Chapter 77

Everyone's gaze was focused on Elvin; Lanse made a "please speak" gesture and then watched him quietly.

Elvin is a sharp and clever person, Lanse knew this very well, so he wasn't worried at all that Elvin would say something inappropriate.

If it were someone else, for example, Yisen, then he would first remind Yisen not to say anything that would dampen everyone's spirits.

Elvin also looked at the people around him, "Actually, everyone really wanted to come; Lanse, Yisen, Meiluo, including Ainio, they all wanted to come—everyone is willing to contribute to the company, to you."

"It's just that we were a bit luckier and were chosen by you, so we have this opportunity to share in such a large sum of money."

"I am very grateful to you, Lanse; our lives weren't easy before, until you decided to change all of this!"

These words also resonated with Hiram and the others; their lives were truly not easy, and the anti-immigrant backlash still had aftershocks vibrating to this day.

If it weren't for the fact that they really couldn't get work permits and couldn't find suitable jobs, they very likely wouldn't have come to do this when they knew there was a problem with this company.

They just held the thought of "what if they pay us," and worked here for a month, and this also reflected the predicament of the survival of immigrants and illegal immigrants at this time.

Elvin's genuine display of emotion was moving and relatable.

"So my idea is, I'll take 200 dollars, and the rest will be deposited into the company account."

Mo Lisi was the first to raise his hand in agreement, "Yes, when I heard we were going to share such a large sum of money, although I felt a trace of secret joy, I soon felt fear."

"I have never seen so much money; I'm afraid it will control me—I don't want to become a sinner or a fool because of this money."

"I'll also take 200, and help me deposit the rest into the company account..."

The people on Lanse's side all chose to do this, while Hiram's group all looked at Hiram.

Hiram thought for a while and shook his head, but his hair was soaked by the rain and didn't shake off; he could only brush it back with his hand.

It must be said that when he performed this action, combined with his stupid face, it was as stupid as it could be, full of deception.

"Lanse, no matter what others say, from my perspective, you did this thing just to help us."

"At first, I just wanted to ask you to help us get back the wages that belonged to us and give these people some punishment; I didn't expect there would be so much!"

"I also feel... money isn't necessarily the more the better; enough is enough."

"I also have an idea..."

He glanced at Elvin, then said very sincerely, "I want to follow you, Lanse."

"From Elvin and other friends, one can see that you can let me live with dignity!"

"I only need my wages; I'm afraid that if I have too much money in my hands at once, I won't be able to control myself and will spend it recklessly, attracting others' attention."

Hiram looked very stupid, especially with his dull eyes and his habit of brushing his hair; he was as stupid as a mentally disabled farmer from the countryside.

But the ability he actually displayed far exceeded that of an average person.

"Are you representing yourself, or all of you?"

Hiram turned his head to look at the others; they had also had some contact before, and having suffered oppression together for a month, their relationship had also improved.

A few people stood out and indicated they were willing to follow Hiram's lead, as long as they were given 50 dollars.

But there were also two people who didn't speak, which made Hiram feel somewhat ashamed and angry, but he didn't say anything.

This was Lanse's home turf; he couldn't replace Lanse in issuing orders or disposing of matters.

"It's fine, this is what you deserve; you also bore huge risks—no one can say your choice is wrong."

The two people's somewhat tense bodies clearly relaxed, but then Lanse said again, "Tomorrow you go to the company to get the money, and then you and this matter will have absolutely no connection."

"But at the same time, I also hope you can keep a low profile for a period of time; if this matter becomes known because of your problems."

"You should understand, I can deal with federal people, so naturally I can also deal with Imperial people."

"I don't hope that one day I have to personally throw you into oil drums and sink you into Angel Lake, and it might even implicate your families!"

These words were said very seriously; the two people actually already had some regrets at this moment, but over 4,000 dollars was too attractive!

This meant they would need to work for ten years without eating or drinking, while having legal work and not being shortchanged, to get this money!

If it were like now, needing to rent someone else's work permit, they might need twenty or thirty years to save up this money!

On one side was 50 dollars from a hot-headed moment, and on the other was over 4,000 dollars in hand; they soon made a decision and firmed up their thoughts.

"I understand, Lanse; I guarantee that only I know about this matter, and no second person will know about this matter through my mouth; otherwise, I leave myself to your disposal!"

The other person also roughly said the same thing; Lanse nodded noncommittally, only warning them, "Remember what you said."

Afterwards, a smile appeared on his face again, "Come on, there's still so much meat; what a pity it would be to waste it."

Some people ate easily without burdens, but there were also people who ate absent-mindedly.

The heavy rain stopped in the middle of the night, and bright stars twinkled in the clear night sky; the faint starlight illuminated the earth.

The next morning, Lanse had been observing that warehouse; he had thought the police would come last night.

After all, having lost hundreds of thousands in goods all at once, the owner couldn't possibly not know about this matter, nor could he possibly bear this loss himself.

But having waited until now, no police had come; the warehouse had instead been completely sealed up again, and two large trucks were parked outside the warehouse, blocking the door.

This made Lanse truly unable to understand; he believed the only possible situation was that this batch of liquor was black-market goods!

He had Yisen bring two brothers over to keep watch; they all carried weapons.

And Lanse went to find a way to inquire about what exactly was going on.

Meanwhile, three people wearing formal attire knocked on the door of the coroner's office at the Jincheng City Police Department.

The coroner, who had been working, stood up to receive them.

The coroner had seen many people—all kinds of living people, as well as all kinds of dead people; he could tell at a glance that these people should be gang members, and the kind of gangsters who had a certain influence in Jincheng.

You can't expect those street kids who might not even have dinner money to be able to wear designer suits worth hundreds of dollars and also tie a nice-looking tie.

After shaking hands with the person who entered the office, he sat back behind the desk and handed over a file.

While this person was looking at the file, he was observing this person.

He should be under thirty, but it's also possible he's in his early thirties; he was very fair-skinned, looked somewhat slender, and wasn't strong.

However, he chose a slim-fit suit, which wouldn't make those clothes look baggy—this was a person who paid attention to details.

His collar and cuffs had been carefully groomed, and even his tie knot was tied very neatly.

The only thing the coroner felt was a bit of a flaw was his hands—there were scars on the back of his hands, more than one, and there were calluses on his palms.

A few minutes later, the visitor put down the document; he turned his head left and right, and a violent aura rose from his body.

He seemed to want to destroy or ruin something, but this wasn't a place he was familiar with; he ultimately didn't sweep everything off the desk.

He clenched his hands into fists, then quickly released them, brushed his hair, and after a good while, his emotions finally calmed down.

"The report... says he was stuffed to death.", his voice was also very nice, slightly hoarse, very much in line with the current female perception of "magnetic."

The coroner nodded, "His facial masseter muscles and other muscle groups have lacerations; it's very likely someone forcibly stuffed food into him, causing him to burst his own stomach wall, resulting in death from massive blood loss."

The man suddenly laughed a few times after hearing this, then shook his head, "This idiot!", he said, raising his hand to make an apologetic gesture, and pointed to the photo on the file, "I'm not talking about you; I'm talking about this dead idiot!"

His eye sockets were a bit red, "Have you figured out who killed him?"

The coroner shook his head, "You'll have to ask Officer Lukaer, who is in charge of this case; his office is in the Criminal Investigation Division, and there's a nameplate on the door."

The man stood up, took a deep breath, reached out his hand, and shook hands with the coroner again, "Thank you for what you've done; can I... go see him?"

The coroner nodded, "But not now; Officer Lukaer will take you, and then there is a process and form for claiming the body; you will see him."

He hesitated for a moment, "People always die; I hope you can stop the sorrow—life goes on."

The man nodded forcefully, "Thank you, thank you for your guidance; I feel much better!"

He turned and left; watching his back, the coroner knew that Jincheng was about to be restless again...