Chapter 654: A Frank Talk

"This is..."

"Is that so?"

"Alright, no problem. Who else is coming?"

"Got it, I'll be there on time!"

After hanging up the phone, a gentleman frowned and leaned forward, one arm propping up his chin against the edge of the table, his head turned to gaze at the gloomy sky outside the window.

It had been snowing for the past few days, but it always seemed as if it couldn't quite finish; it would snow for a while, stop for a while, then snow again, then stop again.

It couldn't dump all the snow at once, so it remained a perpetually overcast day.

The damp chill of winter was like a chaotic magical attack; for those living by the sea, it was simply terrible.

When the sun was out, the air wasn't so damp and cold; it was a dry cold, and as long as one dressed warmly enough, the chill could be avoided.

Now, the damp, cold air seemed to penetrate through clothing; no matter how much one wore, a sense of chill remained.

If the damp chill of winter was in the "physical" sense, then the recent bad news was in the mental sense.

He came back to his senses, rubbed his face, and then glanced at his watch; there wasn't much time left.

He sighed, tidied up briefly, put some money into his wallet, picked up the checkbook from the drawer, went to the cloakroom at the entrance, changed his clothes, and pushed the door open to leave.

Twenty-some minutes later, he arrived at a rather famous restaurant at the time agreed upon with Chairman Vaughn.

The head chef of the restaurant was an old man with a bad temper, but their general manager was quite nice and likable.

This had made the restaurant one of the more well-known ones in New Jincheng, offering everything from mid-range to high-end dining.

The one they had agreed upon today was a high-end restaurant located in the Star Fall District.

There was no main hall here; everything consisted of independent suites.

A dining room, a reception room, an office, and a wash area—the entire suite was like an independent house.

The secluded and private environment made it the top choice for many people to discuss business. Of course, the prices here weren't cheap; each meal cost at least three to five hundred dollars or more.

If one needed to drink, it would cost over a thousand.

Spending over a thousand dollars on a meal, even for a businessman like him, was a bit painful.

He didn't know if he would be picking up the tab today, so he brought both cash and his checkbook when he came.

When he was guided by the staff into the room they had agreed upon, he found that some people had already arrived, all of whom Chairman Vaughn had mentioned to him.

He was familiar with all of them, so he hung his coat on the rack and found a seat to sit down.

"Did you get stuck in traffic on your way here?" someone asked casually.

That's how these gatherings were; even though everyone knew each other, some small talk was still needed to make the atmosphere more harmonious.

Starting with food, clothing, housing, and transportation was a very simple and effective method.

Things like asking about road conditions, the weather, or recent news were all good topics.

He shook his head. "Not bad. The weather is too cold now, so there aren't many cars on the road."

With that response, the greetings were done. "Do you guys know what Vaughn wants to talk about by calling us here?"

Someone asked, and everyone had their own guesses. He sat there listening, occasionally expressing his own views and opinions.

At first, they speculated whether it had to do with the war. Some had already heard rumors that the General Union was going to pull a portion of dock workers from various wharves and ports to work at a military port provided by Director Du Ke.

The New Jincheng wharf was one of the largest in the Federation, and the traffic here was the heaviest, meaning they had the most workers; they might be pulling more skilled workers away from here.

Some felt that the General Union's brains must have gone wrong; there was absolutely no need to get involved in such matters.

With that effort, it would be better to consider how to create more value and profit for them, the investors of the wharf!

But soon, some restless people were no longer satisfied with such ordinary guesses. As more people arrived, someone leaned forward, arms pressing against the edge of the table, and said with the expression of "I have a secret," "Do you guys think..."

"Is there a possibility?"

"Vaughn called us here, but does it have something to do with the current situation in New Jincheng?"

This topic caused the room to go quiet at first, but soon people began to express their own views.

Some people were always like that; they couldn't help it, always hoping their performance could overshadow others.

"Very likely!" said a guy sitting in the middle. "The power struggle between Mayor Williams and the Bay Area has reached a fever pitch. It looks like just a demolition issue in the old industrial zone, but in reality, this is a battle for who is the master."

"For New Jincheng, if you compare this place to a battlefield, then there is only one main battlefield here!"

His voice dragged on, leaving more room for people to imagine, and allowing people to follow his words to think of what he wanted to express.

Another person who couldn't help it continued, "The port, the wharf."

The first person who couldn't help it pointed at the second person with both hands. "Bingo. If you look at them as two armies, then we are the objects they need to win over."

A smug expression appeared on his face, the kind that said "we are actually very important," as if he had already guessed the standard answer.

"I don't know which side Vaughn represents, but regardless, let's not promise him anything first."

"Even for this meeting, we shouldn't promise anything. The more intense the war between them, the harder it is to determine a winner, and the higher our value becomes!"

Everyone else nodded in succession; this was indeed a smart choice.

While these people were discussing these sensitive matters, Chairman Vaughn pushed the door open and entered. He shook off the few snowflakes on his body and hung his overcoat on the empty rack.

"Sorry, I got stuck in traffic on the way."

Someone laughed. "You must have come from the wharf side."

Smiles appeared on the faces of others to varying degrees.

There weren't many residents in the Bay Area; after all, the cost of living and housing prices there were too high. What ordinary person could spend tens of thousands, over a hundred thousand, or even two or three hundred thousand to buy a villa to live in?

Even small businessmen might not be able to come up with that kind of money, so the roads from the Bay Area to the Star Fall District were very clear, and there was no such thing as traffic jams.

Only coming from the port area would cause traffic jams, and one had to pass through the Deruixi District during the trip.

This was actually a slightly unfriendly joke that raised one's own status. Chairman Vaughn wasn't unable to hear it, he just didn't care much about it.

He smiled. "Yes, I came from the wharf side. There were too many cars on the road."

They were friends, that was no problem, just as an Emperor would have a few friends among commoners, but that didn't mean the two sides were truly absolutely equal.

An Emperor would also joke about the holes in a commoner's clothes; this wasn't really going too far, at most it was a kind of teasing without subjective malice.

He found a seat and sat down. The person with the clearly highest status among this group began to lead the situation. "Let's have them start serving the food; I'm already a bit hungry."

Just as he was about to have someone call the manager to serve the food, Chairman Vaughn stopped him. "There is one more friend, arriving soon. Let's wait a little longer."

That person was stunned for a moment. He looked around the circle. "Who else?"

"Everyone you and I talked about has already arrived."

Chairman Vaughn smiled. "Don't be anxious, I'll give you a surprise. It'll be soon."

The atmosphere in the room changed slightly. The person who had originally intended to control the situation also smiled and closed his mouth.

A group of people started chatting. After chatting for more than ten minutes, footsteps sounded outside the door, and after the door of the room was knocked on a few times, it was slowly pushed open.

Chairman Vaughn stood up immediately. Seeing him stand up, the others also stood up one after another, their gazes fixed on the outside of the room's door.

The moment Lans appeared from outside, the thoughts of the people in the room had a clear pause and a short period of blankness. Lans came into the room, took off his hat and coat and handed them to the person beside him, then walked to a place not too far from the table, with a smile on his face. "I have to apologize first, because for some reasons I couldn't invite everyone personally. I am very grateful that everyone could give me face. I hope I didn't come too late."

The people in the room reacted immediately. Someone took the initiative to say, "Not late, not late. It's us who arrived early. You came just at the right time; they haven't even started serving the food yet."

Even the person sitting in the main seat took the initiative to give up his position. "Mr. Lans, sit here."

Lans glanced at that position, then shook his head. "It's okay, I'll sit next to Vaughn."

He walked to Chairman Vaughn's side, and immediately someone came over to pull the chair for him so he could sit in. He said thank you, and turned his head to let the manager start serving the food.

This wasn't because those small shareholders were too "attentive," but because what Lans represented now was no longer as simple as just a gang leader.

He controlled almost all the order in this city. When he got married, many people heard about it. The heads of almost all departments in the entire city went, and even the Navy sent two Colonels to send gifts!

What the hell kind of concept was this?

This meant that Lans's actual power might have already exceeded the Mayor's, at least in the matter of "who to cause trouble for," he was absolutely number one!

Police, prosecutors, courts, if you add his control over the wharf.

Humility is merely the result of realizing the gap between one another; this is the world of adults!

Here, it wouldn't be like in an ivory tower where some people, knowing clearly "I am not as good as you," still want to show their so-called backbone. In the world of adults, backbone had long been broken, shattered into slag.

After a few simple pleasantries, the restaurant started serving food. Because Lans came in person, this meal was cooked by Anderson (the restaurant owner) himself.

The story between him and Lans could also be considered one of the legendary stories of New Jincheng—

!

This matter was worth talking about.

Before Lans grew to the point where he needed to be looked up to, he didn't like to mention Lans, because Lans made him feel humiliated.

Those feces, and forcing him to bow his head, he felt he had been severely humiliated!

But when Lans's fame began to grow larger and larger, he suddenly discovered that this actually wasn't anything about humiliation or not; everyone was just for life and work.

When Lans's height was already something that ordinary people and even most people couldn't reach, he began to take the initiative to tell people about his "friendship" with Lans.

Although it was a contradiction, they also got to know each other because of these things. He also boasted that his partner and manager had a very good relationship with Lans, which also allowed the restaurant to accumulate some popularity.

Now Anderson almost never cooked himself, but Lans said he was coming to eat today, so he still decided to cook a dish himself.

Not long after, the manager pushed the cooking cart into the room. After Anderson greeted Lans, he stood by the cooking cart with a smile, and according to what the manager taught him, he produced some flashy "special effects."

Finally, a dish was divided and placed in front of every guest.

Lans said a few words to Anderson, and shook hands with the manager, and then these people left.

Returning to the dining table, Lans easily took the initiative.

"Taste it. Mr. Anderson is a well-known chef. I heard he has some fame in the entire state, and even in the south."

"Wanting to eat the food he cooked himself is not an easy thing!"

Others gave him face, and he would also give others face. Lans was not a pure jerk; he knew how to get along with people.

Everyone gave face and tasted it, praising how delicious the food was. Actually... it was just so-so; the fame added more points.

After tasting some dishes, when the dinner officially started, Lans began to talk about the main topic.

"Recently, you should have also noticed that some problems have appeared within the city."

Others put down their knives and forks one after another. Someone had just divided the meat in the plate into small pieces and wrapped it in sauce, and now they had to put down the knives and forks and sit properly.

Although he really wanted to take a bite.

Following Lans's words, others nodded one after another. This was a fact, and everyone could see it.

He paused for a few seconds, letting them prepare mentally, and then continued, "I am the same as you, even more than you, hoping that this city will be stable and calm."

"Only in this way will there be a steady stream of banknotes put into my pocket."

"During the chaotic war of the five major families, we have already seen that tourists are afraid of being affected and choose not to come, and the city is visibly depressed."

"Our income has also been affected because of this."

"If possible, I believe no one wants the city to become chaotic."

Others nodded one after another. The first guy who couldn't help it took the initiative to say, "You are right, Mr. Lans. We don't want chaos to happen."

Lans glanced at him and nodded slightly as a greeting. "But now you have also seen it; the conflict has happened and cannot be avoided."

"Whether it is Williams or Charles and those people, the two sides are definitely not just opposing each other for the price of the land."

"More of it is to confront who has the final say in this city."

"Gentlemen, we are all the masters of this city. We don't want it to get worse, but since the problem has already occurred and cannot be avoided, the only thing we can do is to find a way to accelerate this process."

"As long as it ends fast enough, the impact it can have on us will be small enough."

Others nodded again and again; after all, the logic was indeed this logic.

Lans pursed his lips and took out a cigarette. Before Chairman Vaughn could react, someone had already taken out a lighter and walked over to light it for Lans.

"Thank you!" Lans showed his politeness and civilization. He took a puff of the cigarette and exhaled upwards.

"My relationship with Mayor Williams is a bit better. I am very familiar with him, including his family."

"I am a sentimental person. Sometimes I don't care if what my friend does is right or wrong. As long as he is my friend, I will support him."

"Just like now, I will support Mayor Williams, just because he is my friend."

"I also hope to make friends with you. Will you give me this opportunity?"

He smoked and looked at these people, his gaze constantly flowing from their faces. These people also fell into thought.

Lans didn't urge them, letting them think slowly.

After a while, about two or three minutes, someone asked, "Mr. Lans, how do you plan to accelerate this process?"

"I have no intention of exploring your thoughts and methods, I just want to know, if I stand on your side, how fast will this acceleration process be?"

"Will you use some... extreme means?"

"And what will happen to those people in the end?"

The attention of others also focused. Lans flicked the cigarette ash. "Leave political matters to Mayor Williams. I am responsible for things outside of politics."

"I am also not afraid of you knowing, and even more not afraid of you telling them."

"First, I will make some people lose their reputation. I hold their scandals and evidence, enough to make them be spurned by society."

"Immediately after, the police and prosecutors will conduct investigations into these people, look for evidence of their crimes, and send them to court to accept a fair trial."

"Then I will launch a strike, parade, and demonstration by dock workers to force the board of directors of the group to hold a shareholders' meeting."

"At this time, I should have a portion of the shares in my hand, plus yours, we can make a powerful voice at the shareholders' meeting."

"Our goal is not to defeat them head-on, but to make them flustered."

"As for what to do later...", he smiled, "That will have to wait until you join us, then I will let you know."

Listening to these plans of Lans, everyone's brains were turning at high speed, accompanied by their occasional eye contact, and their various expressions.

It could be seen that everyone's inner thoughts at this time were different.

This plan... it could only be said that the probability of success was not small, if he really held the criminal evidence and scandals of these people.

Lans was not in a hurry to let them express their stance. He could actually not win over these people.

But now he was sitting here, and the purpose of winning over these people was to make the whole process look better, and at the same time to form a "force," to form a new interest group, an interest group with him as the core!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 655 =====