Empire of Shadows

Our

Today, Mr. William (Patricia’s father) was returning from the state government, and Patricia said her mother suggested they all have dinner together in the evening.

Lance had no objections to this, and he also had some ideas he wanted to discuss with William.

So he declined Vaughn’s suggestion about President Scott wanting to meet him that evening and drove directly to the train station.

And at 6:40, he waited for Mr. William.

Lance honked his horn by the roadside, and William immediately noticed the situation and saw Lance getting out of the car.

“Did they send you to pick me up?” William asked, handing his luggage to Lance while dusting off his clothes with a towel.

The station was too dusty; many tiny dust particles clung to his dark woolen clothes, and these grayish dust specks were particularly noticeable on the dark fabric.

After Lance put the luggage in the trunk, he opened the car door for him. “Pat never asks me for anything, so when she did, even if Mr. President wanted to see me, I’d tell him to talk to me tomorrow morning!”

William was not at all old-fashioned; he laughed and said, “I hope Mr. President can forgive me.”The two got into the car, and as the car drove, William actively brought up the situation at Barbara’s birthday party. “Did they cause you any trouble?”

Lance was a little surprised, “It seems everyone thinks they’ll cause me trouble.”

William shrugged, “Our family situation is quite special. In such a large family with many members, everyone hopes to be the most outstanding one.”

“And… my grandfather had seven children, so sometimes it’s not entirely for ourselves, but also for our parents.”

“They care more about their status in the family; perhaps people get like this when they get old.”

Lance was very curious, “Why do you and Mrs. Lawrence only have… Pat, one child?”

This question made William burst into laughter, “Because I’ve had enough!”

“Back then, there were over twenty of us siblings on a farm; it was a disaster!”

“I don’t want my child to be like I was back then—lively, but also suffocating.”

“Besides, she’s an only child in our immediate family, but in the extended family, she still has many siblings; she’s not lonely at all.”

The two chatted idly and soon arrived at the community where Mr. William’s family lived. The security guard at the community entrance already recognized Lance. Although he felt he was no worse than Lance, just not as handsome, not as energetic, not as young, and without a car or money, he had an equally positive and aspiring heart, and a more mature age!

He was striving to become the head of security; he wasn’t someone without ambition.

Unfortunately, he had forever lost the chance to pursue the beautiful Miss Patricia.

“Good evening, Mr. William, Mr. White.”

Lance had registered with the community service company, so the security guard knew his name. As a less familiar stranger, he wouldn’t directly call Lance by his first name but used his surname.

“Good evening!”

Lance took out a pack of cigarettes from his briefcase, the ninety-nine cent kind, and handed it over. “I’m quitting smoking, maybe you’d be willing to help me with this small favor.”

The security guard was stunned for a moment, but then his face filled with smiles. “Of course… I mean, I’d be delighted to be of service, Mr. White. Thank you for your generosity; I’ll open it right away.”

He scurried over, forcefully patted the button, and the bar lifted. He even took off his hat. “Have a pleasant evening.”

Lance raised his hand, smiled, and stepped on the gas pedal, driving away.

William looked at Lance with considerable interest, “Sometimes you don’t act like a young man at all.”

“How should a young man act?”

“Impulsive, ostentatious, reckless, rash, and often foolish. You are different from them.”

Lance parked the car by the roadside and pulled the handbrake. “If you suffer enough, you’ll mature more than others. Actually, I envy my peers more; at least they haven’t suffered as much.”

William was taken aback, then his eyes filled with admiration, “A wise conclusion!”

The two got out of the car, Lance helped carry the luggage, and just as they reached the door, it opened.

Mrs. Lawrence and Patricia stood inside the doorway. “Welcome back, dear, we’ve prepared a delicious dinner.”

“I hope it’s some of my favorites!” William kissed his wife on the cheek, then hugged his daughter.

Lance carried the suitcase up the steps, and Mrs. Lawrence also gave him a brief hug. “Thank you for making the trip for us. Come in quickly, we can have dinner now.”

Lance said thank you, then winked at Patricia, and the young girl rolled her eyes as she followed Mrs. Lawrence back into the room.

The table was laden with a sumptuous dinner. Two-centimeter thick beef squares were the main course, stewed with small potatoes and cherry tomatoes, seasoned with some spices.

Then there was a fish whose name Lance didn’t know, probably a saltwater fish, as Federal people generally disliked freshwater fish because they often had many bones.

There were also some lamb chops, vegetable salad, soup, and a bit of macaroni and bread rolls.

In short, it was very plentiful.

There would be no serious content at the dinner table, with William talking about some of his observations in the state capital.

Although various intercity and interstate transportation methods were common during this period, people still didn’t travel far very often. These things, which were very ordinary for the locals in the state capital, sounded interesting to Mrs. Lawrence and Patricia when narrated by Mr. William.

After dinner, upon learning from Mrs. Lawrence that Lance wanted to chat with him, William proactively led Lance to the study.

Mrs. Lawrence brought red tea and three plates of pastries before leaving. It must be said that Mrs. Lawrence was definitely very skilled in cooking and baking.

William picked up a small biscuit, gesturing for Lance to try it too. “Biscuits with meat filling, you’ve definitely never had them.”

Indeed, he hadn’t. Lance picked up a piece. The biscuit was a bit thicker than regular biscuits, and he could see oil seeping out from inside.

William finished it in a few bites, clapped his hands to shake off the crumbs. “She originally wanted to make a fresh meat pie, but it was her first time, and due to some unknown factors, it turned into a giant fresh meat biscuit.”

“But we tasted it and thought it tasted pretty good, and we offered some suggestions, so you’re seeing its evolved form now.”

“People in the community all love these fresh meat biscuits, but not everyone can make them well!”

Lance tasted it, and the flavor was indeed good. “Very delicious.”

“So…” William leaned back in his chair, “Emily said you had something you wanted to discuss with me.”

Emily was Mrs. Lawrence’s name. Federal women, after marrying their husbands, would change their surname to their husband’s surname.

Her current name was Emily Lawrence.

“Yes.”

Lance nodded, took out a cigarette, and offered one to William. William took the cigarette and said with a half-smile, “You just said you were quitting smoking.”

Lance showed an indifferent expression, “Failed now!”

Both men couldn’t help but laugh. After the cigarette smoke began to curl, Lance said, “I currently hold about 3,700 work cards.”

“These work cards represent 7,400 jobs, and at least 3,700 illegal immigrants working for me.”

“I plan to expand this number.”

Neither Lance nor William discussed the issue of the Immigration Bureau, because they both knew very well that at this stage, the Federation could not do without these cheap illegal immigrants.

To some extent, illegal immigrants have no human rights, and like the cotton pickers in the past, they are an indispensable part of economic development.

Perhaps if one or two illegal immigrants were reported, the Immigration Bureau would handle it, but when thousands of people gather together, they dare not interfere.

William put the ashtray in the middle of the table, motioning for him to continue, “The social status of these illegal immigrants is quite problematic right now. The President previously promised to address the awkward status of illegal immigrants, but now it seems he’s unwilling to discuss this issue.”

William understood his meaning, “Are you saying you want to help them change from illegal immigrants to legal immigrants?” “I’m not too sure about this, because so far, there’s been no further news from the presidential palace.”

“You know, whatever the president promises before an election could just be a way for him to win votes.”

“Now that he’s been re-elected, he might not necessarily fulfill his promises, and the anti-immigrant protests just happened not long ago. If he were to do this now, it would only put him in a very passive position.”

“Even if this policy is to be implemented, it won’t be within the next year or two.”

“They will drag it out. Perhaps it might be resolved in the last two years, but not in these two years.”

“They made a deal with the Liberal Party, and perhaps this is also part of the conditions.”

The core supporters of the Liberal Party were these people: landlords, farmers, and even former slave owners.

They would certainly lean towards the large landowner and large farm owner class in various policies.

And illegal immigrants, who have no human rights, clearly provide great help to these groups. They can use illegal immigrants as they used to use slaves.

In order to gain their continued support, they will certainly find ways to keep illegal immigrants in their current state.

This is not the first time they have done such a thing. Several times in history, they have talked about giving illegal immigrants legal status, then forced them to build railways, dig tunnels, and construct highways.

Once the construction was almost finished, these illegal immigrants would disappear, and then some honest ones would be selected to become federal immigrants, thus starting the next cycle.

“Is there no way at all?” Lance asked.

William shook his head, “There’s no way at all, unless certain… political movements occur, forcing the state government to pass local laws to grant legal status to illegal immigrants.”

“This situation is rare, and given the current social situation, it’s basically unlikely to happen. And even if it does, it might not truly solve the problem.”

“Furthermore, this status would only be legal within the state; once they leave the local area, they would still be illegal federal citizens.”

“However, this isn’t entirely accurate. Perhaps the President, constrained by his promises, might make some policy changes.”

“But…” William flicked his cigarette ash, “Having such a massive force in your hands is never a bad thing. Who knows when it might come in handy.”

At this moment, William already had a vague idea in his mind: if Lance’s people could one day become Federal residents with voting rights.

Then his running for senator wouldn’t seem like a joke.

Meanwhile, a man in his thirties emerged from a basement, cursing. He had lost another two dollars.

He had worked as a temporary worker for a week, only earning four dollars and fifty cents, and it was all gone in one night!

Gambling was a killer!

He looked at his hands, wishing he had a knife to chop them off!

Every time he lost, he would swear various oaths, if he gambled again, he would be a motherf***ing bitch.

But as soon as he got his salary, he wouldn’t even go home; he would go to a nearby casino to play a few hands.

It wasn’t that he never won; he had won before.

The most he ever won was eleven dollars, and after two days of enjoying himself, he lost it all back to the casino, principal and interest included, but at least he had won.

This also made him even more convinced that his losing money was just bad luck for a while, and when luck was good, he could also win.

So, he would play whenever he had money, lose whenever he played, and regret it whenever he lost, but he would come back next time he had money.

He cursed himself for a while, then the gambling table, then the casino. As he cursed, he didn’t seem so angry anymore.

Just as he was about to leave the alley, two people suddenly blocked the entrance.

He froze for a moment, then immediately turned around, but the back was also blocked.

A fair-skinned, well-mannered person walked towards him. “Do you know Kent?”

The gambler swallowed, “Yes, sir, but I haven’t seen Kent in a long time.”

Will stood about a meter away from him, “I heard you used to play at his casino. What happened at his casino at the end of September, beginning of October?”

The gambler was a little scared, and so much time had passed, he couldn’t remember at all. “Sir, I don’t know.”

Will stared into his eyes, “No, you must know. Think hard.”

The gambler was almost in tears, “I really don’t know, sir, I’m just a small fry, please let me go!”

Will stared at him for a moment, then motioned for him to leave. The gambler couldn’t quite believe it was true. As he gingerly turned around, Will picked up a wooden board from the wall in the alley and swung it at the gambler’s head!

The wooden board shattered instantly, wood chips flying everywhere. He was also knocked to the ground by the tremendous force, half of his face feeling numb and swollen.

He scuttled back to the corner, and Will tore at his collar, “Do you remember now?”

“If you still can’t remember, we have all night to make you remember…”

Ten minutes later, Will fastened his torn collar, tidied his attire, and entered the car parked by the road.

After being severely injured, Mr. Gambler finally remembered what had happened during that time—

“Sir, I remember now. Someone was lending money at Kent’s casino, and then… they seemed to have a small conflict, and a few people were detained by Kent. I don’t know the rest.”

He told Will the name of one person he knew, Ennio, an Imperial immigrant.

At 8:30 PM, Ennio’s father returned to his apartment building with tired steps.

It was another day where nothing sold. He was a bit puzzled as to why his colleagues could easily sell their products, even closing several deals a day.

But when it came to him, he could only sell two or three items a month, and sometimes he even had to buy some of the products himself to secure his basic salary.

He had read dozens of motivational books about how salespeople become CEOs of listed companies, and he had also bought many books about sales rhetoric or how to become a successful salesman.

He could recite these books and sales pitches by heart, but he still hadn’t achieved success.

Instead, buying these books had drained all his savings.

He wanted to be a winner in life, to realize his Federal dream. He wanted everyone who looked down on him to open their eyes and see how he would become a successful person!

But every day, the harsh reality made him feel pain. He didn’t understand why success was so cruel to him.

The apartment building’s first-floor manager glanced at him sideways and then looked away. He used to greet Ennio’s father when they first moved in.

He always dressed like a white-collar elite, shirt, tie, trousers, leather shoes.

But now, the manager had recognized the guy’s true colors: he was a failure.

He took the shaky elevator to his floor, picked up the cardboard box on the floor, which contained the goods he needed to sell, and his Federal dream.

When he returned to his doorstep, he was about to take out his keys, but he found the door was ajar. Immediately, a surge of anger rose from the bottom of his heart.

Ennio, it must be that little bastard who came back!

A destructive emotion brewed, surged, and burst forth within him!

His entire demeanor changed. He pushed the door open and placed his belongings on the cabinet by the door.

The lights weren’t on in the room, but he didn’t care. He was too familiar with the place; he could navigate it with his eyes closed.

He took down the leather whip hanging by the door. He was going to make sure Ennio knew who was whose father!

Turning the corner, he saw someone sitting with their back to him in the dark living room. It must be that little beast. The angrier he got, the calmer he became. He walked over with the whip in his hand and then swung it hard…

The scream did not come from Ennio, because Ennio was currently enjoying a meal and having a happy time with his companions.

The scream came from Will. The reason for not turning on the light was to avoid scaring people away, but he never expected that before he even did anything, this person would give him a whip…

(End of this chapter)