Chapter 188

“Mr. Lance, thank you so much!”

A man in his fifties stood before Lance, his head slightly bowed, his hands tightly gripping Lance’s, his expression emotional.

He had been in the Federation for seven or eight years but had never obtained legal immigrant status.

He had consulted people more than once. The immigration bureau had indeed not closed the immigration channels, but to obtain legal status, one either had to go through the process or tell a story.

If they could have gone through the process, they wouldn’t still be illegal immigrants. As for telling a story… some might have succeeded, but many more did not.

Telling a story was not an easy task; it had to be told well, and convincingly.

For example, some said they were persecuted by nobles, but they were commoners. How could they be persecuted by nobles or even the royal family?

Did the nobility and royalty need to persecute them, forcing them into exile?

Probably a single phone call would have made them a lonely ghost of the era, the kind that wouldn’t even make the front page.

Others said they knew great secrets, but they couldn’t say what the secrets were unless they were granted legal status first…

In short, for nearly ten years, he was still an undocumented person.

It wasn’t until today that he felt a “turning point” was truly emerging!

“No matter what, Mr. Lance, we will forever remember what you have done for us!”

“In the future, if you ever need us for anything, please be sure to tell me!”

Lance shook his arm. “Everything will be alright. May God bless you!”

A middle-aged man waiting to shake Lance’s hand couldn’t help but interject, “The Federation’s God has never blessed us. On the contrary, it is you, Mr. Lance, who has been looking after us.”

Some laughter broke out among the people, perhaps because they thought the words were a bit exaggerated, a blasphemy against God, or perhaps because they thought it was too much of an overstatement. The laughter quickly subsided.

Lance maintained a very humble attitude throughout, not becoming arrogant because of the people’s praise. He said softly, “I’ve heard a saying: when a person is poor, the most important thing he should do is take care of himself.”

“But if this person becomes rich, in wealth, in status, then he should take care of more people, instead of always focusing only on himself.”

“I want to be a rich person, not just rich in wealth, rich in status, but also rich in spirit and morality!”

Standing behind Lance, William got goosebumps all over his body hearing these words. He suddenly felt that, in terms of being thick-skinned, he still had to learn from Lance.

At least he couldn’t say such cheesy and shameless things, but not only could Lance say them, he could say them so naturally and fluently!

The old man’s eyes turned a little red with emotion. “I thought of my late wife. If you had come here sooner, perhaps our lives would have been completely different!”

He once again gripped Lance’s hand tightly with both of his. “Please take care of yourself, and then take care of us!”

“I will!”

Lance’s and the old man’s words continuously spread among these people. They whispered them to those who hadn’t heard, those standing further away.

The way people looked at Lance was undergoing a subtle change. The feeling was a bit complicated to describe.

It was like… suddenly having some confidence, having someone to back you up. The gloomy sky seemed to suddenly brighten up!

At first, William found it very cheesy and got goosebumps, but he soon became serious, because he couldn’t feel that this was a lie, or rather, that Lance was being genuine!

This made him feel a sense of awe. Anyone who harbored great goals and ideals and was trying to achieve them would make others respect them from the bottom of their hearts!

Not to mention, they were in it together.

William could already sense that today’s event would not only bring him great fame but would also give Lance a terrifying influence among these groups!

With hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants, even if only half could be converted to legal immigrants, plus the Empire District, Lance already possessed very solid “capital” in Golden Port.

This also filled William with confidence about his own future. Lance’s past words inadvertently echoed in his heart, resounding through his soul—

Not just a councilman!

He was clearly in his forties, but for some reason, he suddenly felt his blood boil with passion again!

Just as Lance and his group were about to leave, a fleet of police cars suddenly appeared in the distance, heading towards the docks with their sirens wailing. The traffic police at the front were directing people not to block the road.

There were not only police cars but also an iron-skinned vehicle—

Its appearance was not much different from an ordinary car, just that its rear was a bit higher, and the entire exterior of the car was made of iron shells, which looked a bit comical.

Not many people knew what it was. This was the Federation’s current mainstream “armored car.” It was actually just a car chassis pulling an iron shell with bulletproof capabilities.

This armored car could accommodate six people: two in the driver’s and passenger’s seats, and then four in the back. These four could sit or stand, able to shoot outwards, and it also had a very small trunk.

This was the first time an armored car had appeared in Golden Port, especially since it wasn’t parked somewhere but was driving on the streets.

Lance stood at the hotel entrance, watching. What he didn’t know was that in this convoy, there was an “old acquaintance” of his.

Senior Agent Lukar sat in the seat behind the front passenger of a car, his expression focused and serious.

Not long after the director took office, he received a “tip-off” that a warehouse was storing a large amount of illegal smuggled liquor, the quantity of which was astounding, and it was right in the Port District.

“Catching a big one” had always been the intention of the gentlemen in Congress. All localities had to quickly find and solve a case with a large value. Only in this way could the rampant situation of private liquor be curbed.

When Lukar and the others returned, the director was still at the state’s Prohibition office and hadn’t come back, because there were some things that were not convenient to say to the low-level law enforcers.

A big shot in Congress believed that, when necessary, even if it meant fabricating some evidence, it was necessary to achieve the goal of deterring lawbreakers.

For example, if someone only smuggled five boxes of liquor, they might get out after three years in prison. This had no deterrent effect on criminals at all.

Because their smuggling costs were very low and their profits were very high, even if they were caught, it would not stop the crime. It would only make people feel that it was just their bad luck.

People would continue to commit crimes, and it would even promote the occurrence of acts that violated the Prohibition laws.

So now, they would just directly multiply the smuggled quantity by twenty or fifty times, turning it into one hundred or two hundred boxes, enough to send them directly to the electric chair!

There was no need to carefully examine the evidence. Just execute the person first, and then let more people know that someone had been sent to the electric chair and executed for violating the Prohibition laws.

The deterrent effect of death on crime is always greater than a painless and insignificant punishment. Only in this way would the Prohibition not look like a joke from Congress!

As for being wronged?

He’s already started committing crimes. If he isn’t caught, he will definitely get bigger in the future. Or rather, he would definitely accumulate this much in his lifetime. This is just an early sentence.

How could there be any question of being wronged or not?

The director understood the hint. He was originally still thinking about how to handle this matter, but then someone proactively sent him a letter, giving him an address and telling him there was a large amount of smuggled liquor inside.

He didn’t believe it at first, but he still sent someone to investigate, and there was indeed a lot of liquor.

He immediately began to organize a large team and put on a show.

The reporters who hadn’t completely dispersed were like sharks that smelled blood and quickly followed. This was also what the director wanted to see.

A dozen or so minutes later, in a place slightly south of the Port District, a brief exchange of fire occurred and quickly subsided.

At the scene, a large amount of brandy was neatly arranged in an open area, like the director’s medals of honor!

The reporters frantically took pictures, while the director, in front of the camera, accepted interviews from the reporters.

“…Before I took office, I knew that Golden Port had always been a disaster area for smuggled liquor after the implementation of the Prohibition.”

“It has a very developed transportation system, by land and by sea. Many smuggled liquors from abroad land here.”

“When I was appointed to come here, I felt the heavy responsibility on my shoulders. This was a recognition for me, and also a challenge.”

“Fortunately, I have not failed the expectations of my superiors. Through our meticulous investigation, today we destroyed a den storing smuggled liquor, shot and killed two people, and captured two alive.”

“Next, we will focus on this batch of stolen goods and dig deep to find the mastermind behind the scenes…”

“FUCK!” A bottle of brandy was fiercely smashed on the ground. Glass shards and liquor flew everywhere, and the whole room was filled with crashing sounds for a while before it quieted down.

A rich aroma of liquor filled the room, but few people showed an expression of enjoyment. Everyone was serious, even a little scared!

The short Bing Polly paced around frantically. His hiding spot for the liquor had been completely wiped out.

Not only was it wiped out, two people were dead, and that damn Bureau of Tobacco, Alcohol, and Dangerous Goods even said they wanted to dig deep for the masterminds behind the scenes!

Ever since he became the leader of the Brotherhood, he had never suffered such a huge loss!

That warehouse contained not only the liquor he got from Heller but also a batch of his own. Now it was all fucking gone!

He had lost at least two to three hundred thousand!

Although a large part of it was willingly given by Heller.

“Someone must have sold out our information, otherwise these sons of bitches couldn’t have found that place. Go and check, anyone among us who has been to that place, have they been acting strangely lately.”

“For example, if they suddenly disappeared for a period of time, or if there was anything abnormal in the past few days, you must dig him out for me. I want to kill him with my own hands!”

He was about to say more but suddenly stopped. “Go now. I hope you can give me an answer as soon as possible!”

“Wait!” He looked at the senior cadres who had already stood up to leave. “Go find out who participated in this operation. I want their information!”

After these people had left, Polly went back to his chair and sat down.

His chair was custom-made, slightly higher than a normal chair, so that he wouldn’t look like a joke—

He looked very short sitting in a normal chair. If someone came in from outside, they would only be able to see his head and neck over the desk. He would look like a child sitting in an adult’s seat.

He didn’t like the way those people looked at him as if he were a child, so he had the chair made higher, and he looked much more normal.

But the price was that his legs would leave the ground when he sat down.

But who would walk around the desk to see if his feet were off the ground?

If someone really did that, he wouldn’t mind shooting them to let them feel the price of insulting him!

He picked up the receiver and dialed a number. It connected quickly.

“My liquor was seized.”

The voice in the receiver sounded a bit gloating. “I saw the news. Liquor worth more than three hundred thousand. I say, is there really that much?”

Polly’s temples throbbed. “At least two hundred and fifty thousand. If they calculate it according to the market price, it’s about that.”

The person on the other end even laughed out loud. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to!”

“So, what’s the purpose of you calling me now?”

“Do you know that damn director?” Polly asked.

The other party gave a negative answer. “No, they are an independent system. But I know a senior agent inside, but he probably can’t help you.”

Polly patiently continued, “I don’t care if you know him or not. Find a way to get a message to that idiot for me. Give me back this batch of goods, and I’ll give him thirty thousand dollars, and my friendship.”

The guy on the other end of the receiver didn’t reply immediately but said after thinking for a while, “Polly, they are not like us. If you want something, as long as the impact isn’t big, I’ll give it to you.”

“But they are different. They have drawn elites from various departments. They are not here to mess around with you; they are here to work!”

“I can guarantee that it’s no problem for me to have someone deliver this message, but not only will they not do it, they will target you.”

“I heard they have a judicial office inside, which specifically handles some legal documents they can handle.”

“In other words, they don’t even need to notify the judiciary to arrest you. They can handle the documents internally. Do you understand what I mean?”

“They and we are an absolutely different kind of evil!”

“But if you strongly wish for me to help you convey these words, I can help you relay them, but whatever happens to you will have nothing to do with me.”

Polly became even angrier after hearing this. “Are we just going to let it go like this?”

“It’s for the best!”

“FUCK, FUCK YOU!” Polly didn’t care anymore and started cursing directly.

The tone of the person on the other end of the receiver also became harsh. “You better fucking watch who you’re talking to. If you don’t want me to investigate you every day, you better take that shit-eating mouth of yours…”

With a clatter, Polly slammed the receiver back onto its base. This matter was not over!

Just as Polly was fuming, a group of people were popping champagne.

Alberto had returned from Yalan, bringing two friends with him, two Yalanese people.

“This is Mr. Garcia, and this is Mr. Gomez,” Alberto introduced these two new friends to Lance. “Mr. Garcia is the Vice Minister of Commerce of Lapa, and Mr. Gomez is the president of the largest chamber of commerce in their country. They came here this time at my invitation, to travel and, by the way, to inspect the business environment of the Federation.”

“This is Mr. White, Lance White, my dearest friend!”

After Lance shook hands warmly with these people, he walked to the side with Alberto. “What the hell is going on?”

Alberto smiled happily. “It’s just a small country. The total population is probably not even as large as Likalai State. You probably know a little about the situation there. They mainly rely on the export of agricultural products.”

“I gave them a big order there, a large batch of fruit juice and potato liquor. My own bar needs this, and then I accidentally became their major customer…”

For a major customer, a country with a population of just over one million naturally attached great importance, not to mention that this customer came from the wealthy Federation.

But these two people did not look poor. It was obvious that they were a small fraction of those one million-plus people.

Alberto patted his shoulder. “Don’t think too much about it. Just eat well and have fun. They will supply me for the long term. If you need it, I can share some with you…”

He got some “tips” from Lance. Strong potato liquor could be mixed with anything, whether it was fruit juice or something else, which made everything possible.

Yalan was rich in tropical fruit resources. These tropical fruit juices, when mixed with alcohol, became excellent fruit wines, and they were not conspicuous.

To this, Lance naturally said nothing. He looked at the two “foreigners” and suddenly had some special ideas in his mind, but when he tried to think about them seriously, he couldn’t quite grasp them. Perhaps it would take time.

The Bureau of Tobacco, Alcohol, and Dangerous Goods wiped out a warehouse of smuggled liquor with a huge stock in one go, which indeed gave the entire Golden Port a special shock, and along with it, the price of liquor rose significantly again.

Some small bars had already closed down voluntarily to avoid becoming the “next one,” but more were still forging ahead bravely against the current. After all, this allowed them to earn more.

Just two days later, the Bureau of Tobacco, Alcohol, and Dangerous Goods, in front of all the reporters, smashed the confiscated liquor at the docks.

The liquor flowing out of the bottles went directly into the sea. The aroma of liquor filled more than half of the docks. If it weren’t so cold right now, someone would probably have jumped into the sea to catch some.

Even so, there were still people who collected some seawater, but unfortunately, they couldn’t taste the alcohol.

This move also made the whole city realize that this new department was not to be trifled with, and their determination!

Interestingly, Mr. Pasoretto’s high-end liquor, which was originally somewhat sluggish in sales, began to sell well again. Alberto had also negotiated some new sources of goods. Everything was back on track!

Except for Polly, but he wasn’t actually that hurt. Heller’s batch of liquor had already sold a lot, so he didn’t actually lose much. It could only be said that he was happy for nothing.

But for him, this was already an unbearable pain!

(End of this chapter)