continues to deteriorate, leaving here might be the best option."

He could swear that it was just a casual remark, even though he genuinely thought so.

These words worried some members of the Lavila family. If Diego really couldn't hold on, their best option would be to leave as soon as possible.

Compared to the powerful family elders who have a clear view of the current situation, the middle and lower levels of the family are more sensitive to these matters because they lack information to judge the development of the situation.

After hearing from his family that they might be fleeing abroad, Leo immediately packed up his assets and planned to take his whole family to the Federation to seek asylum.

That's why this matter was exposed.

As for whether this is true or not... Lance no longer wants to verify it.

He then dialed Tom's number. Tom took Lance's call very seriously. "Is there anything I can do for you?" Lance had been doing very well in Lapa during this time. The Federation had confirmed its leading position in the Strategist Alliance, and now Congress had some energy to focus on Alan.

In a sense, the Federation has changed the nature of this war—

What started as a clash between soldiers has become a clash between money.

In actual combat, the Federation always overwhelmed the Dantra Allied Forces with firepower, making them unable to raise their heads. Their extravagant fighting style was indeed enviable and resented, but it was something that could be learned but not replicated.

At least Dantra didn't have the economic strength to allow them to bombard the enemy indiscriminately as if it were free.

They turned to look at Alan, which Congress considered a potential location for federal "blood packs."

Abundant natural resources and cheap labor have attracted many politicians and capitalists to start planning around Asia Blue's unique features.

Lance, who was specifically responsible for getting Lapa out of the Asian Union, was naturally of paramount importance.

Senator Cleveland had instructed that the matters Lance requested should be arranged as soon as possible.

"Diego may want to leave, but now is not the time for him to leave."

“The government forces and those anti-government armed groups still have considerable strength, so I would like to ask the federal government to temporarily suspend Diego’s accounts.”

Tom immediately said it was no problem, it was a small matter for him.

When national interests are at stake, the question of whether or not personal rights or privacy are violated becomes meaningless.

Of course, the senators also need to know about this.

After hanging up the phone, Tom went to see the senator and repeated what Lance had said. Senator Cleveland was very satisfied with Lance's handling of the situation.

If Diego leaves Rapa now, allowing anti-government forces to occupy Zoran and establish a military government, it will not benefit the federal government in continuing to strengthen its control over Rapa.

A weak government, like Diego's government, will still try to discuss and resolve problems and difficulties with you.

They might not refuse even if you make an unreasonable request.

However, a military government that comes to power by defeating all its rivals will not be so weak.

They will be very tough and very opinionated. Even if the Federation subdues them by force, this region will become a ticking time bomb.

Therefore, the senator approved Lance's decision not to let Diego leave, forcing him to continue fighting the anti-government armed forces to the end.

Once both sides have had enough time to work things out, then let Lance decide what to do.

The senator simply nodded and said "do as instructed," after which Tom made a phone call and, based on the records left by Gomez, temporarily froze all of Diego's accounts.

What seems unbelievable to some is simply a matter of a phone call to another small group of people.

At this time, Diego was unaware that his account had been frozen, and he was indeed discussing the matter with several core members of his family.

"This war is a bottomless pit."

"I must apologize for some of the problems we are facing now; the situation is much worse than I imagined."

Diego first reflected on his own actions, and then he explained why he had this perception—

"Without federal interference, we could have wiped these anti-government armed groups off the map of Lapa very quickly."

"But with the intervention of the federal government, they provided cheap weapons, ammunition, and medical supplies to those anti-government armed groups, such as Pedro and Ross, to help them better fight against us."

"Under these circumstances, it will be difficult for us to achieve final victory."

"So I've been thinking about this for a while now, whether it's time to give up these things and start a new life."

The other family members reacted differently to his words.

Those old family members who had been with Diego since early morning were already stuffed; they represented a group that had nothing to lose.

Whether they go somewhere else or stay in Lapa, their lives won't actually change much.

Perhaps they might be more comfortable and at ease living in the Federation than they are here.

Those clansmen with lower social status and no means of making money showed obvious opposition on their faces.

Even if they didn't embezzle any of Diego's assets, their surname "La Villa" alone was enough to allow them to amass a fortune in Lapa without having to do anything.

Some people are willing to spend money to establish connections with members of the Lavila family; as long as they're thick-skinned, making big money is quite easy.

But once you're in the Federation, who cares who you are?

Their surnames and identities are worthless in the Federation. Once they go to the Federation, they will most likely become low-income earners, or even fail to earn any money at all.

Therefore, these people were also against Diego taking the Lavila family to flee overseas; they wanted to "fight" to the very end.

"...We can't do anything if we go to the Federation, and we're not Federation citizens. There are some conflicts between us and the Federation. I don't think going to the Federation is a good idea."

While they were discussing whether to go to the federal government and how they should live after immigrating, the butler suddenly walked in from outside.

He walked over to Diego, bent down, and whispered something in his ear. Diego then turned around abruptly, staring at the butler with eyes that seemed to pop out of his head.

The butler lowered his head and bent over even more.

Diego supported himself on the armrests of the sofa and stood up. Since his last coma, he felt that his physical condition was not as good as before.

"I need to leave for a while. If you discuss anything special and come to an answer, please let me know."

He explained, then left the room and returned to his study.

The butler brought him juice and snacks.

He sat behind his desk, glanced at the telephone receiver next to the stand, picked it up, and put it to his ear. "This is Diego."

"Mr. Diego?"

"Hello, I am a client manager from Parkway Bank. According to the bank's work manual, I am now formally informing you that your account with our bank has been temporarily frozen."

"If you have any objections to this, you can request a review of the reasons for our decision to the Federal Reserve Bank, the Federal Cabinet, or other relevant agencies."

Diego glanced at the butler, who was not lying.

He looked away, his tone rude, "Why are you freezing my account?"

The account manager explained in a very gentle voice, "The Financial Supervisory Commission has sent a notice for assistance in the investigation. They suspect that the account you used with our bank... poses a financial risk."

"It may involve illegal activities such as money laundering, so all funds in the account will be frozen until the investigation is completed."

"Once the investigation is complete, if we confirm that your account has not been involved in any illegal financial activities, we will unfreeze your account."

Diego was already very unhappy. "This is my private account. How could it be involved in money laundering?"

"Have you all lost your minds?"

"Even my dogs seem smarter and more normal than you guys!"

The account manager remained calm and continued to smile, saying, "Mr. Diego, please don't be angry."

"I know you're angry, but that's just how the work goes!"

"If you want your money unfrozen early, you will need to cooperate with us to explain to the FBI the origin of every single transaction, your tax situation, etc."

"Otherwise, you'll have to wait for the freeze to end."

"Fuck!" Diego finally lost his temper, because most of his money was deposited in Parkway Bank.

He suppressed his destructive urges as president and asked in a somewhat uncontrollable voice, "How long will it take you to fix this damn account?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Diego, but you cannot have any control over your property until we determine that it is safe and legal..."

Diego slammed down the phone and dialed the numbers of two other banks, but received no good news.

All of his federal accounts have been frozen.

(End of this chapter)