Empire of Shadows

In a room, the guys who looked more like politicians or big shots than gangsters suddenly burst into laughter.

The gentleman holding the phone looked particularly embarrassed. He was a bit on the thin side, with some bags under his eyes, and his skin was dark, but not the dark of a dark-skinned person.

He raised his eyebrows, which created some forehead lines.

It is worth mentioning that he had a slicked-back hairstyle, and he had a nice “M”-shaped hairline, which made his face look like a heart.

He put the phone back on its base, then shrugged, sat down in the chair behind him, crossed his legs, and placed his hands on his legs, his ten fingers intertwined but not clasped. “Alright, if you want to laugh, then laugh your fill!”

Originally, everyone had already stopped laughing, but with his words, the gentlemen started laughing again, and even he himself was infected by their laughter and couldn’t help but laugh along.

“How many years has it been since someone has spoken to me like that?” he laughed so hard that tears were streaming down his face.

Ever since the Perez family had established their status in the Federation, as long as they stated their family name, not to mention the political world, even the gangster world had to give them some face.

After all, this was the Perez family, known for their ferocity and power.

If the five major families of Golden Port City were five powerful gangs that had fought their way out through one firefight after another in the city, then the five major families of the Federation represented the peak of the Federation’s gangster power!The tentacles of each family spanned multiple states. They were no longer just simple gangs. They also had a large number of legal and legitimate businesses, spread across various industries.

A super-combination of politics, economy, and gangs!

A special product of this twisted era!

The guy who had called Lance was a direct member of the Perez family. His status in the gang was in the top ten, and he was a cousin of the current head of the Perez family.

They were all very close. They had grown up together, had experienced many things together, and they also had a relatively close blood relationship.

As long as you didn’t do something stupid that harmed everyone’s interests, even if your personality was not so good, everyone could tolerate it.

Not to mention, this guy had actually been doing quite well, and for them, he was also a good guy.

The guy sitting behind the desk was the executor of the Perez family, also known as the head of the family, “Frank Perez,” a guy who looked very stylish.

“Bob…” he was looking at the guy with the heart-shaped face who had called Lance, “don’t you think it’s very interesting?”

“Just as you said, it’s been many years since anyone has dared to do this. He must have his backing.”

“I hear that the people on the Likalai State side have been messing with Cleveland and his group recently. Are they these people?”

Another guy in the room frowned. “If they are messing with Cleveland and his group, it’s not a good thing for us. Their power in Congress is still growing. If we can’t find someone to back us up, this matter will become a bit tricky.”

Bob turned and sat in his chair, looking back at the guy who was speaking. That was their brother, and at the same time, a lawyer.

His professional ability was impeccable. With the help of the family’s resources, he had graduated from an Ivy League institution and then had joined the Gold Diamond Law Firm.

Now he had left the firm and had established his own, to help the family solve some of the judicial problems.

After all, hiring those lawyers cost a lot of money, and some things were not suitable for outsiders to know. Having a lawyer with a blood relationship was much more convenient.

To become an outstanding lawyer is a very difficult thing, but to be a so-so one is much simpler.

“Trouble?”

“How much trouble can it be?”

Bob’s face showed no reverence for Senator Cleveland and his group. They also had senators behind them, and not just one or two, but a whole small political group.

Perhaps the market for their political spokespersons was not so good, but it wouldn’t be too bad either.

After all, what is compared in Congress is the number of votes, the number of seats, the approval rating, not who has the harder fist.

As long as they have enough people on their side, even if they are not so strong, or are even on a downward slope, they will not be afraid of anyone.

In a two-choice vote, a change in a person’s position is a result of plus one minus one. The gap will increase by two.

Frank raised his hand and pressed it down. “Alright, don’t argue over someone else’s business.”

“First, we have to investigate who is causing trouble, and then teach them a lesson.”

Bob turned around and looked at Frank. “Do you believe what he said?”

He was referring to what Lance had said, that this matter had nothing to do with him.

Frank nodded. “I’m not very clear about what kind of person he is, but for a gangster to be able to make it to Golden State and still have connections with a senator, he can’t be a person who doesn’t even dare to admit what he has done!”

“So I believe him. Someone is provoking a conflict between us.”

Bob was silent for a moment. In fact, he also knew.

When Lance said that this matter was not his doing, his reason and instinct had told him that Lance was not lying.

But the problem now was not where the wine had gone, and who had done it, but a matter of face.

Or rather, this Mr. Bob, including the other members of the Perez family, were a little too arrogant. They felt that since the Perez family had already called Lance, then Lance should have lowered his stance and promised and guaranteed to them in a low voice.

To guarantee that this matter was absolutely not his doing, and to promise that he would find the people who had really implemented these plans as soon as possible, and to find the wine they had lost.

This was a normal process, and it was also what would happen when they encountered trouble in the past so many years.

It was definitely not something like pushing away the responsibility as soon as they came up and telling them that without Lance’s consent, even the Perez family’s wine was not allowed to enter Likalai State!

His tough attitude had provoked Bob, which was why the two sides had a direct confrontation, and in the end, they had parted on bad terms.

They wanted Lance’s explanation, promise, and a bow of the head, but what they had not expected was a punch from Lance!

Bob didn’t like Lance’s attitude. He didn’t feel that he was respected.

But in fact, they all knew, including Frank, but he said nothing.

Bob had done a lot of things for the family, had been injured, had suffered losses, and had been beaten. They had not always been smooth sailing, and had also experienced ups and downs and hardships.

So in Frank’s view, there was no need to, for a possibly a little strong minor character, to create a rift between his brother and himself.

He could have clearly pressed the stop button at the very beginning and not let any conflict or disagreement arise between the two sides, but he had not done so.

Because he had always regarded them as the strong side, and Lance as the weak side, and in the end, they would be the ones to win, not Lance.

So this was like a small adjustment in an ordinary life. He could already foresee the “future.”

One day in the future, Lance would bow his head in front of him and beg for his forgiveness!

Who would refuse such a small pleasure in life?

Frank stroked his hair. “Originally, the matter of investigating who was behind this was to be left to Lance and his group, but… Bob, this matter is yours.”

“I believe this matter will not be so difficult.”

“They still have to use us to deal with Lance and his men, which means he is weaker than us, and it is possible that he can’t even handle the Lance Family.”

“Check who Lance and his group have had conflicts with recently. Find some that have not been settled. It should be one of them.”

Bob nodded. “No problem. This is easy to handle.”

He hesitated for a moment. “Then Lance’s side?”

Frank had a smile on his face. He raised his eyebrows and looked down. He was playing with a small accessory in his hand. “Young people are ignorant. It’s normal to be impulsive, but he has to pay the price for it.”

“We have all been young, and we have all made mistakes, and we have all learned a lesson from it, and have kept it in our hearts.”

“I hope he can also understand how to give us the necessary respect!”

Gangs are not politicians, not capitalists. They have their own code of conduct and style.

Sometimes they will attack because “this person looked at me for too long,” or it is possible that because “I heard someone say you were talking bad about me behind my back,” they will kill someone.

For a gang, if they don’t bite people, they will be bitten by others.

The gentlemen in the room also became much more serious. Bob stood up, shook his shoulders to make his clothes fit better, and then bowed slightly. “As you wish, Frank!”

Only then did Frank move his gaze from the pure gold coin in his hand back to the people in front of him, but that gold coin was still flipping back and forth between his fingers.

In the evening, some unexpected things happened. Many people knew that the Lance Family, in Likalai State, had “confiscated” the Perez family’s wine worth over a million, and had also killed their drivers.

This matter began to ferment rapidly in a very short period of time. Frank had already received several phone calls, all asking about this matter.

They asked if there was any misunderstanding between him and Lance, and if mediation was needed. Some people were willing to step in and help with this, for free, but both sides would owe him a favor.

Some people also asked him if he wanted to make a move on Lance. If he needed help, these people could provide some help, whether in terms of force, or in other aspects.

And the price was that the market of Likalai State had to be shared with them.

Some people also asked him if he had a way to get the business license in Lance’s hands. If he could get it, the price was up to him.

Everyone seemed to be a curious baby, and everyone had countless questions.

Those matters were clearly confidential, and he also believed that Lance would not be so stupid as to publicize them everywhere. But in such a situation, in a very short period of time, it had become known to almost everyone.

And he had become very troublesome now.

Because of people’s speculations and evaluations, some people felt that the Perez family might not dare to have a full-scale war with the Lance Family, because of the constraints of the upper-level structure, or for some other reason.

This had caused a portion of the people to have a collective climax!

It seemed that to be able to determine that the Perez family had already fallen, and could be bullied by a local gang, was a thing that should make everyone happy.

This had made it unlikely to handle this matter in a relatively gentle way.

Some people were waiting to see them become the biggest joke in the federal gangster field, while others were waiting to see them use thunderous means to destroy the Lance Family and prove that they were the well-deserved one of the five major families of the Federation.

Now they were like a well-trimmed steak, placed on a grill. No matter how you flipped it, it was a torment.

At dinner, everyone gathered together again. This time it was a little dull.

After about seven or eight minutes, Bob finally asked with some embarrassment, “Our plan…”

Frank put down his knife and fork, picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth. The gazes of the others were all focused on him. He casually threw the napkin on the table, and with his hands on the edge of the table, “I’ll give Lance a call later and have a good talk about this!”

The other members all agreed with his point of view. The lawyer brother in the family asked, “Then on the scale…”

Frank had already made his decision before dinner. He was just saying it now. “Have Lance come over with sincerity to apologize, to apologize to the Perez family, and to apologize to Bob.”

“If the purpose of the mastermind behind the scenes is to have us go to war, then our going to war will only let him hide in a dark mouse hole and laugh heartily. I don’t like to be used.”

“Have Lance come over. People will see this scene, and they will also understand that we are still us!”

Even at this moment, the “compromise” he believed in was only out of consideration for the family’s interests. A full-scale war and finding trouble with Lance were two different things.

No one would stop the latter. After all, he had been a big brother for so many years. Even if they all knew that Lance was wronged, but now the big brother says you have to apologize, you have to apologize. This is the big brother’s power.

Even if doing so would make things difficult for Lance.

The strong making things difficult for the weak is one of the laws of the jungle. Even if it’s a little excessive, it’s allowed by people.

This is like a senator scolding a congressman. Everyone is a member of Congress. From a legal and regulatory point of view, the Senate and the House of Representatives are equal, but no one will think that a senator scolding a congressman is an excessive thing.

Even if you give him a slap, or grab his collar and shake him back and forth, it’s not excessive!

He was just “making things difficult” for Lance. The advantage of doing this was that it avoided a battle, and also let people realize that they were still one of the powerful five major families of the Federation.

Whether it was Frank or Bob, they had never considered this matter from Lance’s perspective.

In fact, they couldn’t be blamed for this. Arrogant people are all like this. They don’t have as much empathy as the lower class. In their minds, there is only themselves and their interests. They won’t think that doing so will make Lance lose a lot of face, and will make the authority of the Lance Family be questioned.

They only care about themselves.

After dinner, a few of the top-ranking family members who had nothing else to do came to his study with Frank.

He adjusted his sitting posture, asked for a cup of coffee, and lit a cigarette.

With the help of the cigarette and the coffee, he thought about it carefully. After confirming that there were no omissions, he, according to the number Bob had given him, dialed it.

The phone rang for a long while before it was answered, because Lance was also eating and also dealing with these matters.

“Lance?”

“It’s me.”

“I’m Frank, Frank Perez. I hope you’ve heard of this name!” As soon as he came up, Frank stated his name.

In the afternoon, Lance had crammed on the relationship of the five major families, and had also roughly figured out the situation of this Perez family.

Business, politics, and the underworld were all developing comprehensively, side by side, and the development was quite good.

The gang escorted the business, the profits obtained from the business allowed them to get political influence, and the political influence in turn ensured that they would not be arrested by the police. This formed a simple closed loop, constantly circulating and growing.

He also knew the name of the boss of the Perez family.

“So?” The sound of Lance lighting a cigarette and inhaling came from the receiver. In addition to this simple “so,” Frank immediately frowned.

However, he still patiently, because he was a superior person, and a superior person has a superior person’s reserve.

“Now people all say that you did this, Lance. They are waiting for our decision, a decision that will decide your fate.”

The words he said seemed to be very peaceful, but the arrogance in his bones had already been revealed, which made people feel very uncomfortable.

It was always “you have to do this” or “you have to do that.” These people were used to being arrogant and domineering, and their minds could no longer keep up with the development of the times.

Lance was not the kind of person who would swallow his anger. He now had close connections with Congress and the military. He was not afraid of anyone!

So he directly retorted, “You can’t decide my fate, Mr. Frank. You can’t even decide your own!”

“We are all gangs. Don’t put on a high and mighty look. No one is more noble than anyone else!”

Frank leaned back, his back tightly against the back of the chair. “You are refusing my goodwill.”

Lance laughed twice. “I’m just refusing a self-righteous idea!”

Frank’s tone already had some impatience and anger. “It seems we can’t reach an agreement?”

Lance was still at loggerheads, not giving an inch. “If your so-called agreement is to step on my face and tell people how great you are, then I’m sorry, I can’t do it.”

“I’m even very curious, if a war breaks out between us, who will win, and who will lose.”

When he heard this, Frank was so angry he laughed. He felt that his merciful pity had been ruthlessly thrown on the ground by Lance. He was very angry!

“A sharp-tongued kid. I hope your strength is as sharp as your language. You will regret the wrong decision you made today for the rest of your life!”

This was a naked threat. Lance did not indulge him either. “You can come and try. They can kill all your men and snatch your goods, and so can I. I can even do it better than them!”

“In addition, I have to give you a piece of advice, and also that what’s-his-name Mr. Bob?”

“Next time you think about a problem, even if you can’t use your brain, don’t fucking use your cerebellum!”

“What a fucking buzzkill!”

(End of a Chapter)