Chapter 111: Family Thoughts, Work Commencement, and Birthday Party

When Hammer’s wife and child heard that he had beaten someone without cause, causing a loss of five thousand two hundred credits, and that the victim was considering pursuing legal action to recover the cost,

the honest woman and her child could not accept this reality—they simply could not afford such a sum.

If the victim refused to show mercy, their house might be seized and sold.

“Sometimes I really think he’d be better off dead!” his son said with bitter hatred.

A drunkard, unfaithful to his family, offering no help to any relative—his existence or absence makes little difference.

In the Federation, if you have an alcoholic father and live with him, finding a suitable girlfriend becomes an extremely difficult task!

Because alcoholism often comes with domestic violence—no girl would want to live with someone who might hurt or even assault her, even if he’s her future husband’s father!

Officer Feren reminded them, “If Hammer truly runs away and never returns, the court will most likely not proceed in absentia, because many issues cannot be explained.”

“So if you hear anything about him, notify us immediately—we still have many procedures left to complete.”

The mother and son exchanged a glance, wishing he’d never come back in this lifetime!

Hammer’s family did not pursue the matter, nor did they even mention it at the docks; rumors of Hammer’s assault and flight began to spread, and soon no one at the docks talked about it anymore.

After all, no one liked him—but many hated him.

The next morning, Ryder arrived at the factory district; the workshop had long existed, a single massive room resembling a simple warehouse.

Inside, sewing machines were already installed, and bolts of fabric purchased earlier were piled in one corner.

The workers were already at their stations; the skilled laborers Miss Debbie had recruited were truly exceptional—they had already begun organizing the workers.

Watching vast quantities of fabric being cut into neat pieces by the master tailor’s shears, then stitched together, a complete garment soon appeared.

But this was only the speed of the skilled workers; the general laborers were clearly much slower, and Lans noticed some were likely encountering sewing for the first time—they barely knew how to operate the machines.

Yet Lans didn’t care at all; he even instructed Ryder directly: for the first month, even the second, don’t judge their quality—pay them fully and on time.

But record every ruined garment, and note exactly how much money was lost.

By the third month, if they still can’t manage it, fire them.

The Labor Union is a terrifying political organization; although Miss Debbie appears merely a liaison for the Jin Gang City Labor Union’s textile and sewing sector, the power she can mobilize is terrifying!

As for the remaining illegal immigrants working with the work cards Lans rented them—fire them if they must; there are countless other illegal immigrants waiting for jobs here!

Ryder adapted quickly, mainly because he had worked in this industry before, and the old tailor had been somewhat famous in the Empire.

Once the skilled workers realized this manager wasn’t an outsider—that he had even served nobility—they dropped their contempt.

In a factory, if skilled workers sense the manager or owner is easy to exploit, they will never hold back.

The conflict between labor and capital has long existed and is hard to resolve.

Lans gave further details: occasionally provide coffee and donuts for afternoon tea, don’t fuss over a few credits, but never yield on matters involving core principles.

After confirming Ryder understood, Lans left.

The deadline for the presidential election was approaching; Jin Gang City showed no election atmosphere—people were saying this year’s election would be an indelible disgrace in Federation history!

Before voting even began, the outcome had already been decided internally, so many refused to vote, because their ballots held no real meaning.

It was said some were protesting in the Special Zone, expressing discontent over the unfair election—but it was utterly useless!

Though they resisted dark politics, what was meant to happen would still happen.

On the weekend, Lans declined several engagements, borrowed a luxury car from Alberto, and took Patricia to her cousin’s birthday party—as he had promised her.

He was rapidly transforming himself into a true Federation citizen, and thus needed to build a social circle within Federation society.

It might seem meaningless, but while he was still weak, doing so was meaningful.

“Barbara is two years older than me; my uncle also works in government, but he’s with the Social Party, and William is a bit…”

Patricia smiled knowingly, “You know—they always argue, one’s with the Federation Party, the other with the Social Party.”

“But that has nothing to do with me; Barbara is easy to get along with—she works at Born Financial, and we get along well.”

On the way to Barbara’s birthday party, Patricia introduced Lans to people he might meet today.

It was clearly a “big family”—many cousins, male and female, everywhere.

Some of her elders, William’s generation, held government jobs—but all were low-level.

Their political affiliations were complex: supporters of all three major parties were present; every gathering felt like a joint congress of the three parties—lively, yes, but after a while, it erupted into bitter arguments.

The car arrived in the northeast of Jin Gang City, near the Bay Area, with a pleasant environment.

Many claimed that if the city expanded, this area would become the second Bay Area, so housing prices had risen rapidly in recent years.

Patricia’s cousin’s home was a standalone villa; due to “rumors,” its current price was nearing nine thousand credits.

The house was beautiful, with separate front and back gardens, a large area, and an independent swimming pool.

When Lans’s luxury car appeared outside the villa, everyone was drawn to it.

Alberto, knowing Lans would be taking his girlfriend to a party, had Fodis lend him this ivory-white car with gold trim.

Supposedly, its new price was twenty-two thousand eight hundred credits—enough to buy two such villas, with money left over for renovation.

Several older guests at the party stepped forward to greet them; they harbored suspicions, and seeing Patricia confirmed their guesses.

The only thing not confirmed was that William had not come today.

Due to the generational gap, they merely exchanged brief greetings with Patricia, introduced themselves to Lans, then withdrew, leaving them to the younger crowd.

The first to approach was Patricia’s brother; he seemed naturally familiar, “Cool car. What do you do?”

As he reached out to shake Lans’s hand, he chatted about the car, “Let me introduce myself—Lu Ka.”

“Lans,” Lans shook his hand, “Financial consulting, labor placement.”

Lu Ka whistled, “Any industry tied to finance is incomprehensible—you’re one of them!”

In recent years, Federation finance had been astonishingly prosperous; in the financial center, wealth myths played out daily—some randomly bought stocks and became millionaires after a few months; people always believed there was some incredible secret to getting rich, and many were drawn to it.

The Federation government had released a risk report on the financial industry, but amid constant cases of sudden wealth, the risks mentioned in the report were ignored.

Everyone believed they would be the one to make money—not the one jumping off buildings.

Lu Ka glanced at Barbara approaching gracefully, lowering his voice slightly, “You should have common ground with Barbara—she’s in finance too.”

Patricia beside him emphasized, “Lu Ka!”

Lu Ka raised both hands, “Alright, alright—you’re his girlfriend.” He laughed and lowered his hands, “Even though we’ve never met, I feel we’ll be good friends. Now, let’s hand the stage to Miss Barbara…”

He stepped aside deliberately, using exaggerated gestures to highlight Barbara’s importance—after all, she was the guest of honor.

Barbara’s appearance resembled Patricia’s in some ways, but her aura was different.

On Patricia, purity and simplicity were perfectly displayed; seeing her, the unbridled energy and vitality of youth surged through the veins, as if the body overflowed with energy.

But Barbara appeared far more alluring; though they were clearly relatives, their styles were completely different.

Though she was only two years older than Patricia, she already looked utterly mature.

When observing her, your mind filled only with images of her naked, and hormones swirling wildly.

“Patricia mentioned you—I’m glad you came, Mr. Lans.”

“If you don’t want to be stuck with those old folks, just stay with us—we’re all family and friends. Hope you’ll feel at home.”

They shook hands briefly, then released; Lans politely replied, “It’s a great honor to attend your birthday party—we’ll surely have a wonderful time.”

Since more guests kept arriving, Barbara didn’t linger; she simply asked Patricia to introduce Lans to more friends, then departed.

Watching Barbara walk away, Patricia affectionately linked her arm through Lans’s, “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”