The small cards prepared for the One-Dollar Club were exquisitely made. Lance looked at these cards and fell into deep thought; something had suddenly occurred to him.
Dracy did not disturb him but stood quietly to the side.
After a good few minutes, Lance made a move. He looked at Dracy, “Sorry, I was distracted. These cards are great. Are they printed locally?”
Dracy nodded. “There’s a factory that specializes in this.”
Lance returned the card to him. “Leave the information for this factory with me. It might be useful in the future.”
“Also, these cards are very good, beautifully made. They will like them.”
“It would be best to punch a hole here so it can be tied to a keychain. That way, people won’t lose it, and others can see it too.”
“Ask the designer if they can make it even more exquisite. Money is not an issue.”
Let it become a symbol of status, something people are willing to show off.
Right now, it might just be the One-Dollar Club. In the future, there will be the Ten-Dollar Club, the Hundred-Dollar Club, and even higher-level clubs.
This would become a special system, and Lance had already spawned many ideas from it.
He made a phone call to Johnny, but no one answered. Lance took a car to the docks.
Johnny was already back at work on the docks, and it was an office job at that.
The dock management company had arranged a high-paying, leisurely job for him, but he couldn’t stay idle himself and ran around all day.
He was now something of a celebrity on the docks, with the capital to brag. It was said he was even dating two girlfriends.
Yes, to have the name Johnny, if you didn’t do something out of the ordinary, you would be letting down the flash of inspiration that had crossed his father’s mind at the moment of his birth.
When the convoy entered the docks, many people would stop and watch, and some would even bow slightly to show their respect.
This made some of the new workers a little confused. “Who’s in that car?”
“The executive director of the dock management company?”
An old employee who knew better answered from the side, “That’s Mr. Lance’s car.”
“Is he a big deal?”
Looking at the young new employee’s appearance, the old employee smiled. “A bigger deal than you can imagine.”
The new employee looked at the back of the convoy, secretly vowing in his heart that he too would become a great… worker in the future.
Well, although he had great ambitions, before he had the courage and guts, and could not pay the price to change his class, at most he could only become an excellent human resource, not a person above others.
When Lance saw Johnny, he was already waiting by Pier Three.
“I didn’t get your call, Mr. Lance.”
Lance shook his head indifferently. Many workers around were looking over.
Many of the refugee workers had come in through the labor agency. In a sense, they were also Lance’s employees.
This was one of the reasons why the dock services company could still get along peacefully with Lance and the workers.
Although they had raised the wages of the dockworkers, there were now several thousand refugee workers working here. These refugee workers were much cheaper than the local workers.
Their expenditure had not only not increased but had actually been reduced by a large margin. At the same time, the various service fees at the docks had also been successfully increased by a lot.
With more profit and less expenditure without making major changes, they were not so hostile towards Lance anymore.
Soon, Dave and the others also rushed over. They had once “fought side by side,” so they had a very special feeling for Lance. When they saw him, their faces were also full of smiles.
After a simple exchange of pleasantries, Lance asked casually about the current situation at the docks. “There haven’t been any conflicts between the workers, have there?”
They all shook their heads. If before, the local workers discriminated against the immigrant workers, then now it was the local workers and the immigrant workers who discriminated against the refugee workers together.
So it is said that all happiness must be built on the unhappiness of others, otherwise, it is impossible to reflect whether happiness is happiness or not.
Lance pointed in the direction of the dock gate. “When I came in, I saw many people holding signs at the gate.”
Those workers who had lost their jobs due to the strike were standing at the dock gate holding signs that said “We Want to Work.” There were police, Lance’s men, and security guards from the docks over there.
If they dared to make a scene, they would only be beaten up, so these people had also learned to protest politely and civilly.
“They don’t have any impact on us, and I think their presence actually helps with the work efficiency at the docks.”
Dave showed his yellow teeth. “The refugees are working very hard. They are very afraid of losing these jobs.”
Lance nodded noncommittally. With more refugees pouring in, the domestic economic situation was getting worse. It was unknown whether these people’s choice to flee to the Federation was a smart one.
“Our club is reopening soon. The one dollar I mentioned to you before will come in handy.”
He briefly explained the “privileges” of the One-Dollar Club. Johnny, Dave, and the others all showed looks of surprise.
Dave even took the initiative to say, “Mr. Lance, you have already helped us a lot. If you are going to give us a discount on this, we will feel uneasy.”
Lance shook his head. “I’m just not making a profit, not losing much. I never actually planned on making money from you guys.”
“I know it’s not easy for any of you. If it can relieve some of your pressure on liquor or clothes, then it’s worth it.”
The One-Dollar Club, besides the free liquor, also included a set of free clothes.
These people were so moved that they couldn’t speak. They all felt that Lance was a great person and also patted their chests and promised to let more people know about these things.
As they were talking, several workers in the distance seemed to want to come over, but they didn’t know if they should.
One look and you could tell these were refugee workers. Their spirit and appearance were not as good as the local workers, nor as good as the immigrant workers.
But no matter what, these people were contributing to Lance’s income every month. Although this income was very small, it was clean.
He said a few words to the people around him, and Johnny ran over and led a person over.
A middle-aged man who looked to be about thirty-seven or thirty-eight, not very strong, with a head of black hair that was very oily and messy.
He had a smell of sweat on him. The work at the docks was not easy at all, not to mention that these people were at the very bottom of the chain of contempt. They must be doing the heaviest and most tiring work on the docks.
“Is something the matter?” Lance asked.
The others were behind him, scrutinizing the middle-aged man in front of them who looked very reserved, even a little timid.
The middle-aged man’s eyes were very red. It seemed he had encountered something sad.
In any world, men do not cry easily. They always silently carry the burden of life and hardship and run forward.
For his eyes to be red and swollen, it must be a difficulty he cannot overcome.
The man’s lips moved. “Are you Mr. Lance?”
Lance nodded. “Besides me, there shouldn’t be a second ‘Mr. Lance’ here.”
“Please help me!” When Lance admitted his identity, the middle-aged man knelt directly on the ground. “My daughter is missing!”
He started to cry as he spoke. “She and her mother live in another place. I don’t know what happened yesterday, she suddenly disappeared…”
Lance had Johnny help him up. “Have you called the police?”
The middle-aged man nodded. “The police came, but…”
But what?
But the police didn’t really care about this kind of thing.
A refugee girl has gone missing. There are only a few possibilities. If a large number of police forces were to be used on these missing refugee girls, the entire Golden Port would not be able to find a single free police officer.
In fact, let alone a missing refugee girl, even if a local girl went missing, there was a high probability that the police would just take the case but not keep looking, because they couldn’t find her.
No cameras, not many eyewitnesses. This kind of kidnapping case—
If it was a kidnapping case, there was a high probability that a means of transportation was used, that is, a car.
So there wouldn’t be many witnesses. To find a missing girl hidden in some unknown room’s basement in a city of nearly two million people?
This wasn’t a fucking detective novel. How could it possibly be found?
If this kind of case was eventually solved, it might be when these kidnappers or serial killers were arrested, and among the many skeletons dug up from some place where they specialized in hiding bodies, one could be matched to a previous missing person case.
If these kidnappers, these serial killers were lucky enough, and they were careful enough, there was a high probability that these cases would never be solved in their lifetime.
Just like the oil drums at the bottom of Angel Lake, behind every oil drum was a terrible case, maybe even more than one. But who had ever seen them solved?
Lance looked at the wailing middle-aged man and sighed softly. “Do you have a photo of your daughter?”
“Yes, I do, Mr. Lance!” He quickly took out his pocket watch, brass, very old.
After opening the pocket watch, there was a slightly blurry photo in the case. It should have been taken two years ago. The girl was very beautiful, with a single ponytail. The youthful aura could almost be radiated through the photo.
“I’ll take the photo for now. I’ll have someone keep an eye out. You and your wife should be mentally prepared.”
“I’m not trying to intimidate you, just telling you a fact. There’s a high probability she won’t be found.”
The middle-aged man could only nod. “I will, I will. It’s just that I… I’m sorry…”
Lance patted his arm. “If there’s any news, I’ll have someone come and find you.”
He paused as he spoke. “Are there many such incidents over there?”
He nodded. “Several have already gone missing. This is just what I know. There must be more in other places.”
Lance pursed his lips. “Do you have other children?”
The middle-aged man nodded. “I have a younger son.”
“Take good care of him!” He took $20 out of his pocket and stuffed it into the middle-aged man’s pocket. “Don’t lose this one too. Go and rent a house in the Empire District or nearby.”
“The New Port side is too bad.”
The New Port District was actually the westernmost part of the Port District. Now it was still part of the Port District in terms of urban administrative division and had not been truly separated.
But in daily formal work, it was treated as an unsuccessful new district.
There was no police station there, and the police would not patrol there. After all, there was nothing there before, and it was very desolate.
So there would be many problems there.
This was a very, very complicated situation, and Lance couldn’t solve it either.
The locals don’t welcome refugees. This point can actually be understood.
Everyone is living a good life, and suddenly a group of refugees breaks in, wanting to share your living space, and even share your public resources and job opportunities. Who would like this group of people to appear here?
So the refugees are now basically all squeezed into the New Port District. No police, no public security, no various measures. The crime rate is ridiculously high.
At this moment, Lance had no intention of staying here any longer. He had someone go and see if there were any other refugees who needed help.
From the moment they started working for him, they were, in a sense, no longer ordinary refugees. They were Lance’s employees, Lance’s people.
Sitting in the car, Mador, who was in charge of Lance’s safety, asked softly, “Was it the people from the Bay Area who did it?”
Mador also had a daughter, but she was very young. He could understand that man’s pain.
If his daughter were to be kidnapped, he would definitely go crazy and kill everyone who might have done it.
Lance nodded sullenly. “There’s a high probability that’s the case.”
“Although the Red High Heel has been closed, the demand in the Bay Area will not disappear because of it. They may have set up a more secret Red High Heel themselves, we just don’t know about it.”
“These refugee girls have become their prime hunting targets. There’s no need to worry about making a mess that can’t be cleaned up. At worst, they’ll spend some money to get rid of the girl’s family, and then no one will continue to trouble them.”
Mador slammed his fist on the armrest of the car seat. “These scumbags!”
He looked at Lance as he spoke. “Are we… not going to do anything?”
Lance glanced at the photo in his hand. It was only the size of a cross-section of an egg. The girl inside was smiling so purely and brightly. He closed his hand again. “We have to do something.”
The car quickly returned to the company. Lance called Alan over. “Go and get some more copies of this photo. Ask our people, and some passersby, if anyone has seen her.”
Alan glanced at the photo. He also thought this was a very beautiful girl. “What happened to her?”
“She might have been kidnapped.”
Alan didn’t actually know much about the situation with the Red High Heel. The only people who knew about this were Lance’s absolute confidants. But Alan still felt regret and nervousness.
“Such a beautiful girl. It would be too pitiful if she was harmed. I’ll get right on it.”
Soon, the people in the Empire District and the Port District would see someone asking if they knew the whereabouts of this girl.
But after a whole day, there were no valuable clues.
Actually, Lance could have completely ignored this matter, but there was a breath of oppression in his chest. If he didn’t do anything, he would look down on himself.
When Elvin came back at night, he asked about this matter. “Is this girl very important?”
Lance shook his head. “I don’t know her, nor do I know her father. I only know that her father works for us.”
“Then you…” He was a little confused. Many people had been mobilized to do this today, which had also delayed some other work.
Lance leaned back in his chair, swirling the wine in his glass. “First, I am a person, and then I am me. I have my own joys, angers, and sorrows. I feel that they have done something disgusting under my nose.”
“If I don’t get to the bottom of this, my breath won’t be smooth, and I will always be uncomfortable.”
Elvin understood. “For your health.”
“Maybe you should ask Bruce. They might have some intelligence we don’t know about. After all, they are the local snakes.”
Lance was taken aback for a moment, pointed at Elvin, put down his wine glass, and picked up the phone. “I forgot about that.”
He soon made a call to Sub-bureau Chief Bruce. Sub-bureau Chief Bruce was being intimate with his wife, but he still answered the phone.
Because the people who would call him during his off-hours were either his relatives, good friends, or people he couldn’t afford to offend.
After the call was connected, Lance glanced at the receiver in his hand. Elvin looked bewildered. He put the receiver back to his ear. “Did I disturb you?”
The sound of applause could be faintly heard from the receiver. Originally, Sub-bureau Chief Bruce hadn’t felt anything, but when Lance said this, he suddenly came to life, with an indescribable excitement.
He suddenly increased his strength, and the sound became louder. His wife couldn’t help but make some sounds. “No, no, I’m fine…”
“You’re fucking sick, Bruce!”
Lance “praised” him. “I have a girl who has gone missing here. Is there any way to find her?”
“A girl?” Sub-bureau Chief Bruce was multi-tasking. “I heard, you seem to have been looking for her this afternoon.”
Lance nodded in agreement. “I suspect she might have been kidnapped by people from the Bay Area… Fuck!” The sound on the other end became louder, and Sub-bureau Chief Bruce’s opponent also seemed to no longer suppress her emotions, shouting out unrestrainedly.
“It’ll be over soon.”
Lance held the microphone further away. About twenty seconds later, the sound of Sub-bureau Chief Bruce’s curses and roars came from inside. The battle was over.
He let out a heavy sigh of relief. “Are you still there?”
Only then did Lance pick up the receiver. “Next time you do this, I’ll have someone go over and beat you up.”
Sub-bureau Chief Bruce was now completely tied to Lance, and on the contrary, he had become a bit more of a rogue.
“It was you who called at the wrong time. You can’t just expect me to stop, right?”
It seemed that way. Lance said nothing.
Sub-bureau Chief Bruce continued, “Is this girl very important?”
“I mean, if she’s not very important, then we don’t actually need to find her.”
“You don’t know, when you look and look, and in the end, you find her in the basement of some big shot’s house.”
“I’ve seen this girl’s photo. She’s very beautiful. When we find her, there’s a high probability she will have already been harmed, and maybe even in pieces.”
“From my perspective as a police officer, letting her family think she is still alive is better than having them go and identify a corpse.”
“As long as she’s not found for a day, they can still hold on to hope for a day.”
(End of chapter)