Chapter 490

New Year.

The atmosphere of the New Year permeates Jincheng. Many enterprises are attracting consumers through activities and discounts.

Business is getting harder and harder to do. This is the status quo and problem that people encounter most often now, but it cannot be solved.

During this period, the Presidential Palace summoned a group of economists, sociologists, and some capitalists to hold a "Federal Economic Development Seminar" to study why there is something like the Great Depression through the development of the Federal historical economy!

In the Federation, and even in the rolling development process of the global social economy, similar situations will occur.

Economy gets rid of the downturn—economy starts to advance by leaps and bounds—enters the so-called prosperous age—Great Depression!

This is a reincarnation. They hope to find the reason for the current economic downturn by studying past economic reincarnations.

But for ordinary people, life is no different from the past.

Lisa is walking around the mall with a big belly. She brought a maid, an immigrant maid, who is not tall but is a good hand at work and has quite a bit of strength.

Her job is to take care of Lisa, whose belly is obviously showing, and at the same time take good care of her so that she doesn't have any accidents.

In Pang Da's own words, there is no need for Lisa to leave the house and go outside at all; there is no need to take this risk.

But the more the belly shows, the more Lisa wants to walk around everywhere.

On one hand, staying at home all the time is too boring. The unchanging family environment plus a life without entertainment projects makes her feel suffocated!

There were not so many family entertainment activities during this period.

There are no televisions, no personal computers, and even the radio will stop broadcasting after two o'clock in the afternoon until it broadcasts again at night.

Newspapers, magazines, no matter how good these things are, they can be finished in a little while.

She has to find something to do.

On the other hand, the physiological changes brought about by pregnancy make her uncomfortable. Walking, or going outside to walk around, is conducive to alleviating various discomfort symptoms during her pregnancy.

She is now bringing a maid. Whatever she buys is handed to the maid to hold. Pang Da can also feel at ease.

The two came outside a fruit shop. Looking at the bright red various fruits in the room, as well as those natural, pungent fragrances, both ladies couldn't help but stop their steps.

The boss in the shop is also a woman. She took the initiative to start introducing the fruits here to Lisa.

She has very rich sales skills, cleverly binding eating fruits with the health of the child in Lisa's belly, for example, "Some doctors say that eating more fruits is conducive to the child's health."

These words... themselves have no problems, and at the same time, they don't have very detailed content, and they are also very easy for people to accept.

The two entered the fruit shop. The maid couldn't help but click her tongue when looking at the price tags of those fruits.

She has already started to get used to her current work and life. For her mistress Lisa, there are only things she likes or dislikes; there are no things she cannot afford.

So those fruits that cost a few dollars or more than ten dollars are no different from ordinary fruits in her eyes.

You know, grapes are now three hundred dollars a ton, but here, maybe three hundred dollars can only buy a few dozen pounds of fruits that are not too expensive.

Pang Da has been working hard. After they caught the bootlegger, the Hazardous Materials Administration will give them a certain degree of reward according to the case value.

Even if they don't take black money, Pang Da can get at least three to five hundred dollars every month. Plus what Lans gives, their family doesn't lack money at all.

"Buy some strawberries. I want to eat strawberries." Lisa picked for a while and chose those large strawberries that looked very beautiful.

The maid glanced at it and habitually was shocked for a moment. The price of six dollars and ninety-nine cents is already ridiculously expensive!

But for Lady Lisa and Mr. Pang Da, this is just an ordinary commodity.

They picked some strawberries and some other fruits, totaling more than fifty dollars. A slightly higher-level worker can only earn so much money in a month, but for Lisa, this is just a small part of the daily expenses.

"Find a place to sit for a while. I need to rest, and eat something by the way."

The two found a place in the mall that could provide rest for guests and sat down. Lisa picked up a strawberry and couldn't wait to stuff it into her mouth. A comfortable smile radiated on her whole face.

It's a little sour, but it's just the right amount of sour that people can accept. The rest is sweet, sweet to the heart!

"Madam, I'll go wash these fruits too, and by the way, I want to use the restroom."

Lisa nodded, "I saw a restroom on the way we came. I'll wait for you here."

The maid took some fruits Lisa wanted to eat and entered the restroom.

She went to the bathroom first, then washed all the fruits, and also cut two fruits with a knife.

Of course, to ensure that these fruits wouldn't make Lady Lisa feel uncomfortable after eating them, she specially tasted a little of each.

Delicious!

She returned to the place they agreed upon with the washed fruits, but only saw their things and didn't see Lisa.

She was a bit confused. Maybe Lady Lisa went somewhere else, or met an acquaintance?

She didn't know. She could only wait in place for fifteen minutes. Lisa never came back, and she became anxious.

She went to find the mall security, but it was of no use. There were too many people today. No one would notice whether a pregnant woman left here, or remember the face of every pregnant woman.

The maid finally had no choice but to run to call Pang Da. She didn't know what to do anymore!

"... During this period, our business results have been remarkable. We have arrested more than two hundred suspects suspected of smuggling and selling alcohol, and seized smuggled alcohol worth about three million."

"Honestly, I never thought we could have such eye-catching results. The members of the State Prohibition Committee have already contacted me by phone. The State Prohibition Committee and the Congress are very appreciative of our results during this period."

"So they gave us some extra rewards, as well as opportunities for promotion and study."

"I hope everyone can continue to maintain this momentum, continue to strictly grasp the sale and public consumption of bootleg alcohol in the city, so that the Prohibition Order can be truly implemented."

"If anyone can catch a big case, I will definitely ask for credit for him from the State Prohibition Committee..."

The applause in the office was thunderous. Director Dai Er smiled, raised his hand to press it virtually, "Okay, everyone, go back to your posts."

"Work a little harder during this period. After this period ends, we can take turns resting."

"Okay, go back to your posts."

Pang Da also returned to his post. He glanced at several senior agents and Dai Er going to the director's office, shook his head, and started to organize the documents in front of him.

People will always regret and beautify another option they gave up after making a choice. Just like now, he sometimes thinks.

If he had chosen Lans's suggestion at that time and found a way to kill a senior agent, would he already be one of them now?

Would he have a bigger and higher stage, and would his work opportunities be easier?

He almost didn't go home for these two weeks because he was too busy.

This is exactly the time when bootleg alcohol is at its craziest because it's New Year. Many people want to have a drink, and the price of alcohol has once again shown a clear, substantial increase.

Whether it is smuggled alcohol or those brewed by themselves and secretly sold to the outside world, they are destroying the results since the implementation of the Prohibition Order.

This kind of behavior should be prohibited.

Big cases cannot be caught, small cases cannot be finished. On the contrary, those senior agents sit in the office doing nothing, and every day there are a large number of merits and bonuses recorded on them.

Pang Da is following a case of self-brewed alcohol for sale. A couple used their ability to brew wine to crazily manufacture self-brewed red wine in the basement.

The cycle of brewing red wine is not long, ten to twelve days. They can produce wine about three times a month, three to four barrels each time, and can produce one hundred and fifty to two hundred bottles.

Selling to the outside world at a price of three dollars per bottle, just smuggled alcohol brings about five hundred dollars in gross profit to the couple every month.

And the net profit is about three hundred and seventy or eighty dollars. This is also why people know that brewing for sale and smuggling alcoholic beverages is illegal, and yet so many people still rush to enter this industry.

Profit, too high!

So high that it's a bit ridiculous!

When Pang Da caught them, they were taking a family of more than ten people to bottle the wine in the cellar.

A family, more than ten people, were all arrested. They are facing five to ten years of imprisonment.

And their family members, between two and five years.

Pang Da is responsible for this case and must be responsible to the end. He also needs to organize all the evidence and then submit it to the Judicial Office. That side will prosecute and then hand it over to the court to pronounce the result.

Although he is now considered a "special agent," in essence, he is still at the lower-middle level. Strictly speaking, it is roughly equivalent to a "captain" in a gang, not a senior cadre.

Looking at it this way, in fact, the organizational structure of the Federal gangs is still very scientific. After all, even the government law enforcement departments are using it.

However, this also made Pang Da a little dissatisfied. He actually did a lot of things for the Hazardous Materials Administration, but because of a senior agent who parachuted in, his contributions became a joke.

He is a little unconvinced in his heart.

The phone rang suddenly. He grabbed the receiver and put it to his ear, "I am Pang Da."

"Sir?"

"It's me. Just now, Lady Lisa and I were resting in the mall. We bought some fruits and then chose a place to rest and sat down."

"I went to wash the fruits and came back, but Lady Lisa is gone..."

After Pang Da finished listening, he was stunned for a moment. He immediately became nervous.

He loves his wife more than anything!

"You stay where you are, I'll be there right away!"

He said this and hung up the phone and stood up. His colleague at the desk next to him stopped him, "Are you going out?"

Pang Da nodded, but didn't say why, "Something to leave for a while."

His colleague lowered his voice, "They said that now you must report or ask for leave to leave the office."

This was requested by four senior agents because there are a lot of small cases during this period, and the manpower has become insufficient. If one person is missing, it is possible to drag a case for another two days.

Plus, they have to answer the police from time to time, so Director Dai Er also agreed to their decision.

Without a legitimate reason, leave is not allowed in the first three weeks of this month.

The colleague's reminder made Pang Da feel inexplicably uncomfortable, but he still thanked his colleague, and then came to the senior agent's office.

"Webb, I need to leave for a while."

Webb is his immediate superior, a senior agent who parachuted from the State Prohibition Committee. Originally, this position belonged to him.

He heard from others that Webb's uncle is a member of the State Prohibition Committee.

Webb sat behind the desk. He looked at Pang Da. Before he came here, he also knew that the person in front of him should be the real owner of the position under his butt.

He snatched the position that originally belonged to this person. After he took office, he has been observing Pang Da to see if he has any dissatisfaction with himself.

The Hazardous Materials Administration is not an easy law enforcement department. They often have to face-to-face conflict with those bootleggers on the front line.

Those bootleggers, in order to keep their alcohol and escape legal sanctions, will pull the trigger on law enforcement officers without mercy.

So Webb has always wanted to transfer Pang Da to other groups, but he has never had any good opportunities to do so, and he cannot do so directly.

He will leave a very bad impression on others, so he has been observing, waiting, and looking for opportunities.

"Is it to go out for work?", Webb kept a hypocritical smile on his face, "You write a report and I'll approve it for you."

Pang Da hesitated for a moment, "My maid at home just called me and said my wife got lost in the mall, and I have to go see."

Webb looked at him, his smile remained, "May I ask, is your wife... normal?", he stretched out his finger and circled around his head, "Normal?"

Pang Da was stunned for a moment, and an obviously dissatisfied expression appeared on his face, "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"She is of course a normal person!"

Webb didn't care about his disrespect, "Since your wife is normal, what are you worried about?"

"She might just be attracted by some promotional goods, so she got separated from your maid. After you go back tonight, she will definitely be sitting in the living room waiting for you!"

"I heard that the case in your hand is going to be tried the day after tomorrow. Have you prepared the materials?"

Pang Da was silent for a few seconds, "Some are not finished yet."

The smile on Webb's face converged, "Then why don't you go back and do what you should do?"

"I believe any lady with normal intelligence can find her way home."

"If they can't find it, they can call the police, and the police can also help them!"

The look in Pang Da's eyes towards Webb had already undisguisedly revealed dissatisfaction and disgust, "I said, I want to ask for leave."

Webb leaned back in his chair, "I said, private matters are not allowed!"

He looked at Pang Da with a trace of provocation in his eyes. He hoped to have some conflict with Pang Da, and then transfer this person away, or even expel him from the Hazardous Materials Administration team!

It's not that he is very bad, it's just that as a normal person, he feels that after he snatched Pang Da's position, it is absolutely impossible for them to coexist peacefully!

Rather than not knowing when he will be stabbed in the back by this person, it is better to throw him out before the danger happens!

If Pang Da hadn't considered doing so, then he would apologize for these things one day, but he would absolutely not regret it.

Compared to apologizing, the potential danger caused by Pang Da's existence is obviously more troublesome!

Pang Da's breathing became heavy. He clenched his fists, turned and left his office, which made Webb a bit disappointed.

He curled his lips and took out the "Tide Newspaper" from the drawer to continue reading.

No man in the entire Likalai State does not love the "Tide Newspaper," and he is no exception!

Pang Da went directly to Director Dai Er's office and explained the situation. Director Dai Er was silent for a while, "Go, I will talk to Webb."

This made Pang Da breathe a sigh of relief, "Thank you, I will come back soon after I find Lisa!"

After Director Dai Er comforted him with two sentences, Pang Da drove the police car and left directly.

He saw the maid at the entrance of the mall, and also saw two police officers and mall security. After he showed his credentials, he intervened in the discussion.

"We have already searched the first and second floors and didn't see Lady Lisa. The third and fourth floors are searching, and there will be results soon."

Pang Da heard this, and the unease in his heart became stronger.

Lisa is a sensible woman. Even if she met friends or was attracted by some activities, it is impossible for her to leave without a sound, or go somewhere else!

Something terrible must have happened that forced her to leave here and not come back.

He was a bit impatient and wanted more police and security to join the search, but they were all refused.

It's just that one person is missing, and it's not a big shot, so it can't be defined as a missing person, and it can't alarm more police and security.

No way, Pang Da could only dial the number of the Lans family.

Lans had already returned from New Jincheng. The bootleg alcohol market during the two weeks of the New Year is in a high-intensity active period.

There is demand everywhere, and the price of alcohol has risen again and again!

Five regions in Likalai State have Imperial gangs buying alcohol from Lans. Every month they can eat up millions of goods.

And these goods can bring Lans at least three hundred thousand in profit.

As the price of alcohol continues to rise, the profit will only be more and more!

"Looking for you."

In the office, Lans is reconciling accounts. He took the phone with a cigarette in his mouth, "I am Lans."

"Lans... Lisa got lost in the mall. Can you arrange some people to come and help me find her?"

"I'm worried if she encountered any accidents."

Lans agreed immediately after hearing it. This is not a troublesome thing, "Give me the address, and I will arrange for people to go over."

"Thank you!", Lans's readiness made Pang Da's mood a little better for a rare moment. He thanked him solemnly again, "Thank you so much!"

Lans didn't care much about this, "We are friends, helping each other is what we should do!"