Shadow Empire

Chapter 987 Suspicion, Probing, and Counterattack

In addition to the people who went to trade with Christopher, Lance also sent a group of people to keep an eye on Christopher, find out what was going on around him, and prepare for some subsequent actions.

These people would observe Christopher's daily routine to see if he had any particular habits.

According to some members of the Pasreto family, Christopher maintained some rather unusual habits while in Goldenport.

For example, he must drink alcohol first and then smoke.

For example, he only goes to his own bar on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and goes to other people's bars at other times.

This is a habit that people themselves might not even be aware of. Some people like to keep everything in front of them neatly arranged, while others don't like their things in fixed places being messed up. These are all habits.

As long as a person has a habit, there will inevitably be some behavioral flaws.

While Lance's men were supervising Christopher, Christopher's men were also inquiring about the origins of these merchants.

"It's just because he thought one of these people looked familiar!" two members of the Sumuli gang complained as they drove towards the port. Beka was also by the sea, in a port city.

However, Becca's port resources are far inferior to those of Golden Harbor City, so the ships docked here are mostly transport ships from within the Federation.

There is also some ocean shipping, but the number is not very large.

The west coast has many ports that can accommodate international cargo ships, forming independent "nodes" to which goods from the surrounding areas are transported.

If you want to send a ship to Becca, which is further away, it's better to send it to Golden Harbor City. That's why there aren't many ships docked at the Becca pier.

This time, they are investigating the situation of one of the ships.

It's the middle of summer now, and the weather is unusually hot. Nowadays, cars don't have air conditioning or anything like that.

On the contrary, some of the heat generated by the internal combustion engine will diffuse into the cab.

This might not be a problem in winter; it won't cause any issues for the driver and passengers inside the car, and it can actually keep the space warm.

But it's summer!
The outside temperature of 36 or 37 degrees Celsius was already unbearable for the Federation people, and then the heat radiation from the engine raised the temperature of the car body by several degrees. The two of them were covered in sweat after sitting in the car for only a short time.

Even if they opened the windows and floored the gas pedal, the hot air couldn't bring them any comfort whatsoever.

The two men, covered in sweat, complained about Christopher's "meddling," but they did as he said because Christopher was now the "Boss."

After arriving at the dock and parking their car, the two found the customs officer there, a guy they recognized.

The large quantity of alcohol they transported from Sumuli certainly wouldn't just blindly pass through customs. They had already used various means to bypass customs checkpoints, and now any container marked with their logo could be released directly without inspection.

Therefore, they are very familiar with the customs officers here, since they have to give them money or something every now and then.

“I’d like to inquire about a ship,” the two said, pushing open the door to a customs officer’s office.

The customs officer immediately stood up. "Fuck, is there a problem that can't be discussed over the phone?"

"Do you really have to come to my office?"

As he spoke, he walked to the door, peeked out and looked at both sides of the corridor. After confirming that no one was there, he closed the door.

Although customs officials have been thoroughly corrupted by these people, it's impossible for everyone to get a share of the profits from them.

For those lowest-ranking customs officers, only a very small number of them can benefit from the Sumuli gang. Most of them are unaware of the situation or know some things but not in detail.

If they discover that the Sumuli people have swaggered into his room, rumors that people shouldn't know might start circulating at any time.

The official looked very displeased. After uttering a few angry words, he didn't invite the two men to sit down and talk, but just left them standing there. "Why couldn't you call me first?"

Both of them sat down on the sofa without any apparent embarrassment. One of them even started eating fruit from the fruit bowl on the coffee table, seemingly not feeling awkward or uncomfortable at all.

Another person said, "We need to come here for this. The boss asked you to help us investigate the registration information of a ship."

Only customs knows these things. After these ships dock, they will check the ship's registration information and other such things.

The official's eyes widened. "That's it?"

"Fake!"

He returned to his desk, saying that he really had nothing to say to these uncultured and ill-mannered gangsters.

He picked up the phone, dialed a number, and left with one last number undialed. He looked up at the two of them and asked, "What's the name of that ship?"

The guy who was eating fruit mumbled indistinctly, "The Freedom Potato."

The official looked at him like he was an idiot. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

The Sumuli man, holding fruit in his hand, was somewhat annoyed. "Fuck!"

"I'm not kidding you, that fucking ship is called that!"

The official dialed the last number with some skepticism. The call was quickly answered by a staff member in another office. He asked directly, "This is Office Seven. I saw a ship on the dock called something like 'Freedom Potato'?"

"What is the reason this ship entered the port, and where is it registered?"

It is currently wartime, and Golden Port City has been attacked, so the port is under strict management.

Even outside of wartime, the management is this strict; not all ships that arrive outside the Federation's port can directly enter the port.

They also need to apply for a berth, and they need to state their nationality and show some documents.

The staff member quickly reported the basic information, and the official then hung up the phone, looking at the two uninvited guests.

"This ship is registered under the name of Global Shipping Company in Xinjin City. I can't find more specific information about it, but the place of registration is Xinjin City."

"They will stay here for about a week, which should be about the right time. As for their next stop, I don't know, as that's not within the scope of our inspection."

As he spoke, he added, "By the way, their last stop was Jin Gang Wharf."

The two Sumuli men exchanged a glance, both seeing what they wanted in each other's eyes. They then stood up. "We'll tell the Boss how cooperative you are with us."

The official scoffed, "No need. Just call me next time you need anything, and I'll thank you!"

Seeing that the two were about to leave, he got up, walked to the door, opened it, and glanced outside to make sure there was no one else in the corridor before letting them leave.

As long as no one sees the two men enter his office, he can completely deny any connection between himself and the Sumuli gang in the simplest way possible—by denying it.

The two walked to the street outside customs, and one of them went into a roadside phone booth and then dialed Christopher.

"Their ship is registered in New Jin City, but its previous stop was Jin Port Wharf."

Christopher on the other end of the phone said, "I understand," and hung up.

He stood up as he put down the phone, and couldn't help pacing back and forth a few steps. Could it be someone from Lance or Francisco?

He instinctively didn't want these people to come from Golden Harbor City, but he didn't dare to risk ignoring these potentially dangerous factors. So he summoned a few more people and asked them to keep an eye on what the group did before they left.

If these people are Lance's or Francisco's men, it means he's very likely been exposed, and he'll have no choice but to return to Sumuli Island sooner rather than later, even though he doesn't want to go back now. When they asked him to come to Sumuli Island, he was extremely unwilling, as if it were some kind of terrifying place.

But once he arrived, he didn't want to leave.

People say the Federation is paradise, a paradise for the rich. Here, as long as you have money, you can do whatever you want. The rich never have any troubles.

On the contrary, Sumuli Island, a place that has been mythologized in the hearts of the Sumuli people, exudes a sense of decay everywhere!
After he arranged for someone to do it, he turned and looked at the sky full of white clouds, praying in his heart that these people must have nothing to do with Lance or Francisco.

At the same time, he made a decision: he would no longer meet with those merchants in person, not even for large-scale trade!

Too dangerous!

For the next few days, Christopher's men kept a close watch on the businessman, almost never leaving his side.

Fortunately, they didn't have any other tasks. These people spent their days eating, drinking, and having fun. Their casual gangster attitude made Christopher lower his guard a little. It seemed that these people really didn't have any problems.

But this did not completely reassure Christopher. After much deliberation, he approached the police chief of Becca Police Department.

They did have dealings; after all, as the largest gang to invade the local area, the police station couldn't possibly avoid dealing with the Sumuli people.

They had always been enemies, and the police chief disliked the gangs in the city, but on the issue of dealing with outsiders, he stood on the same side as the local gangs.

However, he was later persuaded.

Christopher persuaded him with a combination of sincerity and threats, and after his three children each received a threatening letter containing a check and a bullet, he abandoned his campaign against the Sumuri people.

In the eyes of the Federation people, Sumuli's most famous specialty is not their coffee, their pizza, their tobacco, or their brandy.

It was their gangster gunmen!
In some people's memories, these people would appear in groups of three or five, suddenly appear in front of their target, draw their guns and fire, then casually throw away their weapons and turn to leave.

The whole process only lasts about twenty or thirty seconds. Before people can even react, they've already done everything and disappeared.

Previously, Lance's development in Golden Port City attracted the attention of Paul and the other five major families, partly due to the similarities between Lance's style and that of the Sumuli people.

They are equally decisive, cold-blooded, and ruthless, eliminating their opponents and leaving in a very short time. Even if people know who did it, it is difficult to catch them in the act.

Those discarded pistols were also a form of self-protection.

If there are no fingerprints or serial numbers on the handgun, it is very difficult to find the person who fired it through these stolen guns.

Because the guns were already at the scene.

On the contrary, if these guns are taken away, and if people find evidence related to the guns in the future, they can accuse the person who owns them.

While some more legitimate gangs might re-rifle, not all gangs do this; they don't place much importance on it.

Therefore, the Sumuli people still held a certain degree of influence and status in the underground world during this era, and they were also very organized as a team.

Faced with Christopher's threats, the police chief had no choice but to compromise. He dared not gamble with his three children, his wife, and his own life on the fact that Christopher wouldn't dare to lay a hand on him.

He made the right bet. Christopher dared to kill even his own uncle, who loved him dearly. Although he regrets it now, he will definitely take action if the police chief continues to target him.

He made a phone call to the police chief, who reluctantly agreed.

There's actually no real conflict between them right now. On the contrary, Christopher often gives him money, so their relationship is actually quite good.

However, as the police chief, he felt somewhat embarrassed and annoyed that he had to obey the gang leader, so most of the time he would speak briefly as if he were throwing a tantrum.

A few minutes later, two police cars drove out of the police station, this time led by a deputy sheriff. They were going to raid the people Christopher had mentioned and check their identities.

The federal government doesn't actually have anything like ID cards, so there's no way to check. However, the police have their own methods—checkbooks.

The world has not yet entered the information age, so there is no such thing as cross-bank deposits and withdrawals.

Even if you deposit money in a bank in the Imperial District of Golden Harbor City, you can't withdraw it in the Port District; you have to deposit or withdraw it at the savings bank where you opened the account.

As for interbank transfers, it takes at least a week for the entire banking system to complete a transaction.

For things like interbank transfers, you need to plan two weeks or even a month in advance, otherwise it will be too late.

Each region's checkbooks have their own unique numbering system. For example, checkbooks in New Gold City often start with "11", while those in cities next to New Gold City start with "12".

By checking the numbers on these checks, you can find out which areas they usually live in. This trick works very well!
With the cooperation of Christopher's men, the police quickly located their room and then raided it.

When the police rushed into Hu Si's room, the other people in the room stood up and stared at the police with hostile eyes.

For these "big thieves," the police not only don't instill fear, but may even ignite their ferocity.

Perhaps sensing that a gunfight was imminent, the deputy sheriff immediately identified himself and stated his purpose: "Someone reported you to be recruiting here."

Prostitution, which involves helping girls in need, is a crime in the federal government, even though there are many legitimate red-light districts here.

But the law is the law. Although it is often not enforced, these legal provisions must exist when someone needs them as a basis for action.

The leader had all the doors opened, saying, "There are no women here. You must have received a fake emergency call."

The police pretended to search the room, but finding no woman, they then asked to check the people's belongings.

With the attitude of "better to avoid trouble," these people did not resist. The police then checked their belongings, but unfortunately, they did not find the checkbook.

Because cross-bank and cross-regional deposits and withdrawals are not yet possible, they did not carry checkbooks at all, and did not even have much cash.

The police eventually left the room after apologizing.

This time, Devon was leading the team. Although Devon was a sadist, he was very thoughtful.

This is peculiar, as most sadists are more focused than the average person, possibly due to some kind of personality problem.

God gave them these problems, but also gave them compensation that others didn't have.

After closing the door, Dale checked their belongings and left the hotel, going to a nearby phone booth to make a call.

This made the people monitoring him feel somewhat frustrated; if he used the hotel's phone, he would definitely be tapped.

But he was using the one outside the hotel, and even if they went to the telegraph office now, it would probably be too late.

"...The local police just searched our room and our belongings, and then left. I feel like they might have some suspicions about us."

After listening to his story, Lance smiled. "Christopher is much smarter than before. It proves that adversity can really toughen a person up!"

“Here’s what you do: call him directly, yell at him, tell him what he did to the police, and then tell him that this matter won’t be left like this.”

Devon hesitated for a moment, "Won't this allow him to escape?"

Lance chuckled a few times. "He's become much smarter than before, so he definitely won't run away."

"He won't run away; he'll stay there."

Lance had a good grasp of Christopher's mindset; Christopher wouldn't run away unless he was one of Lance and Francisco's men!
(End of this chapter)