Chapter 867: 000000

69:24:17

The sound of electric welding echoed through the entire production workshop. Huge steel warship modules were being produced in a heavy industrial factory.

Last year, the federal government allocated funds to expand the federal navy, and the navy even felt that their good days had finally arrived!

At this time, the bidding had been going on for almost ten months, and the module in front of them would take at most another six months to be completely finished.

By then, it would be transported to the dock for assembly, and a warship would be born.

The Federation's mature industrial support began to show its unparalleled potential and strength in the construction of large industrial products!

All shipyards and heavy industrial enterprises capable of manufacturing modules were producing structural parts for warships, as long as they didn't have the need to produce tanks or armored vehicles.

There were many workers and engineers on site, checking every process against the blueprints to see if it was qualified, and checking whether the data of those hulls was consistent with the requirements of the blueprints.

Because the final assembly might not fit if it was off by even a little bit, there couldn't be any mistakes in the specifications.

The entire factory had more than two thousand people, working three shifts twenty-four hours a day. At any time and any place you came here, you could see sparks from electric welding constantly falling from high places.

The manager walked out of the office and waved to the leader of each work group, signaling them to come over.

Soon, the group leaders in the production workshop gathered in the manager's office because the production tasks had increased, and each workshop had its own production tasks.

This might be the most "fulfilling" period for this factory in the last five, or even ten years, with no workshops stopping work, only workers collapsing from exhaustion.

They had also heard about the failed strike in Jincheng recently. Honestly, whether it was these group leaders or the company manager, they actually quite envied the situation in Jincheng.

By logic, group leaders also had a working-class background, and he shouldn't be siding with Lanse.

But group leaders had actually moved away from the most basic level of manual workers. They had reached the stage of managing workers, and the wealth and social status they obtained were no longer gained through their own work in the workshop.

Instead, it was through supervising other workers to complete work with quality and quantity. They were no longer purely the working class.

Compared to those worker brothers who asked to stop and rest for a while at every turn, they actually preferred those workers who weren't afraid of hardship or fatigue, who could endure hardship and fatigue, even if they didn't have federal citizenship.

It's just that it wasn't easy for them to say such things.

At this time, the manager's office was crowded with these people. The manager let them stand or sit separately, and then began to convey the board's decision.

"The board just called me..." He pointed his finger at the phone, as if people could really see what had just happened by observing that phone!

"The board's meaning is that our construction period is still too long and needs to be further reduced, by another twenty percent."

As soon as this was said, all the group leaders refused.

They were noisy, talking loudly, and nothing could be heard clearly.

After the manager said "quiet" several times, they gradually quieted down.

"I know some of the problems we are encountering now, but this is not a reason for us to be unable to shorten the construction period."

"You go and talk to the workers. If they can persist, let them persist a bit more. Eight hours will pass quickly."

"If they really can't persist, then let them shorten it by two hours and recruit another batch of people."

Hearing the manager say this, the group leaders felt that this method was okay, but someone asked, "Then how is the salary calculated?"

The manager had an "it goes without saying" look. "Of course, it's calculated based on six hours!"

"Other factories work eleven hours a day. We sympathize with them and let them work eight hours a day. If they still want to rest, then just rest well!"

"Work for a few hours, get paid for a few hours. The company's money didn't come from a flood; it was earned one cent at a time."

"We pay them based on how much value they create. This is very reasonable!"

The group leader who spoke added with some dissatisfaction, "They will definitely make a scene!"

The manager's attitude was very tough. "Then fire them. A qualified society is never short of workers. You can tell others that if there are more positions, we will consider negotiating labor support with the Wanli Group."

"By then, they will have plenty of time to rest well!"

Using Wanli Group's labor support to stimulate them was indeed a good way.

Wanli Group now had quite a reputation in the Federation, and its de-unionization approach had been supported by many employers.

Moreover, it was said that the welfare benefits for signed workers were quite good.

They could still cause great influence and deterrence to ordinary workers and union workers. In fact, everyone wasn't afraid of competition; what they were afraid of was not even having the opportunity to compete.

Someone in the crowd said "despicable." The manager raised his eyebrows and looked in the direction the sound came from. He wasn't sure who said it. "I know who it is, but don't let me find out a second time, otherwise you'll go back to the workshop. There are plenty of people willing to take over your job."

He paused. "Alright, that's it."

61:00:00

At twelve o'clock at night, the largest and most popular bar in the Jincheng Bay area entered its most popular business moment. Those little black guys stood on the stage singing rhythmic songs, and the bar was full of people having fun.

The decoration here was good, the location here was good, and the crowd that could consume here was also good.

Bars in the Bay area never lacked visits from rich people. For rich people, if squandering money could bring them some happiness from a vulgar life, they didn't mind spending money in large amounts.

This was also the problem that low-level people most often encountered—

Why would rich people rather squander their money than give it to the poor?

If he gives it to you, what can you bring him?

Suck his dick, or make him feel happy?

No, you can't do anything. Your "thank you" can't even make their emotions fluctuate, let alone make them feel good!

But they squander here—tobacco, alcohol, sex—which can let them release their desires and obtain the most simple, primitive, and transparent happiness!

The bar's security team patrolled the entire bar from behind the railing on the second floor, looking for those who broke the rules. If they found them, they would reason with them first.

If reasoning didn't work—for example, if these people were drunk—they would beat them up and throw them out.

Arthur hugged two girls. The two girls were attacking each other to compete for a lollipop, which made Arthur feel very happy and relaxed. This was the life a man should live!

He had already talked to the general manager of the Wanli Film Company. He would invest one hundred thousand dollars to test the waters, filming a movie to see if he could make some money or if he would lose money.

This news was leaked by someone, causing him to be surrounded by many girls who wanted to become famous every day.

In the era when opera was king, wanting to sing opera well wasn't an easy thing. It required more than ten years of professional study to become an opera star.

And the most critical point was that one must have a strong background and backing to survive in the industry full of drama bullies.

Wanting to be a female opera star had too many requirements and conditions, but being a movie star not only made money fast, but also didn't require any professional skills.

As long as you knew how to flirt, that was enough. The audience loved this.

So these girls, for the sake of a beautiful life in the future, didn't hesitate to fight for Arthur's lollipop.

Watching them tear each other's hair, Arthur couldn't help but laugh out loud!

52:15:07

"I'm announcing something now. Originally, my birthday is next week, but I might have some things to do next week and can't be in Jincheng, so I plan to celebrate it a week early."

Lanse announced this in the company. Others didn't feel there was any problem. Celebrating a birthday early was very normal.

In fact, compared to the ritual of celebrating a birthday on the day of the birthday, celebrating a birthday was more often about everyone temporarily forgetting everything and having a lively time.

Everyone expressed support for this decision. No one jumped out to oppose it, and there was no need to oppose it.

Then Lanse said, "This time we will celebrate the birthday in Xigu City. It just so happens that Jeral's (a fellow actor) new movie is premiering, and we can just go to the premiere."

Lanse raised his wrist and glanced at the calendar on his wrist. "We'll go tomorrow, early the day after tomorrow. We'll have a meal together at noon, walk around in the afternoon, and then come back at night or the next day."

Someone raised their hand. "Can I not go?"

Lanse neither opposed nor clearly expressed support. "You can try."

"If you say so, then I'm fine."

Everyone burst into laughter, and Lanse was also laughing. "But my suggestion is, you'd better not try!"

"Alright, everyone must go. Don't find excuses for yourself. Now the city can run stably without us."

"If any captain wants to go, they can also go."

After he announced this, he clapped his hands. "Alright, go do your things!"

"Assholes!"

After he finished speaking, he turned and returned to his office, but Meiluo followed him.

"Did something happen?", he asked after closing the door.

Lanse walked to the bar and poured himself a drink. "Why would you think that?"

Saying this, he took out a bottle of whiskey. "Drink some?"

Meiluo shook his head. "I don't know, it's just a feeling."

Lanse took a sip. There were ice cubes inside. Whiskey after being iced was easier to drink, and the fragrance and sweetness in the wine were easier to discover.

He raised his glass slightly. "You just need to do as I say."

This was a very standard affirmative answer, but it didn't contain any affirmative sentence structure or dialogue.

Meiluo nodded solemnly. "Should I call Alvin and the others back?"

"Absolutely not!"

Subsequently, Lanse notified some people with the excuse of his birthday. Regarding Lanse wanting to go to Xigu City to celebrate his birthday, everyone didn't say anything.

It was only a three-hour drive from Jincheng to Xigu City. It could be said that you could go for a meal in the morning and come back in the afternoon.

Mayor Williams was still constantly expanding the scale of Jincheng. It was said that in the new plan, Jincheng would expand about ten to twenty kilometers to the northwest.

By then, it would only be a two-hour drive from Jincheng to Xigu City.

Mayor Williams' city expansion plan also made some people think of the issue of city annexation.

Many people had been discussing this matter recently. Whether it was necessary to include Xigu City in Jincheng, whether it was among the people or in official circles, there were people discussing it like this.

Annexing to Jincheng wasn't all bad for Xigu City, but it wasn't all good either. Some supported it, some opposed it, and everyone discussed it very enthusiastically.

Some people also asked Lanse, and Lanse thought it was unlikely to be realized.

If the two cities merged, there would be one less administrative system, which meant the interests of many people would be damaged.

The federal government was actually not efficient at all, and there was no spirit of sacrifice. These people wouldn't sacrifice themselves for the growth of Jincheng, unless a higher-level decisive force intervened.

So even if the two cities were really stuck together, they wouldn't merge.

However, this also made many people have the idea of traveling to Xigu City. As the weather got hotter and Xigu City's status in the film circle got higher and higher, many Jincheng people would take Xigu City as one of their travel destinations.

26:16:39

The new lawyer team sent by the Labor Alliance had already met Mr. Walter, as well as the previous lawyer representative and his team.

Although the Labor Alliance said they trusted the lawyer representative, they still sent a new lawyer team over.

Regarding this, the lawyer representative didn't have any objections. In fact, for lawyers like them, having someone share the responsibility was a good thing, because he would definitely demand every cent of the fees he should charge.

It wouldn't be reduced from two thousand dollars a day to one thousand dollars a day just because other lawyer teams participated.

The other team wouldn't voluntarily reduce their income either; instead, they might increase their fee requirements because of some ideas they proposed.

Mr. Walter's case was once again taken out completely. The police side also provided some copies of evidence and testimony. In the meeting room inside the police station, which cost six hundred dollars to obtain, the new lawyer team gave Mr. Walter the same view as the lawyer representative after checking all the materials.

"It's impossible to win. All evidence, testimonies, and witnesses are unfavorable to you, and the most critical thing is that you drank alcohol."

"Alcohol will make you lose self-control, so the jury will be more inclined to believe that it was a result of losing control after drinking. This is already the best development. We can't let them think you did it with subjective malice."

Mr. Walter hadn't shaved for the past few days, which made him look very embarrassed and haggard. "I have also been considering this issue these past few days. We mentioned the issue of interstate extradition before."

"So is it possible to extradite me to another state for trial?"

"As long as I don't accept the trial in Lanse's territory, I have a chance to make a not-guilty defense, right?"

Both groups of lawyers agreed with his point of view, but not entirely. The new team signaled the lawyer representative to speak, which was mainly a gesture.

Although they also came, they didn't intend to lead this lawsuit.

The lawyer representative accepted the other party's favor, nodded slightly, and said, "There is this possibility, but at the same time, it's unlikely."

"Extraditing you to another state first requires you to have committed a crime in another state, and someone reported it to the police, then we have a chance to get you over there."

"Now, finding someone to create some problems temporarily is probably not going to be in time, and the possibility of the court in Laizhou not letting people go is even greater."

"Once the trial in the local court here ends, even if you are moved to another state for appeal, other circuit courts may not necessarily support you in making a not-guilty defense."

"The most critical thing is that we are running out of time."

"The evidence structure of this case is too complete. The trial will be held next week at the latest."

"So I have discussed with them that we should still strive for the direction of 'guilty but not serving a sentence.' This possibility is even greater."

Hearing these words, Mr. Walter was very broken. Even if they really helped him achieve no prison sentence, his life would be ruined.

A criminal was not qualified to be a person of such high status as the chairman of the Workers' Party National Congress. His career, his dreams, were all finished!

Mr. Walter took a deep breath. "Last time I asked you to help me contact Lanse..."

The lawyer representative nodded and said, "I contacted him, and also mentioned that you wanted to communicate with him, but Mr. Lanse just asked me to pass a sentence to you."

"What sentence?"

"Good luck!"

"Fuck!"

Mr. Walter hammered the table hard. He couldn't sit still anymore and stood up to walk back and forth several times. "What did the Labor Alliance say?"

The representative of the new lawyer team shook his head. "We don't know about these. They just asked us to come and understand the situation here to see if there is anything we can help with."

Mr. Walter was completely desperate. He could only seek what the lawyer representative said: plead guilty and accept punishment, but try his best not to go to prison. This was already the limit he could accept at present.

Mr. Walter was willing to accept this defense plan, which was naturally very good. Immediately, they began to discuss what to do next.

Including finding the waitress, providing full compensation, and finding ways to obtain her certificate of understanding.

Although the jury couldn't decide how many years he would be sentenced, they could express their opinions to the judge to reduce or not sentence him.

They chatted together for more than two hours before separating, each going to prepare to exert effort for this case.

00:25:27

On a fishing boat fishing in the East Ocean east of Jincheng, the crew member who was pulling the net suddenly stopped his work and looked toward the sea area further east.

His partner saw that the other party hadn't cooperated with him, so he couldn't help but look at him. "What are you dazed about?"

The crew member didn't say anything, still staring straight at the position behind him. His partner had a curious look on his face, slowly turned around, and took a look back.

In the distance, some black things were rapidly getting bigger and rushing toward their direction...

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 868 =====