Chapter 456: 459. Chapter 452: Clothes Once Put On Are Not So Easy to Take Off, and a Small Setback

459. Chapter 452: Clothes Once Put On Are Not So Easy to Take Off, and a Small Setback

"Bandi..."

Gao Li looked at Bandi with a hint of disappointment in his eyes; the Koda family of the past was not like this.

Back then, in order to monopolize the casino business, their ancestors had strived toward that very goal.

During the generation of their grandfather and the generation of their father, the Koda family's power and deterrent force reached their peak!

Any force that did not abide by the rules of the game they established would be met with a brutal bloodbath until the casinos in the entire city were shut down.

There was not so much lobbying, communication, or negotiation.

They simply spoke with bullets and gunmen.

If you opened a casino in the morning, a gunman would stand before you in the evening and put a bullet in you.

Such unreasonable, brute-force methods did indeed bring them a lot of trouble, but it cannot be denied that they ultimately unified the industry.

Everyone knew that if the Koda family did not permit it, it was best not to get involved in the casino business, otherwise, it would be a fight to the death with them.

At that time, even for criminal businesses unrelated to casinos, they could still have a say; people feared them because they saw their muscle!

But now, the Koda family seems to have become less pure.

"Washing clean" has made Bandi less blood-brave than his father's generation; he seems to be losing the courage and muscle of a gangster.

Bandi looked at Gao Li, "What do you want to say?"

Gao Li's lips moved, and in the end, he shook his head, but Bandi clearly wanted to continue on this topic.

He felt that Gao Li not understanding him was the worst thing of all!

"We have boarded a very fast car, and it is running straight ahead."

"It was hard to get on; we needed to have enough to impress the driver of this car, as well as the owner, before they would stop for us."

"But after getting on the car, it is even harder to get off."

"Because it won't stop for us, even if we take out everything we are carrying."

"The only way for us to get off is to jump from the car."

"But jumping from the car means certain death!"

"I am not afraid of them, nor am I afraid of starting a war; what I fear is that all our years of effort will be dragged back into the mire because we couldn't restrain ourselves for a moment!"

"We have already washed ourselves clean; there is no need to wade back into the mud, don't you think?"

Gao Li did not understand, nor did he want to understand. He only knew that everything the Koda family possessed was not because they licked the backside of some senator, but because they were more ruthless than others and were willing to share the wealth.

"You're the boss, but I think, Bandi, sometimes what we need is to show our fangs!"

"Instead of letting people know we have fangs but don't want to use them!"

Bandi just nodded. Gao Li knew that saying this much was enough, and he found an excuse to leave the office.

Bandi in the office smoked a cigarette. In fact, he knew these things too, but sometimes, once a decision is made, it is very difficult to change it.

It is like a very long boat entering a narrow river channel; halfway through, even if it discovers this is not the path it wants to take, it can only bite the bullet and continue.

Because it can no longer turn around.

Going down, perhaps there is still a chance to return to the sea and make a new choice.

Turning around, there is a high probability of getting stuck right here.

He picked up the phone, dialed Mr. Hailike's number, and took a deep breath.

After seven or eight rings, it was finally answered.

"This is Hailike."

"It's me, Bandi."

"Aha, Mr. Bandi, you're calling me at this time; could it be that there is some good news?"

Bandi's expression revealed a bitter smile, "I'm sorry, Mr. Hailike, I was not able to persuade Lanse; the conditions he proposed are ones I believe we cannot accept."

Although he knew this "cannot accept" would most likely make him angry, he still wanted to hear it, "What demands did he make?"

"Repay his losses of 3.5 million." In fact, when Lanse left, he said 4 million, but he stated it as 3.5 million, "For the sake of my face, he was only willing to reduce it by 500,000; originally he wanted 4 million."

A face is worth 500,000; one cannot say this face is cheap. His purpose in doing this was to demonstrate his own value.

? ￠O

It wasn't that he hadn't done anything, it was just that Lanse's side was indeed not easy to handle.

Hailike was so angry he laughed after hearing these words, "How funny, Mr. Bandi."

Bandi did not echo him. After waiting a while, Hailike continued, "I have one thing I don't quite understand; as one of the most prestigious gangs in New Jincheng, can you not even handle a small gang?"

His words made Bandi slightly annoyed, "Mr. Hailike, when you called me to help you solve this trouble, did you consider that your conventional methods were already ineffective?"

"That is why you called me, hoping that I could help you solve these troubles?"

This scope directly stumped Hailike. He was stunned for a moment, then realized that this was actually a form of "provocation."

The expression on his face also became less friendly, "I thought we were friends," he said.

Bandi did not retreat in the slightest, but he was not that tough either, "We can be friends."

He paused, "The price to pay to deal with the Lanse family is too high, Mr. Hailike; the cost is far higher than what he asked from you."

"Can you understand what I mean?"

Hailike did not understand, but he did not want to continue talking to this piece of trash, Bandi, "I understand, then I will think of other ways."

"If you have any other good ideas, you can also call me."

He hung up after saying this, and did not even mention the annual meeting invitation. For a long-prestigious piece of trash, he could not muster the slightest bit of interest.

Using Bandi was because in his eyes, no matter how famous the Koda family was, it was still a gang.

If he found someone else, he would have to owe a real favor, but this favor could not be owed by him.

In the Federation, there is a saying: "Do not incur a debt of gratitude to others for interests that have nothing to do with you." In simpler terms, do not compromise your own promises or interests for the sake of public affairs.

Lanse, having walked out of the casino without obstruction, got into his car. He glanced at the tall Golden Port Casino office building, and the car slowly began to move.

"Should we arrange for someone to give them a taste of their own medicine?" asked Hiram, who was sitting in the passenger seat, flicking his hair and watching Lanse through the rearview mirror.

Lanse's gaze remained on the street outside the car. After about half a minute, he said, "Not for now. If they want to act recklessly, then we'll just have to wake them up."

"Golden Port City is not just the Golden Port City of the Golden Port people; it is also ours."

In his eyes, the threat from Bandi and the Koda family was nothing to be anxious about. In some of the decisions he and Councilor Williams had made previously, the Koda family was already destined to be sacrificed.

With the changes in Senate seats and the subsequent adjustments to state government positions, new interest groups and old interest groups have already begun to form, split, and confront each other.

This is very obvious; the President did not have an advantage in the general election, but he won anyway. Now it is the turn of those "insiders" who did not support him to be purged.

Political purges are a bit gentler than gang purges. They will first warn those who are about to be purged—

It might be a morning news broadcast, or it might be a front-page headline in a newspaper. A reporter, in a situation where no one knows how they managed it, begins to leak information, saying that a certain person might be involved in some illegal activities.

This actually means, "We intend to move against you. If you have a way to solve this problem, do it as soon as possible."

If they can reach a compromise through other methods, such as interest exchanges, the official media will tell the public that these reports are nonsense, all fabricated to attract attention.

Now the rumors have been cleared up, no accidents occurred, and everything is normal.

But if no way to compromise can be found, then the authorities will soon step in and carry out a bloody purge.

There might be some changes behind Bandi, but Lanse doesn't care. That is the game and confrontation of the upper echelons. As long as he can handle Bandi and channel the benefits through this "pipe" to the Congress, that's all that matters!

The motorcade's route is irregular; sometimes they go this way, sometimes they go that way, and sometimes they might even take a detour.

Today, Ma Duoer, who is responsible for setting the route, drove straight through the city center. Lanse hasn't been to the city center for a while.

The commercial atmosphere in the center of the entire city is still very heavy, and many of the pedestrians walking on the street look very professional.

This is the place with the most companies in Golden Port City, and also one of the most prosperous places.

However, its prosperity is different from the prosperity of the Bay Area and the Starlight District; the prosperity here exudes a scent of money!

Lanse has been thinking about some things, and at the same time, his gaze was locked on the window. He suddenly realized that this road looked familiar.

"Is this the road to the Hazardous Materials Bureau?"

Ma Duoer nodded, "Yes, we will pass by its entrance."

Lanse didn't speak again, nor did he express his stance.

When the car passed by the Hazardous Materials Bureau, he looked toward the half-kilometer mark. It wasn't a purposeful look, just a simple extra glance.

What he didn't know was that at this moment, Pang Da happened to be looking at the scenery on the street outside the window as well.

He saw a luxurious motorcade quickly pass by the gate of the Hazardous Materials Bureau. It's really nice that these rich people can be so wealthy!

"Pang Da, did you hear what I said?"

Pang Da withdrew his gaze from outside the window and rested it on Director Dai Er. There was no expression on his face, only a look that could probably be considered numb.

Originally, Director Dai Er told him before the Saint Agriculture Festival that he should be able to be promoted to a senior agent very soon.

By then, his income would be higher, his status would be higher, and he wouldn't need to run to the front lines every day.

He would only need to take the files and lead people out on missions when there were tasks to be done.

Most of the rest of the time, he would be in a separate office reading magazines and newspapers to pass the time.

Of course, he didn't want a higher income, a higher status, or a separate office; he just felt that this was what he deserved.

But now, the senior agent position that originally belonged to him has run into trouble.

Pang Da looked at Director Dai Er and nodded, "I know, I will obey the Bureau's arrangements."

Director Dai Er looked at him, "You still have resentment in your heart."

Pang Da didn't speak. He had performed so many meritorious deeds, although many of them were "fed" to him by Lanse, he was indeed impeccable in his work compared to others.

Now, a senior agent has suddenly been parachuted in to fill the vacancy.

In other words, if he wants to be promoted to a senior agent, he will have to wait until the next opportunity arises.

But he doesn't know when the next time will be.

The Tobacco, Alcohol, and Hazardous Materials Bureau is a department directly under the Congress, with vertical management. The only way to get a senior agent vacancy is for someone to be promoted.

But as a vertical management department where every position is filled, wanting to promote a senior agent means there needs to be an extra director vacancy.

This is a very young bureau. When it was formed, the Congress selected elite forces from various law enforcement agencies across the country.

The oldest is only about fifty years old, and the youngest are young men in their twenties.

In other words, he might have to wait more than ten years to be promoted to a senior agent through normal procedures. How could he not be angry?

Director Dai Er also knew that this matter was a bit inappropriate, but this was an interest exchange.

He had to do this, even though he felt a bit sorry for Pang Da.

"Next time, next time there is an opportunity, no matter who speaks up, I will veto it. The next one will definitely be your promotion, I swear!"

"Also, I had someone clear out an office for you. You can move in when the time comes."

"I will also give you the salary according to the senior agent standard. What I want to say is that I will do my best to compensate for your losses."

Pang Da nodded and said in a muffled voice, "I know. The office is unnecessary; I don't want them to say I'm getting special treatment."

Director Dai Er nodded, walked around the desk to his side, held his hand, and said, "Thank you for your understanding, Pang Da. I promise, next time there is an opportunity, it will definitely be yours..."

After coming out of the director's office, he wanted to pretend that nothing unexpected had happened, but the muscles on his face refused to listen to him.

He is very angry right now!

He came out of the office, returned to his desk, and sat down. His female colleague pointed her toes on the ground and slid over in her swivel chair, "Boss, were you talking about your promotion earlier?"

"Pang Da, you have to treat us, this time!"

The people around him looked toward him with smiles on their faces. Pang Da is actually a good colleague; he is closer to them than those colleagues who were senior agents from the start.

As Pang Da's "good friends," once Pang Da gains higher status and power, they can also benefit from it.

They will form a new interest group. This kind of thing is actually everywhere in society; this is just a microcosm.

Pang Da squeezed out a smile that wasn't very pleasant, "It fell through."

"Why?"

The female colleague's voice suddenly became loud. Others looked over here. Among the colleagues in the distance, some showed confusion, but others had smiles of schadenfreude on their faces.

Anyway, as long as a colleague is unlucky, I am happy. This kind of person is very common.

"The higher-ups transferred a senior agent down to temporarily fill this position, so my transfer has been shelved for the time being."

The female colleague patted the table with empathy, "Didn't Dai Er resist?"

Pang Da didn't speak. Obviously, Director Dai Er most likely didn't resist, and might even have accepted it gladly.

"Fuck!", the female colleague cursed, then comforted him, "He went too far. You did better than anyone else, and we all saw that."

"He should have stood up to the higher-ups. Front-line work is already dangerous and difficult. They don't think about reducing our burden, but instead come to steal our positions. I've never seen anything like this!"

His colleagues around him were also comforting him one after another. In any case, Pang Da was the one with the most hope for promotion.

Opportunities will eventually come again. Next time, next time he will definitely be able to get promoted.

He accepted everyone's comfort after expressing his gratitude, then packed up his things and left his post early, using the excuse of investigating a case.

No one recorded these things, and it was indeed time to let him go out for a walk.

Director Dai Er also knew about this and didn't delve into it either, which was in line with the requirements of the work manual.

Moreover, this matter was indeed his problem. If he had sent Pang Da's name up earlier, then there might not have been a senior agent parachuted in.

It was precisely because he had been slow to explain his thoughts on arranging a candidate for this position that the people above simply arranged one directly. He has to take primary responsibility for Pang Da not being able to get promoted.

So now that Pang Da is obviously going out to clear his head, he didn't say anything either.

After wandering outside for half a day and drinking some alcohol, he drove home.

Lisa saw him return and walked over to take off his coat, "You drank?"

Pang Da was originally dizzy, but he had sobered up quite a bit by this time, "Yes, sorry... I forgot I shouldn't drink."

He was referring to the fact that Lisa is pregnant.

Lisa shook her head, "Are you in trouble?"

Pang Da sat down on the sofa with her, not quite knowing how to say it, "I... my promotion might have fallen through."

Lisa knew very well how much he had prepared for this promotion during this time. He even planned a small promotion event to call everyone together to celebrate.

He also made some arrangements for his work, but now, it's all ruined.

Lisa saw his grievance and hugged her husband, "Did they bully you?"

"No, nothing..."

He hugged Lisa back, as if wanting to knead her into his own body!

In the evening, Pang Da drank some more alcohol and, for the first time in a long while, went to sleep early, sleeping alone in the study.

Ever since Lisa became pregnant, he had been sleeping in separate beds from Lisa, mainly for fear of hurting Lisa.

Looking at Pang Da's aggrieved and dejected appearance, Lisa couldn't bear it.

After hesitating again and again, she dialed Lanse's number.

"There's something I think I should tell you..."