Empire of Shadows

Chapter 276: Means [666+15]

This was a very special matter. If Elvin didn't volunteer to do it, he would do it himself, because he didn't trust others.

It wasn't that he was afraid they would run away halfway, but that he was afraid they wouldn't do it cleanly enough.

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But since Elvin insisted on doing it himself, Lance agreed, trusting that Elvin could handle it well.

Sitting in his chair, he smoked, the moon outside the window bright and clear.

Using the word 'bright' to describe the moon might seem inappropriate, but it was precisely the most fitting term at this moment.

It hung radiantly in the sky, its purity tinged with a hint of something that could attract people's curiosity.

Lance looked at it, but what he was thinking about were the mayor's actions all this time.

He had a rhythm, a plan, not appearing blind, nor doing things without meaning.

Many people were mocking him for already being at a disadvantage, but with just a simple move, he had begun to turn the tide.

If this step allowed him to gain a firm foothold, what would he do next?

Lance considered many things. The most likely was to use the IRS as a deadly weapon. As long as he could persuade the state government to investigate the tax affairs of the five major families, even if they had ways to escape, they would all be entangled in tax investigations for a time.

By the time they could extricate themselves, perhaps Goldenport City would have changed.

He couldn't let him proceed step by step so calmly. He had to apply some extra force, whether to him, the five major families, or others, to get them all moving!

Like Lance, Councilor Wade was also contemplating these matters.

Many people had come to the study: three city councilors, some members of the city hall office, and some capitalists, celebrities of the Bay Area.

They sat in different parts of the study, some standing.

Those sitting on the sofa were clearly of higher status, followed by those sitting in chairs, then those standing near them, and finally those standing against the wall.

Councilor Wade's face had lost its usual smile today. The mayor's sudden move made him feel somewhat棘手 (棘手: thorny, troublesome).

A city councilor from the Bay Area said softly, "I don't believe John can control the entire police department. Our people can hollow him out. Hunter alone can handle him."

Many others agreed.

Their consensus was that Hunter should replace Charlie. First of all, Hunter himself wasn't the kind of person with a particularly strong sense of justice.

He had done all kinds of dirty work and knew the filth and ugliness behind the Bay Area's glamour, yet he remained diligent and dutiful, just like his predecessor, a 'loyal dog' recognized by the Bay Area's wealthy.

The opinions of the Bay Area's wealthy were the core factor in determining the choice of police chief. This had always been the case in the past, and even if Chief Charlie was forced to resign, they wouldn't feel uneasy.

The entire police system was full of their people, so even if the mayor brought in his own man, it would be useless.

But now, the mayor's actions made them realize that the seemingly stable police system wasn't a monolithic entity.

John was no small character. Although he had only recently become the chief of the port branch, he had been working in the port district branch for almost nine to ten months before that.

How many people could he have bought off during this time?

The most important place in Goldenport City was the port. If the mayor seized control of the port, some wealthy people in the Bay Area would definitely have to give way.

Especially those who had made their fortunes in warehousing and transportation, this was equivalent to seizing their lifeline.

Everything had clearly been looking good, so how did the situation suddenly become a little incomprehensible?

Councilor Wade shook his head. "The trouble isn't with John, but whether he still has influence over the port district branch after becoming the police chief."

"Even more, whether John's appearance will make people realize that betrayal is actually a way out?"

"Gentlemen, we have thrown no small number of people into the trash in recent years. If these people realize that siding with the mayor can not only bring about some earth-shattering changes, but also revenge, which side do you think they will stand on?"

A single sentence made many people start to sweat slightly. The ruling class, the privileged group, wasn't always fixed, nor was it innate, but obtained through struggle.

Some struggles were relatively tolerant, so the losers wouldn't suffer too badly. Perhaps… they were still in this city, just having lost the opportunity to become the ruling class, to become the privileged group.

Some struggles might be relatively cruel, and these losers had already contributed their share to the unsolved mysteries of Angel Lake.

If nothing unexpected happened, those surviving losers would continue to live as losers, but now, an accident had occurred.

Councilor Wade picked up a glass of wine, took a sip, "We can't let the stray dogs gather. When they're separated, they're just dogs with their tails between their legs, but when they gather, they become a pack of wolves."

"Some that you can deal with, find a way to deal with. Those that can't be dealt with, let the five major families take action."

"That's what they're for!"

"Also, mobilize your forces. Report what should be reported, use the connections in the state legislature, impeach him."

"We can't continue to let him grow stronger. This is a very棘手 (棘手: thorny, troublesome) opponent, smarter and more dangerous than those mayors before!"

Councilor Wade began to arrange work in an orderly manner. Although the current situation was somewhat complicated, he still didn't believe the locals would lose!

He wanted to let everyone know that there would be no good end for betraying them!

The situation was roughly the same on Councilor Williams' side. The two political forces, which originally had some minor friction, insignificant friction, appeared particularly united at this time.

Orders from Councilor Wade and Councilor Williams began to spread to all levels of society through the mouths of the upper class or those white gloves.

The night sky, with its sparse stars, still carried a slightly cool evening breeze, but the air was so heavy that it was frightening!

Early in the morning, several police cars appeared outside the Red Dog Gang's headquarters. The newly appointed branch chief, Buck, John's sidekick, got out of the police car.

He was large, fat and strong, pulled up his belt, walked to the door of the nightclub, raised his foot, and kicked it!

With a bang, the door was kicked open, also waking up the gang members inside. Some alert gang members immediately ran out from all directions, but when they saw the large number of police officers, they could only put away their weapons.

"What's wrong with my door?"

"Officer?!"

Buck was also very tall. He looked down at the few small things in front of him and said in a very arrogant tone, "Let Bill and the other few get out here. Someone reported that you killed someone. The body is now at the police station. I need them to come back with me to participate in the investigation."

Bill and the others had killed someone. Many people knew about this, after all, they had not only killed someone but also dumped the body outside the Wolf Gang's headquarters.

Bill even bragged about it everywhere, saying that this was the price of provoking him!

That bastard almost killed him, but he successfully killed the other party. This did indeed make the Red Dog Gang's momentum and reputation a little louder, which also made Bill become an ambitious and restless person in people's mouths!

When had Bill ever heard anyone praise him like this?

In the past, people would only mock him for being good at pimping, and some people would use some of his deeds when he first entered society to mock him, mocking him for only being worthy of pushing people's buttocks.

But now, he had become a "枭雄 (枭雄: hero; brave and ambitious person)", which gave him a very爽快 (爽快: refreshed, elated) feeling of sublimation!

Now that the police had come to his door, part of it could be considered his own doing.

He was just like those stupid idiots who wrote the process of killing people into songs and released them publicly, with a bubble in their brain that was full of water when punctured!

Buck's attitude was very tough, and more police were coming to support them.

In the few days before John's appointment, John had been doing psychological work on the police officers, telling people that he would become the chief of the Goldenport City Police Department and would become the mayor's confidant.

Only by following him would there be a future, whether in terms of position or wealth.

He also promised that these police officers would have opportunities for promotion in the future, stating that the mayor would become the governor in the future, and he could also become the state police inspector, with room for him to intervene throughout the state.

He told people that the governor had come to Licarley State alone, and he needed to form his own team. If they missed this opportunity, there would be no next time!

Although John was greedy and as annoying as a vulture, sometimes he could also do things that were unexpected.

Many people in the port branch had been persuaded by him to join the mayor and his righteous cause, plus Buck, the former ordinary patrolman, had now become the branch chief. This naked reality made many people believe that this was indeed an opportunity!

More and more police officers surrounded them, and the gang members could only run upstairs to wake Bill up. When he heard that the police had come to arrest him, he was startled!

But soon he couldn't help but laugh. He didn't feel nervous at all.

He also paid money, paid John money. He didn't believe that John would harm him, otherwise John's reputation would be ruined, and then no one would pay him money anymore.

Bill thought that this was just the aftermath of him bragging everywhere that he had slapped the Wolf Gang, that they had no way to deal with him, but could call the police to disgust him.

He unhurriedly went downstairs and told Buck that he had called a lawyer and wouldn't say a word before the lawyer arrived, although he had already said a lot.

Buck invited him and several senior executives into the car, although the movements were a bit rough, but overall, they were not injured.

Upon arriving at the police station, they weren't interrogated. Instead, they were placed in separate rooms. They weren't interrogated, nor were they released; it was as if the sole purpose was to confine them.

Bill repeatedly requested to speak with John, but each time was denied. He could only assume this was another act of retaliation from the Wolf Gang. Bored, he lay on the table, recalling the intense battle of the previous night.

Meanwhile, at the Red Dog Gang headquarters, now missing Bill and its senior members, a sense of laxity had begun to pervade.

With the senior members and the Boss absent, the gang members naturally weren't as tense.

It was almost noon when people started to wake up one after another.

One gang member rubbed his eyes and pushed open the door, enjoying the sensation of rubbing away the sleep crust.

Yawning, he shielded his eyes from the glaring sunlight and said to the vehicles parked at the entrance, "No parking here!"