Empire of Shadows

"Raise wages?" the manager said with a twisted smile!

The word 'twisted' describes it perfectly, because his smile truly was twisted. He pulled his eyebrows up as high as they could go, and his features became somewhat distorted because of the smile. You could tell he was trying very hard to express his current emotions.

So, it was a twisted smile.

Combined with his tone, you could feel his dissatisfaction with Vaughn, as if he were asking if he was joking!

"Do you know how many workers there are on the docks?"

"Do you know what it means if everyone gets just fifty cents more?"

He couldn't stay seated any longer and stood up. "Fifty cents per person, over ten thousand workers, even if it's just fifty cents, we'll have to pay an extra seven or eight thousand dollars every month!"

"That's almost a hundred thousand dollars a year."

"A hundred thousand dollars, Vaughn!"

"This isn't ten thousand or twenty thousand dollars that I can just nod my head and agree to. This is freaking a hundred thousand dollars, and every year!"

"If I agree to you, the people outside will thank you, but the board of directors will kill me!"

"Not to mention they're asking for a two-dollar increase, which is thirty thousand dollars a month, and three hundred and sixty thousand dollars a year."

"Do you know how much can be done with three hundred and sixty thousand dollars?"

The manager became somewhat agitated. "Three hundred and sixty thousand dollars can hire seventy-two assassins to kill me seventy-two times!"

"And there might even be a buy-one-get-one-free deal to let me die a few more times!"

"Don't take it so lightly, Vaughn. We're old friends, you have to understand my difficulties!"

He stood at the edge of the table, one hand pressing down on the surface, the other on Vaughn's shoulder. "Help me deal with these sons of bitches. As long as you can keep them from causing trouble, I'll give you five thousand dollars separately!"

The board of directors allocated him twenty thousand dollars to settle everyone, so whatever was left over would be his.

But if he couldn't settle it, then he should prepare to get lost.

The manager had previously risen to his position by inciting conflict between local workers and immigrant workers by not raising wages. He cleverly conflated "not raising wages" with "immigrant workers having low wage demands," making the dockworkers target their resentment for the wage freeze at the immigrant workers.

That's why the reaction on the docks was so intense when His Majesty declared war on the Federation—dockworkers were beating up immigrant workers everywhere!

They hated these people who were holding back their wage increases, and the manager's plan, though simple, was really effective.

The hatred really shifted!

The board of directors had been good to him, promoting him, giving him a raise, and even promising him a senior partnership position, but now, everything was about to fall apart!

Because some idiot had proposed raising wages for everyone!

In fact, he could have simply refused Johnny's request and rejected him outright, but he couldn't guarantee that it wouldn't lead to unpredictable consequences.

He could only call Vaughn over to get the union involved.

Vaughn shook his head. "This is very difficult to handle, and I can't find Johnny right now."

The manager didn't know where Johnny had gone. He paused for a moment. "What happened to him?"

Vaughn told the truth, "He was arrested by the Hazardous Materials Management Bureau."

The manager couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Good, very good, let's see how he makes trouble now!"

He laughed for a while and took a deep breath. Now that Johnny was gone, wouldn't it be easier to negotiate?

"Go talk to the workers and say that we will do our best to work on Johnny's case. Also, tell them that we will make some improvements to the food, and we can give them more beef, but the wage increase is out of the question!"

How much does beef cost per pound?

The worst ground beef costs only two or three cents a pound, and one pound of beef can make enough lunch for them to eat for two or three days. It seems like the daily expenditure for each worker has increased, which can also be considered a wage increase.

But they don't eat beef every day, and the costs can be slowly clawed back later!

The manager might have all sorts of shortcomings in other areas, but he was definitely a first-rate expert in how to control workers.

Vaughn could only shake his head and say, "I can't guarantee it!"

The manager walked to his side, bent down, put his arms around his shoulders, "Brother, you have to guarantee it!"

"Whether it's for me, or for the five thousand dollars!"

Vaughn seemed hesitant, as if he was thinking. After thinking for a while, he said, "I'll try, but I can't guarantee you any results."

The manager breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this, "No problem, I never make things difficult for anyone, right?"

Vaughn said as he stood up, "I'll go do some work now..."

With the union's involvement, and on his side, the manager breathed a sigh of relief.

However, what he didn't know was that five thousand dollars could no longer buy Vaughn off.

The news of Johnny's arrest began to spread faster among the dockworkers, and some even said that the dock management company had reported the club for selling alcohol to them, and then Johnny had obstructed the Hazardous Materials Management Bureau's enforcement, which was why he was arrested.

All of this was a conspiracy by the management company!

Although this claim had not yet spread widely, it was already starting to affect the work mood of some workers. Working with emotions, today's efficiency will definitely be terrible.

At the same time, Vaughn also found several worker brothers who had good relationships with him in the worker group and talked about what the manager said.

"He would rather give me five thousand dollars to persuade you than agree to my idea of raising wages, even if it's only fifty cents, they are unwilling to give it to you."

"He wants me to persuade you as much as possible not to cause trouble and continue to work honestly. I really don't know how to persuade you."

"So, I very bluntly tell you these words and let you think and analyze them yourselves."

Several workers clearly felt the contempt from the manager, which made them even more angry.

One of them slammed the table heavily, "This is a capitalist!"

Several people were communicating through eye contact, and they all saw a trace of thought, an idea, in each other's eyes.

Vaughn continued to fuel the fire from the side, "He doesn't respect each of us, you, including me."

"He thought that giving me five thousand dollars would make me stand on his side. He underestimated my principles and overestimated the value of five thousand dollars in my heart!"

"Whatever you want to do, I will support you!"

The few people were not particularly careful and smart people. They couldn't hear the meaning inside and outside these words, and only knew that Vaughn was a good person.

"We will go back and discuss it with them. Also, there is one more thing..."

One of them asked, "Johnny and the others... is there any way to get them out?"

Vaughn nodded, "No problem, this is one of our jobs, I will take care of it..."

The things that are happening and happened yesterday at the dock are still fermenting, but no one thinks it is wrong to use warning shots when necessary, including the mayor.

And the facts also prove that the result of the warning shots is very effective. Lucar timely suppressed a riot that might escalate, and he also specifically called Director Dale to praise Lucar.

Then he put this matter behind him and began to prepare his speech and discuss the details of his shooting with a soldier.

But this matter is rapidly advancing in a direction that everyone cannot predict.

The dockworkers' union has its own cooperative legal team. After receiving Vaughn's request, the lawyers immediately took people and money to the Hazardous Materials Management Bureau. They planned to bail out Johnny and his group.

However, only a few hours have passed since this incident occurred. After they arrested Johnny and these people, they had not had time to ask them whether they had other criminal acts, so it was definitely impossible to release them.

It was this refusal to release people that made the dockworkers start to become impetuous.

Although everyone is still working, it seems that everyone is daydreaming.

People gather in groups of three or five to discuss these things that happened. They talk about other industries raising wages every six months.

Talking about where to drink after the club is closed down, and also talking about whether Johnny's arrest is the company's effort behind the scenes.

People also talked about the manager promising Vaughn five thousand dollars to persuade people not to mention the wage increase. If someone observes carefully, some people have not been working and are constantly moving from one place to another on the dock. They are contacting more workers.

Not having a place to drink after get off work made these workers gather together. They began to complain and talk about the bad things about the management company.

Fines, deductions, arranging heavy work, one thing after another was said from these people's mouths, making the group's emotions continue to heat up. Some people have already realized that a big event is coming to the dock!

But not only are they not panicked, but they are also a little expectant.

Perhaps, it's time to show these capitalists some color!

On Monday morning, Lawyer Robben appeared in the Hazardous Materials Management Bureau, carrying a briefcase, with the air of a social elite.

Of course, he is indeed a social elite. He is submitting the bail form, and he plans to temporarily bail out the people arrested in the club, and is connecting with relevant staff.

He has been here many times. Since Lance became his employer, he has less contact with the police station, but more and more contact with the Hazardous Materials Management Bureau.

This job is very easy. Come over to fill out some forms, then talk nonsense, and you can earn one or two hundred dollars in a morning. Lance is like his God, making him worship!

The Hazardous Materials Management Bureau did not reject his bail application. In fact, a day was enough for them to interrogate these people, but as usual, they didn't get any results.

According to the documents provided by the dockworkers' union, the person who contracted the club was a man named Dyson. Lucar used his previous connections in the police station to find this Social Security number, which belonged to a homeless man.

Obviously, Lance had taken precautions to completely distance himself from the club.

Although everyone knew that he was running the club, there was no actual evidence to prove it.

Although the Hazardous Materials Management Bureau has many capabilities beyond ordinary law enforcement agencies, these people still have to be brought to court in the end.

In court, the judge will not only listen to them, but also refer to the defendant's statement. Without key evidence, they cannot sue Lance at all, let alone send him to prison!

When Robin the lawyer was processing the bail, a special agent came to tell Lucar that Lance's lawyer was here.

Lucar walked to the window and saw the motorcade parked across the street.

He originally thought there would be a lot of goods, but after pulling them back, he found that almost all of them were empty bottles, and only a few were filled with wine, which added up to only a few thousand dollars!

Including these bail bonds, it might not even cost Lance twenty thousand dollars!

He felt like he had been tricked again. For some reason, every time he lost to Lance, he hated Lance even more!

He watched for a while and decided to go out and talk to Lance.

He knew he shouldn't have this idea, but he just couldn't control it. He didn't know what was wrong with him, but he just wanted to do it now!

He took a cigarette, walked to Lance's car, put one hand on the roof, bent down, lowered his head, and put the cigarette in his mouth, "Got a light?"

Lance nodded slightly, and the guy in the passenger seat took out a match and handed it over.

Lucar lit the cigarette and took a breath. He looked at Lance, "Can you tell me how you brainwash these people?"

Lance looked at him, his eyes very calm.

This made Lucar's face feel a little hot. He felt that behind Lance's calm eyes, there must be ridicule and mockery.

"Your people, although very young, have very strong bones!"

"No matter what methods we used, they were unwilling to confess that you were the behind-the-scenes operator."

"There was a young man who was beaten so badly that he was incontinent, but he still refused to admit anything related to you, Lance, I'm very curious, how did you do it?"

"Make them protect you like they protect their own lives?"

He raised his hand, "Don't worry, this won't be used as evidence."

"You're provoking me," Lance said, "You hope to anger me and make me do something impulsive."

"Lucar, I don't know where you got such great malice towards me, but I know you're doing something very dangerous."

Lucar pursed his lips. It seemed that Lance had seen through something, which made him feel very uncomfortable. "I'm not targeting you. I'm a law enforcement officer, and you're a criminal. It's that simple!"

Lance glanced at the people who were walking out of the Hazardous Materials Management Bureau. Indeed, a few young people were being supported by others.

Lucar also saw it, and a smug expression appeared on his face. He was doing it for Lance to see.

"As long as you continue to commit crimes, I will keep an eye on you, and your people!"

Lance looked at him and smiled, "I hope you can always think like this. Pure people are admirable. I hope you are a pure person!"

The two looked at each other for a moment, and Robin the lawyer had already walked over with the people. He glanced at Lucar, who left with a cigarette in his mouth.

He didn't like dealing with lawyers, because you never knew when you would be tricked by the other party.

"Mr. Lance, the bail has been paid. The trial will probably begin in mid-August, at most in two years, and most likely in six months."

Two years refers to the bartender, while the others only have a prison term of six months to a year.

It seems like a long time, but Robin the lawyer has a way to continue to reduce these sentences, and even allow them to avoid jail.

In the process of actually serving the sentence, the time previously detained will also be counted as the time served, in order to avoid excessive detention time.

Many lawyers will use this to exploit a loophole. When the trial starts next month, the actual execution of six months can be calculated as five months.

If Robin the lawyer continues to delay and takes care of some key figures, then when the trial is held again in two or three months, they may directly obtain parole and be able to go home without going to prison.

The federal judiciary has always been a joke, it was like this before, and it will definitely be like this in the future!

"Thank you, you can always help me!", Lance expressed his gratitude to Robin the lawyer.

Robin the lawyer smiled and said that this was all he should do, "Mr. Lance, you don't need to thank me. You paid me a high fee. Doing a good job is what I should do. Not doing a good job is my problem!"

"Then... I won't disturb you and your friends from chatting. If you have anything, call me again."

Lance nodded, reached out of the car window and shook his hand with him, then let go.

Lance asked the young man who was being supported to get into his car.

But the young man refused, his reason being that he was not very clean.

The people from the Hazardous Materials Management Bureau rinsed him with cold water after he was incontinent, and in fact, there was still a smell on him at this time.

Lance didn't seem to feel that way, and insisted that he get in the car, "You are much more valuable than this car, my brother!"

This young man was actually only about twenty years old, about the same age as Lance and the others. When he heard this sentence, his eyes started to turn red, and he didn't insist anymore.

The people around looked at Lance with admiration. At this moment, Lance was their god!

Looking at his slightly excited expression, Lance felt a little guilty.

"I heard that you were treated terribly inside."

The young man bit his lip, but finally shook his head, "Nothing happened, Boss."

Lance patted the back of the driver's seat, and the driver honked the horn and started the car.

The motorcade also moved along.

"Lucar has been targeting me. You are my people, and they will definitely want to get evidence from you that is unfavorable to me."

"Actually... when you really can't help it, you can say something, at least that way you won't suffer too much."

The young man grinned foolishly, without any other expression. Lance sighed, "That person is annoying and disgusting, but soon, I will give you a chance to get revenge."

He was a little tempted, but soon shook his head and said, "Boss, there's no need to do anything dangerous for us."

"They just beat us up."

Lance grabbed his hand, "You are all my brothers. If they beat you, it's like they beat me. I definitely have to avenge this!"

After returning to the company, Lance called Alvin and Morris over, as well as some other people.

"First kill the mole that has been identified. I don't want to see him again now.", he was talking about the one they had identified, Lucar's sudden disruption made him think that the mole was Lucar's man.

Now he can't stand this bastard anymore, so there's no need to consider using this mole to pass messages.

He's about to die online anyway, so there's no point in keeping this person.

Hiram nodded, "I'll do it."

"Then!", Lance continued, "Find out some information about Lucar for me. I want to know who is in his family, where he lives, and his daily habits."

"Since he likes to play with fire, give him a big fire!"