Empire of Shadows

The new year has arrived.

New Year's atmosphere permeated Goldport City. Many businesses were attracting consumers through activities and discounts.

Business is becoming increasingly difficult, which is the most common situation and problem people encounter now, but they are unable to solve it.

During this time, the Presidential Palace convened a group of economists, sociologists, and some capitalists to hold a "Federal Economic Development Seminar" to study why things like the Great Depression happen by studying the development of the federal historical economy!

Similar situations occur in the federal government and even in the socio-economic rolling development process worldwide.

The economy breaks free from the doldrums - the economy begins to leap forward - enters the so-called golden age - Great Depression!

This is a cycle, and they hope to find the reasons for the current economic downturn by studying past economic cycles.

But for ordinary people, life is no different from the past.

Lisa waddled through the mall with a big belly. She brought a maid, an immigrant maid, who was not tall but was good at her work and had a lot of strength.

Her job was to take care of Lisa, whose belly was obviously showing, and to take good care of her so that nothing unexpected happened to her.

In Pounda's own words, Lisa had absolutely no need to leave the house and go outside, and there was no need to take this risk.

But the more pregnant she became, the more Lisa wanted to wander around.

On the one hand, staying at home all the time was too boring. The unchanging family environment, coupled with a life without any entertainment, made her feel suffocated!

There were not so many family entertainment activities during this period.

There were no TVs, no personal computers, and even the radio would stop broadcasting after two o'clock in the afternoon and would not resume until the evening.

Newspapers and magazines, no matter how good they were, could be read in a short while.

She had to find something to do.

On the other hand, the physiological changes brought about by pregnancy made her uncomfortable. Walking or going outside was conducive to relieving her various pregnancy symptoms.

Now she was with a maid, and she gave everything she bought to the maid to take, so Pounda could rest assured.

The two came to the outside of a fruit store. Looking at the bright red fruits in the room and the natural, fragrant aromas, the two ladies couldn't help but stop.

The owner of the store was also a woman, and she took the initiative to introduce Lisa to the fruits here.

She had very rich sales skills, cleverly tying eating fruit to the health of the child in Lisa's belly, such as "Some doctors say that eating more fruit is good for the health of the child."

These words... were not a problem in themselves, and at the same time, there were no more detailed contents, and it was easy for people to accept.

The two entered the fruit store, and the maid couldn't help but smack her tongue when she saw the price tags of the fruits.

She had begun to get used to her current job and life. For her mistress Lisa, there were only things she liked or disliked, and nothing she couldn't afford.

So those fruits that cost a few dollars or a dozen dollars were no different from ordinary fruits in her eyes.

You know, now grapes also cost about three hundred yuan a ton, but here, three hundred yuan may only be able to buy dozens of pounds of not too expensive fruit.

Pounda has been working hard. After they catch the moonshiners, the Hazardous Materials Administration will give them a certain amount of reward based on the value of the case.

Even if they don't take kickbacks, Pounda can earn at least three to five hundred yuan a month, plus what Lance gives, and their family is not short of money at all.

"Buy some strawberries, I want to eat strawberries.", Lisa chose those large strawberries that looked very beautiful after picking for a while.

The maid glanced at it and was habitually shocked. The price of six yuan and ninety-nine cents was already outrageously expensive!

But for Ms. Lisa and Mr. Pounda, this was an ordinary commodity.

They picked some strawberries and some other fruits, totaling more than fifty yuan. A slightly more advanced worker could only earn so much money a month, but for Lisa, this was a small part of her daily expenses.

"Find a place to sit for a while, I need to rest, and by the way, eat something."

The two found a place in the mall that could be provided for guests to rest, and Lisa picked up a strawberry and couldn't wait to put it in her mouth, and her whole face radiated a comfortable smile.

It was a little sour, but it was just the right amount of sourness that people could accept, and the rest was sweetness, a sweetness that went straight to people's hearts!

"Madam, I'll go wash these fruits too, and by the way, I want to go to the bathroom."

Lisa nodded, "I saw a bathroom on the way we came, I'll wait for you here."

The maid carried some of the fruits that Lisa wanted to eat into the bathroom.

She went to the toilet first, and then washed all the fruits once, and also cut open two fruits with a knife.

Of course, in order to ensure that these fruits would not make Mrs. Lisa feel uncomfortable after eating them, she specially tasted a little of each.

Delicious!

She took the washed fruits back to the place where they had agreed to meet, but only saw their things and did not see Lisa.

She was a little dazed. Maybe Mrs. Lisa went somewhere else, or maybe she met an acquaintance?

She didn't know, she could only wait in place for fifteen minutes. When she didn't see Lisa coming back, she became anxious.

She went to find the mall security guard, but it was useless. There were too many people today, and no one would notice whether a pregnant woman had left here, or remember the face of every pregnant woman.

The maid finally had no choice but to run to call Pounda. She didn't know what to do!

"...During this period, our business has achieved remarkable results. We have arrested more than 200 suspects involved in smuggling and selling alcohol, and seized approximately three million worth of smuggled alcohol."

"To be honest, I never thought that we could have such outstanding results. The members of the State Prohibition Committee have contacted me by phone, and the State Prohibition Committee and Congress are very appreciative of our achievements during this period."

"So they gave us some extra rewards, as well as opportunities for promotion and study."

"I hope that everyone can continue to maintain this momentum and continue to focus on cracking down on the sale and public drinking of moonshine in the city, so that the Prohibition Law can be truly implemented."

"If anyone can catch a major case, I will definitely ask the State Prohibition Committee for credit for him..."

The applause in the office was thunderous, and Director Dale smiled and raised his hand to press down, "Okay, everyone, go back to your jobs."

"It will be a little tiring during this period. After this period is over, we can take turns to rest."

"Okay, go back to your posts."

Pounda also returned to his post. He glanced at a few senior agents and Dale going to the director's office, shook his head and began to sort out the documents in front of him.

People will always regret and beautify the other option they have given up after making a choice, just like now, he sometimes thinks.

If he had chosen Lance's suggestion at that time and asked him to find a way to kill a senior agent, would he already be one of them now?

Would he have a bigger and higher stage, and would the job opportunities be easier?

He had hardly been home for the past two weeks because he was too busy.

This was the craziest time for smuggled alcohol, because it was the New Year, and many people wanted to have a drink, and the price of alcohol had once again seen a significant and substantial increase.

Whether it was smuggled alcohol or those who brewed their own and secretly sold it to the outside world, they were all undermining the achievements since the implementation of the Prohibition Law.

This kind of behavior should be prohibited.

Major cases cannot be caught, and minor cases cannot be caught, but those senior agents sit in the office and do nothing, and a large amount of credit and bonuses are recorded on them every day.

Pounda was following up on a case of selling homemade alcohol. A couple used their knowledge of brewing to frantically make homemade wine in the basement.

The cycle of brewing wine is not long, ten to twelve days, almost three times a month, each time three to four barrels, which can produce one hundred and fifty to two hundred bottles.

Selling it for three yuan a bottle brings the couple a gross profit of about five hundred yuan a month from smuggled alcohol alone.

And the net profit is about three hundred and seventy or eighty yuan, which is why people know that brewing, selling, and smuggling alcoholic beverages is illegal, and so many people are still rushing into this industry.

The profit is too high!

It's a little outrageous!

When Pounda caught them, they were taking their family to bottle the wine in the cellar.

A family of more than ten people were arrested and brought to justice, and they faced five to ten years in prison.

And their families, between two and five years.

Pounda is responsible for this case to the end. He also needs to sort out all the evidence and then submit it to the judicial office, which will prosecute and then hand it over to the court to pronounce the result.

Although he is now considered a "special agent," he is essentially still in the middle and lower levels, roughly equivalent to a "captain" in the gang, rather than a senior cadre.

In this way, the organizational structure of the Federal gang is actually very scientific, after all, even the government law enforcement agencies are using it.

However, this also made Pounda a little dissatisfied. He had actually done a lot for the Hazardous Materials Administration, but a parachuted senior agent made his contributions a joke.

He was a little unconvinced.

The phone rang suddenly, and he grabbed the receiver and put it to his ear, "I'm Pounda."

"Sir?"

"It's me. Just now, Mrs. Lisa and I were resting in the mall. We bought some fruit and then chose a place to rest and sit down."

"I went to wash the fruit and when I came back, Mrs. Lisa was gone..."

Ponda was stunned for a moment after hearing this, and then he immediately became nervous.

He loved his wife more than anything!

"Stay where you are, I'll be right there!"

The error-free version is on Read! Premiered on this novel.

He hung up the phone, stood up, and the colleague at the desk next to him called out to him, "Are you going out?"

Ponda nodded, but didn't bother to say why, "I have something to leave for a bit."

His colleague lowered his voice, "They said that leaving the office now requires reporting or taking leave."

This was required by the four senior special agents, because there have been so many small cases recently that they are short-handed. Losing one person could delay a case by another two days.

In addition, they have to answer emergency calls from time to time, so Director Dale also agreed to their decision.

Without a valid reason, no leave is allowed for the first three weeks of this month.

His colleague's reminder made Ponda feel inexplicably uncomfortable, but he still thanked his colleague and then went to the senior special agent's office.

"Webber, I need to leave for a bit."

Webber was his immediate superior, a senior special agent parachuted in from the State Alcohol Beverage Control Board. Originally, this position belonged to him.

He had heard from others that Webber's uncle was a member of the State Alcohol Beverage Control Board.

Webber sat behind his desk, looking at Ponda. Before he came here, he knew that the person in front of him was the rightful owner of the position he was sitting in.

He had snatched this person's original position, and after taking office, he had been observing Ponda to see if he was dissatisfied with him.

The Dangerous Goods Administration is not a relaxed law enforcement department. They often have to face those private wine dealers face-to-face on the front line.

Those private wine dealers, in order to protect their wine and escape legal sanctions, would not hesitate to pull the trigger on law enforcement personnel.

So Webber had always wanted to transfer Ponda to another group, but he had never had a good opportunity to do so, nor could he do so directly.

It would leave a very bad impression on others, so he had been observing, waiting, and looking for opportunities.

"Is it for work?" Webber maintained a hypocritical smile on his face, "Write a report and I'll approve it for you."

Ponda hesitated for a moment, "My maid at home just called me. She said my wife is lost in the mall. I have to go take a look."

Webber looked at him, his smile still on his face, "May I ask, your wife, she..." He raised his finger and circled it around his head, "Is she normal?"

Ponda was stunned for a moment, and a clear expression of dissatisfaction appeared on his face, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Of course she's a normal person!"

Webber didn't mind his disrespect, "Since your wife is normal, what are you worried about?"

"She might just be distracted by some promotional items, so she got separated from your maid. When you go back tonight, she will definitely be sitting in the living room waiting for you!"

"I heard that the case you're working on is going to court the day after tomorrow. Have you prepared all the materials?"

Ponda was silent for a few seconds, "Some of it hasn't been written yet."

The smile on Webber's face faded, "Then why not go back and do what you're supposed to do?"

"I believe any lady with normal intelligence can find her way home."

"If they can't find it, they can call the police, and the police can help them!"

Ponda's eyes, as he looked at Webber, were now undisguisedly showing dissatisfaction and disgust, "I said, I want to take leave."

Webber leaned back in his chair, "I said, no personal matters!"

The look in his eyes as he looked at Ponda still carried a hint of provocation. He hoped to have some conflict with Ponda, and then transfer this person away, or even dismiss him from the ranks of the Dangerous Goods Administration!

It wasn't that he was so bad, but as a normal person, he felt that after he had taken Ponda's position, they could never coexist peacefully!

Rather than being stabbed in the back by this person at some unknown time, it was better to throw him out before the danger occurred!

If Ponda hadn't considered doing this, then he would one day apologize for these things, but he would definitely not regret it.

Compared to apologizing, the potential danger posed by Ponda's existence was obviously more troublesome!

Ponda's breathing became heavy. He clenched his fists, turned around, and left his office, which disappointed Webber somewhat.

He curled his lips, took out the "Tide Newspaper" from the drawer, and continued reading.

No man in the entire Licar State doesn't love the "Tide Newspaper", and so does he!

Ponda went directly to Director Dale's office, explained the situation, and Director Dale was silent for a while, "Go ahead, I'll talk to Webber."

This made Ponda breathe a sigh of relief, "Thank you, I'll be back soon after I find Lisa!"

Director Dale smiled and comforted him a few words, and then Ponda drove off in the police car.

He saw the maid at the entrance of the mall, and also saw two policemen and the mall security guards. He showed his credentials and joined the discussion.

"We've already searched the first and second floors, and haven't seen Mrs. Lisa. The third and fourth floors are being searched, and there will be results soon."

Hearing this, Ponda's unease grew stronger.

Lisa was a sensible woman. Even if she met a friend or was attracted by some activity, she would not leave without a word or go anywhere else!

Something terrible must have happened that forced her to leave here and not come back.

He was a little anxious and wanted more police and security guards to join the search, but they were all rejected.

It was just one person missing, and not some important figure, and it couldn't be classified as a disappearance that would alarm more police and security guards.

Helpless, Ponda could only dial the Lance family's number.

Lance had already returned from New Gold City. During these two weeks of the New Year, the private wine market was in a high-intensity active period.

There was demand everywhere, and the price of alcohol was rising again and again!

Five regions of the Empire gangs in Licar State were purchasing alcohol from Lance, and each month they could consume millions of dollars worth of goods.

And these goods could bring Lance at least three hundred thousand in profits.

As the price of alcohol continued to rise, profits would only increase!

"It's for you."

Lance was checking accounts in the office. He took the phone with a cigarette in his mouth, "This is Lance."

"Lance... Lisa is lost in the mall. Can you arrange for some people to come and help me find her?"

"I'm worried that she may have encountered some accident."

Lance immediately agreed after hearing this. It wasn't a troublesome matter, "Give me the address, and I'll arrange for people to go."

"Thank you!" Lance's quick agreement made Ponda feel a little better. He thanked him again solemnly, "Thank you so much!"

Lance didn't care much about this, "We are friends, it's only right to help each other!"