“Mr. Roben, I don’t want to say the same thing too many times, but I have to say it again, thank you!”
Alan took the initiative to shake hands with Roben the lawyer. “The Boss is held up with some things and couldn’t come, so he asked me to convey his thanks for you taking the time to come.”
Just paying bail didn’t actually require Roben the lawyer to come in person. He could have sent an assistant or even a law apprentice to do it.
But he still came in person. This was a matter of attitude.
He quickly responded, “It’s what I should do. Mr. Lance pays me, and I work for him. It’s my duty.”
“Please give my best regards to Mr. Lance. If there are any follow-up issues, you can call me at any time.”
“If they sue you, I will come and help you win this lawsuit.”
In the Federation, assault and battery cases were the most difficult to judge. In the end, it depended on whose lawyer had more tricks up their sleeve and was more famous.
The other side was just ordinary people. Roben the lawyer didn’t think they would lose at all.
Roben the lawyer did not look down on Alan just because he was a “small character.” He treated Alan with the same enthusiastic attitude he treated Lance.
As a lawyer who had been handling litigation for gangs for all these years, he knew one thing better than any other lawyer or even anyone else.
So-called identity, class, and social status were worthless in the eyes of these low-level gang members.
Yes, worthless.
He had handled more than one first-degree murder case. Those low-level gang members had killed a socialite without any hesitation and then turned themselves in.
In the process of handling these cases, he had also chatted with these people. He had asked these gunmen, “Didn’t you know what the consequences would be?”
You have to know, even a first-degree murder case against a civilian has a high probability of being sent to the electric chair or the gallows, let alone the fact that they had murdered a socialite.
But these low-level gang members acted as if they were fearless, saying they didn’t care. This was a glorious mission. They had completed the mission and would be respected by other members. That was it.
Going to prison, even death, they didn’t take it to heart. Of course, this also had a certain relationship with the Federation’s judicial procedures.
Even with a death penalty review, even if the deceased was a celebrity, the whole process would take a very long time. More often than not, they would be secretly executed by other prisoners in prison, rather than dying on the execution platform.
They didn’t care if you were a capitalist or a politician. They only cared if you would be killed.
On the contrary, the higher-level gang leaders, their social form was no longer just that of a gang. They also participated in some political activities, so they had a more thorough understanding of the world.
They knew that there were things in this world more terrible than death, so they would be afraid.
The most famous case was the son of a councilman who was beaten by a low-level gangster to the point of being unable to take care of himself. But the leader of this gangster had to find every possible way to obtain the councilman’s forgiveness.
These people never cared if you were a great low-level gang member. They were the ones Roben was unwilling to provoke.
He didn’t even want them to think he was a little arrogant.
He could communicate with Lance, but not necessarily with these people.
“Okay, I will definitely pass it on to the Boss.”
The two released their hands. Roben the lawyer quickly got into his car and left. Just by driving over and going through a procedure, he had earned $200.
This was too fucking easy to earn.
Watching Roben the lawyer leave, a subordinate opened the car door for Alan. He adjusted his favorite trench coat, looked around, and then got into the car.
The entire police station parking lot seemed to have become much more spacious.
The convoy drove out in a single file, leaving only the workers who had been beaten black and blue still giving their statements.
At this time, the general manager had already arrived at the scene. He looked at the entrance of the warehouse, which was full of agricultural products but also spattered with bloodstains. For a moment, he wanted to curse, but he didn’t know who to curse or how.
He had arranged for people to go outside the docks to find casual laborers again. This time, people saw him as if they had seen a venomous snake and took the initiative to avoid him.
It was basically very difficult to hide anything from the group of workers on the docks, especially this kind of unconcealed conflict.
They all knew that the Liji Group was in trouble. No matter how formidable the Liji Group was, they were no match for Lance’s crew.
On the docks, the dock management company controlled all the assets here, but they were the ones who controlled the order here.
Time passed bit by bit. He rushed back to the company and explained the situation to the specialist.
The specialist’s expression was still as cold as before. “Isn’t calling the police working?”
The general manager sighed. “This person, Lance, has a lot of power. The police may not be of any use.”
He recounted some hearsay rumors, for example, that the previous police chief, John, had been killed by Lance.
This rumor also made the specialist frown, and his eyes carried a hint of contempt for this place.
“Although this place is very rich, it is also very barbaric, not at all as civilized as Golden State.”
He first fired a broadside, and then continued, “What is his demand, to be compensated for the breach of contract?”
The general manager nodded. “He is demanding $4 million in compensation.”
Hearing this number, a sarcastic expression appeared on the specialist’s face. “$4 million?”
“Does this person know what $4 million looks like?”
“From now on, I will be in charge of this matter. I will report your performance as it is to the board of directors.”
The general manager breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that someone was taking over. He didn’t care about being reported to the board of directors or not.
However, he had to pretend to be very troubled and unhappy to cooperate with the specialist, at least not to show a smile…
“I understand,” he also reminded, “If those things on the docks are not shipped, we may have to pay a penalty for breach of contract.”
The specialist nodded, did not offer any disposal plan, and then pointed to the door. “I need to work. Get out.”
Breach of contract penalty?
They could get out of paying Lance’s penalty, and they could get out of paying others’. The Liji Group knew how to pick on the weak.
Soon the call was made to the board of directors. The specialist, who was high and mighty and arrogant in front of the general manager, now, in front of the phone, acted like a small character.
He was slightly bent over, his head lowered, holding the receiver with both hands. “…Yes, that’s what I was thinking. Our cooperation with the Likalai State Agricultural Committee is very close. They can give us some help.”
“Yes, that is my idea. In addition, after I arrived here, I was disappointed with the performance of the general manager here.”
“He has done almost nothing to salvage the current situation, leaving us in a passive state… yes, yes… I don’t know, I understand.”
“Okay, I will deal with it immediately…” he hung up the phone, his expression a little unnatural. The general manager had a relationship with the vice president. He hated these damn nepotistic groups.
But he was also powerless against them. After all, that was the vice president, the person who could decide his fate.
An incompetent petty man, this was his evaluation of the general manager.
Soon, he began to work. Through his connections with the Agricultural Committee, he would see if he could contact some more powerful people to solve this problem.
This was also a common tactic of capital. You always have someone you can’t refuse.
“After the New Year, we have to consider some issues for the mayoral election,” Councilman Williams sat in his chair, a blanket covering his legs.
James sat opposite him, with a look of attentive listening.
Now James had succeeded him and become the new councilman. Councilman Williams was actually not a councilman anymore. He was just an ordinary resident of Golden Port.
But people were still used to calling him Councilman Williams, and there was a high probability that in a year, they would call him Mayor Williams.
“I know, you might think that we have no opponents in the election, that we are sure to win.”
His speaking speed was not fast. The sunlight shone on him through the glass window, but it didn’t feel very warm, not as warm as the heat from the heater.
As people get older, the heat they generate will decrease. Although he was well-maintained, there were still many wrinkles on his face.
“A hungry lion, even when pouncing on a wild rabbit, will use its true strength, because it knows that whether it uses its full strength or not, the rabbit will use its full strength.”
“If the rabbit escapes, all its previous efforts will become a joke. It must ensure that the rabbit will become its food to fill its stomach.”
“We are the same. No matter whether the mayoral candidates nominated by the Liberal Party or the Federalist Party have a chance to defeat us, we must remain vigilant.”
“This kind of thing has happened many times before. This may not be another time.”
“What we can do is to go all out…”
The phone on the desk suddenly rang. He picked it up. “This is Williams.”
He listened for a while with a frown. “I can’t make any promises to you. I can only say that I’ll ask first.”
He hung up the phone as he spoke. “It’s the people from the Agricultural Committee.”
Likalai State had rich water resources and belonged to the southern plains. Wheat could be harvested three times in two years here. To the west, there were more farms and plantations.
If you didn’t consider the port economy of Golden Port, then the economy of Likalai State was mainly based on light industry and agriculture.
The Agricultural Committee had a not-low status in Likalai State.
As he spoke, he picked up the phone again. “The Liji Group has provoked Lance. Now they are very likely to pay the price.”
James was a little curious after listening. “Are you planning to interfere in this matter?”
Councilman Williams shook his head. “I’m just curious about what happened. You can’t stop an old man like me from being curious about the world, can you?”
“As for persuading Lance for them?”
He smiled. “The phone call has already reached me. Doesn’t that just show that the choices they can make are actually not many?”
But unfortunately, Lance was not at the company now, nor was he at home. He had not received this phone call.
He was now at the bar in the Starlight District. This was what Paul had promised him.
During this period, after Alberto had taken Francisco to sort out the family affairs, this bar was finally transferred to Lance, including its property rights.
The renovation was said to have cost $300,000. The bar exuded an atmosphere of wealth, as if everything was expensive.
“My God, Lance, come over here.”
“You have to try this!” a few young men stood on the dance floor, wiggling their hips. They waved for Lance to come over.
Lance stood by the side of the dance floor. Hiram had a look of surprise on his face and was constantly shaking. “The floor here shakes.”
Originally, Lance was not very interested in this place, but after he said this, he became a little interested. He tried to step onto the stage floor and immediately felt what Hiram meant by “shaking.”
A spring dance floor. Under the floor tiles of the dance floor was a layer of heavy-duty springs. These springs could make the dancers on the dance floor not consume so much physical strength, and at the same time, they also had a positive feedback on their ankles.
If you stomped hard on the ground, the soles of your feet would be numb from the vibration.
But on this kind of floor, the feedback would not be so strong, and it could also make people dance for longer.
The cost of this dance floor was definitely not cheap. Not only were the materials not cheap, but the main thing was this technology. In this era, it was definitely the most advanced and trendy.
Sometimes the attraction of a spring dance floor was far greater than the attraction of the liquor here.
Lance walked off the dance floor. The bar was full of excited young men. Dracy was calculating how much liquor was needed for supply here every day. Everyone was full of expectations for this place.
“Dover didn’t have much talent for business, but he could still earn $400,000 to $500,000 a month from here. If you can run it a little better, more is not a problem.”
Alberto leaned against the bar, his hands propped on the bar top, and looked at Lance.
This number was very real. This was actually all the initial reason for Lance and Dover, including Paul’s final misfortune.
Dover was unwilling to lose the business here, developed a hatred for Lance, and exacerbated the split between him and Paul.
After so many days, Lance had taken control of this place. Whether it was him or Alberto, they both had an indescribable feeling of fate.
“This is not a small sum. I hope no one will cause me trouble because of it,” Lance sat down on a nearby round stool. “I hear that Cisco is doing pretty well now.”
Alberto shrugged. He jumped onto a nearby chair. “After the two biggest troubles were solved, the others have become much more honest.”
“We’ve returned to our essence. We are a gang, not philanthropists. Speaking with violence is always the simplest and most effective method.”
It’s also the most dangerous, but from the moment they embarked on this path, danger has always been by their side.
Lance did not raise any meaning to Alberto’s point. “What do you guys plan to do next?”
Alberto shook his head. “I don’t know. First, let Cisco truly control the family, and then consider how to solve the problem of Dover.”
“Only by getting rid of Dover can Francisco truly and completely grasp the family.”
“But in the short term, it doesn’t seem easy.”
“A part of Summuri has already been drawn into the war. In the short term, we can’t go back there either. We might have to wait until the war is over.”
“Just right, there is still a long enough time for Cisco to grow up.”
This was a rather heavy topic, because once the decision was made to start taking revenge on Dover, it meant that a new war was about to begin.
Lance patted Alberto’s arm. “Everything will be fine.”
Alberto nodded. “Yes, everything will be fine.”
The opening of the bar was not immediate. There were many problems in this. How to let people know that the bar had reopened, but not let the dog noses of the Bureau of Hazardous Materials sniff out that there was a problem here.
Once it started to be profitable again, it was not guaranteed that someone would not leak the news here to those special agents.
So some means were needed to let people know it was reopening, and also to prevent others from knowing.
In addition, there was also some equipment here that needed to be replaced or repaired, which would take time.
Even if it were to open, it would probably have to wait until late November.
Lance left the others here to start re-tidying the bar. He then returned to the company.
He had high hopes for this bar. It would definitely be a big earner.
Just as he returned to the company, someone told him that Councilman Williams had called. The two of them, or rather, the two forces, were now in their honeymoon period. Lance immediately returned the call.
“You were looking for me?”
“Yes, someone called me, asking if there’s a way to mediate between you and the Liji Group.”
Lance raised his eyebrows. “Did you agree?”
Councilman Williams laughed heartily. “Of course I’m not that stupid. How could I agree when I don’t know anything?”
“And, we are partners. I am not with them. At most, it’s a relationship of interest exchange.”
“I’m just very curious, what exactly happened…”
Lance recounted the specific events again. Councilman Williams also felt that this was the Liji Group’s problem. “Just because they were unwilling to honor your grape contract, you lost over a million, and then all this happened?”
Hearing Lance nod in agreement, he was a bit at a loss whether to laugh or cry. “Now they’ve lost even more.”
Lance considered for a moment. “If they give you a reason you can’t refuse, I’ll give you a face, Councilman Williams, $2 million. This is the lowest price I’ll accept.”
Councilman Williams laughed out loud again. “This is very interesting, Lance. I didn’t expect my face to be worth so much.”
He pondered for a moment. “We are friends, but I am not with them.”
He hung up the phone and looked at James, as if asking him “Why I won’t get involved in this.”
This was a “teaching” process between a father and son, and also an opportunity that common people would never have.
When a university graduate says at his graduation party, “During my internship at the Presidential Palace…” this beginning, ninety-five percent of the people in the whole school will only be able to look up to him in the future.
An ordinary family’s father will only wave his fist and tell their children to “be obedient,” instead of telling them that there are many things in this world that need to be thought about.
“If they were willing to pay out $2 million, this problem wouldn’t exist now!” This was the result of James’s analysis.
Councilman Williams showed a smile, a standard answer.
His education of James was a success.
This was no longer a simple matter of money.
(End of chapter)
The novel has already been fully translated up to the last updated chapter. You can access it on my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/caleredhair