Empire of Shadows

In the morning, Ryder (the old tailor's son-in-law, and the garment factory's director) had just arrived at the office. He had barely hung up his hat and sat down when someone knocked on the door.

The garment factory was doing quite well.

On one hand, Lance's side needed a large number of new work uniforms, which would be provided to the garment factory at a normal price, as an independently run business.

If the Lance family wanted to go further, not all of their businesses could be illegal, as that wouldn't last long.

Moreover, as society began to stabilize, a wave of cracking down on organized crime would gradually emerge, and people's attitude towards gangs would change from habit and acceptance to aversion and disgust.

This book is first published on 𝚝 𝚠 𝚔 𝚊 𝚗 . 𝕔 𝚘 𝕞

This was a trend, an irreversible trend, so it would be easier to transition in the future by setting up some legitimate industries in advance.

Lance had a long-term vision, or rather, he had a very clear understanding of the future!

In a country like the Federation, only by mastering wealth, power, and enormous influence could one live comfortably.

A labor-intensive enterprise like a garment factory was a good project. Hundreds of people depended on it to survive, and in order not to lose their jobs, they would inevitably protect the interests of the factory and Lance.

Capitalists had already proven the effectiveness of this approach, using wages, loan bills, and pension and medical issues to "kidnap" workers into accepting their exploitation and oppression.

From the perspective of the consumption habits of ordinary people in the Federation, this was actually the result of a huge and successful social experiment!

They hadn't considered this point:

Why would banks be so kind as to give them loans, even loans without collateral?

Was it simply because they thought they could repay the money, so they gave them the loan?

No, in fact, credit loans themselves were a huge social experiment, and their essence was the same as the Prohibition Act.

They used this method to encourage ordinary people to start consuming in advance, allowing them to enjoy the pleasure of consumption and the satisfaction brought by material life.

At the same time, it also made them afraid to easily lose their jobs, because they knew very well that once they lost their jobs, everything they currently enjoyed would leave them!

Their newly bought cars, newly bought houses, newly bought furniture, newly bought clothes...

Everything of value would no longer belong to them, so they could only work hard.

In the whole society, the people who were most afraid of losing their jobs were not the bottom class, but the middle class, and they were the targeted group of this experiment.

But after demonstration, this experiment was no longer aimed at the middle class. It was aimed at the whole society, all non-privileged classes, non-ruling classes, the masses, the people.

As long as the people in the garment factory didn't want their lives to become unstable, they had to actively protect the interests of the factory and Lance, and they would even defend everything here more resolutely than Lance!

In this situation, Ryder's life was not bad, but he wasn't the kind of person who could thrive within the family.

Some people were suited for fighting and killing, while others were not. Ryder was one of those people.

Lance hired him not to let him exert his untapped strength or help him get rid of someone. Lance just wanted him to use his value in the field he was familiar with.

He was stunned for a moment. There were a few shadows flickering outside the frosted glass. He moved forward, gripping the armrests of his chair, and said, "Come in."

Soon, several workers wearing blue-gray plaid newsboy caps came in. Ryder knew them; they were several skilled workers in the factory.

They had helped Ryder and the factory a lot when it was first established. Their experience had greatly improved and grown the skills of the unskilled workers, so Ryder was actually quite good to them.

During lunch, they would each receive about two to three pieces of beef, adding up to the size of a duck egg.

In addition to the difference in diet, they could rest an extra thirty minutes each day, fifteen minutes more in the morning and fifteen minutes more in the afternoon.

And each person also had a daily allowance of six cigarettes, free of charge, to relieve fatigue.

In Ryder's view, these people were very comfortable. They could rest for a while when they were tired, smoke a cigarette, or chat with others. Work was no longer a burden for them.

So his attitude was very good. "What's the matter?"

He even took the initiative to invite them to sit down. "You can sit on the chairs or the sofa, whatever you like."

Among them, a middle-aged man of about forty years old took off the newsboy cap on his head and held it in his hand. Because his hair was messed up by taking off the hat, he smoothed his hair with his hand while saying—

"Mr. Ryder, it's been half a year since the outsiders came."

Ryder nodded, lit a cigarette for himself, and opened the cigarette case at the same time, signaling them to take one as well.

But no one moved. Everyone was looking at him.

This made Ryder feel that something bad was about to happen, and his expression became a little serious. "What do you want to say?"

The man held the newsboy cap in both hands, rolling it into a roll. He seemed a little embarrassed. "Mr. Ryder, I want to ask if we can get a raise?"

The basic salary of these skilled workers was 47.5, and if you add other subsidies, they could get 52 yuan a month.

This included transportation and meal subsidies, which added up to 4.5 yuan.

Ryder took a puff of cigarette and thought for a moment, "Raise... okay, I can give you 53 yuan."

Several people didn't say "thank you," which meant that they didn't actually accept this price. Ryder frowned a little, and a crack appeared between his eyebrows.

"How much do you want?"

"55 yuan, Mr. Ryder."

Ryder looked at him, his eyes with some probing look, "There is no such price on the market now."

He had begun to integrate into the local area, because he would also take other orders when the factory was free, making various clothes and related products, so he still had some contact with his peers.

Now the wages of skilled workers are generally fifty-two or fifty-three, and some places are still getting fifty yuan. Their current income is not low, and it can be said that they are ahead of most people.

The speaker showed some embarrassment, "To be honest, Mr. Ryder, someone offered 54 yuan to poach us over."

"We have been here for a while, and we still have some feelings for you and the factory."

"But..." He looked at the people around him, "We'll be frank, even if you give us 54, there will inevitably be a gap, so if you can't offer 55 yuan, we plan to leave."

"After all, everyone wants to earn more money, and we also have to live."

Ryder looked at him, staring directly into his eyes. The worker only felt uncomfortable after being watched by him for a few seconds and looked away. He felt guilty.

The purpose of the Labor Union is to protect the interests of skilled workers, but it does not include requiring them to work for others at a low price.

At the same time, the reason why the Labor Union has power is because they can unite the vast majority of skilled workers.

To do this, first of all, they must not become the enemy of the working class, especially skilled workers.

Even if Ryder told Lance now, and Lance told Ms. Debbie, it would not change the situation.

Ms. Debbie could at most find some other skilled workers from other places who were willing to come and work. There was no way to stop these people from choosing to leave.

Ryder took two puffs of cigarette in a depressed mood. In fact, raising wages was very simple, but if the wages of skilled workers were raised, would the wages of ordinary workers also have to be raised?

If they increase by one or two yuan each month, the total expenses at the end of the month will increase by one or two hundred yuan.

Although Ryder knew that one or two hundred yuan was not in Lance's eyes, this was not a matter of one or two hundred yuan.

This was a confrontation between laborers and capitalists!

If he bowed his head now, he believed that it wouldn't be long before these people would demand more wages, or more rest time, or more vacation time.

They would test the bottom line of the capitalists step by step, and then eventually break through it!

Ryder had heard a lot about this kind of thing, such as a certain capitalist being very dependent on a certain worker, and this worker would gradually change roles with the capitalist.

Although he was still a worker, he would soon change himself from a subordinate to a dominator through his own methods, even though he was still a worker.

"Impossible!" After Ryder figured it out, he gave them a firm response directly.

The skilled workers didn't seem too disappointed either. They seemed to have made a judgment.

The leader showed a regretful expression, "If that's the case, Mr. Ryder, then we have to leave after the fifteenth."

The fifteenth was the day to pay wages. Ryder had a headache, but in the end he could only choose to agree.

This was their freedom, and he couldn't force them.

The few people then left. Ryder was considering how to tell Lance about this when someone knocked on the door again.

His heart suddenly twitched for no reason, "Come in."

Several ordinary workers walked in. They were a little hesitant and forgot to take off their hats.

You pulled me, I pushed you, and finally an older guy said, "Manager Ryder, we plan not to work after the fifteenth."

Ryder had a premonition, but he still asked, "Why?"

The man said a little embarrassed, "Our master is leaving here, and he hopes we can go with him."

In the cognition of the Federation people, there is actually no concept of "master", but as a "skill instructor", Master, they can also have a certain impact on them.

They have become accustomed to working with these instructors, and they like this atmosphere. Moreover, the other party said that they can seamlessly provide more salary, and they have no reason to refuse.

Ryder asked with a headache, "Because of the salary?"

The man was a little shy, "Not just because of the salary, Mr. Ryder."

At this point, persuasion is actually useless, he can only approve it.

In one morning, more than thirty people planned to leave here after the fifteenth. Now the entire factory has only a little over a hundred people. A quarter of the workers will be lost all of a sudden, and there are also skilled workers.

This is definitely a heavy blow to subsequent production!

He spent the whole morning dealing with these matters, talking with the workers, hoping to keep some of them.

The newly recruited workers cannot complete the work as quickly as these workers. There will definitely be an adaptation period. He stood upstairs at lunch, watching the workers gather together to eat, and thinking about how to deal with this "crisis".

What he actually thought was that so many people were leaving at the same time, someone must be playing tricks behind the scenes, otherwise it would be impossible for so many people to leave all at once.

He smoked several cigarettes in the morning.

After the factory finished the summer equipment for the Lance family, there were no other core production tasks, so he took a lot of orders.

With the prevalence of international trade, clothing, especially low-cost cheap clothing, not only has good sales performance in China, but also has good performance internationally.

Some third-rate local brands that no one in the Federation has ever heard of have transformed themselves into "Federation well-known brands" when they go abroad, and many people believe it.

Many foreigners, especially those in backward areas, are always superstitious, as if anything produced in the Federation must be good!

These orders are all signed contracts, and it is necessary to ensure the qualification rate and the final completion date. If any one of them is exceeded, either the qualified products must be made up, or compensation must be paid.

The capitalists of the Federation never make money in one aspect. If you don't do well enough, they will not only take away your goods, but also ask you for more compensation.

Thinking about the subsequent orders and businesses, Ryder vaguely understood that he had encountered a sniper from his peers.

He flicked the cigarette out of the window of the manager's office, turned around and came to the desk to dial the phone number of the事务所.

The phone was only connected after about twenty or thirty seconds.

"Mr. Lance, it's me, Ryder."

"Our factory may have encountered some trouble. The situation is like this…"

He described the matter objectively without personal emotions. Although he did not have emotions, from his perspective, what he saw, even if it was neutral and objective, still carried some emotions.

"We have several orders at the end of this month and next month. Although it is still too late to recruit workers now, I am always a little worried."

"If this is an irregular business competition, it is possible that their actions will not stop there!"

After he finished speaking, he waited for Lance's response. The past six months had been the most comfortable life for him.

He became the manager, managing a factory with more than one hundred people, and had a basic salary of hundreds of dollars per month, as well as some commissions.

Lance promised him that he would take 5% of the profits from the additional orders he received as a reward for him, so he was so motivated!

His family had been in the Federation for some time, and their lives had not improved at all until they met Lance, and their lives became better.

He didn't want to mess up anything Lance had told him to do, and he didn't want to go back to the way things were before!

After about twenty or thirty seconds, Lance's voice came from the receiver, "I see, do you have any suspects?"

"I'm not familiar with the industrial area. Do we have any competitors, on the same order, or anything else possible?"

Ryder already had some guesses, but not too many, "There are two garment factories that we competed for an order, and we got the order."

"They behaved very unfriendly, it may be related to them, but I can't be completely sure."

"Give me their names!", Lance said something that made Ryder breathe a sigh of relief.

He said the names of the two garment factories, and then Lance asked again, "How much money can we make from these orders?"

Ryder had some smiles on his face, about seven thousand dollars after deducting all expenses.

"Seven thousand dollars?"

Lance was a little dazed when he heard this number. It was not enough for his bar to earn in one night.

But soon he realized that the money was clean, and it was also a legitimate business.

A factory with more than one hundred people brought him a profit of seven thousand dollars in more than a month. Each worker earned him about sixty dollars. This may be what capital and capitalists pursue.

Ryder heard some "sensitivity" in Lance's number. He was a little embarrassed, "If we continue to expand the scale of the factory, our income will be higher."

He was a little expectant, after all, he also hoped that he could become that kind of super factory.

There is no need to actively fight for orders, orders will be lined up to be delivered, and no excessive demands will be made.

"Then continue to expand. I believe your judgment, Ryder. Since this is an industry that can make money, then you can let it bring us more profits!"

"I will support you, whether it is funds or other aspects."

After ending the call, Lance wanted to find someone to do this, but for a while it seemed that everyone had their own things to do. Just when he was not sure who to find, Allen's laughter came from outside.

He suddenly shouted, "Allen, come to my office!"

Soon, Allen pushed the door open and walked in, "Boss, are you looking for me?"

The first time he saw this young man was when Elvin was beaten. He had some good feelings for this young man, "I remember you have been here for half a year?"

Allen vaguely realized something when he heard this. He became a little excited, "Yes, Boss, more than half a year!"

Lance nodded slightly, "I have been watching your performance in the family. You have done better than some others. I want to give you a chance."

He handed over the paper with the contents recorded on it, "We have a garment factory in the industrial area, but now the manager suspects that someone is targeting us. Investigate clearly and find out if anyone is targeting us."

"You can contact the manager when necessary."

"Go to Melo and let him give you five hundred yuan, as well as weapons, and then you pick a few people."

Lance opened and picked up the cigar on the table, took a puff, and exhaled the smoke in his mouth towards Allen, "Do it well, you are the captain!"