Chapter 922: Expand or Not

Some members of industry-wide trade unions sent delegates to Jincheng City, and even unions unrelated to this strike sent people to watch the spectacle.

The current rotating vice-chairman of the Labor Union personally came to Jincheng City to resolve the biggest problem—strikes are ineffective!

It’s like… the weapons of a gang locked in a shootout have jammed, bullets won’t fire—that’s fatal!

At the same time, they had never encountered this situation before; during internal meetings of the Labor Union over the past two days, they believed this was a test.

They must respond with fierce retaliation, or else these people will shake the very foundations of the Labor Union—and the Workers’ Party now forming!

The last time it was this lively was during the first Workers’ Skills Competition held in Jincheng City.

When the Labor Union’s rotating vice-chairman entered through the door, everyone in the hotel conference room stood up to show respect for the vice-chairman.

The Labor Union has actually grown into a monster!

It has gathered 70 to 80 percent of skilled workers across all federal industries, exerting tremendous influence over them, and has become a political group with formidable strength and power.

The vice-chairman is equivalent to a party’s third or fourth-ranking figure; if they evolve into the Workers’ Party, this vice-chairman will very likely become the chairman of the Workers’ Party’s National Representative Assembly—highly powerful and influential.

The vice-chairman is around fifty years old, his hair slightly streaked with gray, his posture upright.

Like all Labor Union and union management staff, not a single trace of working-class characteristics could be seen on him.

His hands looked soft, well-maintained, with not a single callus.

Each fingernail seam seemed to have been meticulously cleaned; he had no stray whiskers—someone likely shaved him daily; his hair, sideburns, and eyebrows were all neatly groomed.

To say such a man represents the working class is like a joke.

Yet the entire federal working class seems to have tacitly accepted this fact—or under the interference of certain forces, they no longer sense how deeply wrong this is.

Why do those who work hard still toil endlessly, while those who rely on their solidarity have already climbed the class ladder?

They don’t consider this.

The vice-chairman strode in, raised his hand to prevent people from shaking his hand or greeting him closely—it would waste his time.

He came straight here after getting off the train, without a single delay on the way.

The local branch chairman had suggested he rest, but he refused every offer.

He went to his seat, pulled out his chair, waited until everyone else sat down, then sat himself.

“The situation is grim, so I won’t waste time with pleasantries.”

“The chairman is shocked by the outcome of this strike in Jincheng City—it may not be the first time, but it’s the first time in years our strikes have been broken up!”

“Some people are beginning to entertain a terrifying thought: they believe our strike tactics no longer work.”

“We must reverse this situation here!”

He paused, looking around, “Who is handling the investigation into those attackers?”

A Labor Union official seated not far to his right raised his hand, “I am responsible, sir.”

The vice-chairman nodded, “Tell us about these attackers.”

The official pursed his lips, “These attackers are all refugees who fled from Tafet Continent due to war; they have no other affiliations.”

The vice-chairman had heard of this already, “Was there no organization behind them?”

“Why did they clash with our protest march?”

The official shook his head, “Some of them claim our demonstrations disrupted their work and life in the Federation, so they spontaneously decided to act against us.”

“No one organized them—someone had a sudden idea, and others followed.”

“Sudden idea?” The vice-chairman shook his head, “I don’t believe that. Find a way to get us more reliable testimony—use appropriate methods.”

“Offer them money, legal federal citizenship, protection, jobs—anything they want!”

“As long as they tell the truth—to us, and to the media!”

“I don’t believe Lans can offer them better deals than we can!”

“Don’t be stingy with money or promises here—our priority is to get through this crisis.”

The official nodded firmly; everyone knew what methods could solve this, but no one wanted to take responsibility.

Like bribing witnesses—someone assigned to investigate wouldn’t dare raise it themselves, nor would they request funds for bribes; only if their superiors brought it up could they proceed.

After resolving this matter, the vice-chairman continued, “We must first conduct a more rigorous investigation, then I will speak with Lans.”

“If necessary, the chairman has already begun considering expanding the strike’s scope—but that’s only a last resort, not necessarily to be used.”

After saying this, the atmosphere in the room shifted noticeably—expanding the crisis would increase pressure on Jincheng City.

When everyone stands up to accuse someone who did nothing wrong, forcing them to apologize to society for something they didn’t do, right and wrong no longer matter.

Stability is key!

This is the Labor Union’s ultimate weapon: during wartime, they cannot tolerate sudden large-scale strikes, which cause more than just production halts.

A widened strike could even disrupt the war effort.

This is the Labor Union forcing the federal government, the public, everyone—to rally and pressure Lans!

Can he withstand the Labor Union? The unions? The entire nation? Even the entire military alliance?

If the Federation loses the war on the front, it won’t just be the Federation that loses—Slard and other nations will lose too!

Half the world’s pressure is focused on Lans—the vice-chairman doesn’t believe he can hold out.

As discussions deepened, even the most difficult tasks and issues were quickly organized into clear order.

Capable people always reveal their ability, no matter what they do; incapable people, even if they try hard, remain incapable.

Only after the meeting ended did the vice-chairman return to his hotel suite, where arrangements for his food, lodging, and daily life had already been upgraded to political standards.

He stayed in the best suite; if the chairman were visiting, only a presidential suite would suffice.

Sitting in the suite, he changed into civilian clothes—he looked relaxed.

The branch chairman of the Licaile State Labor Union, along with several local core members, sat on the sofa, waiting for the vice-chairman to change. After he emerged, they exchanged brief pleasantries and took different seats on the sofa.

“Vice-Chairman, why… aren’t we pushing to expand the strike now?”

The branch chairman’s face showed confusion; after the failure of this Jincheng strike, he had lost face—as if all eighteen other state branch chairmen in the Federation were laughing at him.

He desperately wanted to prove himself, to show this was an isolated case—not a failure of his ability, but a failure of these people, damn them!

If they expanded the strike, he believed it would truly work.

The vice-chairman lit a cigarette, crossed his leg, one hand resting on his knee, “And then?”

The branch chairman blinked, “What… and then?”

“I agree to expand the strike, the chairman agrees—then what?”

“What’s your plan?”

The branch chairman smiled, “I’ll make every factory in Licaile State shut down, halt production, and force the Lans family to accept our demands—or we won’t resume work!”

“He can’t withstand such pressure—we’ll be the ultimate victors!”

Those around him nodded eagerly, clearly agreeing.

The vice-chairman sighed lightly, “This is precisely why problems only become visible once they’ve expanded.”

“I doubt your competence!” He cut off the branch chairman before he could speak, “The pressure we face won’t be less than what Lans faces.”

“The front is at war, gentlemen.”

“Licaile State isn’t an industrial hub, but it still produces vast quantities of equipment and goods—all destined for the front.”

“If we fail to maintain stable supply to the front and lose the war, do you think the federal government will blame Lans—or us?”

The branch chairman answered without hesitation, “It would definitely be Lans’s fault.”

The vice-chairman had no desire to speak—he was an utter fool!

“Lans is acting in just one city; we’d launch a statewide strike—our force isn’t balanced, the consequences aren’t balanced, the returns aren’t balanced.”

“Frankly, I doubt you got this position through backdoor connections.”

“Don’t say such stupid things again—I’m allergic to stupidity!”

The branch chairman turned pale with embarrassment.

Those around him lowered their heads, silent, afraid to show any expression.

“Unless absolutely necessary, we won’t expand the strike—so we must solve these problems locally, not by expanding!”

He glanced at the branch chairman, “Act quickly, as I instructed in the meeting…”

These past few days, Director Bro and Deputy Director Du Ke were busy—they’d arrested many people, but none could provide useful testimony against Lans.

For example, everyone knows who’s behind the strike demonstrations; even if they confessed, it would mean nothing.

They were willing to cooperate, and the constitution granted them this right, so they could only release these people gradually—but before releasing them, they’d make them suffer.

Like giving only water for two days, no food.

Or keeping them awake at night—just as they fell asleep, police would bang batons against steel grates, clanging loudly, making sleep impossible.

If someone actually dozed off, they’d drag him out and send him to interrogation, asking simple but bizarre questions.

Like—“Did you see someone when you left home that morning?”

They’d just grab any photo—this was only meant to deprive sleep, not to actually identify anyone.

In short, these workers had been tormented mercilessly over the past two days.

At first, they threatened, “I’ll sue you!”—but soon they realized threats were useless, because Lans had said: if they lost their jobs over this, they could directly join Lans’s company.

What’s the point of being a cop?

Isn’t working for Lans better?

Pay might not increase, but life is easier, family life is manageable, and future prospects are far greater.

For ordinary people, being a cop means dying as just another officer.

So everyone cooperated enthusiastically.

Director Bro was discussing the situation’s development with Deputy Director Du Ke when a police officer knocked and requested entry.

“Come in.”

After the officer entered, he saw Deputy Director Du Ke also present; knowing Du Ke had a close relationship with Director Bu Lu, he didn’t avoid anything: “Several lawyers have arrived outside, saying they want to meet their clients and requesting separate rooms.”

Director Bu Lu wasn’t surprised; he added voluntarily, “They’re probably lawyers from the Labor Union or the Workers’ Union.”

Both the Labor Union and the Workers’ Union have their own legal teams, because they frequently clash with capitalists; having a stable, dedicated legal team serving the unions is especially important.

Whenever labor-capital conflicts arise, these lawyers appear instantly—just like now.

He was about to instruct the officer to arrange it when the officer added, “They don’t want to see the workers—they want to see the attackers.”

Director Bu Lu paused, glanced at Deputy Director Du Ke, and the two locked eyes for a moment; then Du Ke stood up. “I’ll go see what’s going on.”

Soon he arrived at the work hall downstairs, where indeed a group of highly professional lawyers stood, whispering among themselves.

When one of them spotted Deputy Director Du Ke, a leader stepped forward, shook his hand, and said, “We are lawyers from Jinli Law Firm. We demand to meet our clients.”

Deputy Director Du Ke shook his hand. “I heard from the officers that you want to see the attackers.”

The lawyer nodded. “That’s correct. When can we meet them?”

Deputy Director Du Ke was puzzled. “But I haven’t heard them say they hired lawyers. Are you truly their representatives?”

The lawyer maintained a smile, yet a serious expression. “We have a letter of authorization. Their families hired us.”

Deputy Director Du Ke studied them again. “I highly doubt their families could afford you!”

The lawyer shook his head slightly. “That’s none of your concern. We offer free representation for these cases. You have no right to block us from seeing them.”

“According to the… Amendment to the Federal Constitution,” the lawyer began to inform Deputy Director Du Ke of their rights, but Du Ke raised his hand to stop him.

“I’m not blocking you—I’m just curious.” He glanced at the officer beside him. “Arrange a room. And assign someone to monitor them.”

His gaze lingered on them for a moment. “Could you give me a business card?”

“Sometimes I have legal questions and need someone to consult.”

The lawyer handed him a card. “We have someone available to take calls at any time.”

Deputy Director Du Ke glanced at it briefly: Jinzhou Law Firm. “How much do you charge per hour for consultations?”

“Twenty dollars, Director.”

“Deputy Director!” Du Ke corrected. Then he tucked the card away. “Notify me if anything else comes up.”

With that, he left.

Soon he told Director Bu Lu everything he had seen; Bu Lu relayed it all to Lans.

Lans, upon hearing the call, was slightly surprised. “Record the names of everyone they’ve contacted. Isolate those people separately.”

“Contact me if you get any further information.”

After hanging up, Lans frowned. If the Labor Union’s lawyers were visiting the workers, he could understand.

They’d been providing legal aid to workers for years—but now they wanted to meet the attackers, the refugees, and that struck him as odd.

He wasn’t confused—he knew exactly what these lawyers intended.

Lawyers might be the only ones who could legally and openly approach these attackers; in other words, they might represent the Labor Union’s position, negotiating with—or even bribing—the attackers.

But for days, the Labor Union had been flailing like a headless fly—why had their actions suddenly become methodical?

That was what Lans wondered.

Had someone suddenly wised up?

Or had they sent in a more formidable figure?

As Lans pondered this, the phone rang again. “This is Lans.”

“Lans, it’s Debbie.”

“Uh… the Vice Chair has arrived. He wants to see you.”

“What vice chair?”

“The rotating Vice Chair of the Labor Union headquarters. He says he wants to meet with you privately…”

(End of Chapter)