Shadow Empire

Chapter 983 Lance's Law

As soon as Lance got out of the car, he heard Attorney General Terry's hearty laughter. He laughed as he walked down the steps to the car and opened the door for Lance. "You're finally back, Lance!"

"If you don't come back soon, I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep at night!"

Lance got out of the car, shook hands with him, and said, "Then let's find another female companion."

This unexpected little joke wouldn't offend anyone, Attorney General Terry nodded with a smile, "I'd like to, but my wife probably wouldn't be so keen."

The two released each other's hands and, led by Attorney General Terry, walked up the steps, where they met some of his confidants.

Lance had met some of these people before, and they greeted him. There were also some he hadn't met before, but he got to know them through Attorney General Terry's introduction.

To Lance, these people are just names—if he hears them someday in the future, he can quickly recall who they are, but he can't quite connect them with their faces.

This is why people always hope to appear frequently in front of important figures and become familiar with them.

The rate of name duplication is so high that if people only have one name, it is difficult for important figures to have a deep understanding of them.

Only when they make a lasting impression on important people will those people remember their faces when they talk about their names.

These individuals will serve as key government officials after Attorney General Terry takes office as governor.

The governor holds overall administrative power over the entire state. In the federal system, the governor and the president are on equal footing, which gives the governor greater power.

He can completely disregard the demands of the president or Congress and appoint state government officials at will, even if it means appointing a dog or a cat as lieutenant governor—that's within his power.

However, such extreme phenomena are unlikely to occur in real life. After all, politics is not about absolute opposition; everything can be traded and compromised.

Therefore, there is no possibility of "if".

The group entered the living room, which the servants had already tidied up and looked very clean. After the servants brought out some food, they left on their own.

Attorney General Terry's butler personally checked to make sure there were no other servants in the main building before closing the door.

This is a protective measure.

Not everyone can keep a secret. Those servants are just people who get paid a fixed salary. If someone offers them a deal they can't refuse, they'll definitely give in.

To avoid distrusting these people from Attorney General Terry, and to prevent them from feeling uncomfortable being suspected, they would always clear the room when discussing important matters, especially if it wasn't in a private space like a study.

Lance walked to the right side of the sofa set and sat down on the separate sofa, a position second only to the host.

Despite Attorney General Terry's suggestion that he should sit in the middle, Lance took the seat instead.

"Do you have any other competitors?" Lance asked Attorney General Terry with some curiosity. "And who could be your competitor?"

“I remember the lieutenant governor told me last time that he didn’t really want to run for governor in Likale.”

Last year, Lance was asked by Terry to speak with the lieutenant governor, which was also a way of testing the lieutenant governor's attitude towards running for governor.

After all, as one of the top three politicians in Likale, if he were to run for governor, his chances of winning would actually be greater than Attorney General Terry's, barring any external interference.

The reason is simple: the lieutenant governor is far more well-known than Attorney General Terry.

The position of Attorney General may seem to wield considerable power, and he may have a certain influence in the judicial field, but ordinary people do not perceive this.

Criminals might feel it more strongly, since they always have to interact with prosecutors, and the wealthy might also be more familiar with Attorney General Terry, as they are also a group that frequently deals with the judiciary.

However, ordinary people find it difficult to connect with someone as distant as a prosecutor, so they have little understanding of Attorney General Terry.

But the deputy governor is different.

The lieutenant governor is mainly responsible for the specific implementation of some of the governor's executive orders. He will have more contact with ordinary people, and ordinary people will know more about him.

And ironically, at any given time, the largest portion of voters consists of these ordinary people.

When they enter the polling station and receive their ballot cards, they will most likely choose the name they recognize and drop it into the voting machine.

This is also the conclusion reached after many organizations conducted surveys. Approximately 68% of voters, when faced with a politician they do not like or have chosen, will cast their vote for someone they know on the list, rather than choosing someone randomly.

So if the lieutenant governor were to run, his chances of winning would be very high, but he told Lance that he would not run in Likale.

Lance had a deep conversation with him, and the lieutenant governor did not hide his thoughts. The Lance family, the Williams family, and the Lawrence family—these forces now wield too much influence in Licarle!

It was so significant that even after he became governor, he still had to consider their feelings when enacting normal regulations.

If they support it, then everything will be fine.

But what if they don't support the new policies issued by the governor?
Obviously, this would make the governor lose face. The lieutenant governor is a person who cares about his image. He doesn't want to offend Lance or anyone else. He is willing to withdraw from the election and run for office in another state.

Of course, he made this decision in the hope of getting some support from Lance.

Lance was not stingy with his wealth and connections; he would definitely campaign for the lieutenant governor if needed.

So he went to the person who posed the greatest threat to Attorney General Terry; in Lance's eyes, the others were nothing.

Attorney General Terry pursed his lips. "We do have the upper hand in public opinion right now, but Lance, I won't be able to relax until the very last moment, until the answer is revealed."

Lance nodded, indicating that he understood Terry's concerns, which he considered necessary and normal, given that Attorney General Terry's current advantage was not particularly significant.

If Lance suddenly sides with one of his other rivals, then Attorney General Terry will certainly lose his chance to become governor, and his anxiety becomes quite understandable.

"Do not worry!"

"Terry, we're old friends!"

"You've known me for a while now. When have you ever seen me say no to my friends?"

The atmosphere in the living room was initially a little heavy and serious, but with Lance's statement, that heavy atmosphere disappeared instantly, replaced by a relaxed feeling.

Even Attorney General Terry's men had happy smiles on their faces.

Once Attorney General Terry takes office as governor, these people will naturally be given important positions.

If we don't give them important positions, who will?
Moreover, the current "atmosphere" in Likale State is quite strange.

Lance bribed a large number of government officials, which led to state and local officials colluding with the gangs.

Coupled with Lance's opposition to urban law enforcement chaos, Licarle State has become both the most suitable and the least suitable place for gangsters to survive. It's suitable because criminal businesses are very stable there; for example, the sale of bootlegging is currently very stable.

In every city, every bar and gang would voluntarily send a portion of their "revenue" to the Hazardous Materials Administration every so often, and then the agents of the Hazardous Materials Administration wouldn't bother them.

Police stations and municipal officials are the same; everyone can get their share of the profits from these lucrative industries.

Furthermore, the society is very stable and not turbulent; it can be said that this place has become a model of "living and working in peace and contentment"!

It is said that it is not suitable for gangs to survive because the nature of gangs is destruction.

Gangs from many other regions mocked the Likale gangs, calling them "castrated chicks," a very humiliating term.

Because large-scale gang warfare has almost disappeared in Likale. It's not that there's no fighting at all, but large-scale gang warfare is practically nonexistent.

The rest were small-scale, low-impact brawls, mainly occurring between neighborhood families who fought over who owned the streetwalker business on a particular street.

This kind of shootout isn't very scary; one group gets beaten up by another group, that's the limit.

Such incidents as shooting and killing people in the street are now almost unheard of.

The underworld has gained order, and everything seems to have to be done according to the rules, which makes many gangs that want to establish themselves and grow in this place very uncomfortable.

If they resort to violence within the city limits, it means they will offend all the city's gangs, as well as the police and officials, and ultimately be wiped out by a united front.

More than one outside gang has tried to gain their own territory in Licale, only to end up as piles of corpses on the outskirts.

Even the wonder of Golden Harbor City—Angel Lake, whose water level used to rise every year—has stopped rising much and has even dropped slightly this year.

People say it's all thanks to Mr. Lance's regulations that peace has been restored here.

Aside from gangsters who profited significantly here, the rest were officials at various levels.

Not just in Golden Harbor City, but the "rules of the game" set by Lance have begun to be implemented throughout the entire state of Likale, from the mayor to the police chief, and even an ordinary city police officer.

They all managed to get their share of the profits from the alcohol sales by the city's internal gangs!
Therefore, everyone is now willing to become an official, and even more willing to climb higher, because a higher position means more extra income each month.

Attorney General Terry earns $300,000 a month; who wouldn't be envious of that income?
It may not seem like much, but you should know that an income of 300,000 is already equivalent to the monthly income of 5,000 workers!

He alone is worth the income of five thousand workers if they didn't eat or drink. Who wouldn't want that money?

The next Attorney General will also receive just as much money. What about the other officials in the government?
How much can they get?
It is said that the governor receives a steady “investment return” from Lance’s foundation every month!
Yes, the governor also gets his share, and it's all clean money; even if someone investigates the return on investment, it's useless.

Under federal law, government officials are permitted to engage in business and investment.

Furthermore, the federal tax rate on investment income is very low, even lower than the tax rate on a worker's hard-earned wages for a month!
Lance's "tentacles" were like a blood vessel, quickly spreading throughout the entire state of Likalai. The entire political arena of the state seemed to be completely eroded and infiltrated by him, eventually forming a super monster.

In reality, everyone's political achievements are excellent, gangs are no longer causing trouble, urban security has improved, and their pockets are fuller. Who could possibly be dissatisfied with such a good life?!

If someone is truly dissatisfied with this environment and wants to do something to deal with Lance or break the "Lance Law," then that person and the forces behind them will become enemies of the entire state of Licarle.

This is why Attorney General Terry insisted on meeting with Lance to discuss the ballots; Lance indeed possessed the ability to manipulate the outcome of the Likale gubernatorial election, and everyone had to respect him.

Attorney General Terry got the answer he wanted, and he was visibly relieved, his tone lightening as he spoke.

Lance pulled out his cigarette case and took out a cigarette. The state attorneys general around him, some of whom were state government officials, immediately pulled out their lighters.

Just as they were about to rush to light Lance's cigarette, Attorney General Terry pulled out his own lighter and lit it.

Everyone else quietly put away their lighters.

Lance smiled and shielded the flame on the lighter in Attorney General Terry's hand with his hand. In fact, this kind of kerosene lamp cord lighter wouldn't be blown out by the wind even if it wasn't shielded, but it was just a habit.

After taking two puffs and lighting his cigarette, he patted Attorney General Terry's hand to let him take the lighter away, then took another puff and quickly exhaled before finally taking a real inhale into his lungs.

The previous few puffs all had a kerosene taste, which is why Lance doesn't like this kind of kerosene lighter; it ruins his smoking experience.

Attorney General Terry put away his cigarette, looked at Lance, and Lance looked at him. They both couldn't help but laugh.

Those standing around them, though they didn't understand why these two important figures were laughing, also joined in the laughter, and for a moment the living room was filled with joyful laughter!

When the laughter subsided, Lance asked, "Will the results of this year's gubernatorial election be released before or after Saturn?"

Attorney General Terry will arrive immediately, "On October 15th, a week before Saint Farm."

"After all, Saint Farm is an important holiday, and it is unlikely that either the federal government or the state government would allow voters and people like us to have a tasteless Saint Farm."

Saint Farm holds a very important place in the Federation, second only to the Lunar New Year. Sometimes people even feel that the festive atmosphere of Saint Farm is better than that of New Year's Day.

There aren't many parades with floats on New Year's Day, but there are during the Sacred Farm Festival, along with many celebrations, agricultural product competitions, exhibitions, and so on, making it a very lively event.

Lance nodded. "Alright, if you don't have anything else to do for Saint Farm, let's go to Lawrence Farm together for the festival."

“I had a brief chat with Mayor Williams earlier, and we may have some new ideas. As the governor, I also need some of your advice.”

Attorney General Terry immediately realized that this might be a meeting about the formation of interest groups. He was from Likale, and the governorship was very likely the "pinnacle" of his political career.

Once he steps down from his position as governor, he will only have two options: either run for president or try to secure a seat in the Senate.

Whether it's running for president or trying to get into the Senate, he'll ultimately need Lance's help!
So he agreed without much thought, even though he knew that if he went to Lawrence Farm to attend the Saint Farm "party," he would be labeled as a "Lance lineage." He still decided to do it.

After all, this is a federal state, a federal system. The federal government only has the power to advise and guide within a state; they cannot determine the political landscape of a state!
"Okay, I will definitely go back. Can I bring my family with me?"

It was a very clever question, and Lance did not object. “Lawrence Farm has a lot of fun things to do. If your wife and children don’t have anything else to do, they can definitely go and have some fun, just like a vacation.”

"On the farm, they can ride horses, go hunting with cowboys, and do anything they can't do in the city. It's a lot of fun!"

Lance laughed as he mentioned that he also had a horse. "My first horse in the Federation was on the farm, but it was a bit unfamiliar with me. Even when I brought it carrots, it didn't really pay attention to me!"

This was clearly just casual conversation, since the important topic had already been covered, the atmosphere was so relaxed, and they didn't have any serious topics to discuss.

Everyone was chatting about happy things they knew, trying to create a pleasant atmosphere.

The meeting went very smoothly and successfully. Attorney General Terry invited Lance and his family to dinner, and the news of Lance's dinner with Attorney General Terry spread, effectively ending the last bit of suspense in the gubernatorial election.

(End of this chapter)