Shadow Empire

Chapter 859: Tough Opponents and Storms
Mr. Walter has met many people.

As the rotating vice president of the Labor Union, he always has to interact with people from all walks of life, so he has met many people.

A big capitalist, the kind whose net worth exceeded one billion twenty years ago!

The politician could even be called a statesman - the first leader of the Socialist Party, chairman of the committee, founder of the Socialist Party.

He also met the leader of a major gang, the leader of one of the five major families in the federation.

He had seen the best opera emperor and opera queen in the Federation, he had seen the most popular magician in the Federation, he had seen the most amazing animal trainer in the Federation, he had seen...

He had met many people, but no one of them could give him the feeling of low-key arrogance like Lance.

There is no problem with these two words alone, but when they are combined together, they become a bit inconsistent and conflicting.

It was like the words "thick slices", which were conflicting, but that was the feeling Lance gave him.

He was holding a newspaper, and in the newspaper Lance was wearing his iconic fedora hat with some prints on the red satin hatband.

His face was not looking towards the camera, but towards the exit of the court with a smile on his face.

Carl followed closely behind him with a smile on his face.

There were people like them all around, and looking at the same armbands on their left arms made me feel a slight tingling sensation on my scalp for some reason.

They lost the lawsuit, but they laughed arrogantly. It seemed that they were using this method to tell Mr. Walter that this was his kingdom, or they were laughing at him severely!
Mr. Walter threw the newspaper back on the table. He glanced at the attorney and asked, "Is there any way we can intervene in the investigation of Carl?"

The lawyer's representative shook his head slightly. "We have no right to interfere with the prosecutor's work, and I heard a piece of news from a friend."

"Terry, the Attorney General of the Likalai State Prosecutor's Office, has a very good relationship with Lance, and the Secretary of State also has a very good relationship with Lance."

Mr. Walter's hands tapped rhythmically back and forth on the table, just like playing the piano, sweeping and clicking on the table in a regular and undulating manner, but without making any sound.

"So you mean there's nothing we can do to Carl?"

The lawyer nodded. "If the Attorney General cannot stand on our side, or at least cannot remain neutral, then there is no way for us to choose a solution or not in this matter."

The lawyers spread their hands. They could choose not to show us the progress of the investigation and could delay the case indefinitely. As long as they were not afraid of public criticism, they could do nothing and not allow us to do anything.

In the current federal system, prosecutors have higher-level authority in law enforcement investigations.

Once they take over a case, it will be difficult for other law enforcement agencies to continue investigating, unless the matter is related to national security, in which case it may be taken over by the Ministry of Defense.

But... a fucking refugee gang leader has nothing to do with national security, and Mr. Walter doesn't know anyone in the Department of Defense, let alone ask them to do this for him.

He sat there and thought for a while, "Is it possible for what we mentioned last time to be realized?"

The lawyer representative did not hesitate much, "We can try to do it, but I can't guarantee whether we can do it."

What they said was that they fabricated a case related to Carl in other states, and the local prosecutor applied for Carl's arrest, and then they secretly arrested Carl here.

As long as the prosecutor of Likalai State has not gone through the procedures to detain Carl, the prosecutors of other states can complete their case trials first as long as they catch Carl.

To put it simply, it is kidnapping!

This is definitely illegal. Whether it is forging documents or kidnapping Carl, none of these complies with federal law.

But sometimes, when faced with some cases, if you don’t use some unconventional tactics, there is no possibility of progress, just like now!

If they don't take action against Carl, the case will never move forward.

Now there are different opinions on this matter within the Labor Federation. Some people think that there is no need to confront Lance head-on, who represents the power of Congress.

At present, the most important task of the Labor Federation is to establish a workers' party. Now that the federal economy is improving, workers' income is increasing, which means that they will have a higher level of participation in the operation of society!

This was of great help in the establishment of the Workers' Party and in exerting its influence.

But some people also believed that if they could not deal with the Lans family and allowed them to shake the foundations of the labor federation and trade unions, it would be tantamount to giving Congress a "sample" on how to deal with the labor federation and trade unions.

Even if they formed a workers' party, they would gradually lose the workers and their influence.

The disunity between the two camps annoyed the president. Now there was no need to consider the legality or illegality. Carl should be dealt with first, and then whether to negotiate or confront face to face!

Mr. Walter thought about this, pursed his lips and nodded, “It can be done. Waiting any longer will only make the situation worse.”

The lawyer representative did not object. After all, he was only working for the union and Mr. Walter. "As for the fees..."

Mr. Walter asked, "How much does it cost?"

The attorney made a simple calculation and said, "It will cost about $800,000 to pay the state prosecutor's office and the judicial department, and another $200,000 will be my personal fees, totaling $1,050,000."

Mr. Walter agreed with a smile. As a vice president, he still had the authority, and the president also knew about it.

It's not that they don't have money. In fact, they are very rich. How could a political group as large and twisted as the Federation of Labor be without money?
It’s just that their money has become the same as the capitalists’ money, and it will not be given to the people or workers for no reason.

Mr. Walter's agreement brought a smile to the lawyer's face. He was very happy to receive the 200,000 yuan. Of course, he would also pay taxes. Nominally, it was a consulting fee, but in fact, he could get about a little more than 130,000 yuan, about a little more than 140,000 yuan, after using some legal tax avoidance methods.

Interpersonal relationships are valuable and can be sold, so the federal elites are always managing their networks to gain more opportunities.

After the lawyer left, the president of the Likalai State branch came to Mr. Walter's office. He looked at Mr. Walter and did not speak immediately.

Mr. Walter was a little scared by his look, and put his hands flat on the table, "If you came to my office just to see what I was doing, now you have done it!"

He meant that if there was nothing else, he would leave immediately.

The president then went on to say that Debbie had contacted some people who were injured in the parade in the past two days.

When Mr. Walter heard this, he suddenly became alert, "What is she going to do?"

He was actually very clear that these injured protesters were a trouble, so he immediately arranged public relations measures to deal with these people.

This includes helping them identify the "perpetrator" and reinforcing the concept that "any problem should be held accountable to the perpetrator rather than others", helping them communicate with hospitals, helping them approach banks to inquire about mortgages, and organizing a team of lawyers to help them with lawsuits.

On the one hand, these things are done to show the Labor Union's concern for the protesters, but also to shirk some of the responsibility.

Otherwise, if we do nothing, they will definitely find the Labor Union, and now is an important period for the Labor Union.

In fact, everyone, including Mr. Walter, knows very well that the simplest and most effective way is to give these people a sum of money first to pay for their losses and medical expenses, and then they can find ways to recover their losses.

But at the same time everyone knows very well that this is impossible to do, or that they cannot do it.

The strike is like the sharpest dagger in their hands, which can take away the most precious thing of others - life.

But at the same time, the dagger itself is not valuable, a dagger only costs a few cents.

If a dagger is broken, they will not consider looking for a knife sharpener and spend a price far exceeding the price of the dagger to have the knife sharpened again.

They would just throw the dagger into the trash and then replace it with another one.

It is impossible for them to make "sharpening the dagger" a traceable management, nor is it possible for them to hurt themselves for a worthless dagger.

So everyone knows what is the right thing to do, but everyone also knows that right and wrong are meaningless on some issues, because what is meaningful is the stance.

When he heard Ms. Debbie, a former member of the Labor Federation, contacting the injured workers, he knew there was trouble.

"What does she want?", Mr. Walter asked.

The local branch president pursed his lips, "She may have some misunderstandings about our work!" Mr. Walter shook his head and smiled, "You go talk to her and make it clear to her that the reason why she is suspended is to protect her... Anyway, find a reason and deal with her!"

The president sighed, "I know."

Then he got up and left.

After Mr. Walter and others left, he stood up and walked to the window, looking at the slightly gloomy sky outside the window with a deep and solemn gaze.

The difficulty of handling things here is greater than he imagined!

He originally still had some confidence, but from some of the things he had experienced during this period, and from the attitudes of the locals and people from his state, he could tell that they did not welcome him.

It's not like he hasn't encountered home advantage before, but he has never encountered such a big home advantage. Those people almost told him clearly that they were all on Lance's side.

From the players to the referees to the commentators to the organizers of the game, even the stadium is full of the opposing team's people. How can this game be played?
While Mr. Walter was thinking about how to break the deadlock, Lance had already begun to work on leaving Jingang City.

He contacted Senator Cleveland again, and the senator said that their main target of the attack on the Golden Port Terminal was still on the two port terminals and the military base.

Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility that they will fire artillery shells into the city to vent their anger. This possibility exists. The Federation Fleet has previously attacked two ports of the Dantra Republic, causing a large number of civilian casualties.

From the perspective of the Federals and the Slades, such bombardment was just.

Because those young men, those adult male citizens of Dentra, will most likely end up being soldiers on the battlefield.

Helping them solve their most troubling problems now is equivalent to turning the bullets that would have been fired at them on the battlefield into cannonballs and shooting them at them at this point in time, before they become soldiers.

The Federation has fired at the civilians of Dentra, and Lance doesn't think that Dentra's navy will miss this opportunity to fire at the Federation civilians!

In fact, to a certain extent, killing each other's civilians in a war is also a means to seek victory. It is not a question of right or wrong or morality.

War is all about winning and losing, nothing else.

Summer weather is like this, it changes at any time.

The sky may be clear one moment and covered with dark clouds the next. Heavy rain suddenly began to fall at a military port in Dantra, and a wet guy rushed into a roadside cafe.

He took off his hat and held up his clothes to prevent them from sticking to his body, while asking the waiter for a cup of coffee and a pastry.

He chose a seat by the window. Many people around him knew him. He was a resident who had just moved here after the Chinese New Year. He called himself a painter and he did have good painting skills.

Sometimes he would set up his easel on the third-floor balcony and paint some nearby scenery, and sometimes he would paint for passers-by on the side of the road.

This is a very enthusiastic painter in his thirties, some also call him an artist.

I have to say that he has a good appearance and is quite humorous, and is very popular among the girls on this street.

There are often girls around him, but so far, no one has really been able to be with him. He always puts more passion into painting and life.

He was like people's ideal life, and everyone liked him very much.

The waiter brought his coffee and said, "Please enjoy your meal, our great painter!"

Some of the guests who were hiding from the rain nearby all burst into laughter, but not in a sarcastic or malicious way, but with good intentions.

Someone couldn't help but wonder loudly, "When will the great painter hold his own exhibition?"

This may be one of every painter’s dreams, to hold his own painting exhibition or even an art exhibition!

The smile on the easel's face was completely different from the dark clouds outside, as bright as the sun. His eyes were Lance's, deep and charming.

"I'll save enough money soon to rent an art gallery. Maybe it won't be long!"

At this moment, a female voice suddenly sounded, "I can lend you money!"

People immediately burst into laughter. They liked the plot, the passionate girl, and the artistic, charming and romantic wandering artist.

The easel laughed and said, "Thank you for your kindness, but I still want to earn the money with my own ability."

His noble qualities endeared him to the people, and they chatted for a while longer, then the chatter died down.

Because a thunderstorm and heavy rain had already arrived outside.

It was like raindrops the size of soybeans were crackling down on this world, as if they were going to crush everything on the earth!
The easel looks at the blurry world, as if it is looking at a special oil painting.

It is broken into small pieces.

Every drop of rain tears the world apart and hides the fragments of the world in one's heart, thus forming this natural and beautiful masterpiece of art.

Every second is unique, and every change in color is full of changes that make people want to explore.

Just as he was in a daze, he suddenly noticed that there was a streak of gray moving continuously in the distance of this special oil painting.

His pupils contracted slightly.

He is a painter and also an agent. His job is to keep an eye on the naval port of Dantra and notify the country if there are any changes in the fleet here.

He graduated from the Federal Academy of Arts in Eilat, where Eilat is a name of a person, one of the greatest artists in the history of the Federation.

Although Lianbang has no history, the artist is a real artist. Some of his oil paintings are now priced between tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands of yuan.

A small number of pieces with special value and significance have already reached high prices of hundreds of thousands, which are in no way inferior to the works of famous artists from other continents hundreds of years ago.

If nothing unexpected happened, he would probably just be a painter and an artist in his life.

But something happened in the middle that forced him to embark on this path.

After receiving training, he was sent to Dantra to lurk, and his newest job was to keep an eye on the warships in the naval port and find out the daily departure and return changes of these warships.

Several warships went out, and they were all the same ones; several warships came back, and they were all the same ones; and how long the intervals were and so on.

It's very boring, but for him this is exactly his favorite job.

He didn't need to worry about infiltration, theft, or assassination. He just needed to choose a suitable location and set up the easel.

A full day's work can be accomplished by painting and observing the conditions at the port.

The job was so peaceful that he almost forgot he was an agent - of course this was impossible, it was just that the job was too peaceful.

Until this moment.

"Oh no! I forgot to pick up my clothes!"

The painter stood up. The view from here was not very good. He needed a better position. "And it seems that the door to my balcony is not closed."

Everyone else was laughing. This is how it is at the beach in summer. It rains when it says it will. What he experienced is something that many people have experienced.

The painter took out the money and put it on the table, grabbed the pastry and ate it in three or two bites, then picked up the coffee and drank it in one gulp, said goodbye to everyone, and rushed into the rain.

This is where people's discussion about the painter ends.

The painter returned to the third floor and took out a pair of binoculars, looking at the naval port in the distance in the heavy rain. A large number of warships painted with the colors of the Dantra Navy or some other country's navy were leaving the port in large numbers!

(End of this chapter)