Chapter 814: Pressure

A whole night of interstate highway control had caused some rumors to begin to circulate in the whole society.

The thing about rumors is that they are always without logic, without reason.

Because if there were logic, and reason, then this would not be a fucking rumor!

What a rumor wants is to be able to catch people's eyeballs, to make people feel incredible, and to be deeply immersed in it!

All kinds of rumors were flying all over the sky, in just one night.

At a little after eight in the morning, the phone in front of Lance rang. He casually picked it up. "It's me."

Elvin's voice came from the receiver. "We might not be able to go back for a short time. We have to stay here for a while."

"Just now I had two young men go and have a look. Now there are roadblocks on the roads in both directions, and they have already gotten a fax of the photos in their hands. I don't dare to take the risk."

In fact, the photos of Matthew's family had been sent to the various section branches by fax in the middle of the night yesterday, but it was too late at night, and it was very difficult for the police to distinguish whether those people were the ones in the fax.

Elvin had to thank the fact that at this time, most of the police departments were still using relatively old fax machines. The density of the dot matrix was lower, and it would look a little distorted.

In addition, it was late, and after they had forced their way through two roadblocks, they had stopped and had decided to find a place to hide for a while.

This high-intensity checkpoint could not last for too long. After the intensity came down, they would go back.

He told Lance his idea. Lance was also quite supportive. At the same time, he also asked curiously, "Have you been exposed?"

After listening, Elvin sighed. "Matthew's eldest son didn't come back from the university. Alan said he was going to deal with him. It's possible that something went wrong on his side."

He also made some explanations for Alan's behavior. "At that time, our idea was that if this eldest son was still alive, and was still very safe, then for Matthew, he would still have a way out."

"Only by kidnapping this person, or killing him, would Matthew have no way out."

Having a way out, and having no way out, are absolutely two different things.

This is just like the ultimate gamblers in a casino, facing the same gambling game where everything is at stake.

The gamblers with no way out, once they have lost, their only end is to jump from the roof of the casino.

Every year, many similar things happen in the Golden Port Casino, so much so that Lance has even had the passage on the top floor closed, and has also put up some signs like "please don't jump here," but it is still impossible to control these people from jumping down.

Because as long as they leave the casino, it means that they have no future, so it is better to jump!

But the gamblers with a way out are different. If they lose, they lose. Even if they have lost everything, they still have a way out.

They can still leave calmly, and life can still go on.

Lance understood what they meant. As long as there was still one child by Police Captain Matthew's side, he would take "abandoning these kidnapped family members" as a choice to weigh, and then turn the result into hatred, because he still had one child.

Only when he had no children, would giving up not become a choice.

After listening, Lance also felt a bit of a headache. "There's no need to kidnap that university student. Just kill him secretly and it will be fine."

Elvin gave a bitter smile twice. "It's my problem. I haven't handled it decisively enough."

Lance did not comfort him. "You have thought of the matter too simply, and also too complicated. If you want to create an opportunity that he cannot give up, then you just have to get rid of the choices you think are superfluous, so that he has no chance to choose."

"How is the situation now?"

"And Alan?"

Elvin lit a cigarette. "I'm not sure, but I haven't heard any news about a kidnapper being arrested. He might still be on the run."

Lance did not pay too much attention to Alan's news. He knew Alan. This guy, many times, looked very easygoing and could be good friends with anyone, but his personality was actually also very strong.

The possibility of capturing him alive was not high.

His mind was very flexible. Maybe he had also hidden, but there was just no chance to contact him for the time being.

Lance considered for a moment and then instructed, "I will handle this matter as soon as possible, in one or two days. You guys rest for a while first."

"At that time, although the roadblock will be removed, they will definitely still be chasing you. Be careful."

"Before you leave, give me a call. Keep the communication open."

Lance said and then hung up the phone. He thought for a moment and then called Mr. Geoffrey (the Secretary of State of Likalai State).

The work of the Secretary of State was more "commercialized" and "capitalized." The business aspect was all managed by the Secretary of State.

Whether it was Lance's casino or his distillery, they were both major taxpayers in Likalai State. In addition, Lance also had the support of the people in Congress. It could be said that the relationship between Lance and Geoffrey was still okay!

Geoffrey had not yet shown any thoughts on the position of governor, so his relationship with Attorney General Terry was not tense.

Not everyone wanted to be the governor, because sometimes, for the person who was most likely to become the governor, to take a step back, the political capital, the profit obtained, would be far higher than taking a step forward!

As for whether he would take a step forward or a step back, this would depend on the political situation in Likalai State after the war was over.

However, for now, they were still a very harmonious government management team.

Receiving Lance's call, Mr. Geoffrey appeared very enthusiastic. No one could be indifferent to a major taxpayer like Lance, let alone the fact that Lance was a good person, and had someone behind him to support him.

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Lance!"

"By the way, just call me Brand. My friends all call me that."

Brand Geoffrey was the name of the Secretary of State. Lance did not refuse. This was actually also a kind of a probing for mutual contact.

"Brand, the highway from Indeno State to Likalai State has been blocked by their highway patrol. Now many vehicles are paralyzed on the highway."

"I and some of my clients have a large amount of supplies that need to be transported back, but it's quite a bit of a hassle to communicate with them. I thought maybe you could help a little."

Mr. Brand did not take a stand immediately after hearing these words. "Can I first find out about the situation?"

Lance certainly would not refuse. "Please do. I'll call you again in five minutes."

Soon, Mr. Secretary of State, through his own channels, had found out the specific situation. The three interstate highways were all blocked.

Originally, the section of the road where Police Captain Matthew was had not participated in the work of setting up checkpoints and checking passing vehicles, but because there had been no discovery all night, someone had suggested that these people might have taken a detour from other places to return to Likalai State, so all three interstate highways had been blocked.

The throughput of an interstate highway might not seem like much, but in fact, this illusion is under the condition of a very fast car speed.

Once the car speed drops, the interstate highway will suddenly seem congested. After all, the interstate highways of the Federation are basically single-lane in both directions.

And on the interstate highways, the number of people who transport illegal goods has always been not small. Now to suddenly check the vehicles so strictly, some of the vehicles that have nothing to do with this case will also cause some riots.

From last night to now, it has become more and more congested.

Mr. Secretary of State had only learned about this part of the content. He was not concerned about why the Indeno State highway patrol had set up a checkpoint.

Five minutes later, the two of them were on the phone again. "I have found out that they have indeed brought the interstate highway to a standstill. What do you want me to do?"

Lance said very decisively, "Put pressure on the Indeno State government. You can protest to their governor. Their actions have seriously damaged the friendship between our two states, and have also caused a part of our factories' production to enter a state of stagnation."

"Just pressure?" Mr. Brand was a little surprised, but he quickly reacted. To not let him further express too much on this matter, or to take certain countermeasures, should be that Lance still had other means.

He then agreed with a smile. "No problem, Lance. This is just a very simple matter."

"Should I call him now, or a little later?"

Lance glanced at his watch. "Nine forty-five, which is fifteen minutes later."

"Okay, no problem."

"Is there anything else?"

"No, thank you!"

"You're welcome!"

Mr. Brand's cooperation gave Lance more confidence that he could solve this matter soon. Then he made another call to Mayor Wade. Only the external pressure was not enough. Internal pressure was also needed.

Mayor Wade had also been paying close attention to this matter. This matter was not small. Many places knew some related things.

But rumors were also flying all over the sky. Some said they had found a spy, some said there was a traitor on the run.

These rumors could more or less fit the current situation. After all, during wartime, it was indeed possible for spies or traitors to appear.

But there were also some that were even more outrageous. The alien enthusiasts said they had found a living alien, and the police and the military were hunting down the alien. They urged them not to do so, as this could trigger an interstellar war!

This kind of rumor, you know it's fake just by hearing it. People can't even break through the atmosphere. How could it trigger an interstellar war?

It could only be a one-sided beating.

The various rumors were countless. It's unknown how the public was spreading them. Would someone deliberately spread this matter? Otherwise, it was clearly just a matter of a few regions. How could the whole of Indeno State know in one night?

He was not surprised to receive Lance's call. On the contrary, he thought that this call might bring some changes to the current situation.

"It's me."

When Mayor Wade heard Lance's voice, he paused his work. He had his secretary leave first, and after the office door was completely closed, he then opened his mouth and said, "Is there anything I can do?"

Since the two had already reached a cooperative relationship, then naturally, in the first cooperation, they had to play a role of mutual help.

Lance's tone was very relaxed, which made Mayor Wade suspect that those people might have already escaped. "If I were to hand Police Captain Matthew over to you, can you solve my problem?"

Lance's problem?

What was his problem?

Mayor Wade soon thought of the problem that Lance wanted to solve, which was to have the chief of the state police, to remove the positions of Police Captain Matthew and a batch of police officers in that section branch.

Lance was not afraid of bearing the crime of killing a police officer, but he also did not want to challenge the crime of slaughtering the police. This was completely on two different levels.

Everything he had done was just for this purpose. As for whether it could help Mayor Wade, that would depend on whether Mayor Wade himself also had enough ability.

"Absolutely no problem. You can trust me," he promptly stated his position.

Lance's feedback was very direct. "Wait for my news."

After hanging up the phone, Mayor Wade looked at the receiver in his hand, a smile on his face.

If Police Captain Matthew fell into his hands, and could fully cooperate with some of his work, he could definitely make the lieutenant governor have a good fall!

To have struck a blow to the lieutenant governor's morale, for him, and for the people in his camp, was definitely good news.

A struggle is just like this. If you are a little stronger, then others will be a little weaker. Simple, and direct.

At 9:45, the Secretary of State called the governor of Indeno State to protest against the stopping of the interstate highway.

In fact, the governor also knew about this. Just as Mayor Wade had said, for a big shot like him, setting up a checkpoint on the interstate highway was just a small matter. If it was blocked, it was blocked.

Now that the Secretary of State from the neighboring state had called, he had only then begun to have an unhappy emotion about this matter, because of this matter, he had lost face.

The words that Secretary of State Brand had said were a little harsh, and the wording was also very tough. If some of their matters had affected the production of the enterprises in Likalai State, they would hold Indeno State responsible.

A conflict between the two states, and then to go to Congress to file a lawsuit, was not the first time this had happened. He could only comfort Secretary of State Brand a few sentences, and then he hung up the phone.

The development of Likalai State in these years had been very good. It had had outstanding performance in both economy and politics. Compared to Indeno State, it was clear that their development momentum was a little more fierce, and their status in Congress was also a little higher.

The Federation is just such a realistic place, even Congress.

So the governor could not take this matter too lightly either. He casually gave the lieutenant governor a call. His tone was not very polite either, and he asked the other party to solve this matter as soon as possible and to restore the smooth flow of the road.

As for a kidnapping case or something, he actually didn't take it to heart.

Are there few cases in the Federation every year that can't be solved?

Compared to his face, compared to the friendship with this "brother state" of Likalai State, this matter was not a matter at all.

He sat behind his desk and thought for a long while before he returned to a working state. Soon he had put this matter out of his mind.

The lieutenant governor had been reprimanded for no reason, and he could only frown and call the chief of the state police. "Have you stopped the interstate highway?"

The chief of the state police did not know why the lieutenant governor was asking this, and he could only answer truthfully. "Yes, this is related to..."

"I don't care what it's related to. Now the Likalai State side has already protested to the governor about your actions, which has caused some of their important production to be unable to proceed, and the production may have to stop."

"The governor has pushed this matter to me. I don't want to hear your explanation. You just have to tell me when the traffic can be restored."

The chief of the state police's scalp was a little tingling. He was silent for seven or eight seconds before he said, "I'll immediately withdraw the roadblock."

After listening, the lieutenant governor used a "humph" to express that he knew, and also his emotions.

At the same time, Police Captain Matthew was sitting in his chair, his eyes staring blankly at the sky outside the window.

The sky in November was still very cool. After winter, the humidity in the air would start to drop, and the clouds would also become much less than in summer.

At a glance, the azure sky was endless, like a whole blue crystal dome inlaid in the sky, which made people like it.

His thoughts were like those thin clouds, not forming any shape, but were scattered.

It had been a whole night, and no good news had come.

They had found some of the abandoned police cars, which meant that the group of criminal suspects had already changed vehicles. But too much time had passed. It had been more than ten hours. No one knew where these people had gone.

Although he was very rich, and he could find some young girls to have children for him again, it was already very difficult for him to, like in the past, to invest more emotion and time in his family and children.

It was very difficult for him to find the feeling of "love" and "family" again from those young women, and the children they had given birth to.

He understood this very well. From the moment he had lost his family, there was only him in this world!

The thought of these things filled his body with a deep sadness. He closed his eyes in grief. He had never been so fragile!

In fact, men have all fantasized about life after a divorce. He had also fantasized, but when such a situation could really appear, he had finally felt a panic, a discomfort.

Life and life were being torn apart. This kind of pain was not born from the body, but it was more unbearable than the pain of the body!

He slowly opened his eyes, and his stiff eyeballs looked at the phone on the desk. Just as he was considering whether to pick up the phone, the phone rang first.

He was startled. His hands were even trembling a little. He watched the phone ring three or four times before he reached out and answered it. "This is... the section branch police captain's office. I am Matthew."

"Police Captain Matthew."

A voice he had not heard, a very steady voice, without any extra emotion in it, which made Police Captain Matthew's scalp tingle slightly.

This feeling was very wonderful, very magical. He subconsciously straightened his body. "I am Matthew. Who are you?"

"Lance, Lance White. Probably the person you are looking for."

All the muscles on Police Captain Matthew's body tensed up. He held the phone's receiver tightly. "Are my wife and children with you?"

Lance did not deny it, but he also did not continue on this topic. "I want to talk to you about a deal, about your family."