Chapter 473

Tom is a talented man.

He came from a middle-class family. His father was a lawyer, and his mother was a doctor.

In the middle class, his family conditions were considered upper-middle.

After he was born, he showed a wisdom that was smarter than ordinary people, which allowed him to easily receive an invitation from an alliance university and formally enter university.

Before he entered university, he had always been the one in the spotlight—excellent grades, outstanding appearance, a look that conformed to the aesthetic of the Federation people, and everything else.

Many times, he would have the thought that he should be the protagonist of his own life—brilliant, shining, and looked up to.

Until the moment he entered university.

Many people said that as long as you joined an alliance university, you could change your life, and he had indeed changed it.

He recognized his own “mediocrity.”

When he had just enrolled and was still thinking about how to change his future through study, the children of the various levels of councilmen in the school, the children of mayors, governors, and even ministers, as well as the children of the big capitalists, had already made him realize…

Many times, studying can only change you from kneeling to bending over. To stand up straight, to straighten your spine, is not something that can be changed by studying.

Here, there was the son of a law firm partner who would go to a famous law firm for an internship upon graduation. There was the son of a medical group investor who would go to a famous hospital for an internship upon graduation.

There was the son of a certain senator who could become an intern at the Presidential Palace before he even graduated, and there was also the self-made young man who could take a million dollars from his father to start a bold business venture, also before graduation.

But this brilliant, shining, glorious stage had no place for him, because he did not belong to this circle.

At the same time, he also discovered that these people who were destined to succeed in the future could not do anything alone.

Whether it was going to the Presidential Palace for an internship, or directly taking money to start a business, they also needed talent, needed someone who could help them.

And this was the opportunity for these “geniuses” who had changed their “destiny” through study.

Through study, they obtained the opportunity to serve the powerful. The most important thing for them in school was no longer studying, but how to please some of these people and become their followers.

When these people graduated and embarked on a journey of life full of flashbulbs and praise, they could take them along for a part of the way.

Realizing this, Tom was very dejected, because he was no longer the protagonist of his own life; he was just a supporting character.

But he quickly recognized the situation and changed. Through his own ability, he got in touch with Senator Cleveland’s son, and in several encounters, he let Senator Cleveland discover his outstanding ability.

After graduating from university, he thus obtained an opportunity to work in a state councilman’s office, and once again proved himself, eventually becoming one of Senator Cleveland’s aides.

It was said to be an aide, but in fact, it was just a secretary who filled in the gaps. However, because he and Senator Cleveland’s son were alumni, there was a high probability that he might become the “legacy” of the Cleveland family.

Passed down from Senator Cleveland to Mr. Cleveland Jr.

This was the peak that an ordinary person could reach under normal circumstances. If his luck was a little better, he might have a chance to take up a party or government position in his forties.

If he could seize this opportunity and do a very good job, then there was a high probability that his life would begin to enter a sprint stage, but in the end, it would only be in the state legislature.

His family was not enough to support him to go further.

So-called fairness, equality, freedom—all of this was just a slogan used by the people who truly possessed these things to entice people.

If a Federation citizen, an ordinary Federation citizen, truly possessed fairness, justice, equality, and freedom, then why would they still be attracted by these words?

Could it be that they wanted more?

This was not wealth, more or less. As long as you have it, everyone is the same.

But in fact, they did not have it, which was why they were attracted, why they emphasized, why they needed it.

The look in his eyes when he looked at Lance, besides being drunk, was full of emotion, envy, and jealousy.

When he was twenty, he was still in university, painfully learning to bow his head and flatter those who were not as good as him in their studies, not as good as him in sports, and not as good as him in looks.

And Lance, at the age of twenty… no, already twenty-one, had begun to come into contact with people at the level of a senator.

Even if it was to be a glove, to do their dirty work, in Tom’s view, this was extraordinary.

In this era where black and white were actually not so easy to distinguish, a glove did not represent the upper limit.

“You’re so young it makes one jealous, Lance!” he said this, under the influence of alcohol.

Lance clinked his glass with his. “This is thanks to Senator Cleveland’s tolerance. He allowed me to be mischievous once. I should thank him.”

Tom couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “You’re really good with words, not at all like someone who hasn’t been to school.”

Twenty-one years old, he had definitely not been to university. This was something he could be sure of.

Sometimes, the more successful people like Lance were, the more it made those who had climbed up step by step according to a familiar process feel that it was unfair.

They were like people who had cut in line on the road to success in life. You couldn’t do anything about them, and at the same time, their appearance would make all your past efforts meaningless.

Tom needed a little alcohol. He picked up his glass and took another sip. “Do a good job for the Boss. This is the only advice I can give you.”

Lance nodded, and then took out a manila paper file bag and handed it over.

Tom was immediately a little more sober. He looked at Lance. “What’s this?”

“A small token of my regard.”

Tom hesitantly opened the file bag. Inside was a $100,000 Parkway Bank cashier’s check. With this check, you could directly exchange it for cash at any Parkway Bank, deposit it into a designated account, or withdraw it.

Although the banking system of the Federation had not yet evolved to the point of being networked, they also had ways to solve the transfer of large sums of money, and that was a bank cashier’s check.

It could be cashed across regions and even across banks.

When he saw this number, Tom’s expression changed a little strangely, very complicated.

He stuffed the cashier’s check back into the file bag and looked at Lance. “I’m just a follower, a secretary.”

“The largest sum of money I have ever received was $5,000.”

$5,000 was actually not a small amount. Tom’s monthly income from his office was about $200.

This part of the money was not paid by Senator Cleveland himself, because according to the laws of the Federation, the federal government did not bear the salary of a councilman’s office. This had to be borne by the councilman himself.

But in fact, this money did not need to be borne by the senator himself, because there were enterprises behind the scenes that did this for them.

Besides the salary, there might also be some other benefits. The annual income would be $3,000 at most.

The rest was the gray income, which was the real big part.

Senator Cleveland’s staff team had about fifteen people, and it would occasionally be expanded according to their work content. At most, there were more than thirty people.

Tom could only be considered to be… in the middle.

Above him were two chiefs of staff, and then a “chief of staff” with no official title, and then it was their turn.

If calculated by position, he might rank from sixth to eighth.

Half of the gray income was for the two chiefs of staff, the chief of staff, and then whoever was specifically in charge of a certain matter would get a specific amount.

Most of the time, the benefit Tom received was only one or two thousand dollars. The most he had ever received was $5,000. And the chiefs of staff, although they were not in charge of specific work, could also get the same income as him, or even more.

This sum of money from Lance was the largest income he had ever encountered in his work.

He didn’t know if he should accept it. He wanted to a little, but he also felt that he was not worth $100,000. This was a very contradictory emotion.

He was happy that Lance could offer so much money, and also sad for his own “cheapness.”

Lance was still a little drunk. “Tom, I never look at how much a person is worth now, but at his future.”

“In my eyes, your future starts at $100,000. Now I’m giving it to you. If you take it, then I’m the one who’s getting a good deal.”

“Maybe before long, you won’t even care about $100,000.”

“And, we are friends.”

Tom couldn’t help but laugh out loud after hearing this. “You’re too good with words, Lance.”

He took another sip from his glass, but his eyes were still fixed on that manila paper bag.

After a long while, he finally let out a heavy sigh of relief. “Alright, I accept your kindness.”

He put the manila paper bag into his own briefcase. “Actually, you don’t have to give me anything. I will also take care of you, because helping you is equivalent to helping the senator.”

He paused, and then continued, “This matter is actually very easy to do. You don’t have to worry about any influence or the like, as long as you can do your job well and don’t cause any trouble.”

“Then no one can touch you.”

As he said these words, a proud look appeared on his face. The police in Golden State were indeed very formidable, but so what?

He only needed to make one phone call, and the problem could be solved.

Yes, the senator didn’t even need to call personally. That was only needed when the problem was very serious. Usually, he only needed to make a call.

He also knew that the reason his calls worked was because of the skin on his back—the senator’s staffer.

But when he did these things, he would still feel happy.

Lance nodded vigorously. “I know what to do.”

Tom gave him two numbers. One was the phone number of a great lawyer who served the senator. If he needed legal support, then this lawyer could help him solve many problems.

The other was the phone number of the New Golden City police chief. If he encountered some police officers with a bad temper, this number would be useful.

Before parting, Tom, who was seven or eight-tenths drunk, said meaningfully, “If you do this matter beautifully, then it can become your ticket.”

“If you don’t do it so beautifully, then you can only be you. Understand?”

Lance had someone send Tom home, and he himself went to the hotel to rest.

The next morning, after waking up, his head was a little dizzy. Although the alcohol content of those drinks was not too high, it was uncomfortable to drink too much.

He leaned against the headboard. The warm air blew in from the vent. The whole room was very warm and also very quiet.

The last sentence Tom had said last night might have been because of the $100,000.

As a “lackey,” it was natural that he didn’t want other lackeys to be above him, even if they were not of the same type.

But under the double stimulation of alcohol and money, he still said some things.

Actually, even if he didn’t say it, Lance had planned to do it beautifully.

Directly rushing to the homes of the executive president and the chairman of the board of the Liji Group and killing them was one way.

Or creating some accidents that could at least be explained, that could withstand investigation, and that could also solve them, was also a way.

The former was too brutal, and it was inevitable that some would think that the interest group that ultimately benefited had a bad eating habit.

But the latter was much more elegant, and could also give the senator face.

When he had a new need next time, then Lance would become one of the options.

So-called trusted aides are the ones who gradually stand out under one beautiful plan after another.

So, how to solve this matter elegantly, he needed to use his brain.

At a little after ten, he made a call to the vice president. The two arranged to meet at noon.

The vice president had gotten some “intelligence” from Lance these past two days, which also made him full of energy.

Who doesn’t want to go a step further?

He also hoped so.

It wasn’t that he was so eager to create value and benefits for the shareholders, but that by standing in a position like the president, he could bring more benefits to himself.

The Liji Group, as the channel distributor with the largest market share in the Federation, and at the same time, the largest “storage provider,” their influence in the futures market was also very strong.

The Federal Financial Management Committee and the Department of Justice and other agencies have passed legislation to prohibit such companies from manipulating the market through similar methods of hoarding goods.

But how could all of these market freedom behaviors be completely supervised, and how could all the methods be blocked?

As long as there was one place that was not blocked, perhaps just a small operation, it could bring him huge personal benefits.

He attached great importance to Lance’s “summons” and arrived at the appointed place early in the morning, an indoor shooting club.

The Federation people are very fanatical about weapons. Whether it was the era of scalping or the era of catching runaway slaves, even ordinary people who did nothing needed weapons to protect themselves.

This was written in the constitution. Even the federal government could not deprive people of the right to own weapons and use them to protect themselves.

So many people here have weapons, but not everyone can have all weapons. Or, people want to improve their shooting skills, so there are shooting clubs.

To prevent the members in the club from disturbing each other while playing, the indoor shooting range is very spacious and has good sound insulation equipment. This has also become a good place for some people to talk about things.

There is no need to worry about someone eavesdropping, and you can also feel the concrete manifestation of “power.”

“There might be a small change in the matter.”

Lance chose a modified 1212 semi-automatic pistol. The caliber had become larger, but the magazine’s capacity had been reduced a little.

However, this was clearly more suitable for large-caliber enthusiasts. They didn’t care if they had to change a magazine after a few shots. What they cared about was whether the caliber was large enough.

The vice president was playing with a hunting shotgun. He looked at Lance with some surprise and uncertainty. Just as he was about to say something, Lance pulled the trigger—

Of course, not at him.

The sound of gunshots echoed in the room. After nine consecutive gunshots, Lance placed the pistol on the operating table in front of him. His wrist felt a little sore and swollen from the vibration.

The caliber was only a little bigger, but the feeling when shooting was clearly different. The recoil was significantly stronger.

The vice president finally had a chance to speak. “What happened?”

Lance changed to a 991 bolt-action rifle, which many armies were still using.

Although it had been in service for thirty years, it was clear that its life was not yet over.

Lance pressed the clip into the magazine, then pulled the bolt. You could see the shiny yellow bullet being pushed into the chamber. He glanced at the vice president. “We have a new plan.”

The vice president was about to open his mouth when Lance raised his weapon, aimed at the target thirty meters away, and pulled the trigger.

The recoil of the rifle was significantly greater, and the first shot missed the target.

He thought of an interesting piece of news he had read before. A guy who was using a rifle for the first time, on a fifteen-meter target, had not hit a single shot out of thirty.

The vice president on the side closed his mouth. After Lance had finished firing his bullets, he quickly asked, “What new plan?”

Lance rubbed his shoulder and had Hiram bring a submachine gun over. He glanced at the vice president. “A perfect plan.”

Two minutes later, with the sound of the empty chamber clicking, Lance put the weapon back on the table and walked to the sofa behind with the vice president.

He picked up his coffee and took a sip. The shooting range did not provide alcoholic beverages, for fear that these people would drink too much and shoot the people around them, or themselves.

The vice president was a little nervous. He kept observing Lance. Lance smiled and put down his coffee cup, pursing his lips. “Don’t be so nervous. I have a rather personal question I want to ask you. I hope you can answer truthfully.”

The vice president nodded and said, “I will definitely say what I can.”

He thought Lance would ask him how much money he had, or wanted to get some handle on him. But the question Lance asked made him a little confused, and he didn’t know how to answer— “Do you know any big shots, like senators, who have a good relationship with you and can stand up for you?”

This made the vice president daze for a moment, and also a little speechless. He shook his head. “If I knew any, and had a good relationship with them, and they could stand up for me, do you think I would just be a vice president?”

He didn’t know the purpose of Lance asking this question, and by the way, he also added, “We have a certain connection with the Agriculture Committee and the Trade Committee, but most of the time I am just assisting from the side.”

“It’s mainly the president and the others on the board who are in charge of this work.”

(End of chapter)