Empire of Shadows

People from some of the general industry unions had all sent special commissioners to Golden Port City. Some of the industry unions that had no relationship with this strike had also arranged for people to come over and watch the fun.

The rotating vice president of the Labor Federation this year had even come to Golden Port City in person, just to solve the biggest trouble now—the strike was ineffective!

This was like... the weapons in the hands of a gang that was in a firefight had misfired, and could not fire any bullets. This was fatal!

At the same time, they had never encountered such a situation. In the internal meetings of the Labor Federation in the past two days, they believed that this was a kind of probing.

They had to give a strong counterattack. Otherwise, these people would shake the foundation of the Labor Federation, and also shake the workers’ party that was being established!

The last time it had been so lively was during the first Workers’ Skills Competition held in Golden Port City.

When the rotating vice president of the Labor Federation had come in from outside, the people in the hotel conference room had all stood up one after another to show their respect for this vice president.

The Labor Federation had actually already developed into a monster!

They had roped in 70% to 80% of the skilled workers in various industries in the Federation, and had a great influence on these skilled workers. They had already become a political group with both strong strength and power.

A vice president was equivalent to a third or fourth figure in a political party. If they evolved into a workers’ party, then this vice president would most likely be the chairman of the workers’ party’s national congress, a person of high position and power.The vice president was only in his fifties. His hair was slightly gray, and his figure was upright.

He, like all the management of the Labor Federation and the unions, showed not a single bit of a working-class characteristic.

His hands looked very soft, and they were also well-maintained, without a single callus.

Every crevice of his fingernails seemed to have been specially cleaned by someone. He had no extra stubble. Maybe someone would specially clean his beard for him every day. His hair, his sideburns, his eyebrows were all groomed.

For such a person to be said to be a representative of the working class was actually like a joke.

But the entire working class of the Federation seemed to have tacitly accepted this fact, or they had, under the interference of some forces, begun to not be able to feel the most wrong place here.

Why were they, the hardworking people, still working hard, while these people who relied on their unity had already achieved a class leap?

They didn’t consider this.

The vice president strode in, raised his hand to stop the people from shaking hands and greeting him at close range. This would waste his time.

He had come here immediately after getting off the train, without any delay on the way.

The local branch president who had received him had also suggested that he take a rest, but he had refused.

He came to his own seat, pulled out his chair, and then gestured for everyone to sit down before he sat down himself.

”The situation is not optimistic, so I won’t waste time with pleasantries.”

”His Excellency the President was shocked by the result of the strike in Golden Port City this time. This may not be the first time, but it is the first time in recent years that our strike has been dispersed!”

”Some people have already begun to have a terrible idea. They think that our means of striking are no longer effective.”

”We must turn the situation around here!”

He paused as he spoke, looked at the people around him. ”Who is in charge of following up on the work of those attackers?”

Not far from his right, an official from the Labor Federation raised his hand. ”I am in charge, sir.”

The vice president nodded. ”Tell us about the situation of those attackers.”

The official in charge of this work pursed his lips. ”These attackers are all refugees who have fled from the Tanfit continent because of the war. They have no other components.”

The vice president had actually heard of this matter. ”Is there no one organizing them?”

”Why would they conflict with our parade team?”

The official shook his head. ”Some of them claim that our parade and demonstration has affected their work and life in the Federation, so they spontaneously decided to make a move on us.”

”No one organized them. Someone had a spontaneous idea, and then the others followed.”

”A spontaneous idea?” The vice president shook his head. ”I don’t believe this. See if there is a way for us to get some more reliable testimony. We can use some means appropriately.”

”Give them money, give them a legal federal citizen status, provide protection, provide jobs, anything they want, you can give them!”

”As long as they tell the truth, to us, and to the media!”

”I don’t believe that the benefits Lance has given them can be compared to the benefits we have given them!”

”Don’t be stingy with money and promises on this matter. The first thing we need to solve is to get through the current difficulty.”

The official nodded vigorously. In fact, everyone knew what method had a hope of solving some things, but they were just not willing to bear the responsibility.

Like the matter of bribing a witness, the person in charge of finding out about this matter could not possibly take the initiative to mention it, let alone apply for funds for the bribe from the higher-ups. This had to be said by the people above, and only then could he continue to execute it.

After solving this matter, the vice president continued, ”We need to do a more rigorous investigation first, and then I will have a talk with Lance.”

”If necessary, the chairman’s side has already begun to consider the situation of continuing to expand the scope of the strike, but this is just a last resort, and will not necessarily be used.”

After he had said this sentence, the atmosphere in the conference room had a clear change. The expansion of the situation would put a greater pressure on the Golden Port City side.

When everyone stands up and accuses a person who has done nothing wrong, and asks him to apologize for something he has not done wrong, to apologize to society, then right and wrong are no longer important.

Stability is the key!

This was also the ultimate trump card of the Labor Federation. Now it was wartime, and they could not accept the sudden appearance of a large-scale strike. This would not only bring about a stagnation in production.

It was more likely that because of this expanded strike, a situation would occur in the war.

This was tantamount to the Labor Federation forcing the federal government, the public, and everyone to stand up and to put pressure on Lance!

He can withstand the Labor Federation, can withstand the union, but can he withstand the pressure of the entire country, and even the entire military alliance?

If the Federation loses the war on the front lines, then the ones who lose will not just be the Federation, but also Slad, and other countries!

Half of the world’s pressure was concentrated on Lance. The vice president didn’t believe that he could still withstand it!

As the discussion deepened, some of the work, the matters that seemed a bit difficult to handle, were soon sorted out by him very logically.

A capable person will show his ability no matter what he does, and those who have no ability, even if they have worked hard, they still have no ability.

After the meeting was over, the vice president finally returned to his suite in the hotel. They had already begun to arrange their food, clothing, housing, and transportation according to political specifications.

He was living in the best suite. If the chairman were to travel, it would have to be a presidential suite.

Sitting in the suite, he had changed into his casual clothes. This person looked very leisurely.

The branch president of the Likalai State Labor Federation, with a few of the local core members, was sitting on the sofa. After the vice president had come out after changing his clothes, the few of them had a simple ”social exchange,” and then they sat down in different positions on the sofa.

”Your Excellency Vice President, why... don’t we just push for the expansion of the strike now?”

The branch president had a look of confusion on his face. After the failure of the big strike in Golden Port City this time, it had made him lose a lot of face, as if the branch presidents of the remaining eighteen states of the Federation were all laughing at him.

He was now eager to prove himself, to prove that this was an individual case, not that there was a problem with his ability, but that these people, they fucking had a problem!

If the strike could be expanded, he believed that this was indeed a choice and a method that could be effective.

The vice president lit a cigarette. He was crossing his legs, one hand on his knee. ”And then?”

The branch president was stunned for a moment. ”What... and then?”

”You’ve expanded the scope of the strike. I’ve agreed, and the chairman has also agreed. And then?”

”What are you planning to do?”

A smile appeared on the branch president’s face. ”I will first have all the factories in Likalai State go on strike, stop production, and then force the Lance Family to agree to our plan. Otherwise, we won’t start work!”

”He can’t bear such a great pressure. We will definitely be the final victors!”

The people by his side also nodded one after another, as if they were very much in agreement with his point of view.

The vice president sighed lightly. ”This is why the problem is only discovered after it has been expanded.”

”I hold doubts about your work ability!” he looked at the branch president with a look of surprise and did not give the other party a chance to speak. ”The pressure we are under will not be less than the pressure that Lance is under.”

”There is a war going on on the front lines, gentlemen.”

”Although Likalai State is not a heavy industrial production area, it also produces a lot of equipment, goods, and these things have to be transported to the front lines.”

”Once we cannot maintain the stability of the supply on the front lines, which leads to the final loss of the war, do you think the federal government will think that this is Lance’s problem, or our problem?”

The branch president said almost without thinking, ”This is definitely Lance’s problem.”

The vice president had no thought of speaking. This was a super fool!

”Lance is only doing these things in one city, and we have launched a strike in the entire state. The forces we have invested are not equal, the consequences produced are not equal, and the returns we get are also not equal.”

”To be honest, I’m very suspicious if you got this position through some back door.”

”Next time, don’t say such stupid things. I’m allergic to stupid!”

The branch president suddenly became very embarrassed, his face flushed.

The people by his side also lowered their heads, not daring to speak, let alone show any expression.

”Unless it’s a last resort, we will not expand the scope of the strike. So we’d better be able to solve these problems locally, instead of expanding them!”

He glanced at the branch president. ”According to what I said in the conference room, act as soon as possible...”

Chief Bruce and Deputy Chief Duke had been very busy these few days, because many people had been arrested. They couldn’t really get any valuable confession from these people for Lance.

For example, the matter of the strike and parade. Everyone knew who was pushing it from behind the scenes. Even if these people said it, it would have no meaning.

They were willing to cooperate, and the constitution had given them the right to do so. They could only let these people go little by little, but before they were let go, they definitely had to be tormented for a while.

For example, in two days, they were only given a little water, and no food.

Or at night, they were not allowed to rest well. Just as they had fallen asleep, a police officer would walk forward, tapping the steel bars of the grille with a police baton. The ”clanging” sound would make it impossible for people to sleep.

If someone had really fallen asleep, they would go in and drag this person out, and then send him to an interrogation room to ask him some relatively simple, but in their view, relatively strange questions.

For example—”Did you see a certain person when you went out that morning.”

They just had to casually take a photo. Anyway, this was just to prevent them from having a good rest, not really expecting them to see anyone.

In short, in these two days, these workers had been tormented enough.

At first, they would also use ”I will sue you” to warn these police officers, but soon they had found that such a threat was of no significance, because Lance had said that if they lost their jobs because of this, then they could directly go and work for Lance’s company.

What’s so good about being a police officer?

How can it be as good as really working for Lance?

The income may not become higher, but a person is definitely more relaxed, can take care of their family, and there is also a great prospect for development in the future.

The job of a police officer, to work until you die, is just a police officer, for an ordinary person.

So everyone was very active.

Chief Bruce was talking with Deputy Chief Duke about the history of these matters. A police officer knocked on the door and asked for permission to come in from outside.

”Come in.”

After the police officer had come in, he had also seen Deputy Chief Duke. He knew that Deputy Chief Duke and Chief Bruce had a good relationship, so he did not avoid anything. ”There are a few lawyers outside. They say they want to see their clients, and they also demand that we provide an independent room.”

Chief Bruce did not feel surprised at this time. He even took the initiative to say, ”It’s probably those lawyers from the Labor Federation, or the union lawyers.”

The Labor Federation and the union both have their own legal teams. Because they often have to compete with the capitalists, a stable and specialized legal team that serves the union is particularly important.

Every time a labor-capital conflict occurs, these lawyers will suddenly appear, just like this time.

Just as he was about to have the police officer go and make arrangements, the police officer added, ”It’s not the workers they want to see. It’s the attackers.”

Chief Bruce was stunned for a moment. He glanced at Deputy Chief Duke. The two looked at each other for a moment, and the latter stood up. ”I’ll go and see what’s going on.”

Soon he had arrived at the work hall downstairs. Sure enough, a group of very professional-looking lawyers were standing there, communicating something in low voices.

When one of them saw Deputy Chief Duke, a leading guy walked up to Deputy Chief Duke and shook hands with him. ”We are lawyers from the Gold利 Law Firm. We demand to see our clients.”

Deputy Chief Duke shook hands with him. ”I hear from the police officers that you want to see the attackers.”

The lawyer who was talking to him nodded. ”That’s right. When can we see them?”

Deputy Chief Duke was a little puzzled. ”But I haven’t heard them say that they have hired a lawyer. Are you really hired by them?”

The lawyer who was speaking had always maintained a smile, but his expression was also quite serious. ”We have a letter of attorney. Their family has hired us.”

Deputy Chief Duke sized these people up again. ”I’m very suspicious if their families can afford you!”

The lawyer shook his head slightly. ”This has nothing to do with you. We can represent these cases for free. you have no right to stop us from seeing them.”

”According to the ... Amendment of the Federal Constitution,” the lawyer was just about to inform Deputy Chief Duke of their rights when Deputy Chief Duke raised his hand and stopped him.

”I have no intention of stopping you. I was just curious,” he glanced at the police officer by his side. ”Go and arrange a room, and then have someone keep an eye on it.”

His gaze lingered on these people for a moment. ”Can you give me a business card?”

”Sometimes I also have legal questions that I want to consult someone about.”

The lawyer he was talking to gave him a business card. ”Anytime, we have someone to answer the call.”

Deputy Chief Duke briefly scanned it. A law firm from Golden State. ”How much do you charge an hour, for a consultation?”

”Twenty dollars, Mr. Chief.”

”Deputy Chief!” Duke reminded him, and then he put away the business card. ”Have a police officer notify me if there is anything else.”

As he spoke, he left.

Soon he had told Chief Bruce everything he had seen. Chief Bruce, in turn, had passed this on to Lance.

Lance was a little surprised after hearing the call. ”Record the names of the people they have come into contact with. Also, place those people separately.”

”If there is any further news, contact me.”

Lance, who had put down the phone, frowned. If the lawyers of the Labor Federation were to go and see the workers, he could understand.

It wasn’t the first or second day that they had provided legal aid to the workers, but this time they wanted to see the attackers, the refugees. He found it interesting.

It wasn’t that he found it strange. He knew what these lawyers were going to do.

A lawyer is probably the only one who can now openly and honestly come into contact with these attackers. In other words, they might represent the position of the Labor Federation, and negotiate with these attackers, and even bribe them.

It was just that these few days, the Labor Federation had been running around like a headless fly. How had their actions suddenly become so methodical?

Lance was curious about this.

Did someone suddenly get enlightened?

Or did they arrange for a more powerful character to come over?

Just as Lance was thinking about this, the phone rang again. ”This is Lance.”

”Lance, it’s me, Debbie.”

”Uh... the vice president is here. He wants to see you.”

”What vice president?”

”The rotating vice president of the general assembly of the Labor Federation. He said he wants to have a private chat with you...”