Empire of Shadows

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The telephone rang twice before being answered. Sam took a deep breath, trying his best not to be so… angry.

“Elvin?” He had already inquired; the core of the Lance family was Lance himself, and then below him were the three higher core members: Elvin, Morris, and Hiram. Further down? A large number of senior cadres, but he wasn’t interested in that. He just wanted to find Lisa now and have her please Mr. Hoff to solve a series of problems.

Elvin’s voice sounded very young, which made Sam somewhat envious, even jealous. His youth was almost worthless—this was not a literary rhetorical device. He dropped out of high school in his first year, then followed his mother to a small town near Paradise City to find food. Although Paradise City was beautiful, life there was not easy. Higher rents, higher prices, higher everything, all restricted the happiness of those living there. But even living around Paradise City wasn’t easy. His mother wasn’t a skilled female worker, except for lying down. So, in the prime of his youth, he played a role he shouldn’t have, until his early twenties.

His mother found a… seemingly kindred spirit, a client. They hit it off instantly, abandoning him and leaving. Sam, full of uncertainty about the future, eventually bought a train ticket to Paradise City. People said Paradise City was like heaven on earth, full of joy and happiness. If his life also deserved happiness, then that happiness should be hidden under the neon-lit starry sky late at night!

He had worked many jobs in Paradise City and later met someone who deeply influenced him. He thought they were each other’s spiritual salvation; he thought they were each other’s heroes, and that one day everything would get better. But… all fleeting happiness at the bottom would always be shattered by rapidly approaching bad news. He cheated—not Sam—and they had a huge fight. Everything he once considered beautiful was just a game for the other person. His belongings were thrown onto the street by the other person, along with his self-respect and his last shred of hope for beauty.

After he realized the fact that “people without status are not worthy of happiness,” the Sam who was full of ideals and hope for life died, leaving only a Sam who would give up everything to get ahead. In the blink of an eye, he was already middle-aged. His slightly balding reflection in the mirror made him feel sorry for himself. Why him, and not someone else? Just like during the darkest period of his life, he often asked himself, “Why me again, and not someone else?” He envied and resented the youth, steadfastness, and confidence that emanated from Elvin’s voice. These were things he once had but lost.

In this fleeting moment of distraction, his tone softened slightly. “I’m Sam. You should have heard of me, the new manager of Red High Heels.”

Elvin did not respond with harsh words. “Yes, I’ve heard. Some big shot from Paradise City.”“Aha, what big shot?”

“We are all people who provide services to others.”

Elvin’s easygoing manner made him think that this matter had gotten off to a good start. He began to cut to the chase. “I apologize for my subordinate accidentally shooting and injuring your man. How much did it cost to heal him?”

“Three thousand, or five thousand?”

Without knowing exactly what the other party was trying to achieve, and with their attitude and tone being very mild, Elvin would not proactively create conflict.

“No need, we have money.”

Sam’s tone became more relaxed. It was good to be able to communicate. Perhaps it was all just a misunderstanding?

“No, I must compensate you. I will show you my sincerity.”

He said, writing a check quickly, deliberately using a fountain pen on the wooden table, so that the sound of writing would be particularly clear through the receiver. And he unreservedly called a subordinate, handing him the check. “Send it to the Imperial Night nightclub, hand it to the Lance family.” He glanced at the receiver, a faint smile on his face, watching his subordinate turn and leave. Only then did he pick up the phone. “I’ve already sent someone to deliver the check, and I apologize again for the stupid thing our idiot did.”

Elvin was silent for a while. “I will inform Lance.”

What does this mean? Could he still not feel my sincerity? Of course, it could also be a local way of expressing things. Sam also inquired about the recovery of the shot young man, and then the conversation quickly shifted to Lisa.

“Elvin, we lack effective communication between us. You see, if we can maintain effective communication, many problems won’t arise.”

“We can become good friends. You work for him, and I also work for him. We are naturally on the same side.”

Elvin said nothing, which left Sam somewhat displeased, but this displeasure had not yet manifested in any uncomfortable way given the “tolerance” he had gained from the previous groundwork. He paused for a few seconds and then said, “How is Lisa now?”

Elvin firmly denied it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Come on, don’t think your little tricks can fool me. Lisa must be in your hands. Is she alright?” Sam was a little uncomfortable at this point. “I’ve said so much, were all my emotions wasted?” But he still held onto some hope, viewing it as the other party’s vigilance and caution.

Elvin firmly denied the fact that Lisa was with him. Lance had told him never to admit it. “I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Sam’s face finally lost its faint, fleeting smile from before. He became serious, even changing his sitting posture from legs crossed and leaning back in the chair to putting his legs down and sitting upright.

“Elvin, my patience is limited. Don’t play word games with me.”

“Whether you admit it or not, you’d better send Lisa back to me by noon tomorrow.”

“A big shot ordered her, and we’ve already missed once. If we miss again, you won’t want to know the consequences!”

After waiting for about three or four seconds, Elvin finally asked, “Are you done?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. If you’re done, I’m going to hang up. I have things to do.”

Sam’s face finally turned exceptionally ugly. “When is Lance coming back?”

“In the next couple of days…” He hung up the phone after saying that, and looking at the busy signal from the receiver, Sam threw it to the ground with a flick of his hand. The receiver was sturdy, made of metal and wood, and didn’t shatter, but it made a loud noise.

He gasped twice, then suddenly seemed to remember something, and ran to the door. “Someone go quickly and… stop him, have him bring my check back to me!” Since the other party was so uncooperative, he no longer wanted to give the five thousand dollars. It was impossible to reason with such a minor character; he intended to speak directly with Lance. He had heard that Lance was a reasonable person.

He selected new girls while waiting for Lance.

At this time, Lance was already at sea. He immediately requested a fast boat and set off towards the Federal coastline. The cruise ship moved slower because it wasn’t in a hurry and also had to take into account some of the scenery along the way, such as visiting nearby islands and archipelagos, allowing people to appreciate the beauty of tropical islands. If it went directly towards the Federation, the speed would be very fast.

It only took a few hours to travel by speedboat from the southernmost part of the Federation to the northernmost part of Yalan. The Republic of Aldera was slightly southwest of Yalan. Departing at seven in the morning, they could return to Golden Port by approximately five or six in the evening. His return wasn’t actually as long as Elvin had made it seem.

The situation with Lisa’s abduction had frightened many girls working in the bar, mainly because most of these girls had previously worked at Red High Heels. Although Elvin didn’t want to scare them too much, they were still scared. Among young boys and girls, much news would be used as “peacock feathers” as a means of showing off or attracting the opposite sex. Young boys would always start conversations with “Did you hear?” trying to get close to the girls they liked, and the girls would then learn things they actually didn’t want to know.

A room full of women, seeing this, gave Elvin a bit of a headache. If there were only one or two, perhaps he could handle it, but there were too many girls, and their strong scent of cheap perfume also gave him a headache. Everyone seemed to be speaking at once, making it impossible for Elvin to communicate with them.

He pounded the table several times, making his hand ache, but fortunately, the girls in the room finally quieted down a bit.

“You send two representatives to talk to me. I can’t communicate with you like this!”

Saying that, he turned and went to the side hall. This was not an office or a bar; this was where the girls lived. They had called Elvin to come over. Lance had rented many houses for them in the New Bay Area, all detached townhouses. They were different from villas, but clearly much more upscale than ordinary houses. The real estate agency didn’t care if one person or a hundred people lived in a house; they only cared how much money you could pay them.

Soon, two girls came before Elvin. After exchanging glances, they sat down. From their appearance and the aura they exuded, Elvin vaguely realized that before these two girls were tricked or trafficked to the Federation, they were at least middle-class in the Empire. The confidence displayed by educated people and uneducated people is distinctly different. Educated people will clearly be more confident, and those who have received higher education will be even more so. But regardless, their luck seemed to be rather poor. Their education had not taught them how to distinguish bad people and lies.

He took out a pack of cigarettes. “May I?” Both girls nodded. He pulled one out and lit it for himself. “There’s been a lot going on these past few days. I don’t have that much time to listen to each of your demands, so tell me, what do they want?”

One of the two girls, the one with paler skin, said softly, “Actually, they are all good people. It’s just that everyone is really scared. We want to know Lisa’s current situation. We’re very worried about her.”

Elvin shook his head. “I don’t know her current situation, but she should be fine. The Red High Heels people are also looking for her, which means she hasn’t been sent to her client or suffered any accident.”

He still wasn’t telling the truth. He had discovered something very interesting during his previous work at the dock. Some Imperial foremen would be stricter and more cruel towards them, the temporary workers, than local Federal foremen! They would whip them at the slightest provocation, just because they stood still for a moment after finishing their work.

Whips would lash out, or they would be cursed and driven to do other things. These people, to have a better living environment in the Federation, or rather, to better integrate into the local Federal community, had completely stood against their fellow Imperials. They pleased Federal people by doing things Federal people were unwilling to do, thereby gaining recognition, acceptance, and potential opportunities.

Elvin couldn’t guarantee whether there were such people among these girls. Perhaps there were already “surrendered” girls lurking there, who, to survive or for something else, chose to seek refuge with Red High Heels. Otherwise, how could Lisa have been discovered by Booker? One must remember, the bar’s working hours were all at night. Lisa would sleep at home during the day, and by the time she woke up and ate, it would be evening.

The New Bay Area was still some distance from Red High Heels, and she didn’t wander around aimlessly. She couldn’t have been discovered by Booker just by walking out. Someone must have contacted Booker. He wasn’t sure who this person was, but he had already instructed someone to keep an eye on the phones in the houses where the girls lived, to see if anything unexpected happened.

The pale-skinned girl looked worried. “Will we be in any danger?”

“That Booker is a madman. If he catches us…”

She hugged her arms, her body trembling slightly. Elvin might not have felt much, but the girl next to her had enough empathy. When in a safe and affluent environment, beauty is the greatest capital, the budding of happiness.

But if in an unsafe environment, where one is at the mercy of others, then the prettier one is, the more suffering one endures. Among this group of girls, those with ordinary appearances were actually… quite indifferent. They hadn’t suffered as much terrible torment at Red High Heels. At most, they were severely disciplined at first for being unwilling to perform or receive ordinary guests.

But as they began to change, willing to perform and receive ordinary guests, Red High Heels wouldn’t abuse them, apart from not paying them, because there was no need. They were all the lowest-end money-making tools, and no one cared what shape they were in. But high-end resources were different. They had to be molded into different forms according to client requirements, which was the biggest pain point for attractive individuals.

Elvin looked at the two girls and said softly, “I will arrange for people to protect you. For these few days, don’t leave this place temporarily.”

“Once the storm of this matter passes, you will be safe.”

The two girls didn’t catch the implied meaning in his last words. They were scared now, so how could they focus on reading comprehension? Elvin added a few more things, such as having people regularly deliver food, clothing, and daily necessities. At the same time, he also reminded the two girls to pay attention to the situation of others.

“You suspect… My God, why would there be such a person!” Both girls understood this statement. “Was Lisa kidnapped because…”

Elvin shook his head. “I’m not sure, but it’s very likely. I heard someone ordered her, and then she was abducted, and her whereabouts are still unknown.”

“Booker couldn’t have been so omniscient as to guess she was working at our bar. Someone must have revealed her whereabouts. All of you need to be careful.”

“Lock your doors at night. If you encounter a problem, call for help immediately. Our people are nearby…”

Stepping out of the house the girls rented, Elvin finally breathed a sigh of relief. He pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his hairline and hair. So much trouble, these women! After putting his hat back on, he looked around, opened the car door, and got in.

In the past few days, the new Wanli Financial Services Company has relocated to the Empire District. Since they had their own territory, it was natural to place it there. Of course, there would also be a branch in the Triangle District, though not as large as this one. This time, Elvin found a three-story storefront facing the street, ensuring its “accessibility.” He no longer wanted to be trapped in an alley, leaving his fate to chance.

The new shop was still under renovation, yet many people were already coming to borrow money. For Federation citizens, there was never enough money to spend. Although they knew borrowing money was not good, no one could resist the temptation of borrowing money. Besides that, he also had to help Nick set up the winery. They bought a lot of winemaking equipment, and two tons of grapes.

Nick had already started the preliminary brewing. However, he said these grapes were not specifically for winemaking, but for eating, so the wine produced would not be as bright red as red wine. It might be even lighter than what he brought last time, but the alcohol content would definitely not be a problem. These grapes were very sweet! Many responsibilities weighed on him, which also made him realize how much work Lance had to do every day.

As dusk gradually began to fall, winter nights arrived earlier than summer nights. It was just a little past five, and it was already getting dark. At this moment, a speedboat had already docked outside Golden Port. Although the Federation had a coast guard during this period, they couldn’t patrol every minute of every second. Moreover, Lance was indeed a Federal citizen, and everyone at the dock knew him.

At 5:30, Elvin, rubbing his temples, planned to go downstairs for dinner. The neon lights of the Imperial Night nightclub also lit up; it was time for nightlife. Ordinary people could already rest, but their work continued. At this moment, the phone on the desk suddenly rang. He was already by the door, looked back, let his mind go blank for a few seconds, then turned back, and picked up the phone.

“Come pick me up at the dock…”

A bit sleepy, I dozed off for a while.

***

Additional chapters: /caleredhair