In the dock management company’s office in the city center, the directors gathered and chatted. Several bottles of liquor, worth hundreds of
In the dock management company’s office in the city center, the directors gathered and chatted.
Several bottles of liquor, worth hundreds of dollars, were placed on the table, along with various other drinks and pastries.
A few of the directors seemed to be talking about something particularly interesting, all of them laughing exaggeratedly, seemingly not at all nervous about the strike problem at the docks.
Edward (a director’s son) sat next to his father, watching the people here talk and laugh with abandon, feeling an indescribable sense of absurdity.
“They’re not at all nervous about the development of the situation at the docks,” he said to his father.
In reality, he himself was not qualified to attend the board meeting, but on account of his father being a director, and the high probability that he would inherit his father’s shares in the future, he was allowed to attend this small meeting.
The directors, who were serious and stern outside, showed a completely different side here from what people imagined. They would also speak and laugh loudly, not so politely.
They would also make some noise when drinking or eating.
His father squinted slightly, his lips moving slightly. “Just a bunch of workers.”
Including the old man himself, none of them were actually very concerned about the striking workers at the docks.
This was not their first strike, nor would it be the last. They did not believe that these people’s strike would bring any substantial harm to the company.
Edward didn’t quite understand and could only shut his mouth. But he felt that these people’s disregard for the striking group could lead to some trouble.
“We will have the first round of negotiations with those company representatives in the next few days,” the chairman of the board said after a while of joking, starting today’s topic.
Everyone else quieted down and looked at him.
“Our bottom line is to first increase by at least seven percent, and it would be best to strive for around ten percent.”
“Then, the annual increase in various service fees should not be less than three to four percent. This way, our profit margin will be further enlarged. After deducting the new expenses brought by the wage increase, the annual operating profit will increase a lot.”
A reserved smile appeared on his face. “This will help our stock market value continue to rise. The market likes a stable growth in profit points!”
A director expressed some worry, “They may not agree.”
Another director said with a laugh, “Then let the strike continue. They are more anxious than we are!”
He raised the glass in his hand as he spoke. “This city can lose those workers, and it can change a batch of merchants, but it absolutely cannot do without us!”
The directors’ undisguised arrogance was accompanied by their laughter as they raised their glasses together. And this scene made Edward feel exceptionally ridiculous.
He couldn’t understand. Perhaps this was the reason his father always thought he was “still lacking a bit.” He was not a pure capitalist.
He couldn’t ask the other directors, so he could only ask his father in a low voice, “Aren’t you afraid that pushing the workers too hard will cause something unexpected to happen?”
His father glanced at him sideways. “A cornered lion will eat people, but what happens when workers are cornered?”
He showed a slight smile. “They can only strike!”
He waved his hand. “Put away your worries. They are far safer than you imagine.”
Someone suddenly asked him, “What are you talking about with Edward?”
The old man said with a smile, “We are discussing some other matters.”
Edward also squeezed out a smile, which was considered a perfunctory reply.
As the few of them were talking and laughing, the board’s full-time secretary suddenly walked in quietly from outside the door.
He closed the door, walked to the chairman’s side with a slight bow, and whispered something in his ear with a serious expression. Then he took two steps back with a bow before straightening up.
The chairman of the board immediately frowned. “Excuse me, gentlemen, I have to leave for a moment.”
The rotating executive director asked, “Do you need our help?”
He asked very cleverly. He couldn’t directly ask the chairman “What happened?” What if it was a private matter?
But he could use “Can we help?” as a form of probing, and also as a statement that he was willing to help.
The dock management company did not have a position like “CEO.” The specific work at the docks was handled by the manager. The board of directors would have a rotating executive director.
It would rotate once every three years, and everyone had a chance to become the rotating executive director. The person in this position could fully preside over all matters such as the company’s daily work arrangements.
Except for matters that required a vote by the board members, he could make decisions on his own for everything else.
But even so, every rotating executive director would still frequently convene board meetings, precisely to prevent the company’s development from deviating due to personal judgment issues.
There was no change in the chairman’s expression. He was silent for a moment. “Something has happened at the docks.”
He tucked in the hem of his clothes with one hand, bowed slightly, perhaps only at a three to five-degree angle, and then turned to leave.
The other directors were all stunned for a moment. What could have happened at the docks?
Edward’s father’s expression became slightly solemn. He glanced at Edward again, signaling him to go and find out.
Edward then got up. The other directors themselves, or their secretaries, also began to get up and walk out of the room.
He came to a separate small room. There was a sofa set, a bar, with liquor and other things inside.
Many large companies have such small rooms next to their conference rooms. They can be called lounges, and in some places, they are also called VIP rooms.
They could discuss some more private matters here during a break in the meeting.
Edward picked up the phone. The manager’s office number was unreachable. It was unclear whether someone was on the line or for some other reason.
He then dialed his own office number. His office was right on the docks.
Using the dock management company, Edward had indeed made some money over the years. Some people are born at the finish line, and he was one of them.
He could get some resources from the docks and do nothing, just transfer them out, and make a lot of money. Not to mention, if he ran the business himself, he could only make more!
The call was quickly connected. It was his company’s manager who answered. “What happened at the docks?”
“I don’t know, sir. I’ll go and find out.”
“As soon as possible. Don’t hang up.”
He sat there and lit a cigarette. He was closer to the people on the docks than the dock management company’s board.
So he had never felt that the docks would be easy to manage. Once a problem was reported, it would quickly escalate.
He had almost finished a cigarette and had looked at his watch impatiently twice when there was finally a sound from the receiver.
The manager’s voice was a bit panicked. “A fight broke out!”
Edward’s scalp tingled slightly when he heard this. “Who is fighting with whom?”
“The dock management company’s security guards and some workers. The specific situation is not clear, but now both sides are fighting at the company building. It’s very chaotic. I was in a hurry to come back and tell you this, so I don’t know much.”
Edward sighed. The thing he was most unwilling to see happen had happened.
“Arrange for people to find out what exactly is going on. Keep the phone line open at all times.”
He got up and quickly returned to the conference room, sitting next to his father. “There’s a conflict between the security guards and the workers. The situation is escalating.”
The others had also found out what had happened through their own channels. Almost all of them, like Edward, used the advantage of their status to let their families make money at the port.
Anyway, it was all about making money for others. It was like the warehouses at the docks. Since they were all for rent, who you rented them to didn’t matter, right?
But in fact, it was different, because their relatives would get the warehouses and then sublet them, creating extra profit. But everyone was doing it.
Soon, the conference room became lively again. The chairman of the board also came back from outside. “They have put forward three demands.”
“First, the daily working hours should be reduced to ten hours.”
“Second, there should be more meat and eggs for lunch.”
“Third, each person’s salary should be increased by at least one dollar and seventy-five cents.”
The entire conference room was in an uproar. Basically, all the directors opposed these three articles.
Reducing working hours, increasing lunch expenses, raising salaries—these hidden changes actually gave each worker more than one dollar and seventy-five cents in benefits. Of course, they couldn’t agree!
The chairman of the board looked at everyone. “Now we have two choices.”
“First, suppress the situation, negotiate with them, and start solving the problem.”
“Or, suppress them first.”
A director immediately said, “If we agree to their demands every time they make a scene, even if it’s just a temporary negotiation, I can already imagine how difficult our work will be in the future.”
“We can give them a pay raise, but reducing work hours and increasing benefits is not an option. They can only choose one.”
“Let’s call Charlie.”
The chairman of the board looked at the other directors. The others also expressed their opinions, agreeing to suppress the matter first and then start to solve it.
They had to appear tough. Only then could they seize the initiative in the labor-management confrontation.
The chairman of the board looked at the executive director. The latter had a modest smile on his face, but not a single good word in his heart.
He went directly to the adjacent room and came out soon after, returning to his own seat. “Charlie said he’ll take care of it soon.”
The chairman of the board nodded reservedly. “Then let’s continue to discuss the issue of fees…”
In their view, this might just be a small matter.
The dock management company was one of the important representatives of the local forces in the Bay Area. Many big capitalists were involved. Charlie did not dare to be negligent and quickly made a call to Hunter, asking him to gather men to resolve the dispute at the docks.
Now the whole city was in chaos. The city police department couldn’t possibly mobilize so many people on its own. He could only ask each sub-bureau to contribute some manpower.
Among them was the Empire District sub-bureau. In fact, he demanded the most people from the Empire District sub-bureau because at this time, the public security in the Empire District was one of the best.
Before dispatching, Sub-bureau Chief Bruce gave Lance a call to explain the situation, then began to arrange for the police to be dispatched.
He warned those police officers to just stand outside for a while and absolutely not to go in.
Although he didn’t know why they absolutely shouldn’t go in, he knew there must be a reason.
The turmoil at the docks was gradually evolving into a riot. Now, many dockworkers were not clear on how it had all happened. They only knew that the dock management company was attacking their fellow workers, trying to suppress the strike.
In an instant, the already furious workers finally stopped being silent. They began to actively attack the management company, and the greedy desires of some workers were unleashed.
Actually, the worker representatives had not yet talked to them about the idea of taking some things from the warehouses. They didn’t need to say anything; these workers had already started to do it on their own initiative.
They were very familiar with the docks and knew which warehouses or containers had good things. They had specialized tools, and opening those containers was like child’s play.
The security guards, on one hand, had to protect the office building and the staff inside, and on the other hand, they were trying to solve the problem of theft. The conflict between the two sides was also constantly intensifying.
With the arrival of a large number of police cars in the port district, Sub-bureau Chief Bruce got out of his car. Looking at the completely chaotic docks, he took off his hat, his face full of shock.
Everywhere, workers and security guards were “fighting.” They were beating each other in groups of three or five. Everywhere were greetings expressing the desire to be the other person’s father.
Sub-bureau Chief Bruce stood at the dock gate, looking at the others with a blank expression. “What do we do?”
Hunter was also here. He was not yet the chief, and at the same time, he had discussed this issue with Charlie. He had to appear more authoritative to make it easier for him to control the entire Golden Port police system later on.
For him, the Bay Area’s orders were everything.
He adjusted his wide-brimmed police hat, which represented justice. The police badge reflected the light of the street lamps.
“What are your batons for?”
“Separate them, then get these workers under control.”
A police officer asked, “What if they resist?”
Hunter stomped his foot. “If he hits you, you won’t hit back?”
He also emphasized, “You can use your batons, use other weapons, but remember, don’t open fire!”
“Whoever opens fire will bear the consequences!”
There were too many workers on the docks. Once “blood was seen from gunfire,” it would only make the situation more out of control. That would be a nightmare.
Although the people who could decide his future as the real chief all lived in the Bay Area, these workers also had ways to prevent him from becoming the chief, by sacrificing their lives.
Sub-bureau Chief Bruce took his men and actively chose a relatively distant area. He didn’t want to cause trouble. These were the games of Lance and these big shots. His body was too thin.
Even if he was just lightly squeezed, he wouldn’t be able to take it.
Hunter didn’t say anything about Sub-bureau Chief Bruce’s “escape,” just kept it in mind. After he took power, he would make all these disobedient people get lost.
At this time, there were already a large number of reporters here. George (a columnist for “Golden Port Today”) had called over many good friends from the media.
Many of these were national media outlets, such as the Federation Daily, The Post, and the Special Zone Post. These newspapers had a certain influence throughout the Federation and even the world.
For these reporters, what they feared most was that society would become more and more civilized.
If there were no wars in the world, people were humble and polite, no unfriendly conflicts occurred, and everyone abided by the law, then there was a high probability that they would all be unemployed.
So sometimes they were the ones who most hoped the world would be chaotic, because with chaos, there would be enough news to report, and they could gain fame and fortune.
With the entry of a large number of police, at first, they would ask the brawling parties to separate. But when these people didn’t listen to them, some police officers’ tempers flared up.
They used their police batons to beat those workers, hitting them on the head, on the joints. They knew where to hit to cause the most pain.
With the addition of the police, the workers began to retreat. It wasn’t that there were many police, but that they feared the uniform on the police.
The workers dared to fight the security guards, but they might not dare to fight the police, even though they were all people, all with one nose and two eyes.
Johnny, holding a club, knocked down a security guard. A few workers ran over. “The police are here, helping them beat our people.”
Johnny spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva. He had been punched a few times in the face.
His cheek was cut, and now it was swollen. Every time he opened his mouth, he would bite his cheek, which caused the swelling to get worse and the wound to multiply.
Johnny looked at them and asked with wide eyes, “Are they more numerous than us?”
Johnny didn’t know how many people were on the docks now, but it was definitely much more than the current security guards and police.
Unless all the police in Golden Port came at this time, they simply couldn’t control them.
The two workers who came over shook their heads. “Not as many as us.”
Johnny cursed and turned to walk outside. “Then what the fuck are you afraid of?”
When he reached the outermost perimeter, some of his fellow workers had already been pushed to the ground by him. He suddenly rushed over, kicked a police officer away, and started hitting him with his club.
The other workers, seeing how brave Johnny was, at this moment when their bodies were filled with bloodlust, also rushed up.
The situation, which had been slightly under control, went out of control again. The scene became even more chaotic.
At this time, Hunter, standing on a high place behind the crowd, pursed his lips. “Who is this person?”
A dock police officer next to him said, “This person is named Johnny. He used to be a bully. This strike was also caused by him.”
Hunter nodded slightly. “A tough character. Is there anyone else behind him?”
Seeing the dock police officer’s hesitant look, Hunter knew that this matter might not be simple. “Who is it?”
The dock police belonged to the Port District sub-bureau, but they had a dedicated office at the docks and were also under the management of the city police department.
Under Hunter’s gaze, he said that name.
“The Lance Family.”
When a police officer was knocked down, people’s fear of the police was greatly diminished. And because of the police’s intervention, the situation at the docks became even more chaotic.
Hunter took the cigarette from his mouth, threw it on the ground, and stomped on it hard with his heel. He found a phone booth and dialed Charlie, who was waiting for news.
“We can’t do it without guns. They’ve started to fight back against us.”
“And I think there’s someone else pulling the strings behind this.”
Charlie frowned. “Don’t open fire. Pull out first, don’t let the situation spread.” He paused. “The person you mentioned, who is it?”
“Lance…”
(End of chapter)
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