Chapter 449

Golden State is a good place. It’s the political, cultural, and commercial center of the Federation.

But the gangs don’t like it here much.

Precisely because it’s too much of a “center.”

There are too many powerful people here. You never know if your criminal activities will offend these people who control the entire country.

Their families, relatives, friends, even a dog.

Something like this had happened before. The son of a gang leader was driving his new car around town. When he stopped on the side of the road, a dog peed on his car wheel.

He ran a couple of steps and kicked the little dog to death. He thought it was a trivial matter, but in less than a week, his gang was completely wiped out.

Because the owner of that dog was someone they couldn’t afford to offend.

Although gangs exist in Golden State, they are all very low-key and careful. They don’t collect any protection fees. Their main work, or rather, their way of making a profit, is also through working for Congress and the Presidential Palace to make money.

And by the way, they operate some less troublesome businesses like bars and nightclubs.

Just like now, there are a total of three gangs that provide liquor to the gentlemen of Congress, and another one that specifically provides liquor to the Presidential Palace. They are the designated “liquor suppliers” for the high society of Golden State.

It sounds incredible. Congress and the Presidential Palace pushed for the implementation of Prohibition, yet these same people are constantly breaking the law.

In fact, it’s just as people have always said and thought.

When the lawmakers make the laws, they have never really included themselves in the group that needs to abide by the law.

In other words, the law has always been made for the middle and lower classes of society, not for them.

This creates a very special social phenomenon—

The lawmakers, on the contrary, are constantly breaking the law, because for them, the law is not only not binding, but it also cannot make them feel the majesty of the law. It’s just their “toy.”

Some gangs will provide them with various services, for example, “designated call girl suppliers” for Congress, the Presidential Palace, and senior government departments.

Or, for example, “gambling middlemen” who can bring together these high-society powerful politicians to gamble.

Including human trafficking, illegal smuggling, and all other possible criminal acts, they are actually involved in them all, and there are people who do them for them.

This is Golden State, the desirable Golden State. Bandy also very much desired Golden State.

The Kodak family had been laundered almost clean. In a few more years, they would be able to complete the complete whitewashing.

Black and white would be cut apart.

So he really wanted to go to Golden State, to a higher stage, to fight for a position for the Kodak family.

So, having friends and a network of relationships in Golden State was particularly important.

He first dealt with the work at hand, then put on a bathrobe and went into the bathroom.

Soaking in the hot water, his whole person completely relaxed. He dialed that number.

“Mr. Bandy?”

“Yes, it’s me. I’m here. You must be Mr. Hayrick, right?”

“I remember you, from Fleming’s graduation party last time.”

The vice president on the other end burst out laughing. “Yes, it’s me. I didn’t expect your memory to be so good. I was still thinking about how to explain so that you could recall me.”

Bandy shrank into the bathtub, letting more hot water soak his body, with only his head exposed. The phone was on a small cart next to him, on speakerphone. He could talk to the guy on the other end without holding the receiver.

“Of course I remember you. We even had a drink…” he paused, “So, Mr. Hayrick, did you call me for something?”

“Yes, Bandy. Can I call you that?”

Bandy did not refuse. This was a friendly gesture, a sign of their relationship getting closer. “No problem, of course you can. I’ll also call you Hayrick.”

“Alright, Bandy, here’s the thing. We’ve run into a little trouble. A gangster kid has caused us some losses.”

“So…”

Bandy understood the meaning in his words, a confident smile appearing on his face.

This was a good thing, for him.

There was nothing in Golden Port that he couldn’t handle. By solving this trouble, he was selling a favor to this Mr. Hayrick. This was a very worthwhile deal.

He agreed. “I will help you mediate or handle it. What kind of end he has will depend entirely on your thoughts.”

“In Golden Port, you can completely trust me, my friend.”

Hearing Bandy’s confident words, the vice president also showed a smile. “I won’t be troubling you, will I?”

“We are friends!” Bandy reiterated this point.

This made the vice president understand his meaning. “Yes, we are friends. Then I owe you a favor.”

Some things should be said directly. Federation people can sometimes beat around the bush, but sometimes, they can also be very direct.

“Can I know that person’s name?”

“So I can arrange for people to take care of him as soon as possible.”

Then, he heard a name he was very familiar with, a name he had heard many times, from the speakerphone—”Lance, Lance White.”

Seven or eight seconds later, the vice president’s voice came from the speakerphone again. “Bandy, are you still there?”

Bandy reacted. He changed from a curled-up lying position in the bathtub to a sitting position with his upper body straight. The sound of the displaced water, “I’m here.”

Perhaps hearing the hesitation in Bandy’s tone, the vice president’s tone also became a little less certain. “Is it difficult to handle?”

How should Bandy answer this question?

Bandy’s expression was slightly serious. “Whether it’s difficult or not depends on what you want me to accomplish.”

The Lance Family was indeed a bit difficult to handle. A head-on confrontation was definitely not a smart choice, but at the same time, Bandy did not want to give up his relationship with this Mr. Hayrick.

He would seize any opportunity that could allow the family to continue to develop upwards. He also knew very well that only by becoming a real big shot could he control his own destiny.

The vice president thought for a moment. Bandy’s silence clearly told him that this Lance and the Lance Family were not some small fry that were easy to deal with.

This was Golden Port, not Golden State. The Liji Group’s hands did not reach this far.

He considered for a moment, “We have some unpleasant things between us, and he has also caused us to lose a large sum of money.”

He first emphasized the reason for doing this, and then said in a slightly low and cautious tone, “The company’s meaning is to solve him. We don’t want the money anymore. Just consider it as buying him a gravesite.”

“A gravesite worth millions, it should be very comfortable.”

Bandy rubbed his forehead. “You’ve brought me a big trouble, Hayrick.”

The vice president’s voice was full of confusion and bewilderment. “Is there anyone more powerful than your Five Families?”

“I always thought that you guys called the shots in Golden Port, but now it seems I might have overestimated your control over Golden Port a little.”

This sentence was already very impolite. Bandy was also a little ashamed and angry, but he didn’t want to give up this opportunity to deepen his understanding and cooperation with Hayrick.

The headquarters of the Liji Group was in Golden State. Through them, they could get in touch with many big shots, for example, the congressmen of the “Federal Agriculture Committee” and the “Federal Agriculture Foreign Trade Committee.”

And for example, the “Soybean Association,” “Corn Association,” and other high-society gentlemen who could change the industry landscape.

The Kodak family had been working hard to launder their image for so many years and obtain more upper-class connections because after Bandy had mastered a huge amount of wealth, he finally understood one thing.

If he could not obtain a higher status, then no matter how much money they had in their hands now, this money was illusory, not real.

Every year in the Federation, there would be many rich people who were served up on the dinner table in various ways. Perhaps they themselves did not understand, they were clearly also rich people, also capitalists…

Why did they become food?

In fact, the reason is very simple. Wealth that is not combined with political power is just fragile wealth, which can be broken with a single poke.

Those real financial magnates, the big capitalists, they always have many senators, or even the president, or some political families standing behind them.

Their money can be converted into political power at any time through these forces, to help them crush all enemies.

If money is not combined with politics, when those big shots think it’s time for dinner, everything will be reset to zero.

To live well in the Federation, for ordinary people, as long as you have money, but the money does not exceed the limit he can have, then everything is beautiful.

Once it exceeds the limit, you have to climb higher to be able to protect your wealth.

Bandy had always let Fleming participate in more social activities, get to know more of the powerful people in the Bay Area, and would even consider letting him go into politics.

This was the optimal solution to truly solve the core problem of the Kodak family.

This person, Hayrick, was of great help in expanding their network in Golden State.

However, he would not show excessive accommodation and weakness. At the same time, he also had to let Hayrick know that this was not an easy matter to handle.

“It’s not that I can’t handle him, but it’s that I can’t bear the price I have to pay to handle him, Hayrick.”

“If you can come up with a large sum of money now, I can find a way to help you handle him. But the problem is, can you come up with it?”

Paying to solve the problem was also one of Hayrick’s options. He asked, “How much money would it take to handle this Lance?”

“At least seven figures, and not a small number.”

The vice president counted on his fingers. “Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, hundred thousands, millions…”

“Several million, is he that expensive?”

“He has a large group of people under him, and he is very careful. He has rich experience in being assassinated. Once we make a move, it will be an all-out war.”

“They have rich experience in war, and they also have their helpers among the Five Families.”

“Several million might not even be enough.”

“You can also go and ask others. Maybe they only want $2,000.”

“Actually, I have a suggestion. Why not resolve the conflict? That would be a little easier.”

“He will definitely give me face. I think this is a very suitable choice.”

If it really cost so much to get rid of Lance, the vice president would really have to inquire again.

He considered for a moment, “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

After hanging up the phone, Bandy sank back into the water, the hot water soaking him.

He was actually exaggerating a little. When others ask you for help, you have to let the other party know that this help is very valuable, not “no big deal.”

The vice president made a few more calls. Although these people’s status was not as high as the Kodak family’s, or they were not people from the underworld, they all more or less showed the same attitude of “Lance is not easy to deal with.”

This also made the vice president start to consider whether to change his attitude to deal with this matter.

The next morning, as soon as the board members arrived at the company, the vice president held an internal conference call. In the conference call, he talked about Lance’s case and the things that had happened in Golden Port.

“I have already consulted the Kodak family, one of the Five Families. They believe that it will take a great price to get rid of Lance.”

The executive director had been listening to his speech and couldn’t help it at this moment. “Then ask them how much money they need. You don’t think we can’t even afford to hire a gang, do you?”

The vice president repeated what Bandy had said. The executive director fell silent.

Several million?

Even if it was just three million, for people who deal in agricultural products, this was also a very large expense.

They would have to sell at least fifty million worth of agricultural products to earn a net profit of three million.

It wasn’t worth it.

The others all fell silent. Only then did the vice president continue to speak, “Bandy gave me another plan. Everything ends here.”

“We’ll leave the case with Lance alone. We’ll dispose of the contaminated agricultural products ourselves.”

“They won’t cause us any trouble in the future, and we won’t cause them any trouble either.”

Someone on the board of directors raised an objection. They thought this was not a good deal, but the vice president emphasized one point.

That was, regardless of whether Lance had done this case or not, they had indeed breached the contract.

Although their litigation costs were low, there were still costs. And who knew if Lance and his crew would also invest costs, causing them to have competition in judicial support.

And that was Golden Port, not Golden State. If it were in Golden State, they would absolutely not compromise and would definitely fight Lance to the end.

But in Likalai State, perhaps “respecting” the local forces was the most correct approach.

After the meeting, he made a call to Bandy. “We have discussed it and accept your proposal for peace talks.”

This brought a proud smile to Bandy’s face. He knew it would be like this. “Lance’s situation is very special. If you had chosen someone else, they most likely wouldn’t have been able to handle this matter.”

“You’re very lucky, Hayrick, that you chose me. I will talk to him.”

Bandy did not guarantee that it would definitely be settled, only that he “would talk to him.” Combined with his previous and subsequent context, it would give people the illusion that “I can handle him.”

It was not clear whether the vice president had not heard it, or had heard it but was playing dumb. He said loudly, “That’s great, Bandy. You are trustworthy.”

“At our annual meeting this year, we will hold some activities. I hope you can attend then.”

The Liji Group’s annual meeting was an event that all the big shots would attend. It was a grand social party, and he would not be absent.

“No problem, I’ll be there. Remember to give me an invitation then.”

It was not long until the end of the year, at most a month or two. Bandy was very concerned about these matters.

After ending the call, he had Gory come to his office. “Do you know Lance?”

Gory sat down in a chair very casually. “I know of him, but I’m not familiar with him. What’s wrong?”

“Just now, a big shot from Golden State invited me to attend their annual meeting. At that time, there will be congressmen and some high-society political figures attending.”

“But the prerequisite is that I have to resolve the conflict between them and Lance.”

Gory took a drag of his cigarette and exhaled slowly with a “hiss.” “I heard that Alberto has a good relationship with him, and he is also very close with the two Williams boys.”

To have James or Arthur go and talk to Lance about these things, never mind how much of a price they would have to pay, it was hard to say if they could get it done.

Alberto, on the other hand, had a high probability of being able to persuade Lance, but how to persuade Alberto was a problem.

“What about Fleming and Stone?”

“They are all young people. Do their social circles overlap?”

Fleming was his son, and Stone was Gory’s son. They were all of the same age as Lance. Maybe they knew each other and had some friendship.

Gory quickly gave him a negative answer. “They have never played with Lance. He hasn’t been able to get into the children’s social circle yet.”

Gory paused as he spoke. “I think you can just call him directly. You are Bandy. No one in this city can refuse you.”

Bandy hesitated for a moment. This seemed to have become the best method. “I will do that.”

He then made a call to Lance.

“This is Bandy…”

“Mr. Bandy, hello.”

A somewhat stiff greeting, but not out of line. After all, the two had had no friendship before. He naturally would not act very enthusiastic.

“Lance, can we meet?”

This request made Lance feel a bit baffled. He had never had any contact with the people from the Kodak family, and he didn’t really like them.

They were very aggressive, very stubborn.

The entire gambling industry of Golden Port was firmly in their hands. From this point alone, it could be seen that they were actually very greedy.

A family that was both aggressive and greedy, Lance would not like them.

“May I ask, why is that?”

Lance’s “counter-question” caught Bandy a little off guard. In the past, when facing these “small characters,” as long as he proposed “we can meet”…

Those people, even if they didn’t know why he wanted to see them, would run to him with their tails wagging.

For many gang members, including leaders, being able to meet with Bandy was a very face-saving thing.

It could even be used as a kind of bragging capital.

Lance’s attitude of not really wanting to meet him made him unable to find a reason for a moment, but he quickly reacted. “I have a friend. He might have a little misunderstanding with you, so…”

As for which friend, he didn’t say, and Lance didn’t ask, but he agreed.

“I have time this afternoon.”

“Then see you in the afternoon, Lance.”

(End of chapter)