Empire of Shadows

After hanging up, Lance immediately called Feigal. When the call connected and he identified himself, complete silence fell on the other end.

Feigal had never imagined that Lance would call him under these circumstances, yet he also felt the call was perfectly timed.

Late at night, all the senior executives had returned. When they learned that the plan had failed and the Koda family's support was cut off, everyone wore a strange expression.

They were being played like that orrery!

Amidst the complex emotions swirling within him, Feigal endured an uncomfortable night.

He didn't display rage or sarcasm, but simply asked softly, "Are you calling just to flaunt your advantage?"

"No, no, no, I'm not that shallow. I just think the two of us should talk."

"Talk?"

"Yes, talk."

Feigal pondered for a moment. He certainly wouldn't dare to meet Lance face-to-face; who knew if Lance would pull out a gun and shoot him as soon as he sat down.

But he doubted Lance would come to his manor for a talk either; he was definitely not a fool.

Even if he repeatedly assured Lance that he wouldn't harm him, he still wouldn't be able to resist killing Lance and ending it all if he actually came.

He didn't trust Lance, nor did he trust himself, which made him feel very depressed.

"Let's just talk on the phone."

Lance didn't object. "What do you think of the recent tensions between us?"

Feigal seriously considered for a moment, then said, "I don't think anything of it. You attacked us, that's all."

It was hard to believe that he could now calmly talk to Lance, without even getting very angry.

When did he develop such magnanimity?

How come he didn't even know it himself?

Perhaps it was because he had encountered too many setbacks recently!

After all, a person's growth is always inseparable from pain.

The pain of falling before learning to walk, the pain of tripping while running, the pain of insufficient learning ability in school, the pain of not earning money after entering society…

The pain he had experienced recently had also made him grow.

He was somewhat expectant, wanting to know what Lance would say.

"Last night, Bandi arranged for at least one or two hundred gunmen to support you, but they were intercepted on the way."

"Not only did they suffer heavy casualties, but even Shi Dong is in my hands."

Feigal frowned. He knew about this, but he didn't know why Lance was bringing it up. "You think I didn't know?"

"No, I know you know. You must have talked to Bandi."

"I'm saying these things just to make you recognize a reality."

"That is, no matter what happens next, Bandi will no longer support you."

He finally realized it!

Because of supporting him, they lost a core family member and suffered heavy casualties.

It was almost impossible to persuade Bandi to help him again!

If he were Bandi, he would do the same.

He didn't know if the next attack would be known to Lance in advance, whether it would be obstructed and eliminated like this, causing all plans to fail and so much loss.

He would no longer easily promise others to lend a hand, so, conversely, would Bandi still help him?

He believed that it was highly unlikely, especially if Lance kept Shi Dong in custody.

This made his mood become depressed, and his face visibly turned unsightly, but unfortunately, Lance couldn't see it.

"If you just wanted to tell me this, then you've succeeded."

"Even if it's just us, we won't give in!" His voice was firm, but… not so absolutely firm.

Lance chuckled twice. "Feigal, in reality, there aren't too many conflicts between us. Even that accident was provoked by others."

"Have you ever wondered why we were always safe and sound, but an accident just happened when I launched an attack on the Koda family?"

This question made Feigal's mood even worse. Of course, he had thought about it!

He had even cursed those subordinates who had already died in the first attack, blaming them for provoking the wrong person, provoking someone from the Lance family.

Even if they really did it, killing the person, killing the witnesses, and then hiding and pretending it had nothing to do with them, would be much better than just beating those people up and leaving!

It was like deliberately provoking them, but the matter had already happened, and he could only deal with it.

Now that Lance mentioned this again, driven by instinct and the desire to shift responsibility, he felt that Lance's words made a lot of sense.

However, he wasn't a yes-man. "So what?"

Lance said with a smile, "You're isolated and helpless, Feigal."

"Don't think that just you are enough to fight me. You can't do it, we all know that."

"Do you believe that with just one phone call, in a week, I can completely erase you from Goldport City?"

Feigal scoffed. He had been trying his best to control his temper, but hearing such arrogant words, he couldn't help but retort, "Then let's try it?"

"Even if you can really do it, Lance, I guarantee I'll knock out a mouthful of your teeth!"

After saying this, he hung up the phone. He didn't put on a strong front because he had said harsh words, but instead became even more worried.

Lance was absolutely right; he was already isolated and helpless.

The Tita family?

They couldn't be counted on!

He could only rely on himself!

He now urgently wanted to know when and how Lance would start the next attack.

After Lance hung up, he shook his head and dialed Chief Blue's number. "Proceed according to the plan."

Chief Blue had already obtained the search warrant. Last night, there was constant gunfire at Feigal's manor, and half the city heard it!

So, obtaining a search warrant wasn't too difficult. With the search warrant, they could barge in.

Such a large manor, and the lair of a gang, could there be no evidence of crime inside?

Lance didn't believe it. Even if they really didn't have any, Chief Blue would arrange for people to fabricate some.

This wasn't a troublesome matter; it was their bread and butter.

So, before nine o'clock, a large number of police cars, sirens blaring, drove towards the Keane family's manor.

By nine forty, the entire area outside the manor was full of police cars.

Goldport City had tens of thousands of police officers, including temporary workers. They didn't need to mobilize all of them today, but at least a thousand people came!

A thousand police officers, over a hundred police cars of all shapes and sizes, surrounded the entire manor tightly.

Standing behind the window on the fourth floor, Feigal's face became even worse. Lance once again refreshed Feigal's perception of him!

"This is the search warrant…"

Soon, Feigal met the branch chief of the city center branch. The other party placed the search warrant on the table in front of him. It had the authorization of Goldport City's judicial department to search the entire manor.

Looking at this search warrant, which didn't actually contain much information, Feigal's emotions were constantly surging, and his heart was complex.

He didn't know how to express it. Anger, dissatisfaction, hatred, he had all these emotions.

But for some reason, when he saw this warrant, these emotions suddenly subsided.

There were also many senior executives in the room, and they were all waiting for Feigal's reply, whether to let these police officers search or to drive them out.

Of course, driving them out was just a joke. They wouldn't dare to mess around. These police officers, whom they usually couldn't even bother to glance at, gave them unprecedented pressure at this moment.

Only at this moment did they remember that these inconspicuous little police officers, their police uniforms, and badges represented the law enforcement power of a country, not their personal power.

It was easy to confront the police, but what about the entire federal government?

Feigal pursed his lips. "I'll make a call."

He glanced at the branch chief. "To Lance."

The branch chief seemed to understand then. "Should I excuse myself?"

Feigal suddenly chuckled in anger. "You son of a bitch!"

He didn't answer, but directly picked up the phone. Soon, the call was connected.

"This is your method, is it?"

Lance heard the dissatisfaction in his tone, but his emotions were no longer as intensely opposed as before.

People all have "self-awareness." If a person says to himself every day, "I'm the most handsome,"

whether he is handsome or not, he actually knows better than anyone else!

Just look in the mirror!

Feigal also had self-awareness. He knew that if Lance really used various means, he might not be able to withstand it.

He had never encountered such a thing in his life as using police force in a gang fight, and he knew it was unsolvable.

Unless they planned to declare independence, otherwise they would only have one ending, which was to be arrested, sent to prison, and then secretly executed by Lance.

At this moment, he had deeply realized that he had lost.

So, there was still a hint of clarity hidden in his voice.

Lance couldn't help but laugh after listening. "I hope you feel that my methods are somewhat challenging. Do you want to try it?"

"Screw you!"

"Lance, you know what?"

"You're really a son of a bitch!"

He took a deep breath. "But a厉害(lì hài- capable; competent; sharp; awesome; severe) son of a bitch!"

"I lost. What do you plan to do with us, send us to prison?"

Hearing him say that, the branch director in his room breathed a sigh of relief, and the other senior officials also breathed a sigh of relief.

They had already realized that they were not necessarily a match for the Lance family, even if they confronted them head-on.

Now, having to face the police force would be tantamount to indirectly clashing with the rules and order established by the federal government.

They really didn't want to continue, because it was a dead end, and someone had gone too far!

This also made some of them suddenly realize why it was said that Goldenport City would always be Goldenport City in the Bay Area.

Because the Bay Area used to control this power, but now, it belongs to Lance.

Lance's face was full of smiles, "How could that be?"

"Figal, you are an old-timer in Goldenport City, since you have made a decision, I will not push you to the brink."

"I'm not a good person, but I'm definitely not a bad person."

"I will guarantee that all of you can leave Goldenport City safely, taking everything you want to take with you!"

Having to leave one's hometown…

Figal squeezed his eyes, "Can't I stay?"

Lance said with a smile, "What do you think?"

He paused and added, "No matter where you go, I will support you. If you are worried about needing to reconnect with suppliers in other places."

"Whether it's arms, liquor, or anything else, I'll arrange it for you."

"Figal, we can not only not be enemies, but also be partners, but the premise is that you have to give me face!"

Figal thought for a long time, and finally, with Lance's help, he recognized the reality, "You said it."

"Yes, I said it!"

Although those words were already on the tip of his tongue, it still took great strength to say them!

The whole room was silent, and everyone slowed their breathing, whether it was the branch director, the police officers, or his senior officials.

"I lost, I'll leave."

The moment he said these words, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and even his senior officials showed smiles on their faces!

If the situation had continued to escalate into a firefight, they would have supported Figal in continuing to fight Lance.

But now that the police have intervened, they have almost no ability to resist. There is really no way but to admit defeat!

Lance was very satisfied with his answer, "You made the right decision. I'll wait for your good news. If you need anything, anything, contact me."

"And then give the phone to that branch director or police officer who came…"

Figal handed the phone to the newly appointed branch director, who held the phone with both hands facing the window, slightly bent over, very respectfully.

"Yes, yes… Okay, I understand, I understand, don't worry…"

After he spoke for a while, he returned the receiver to Figal, with a smile on his face, "We should all be grateful."

Figal did not deny it, "Indeed."

Saying that, the branch director took the initiative to say goodbye and leave. In less than fifteen minutes, almost all the police cars had withdrawn.

The police who had surrounded their manor also left in police cars.

Search warrants, searches, and arrests were as if they had never happened!

Still sitting in that chair, Figal suddenly had a different feeling. He patted the armrest of the chair and looked at the azure sky outside the window.

He knew that at this moment, no one could stop Lance's completely rising momentum!

"Notify everyone, prepare to leave."

"Cut off those peripheral members and those who are unwilling to leave with us."

Although the senior officials were very happy when he made the decision, now that they were really leaving, they also felt a little sad.

Someone asked, "Where are we going?"

Figal laughed twice, "Where can't we go?"

"We have people, guns, and money. Gentlemen, we can go anywhere except here and Lance!"

"I suddenly fucking want to leave this place early. I've had enough of everything that's happened here!"

At this moment, his eyes were incomparably clear!

Lance told Alberto about the Keane family's plan to leave, and asked him to talk to the Tita family.

He had formed a relatively deep friendship with the Tita family when they were fighting against the Cassia family together, although there was mutual exploitation between them, at least they were closer than with other families.

When the Tita family learned that they were losing another old partner, they also felt a sense of sadness and a sense of heaviness.

"The Five Great Families…"

"Only three are left."

The head of the Tita family was somewhat depressed. The glory of the Five Great Families seemed like it was just yesterday, but in just one night, everything had changed.

It had become so unfamiliar, so different.

Alberto was also very emotional.

Paul was dead, Rick (Cassia family) was dead, Sariffo (Tita family) was dead, three of the heads of the Five Great Families were dead.

Then the Cassia family was destroyed, the Keane family was about to leave, and only three families were left.

Judging from Lance's meaning, the Tita family must also leave, and then the Coda family will be eliminated, and the entire Goldenport City will quietly fall into his hands.

He still vaguely remembered the way Lance looked when he asked him to borrow money in front of him that summer. He didn't expect that in such a short period of time, he had grown to the point where even he needed to look up to him.

Both of them had great feelings and were somewhat sad.

"He asked you to tell me about this… is he hoping that we will also leave?"

Faced with the question from the current head of the Tita family, Alberto did not deny it, "Yes, the entire city will fall into his hands, including here."

The current head of the Tita family had a headache. They had too many industries here, as well as businesses and connections. If they left, everything would have to start over.

Of course, relatively speaking.

But he didn't have any good ways to counter Lance's combination punches. They would be fighting you here, and the police would come to arrest you there. They might even suddenly appear on the scene during the firefight.

Arresting their people and releasing Lance's people, that's entirely possible!

The players, coaches, referees, judges, and the organizers of the competition are all Lance's people. How can you fight this?

Once Councilor Williams takes office and becomes mayor, even the person who makes the rules of the game has a deep relationship with him. You can't see a glimmer of hope!

He sighed, "I have to go back and discuss it with everyone, this is such an important matter."

Alberto nodded in agreement, "If you plan to leave, those industries can be sold to Lance, Lance will be willing to take over."

"You can treat this as a condition, he won't refuse."

The current head of the Tita family could only nod, "Yes, that's one way."

He said, then shook his head, "I have to go back, this news is too important, and too shocking!"

Alberto did not stop him, and even saw him off.

Back in the company, Francisco looked at him with some concern. Alberto shook his head, "Don't worry, if you can trust me, then you can trust him!"

He said these words very firmly. He believed that this was Lance.