“Bandy…”
Gory looked at Bandy, a hint of disappointment in his eyes. The Kodak family of the past was not like this.
Back then, to monopolize the casino project, their ancestors had strived in that direction.
In their grandfathers’ and fathers’ generations, the power and deterrent force of the Kodak family had reached its peak.
Any force that did not abide by the rules of the game they set would be cruelly bloodbathed by them, until all the casinos in the entire city were closed down.
There wasn’t so much lobbying, communication, or negotiation.
They just spoke with bullets and gunmen.
If you opened a casino in the morning, a gunman would be standing in front of you with a gun in the evening.
This unreasonable and brutal approach had indeed brought them a lot of trouble, but it was undeniable that they had ultimately unified this industry.
Everyone knew that if the Kodak family did not allow it, then it was best not to get involved in the casino business, otherwise it would be a fight to the death with them.
At that time, even for criminal businesses that were not related to casinos, they could still have a say. People respected them because they had seen their muscles.
But now, the Kodak family seemed to have become less pure.
Whitewashing had made Bandy less bloodthirsty than his forefathers. He seemed to be losing his courage and muscle as a gangster.
Bandy looked at Gory. “What do you want to say?”
Gory’s lips moved, but in the end, he shook his head. But Bandy clearly wanted to continue on this topic.
He felt that the worst thing was that Gory didn’t understand him.
“We got on a very fast car, and it’s running straight ahead.”
“It was hard to get on. We needed something that could sufficiently impress the driver and the owner of this car, only then would they stop for us.”
“But after getting on, it’s even harder to get off.”
“Because it won’t stop for us, even if we take out everything we have.”
“The only way for us to get off is to jump out of the car.”
“But jumping out of the car means certain death.”
“I am not afraid of them, nor am I afraid of going to war. What I’m afraid of is that our years of effort, because we couldn’t hold back for a moment, will drag us back into the mire.”
“We’ve already washed ourselves clean. There’s no need to wade into the muddy water again, don’t you think?”
Gory didn’t understand, nor did he want to. He only knew that everything the Kodak family possessed was not because they had licked some senator’s ass, but because they were more ruthless than others and were also willing to share their wealth.
“You call the shots, but I think, Bandy, sometimes we need to show our fangs.”
“Not just let people know we have fangs, but don’t want to use them.”
Bandy just nodded. Gory knew he had said enough. He found an excuse and left the office.
Bandy, in his office, smoked his cigarette. In fact, how could he not know these things? It was just that sometimes, once a decision was made, it was very difficult to change it again.
It was like a very long ship entering a narrow river channel. Halfway through, even if it found that this was not the path it wanted to take, it could only bite the bullet and continue to go on.
Because it was already impossible to turn around.
Going down, perhaps there was still a chance to return to the sea and choose again.
Turning around, there was a high probability that it would get stuck here.
He picked up the phone, dialed Mr. Hayrick’s number, and took a deep breath.
After seven or eight rings, the call was finally connected.
“This is Hayrick.”
“It’s me, Bandy.”
“Ah-ha, Mr. Bandy, for you to call me at this time, could it be that there’s some good news?”
A wry smile appeared on Bandy’s face. “I’m sorry, Mr. Hayrick, I was not able to persuade Lance. The conditions he proposed, I believe, are unacceptable to all of us.”
Although he knew this “unacceptable” would most likely make him angry, he still wanted to hear it. “What did he demand?”
“To be compensated for his loss of $3.5 million.” Actually, when Lance left, he had said $4 million, but he had said $3.5 million. “For my sake, he was only willing to reduce it by $500,000. Originally, he wanted $4 million.”
A single favor was worth $500,000. You couldn’t say this favor was cheap. The purpose of his doing this was to show his own value.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t done anything; it was just that Lance’s side was indeed not easy to handle.
Hayrick laughed with anger after hearing this. “That’s very funny, Mr. Bandy.”
Bandy did not respond. After a while, Hayrick continued, “I have something I don’t understand. The Kodak family, as one of the most prestigious gangs in Golden Port, can’t you even handle a small gang?”
His words also made Bandy a little annoyed. “Mr. Hayrick, when you called me and asked me to help you solve this trouble, did you consider that your conventional means were already ineffective?”
“So that’s why you called me, hoping that I could help you solve these troubles?”
This rebuttal caught Hayrick off guard. He was stunned for a moment, and then he realized that this was actually a “provocation.”
The expression on his face also became not so friendly. “I thought we were friends,” he said.
Bandy did not back down in the slightest, but he was not so aggressive either. “We can be friends.”
He paused. “The price to be paid to get rid of the Lance Family is too great, Mr. Hayrick. Its price is far higher than what he is asking from you.”
“Can you understand what I mean?”
Hayrick didn’t understand, but he didn’t want to continue talking with this good-for-nothing. “I understand. Then I’ll think of some other ways.”
“If you have any other good ideas, you can also give me a call.”
He hung up as he spoke, and didn’t even mention the matter of the annual meeting invitation. For a long-standing good-for-nothing, he couldn’t muster a single bit of interest.
Using Bandy was because in his eyes, no matter how great the Kodak family’s reputation was, it was still a gang.
If he had found someone else, then he would have to owe a real favor. But this favor, he couldn’t be the one to owe it.
In the Federation, there is a saying, “Don’t owe others a favor for an interest relationship that has nothing to do with you.” To put it simply, don’t use your own promises or interests for official business.
Lance, who had walked out of the casino without any hindrance, got into his car. He glanced at the tall Golden Port Casino office building. The car slowly started.
“Should we arrange for someone to show them some color?” Hiram, sitting in the passenger seat, flicked his hair and looked at Lance through the rearview mirror.
Lance’s gaze was fixed on the street outside the car. After about half a minute, he finally said, “Not for now. If they want to cause trouble, then we’ll let them sober up.”
“Golden Port is not just for the people of Golden Port; it’s also ours.”
The threat of Bandy and the Kodak family did not make him feel uneasy in his eyes. In some of his and Councilman Williams’s previous decisions, the Kodak family was to be sacrificed.
The change in Senate seats, the subsequent adjustments in state government positions, the new interest groups and the old ones had already begun to form, split, and confront each other.
This was very obvious. Mr. President did not have the advantage in the general election, but he had won. It was time for those “own people” who did not support him to be purged.
A political purge would be a little gentler than a gang purge. They would first remind those who were to be purged—
It might be the morning news broadcast, or the front-page headline of a certain newspaper. A reporter, without anyone knowing how he did it, would start to break the news, saying that a certain person might have some illegal phenomena.
This was actually equivalent to telling these people, “We plan to make a move on you. If you have a way to solve this problem, then do it as soon as possible.”
If they could reach a compromise through other methods, such as interest exchange, then the official media would tell people that these reports were all groundless rumors, all fabricated to attract people’s attention.
Now the rumors have been clarified, no unexpected accidents have occurred, and everything is normal.
But if they couldn’t find a way to compromise, then the officials would soon step in and carry out a bloody great purge.
Bandy’s backer might have had some changes. Lance didn’t care. That was a game and confrontation at a higher level. As long as he could handle Bandy and transfer the interests to Congress through this “pipe” of his, it was fine.
The convoy’s route was irregular. Sometimes it would go this way, sometimes that way, and sometimes it might even take a detour.
Today, Mador, who was in charge of setting the route, drove directly through the city center. Lance hadn’t been to the city center for a while.
The central business atmosphere of the entire city was still very strong. Many of the pedestrians walking on the street also looked very professional.
This was the place with the most companies in Golden Port, and also one of the most prosperous places.
However, its prosperity was different from the prosperity of the Bay Area and the prosperity of the Starlight District. The prosperity here reeked of money.
Lance had been thinking about some things, and at the same time, his gaze was also fixed on the outside of the window. He suddenly found that this road was a bit familiar.
“Is this the way to the Bureau of Hazardous Materials?”
Mador nodded. “Yes, we will pass by its entrance.”
Lance did not speak again, nor did he express any opinion.
As the car passed by the Bureau of Hazardous Materials, he looked up at the half-kilometer mark, with no particular purpose, just a couple of extra glances.
What he didn’t know was that at this very moment, Ponda was also looking at the scenery on the street outside the window.
He saw a luxurious convoy passing by the main entrance of the Bureau of Hazardous Materials. It’s really nice that these rich people can be so rich.
“Ponda, did you hear what I said?”
Ponda’s gaze returned from outside the window and landed on Director Dale. There was no expression on his face, only a kind of, perhaps, numb expression.
Originally, Director Dale had told him before the Harvest Festival that he should be able to be promoted to senior special agent soon.
At that time, his income would be higher, his status would be higher, and he wouldn’t have to run around on the front lines every day.
He only needed to, when there was a mission, take the file and lead his men out on a mission.
Most of the rest of the time, he would be in his own office, reading magazines and newspapers to pass the time.
Of course, he didn’t want a higher income, a higher status, or an independent office. He just felt that this was what he deserved.
But now, the senior special agent position that had originally belonged to him was in question.
Ponda looked at Director Dale and nodded. “I know, I will obey the bureau’s arrangements.”
Director Dale looked at him. “You still have some resentment in your heart.”
Ponda didn’t speak. He had achieved so much merit, although a lot of it was “fed” to him by Lance. But his work was indeed impeccable compared to others.
Now, a senior special agent had suddenly been parachuted in, filling the vacancy.
In other words, if he wanted to be promoted to senior special agent, he would have to wait until the next opportunity.
But when the next time would be, he didn’t know.
The Bureau of Tobacco, Alcohol, and Hazardous Materials was a department directly under Congress, with vertical management. The only way to get a vacancy for a senior special agent was for someone to be promoted.
But as a vertical management department with one potato for each pit, for a senior special agent to be promoted, it meant that there needed to be a vacancy for a director.
This was a very young bureau. When it was formed, Congress had selected elite forces from various law enforcement agencies across the country.
The oldest was only in his fifties, and the youngest were young men in their twenties.
In other words, he might have to wait for more than ten years to be promoted to senior special agent through the normal process. How could he not be angry?
Director Dale also knew that this matter was a bit inappropriate, but it was an exchange of interests.
He had to do this, although it was a bit unfair to Ponda.
“Next time, next time there’s an opportunity, no matter who speaks up again, I will veto it. The next one to be promoted will definitely be you, I swear.”
“Also, I’ve had someone tidy up an office. You can move in then.”
“I will also give you a salary according to the standard of a senior special agent. What I want to say is, I will do my best to make up for these losses of yours.”
Ponda nodded, and said in a muffled voice, “I know. The office is not necessary. I don’t want them to say I’m getting special treatment.”
Director Dale nodded, walked around the desk to his side, and held his hand. “Thank you for your understanding, Ponda. I promise, next time there’s an opportunity, it will definitely be yours…”
After coming out of the director’s office, he wanted to pretend that nothing had happened, but the muscles on his face refused to obey him.
He was very angry now.
He came out of the office and returned to his desk to sit down. His female colleague next to him pushed her chair with universal wheels and slid over. “The boss has been talking to you for a long time. Is he talking about your promotion?”
“Ponda, you have to treat us this time.”
The people around all looked over at him with smiles. Ponda was actually a good colleague. He was a bit closer to them than those colleagues who were senior special agents from the beginning.
As Ponda’s “good friend,” once Ponda gained a higher status and power, they could also benefit from it.
They would form a new interest group. This kind of thing was actually very common in society. This was just a microcosm.
Ponda squeezed out a not-so-good-looking smile. “It’s off.”
“Why?”
The female colleague’s voice suddenly grew louder. The others all looked over. Some of the colleagues in the distance had a look of confusion on their faces, but some also had a kind of schadenfreude smile.
Anyway, as long as a colleague is unlucky, I’m happy. This kind of person is very common.
“A senior special agent has been transferred from above and has temporarily filled this position, so my transfer has been temporarily put on hold.”
The female colleague slapped the table sympathetically. “Didn’t Dale fight back?”
Ponda didn’t speak. It was obvious that Director Dale most likely hadn’t fought back, and might even have accepted it with pleasure.
“Fuck!” the female colleague cursed, and then comforted him, “He’s too much. You’ve done better than anyone else. We’ve all seen it.”
“He should have fought back against the higher-ups. The work on the front line is already dangerous and difficult. They don’t think about solving our burdens, but instead come to compete with us for positions. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
His surrounding colleagues also comforted him one after another. No matter what, Ponda was the most promising to be promoted.
There would eventually be another opportunity. Next time, he would definitely be promoted next time.
He thanked everyone for their comfort and accepted it, then packed his things and left his post early on the grounds of investigating a case.
No one recorded these things, and it was indeed time for him to go out for a walk.
Director Dale also knew about this matter and also did not investigate it further. This was in line with the requirements of the work manual.
And this matter was indeed his problem. If he had submitted Ponda’s name list earlier, then it was unlikely that a senior special agent would have been parachuted in.
It was precisely because he had been slow to express his thoughts on the appointment for this position that the higher-ups had simply arranged one over. He had to bear the main responsibility for Ponda’s inability to be promoted.
So now that Ponda was obviously going out to clear his head, he didn’t say anything either.
After wandering outside for half a day and drinking a little, he drove home.
When Lisa saw him come back, she walked over and took off his coat for him. “You’ve been drinking?”
Ponda was originally a little dizzy, but at this time he had sobered up quite a bit. “Yes, I’m sorry… I forgot I shouldn’t be drinking.”
He was referring to Lisa’s pregnancy.
Lisa shook her head. “Are you in trouble?”
Ponda came to the sofa with her and sat down. He was a little at a loss as to what to say. “I… my promotion might be off.”
Lisa knew very well how much he had prepared for this promotion. He had even planned a small promotion event, and was going to invite everyone to celebrate together at that time.
He had also made some work arrangements, but now, it was all over.
Lisa saw his grievance. She put her arm around her husband. “Did they bully you?”
“No, no…”
He held Lisa back, as if wanting to rub her into his body.
At night, Ponda drank some more. He rarely went to bed so early, sleeping alone in the study.
Ever since Lisa became pregnant, he had been sleeping in separate beds with her, mainly because he was afraid of hurting her.
Looking at Ponda’s aggrieved and lost appearance, Lisa was very heartbroken.
She hesitated for a long time, and then dialed Lance’s number.
“There’s something, I think I should tell you…”
(End of chapter)