Empire of Shadows

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“The order wasn’t delivered?” Sam’s tone shifted slightly. “That’s impossible, I saw them set off with my own eyes. It can’t be undelivered after all this time!” The voice on the other end remained calm and unhurried. “Mr. Sam, do you think I’m lying, or is the boss lying?” This statement could be considered a very stern “accusation.” How could important figures like them lie to a pimp?

Sam also knew he had spoken incorrectly, and quickly apologized, “I’m sorry, sir, it’s my mistake. I’ll immediately arrange for another girl to be sent to the boss…”

“Can this be resolved by sending just one girl?”

“Mr. Sam?”

“The boss demands an explanation. Roll over here yourself, bringing that girl and your explanation.”

“Otherwise, your boss will be coming for you.”

“Before twelve o’clock tonight.”

Crack! The busy signal from the receiver left Sam somewhat bewildered, but he quickly realized a major problem had arisen. He scrambled up, kicked Booker nearby, pulled up his pants, and headed outside, calling out to people as he went. Soon, forty to fifty people gathered around him, all brought from Paradise City.“Our delivery vehicle hasn’t reached its destination. Something must have happened on the way. Go immediately and inquire, search! I need to know what happened!” Sam’s expression was somewhat distorted; he rarely displayed such emotional outbursts. He hadn’t expected his first business deal in Golden Port, such a simple one, to be botched! He had never prepared any contingency plans. In his view, with the mayor as his backer in this city, who would dare to play dirty tricks to sabotage him? Yet, under such circumstances, a problem had occurred! Moreover, he had a premonition that he wouldn’t be able to find Lisa before midnight!

After much deliberation, he immediately made a call to the mayor.

“This is Sam.”

From the receiver came a nasal “hmm,” followed by what sounded like airflow from the throat as lips parted. “I hope you’re calling me because you genuinely have something important.” Although this was an industry controlled by the mayor, the mayor did not want it to be a widely known fact. Such things could be done, but not discussed openly.

“The… order for Mr. Hoff was lost.”

“Lost?” The mayor’s tone on the receiver finally changed. “How was it lost?”

“I don’t know, boss. I watched them drive out, four people. Nothing should have gone wrong, but something did.”

“I’ve already arranged for people to search along the route. Mr. Hoff wants an explanation before midnight, but I don’t think we’ll be able to find the person even by tomorrow midnight.”

The mayor felt a headache after hearing this. Mr. Hoff, as a regional opinion leader in Golden Port, had a certain say in the Socialist Party Congress. This could be of great help to him in his later campaign for the State House Speaker.

“I’ll call Mr. Hoff, but you’d better find out what happened as soon as possible.” His voice already showed some dissatisfaction, both with Sam and with the person who caused these problems. Sam breathed a slight sigh of relief after hearing this, then quietly waited for good news to arrive.

But until ten o’clock, no good news came. The only news they received was that a car accident had occurred in the Starlight District in the afternoon, and nearby shop assistants said they did see a panel van with a huge red high heel on its roof pass by. However, because the road was blocked, they headed towards the water station. Sam then personally went to the street outside the water station. There were no shops there, nor any pedestrians, so they couldn’t find any witnesses.

“So, our car disappeared right here?”

He kicked his own car hard. Just as he was pondering what to do, a subordinate suddenly ran over. “A homeless man just said he saw our car, and a truck, heading north.” The Starlight District also had homeless people; begging here was easier than in other places. Poorer neighborhoods would be more tolerant of them but wouldn’t let them get more money. Many poor people couldn’t even feed themselves, so how could they give money? Even if they did, it would be one or two cents.

However, in the Starlight District, people at least gave five-cent coins, and some would even directly give one-dollar bills. The income here was high, but the neighborhoods were not very tolerant of them. Security guards would drive them away, so they could only hide in parks or behind roadside bushes. Just now, a subordinate went to the homeless gathering place to inquire and, after spending three dollars, received this information.

Sam waved his hand, and the convoy headed north. However, it was too late now. Many shops had already closed, and the Summuri District was always deeply wary of people like them. Even if some houses were still lit, no one answered them.

On the other side, Lisa had already left the box. She put on a trench coat. The clothes in the compartment, even if they covered more than the ribbons she currently wore, still made her feel more ashamed. She had initially thought she was doomed, but unexpectedly… At this moment, holding a coffee cup, she had gradually emerged from the joy of being rescued. Fear and worry, once again, took over! She still remembered what Sam had told her: Sam had powerful people backing him, and she, and they, might not be able to defeat him!

“Or… maybe we should escape, go back to the Federation, or somewhere else!” Lisa looked at Morris, speaking softly. She was truly scared now!

Morris shook his head. “Lance will handle everything, and besides, they might not know it was us.”

“Might not… know?”

Morris thought it was unlikely they would know. The entire operation plan was very tight; no shots were fired, no one was alarmed, and then they took both the car and the people. But in reality, it wasn’t truly flawless. They had left some loopholes, such as the hospital…

After chasing north for a long time, they couldn’t see anyone or any car. And in the middle of the night, even if they did encounter them, if the car was parked on a unlit roadside, they would miss it. Sam directly ordered the convoy to return to the city. On the way back, the atmosphere in the car was heavy.

Booker didn’t even dare to breathe loudly, but what he feared most happened. Sam kicked him. “What do you think really happened?” Booker’s mind was completely stuck. He had actually thought of many possibilities on the way, such as Sam’s rivals pursuing them, or others doing the same thing, or perhaps Sam’s own people had simply run away. But these were clearly impossible. He didn’t know what the situation was, but at this moment, he definitely had to say something, otherwise, God knows how this pervert would torment him.

At this crucial moment, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he almost blurted out, “It couldn’t have been for Lisa, could it…”

Sam’s eyes lit up. He turned to the driver. “Which hospital are our people at?”

“Anbin Hospital.”

“Go to the hospital now.”

The convoy quickly changed direction, crossed the city center, and arrived at Anbin Hospital on the edge of the Empire District. They quickly received news from the security guards. Last night, a group of people had come and taken two individuals, one of whom had just undergone surgery for a gunshot wound. According to some descriptions, an image of someone wearing a hat, a black trench coat, and a red armband appeared in their minds!

Sam grabbed the cup from the table and furiously smashed it to the ground! The sound of the teacup shattering startled everyone. Everyone in the hospital lobby stared at him dumbfounded!

“Lance!” The word was forced out from between his clenched teeth! Although Sam was furious, they were all dogs. Why should one dog bite him? But he still maintained some rationality. He called the mayor again. “What now?”

The mayor’s voice also showed some displeasure. Appeasing Mr. Hoff wasn’t just a matter of words; it required some sacrifices, such as maintaining consistency on certain political opinions. Otherwise, Mr. Hoff wouldn’t simply let this matter go. Although he couldn’t make any excessive demands, as the person being blackmailed, the mayor was very unhappy. He had originally intended to use these methods to blackmail these people, but now he had become the “loser,” so how could he be happy?

Sam heard the displeasure in his voice and, showing no trace of his previous anger, carefully said, “We’ve looked into it, and it’s highly likely the Lance family did it.” He didn’t say it was confirmed, but “highly likely.” As for what the mayor thought, that was his business.

The mayor pondered for a moment. “Reasons?”

Sam explained the situation. The truth was, he was in the wrong. He had abducted the person without notifying Lance and had even shot and wounded a member of the Lance family. They had every reason to retaliate.

The mayor had an even bigger headache after hearing this. “Why didn’t you negotiate with him?”

Sam also felt wronged. “Lance is out of the country. I couldn’t reach him, and Mr. Hoff’s order was urgent. I only had a few hours to prepare. My original idea was to tell Lance about this when he returned, but who knew they would retaliate directly?”

The mayor snorted after hearing this. “Sam, Golden Port isn’t Paradise City. Paradise City is full of gangs and chaos, but in Golden Port, there are rules here.”

“Contact their little leader and ask when Lance is coming back. Also, have them hand over the person to you.”

“This time, don’t cause me any more trouble, understand?”

***

Additional chapters: /caleredhair