William applauded himself as he stepped down from a small platform—
It was just an ordinary wooden box-like object. Its only purpose in the past was to hold things, but now it had a new purpose: to let people stand taller.
Soon, someone picked up the box and put it into a panel van by the roadside, while William was talking with the passersby who had not yet dispersed.
It seemed that some of his views had won the support of the people here, which was a very good phenomenon.
Low-level politicians have very few channels to promote themselves. Only by walking among the people can the people hear what he has to say.
He couldn’t be like those well-known politicians where even a fart in public would be reported by the media with a headline like “Certain Politician Makes Loud Noise in Public” to inform the populace about it.
Moreover, he was not famous. Even if he really made it into the newspapers, people wouldn’t know who he was and wouldn’t be left with a deep impression.
How could it compare to now?
After waiting for more than twenty minutes, the people gradually dispersed. William whispered a few words to his two assistants and then ran across the road.
He pulled open the car door and got in. “Passing through?”
Lance nodded. “Going to the bank to handle some things.” He paused for a moment. “They seem to like you a lot.”
A touch of pride appeared on William’s face. “No, what they like is the truth and the future.”
He talked about what he had said to the people. “Now that you’ve made the security here very good, we can’t start from there. I thought about medical issues, and education issues.”
“There are too few schools in the Empire District. I told them that I will do my best to persuade some education groups or the city council to build more schools here, so that more people have the qualification to enjoy education without having to be so far from home.”
The Federation had actually started discussing and implementing compulsory education as early as seventy or eighty years ago. More than a decade ago, the Socialist Party president, during his election campaign, proposed the “High School for All” education reform plan, which was implemented very smoothly.
However, implementation does not mean thorough execution. Implementation only meant that children had the qualification to go directly to high school, but whether there was a high school near their homes and how the various fees were handled were things the federal government could not decide.
They only promised and realized that as long as citizens were willing, they could receive a high school education.
This was a major reform of the education system, but whether it could truly bring a turning point in the fate of the children who went to high school, there had been no significant change so far.
Upper elementary and high school students still worked in the same workshop. High school students wouldn’t start at a higher level just because they had three more years of schooling.
On the contrary, they had studied for a few more years than their peers who graduated from upper elementary. By the time they started entering the workshops, perhaps those upper elementary students were already skilled workers, earning higher wages and enjoying better factory welfare benefits.
The common people could indeed change many things through schooling, but the things most people wanted to change the most were unchangeable, such as fate.
That was something only a very few lucky ones could achieve, and their ability to change their fate often had no practical relationship with their studies.
In short, there were very few high schools in the Empire District, and William planned to use this as a breakthrough point for his campaign.
“I also encouraged people that they should bear more obligations and enjoy more rights.”
Lance couldn’t help but laugh after hearing this. “A very Federation-style political tone.”
William couldn’t help but laugh as well. “But they like this.”
Lance took out a pack of cigarettes, the nine-cent kind. It wasn’t that he didn’t have money, but that he was maintaining the role of a rising politician who was closer to the people.
When an official takes out a one-dollar pack of cigarettes, although it may seem… to be only twenty times the price of a five-cent pack, it is enough to make those who smoke five-cent packs shut their mouths at critical moments.
Because the price of this pack of cigarettes would make them clearly realize one thing: we are not the same kind of people.
But nine-cent cigarettes were just right.
Its price was higher than the hand-rolled or the two, three, or five-cent cheap cigarettes that everyone smoked, but it wasn’t too much higher. Instead, it would give people a feeling of no class restrictions.
The two huddled together. After lighting up, Lance took a drag. It was very strong.
The cigarettes, rolled directly from relatively low-quality raw tobacco, felt like having two boxers inside one’s body when smoked. One was punching his throat hard with left and right swings, while the other was hooking his brain with left and right hooks.
The slightly more expensive ones Lance usually smoked were much milder.
Lance quickly rolled down the car window, letting the outside wind pour in.
“I’ve found that the people of the Empire District lack a sense of identity from the federal government and the Federation people. I’ve talked with some people about these things, and they hope to be respected.”
“If you care about national affairs, you will understand that Congress has been discussing the issue of making ordinary people pay taxes.”
“I inquired about it within the Federation Party. They plan to make anyone with an income of more than eighteen dollars pay taxes.”
“The Socialist Party is pushing this policy, the Federation Party seats have been persuaded, and the Liberal Party’s resistance won’t last long.”
“So this is an entry point.”
Lance nodded in agreement after hearing this. “Paying taxes is a very good approach. We also paid to build this country, so we are also the masters of this country.”
William was stunned for a moment. He quickly took out a notebook and wrote down what Lance had said. “I’m commandeering this sentence of yours. I’ll use it in my next speech.”
After he finished writing, he stopped his pen. “Yes, we built this country. No one can deny that we are the masters of this country.”
“Are there any more?”
“Some words like this that can lift people’s spirits!”
Lance shook his head. “If I think of any, I’ll write them down and give them to you.”
After chatting about some other things, William left. He had other places to go. He had to let the people in the Empire District know him as soon as possible.
Before Russ could react and formulate a countermeasure.
On the way back to the nightclub, Lance saw two more vehicles from the Bureau of Dangerous Goods. The Brotherhood had made them lose all face. The later they caught Bing Polly, the more face they would lose.
Director Dale of the Bureau of Dangerous Goods had already privately stated to the public that his target had always been only one person, Bing Polly. He had caused this appalling bombing, so no matter what, he had to face justice.
As long as he was caught, everything would become calm again.
And because of these words, the underworld of Golden Port had become somewhat restless.
As night fell, in a detached house near the sea in the Port District, Polly paced back and forth restlessly.
Several senior cadres were sitting in the living room, including Jimmy.
Everyone was looking at him.
“Recently, our territory has been severely swept by the Bureau of Dangerous Goods. Almost all the bars have been shut down, and some other places that could bring us profit have also basically ceased operations.”
“They keep coming over to disturb every customer. Some are even taken away for questioning. If they don’t stop immediately, most of our income will be cut off.”
“Even the protection fees are becoming a bit difficult to collect now.”
A senior cadre sat on the sofa with a worried frown. The Bureau of Dangerous Goods was not the police department or the Federal Bureau of Investigation, where they needed to go through judicial procedures to search a place.
The Bureau of Dangerous Goods had strong support from Congress and the Department of Justice, so the procedures were already very simple.
After the bombing, they could even enforce the law first and supplement the legal documents later.
For places like strip clubs or businesses engaged in the flesh trade, these people came once every day, made the customers line up at the door, shone lights on each of their faces, and even questioned them.
No customer could stand this. They were here to spend money, to find happiness, not to suffer!
So the Brotherhood’s businesses were basically at a standstill and could no longer provide them with a steady stream of cash.
At this time, another senior cadre said with a hint of blame in his voice and tone, “You really shouldn’t have planted those bombs!”
Polly, as if stimulated by something, suddenly turned around, drew his pistol, and pressed it against the head of the person who had spoken. “I’ll say it again, I didn’t plant those bombs!”
The person with the gun to his head was not that scared. They had all developed from child gangs, and the core of child gangs were almost all children from welfare homes and orphanages who had experienced miserable childhoods.
Their values, mentality, and attitude towards society were different from normal people, including their attitude towards life and death.
Although they were also afraid, they were not as afraid as ordinary people.
The senior cadre with the gun to his head showed no fear at all. Instead, he looked at Polly with sharp eyes. “You can’t prove it, and this style is very similar to yours.”
“People were speculating on how you would respond to your hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of liquor being destroyed, and then they got bombed. Everyone can blame us without any evidence, and only you have the motive.”
The two stared at each other, one without a trace of fear, the other full of anger. Polly finally withdrew his pistol. “I’ll fucking say it again, I didn’t do it!”
That senior cadre straightened his clothes and adjusted his sitting posture. “Whether you did it or not, now it’s you. We all have to find a way to solve this trouble.”
“Now the Red Dog Gang has been driven out of the Empire District by Lance and his men and has begun to expand their operations on our turf.”
“If we don’t go out again, after the situation calms down, perhaps there will be no place for us in the Port District, or even in Golden Port.”
Polly’s face was flushed. I feel like an injured dwarf lion. Why a dwarf lion? Because he’s not tall.
His chest heaved violently. He paced back and forth, seemingly having made some kind of decision. “Since they insist on saying we did it, then let’s do it again!”
“Anyway, we can’t clear our name of this crime anymore, so let’s just help them make this crime stick to me!”
Almost everyone looked at Polly as if he were a madman. Perhaps this was the reason why Polly could become the leader. He was ruthless enough, crazy enough, and didn’t care about his life!
As long as he could keep this up, the grassroots of the gang who idolized him would always be willing to die for him.
Although everyone thought this idea was crazy and ridiculous, … no one spoke out against it.
They had been holding in a lot of anger during this time. Since Polly had an idea, maybe it would have a miraculous effect.
At this time, these senior cadres were very clear that this was actually a dead end, because once Polly was caught, he would definitely go to the electric chair.
The Brotherhood without Polly wasn’t to say that they couldn’t find a second leader, but now it had become the focus of the Bureau of Dangerous Goods’ attention. No matter who came up, it would be difficult to change the gang’s decline.
So, why not take a gamble? What if they succeeded?
Polly’s mood seemed to ease a bit after making the decision. He lit a cigarette and stood in front of these senior cadres.
“Let’s give them a hard one, let them know this is Golden Port, and I, Big Polly, am not someone they can just frame.”
“Whoever caused the first explosion has nothing to do with me, but since they’ve pinned it on me, I’ll bomb them again!”
“Then, I will negotiate with them. If they don’t want to keep getting bombed, then we’d better sit down…”
The others were analyzing this possibility. Some nodded in agreement with his idea, while others, although not agreeing, did not object.
The consensus was thus reached under incredible circumstances, and a long-lost smile appeared on Polly’s face.
He was a man of great execution. When he made a decision, he began to have people assemble bombs. This time he wanted to go big!
Two days later in the morning, the vehicles constantly entering and leaving the Bureau of Dangerous Goods made the place look very busy.
Everyone had been working around the clock for a week. Many people hadn’t gone back to rest for a week. When they were tired and sleepy, they would lie down on a chair in the office for a while, or find a car to lie down in.
The explosion that killed a colleague and also affected their own safety filled each of them with fear and anger!
If they didn’t catch Big Polly, who knew if he would cause a second bombing!
Including Director Dale, he hadn’t gone back to his house to rest for a week. He practically ate, drank, and slept in the office building.
During this week, the people ate mostly various pizzas and takeout. At first, some agents who didn’t eat takeout often would seem very happy.
After all, takeout is always much more delicious than home-cooked food. But after eating it for so long, even the best appetite was ruined. No one really wanted to eat that unappetizing takeout anymore.
But if they didn’t eat these, there was nothing else they could do.
There were more than two hundred people in the entire Bureau of Dangerous Goods. No merchant could possibly carefully prepare two hundred meals, so a lot of the time the quality of the takeout was not very good, which was also unavoidable.
At noon, the agent on duty in the office counted the number of people and ordered some more pizzas, hot dogs, and hamburgers, as well as fries and fried chicken.
Coffee and juice were also necessary, as well as the increasingly popular strange-tasting sparkling water. At first, it was said that the merchants promoted its effect as being able to cure colds.
When the others knew it was this lunch again, they couldn’t help but complain, but they could only complain.
When the time pointed to 12:10 noon, a large number of delivery people appeared in the office building, bringing lunch for the agents.
Although these agents said they didn’t like it and that they had a physiological reaction just looking at this food, when it was time to eat, they still had to eat.
In fact, fast food also has its benefits. At least it can quickly fill people’s stomachs, provide a lot of calories, and help people get through the difficult afternoon.
“Hey, there’s still a big box here. Whose thing was not taken away?”
When lunch was almost over, a female agent stood in the middle of the office holding a box that was about the size of a basketball.
Its exterior was printed with the “Delicious House” logo, and a note on it said “Multi-layer Pineapple Pie.”
The people in the office looked at her, but no one reacted, because everyone had already gotten their own food.
Someone said, “Maybe it was ordered by mistake, or too much was ordered, who knows?”
“What is that, apple pie, or strawberry pie?”
The female officer handed the box over. “It says pineapple pie on it. If you’re not full, I think it can handle your stomach.”
The male agent was a bit embarrassed because his appetite was indeed not small, but he still had to confirm, lest he eat someone else’s food.
Although this kind of thing was not a big deal, everyone was working around the clock now, and their emotions, psychology, and physiology were all a bit tense. He didn’t want any misunderstandings to happen.
Director Dale was in his office discussing some upcoming work with the assistant director and several senior agents.
Polly’s group was hiding, and they couldn’t be caught in a short time.
Just as people, including Lance, had thought, the later they caught Polly, the more face they would lose completely!
“We have put a lot of pressure on the Brotherhood. At this time, we need some breakthroughs. If someone is willing to reveal Polly’s location, we can negotiate terms with them.”
Director Dale took out a document and showed it to them. “These are some suggestions from Congress. When necessary, in order to advance some cases as soon as possible, we can appropriately promise them some conditions.”
A document regarding the explanation of “plea agreements” and judicial support. To put it simply, as long as they admitted their guilt and accepted the charges given to them by the Bureau, they could get a shorter sentence.
If they also had meritorious performance, they might not even have to stay in prison for long before they could get out.
“We will continue to maintain a high-pressure policy on the Brotherhood, and then persuade those who have been caught to confess where Polly is.”
“They must know something, and those senior cadres who we haven’t caught, they must be together.”
Just as Dale was about to say something that came from a big shot in Congress, he suddenly felt a bit unsteady on his feet, and then a huge explosion sound came from downstairs…
His face immediately changed dramatically, and a “Fuck” spewed directly from his mouth.