Empire of Shadows

Humans are not necessarily the first animals in nature to learn how to use tools, but they are definitely the first species to develop a high-level civilized society.

Through science, weapons, and some other things, humans have already stood at the very top of the food chain!

Even if the physical qualities of humans are not as good as those predators in nature, humans are still at the top of the food chain!

But, sometimes, even though humans are already at the top, there are still people who aspire to be dogs.

It sounds a bit ridiculous. What’s more ridiculous is that sometimes, you want to be a dog, but you may not even get the chance!

Paul’s words shattered the last illusions of some people. They fantasized that as long as they were also willing to prostrate themselves, and willing to wag their tails and bark a few times around a new master, they could have a bright and beautiful future.

They won’t participate anymore, won’t fight against the mayor, this outsider. They surrender, is that not enough?

As long as there is a way out, people can often persuade themselves to choose what they may not want to choose, and cannot make the most decisive and resolute decision.

Until this moment, Paul shattered their hopes, shattered their retreat path of unwillingness to fight.

Those who are qualified to be dogs have already received invitations.And those who have not received any invitations don’t even have the qualification to be a dog.

The bloodier the words, the more real they are. Silence at this moment became the only theme in the room.

Without a way out, it seemed that confrontation was the only choice left. The momentum of those who were originally somewhat wavering was changing, the change that Paul and the other two major families wanted.

After two minutes, the atmosphere was so heavy it was almost solidifying. Lance frowned slightly.

He was here to listen to what they were going to do, not to watch Paul play mind games here. Everyone’s time is very precious!

He raised his hand and tapped on the table. The bang-bang sound of tapping the wooden table drew people’s attention to his hand.

At the same time, the heavy atmosphere also relaxed a little, not as suffocating as before.

The ruby ring reflected a magnificent glow. Lance withdrew his hand, “Paul, what do you plan to do?”

Paul glanced at Lance, leaned back in his chair, “I heard a piece of news. Dale, that old dog, is about to step up the investigation of smuggled liquor, mainly targeting us.”

“They plan to cut off our main source of funds, and then let those gangs that have already become their running dogs grow rapidly, and then come to eradicate us.”

“So, before they succeed in this, we must fight for more living space for ourselves!”

Someone was already very impatient. Bad news came one after another, “Mr. Pasoretto, say something meaningful. You are not a politician, there is no need to beat around the bush with us!”

Immediately, someone chimed in. Not everyone could understand these things. They only knew that now they seemed to have no way out.

Paul glanced at that person. If it were at the peak of the Five Families, would such a small character dare to interrupt his speech like this?

This was actually also reminding him of a cruel fact: the influence and deterrent power of the Pasoretto family were rapidly declining.

Alberto, sitting next to Lance, asked him, “What do you think of this problem?”

Lance’s ten fingers were interlaced, his arms resting on the armrests of the chair, his two hands thus resting in the position on his legs, but without any connection to his legs.

“We are no match for the mayor.” His one sentence made Alberto frown.

He originally thought that Lance would say something like there was still hope, but he didn’t expect that as soon as he opened his mouth, it was as if he had already seen the end.

Alberto asked with some dissatisfaction, “We have so many people here. Even if the Kodak family and Cassia stand on their side, and some small and medium-sized gangs, at least for now, the Bay Area is still on our side.”

“In terms of strength, there is not much of a gap between us!”

Lance glanced at him, “I thought you would be a little smarter.”

Alberto took a few seconds to react, “Were you just mocking me?”

Lance waved his hand, “No, just a letdown.”

He didn’t believe it and looked at the person next to him, “Did you hear that?”

“Was he just mocking me?”

The person next to him said very seriously, “No, I didn’t hear it.”

“Alright, whether you were mocking me or not, you tell me why.”

Lance lit a cigarette. Many people were smoking at the scene, and the room was filled with smoke, “Because our opponent is the mayor. He can maintain a balance with the forces of this city in a place where he has absolutely no advantage.”

“When he has the advantage, do you think you can also maintain a balance?”

Alberto looked thoughtful, “Why not ‘we’?”

He was catching the small loophole in Lance’s words. Lance smiled and didn’t discuss this with him, “We lack decisive power, Alberto.”

“As long as the mayor is not dead for a day, he can exert his power as the legally defined ruler of this city to target us at all times.”

“Unless someone dares to kill him, only then can everything possibly end, but it could also get worse!”

Alberto asked Lance for a cigarette. He exhaled a puff with some gloom, “Why?”

“Because the rulers have discovered that some of the mud-legged people in Golden Port are trying to get rid of the rule of the rulers. It’s like a manager of one of your bars suddenly leaves you and goes it alone. What would you do?”

Alberto still said in a muffled voice, “I would hang him.”

“See, do I need to say more?”

He was a little unconvinced, “So we can only admit defeat?”

Lance shook his head and didn’t continue. He could only say that the mayor was willing to go all out.

In fact, most of them only knew that Councilman Wade was leaving, but they didn’t know how many personal connections and relationships the mayor had used behind the scenes.

He was determined to completely take down Golden Port, and it was already very difficult for anyone to stop him!

As for the future?

Who knows?

During the time they were talking, some people in the conference room were also able to understand this point. When the official power could not compete with the mayor, they would begin to fall into a disadvantage.

Just as there were signs of another uproar here, Paul decisively slapped the table, making everything become quiet again.

He looked around and said, “I didn’t call you here to let you quarrel. Actually, we are not without a way. I need to introduce you to a new friend.”

As he spoke, he stood up. The other two major family members next to him also stood up. The side door of the conference room was suddenly opened, and an old man with silver-white hair, who looked to be in his sixties, walked in from outside under the protection of two bodyguards.

Someone immediately exclaimed, “Councilman Williams?”

One after another, people began to stand up. Lance also stood up.

Councilman Williams looked very “kind.” If it weren’t for his hooked nose making his features look a bit stiff, and his smile looking a bit like a malicious one, then he would have looked very kind.

He raised his hand, constantly nodding and acknowledging the people at the conference table. Then, the boss of the Tita family, Sariford Tita, moved aside a position and gave it to Paul.

And Paul’s main seat was given to Councilman Williams.

“Hello everyone, it’s great to see you all here.”

“Some of us have met before and have had dealings. There are also some new faces. We can talk separately later!” He walked to Paul’s former position and didn’t sit down directly, but said this.

It is undeniable that although his appearance is very hard, he is indeed very approachable when he speaks. This is a skill that politicians must master.

Councilman Wade was also very approachable when he spoke. In fact, the mayor was also very approachable. Lance had been in contact with him before, and he had even taken the initiative to invite Lance to join his camp.

So affability is a core element that a successful politician must master!

“It was the step-by-step pressing of an outsider that made us sit here today.”

“At the same time, it was also Wade’s betrayal of this city that made us gather together today.”

“I don’t want to mention that bastard much. Mentioning him gives me a stomachache, so we won’t mention him today.”

As he spoke, he propped his hands on the table and slowly sat down, “What we are going to talk about today is how to solve the current dilemma.”

“Before that, I would like to ask, does anyone have any brilliant ideas?”

“Don’t mention those messy ideas. We want something that is executable, not reckless.”

Everyone closed their mouths. Councilman Williams, like Councilman Wade, also had a lot of weight and influence in people’s minds.

Lance also closed his mouth and quietly looked at him.

Seeing that everyone was not speaking, Councilman Williams nodded slightly, “Very good, then I will talk about my thoughts.”

“If you have been reading the newspaper, you should have noticed that the whole world is about to become chaotic. The party has already started to discuss some possibilities in case of a war.”

“Golden Port, as the largest port in the northern hemisphere, is very important in terms of geographical location.”

“The closer the clouds of war get to us, the less chaotic this place can be. The eyes of the masters in Congress are all on this place.”

“Sidney may have some connections in Likalai State, but in Congress, in the eyes of those big shots, a mayor and a city councilman are actually not much different.”

“And I also have people behind me, in the state government, in Congress, there are people.”

“This has created the basis for our cooperation. We don’t want Sidney to become the true master of this city. It should belong to everyone present, not outsiders!”

After he finished speaking, Lance clearly felt that the morale in the room had risen a little again. Councilman Williams was indeed a seasoned politician. He knew how to communicate with all kinds of people.

He paused for about ten seconds to allow people to fully interpret and understand the meaning of his words.

Then he continued, “So, we need to make this city chaotic!”

Looking at those astonished, confused, and unbelievable gazes, Councilman Williams’s smile was still so kind, without any impatience of having a meeting with fools.

His gaze swept across the faces of those people because for the next period of time, he would have to work with these fools.

If it weren’t for Wade betraying this city, how could he have to work with this group of fools?

The thought of it made him nauseous, but the more it was like this, the more he would not easily show that he minded these dead rats in the sewer at all. On the contrary, he exuded an almost overflowing kindness.

Until his gaze fell on Lance. The two’s gazes met. This time it was his turn to be a little astonished because Lance was as calm at this moment as if he hadn’t heard what he had just said.

Is this person too stupid to understand what he said, or is he too smart to have already figured something out?

Councilman Williams decided to ask Paul later who this person was. But for now, what he needed to do was to clear up the confusion in people’s minds.

“Once this city becomes chaotic, Congress will begin to pay attention. I will withstand the pressure and have the people behind me come forward to solve our troubles. As long as he withstands the pressure, then Sidney will definitely be severely criticized by Congress!”

“The stability of Golden Port has become the top priority. Whoever can restore the stability of Golden Port will be more important to Congress!”

“Gentlemen, this is an opportunity. We are not just fighting against that son of a b—tch Sidney… sorry, I swore.”

“This is also an opportunity for you to show your muscles to the higher-ups!”

Lance noticed that Paul’s eyes were shining, and the people from the Sariford and Keane families next to him were also shining!

They obviously knew more!

He knew it. The appearance of Councilman Williams was actually not that simple.

“Political struggle has always existed. What I have said may still be a bit too complicated for you, but you just need to know.”

“If someone supports Sidney, then there must be someone who opposes him. What we need to do is to give those who oppose him a reason to attack him, an excuse, anything.”

“At the same time, it can also give those who support us a reason to strongly support us!”

“As long as we can do this, even if Wade leaves, on the level of real strength, we can still compete with him!”

“Actually, there are still eighteen months, gentlemen. After eighteen months, he will have to leave with his regrets, and this city will still belong to us!”

The resolute words made people seem to be able to already see the pathetic picture of the mayor being driven out. Smiles also appeared on people’s faces.

Alberto was also smiling. He nudged Lance with his elbow, “What do you think of what Mr. Williams said?”

“It’s pretty good. This might be the only way now.”

“This way I don’t have to prepare to run.”

“Run?!”

Alberto looked at Lance in shock, “You didn’t tell me about this!”

Lance tilted his head and said in a low voice, “I told you, we had no hope just now. If it weren’t for Wade leaving so decisively, we could have dragged it out until the mayor left.”

“Although it’s only a year and a half, this can allow him to grasp the core power of this city. We have no other good way besides running.”

“But now…” he gestured towards Councilman Williams, “I hope the people behind him are reliable!”

Then Lance took the initiative to raise his hand, “Councilman Williams, what kind of chaos are you talking about, and to what extent?”

“Allowing your men to loot on the streets is a kind of chaos, destroying the production of factories is a kind of chaos, and completely dismantling the city’s order is also a kind of chaos. What do you want, and what can we do?”

Councilman Williams looked at Lance, “And you are?”

Paul immediately introduced him by his side, “This young man is Lance, Lance White. You should have heard of this name.”

Councilman Williams immediately showed a look of sudden realization. Whether he had really heard of it or not, but for Lance, his expression gave him a certain degree of pleasure.

This was like “even the president has heard of your great name,” which could give one a sense of honor.

Councilman Williams then said, “I’ve heard of you. You’ve done a good job on the docks.”

“The topics that the president and Congress are discussing recently are also related to you.”

“About the problem of illegal immigration.”

After he finished speaking, he listened for a while and then brought the topic back to the original problem, “The question Lance raised is very meaningful. This chaos has certain requirements.”

“We want this city to attract attention because its internal security and riots have affected its operation, but we can’t let the riots turn into a rebellion. That would not be good for either of us.”

“I’ll give you a few ideas.”

“I heard that the mayor’s side has also recruited some gangs. Then go to war with them, and make a bigger scene.”

“Burn down some of their buildings, warehouses, and have a few more people die.”

“Let people live in fear, affecting the daily work of the city. Do it a few more times, and Congress will notice.”

“As the mayor, he will inevitably be the first person responsible!”

A simple but very practical strategy. At this special and critical moment, the largest port city absolutely cannot be chaotic.

Once it’s chaotic, it must be the mayor’s responsibility. The connections Councilman Williams can find will have a reason and an excuse to attack the mayor, which can force the mayor back to the negotiating table.

Simple, effective, is the best way.

When people have a direction, they have motivation and drive. Then everyone prepared to leave to do their own things.

To have a gang do construction, that’s probably something they can’t do.

But to have them do destructive things, that’s too easy!

As Lance was about to leave, Paul called him back. Councilman Williams wanted to see him.

Although Lance didn’t quite know why Councilman Williams wanted to see him, he was also willing to communicate with such a guy.

Soon, in a suite in the hotel, Lance met Councilman Williams.

“Please, sit.”

Councilman Williams was pouring wine, “Whiskey or brandy?”

There was wine in the suite. Everyone knew that, including the Bureau of Hazardous Materials.

Just as they also knew that the masters in Congress were all drinking, never shying away from it, but they would also never go to find trouble with the masters in Congress.

No one would be so foolish as to find trouble with the Summit Hotel. There was an even bigger monster behind it!

“Whiskey, not too much.”

Councilman Williams brought the wine glass to him and placed it on the coffee table, “I heard you have a strong control over the dockworkers?”

“Even the dockworkers’ union is not as good as you?”

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