The Kodak Family had been served up on a platter. Previously, this concept hadn’t been so… clear and distinct to Bandy.
But as the situation continued to develop, those who were supposed to be his “support” and “protective umbrella” all began to tell him they were powerless.
It wasn’t that they were truly powerless; it was just that they had discovered the delightful aroma emanating from their good friend.
The scent wafting from the plump, interest-laden Kodak Family made them salivate uncontrollably. They couldn’t wait to write him into the menu.
Especially those who hadn’t had a good meal before but could now choose their seats and menus.
Although the food was constantly increasing, its quantity was ultimately insufficient to fill everyone’s stomach.
Hunger drove them mad. They no longer cared where the ingredients came from. All they wanted now was to fill their bellies and have the ability to deal with the next batch of diners.
If, after thinking things through, Bandy could accept these things, then Lance’s appearance was something he found harder to accept.
A guy he had never even given a second glance to before had transformed into a chef.
And he was the very chef who was cooking him. He didn’t understand what was so special about Lance that he could stand by the dining table in another capacity.
Sometimes, a good “ingredient,” if lacking a qualified chef, people would rather wait a little longer than hastily and carelessly use up the precious ingredient.
Lance’s appearance made these diners discover a chef who could handle these “ingredients,” and so the Kodak Family, this precious ingredient, was written into their menu.
Once the order of the menu was determined, even if the chef was changed, the menu would not be changed just because of the change of chef. They were already starving.
Even if there was no Lance now, there would still be a Red-s, a Yellow-s, or the like, to take over his job, cook the Kodak Family fragrantly, and serve them to the diners at the table to feast on.
Since they couldn’t escape the fate of becoming an ingredient, then they had to leave a little hope behind.
Fleming’s eyes still held some confusion, some lack of understanding, some disbelief.
They had always been the diners at the table. When had they been served up on the table?
“This might be the last lesson I teach you, Fleming.”
Bandy looked at him, tidied up his somewhat unruly hair, slowly pressing it back with his hand, combing it neatly.
“We’ve actually been making a mistake all along.”
Bandy glanced at him. “Pour me some wine.”
Fleming immediately poured him a glass of wine. He took a small sip. “Our speed is still too slow.”
“The speed of whitewashing is too slow.”
“The organizers of this endless banquet are those gentlemen in Congress.”
“They decide who are the diners, who are the ingredients, who should be at the table, and who should be on the table.”
“We were lucky enough to be at the table in the last batch. Maybe it was just a small table, but it also allowed us to avoid the fate of becoming food.”
“We greedily devoured everything. The development of the Kodak Family far surpassed that of the other families in the Five Families.”
“But our muscles have grown too slowly. There has been almost no significant change in these years.”
“We still don’t have anyone presentable who can be called a ‘politician’.”
He looked at Fleming. In fact, Fleming was the successor he had chosen. He would use his and his family’s influence to help Fleming become a politician. He was already working on it.
But the speed was still a bit slow, and he had misunderstood the rules of this banquet. He thought that changing the list was something for the distant future. Who knew it would come so quickly!
“We ate too fast, which made us obese. Every inch of our skin is filled with the smell of profit.”
“But we have grown too slowly. We don’t have tough skin, no strong muscles, no power to make others fear the consequences!”
“In this banquet, as long as you can’t show intimidating strength, whether you are a diner or an ingredient, sometimes the distinction is not so clear.”
“If back then…”
He shook his head. At this moment, he could only use a sigh to regret his greed.
Yes, to some extent, it was his greed that had ruined the entire family.
If when he had a slight understanding of their status and also figured out what the future held, he had not thought of having his own son do this, but had chosen one from his brothers and sisters, at that time they were in their thirties, which was a good time.
They were still sitting at the table, and they still had enough influence to raise their status.
But he was greedy. He hoped that such a huge amount of profit would eventually be digested in his own line, instead of his brothers working hard for a lifetime, only to have other cousins become the core of the family in the end.
He waited and waited, and in waiting, he missed all the opportunities, so much so that it was only at the last moment that he suddenly understood.
He had been given a chance, but he didn’t seize it.
He couldn’t blame anyone for this.
“After you leave, live a low-key life with your family and children. Don’t be high-profile, don’t be ostentatious, and don’t let others know how much money you have, or how glorious you used to be.”
“You have to become ordinary people, an ordinary family, and then try to take root in a new environment.”
“With so much money and resources, in the future, you, we, may not have a chance to return to the dining table.”
“Fleming, the responsibility on your shoulders is very heavy. Whether the family can be revived or not all depends on you.”
Bandy took another sip of wine. “I know this is very selfish. I shouldn’t pin all the things I can’t do on you, hoping you can do them. This is not fair to you.”
“But I hope you can do your best. If you really can’t…”
He smiled. “Then so be it.”
“You’ve grown up. The future is your world. You decide how to walk every fork in the road.”
“I can no longer give you more advice, nor can I watch you make the next and all subsequent decisions, and remind you whether you should do so.”
“Think more. That’s the only thing I can leave you with.”
He paused here. “Alright, leave as soon as possible!”
“Lance is coming soon!”
Gorry’s assassination of Lance had failed, so Lance’s retaliation would soon come. He was very clear about this.
It was like a chef standing by the sink processing ingredients. The ingredients almost hurt the chef. So the chef, without destroying the appearance and taste of the dish, would definitely vent his anger.
It was he who had used that method first, so he couldn’t blame Lance for retaliating.
Fleming also realized the seriousness of the matter. He pursed his lips and walked over to hug Bandy.
Bandy was in a daze, as if time had turned back to a long, long time ago, a certain day. He hugged Fleming, giving him a warm, reliable embrace, making him full of confidence and courage for this world full of danger and opportunity.
“Alright, you are the family head now. You should set an example,” he patted Fleming’s back and let him go. “Go, with our hope.”
Fleming no longer lingered. He nodded, turned, and strode away. At the last moment before he opened the door and walked out, he looked back.
The gazes of the father and son were cut off by the slowly closing door. Then the sound of footsteps echoed in the corridor outside, getting farther and farther away.
Bandy leaned back in his chair, looking at the good weather outside the window. The tender green lawn seemed to be shrouded in a layer of emerald green fluorescence.
He thought of Gorry, of Stone, of everything. What a pity!
A little later, a large number of police officers rushed into the manor. Chief Bruce appeared before him with an arrest warrant. “Mr. Bandy, you can call your lawyer now.”
Bandy nodded. He hadn’t really pulled himself together yet, just made himself look not so… disappointing.
Disappointing the people in the family. Those family members still didn’t know what had happened. They still thought they were at the dining table, not on the dining table.
The lawyer arrived quickly. After reading the relevant legal documents, his face sank slightly, and he nodded at Bandy. “The documents are fine, Mr. Bandy. You need to go with them, but I will accompany you.”
“Thank you for your trouble!” Bandy then stood up. The police asked to put handcuffs on him. The lawyer argued for a bit, but was unsuccessful.
In fact, sometimes handcuffs are not necessary. The law enforcement of the police in this period mainly depends on their mood.
But if they insisted on “regulations,” then handcuffs were the regulations. Even if the lawyer appealed to the highest court, there would be no possibility of victory.
Bandy was put in shiny silver handcuffs. They even refused to put a hood on him. He just walked out of his house like this, wearing handcuffs.
Many Kodak family members looked at this scene in disbelief. Some wanted to come forward and ask him what had happened, but were stopped by the police.
Soon, the news of Bandy’s arrest began to ferment in the city, and more rumors introducing why he was arrested also began to spread rapidly.
The rumors about the Kodak family being involved in a large number of crimes once again became the focus of people’s discussion. This time, people even linked the strange phenomenon of the water level of Angel Lake rising every year with the Kodak family.
It was as if… the rise in the water level of Angel Lake was purely because they had done too many bad things!
Besides these news, there were even more sensational news coming out. For example, Stone, the number four core figure of the Kodak family, had now turned into a tainted witness and was willing to testify in court to accuse the Kodak family of a series of criminal acts.
His cousin, another member of the Kodak family, although not a core member, was also willing to turn into a tainted witness and accuse the Kodak family of some criminal acts.
These included assault, kidnapping, extortion, blackmail, rape, injury, murder, desecration of a corpse, smuggling and selling liquor, and a series of other shocking crimes.
The entire Likalai State was shaken by this matter, because the Kodak family was very famous throughout Likalai State.
Not to mention Golden Port City. It was like a disturbing bomb suddenly exploded, catching many people in the Bay Area off guard!
Especially those who had transactions with the Kodak family, who had some behind-the-scenes interest exchanges. If the problems of the Kodak family were dug out by them in detail, some of the gentlemen in the Bay Area would also suffer heavy losses!
Although the lawyer Bandy had hired and the legal team he hired later had tried every means, they still could not get Bandy released on bail.
This time, besides Attorney General Terry intervening to maintain “judicial fairness,” some people on the Bay Area side were also using some means to prevent Bandy from being released on bail.
The reason for not letting Bandy be released on bail was that they didn’t want Bandy to come out, didn’t want Bandy to run around. They were planning to make a move on Bandy.
Erasing all factors that threatened the Bay Area was one of the reasons why the Bay Area had become more and more arrogant over the years.
If Bandy had fallen at a banquet with the state as the table, then at this small banquet with Golden Port City as the largest table, the organizers of the banquet greedily and insatiably put everything that could be put on the table on the table.
They didn’t even need a chef. Whether it was raw or cooked, as long as it could bring them benefits, they would grab it with their hands and stuff it into their mouths.
At the same time, they would also clear away those factors that might affect their eating, for example, the arrested Bandy.
In the interrogation room of the city police station, Bandy’s lawyer stood in front of him with an apologetic expression. “I’m sorry, Mr. Bandy. I’ve done my best, but they refused to sign the documents to allow you to be released on bail.”
“So…”
Bandy shook his head. “It has nothing to do with you. We all know that someone doesn’t want me to run around right now.”
As he spoke, he laughed twice. Among them must be those who were once his good friends.
He took out a cigarette and lit it. The room was filled with a thick smell of smoke, and there were also many cigarette butts on the floor.
The police station did not prohibit him from smoking. On the contrary, whatever he wanted, the police station would provide it, which was very humane.
He didn’t ask for anything excessive either, only asking for a supply of cigarettes.
He looked at the lawyer. “How is the family doing now?”
The lawyer was silent for a moment. “Bruce and Duke have led a large number of police officers to start arresting your clansmen. They are being held in their own rooms and are not allowed to communicate with others, in the manor.”
“The entire manor has become a huge interrogation room. Some of your… clansmen have already made confessions that are unfavorable to you and your family.”
“We’ve contacted some people, but they rejected our proposal.”
The lawyer had asked them not to say anything that would be detrimental to the family, but it was clear that no one had taken his words seriously.
Everyone could see that the great ship of the Kodak family was about to sink. At this time, if you don’t speak, you will sink into the deep sea with it.
Even if some family members did not have serious crimes, after all, it was impossible for everyone to commit crimes. A considerable number of them had not participated in criminal acts.
But even so, they would be afraid, because this ship was too big.
The downward suction created when it sank would pull everyone down into the sea with it.
Even those floating on the surface of the water were no exception.
So before it started to sink, these people had to save themselves.
No one knew better than them what bad things the family had done. One case after another was confessed, and one shocking piece of news after another was spread in society.
Even the governor was very concerned about this case and urged the mayor to investigate it clearly, then collect all the criminal evidence and send it to the state government.
For such a heinous case, he requested that it be tried in a state-level court, on the grounds that he doubted whether the courts in Golden Port City could treat these cases and the parties involved fairly and justly.
Everyone knew clearly and profoundly that they were finished.
So, the self-rescue actions of these clansmen were not a problem in Bandy’s view.
He shook his head. “Let them be.”
“If they think that by doing so, they can get out of this turmoil, then it can only be said that they have imagined this disaster too simply.”
He paused for a moment, and with a tone that he himself did not realize was complex, guilty, and careful, he asked, “How is Stone doing over there…?”
“Stone has now turned into a tainted witness. It is said that the Department of Justice is discussing whether to sign an immunity order for him.”
“Once the Department of Justice passes this discussion, he will be immune from prosecution.”
A smile appeared on Bandy’s face. “That’s good news.”
An astonished expression appeared on the lawyer’s face, as if asking him, shouldn’t he hate Stone?
From the moment Gorry died, he had actually “let go,” forced himself to let go.
He had done his best. Gorry and Stone had also sacrificed a lot. If failure was inevitable, he had no regrets.
If Stone could survive, he would also have an explanation for Gorry.
So he was very happy that Stone had a chance to be immune from prosecution, if this was true.
“Can I talk to Stone?” he asked.
He still had some things that only he and Gorry knew. If these things were revealed by Stone, maybe he would have a chance to increase his weight and value in the eyes of those in the Department of Justice who could decide their fate.
The lawyer considered for a moment, but did not give him a definite answer. “I can try, but it may not be possible.”
Bandy was very calm. “Then let’s try. Whether we succeed or fail, at least we have tried.”
He had a lot to say to Stone.
After the lawyer reported on the recent progress of the case, he left. Not long after, a person he hadn’t expected, but who was within reason, came: Lance.
The moment he saw Lance, he did not stand up. If it were before, he would definitely have stood up, but now he was the biggest one.
Because he was about to die. He knew that he would definitely not live to the day he was sentenced. So what was the point of caring about these things?
“I just… you know, to make some people nervous, you have to make them have doubts that can make them uneasy.”
Lance walked to the table and sat down, saying casually.
Bandy smiled and nodded. “They will definitely be curious about what we talked about, and whether it is harmful to them.”
“In order to avoid more problems that are not in the plan, they will find a way to get rid of me.”
“Right?”
(End of a Chapter)