Chapter 154: Business ideas, trial results, and thousands of people

"We are friends!" Lanse reiterated this point. "Friends should help each other!"

Vaughn also nodded and said, "Yes, friends should help each other." He paused, then took a serious look at Lanse, while Lanse displayed himself quite generously.

"You look a bit different from before, there have been some changes, Lanse, I don't know how to put it..." A storm had already formed in Vaughn's mind, churning frantically in his brain. "It's like... you're more noticeable than before, more confident, more..."

He made some small, emotionally progressive gestures with his hands. "In short, better than before!"

Lanse accepted this assessment quite calmly. "Because we have all grown."

He leaned back into the sofa. Since Vaughn had taken the money, he no longer needed to exert that kind of pressure on him.

This was a very important watershed in social interaction; if the other party submitted to your pressure and you continued to apply it, they would doubt whether their submission was meaningful, thereby questioning their own actions.

Once doubt arises, at some point, this inconspicuous "Am I doing the right thing?" will turn into "I shouldn't have done this!"

Many things happen this way, so Lanse quickly released the pressure. Leaning back on the sofa with a slightly lazy demeanor could instantly lighten the atmosphere, and accompanied by the topic of "friends," it was as if they were truly old friends of many years.

Vaughn also felt the subtle change in the atmosphere, and this change made him subconsciously realize that being friends with Lanse had its benefits.

He asked as if casually, but also as if probing, "How do you plan to run the Dockworkers' Club?"

"Many workers have already been asking me about it recently. I have to reveal some information to them appropriately, don't I?"

The workers' club was under renovation, and the commotion was significant. Everyone would feel curious and want to know what fresh things would be inside, as well as when it would open each week.

Never mind them, even Vaughn was very curious.

Lanse extended his index finger to stroke his eyebrow. "Inside, there are things they like: cheap fried chicken and affordable beer."

Vaughn whistled. "They say stricter prohibition laws are coming soon. It's possible someone will come to give you trouble."

Lanse shrugged indifferently. "They only think about making the workers toil from dawn till dusk, not even giving them a moment of relaxation, and not even allowing them to drink a little to wash away their fatigue!"

"It's unfair, Vaughn. We have the right to drink; even God hasn't deprived us of it. Why must these capitalists and politicians deprive us of it?"

After listening, Vaughn couldn't help but laugh. "We all know that's how it is, but they are the federal government."

Actually, he didn't think there was anything wrong with selling beer either. "Anyway, be careful yourself, but the workers will definitely be happy when they know about this."

Beer outside was marked up too much. If they could buy affordable beer here, it wouldn't just be as simple as saving them money.

At least seven thousand federal native working-class people—the power they contributed was enough that even the mayor would have to bow his head and take a look.

Besides these, there were some free song and dance activities, some small items similar to those in an amusement park, and some competitive activities with prizes.

For example, an arm-wrestling tournament, with a one-month cycle, adopting an elimination system. The person who ultimately wins first place will receive a one-hundred-dollar prize.

Or perhaps a vocational skills competition, or something else.

Vaughn listened with great interest. "They will definitely like this, but have you thought about the fact that doing this will put a lot of pressure on your funds?"

"Just for these prizes, you might have to shell out thousands of dollars every month, and then there are your operating expenses—perhaps three or four thousand, or four or five thousand dollars a month just to keep it running, yet you won't be able to earn anything from it."

Lanse stated his thoughts without the slightest concern, because at this moment, Vaughn was definitely on his side.

By the time he wanted to switch sides later, it would already be too late.

"My goal isn't to make money here, but to make it impossible for others to compete with me. I can lose five thousand dollars a month; if they want to make money off the workers, then they will never be my opponents in their entire lives!"

After listening, Vaughn found it hard to understand. "Although I don't quite understand, Lanse, I can guarantee that if you can do what you say, you will become the most popular person on the docks—bar none!"

Not long after, Lanse left, and Vaughn's secretary came in to clear the coffee cups.

"What did you talk about?" she asked.

There were sparks in her eyes.

Vaughn probably understood her thoughts and also knew what she had seen. "Lanse donated a sum of money to us."

"Us?" The secretary placed the coffee cup on the tray and repeated the word, instead of "the union."

"Two hundred dollars. I'm considering whether we should use this two hundred dollars to buy gifts or distribute it directly."

"But there are too many union staff members. If we distribute it, each person would only get at most two dollars."

"But a two-dollar item looks better than giving them two dollars."

The secretary asked back, "Why must everyone have one?"

Vaughn raised an eyebrow. "I'll consider it."

On the way out of the docks, many people took the initiative to greet Lanse, including some federal native workers. Lanse didn't know them, but they still greeted him regardless.

Along the way, many people looked at this gentleman they hadn't seen before but who was very popular, and would always curiously ask those who knew him.

When they learned that this was the "Mr. Lanse" who was currently in the limelight, they all kept this young man in their hearts.

Elvin and the others were waiting for him in the car outside the docks. Today was the day of Enio's final court hearing.

Logically speaking, this kind of case should have been sentenced on the 25th, but at that time, Lanse and the others hadn't finally dealt with Heller yet, so Lanse asked Lawyer Luo Ben to see if there was a way to drag it out for two days.

He hoped to "say goodbye" to his three brothers; this could also be considered a kind of... ritual?

For Lawyer Luo Ben, as long as the money was there, there was nothing that couldn't be solved.

Even if there was, he would create an opportunity to solve it.

He applied to the court for a temporary adjournment on the grounds of "supplementing evidence." With the important evidence and testimony already in a closed loop, there was actually no need to drag it out for several days at all.

Even if he had new evidence, it was impossible to get Enio acquitted, and it was also impossible to further reduce this sentence.

You damn well beat someone into a coma and almost beat them to death, and you're sentenced to six months—what else do you want?

As the defense attorney for the defendant, do you want to find some evidence to make the defendant's sentence longer?

So, in a situation where the result wouldn't change, the judge could disagree.

But considering that this was proposed by Lawyer Luo Ben, and the fact that they had had a phone call before, the judge allowed him to supplement the evidence and dragged it out for a few more days.

And today was the day of the final hearing. The judge hadn't expected that such a simple case could be dragged out once more.

With the entry of Lanse and the others, the judge, the prosecutor, and the court police all had to notice these people who were dressed exactly the same.

Lanse had even customized black lambskin gloves for them, which gave them a lot of pressure as long as they didn't smile!

As the process began, standing up and sitting down, those sitting in the back rows were all Lanse's people.

Enio stood in the defendant's seat, greeting everyone with his eyes and slight head movements, without the slightest fear on his face.

On the contrary, the guy sitting in the wheelchair in the plaintiff's seat was already sweating a bit!

If it weren't for the fact that this case was following public prosecution procedures, he would have intended to withdraw the case!

After the judge re-examined the evidence and testimony that had already been examined, and confirmed that the plaintiff was willing to forgive the defendant, he carefully reviewed the new evidence provided by Lawyer Luo Ben—

He had spent fifteen dollars to get three of Enio's neighbors to sign comments about "Enio being a very kind young man who loves to do good deeds."

The judge rolled his eyes after reading it, glared at Lawyer Luo Ben from afar, and then put these three pieces of evidence together with the others.

"... Combining the above evidence, the charge of assault against Enio is established!"

"Stand up..."

Because of excessive assault, he was sentenced to six months of imprisonment and one hundred and twenty hours of labor. However, the court accepted a series of factors such as his surrender, active compensation, having obtained the victim's forgiveness, having no criminal record, and being a kind person recognized by society, and allowed parole after three months.

But the prerequisite was that he didn't cause any new trouble during his sentence!

The judge's gaze lingered for a moment on those young people in the last few rows of the courtroom, as if to remember what these people looked like, and then, after giving Lawyer Luo Ben a hint with his eyes, he left the courtroom.

The atmosphere instantly lightened. Lawyer Luo Ben walked to the last row, not caring at all about the gazes of others, and shook hands with Lanse. "I hope I haven't failed your trust. You can apply for parole after three months, and the cost of parole is only about a few hundred dollars."

"I believe this is definitely not a problem for you!"

Lanse also responded to him. "A brilliant defense. Although I don't quite understand this, I know I was drawn in by your defense. You are at least a convincing person, Lawyer Luo Ben."

As he spoke, he took out the final balance from his bosom and handed it over.

Looking at the two-thousand-dollar check, Lawyer Luo Ben's mouth couldn't close from smiling. "Actually, cash is fine too."

Two thousand dollars—he could find any reason to mix this money into legal money for consumption. Of course, this was just his way of expressing himself; he didn't mind receiving dirty money.

For people like Lanse, this was more like a way to express closeness.

You earn dirty money, and I'm willing to receive dirty money; we are in the same boat!

"We will cooperate again. Next time, I'll give you cash."

The two shook hands. Lawyer Luo Ben smiled and said goodbye to Lanse, telling him that everything had been arranged, and at the same time reminding him that they could meet Enio again in the parking lot behind the courthouse.

Of course, if they had a lot to say, it would be best to give five dollars each to the court police and the driver responsible for the escort.

A few minutes later, the three court police and the driver indicated that they needed to smoke a cigarette before leaving, leaving the time to them.

At first, when he saw Lanse, Enio was still a bit excited, but soon his face was full of shame. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Lanse asked.

Enio shook his head. "Many things. If I hadn't caused trouble and gotten in, I would definitely have been there that day. Maybe we could have had two fewer deaths; even one would have been good."

"Everyone encountered such big trouble, but I could only be locked up here, not helping at all, and still needing you to help me find a lawyer."

"Lanse, I feel like I don't have the face to see you all anymore."

Lanse smiled and punched him in the shoulder. "The future is still long!"

"What we have is time and opportunity. You will have the opportunity to do something for us, and don't forget, you will soon be playing your part."

There was another high-level cadre of the Kamila Gang who had surrendered. He wanted to use the fact of going to jail and the time to escape Lanse and the others' pursuit.

Honestly, this idea was actually very good, but he shouldn't have surrendered in New Jincheng. If he had run to a neighboring city, Valley City, or surrendered somewhere else, nothing would have happened.

But he surrendered here, which gave Lanse such an opportunity.

Enio nodded. "I will handle him and avenge our brothers!" His tone was very firm and resolute. Besides him, there were Ethan and another person.

Three people solving one person—this matter wasn't difficult.

Lanse gave him a hug. "When you encounter provocation inside, endure it first. We don't act as stupid, reckless men. Wait until you all come out!"

Enio nodded. "I know what to do: preserve strength."

Then came the others, hugging him and hoping he could return safely with honor.

The court police and the driver didn't care at all how long they could talk, because Lanse had given them ten dollars each.

From here to the state prison was more than 170 kilometers; they could find any reason, and the mismatched time would be matched.

When everything was over, Enio sat in the escort vehicle, and the court police, including the driver, enthusiastically said goodbye to Lanse—"Goodbye, Mr. Lanse!"

After the escort vehicle disappeared at the end of the road, the group of people let out a heavy sigh of relief and returned to the car.

On the way back, Elvin talked about recruiting people at the docks today. "I've already spread the news today, and many people are very interested."

"But I think we shouldn't recruit just anyone."

Lanse nodded. "Some are here to slack off; we don't want those. Also, I need to ensure that everyone we recruit has a solid background."

"Let them state their connections within the Empire, and then let people you know check them out. I don't want some little mice to learn an Imperial accent and sneak in."

Elvin listened, feeling it a bit strange. "For such a small family as ours, would anyone want to get involved?"

Lanse shook his head and said, "Small?"

"Not small at all, Elvin. We took down the Kamila Gang. Although we used some means and didn't take them down head-on, we did indeed do it."

"We already have the qualifications to be served on the dining table, but it's also possible we have the qualifications to sit at the side of the table. We will have more invisible competitors, risks, and opportunities."

"We are no longer the little people in the pit. Perhaps in the mouths of the big shots, we are no longer 'that someone,' but people with names."

"So, don't underestimate yourself!"

Elvin listened and laughed happily. "Sounds great, I'll pay attention."

"As soon as possible!" Lanse urged again.

In the evening, when the office was preparing to get off work, William (Patricia's father) came. This was his first time coming to Lanse's office, and he was immediately shocked by the scene of the office being overcrowded with people!

He had seen some labor dispatch companies; their side was very deserted, but here, it was almost all people!

So much so that there was no place to stand inside the office, and more people were standing outside the door.

What made him feel even more that it wasn't simple was that these people were all wearing uniform blue work clothes. When some of these people looked toward him, he even felt pressure.

"Lanse, a guy named William says he's your friend..."

"Let him in." Lanse didn't know who it was, but since he said he was his friend, then he must be a friend.

When William came in, Lanse realized which William it was.

"You have too many people here!" William took off his hat and scarf and put them on the coat rack, but didn't take off his coat.

"You disappeared during this time, and Pat was very worried about you."

Lanse scratched his head. "I hope I didn't scare her." As he spoke, he paused, then slightly retracted his chin; he was asking William about his purpose for coming here.

"I heard you took down thousands of people from the Kamila Gang..."

When it was one-third of the way through, Lanse was still nodding, but when the word "thousands" appeared, he raised his hand. "Who did you hear say I took down thousands of them?"

"Everyone is saying so!" William had an expression of taking it for granted.

Actually, he didn't believe it at first, but he couldn't stand everyone saying so, and gradually he became half-believing.

Half-believing is often the basis of belief. When he saw so many blue work clothes outside the office, he believed it a little.

Lanse rolled his eyes. "Adding them up, there might not even be two hundred people. You guys are too exaggerated. No wonder I felt everyone who saw me today was very enthusiastic."

"So you guys didn't think I was how good!"

"But were afraid I would suddenly go crazy!"

William immediately realized that the number was inaccurate, but his attention wasn't here. "Whether it's hundreds or thousands, at least you solved the Kamila Gang."

"Who did you lean on?"

He suddenly asked a question, making Lanse unable to react for a moment.

After he was stunned for two seconds, he opened the cigarette case on the desk, took out a cigarette, and lit it. "Why do you say that?"

William also took a cigarette from the cigarette case. Looking at the cigarette label, he curled his lips, then took out a lighter and lit his own. Both of them leaned back in their chairs, smoking and talking.

"From the moment Charlie only mentioned the annihilation of the Kamila Gang to the media, I knew someone must have spoken for you."

"I'm not looking down on you, Lanse. You might be able to know people at this level, but if you don't pay anything, they can't speak for you."

"I thought about it, and there is only this one possibility."

"Who did you lean on?" ===== CHAPTER 155 =====