Empire of Shadows

Listening to Lance’s words, Tom roughly understood his thoughts. “Will you be having a large-scale firefight?”

“The senator is very concerned about this.”

Lance gave a negative answer. “My opponent this time is very smart, not stupid at all. So there is a high probability that there will not be a large-scale firefight like you imagine.”

“Even if there is, it will be in the suburbs, not in the city. We will control the time well.”

“I will control the situation. It won’t get out of hand.”

Lance just needed to be careful himself. As for the Perez family?

With their business in the capital world, as long as they didn’t intend to narrow their own path, they actually, more than Lance, more than Tom and the senator, hoped that there wouldn’t be any large-scale firefight.

Who would want to do business with a group of people who reason with bullets?

Tom said “hmm.” He didn’t speak immediately, but remained silent, which lasted for about twenty or thirty seconds.

If it weren’t for the sound of his breathing in the receiver, Lance would have thought that the phone line had been disconnected, or that he had already left the phone.However, he did not disturb Tom’s thoughts. To suddenly fall silent in a call, he must have encountered a very important matter, or was in the middle of a very important thought.

After a while, “Are you confident you can knock them down?”

Lance frowned. If the other party were a group of fools, he didn’t think this would be a difficult problem.

But now that the other party had at least some smart people, dealing with them would become not so easy, at least it would be very difficult to beat them with a single blow.

He felt that behind this, there might still be the senator’s idea, or rather, they had seen the benefits.

With benefits, there was a driving force. If Lance could bite them until they were covered in bruises, and even bite their throats, then the wealth, the benefits they left behind, would still be up to the gentlemen to decide, right?

It wasn’t just the capitalists who engaged in robbery and plunder, but also the politicians.

The higher the level, the more they would do so, and the more greedy they would be, whether they were capitalists, politicians, or something else.

“I’m not sure. A large force like them, there is a high probability that they will immediately compromise after suffering a certain degree of loss, or a fatal injury.”

“They are no longer a pure gang. To have them fight me to the very end is impossible.”

This was the answer that Lance had gotten after he had crammed on the intelligence of the Perez family.

The descendants of a group of people who had fought their way up, the one thing they were least likely to inherit was the characteristic of being desperate.

Their elders, the generation that had created all of this, because they had nothing, as long as they walked forward with their weapons, every extra step they took was a boundary drawn for their future children.

But the young people who were born in the “golden age,” their three views were more inclined to the privileged class, the ruling class, who lived a life of luxury.

To have them fight with a group of mud-legged dogs?

Don’t be ridiculous!

They might even take a step back to avoid the mud splattering on their legs.

Lance had actually foreseen some of the results of this battle. The people of the Perez family would definitely choose to have peace talks after suffering a heavy blow. This was also the most common choice of capital, of politics.

When it is not in your favor, to choose the one with the smallest loss is their characteristic, not that of a gang.

Tom also understood what Lance meant. “I will talk to the senator about your statement. Between you… who do you think can make it to the end?”

Lance answered without hesitation, “Me.”

His tone was full of certainty about this matter. He did not think there was any other possibility. This strong self-confidence infected Tom, and his tone also became a little more cheerful.

“If you need anything, contact me. If there are new developments, I will also contact you. Keep in touch!”

After Lance hung up the phone, he called over all the people who were not yet asleep. Many of them lived in Lance’s manor, but each of them had their own house.

Even if they didn’t live here, they lived in the vicinity.

Lance had found a way to buy all the surrounding land, which had vaguely become a building complex with the Lance Family as its core.

People worked and lived here, and their children would also be here. Recently, Lance had been considering this matter, whether to get involved in some real estate development.

For example, to build this place into a “fortress that will never be breached,” the kind that even if the federal army came, they would have to have a go before they could get in.

Soon, everyone had arrived.

As the weather gradually got warmer, people’s attire also became much more casual. Some were even wearing shorts and floral shirts.

Seeing this scene, Lance wanted to laugh a little. A person only understands when they have lost. Just as he had once forever lost the ability to wear short sleeves and shorts in April and May, he then knew how strong he was when he was young!

In a daze, he came back to his senses. He signaled for everyone to sit down. He did not appear very anxious.

Anxiety will not change anything. On the contrary, it will make some things worse.

“We have encountered some trouble. Four of our movie theaters in Golden State have been burned down.”

Immediately, someone slammed the table and stood up. “Who did it?”

“The people who attacked us last time?”

“Give me some men and weapons. I’ll go and send them all back to the embrace of God!”

Hiram was clamoring to give them a taste of their own medicine. A bright spot suddenly flashed in Lance’s mind. Could it be the people of the Death Angels who had done it?

It was very possible, because recently, only their conflict was the deepest.

But now was not the time to talk about this.

Lance raised his hand and signaled for him to sit back down. “Don’t cause trouble.”

His relaxation also eased the emotions of the other people in the room. Some were even laughing and teasing Hiram. Hiram also shook his hair and argued with them.

Lance poured himself a glass of wine. “The Perez family is different from the opponents we have encountered before. They will use their brains, and they have a plan.”

“They are very familiar with the local police, prosecutors, and judiciary.”

“Just like us!”

He held his wine and turned to look at these people, spreading his arms. “Anyone who dares to come in, to come to Likalai State, we can make them die a miserable death.”

“Similarly, they should also have made a trap now, waiting for us to step into it.”

“So we don’t need to be so impulsive now.”

“They have many businesses. Such a huge force will definitely not just operate in one place. Their businesses are definitely all over the Federation, and even here, they also have their businesses.”

“I have called you here, first to tell you, don’t go to the Golden State side recently, including the vicinity of Golden State. Don’t go.”

“The photos of us have never been hidden. If they need them, they can know what we look like at the first opportunity.”

“The second thing is to find out the businesses that the Perez family has hidden in the south.”

“Here, by our side, and in the states further west.”

“Our control here is stronger. Find their people, whether they are legitimate or not, find them.”

He looked at Bolton, who was always sitting in a corner. This guy had always maintained a cautious attitude and would never stand in a conspicuous place.

If someone who didn’t know him appeared here and saw Bolton at first glance, they would think that this person was probably a pushover.

After all, a normal person, who would want to sit in an inconspicuous corner?

But Bolton was willing.

“Bolton.”

When Bolton heard Lance call his name, he immediately stood up. “Boss?”

“You have gained my trust. I will give you a sum of money to continue to develop your informants. I want the entire south to have our informants, our men!”

Bolton was stunned for a moment. The fist hidden behind someone else’s body had already been clenched tightly, and was trembling slightly.

It wasn’t that he wanted to punch Lance, but that he was excited!

A city, a state, had already made him a respected “Mr. Bolton.” If he were to put his eyes in more regions, he could no longer imagine what kind of a remarkable person he would become!

Lance looked directly into his eyes. “Can you do it?”

“I need you to get these done as soon as possible. We can’t just focus our eyes on a place like Likalai State.”

“Facts have proven that even if we have Likalai State, and we have friends in Congress and the military, we will still encounter provocations and troubles.”

He raised a finger. “But, trouble often also means opportunity. This is an opportunity for us, a very good opportunity.”

“Continue to expand!”

Bolton nodded vigorously, his voice trembling slightly. “Of course, I mean, no problem, Boss.”

“I will get these done as soon as possible!”

Lance nodded. “Don’t always be stingy with the power in your hands. You can cultivate some reliable people. Some small things can be left to them.”

Lance pointed at him. “You are already a big shot!”

Bolton was very keen on power, and at the same time, relatively independent. He actually had an intelligence distribution center under him, with twenty or thirty young men sitting there, answering the intelligence from Golden Port City and the surrounding cities.

Among them were also the messages passed on by the Empire immigrant gangs in other cities.

This distribution and analysis center was directly responsible to him. In other words, he alone controlled the entire organization.

Every day he would be very busy, having to analyze some valuable things from a lot of intelligence that might have no fucking meaning.

Now he might still be able to barely be in charge, but as the number of intelligence points grew larger and larger, he simply couldn’t be in charge of so many things.

Lance stared into his eyes. “You have to learn to be a big shot. A big shot never has to do the work himself. They just need to know how to put the right people in the right position!”

He paused for a moment. “Anyway, you think about it. Get it done as soon as possible.”

He turned to look at Mello, and then at Elvin. “We need to continue to recruit more people.”

Before, Lance’s idea was not to expand, but to occupy Likalai State, and then to do his own business with the doors closed. In fact, he had indeed done so.

So he didn’t need so many men.

A gangster organization that does not engage in what people consider to be “proper business,” if it gets several thousand thugs and gunmen, then this gang will definitely become a worry for some big shots.

He didn’t want to cause trouble, but now it seemed that he had to do something.

Mello nodded. He leaned against the bar. “How many people are we going to recruit?”

Now there were only seven or eight hundred. Lance considered for a moment. “Let’s recruit two thousand first.”

Hiram whistled. He liked a lot of people, and he liked new faces.

Mello asked again, “Does that include our current manpower, or not?”

“Not including.”

“Mador.”

Mador also stood up. He looked very energetic. The military temperament plus his attire gave him a very special… texture!

“This batch of people will all be handed over to you for training. Don’t worry about them not being able to take it. Require them according to the standards of soldiers.”

Mador was also a little surprised, but he still agreed. This was what he should do. “I guarantee that I will complete the mission!”

Lance then assigned some more tasks, and only then did he let the people disperse.

The speed at which news spreads among the gangs is countless times faster than in other aspects, and it is also very accurate.

As soon as the day broke, the rumor that “the Perez family had burned down four of Lance’s company’s movie theaters, and they didn’t dare to even fart” had already begun to spread from the central region of the Federation to the entire Federation.

Some people, upon hearing the news, were quite moved. The Perez family’s ability to act was still so strong, and also very efficient.

There were also some who were looking forward to the subsequent development of the matter.

A newly rising gang, and an old-brand gang, what kind of sparks would they collide with?

The Perez family had also made all kinds of preparations. What they were most afraid of now was not Lance coming to find trouble with them, but Lance not coming to find trouble with them.

Of course, Lance was not the kind of person who could tolerate this kind of thing. He also knew very well what consequences it would bring if he did something as the Perez family had expected.

So he changed his method.

At a little after two in the afternoon, Lance had already arrived in Creek Valley City. At the director’s invitation, a large number of film industry practitioners, and also some production companies, had come to Creek Valley City.

The matter of Wanli Pictures spending more than a million to shoot a movie had already spread throughout the entire film circle. Even if they were not interested in the Wanli Group behind Wanli Pictures, and were not interested in Lance, now they also had to come and listen to what Lance was going to say.

After all, Lance still had some face here, and they also relied on the channels and box office of the Wanli Distribution Company.

Lance had booked a hall. Many people had already arrived. They all took the initiative to come over and greet Lance and the director. After a simple pleasantry and mutual introduction, they finally walked to the side.

After the invited people had almost all arrived, the director picked up the microphone, tapped it, and the attention of everyone at the scene was drawn to him.

“I am very grateful that everyone could be invited here during your busy work schedule. I just talked with Mr. Lance. Today, all the gentlemen present, regardless of whether you are a practitioner, a production company, or something else.”

“As long as your films are distributed here with us, we will lower the rate by two points.”

Interest is always more “sincere” than words!

You can say a hundred, a thousand words full of sincerity, but it will never have the same shocking power as taking out an equivalent amount of money!

Whether it was the gentlemen or the ladies, they all put down their wine glasses and began to applaud warmly.

Two percent, is that a lot?

From the structure of the percentage, it’s not much at all. It’s equivalent to two dollars more for a hundred dollars.

But from the box office sharing structure that Lance had set, 2% was a lot.

It accounted for about 5% of the producer’s total income, which was already not a small amount. It could also be seen that Lance was indeed sincere.

But as for whether it could be implemented in the end, and to what extent, they were not yet clear.

But this did not stop them from applauding warmly!

What if he’s serious?

After all, now many production companies, especially some small production companies and independent productions that did not have their own ability to get a share of the box office, were very dependent on Lance’s distribution channels and payment.

Now the production cost of movies was getting higher and higher, and the actors’ salaries were also getting higher and higher. The days of shooting a good movie and then selling the copy at a film festival, like in the past, could no longer keep up with the development of the times.

Sharing the box office was a very beneficial operating model for both sides. Once you had a deep understanding of its benefits, the film industry would become more and more inseparable from him.

To master the channels is to master the foundation of a monopoly, which is why so many people had come today.

“Next, I will hand over the lead to Mr. Lance.”

As he spoke, he signaled for Lance to begin. Lance calmly walked to the podium. He looked at the several hundred guests at the scene. The expression on his face was a little serious and pained.

“Yesterday there was a matter. I don’t know if you are aware.”

“Four of my movie theaters in Golden State were set on fire, and nineteen innocent moviegoers died.”

This news had not yet spread in Creek Valley City. Many people were hearing it for the first time. They all showed a look of surprise.

Exclamations like “how terrible,” “how could this be,” “my God” almost constantly came out.

After a moment of quiet reflection, Lance nodded slightly and said… “The arsonist is a well-known gangster organization in the Federation. They saw that I was doing well in the film industry, and after they failed to extort me, they set fire to the cinema.”

“The film is an industry that is developing at a high speed that is unimaginable to people. We are facing huge opportunities, challenges, but also huge threats.”

“Some threats are gentle, and are ordinary industry competition.”

“But there are also some threats that are unsettling, from those criminal organizations.”

“The film should not be a place for criminal organizations to run wild. The film is an art that is close to the lives of the people. It carries the development and progress of an era. If we compromise in the face of such a thing,”

“I bow my head, I apologize, and I give them the money according to their demands.”

“Then the film industry will be finished!”

“I will not compromise, and I cannot compromise, but just my strength alone is not enough. I need more forces to unite!”

He looked at these people. “The development of the film industry needs to be regulated, needs rules, and we also need to help each other, to protect each other.”

“So today I have had the director invite you all here, mainly for two things.”

“First, the Federal Arts Council is preparing for the establishment of a film committee and an industry union. You should know better than me what this means for me, for you.”

“We can’t let them have the initiative!”

“Second, for the wanton behavior of this gangster organization this time, we cannot remain silent!”

(End of a Chapter)