Chapter 425: 427. Chapter 421: Prototype of a New Interest Group

427. Chapter 421: Prototype of a New Interest Group

"Three of the Five Great Families have already been arranged, so what about the remaining two?"

Councilor Williams looked at Lans with some anticipation.

The arrangements for these three families were very proper; Lans didn't even need to take action himself to make everything reach the level he wanted.

So he was even more curious about what to do with the remaining two families.

Lans also glanced at the pastries on the table. He also broke off a small piece and put it into his mouth.

The sweetness of the pastry and the bitterness of the coffee seemed to form a very interesting positive cycle. They were complementary, but it had to be just right.

A sip of coffee, a small bite of pastry—if there was too much pastry, it would be cloyingly sweet.

If there was too much coffee, there would always be a bitter taste in the mouth.

"I will solve the problem of the Keane family during my mayoral term, and the problem of the Koda family will be left until after you take office as mayor."

He took out a pack of cigarettes and held it in his hand, but didn't take the cigarettes out. He looked at Councilor Williams, asking if he could smoke.

"Oh, damn, I forgot about this!"

"Of course, of course, Lans, we don't mind this. You can also give me and James one."

He said this with a chuckle. He had indeed forgotten about this; he should have been the one to distribute the cigarettes, but he was too engrossed in the conversation and forgot.

Lans distributed the cigarettes to them. After the gentlemen's conversation paused for a moment, they each lit their cigarettes.

He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. That sense of satisfaction was like someone who had been lost in the desert for a long time suddenly breaking into an oasis—not only was the problem of thirst solved, but the vibrant environment also made him feel hope!

"How do you intend to deal with Fegar?"

Lans appeared very relaxed and wasn't stumped by this question. "I will keep looking for trouble for him, non-stop."

"The soil for gang proliferation lies in the indulgence of the police and city managers toward them. Only indulgence can allow gangs and their crimes to have soil for survival. Once law enforcement departments no longer turn a blind eye to their criminal behavior—"

"Then, the Keane family's business will suffer a heavy blow, or rather, almost all gangs follow this rule."

"The strength of the Five Great Families is built on their possession of powerful force. Pull out their teeth, break their bones, and they will never have a chance to stand up again."

"As long as they lose their current status, those who cling to their side will soon disappear. We don't even need to do anything; as long as we release a signal that they are no longer protected by the rules—"

Lans's wrist holding the cigarette turned outward. "Then someone will help us tear into them fiercely until they completely collapse."

James had a very new experience after listening. He had always thought the Five Great Families were also the rule-makers of Jincheng, but from what Lans just said, the Five Great Families were actually just followers within the game rules.

This made James's gaze turn to Councilor Williams, while Councilor Williams revealed a thoughtful look with slightly furrowed brows.

The Five Great Families were never the rule-makers; they were just a minority with privileges.

This was hard to describe accurately. In layman's terms, it was that a higher-level force had formulated rules to constrain the Five Great Families.

Within these rules, they created some new, smaller rules.

Just like the relationship between superior law and inferior law.

Councilor Williams said softly, "If you intend to do this, you will have great resistance. Will Chali help you?"

Lans said with a smile, "Chali?"

"Chali might be a municipal councilor, but I don't know that municipal councilors can interfere with the police station's affairs."

"And, Councilor Williams, I believe we can reach a consensus on this issue."

Councilor Williams sighed softly. "You've given me a difficult problem."

Lans shook his head and said, "I don't think this is a difficult problem."

James didn't quite understand what they were talking about, but he vaguely had an intuition that they must be discussing very important matters.

So he tried his best to confidently remember every word they said and then analyze it.

Gradually, he seemed to perceive something, but he couldn't believe these things were true, or rather, he didn't dare to be sure that what he analyzed was what these two people were discussing.

He looked at Lans's expression as if he had seen a ghost. Lans was so young, without a prominent background, and without someone like "Councilor White" to teach him to understand these things—how did he master them?

Councilor Williams considered for a long time this time, and his expression became much more serious. "I have to admit, you are a person good at persuasion."

Lans responded with a smile, "I just brought out the facts. I didn't persuade you; the one who persuaded you was yourself, Councilor Williams."

Councilor Williams couldn't help but laugh out loud upon hearing these words. "You are very good at talking!"

He paused. "If this matter fails, we still have a way out, but you—you have no way out. Have you considered it?"

Lans took another puff of his cigarette. At this moment, he gave people the feeling of someone with strong confidence that he could solve everything, and this confidence was infecting Councilor Williams.

"I am still young, I have the opportunity to make mistakes, and at the same time, I believe that we won't lose this time!"

Councilor Williams nodded slightly. "Indeed, we have no reason to lose."

He was silent for a while. "I won't ask you specifically how you do it. In short, when you need my help, tell me, and I will try my best to help you!"

"Do you want to stay for dinner tonight?"

This was a family banquet. Lans considered it. "Can I bring my girlfriend and her family?"

Councilor Williams's smile began to become very obvious, not the reserved, reserved kind. "Of course. After people get older, they like liveliness. You can go and prepare, and we can also prepare."

He said this while picking up the remaining three-fifths of the pastry, putting his other hand under the pastry, and taking a big, fierce bite.

The crumbs of the food fell into his palm and were then flicked into his mouth by him.

"Although it's a bit cloying, the taste of honey is always so good!"

Lans got up to say goodbye. Councilor Williams let James send him off. After James sent Lans away and returned to the study, he looked at his father with some confusion.

"I see your full confusion on your face. Speak, what is bothering you." He saw through James's belly full of questions at a glance, and at the same time, he also thought this was a suitable "teaching" opportunity, so he didn't appear impatient or let him guess for himself.

Regarding Lans, Councilor Williams's evaluation was constantly rising, and he even had a slight suspicion about whether there were other problems with Lans's identity and background.

Because he directly saw through some joints of Jincheng's ruling structure, saw the contradictions and conflicts hidden here—deep contradictions, deep conflicts!

He wanted to use these contradictions and conflicts to seek profit for himself, and at the same time, Councilor Williams couldn't refuse, because what Lans wanted to do would also bring him huge benefits!

He didn't understand whether someone was guiding him or if he discovered it through his own observation.

If someone was guiding him, he hoped to meet this person, have a chat, or hire this person to become his staff member.

If Lans discovered this himself, then he would let James maintain a good relationship with him. The purpose of this family banquet was here.

James was worthy of being the successor he had always recognized. If it were Arthur, he would only let Arthur go out to play with girls.

"Father, are you discussing... the problem of the Bay Area?"

Councilor Williams opened his drooping eyes, looked at his son, and revealed some satisfied looks. "It's already very good that you can see this point. Are there any other questions?"

James said the point he was most confused about. "Shouldn't we and the Bay Area be one?"

Councilor Williams was stunned for a moment, then laughed out loud. "James, James!"

"Look, this is where you are not as good as him."

"I..." He suddenly got stuck, mainly because he didn't know how to explain these things.

A deficient language system sometimes cannot accurately explain some meanings, but fortunately, he was old enough to know how to describe it.

"Look at this city, the rulers of this city, the capitalists, the gangs, and everything else. They have been closely united in a way we think is reasonable in the past, and have continued without contradiction. This is the most unreasonable thing."

"It's like between gangs and the police; they are never on the same channel. The police catch thieves—this is their job, and thieves want to break the law—this is their means of making a living."

"They have irreconcilable contradictions and conflicts between them, but aren't you surprised?"

"Why can they coexist peacefully?"

"Have you thought about this question?"

This sentence stumped James. He subconsciously wanted to say that this was the social rule of Jincheng and even the Federation, but he knew this was not the correct answer.

He started to think seriously, considering these things, but he couldn't find that balance point where these obviously irreconcilable contradictions and conflicts could be reconciled.

In the end, he could only look at his father.

Being a teacher is always a very happy feeling and experience. Councilor Williams now had this realization, and this student was his son, so his sense of achievement and pleasure were even stronger.

"Actually, it's very simple, because of interests."

"Interests can explain everything that happens in this world. When the interests are sufficient, cats and mice can also live in the same nest."

"Jincheng can maintain such peace because the interests of the Bay Area, the interests of the gangs, and our interests can reach a balance point."

"When everything is balanced, it's like before—before anything happened, everything was peaceful, just as we expected."

"But when the mayor decides to do something, he breaks these balances, and this group that relies on interests to be connected together has problems."

His hands were holding the air, floating up and down, as if something was being weighed in his hands.

"If I don't serve as mayor, and another guy comes to serve as mayor, and doesn't interfere with the city's development and operation, then this peace can continue."

"But I am going to be mayor, James."

"The balance is unbalanced!"

"In the past, we and the Bay Area fought against the mayor and some decisions of the state government together. We were the closest comrades-in-arms."

"But now, because I am going to be mayor, the contradictions and conflicts hidden between us are about to surface."

He smiled and said, "I can't be mayor and still be at the mercy of the Bay Area, right?"

"Do you think I can accept such a result?"

James finally understood where the problem lay, or rather, for Councilor Williams, was the flowery scene important, or was the power he actually got in his hands important?

If he "shared the world" with the Bay Area and handed over more than half of the power in his hands to the Bay Area, then Lans's plans would have no value.

But as long as he couldn't do this, or rather, if the Bay Area became greedier, then his plans would definitely be useful!

If he were willing to be a puppet, or if he didn't have such a strong demand for interests, he wouldn't have stood out to run for mayor.

The title of a municipal councilor was enough for him and the Williams family to use for a long time.

But he stood out. Lans saw through this point: he wouldn't compromise with the Bay Area on interests, and he wouldn't hand over power, so this couldn't be solved peacefully.

Since contradictions and conflicts would inevitably arise in the future, then preparing to deal with contradictions and conflicts now was obviously reasonable.

Lans was the best candidate to solve this problem. He and the Lans family would become a new interest group. The Lans family and the James family reached an agreement on the issue of seeking interests, and then a new order would be born.

When James heard this, his expression already had some irrepressible surprise. "Will we... go to war with the Bay Area?"

"Go to war..." Councilor Williams shook his head. "I don't like this word. It's not necessarily a war, because politics is not that rude!"

"With our cooperation, we will disintegrate the Bay Area and let this city, in a sense, reunite!"

Councilor Williams's eyes flashed with some luster that James had never seen before, but he didn't express his intense emotions and thoughts at this moment through language.

He intended to "sell" Jincheng to the Laizhou state government, or even the federal government.

Didn't they say before that Jincheng's localism was too heavy?

Every mayor who came here was just a puppet, and most of the interests were kept in the pockets of the locals. So now he could sell Jincheng in exchange for an opportunity for his son to go up a level!

If he weren't too old, he wouldn't even want to give up this opportunity. Maybe this could let the Williams family have a senator!

Once a senator appears, they will no longer be a small local family. They can be called a "political family" and have a broader stage!

His gaze toward James changed, which made James nervous. He was even a little restless because this gaze was a bit scary!

"After the municipal councilor term ends, you will be responsible for these tasks. Unless there are special circumstances, I won't give you too much guidance anymore."

James knew this was his father training him, but he was still a little nervous. "I'm worried I won't do well."

Councilor Williams said, "Then work hard to do well. Don't say these discouraging words. Whether the family's future can go further is all entrusted to you."

At this time, James didn't understand that Councilor Williams had already regarded him as a senator to cultivate. Although he was a little older, it was just right.

He still had twenty years to prepare, to become a senator, and he still had time to grow.

Lans went directly to William's home. The Lawrence couple were both at home, and Patricia was there too.

Such a big thing happened today, and they didn't go outside. This was the worst side of the Federation.

It always has unexpected things happening, making people worry about their own safety.

After greeting the Lawrence couple and kissing Patricia, Lans explained his purpose.

"Councilor Williams invited me to dinner tonight. This is a very formal family banquet. It's not appropriate for me to go alone, so I invited you along."

"William, you will become a councilor, and Councilor Williams will soon be upgraded to 'Mayor,' so this is a good opportunity for you to make contact. You can also have a chat."

William found these words unbelievable. He glanced at Emily, who was becoming a bit excited, and couldn't quite understand.

"How... did you get to know him?"

Lans sat on the sofa, holding Patricia. "We have a cooperative relationship, a very close cooperation, and it will continue to cooperate."

William still didn't quite understand—a cooperative relationship, what kind of cooperative relationship? But it certainly wasn't just doing dirty work.

People who do dirty work are not qualified to sit at the same table with their master for dinner, so this must be a cooperative relationship in the true sense.

He suddenly associated it with the fight not long ago, and his mouth opened slightly. "Don't tell me that this afternoon's matter has something to do with you."

Lans directly denied it. "No, it has nothing to do with me. We are cooperating on other projects."

William looked at Lans with disbelief, but was soon dragged away by Emily to change clothes.

"There's not much time left until dinner. We can't be rude!"

Patricia also went to change clothes. This was a very special occasion.

One must show importance and solemnity toward this family banquet, but it shouldn't be too solemn—that wouldn't be appropriate.

One must show a sense of closeness just right, rather than a sense of strangeness or distance.

Lans sat on the sofa, flipping through magazines, his mind full of some follow-up processing methods... ===== CHAPTER 426 =====