Empire of Shadows

Chapter 373 New Motivation [666+17]

The mayor sat back on the bed, gazing at the scenery outside the window for a long time. The secretary stood beside him, constantly worried, but hesitant to speak.

He had been in a daze since the news arrived.

In fact, the secretary knew why—

So much preparation and arrangement, so much effort spent, so many connections used to do this thing.

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Now, success was only one day away.

Twenty-four hours, not even twenty-four hours, and the militia would be able to enter the city. As the city's legal ruler, he could let the militia eliminate all people or organizations that disobeyed him.

Whether it was Lance or those fleas in the Bay Area, as long as he didn't like them, he could directly remove them, and then thoroughly cleanse the city from top to bottom!

Only one day away.

Senator Jansen failed to secure him that one day. He heard that the other side had many people and suggested immediately intervening in the Jin Gang Wharf unrest.

He lost.

He lost because he didn't have as many congressmen speaking for him, lost because his foundation was not as solid as those old political families!

Perhaps from the beginning, he was doomed to lose. Could a small, ordinary character, stepping onto the big stage, really complete an increasingly brilliant performance?

It was time to wake up.

The ringing of the telephone made him turn his head. He answered the phone, his tone very depressed, "It's me, Sidney."

"It's me, Mike."

"What's been going on with you guys these past two days?"

Sidney was silent for a moment, "Some terrible things have happened. Have you heard any new news?"

Mike's voice sounded a little unsettling, "The negative things brought about by the wharf unrest are too big. They won't care who caused this unrest. They don't know those people, nor do they know their names."

"But they know you. You are the mayor of Jin Gang. You are responsible for everything there!"

The mayor sighed, "Mike, we are friends, just be direct. I can take it."

Mike coughed, obviously he didn't expect the mayor to be so direct, making it difficult for him to be tactful.

But since the other party had spoken so frankly, he wasn't embarrassed either, "Regarding the nomination for you to be the Speaker of the House, we discussed it and need to discuss it further."

Although the mayor had some guesses, he was still filled with anger the moment the other party said it!

"How are you planning to discuss it?" his tone was very impolite, with a questioning attitude, which also made Mike very unhappy.

He was the representative of the Socialist Party in Likalai State. Although he didn't have any real power, he couldn't formulate a city's policies or solve some people's employment problems.

But he could decide who could be nominated and who could not be nominated!

"I don't like your tone, Sidney!"

"You've made a mess of Jin Gang. Now we all doubt whether you can hold such an important position as Speaker of the House."

"You can raise objections, but you have to think clearly about how you explain everything you are experiencing now."

"But you don't have to worry too much, we will give you a suitable job!"

With that, Mike hung up the phone.

The mayor slammed the receiver hard on the base. He cursed.

In fact, he used to like cursing a lot. When he was in Fides City, when talking with those rough guys, if you were too civilized, they would think you were out of place with them.

Only by cursing like them, and telling a few vulgar jokes when nothing was happening, could he blend in with the workers' representatives.

After coming here, he rarely did that, after all, it was just his disguise, but now, he really wanted to curse.

The secretary re-hung the phone and stood aside, looking at him with some worry.

The mayor closed his eyes and lay down for a while before sighing, "The nomination for Speaker of the House is most likely gone."

This was inevitable.

This time, he designed an almost impeccable plan. Once successful, the entire Jin Gang City would be under his control, and the transfer of benefits he promised to those people could be realized.

Whether it was Mike, other party representatives, or key figures in the Socialist Party, they weren't helping him for no reason!

He wasn't a character like Congressman Wade or Congressman Williams, with a deep background or political connections. He was just an "ordinary person" from an ordinary family who had struggled for half his life to get to where he was today.

He didn't have the opportunity to make mistakes, because once he made a mistake, there would be no next time.

Undoubtedly, this time he couldn't fulfill his promise. Those people wouldn't get the benefits he promised, so naturally they wouldn't help him anymore.

The secretary pursed her lips, "We still have time, there are still opportunities."

He smiled, "Williams and the Bay Area have won. They will soon cooperate to purge our people in the city. The city will return to its original state."

The secretary reminded him, "And Chief Dale."

"Dale?" The mayor shook his head, "He is single-mindedly thinking about returning to the special zone. This is a decision of Congress. Do you think he will stand against Congress?"

"Don't be naive, he will soon start to stay out of it." He sighed heavily again, "Although I don't want to admit it, I have to admit that I lost."

The secretary was silent, the atmosphere in the room was very heavy.

But soon, the mayor let out some laughter, "Although I failed, Owen, you still have a chance."

"Your starting point is higher than mine. Although I failed, there will still be a lot of political legacy left to you!"

"You will definitely be able to go further than me!" There was light flowing in his eyes, as if he saw another version of himself!

This made Owen feel the heavy burden on his shoulders, "I don't know if I can do it well."

"You definitely can!" He paused as he spoke, "Now that I have accepted the facts, then for the next period of time, I will serve you."

"Although I lost the opportunity, those people shouldn't even think about having a good time!"

The mayor suddenly laughed loudly, laughing while covering his wound. The laughter strained his injury, but this time he didn't stop!

"Williams, Lance, the Bay Area, I want to let them continue to fight each other. No one should stop first. It's not enough for me to be the only loser, there have to be more!"

Seeing that the mayor seemed to have regained some fighting spirit, the secretary also breathed a sigh of relief, "That's indeed a good idea!"

The next day, people from the state government arrived in Jin Gang City. The mayor was still in recovery, and they also had to do some preliminary work.

Perhaps the words Congress and Senator still had a lot of deterrent power for the lower classes of society. Society hadn't evolved to the point where they dared to spit on these senators. The chaotic situation in the city was unexpectedly much better.

Vaughn and the workers' representatives also gathered at Lance's side.

They hadn't made any money in the past two days. Lance had told them that others could take those goods home, but they couldn't.

As workers' representatives, they would definitely be investigated, and they would definitely find ways to make them confess and serve their sentences. So, taking the goods back at this time would not have any other meaning except to lengthen their sentences.

If they wanted money, Lance could give it to them, and there were many other ways to make them rich.

"Now the riot can't stop, but we can stop continuing to expand the situation. You have to put on an attitude that you can talk."

"We don't really want to riot. Our demand is just to force them to the negotiating table and talk to us seriously, instead of perfunctorily."

The people in the office nodded one after another. Lance looked at Vaughn, "Prepare some negotiation materials, such as evidence that wages haven't been raised in more than two years, evidence that wages have been raised in other places in the state every six months or a year, and the amount of the wage increase."

"If we stop now, it will instead give this action more political inclination, which is not good for us."

"Our demands have always been very simple, which is to increase wages, reduce working hours, and improve treatment!"

The others nodded one after another, because these were indeed their demands. They hadn't thought about participating in any political events, although they did disrupt the mayor's decision.

Dave was more familiar with Lance. Here, besides Johnny, it was him.

He also said some worrying things, "In this strike, many people were injured, and some people…" He pursed his lips, his lips were a little chapped, "Someone died accidentally."

"Many?" Lance asked.

"A few," he said vaguely.

Lance looked at Vaughn, "Are they all our worker brothers?"

"There are a few workers, and some security guards."

Lance didn't care after hearing this, "They can't find the murderer, it's impossible to punish everyone, so in the end, you may have to bear this part of the responsibility, but it won't be the crime of murder."

"So, you don't have to worry about these things. Handle the arrangements for the dead and injured brothers. These can all be counted and discussed with them."

"Remember, you are a vulnerable group. You must make trouble when you should, you must resist, don't be afraid."

"The purpose of the congressmen coming down this time is to appease your emotions. As long as you show that you might accept their conditions, they will try to make concessions!"

While they were talking, Elvin knocked on the door and stood at the door.

Lance glanced at him and then said, "Alright, that's it for now. Contact me if you have any problems. Remember, stay calm. There's nothing to be afraid of. I can help you solve any problem!"

Actually, things have developed to this point, and it's useless for them to want to back out. They can only go down this dark path!

The few people stood up one after another and said goodbye to Lance. After they all left, Elvin walked in and said, "Lucal led people to raid one of our temporary warehouses again."

Lance frowned. "Wasn't that mole already taken care of?"

Elvin's expression also became a little more serious. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Maybe there's still a mole!"

Lance rubbed his face with both hands. "That son of a bitch is like a ghost, constantly缠缠缠ing me. First, find out who knows about the temporary warehouse."

As he spoke, he frowned. "Then arrange something for him."

Elvin was a little worried. "Will it cause some trouble? The congressmen are about to come!"

"No, it won't. They will only help us cover up these things..."

Last month's is finished, and then there's this month's.