Empire of Shadows

The influence of movies among the younger generation is growing, and inviting celebrities to film various recruitment ads is a proven result.

Although Lance didn’t quite understand the logic behind “celebrities look beautiful/handsome in military uniform, I want to be a soldier too,” it was clear that the Department of Defense had found the right key!

More and more teenagers, under the slogan of those dazzling celebrities “I want to protect my home and my country,” signed up in a fit of passion.

War is never a romantic thing. Lance actually very much disliked some directors and screenwriters who wrote war into a very romantic affair.

This would have a terrible misleading effect on teenagers, making them mistakenly think that war is a very romantic and not a dangerous thing.

However, although he hated it, he could not change anything. The rulers still needed more cheap, and even low-level soldiers who did not even know why they were giving their lives.

As long as they still had such a demand, these creations would never stop.

Lance disliked these people.

A few celebrities who were walking towards him also noticed Lance. Lance was very handsome, and with his current high position, he exuded a kind of temperament that other celebrities did not have, a kind of leadership temperament that made people want to get close to him.

This may be a bit of an exaggeration to say, but it is also a fact!This leadership temperament on him might not be so attractive to older people, but for these young celebrities of the same age, it made them want to get to know Lance.

“Are you also invited to shoot a poster?” a beautiful girl showed a smile. She waved her nimble fingers and greeted Lance.

Lance noticed that the man by her side looked at him with a not-so-friendly look in his eyes. It was obvious that a beautiful girl was always one of the potential causes of conflict.

He didn’t really want to answer this question, and he wasn’t interested in these people. They were just accomplices of the Department of Defense in sending those ignorant teenagers to the battlefield!

So Lance just smiled at them, without even stopping his steps.

The big boy by the girl’s side, seeing this, a trace of displeasure flashed in his eyes. They were very popular recently, and their fame was very high.

In addition, the propaganda of the Department of Defense had given them a greater influence in society. On the contrary, he did not know who Lance was at all. Lance’s ignorance made him feel that he had lost face.

At the same time, he also wanted to show off in front of his female companion. He immediately, while trying to stop Lance, said, “Helen is asking you a question!”

Just as he was about to block Lance’s way, the military officer by Lance’s side directly pressed his chest and gave him a push. “Back off!”

At the same time, his other hand was already on his holster.

His expression was serious, as if he would really draw his gun and shoot if this idiot in front of him made any excessive moves.

Lance just glanced at him, shook his head slightly, and continued to walk forward. He had no time to play childish games with these young people.

The male celebrity who had been pushed back had an ugly look on his face, but he also knew that this was the Department of Defense. Even if it was just a major, it was not someone he could casually provoke.

And the other party was also ready to shoot. He had to slowly raise his hands. In front of the girl he admired, he showed the most defeated scene in his life.

It wasn’t until he confirmed that Lance had walked some distance away that the officer relaxed his guard, and after warning the male celebrity a few words, he straightened his attire and left.

Lance was a distinguished guest of the Department of Defense. Both the minister and the undersecretary had said that they must ensure Lance’s safety in the Department of Defense.

Seeing the officer walk far away, the male celebrity pursed his lips and said, “What’s so great about that?”

The girl by his side sighed. “That was a major. To be able to use a major as an ordinary guard or the like, his backing must be at least a general.”

The girl shook her head. “A general can easily make you disappear from the Federation, you know?”

“Also, I’ll say it again. We’re not that close. Don’t call me Helen. You have to call me ‘ma’am’ or ‘miss’.”

The undisguised look on her face, as if she were looking at garbage, made the young male celebrity a little hurt.

He had a good face and a good body, which just happened to fit the aesthetic of this era.

If it weren’t for the booming development of movies, if it weren’t for the fact that he had run into a film crew that was shooting a scene when he was shoveling cow dung, perhaps now he would still be in the countryside, wearing a yellowed white shirt, denim overalls, and big rubber shoes, wiping his sweat while dealing with the heavy work on the farm.

She continued to walk forward, while the male celebrity’s face changed back and forth. In the end, he summarized this failure as “the ancestors were not hardworking enough.” If his ancestors had worked hard and become a big landowner with tens of thousands of slaves, would he still have to face such an embarrassing situation today and be unable to fight back?

Damn ancestors not working hard, making this descendant bear a huge pressure!

The male celebrity cursed in his heart, and after chasing a few steps, “Wait for me…”

For Lance, this was just a small interlude, a small interlude in his life. He wouldn’t even care, nor would he take it to heart.

Soon, under the guidance of the military officer, he came to the bidding conference room. There were already many people here. He saw the grim-faced Mr. Richard, the smiling Mr. Joseph who nodded at him, and also other gentlemen he hadn’t seen in the morning.

They were all here to participate in the bidding. The provisions of the “Procurement Act” were still commendable in some aspects. At least it allowed the federal government, the Department of Defense, these departments with some procurement capabilities, to skillfully master the fact of “more hidden corruption”!

Many people did not know that before the bidding had even begun, the result was already out.

Not only was it already out, but it might have been out for half a month in advance.

They were destined to get nothing. This was also why capital liked to erode power—

It could bring unimaginable returns!

Lance found a place to sit down. As time slowly disappeared, the people also sat back in their proper seats.

A very simple bidding process. People handed over the documents that had been sealed according to the requirements to the staff. This was a very simple process.

Lance noticed that the Undersecretary did not mention the matter of “franchise.” It should be to avoid an impossible situation, so that he could still have a card up his sleeve.

The Undersecretary did not talk about much, but just said some of the selection rules, and how to know if you had won the bid.

The Department of Defense had always been used to being domineering. He didn’t even mention public announcement or the like.

After the last bid was taken away, the entire bidding process was considered over. Because these bids needed to be “reviewed and evaluated,” everyone needed to wait for a week.

After the dismissal, some people wanted to chat with Lance. Before, they didn’t know who Lance was. Under Mr. Joseph’s strong praise, many of the people who were destined to be runners-up all knew who Lance was.

Lance directly declined their invitation to go out and chat, and went straight back to the hotel.

He sat behind his desk and thought for a moment, and then picked up the phone.

He hadn’t brought many people with him to Golden Port City this time. Elvin had been left behind on the Golden Port City side.

The call was quickly answered, and his (Elvin’s) voice came from the receiver. “This is Wanli Group…”

“Check a few things.”

Hearing Lance’s voice, Elvin immediately focused his attention. “You speak.”

“First thing, find out some of the situation of Gold Label Distillery.”

“Where is their largest factory, which are their main distributors in Likalai State, and also their past sales channels in the surrounding areas.”

“And also the warehouses under their name. Let Vaughn check this. He knows.”

Elvin interjected, “Are you planning to make a move on Gold Label Distillery?”

Lance did not deny it. “Their president provoked me. Let’s find out their situation first.”

“Should we kill him?” Elvin asked.

“Not for now, but we can’t let him be too comfortable.”

“Second thing, check on the Gutter Winery (the winery company behind Mr. Joseph), roughly the same information.”

“That’s all you have to do for now,” he paused, “Is everything okay at home?”

Although Lance couldn’t see Elvin, he could feel that he should be smiling as he answered this question. “Very good, except that the revenue from the casino side is still continuously decreasing, the sales of liquor have had a significant increase.”

“People’s demand for alcohol has become greater, just as you said.”

“In addition, I’ve heard some news. You might be interested.”

“What news?”

Elvin organized his thoughts. “There’s a guy who owes us money. He can’t pay it back. He said he wants to exchange a piece of news for us to let him go.”

Lance couldn’t help but ask, “How much does he owe?”

“And how much is his news worth?”

The guy Elvin was talking about was a guy who often gambled in the casino. He had wins and losses, but overall, the more he gambled, the less money he had.

He had lost a lot of money in the casino, and had borrowed several times, for a total of several tens of thousands. Now he couldn’t pay it back.

The person in charge of debt collection had gone to his side and had found that he could basically not squeeze out much money now.

Owing money to the casino, owing money to Lance, was actually not terrible, as long as you were willing to work.

Lance would arrange a job for them. Even if the money they owed could not be paid back in a lifetime, it didn’t matter. They would work for Lance for a lifetime!

It was just that most of the people who could lose so much money, who could owe so much money, were not the kind of people who could do physical labor down-to-earth.

After working for a period of time and really couldn’t stand it, they wanted to run away, but were held down.

According to the company’s regulations, he either had to hand over the money he owed the company, or he would become a cripple and then be thrown out.

This was also a method for the company to deter some people. Outside the casino, you could always see groups of cripples begging there.

Some of them had once been like the big spenders who went in and out of the casino, and were the guests of honor at the casino.

This guy naturally also knew the rules of the casino. He didn’t want to become a cripple, so he had revealed the information he had.

“He still owes the company a little over five thousand. He said he knows where a stronghold of the Holy Bell Party is.”

Lance thought for a moment. “This news, and then have him go and work for another two years, or we can find a way to make him take the initiative to say it. Let him choose!”

(End of a Chapter)