Chapter 174

After Director Bruce won the branch bureau’s darts competition and happily received the thousand dollars provided by the sponsor, he returned to his office with Lance.

This time, Director Bruce didn’t sit behind his desk; instead, he sat on the sofa with Lance. He also had his secretary bring two cups of excellent coffee.

The coffee was fragrant and mellow. The young police officer’s gaze lingered on Lance for a moment before she turned and left. Being wealthy and young always attracts more members of the opposite sex.

“Bruce, is it alright if I call you that?” Lance immediately dropped the formal title. Director Bruce, of course, had no objections.

In reality, while this sum of money wasn’t a huge amount for him, it was certainly not insignificant.

With this money as a buffer, Director Bruce was naturally very agreeable. “Of course, no problem, Lance. All my friends call me that.”

Lance seemed very pleased, nodding as if celebrating their newfound friendship itself.

“I know a journalist friend, a prominent journalist at ‘Golden Port Today.’ I discussed the recent changes in the Empire District with him, and he was very impressed that you’ve managed to run things so well here.

He plans to give you an eighth of a page in ‘Golden Port Today’s’ current affairs section.”

Director Bruce’s eyes widened slightly. Although he knew it was unlikely he would ever reach those impossible heights in his lifetime, who truly wanted to bow to fate?

Moreover, “Golden Port Today” was one of Golden Port’s most influential newspapers, its standing in people’s minds akin to “Federal Daily” and “Federal Post.”

To have an eighth of a page in “Golden Port Today” dedicated to himself would absolutely be a great thing! Even if he didn’t get the chance to become the city police chief, perhaps he could switch to a better branch.

Golden Port had four exceptionally lucrative areas. The first was the Bay Area, where there was a secret known only to the police— If you wanted to be the city police chief, you first had to conquer the Bay Area!

This meant that without the support of the wealthy and influential in the Bay Area, no one could securely hold the position of city police chief.

This included the current Director Charlie; he had been director for over forty years, spending more than ten of those years serving in the Bay Area, pleasing the important figures immensely, thus becoming the city police chief without any hindrance. Once there, it meant money and status were within easy reach.

The second area was the Starlight District.

This was the recreational area for high society after dinner until bedtime. A single glass of wine that sold for three dollars in the Empire District would sell for ten dollars here.

It wasn’t that the people here were foolish, but that for them, this money was no different from three dollars.

Although many entertainment venues operating here had powerful backers, they still adhered to the rules, paid protection fees, and paid a lot.

For the wealthy, problems that could be solved with money were never problems!

As for the third area, that was the city center. The city center seemed to be all skyscrapers, filled with rapidly emerging financial companies and other various businesses.

There were also large shopping malls and centers here, but its financial and working atmosphere was stronger.

Many people spent their time in busy work; they were always in a hurry, with no time to stop and look in roadside shops or choose their favorite goods. They mostly rushed in and then rushed out.

The last area was the Priliccia District. It was located between the Port District, Bay Area, Empire District, and Starlight District.

This was home to the largest number of middle-class residents in Golden Port, and also its largest middle-class community.

The middle class had strong purchasing power; perhaps not as strong as the rich areas, but they were more numerous and had a strong desire to consume, so business in this district was also easy to do, but only for well-known brands.

It was possible for the wealthy, politicians, or high society to be deceived by counterfeit goods; many of them didn’t know what a particular series under a certain brand looked like or how to distinguish them.

But the middle class would certainly know; they might know more brand and product details than sales personnel.

Although there were also counterfeit sellers here, their lives were not easy. The middle class had strong authentication abilities.

When they discovered they had been deceived, they wouldn’t rage like the lower class; they would directly call the police or sue.

Director Bruce wanted to go to police stations in more prosperous areas.

Not only could this bring him higher income, but it could also allow him to expand his network, preparing for his descendants.

The police station, his job, was for him a “vehicle” on his life’s path. If there was an opportunity to switch to a better vehicle, then why not do so?

Appearing in the newspaper, so that more important figures would see him, was one of the few ways he could currently strive for this.

But getting a piece of news about oneself in “Golden Port Today,” let alone an eighth of a page, even a thirty-second or just in the gutter, was difficult.

When Lance mentioned this, the impact of that thousand dollars was no longer as strong.

He shifted his body, leaning back slightly. “Who do you know at ‘Golden Port Today’?”

Lance did not deny it. “A prominent journalist.”

“A prominent journalist!” Director Bruce repeated. He licked his lips. “But I don’t know what we have here that’s newsworthy.”

Lance shook his head, a half-smile on his face. “Our public order is the best in Golden Port right now; that’s a great reporting direction.”

“Bruce, you should understand very well that compared to the poor living here or in the port area, the middle class and the wealthy care more about whether their safety can be guaranteed!”

“If you can manage it well in such a poor, backward, and violent area, then perhaps those wealthy people will one day think…”

“Why don’t we let Bruce try here?” His tone was full of temptation, making Director Bruce involuntarily fantasize along with his words. A slight smile appeared on his face, but he didn’t notice it himself.

“As long as they have that thought, then your opportunity arises.”

Director Bruce thought seriously for a while, then expressed some concern. “But we all know that the good public order in the Empire District now isn’t entirely due to me or the police department.”

Lance’s people would beat up criminals and then send them to the police station.

They had even discussed it and set up a schedule. Whose credit it was when people were brought in in the morning, whose in the afternoon, and also for the first half and second half of the night.

They gained merit by doing nothing. Now everyone loved Lance. But without Lance, this place would quickly become a mess again, so in reality, they needed Lance more than Lance needed them!

Lance, however, wasn’t worried at all. “If they want to transfer you, it only means your predecessor did a terrible job.”

“For them, this is already a very bad situation, otherwise they wouldn’t transfer you there. Even if you don’t do well, you can blame your predecessor.”

“But as long as there’s even a slight improvement, they’ll think you’re indeed more capable than your predecessor.”

“And, Bruce, I’ll help you. We’re friends!”

Director Bruce didn’t know if they were truly friends, but he was genuinely moved. He sat and thought for a while, his gaze becoming slightly less “obsessed.” “Lance, you must need something from me.”

“You said we’re friends, you can just tell me directly!” He pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and they both lit up.

Cigarettes were the best “stimulant” for men when discussing matters; they could work many miracles. For example, two strangers could get to know each other over a cigarette, which seemed incredible to non-smokers!

Lance also leaned back on the sofa. Both of their postures were relaxed, not tense at all. “I plan to unify the Empire District.” Director Bruce didn’t react at first. “Indeed, you should…” He suddenly sat up straight.

Due to the sudden movement, his cigarette slipped and fell onto his pants. He quickly stood up again, slapping his pant leg, which made Lance on the side chuckle. “You don’t have to be so nervous.”

“Nervous?” He looked up at Lance.

“If I heard you correctly, you said you want to unify the Empire District, and that means you want to drive the Red Dog Gang out of the Empire District?”

He sat back down, frowning. “Lance, the war between you and the Camille gang just ended. How long has it been, and you’re planning to launch a new round of gang wars?”

“Although some things are hard for me to say, you should know that the big shots tacitly allowed you and Heller to fire without limits because things had changed.”

“Actually, all of us thought you would fall, but not only did you not fall, you delivered a powerful counterattack against Heller.”

“Do you know what this means?” he asked. Lance, of course, knew, but Director Bruce clearly wanted to say it himself. “It means the Camille gang’s and Heller’s dominance is declining. Even if you don’t continue to bother them, their inability to deal with you will attract new challengers.”

“At that point, challengers coveting the Camille gang’s territory and wealth will create immense chaos here with them!”

“The numerous new neighborhood gangs, big and small, on the street are proof of this. The order in the Empire District is collapsing. So, when you decided to fight them to the end, those important figures didn’t make a move.”

“They want to watch, to wait.”

“They want to see who among you will be the final winner. The moment the victor emerges is when the new order will stabilize again.”

“If Heller wins, he will use your and your family’s deaths to tell people that they are still the rulers here.”

“If you win, then everyone will know that a new family has become the new king by stepping over the Camille gang’s corpses.”

“No matter who wins, it will only bring stability back here, not make things worse.”

“Only if you don’t go to war is the worst outcome, so everyone hopes you do that, and no one will stop you.”

“Everyone hopes this city is a stable city. If you repeatedly launch gang wars, that’s what everyone doesn’t want to see.”

“The five major families have brought too much pain to this city. No one wants to see that day repeat itself!”

Lance watched him speaking passionately, a cigarette in his mouth, raising his hand to motion him down. “Sit down, Bruce, sit down, don’t get excited.”

Director Bruce slowly sat down. After saying so much in one breath, he took a large gulp of coffee. “Listen to me, don’t mess around, Lance.”

Lance shook his head slightly. “Actually, you don’t understand.” He pondered for a moment. “I won’t actively start a war with them, but if they strike first, don’t blame me for retaliating.”

Director Bruce thought for a moment, then gave him a definite answer. “That’s for the best. If they break the rules first, then it’s much more reasonable for you to deal with them!”

As he said this, he also understood that Lance’s purpose in saying this was to tell him that Lance would force the Red Dog Gang to make the first move, and then legitimately strike hard.

“At that time, we’ll need you to cover for us a bit. Once we make a move, we plan to end the war as quickly as possible, so as not to bring too much fear to the region.”

Director Bruce fully agreed with this point. In fact, he still hoped that Lance would do well; such an interesting person was not often seen.

However, now that he knew Lance’s purpose, he had no further worries about publishing the newspaper article.

After waiting a while for this topic to end, he shifted the conversation back. “Do you think I look better in the newspaper working in the office, or am I more appealing when I’m patrolling in the car?”

The next morning, Lance invited George out to a coffee shop next to the “Golden Port Today” newspaper office.

George had been doing reasonably well lately. Lance sometimes used him to place advertisements in “Golden Port Today” for the labor agency.

Although a journalist’s standing in the newspaper was directly proportional to their influence in society, if they could also achieve significant revenue increases, they would certainly be more popular.

Moreover, Lance had also opened up some new avenues for him in writing articles, and his relationship with Lance was quite good.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Lance stated his purpose. “I’d like to ask you to write a report.” George, sipping his coffee, asked, “What kind of report?”

“About some livelihood issues in the Empire District.”

Originally, George thought Lance might need some news to beautify himself. The Lance family and Lance were no small news or minor matter.

Half of Golden Port knew about this family and person, and they also knew what they had done.

So George’s initial thought was that Lance might want to whitewash himself. Some people were doing this now, for example, the Kodak family.

They often appeared in newspapers. The younger generation of the family would appear in newspapers with an “absurd” image, but every time, they were surrounded by children from other high-society families in Golden Port.

In addition, they also liked to donate and actively pay taxes, all positive images, which helped them whitewash.

If Lance also intended to have George help him write content praising his good deeds, then George would refuse.

He wouldn’t sacrifice his future to help Lance do something; that wasn’t what friends should do.

But Lance’s immediate mention of livelihood issues sparked some interest in him.

Lance stated frankly, “I have some victims from the Camille family’s period of operation here.

Perhaps people would be very interested in what they went through and the current situation in the Empire District.”

George frowned. He pulled out a cigarette, thinking while smoking. After waiting for about three or four minutes, he finally nodded. “A very substantial topic. Are those victims willing to come forward?”

“I mean, if they need to face the cameras and society, can they face it calmly?”

Lance nodded and said, “Of course, but I have a small request.”

George became happy that there would be a new report, and most likely a serialized one.

So, at this moment, Lance had some small requests, and he would not refuse.

This was perhaps one of the few serialized reports in recent years that directly tackled the theme of gang crime.

He had already thought of the Golden Newspaper Award beckoning to him! Although many journalists said that the Golden Newspaper Award trophy looked like a damn used toilet paper flying in mid-air, that sour tone ultimately couldn’t hide their inner envy! That was the Golden Newspaper Award, the top news award!

“Is there any need for requests between us?” George was very generous, completely shedding his previous caution.

Lance also didn’t stand on ceremony. “I hope the director of the Empire District Branch Bureau, Mr. Bruce, can appear in the report, in a positive light.”

“No problem!”

After arranging the time, the two parted ways. George still needed to investigate some information to make the report more complete, more objective, and more likely to compete for the Golden Newspaper Award.

If he could win this award, he would have more options in his career.

After two days of fermentation, people had started to sign up to join the Imperial Chamber of Commerce.

This number was only less than four hundred.

Currently, there were at least twelve hundred businesses in Lance’s territory, meaning only one-third, or even less than one-third, chose to join the chamber of commerce and pay the ten dollars. Everyone felt a bit unbalanced.

They maintained street security while also helping them avoid being bullied by gangs, and now, to save ten dollars, they even abandoned basic decency!

At this point, some people were clamoring for Lance to revert to tradition, directly going door-to-door to collect, and if they didn’t pay, putting them out of business.

This idea was supported by many, but Lance rejected it.

“They will regret it soon, but by the time they do, it will be too late.”

“You don’t need to rush at all. They should be the ones rushing. Wait a bit longer, let the sea breeze blow a little more!”

“Although the sea breeze is cold, spring will always come!”

(End of this chapter)