Empire of Shadows

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“Councilman Wade has left his manor.”

After hanging up the phone, the secretary turned to look at the mayor, who was smoking by the window.

The mayor had been particularly fond of opening the window and looking at this city seriously recently. It had always been beautiful, with a kind of beauty that other places did not have.

Although there was an industrial system here, it was not dominated by heavy industry. Instead, light industry was more prevalent.

Those factories brought parts back from the docks, and after simple processing or assembly, sent them back to the docks. Heavy industry was not popular here.

Because there was not a good heavy industry atmosphere here, no supporting upstream and downstream enterprises. This place was not like those heavy industrial cities, where you could find a supplier for everything from a steel plate to a screw in the same city.

Here, if someone wanted to engage in heavy industry, the first thing they had to face was many marked-up parts.

Many supporting things had to be purchased from other places, and the transportation and storage costs were a huge extra expense, so the heavy industry atmosphere here was not strong.

This also made the pollution situation in Golden Port not so bad.A port city, of course, could not be without any pollution, but compared to those cities that strived for breakthroughs in industry, this place was clearly very suitable for living.

A beautiful city.

The mayor’s gaze withdrew from the neon lights that dyed the sky red in the distance. He turned to look at the secretary and asked as if testing him, “So what should we do next?”

The secretary thought for a moment, “We need some external force to push things forward…”

“Go on.” The mayor walked back behind his desk and sat down, looking at him seriously.

He organized his thoughts in his mind, “The people are with Charlie now. It’s very difficult for us to get them over. From the beginning, they were not on our side.”

“And now with Councilman Wade’s intervention to show his attitude, they will only become tougher.”

“The only way to counter them is to seek some help from the state capital.”

The mayor nodded with great satisfaction, “Very good, it seems you have learned some things over the years.” He paused as he spoke, then picked up the phone and dialed the number of an old friend.

“I’ve run into some trouble… That’s right, just this is enough. I just hope to let them understand through this method that it’s not the time yet!”

“Good… No problem, see you later.”

After hanging up the phone, the mayor leaned back in his chair with a smile, not at all nervous.

He indeed didn’t need to be nervous. After all, he wasn’t the one venting his beastly desires.

A few minutes later, just as Chief Charlie was discussing some necessary upcoming work, the phone suddenly rang.

There were two telephones in front of Chief Charlie. One white telephone was for regular work, connected to the inside of the police station, and could also connect to outside lines.

Usually, the police affairs of Golden Port were communicated and resolved through this phone.

The blue telephone next to it belonged to an “unlisted number.” It wasn’t even in the phone book. Not many people knew this number.

The rich people in the Bay Area, and those people in City Hall, including Chief Charlie’s relatives, friends, and so on.

The main function of this phone was to contact about some matters outside of work.

Now it was this blue phone that was ringing. At this time, who could be calling him?

He was a little unsure. He glanced at the few people in the room, motioned for them to leave, and then picked up the phone.

“This is the Golden Port City Police Department. I’m Charlie.”

“Hello, Charlie, this is Steve. I hope you haven’t forgotten this old friend of yours!”

This voice instantly brought a very clear face to Chief Charlie’s mind: the assistant chief of the state police department. They had met before, when Chief Charlie went to the state capital for training.

They had met many times later. Steve was a very active person within the police system.

There were rumors that he also did dirty work for people, which gave Chief Charlie a natural sense of closeness, but after this sense of closeness faded, it was mutual suspicion.

“Hey, Steve, I was just wondering which big shot was calling me. I didn’t expect it to be you!”

He flattered Steve a little. Although the state police department could not manage the city police department, as people in a relatively similar system, the level the state police department dealt with was much higher than the city police department.

The simplest example: they both did dirty work. As the Bay Area Hound, he could only do dirty work for the rich in the Bay Area, but Steve could do dirty work for the masters of the state legislature, and even for the governor!

He couldn’t even resist the mayor, let alone a higher-level power.

“Charlie, I heard you guys caught someone named Sam?”

Charlie immediately became alert, “It seems there is such a thing. What’s wrong with him?”

Steve laughed heartily and said, “This guy is suspected in some cases we are investigating. You guys prepare to hand him over. I have already arranged for people to go to Golden Port.”

“I will arrange for someone to send you the related reward money. I have to say, well done!”

“After the case is solved, I will mention you in the report, don’t worry!”

Charlie tried to fight for it again, “We also have cases here that require Sam’s cooperation.”

Steve’s tone changed significantly, as fast as flipping a book, “This is a case that the legislature (state legislature) is also paying attention to. You wouldn’t choose to do something stupid, would you?”

It sounded like advice, but it was actually a threat. Chief Charlie couldn’t afford to offend those masters.

After a moment of silence, he suddenly said with a smile, “Of course, no problem. I will cooperate with the handover procedures.”

“Very good, Charlie, you are a smart man. Next time you come to the capital, let me know. I’ll treat you to something good.”

“I still have some things to do, so I won’t chat with you anymore. See you later.”

Perhaps hearing that the conversation in the room had ended, someone knocked on the door from outside, then poked a head in, “Councilman Wade has arrived…”

Chief Charlie immediately stood up and walked out. Soon, he saw Councilman Wade getting out of the car at the entrance of the police station. He quickly went up to greet him.

Councilman Wade acted very amiably, seemingly without much of a councilman’s airs. He extended his hand and shook hands with Chief Charlie, his face full of smiles, “It must be hard for you all to be working so late. How is the situation?”

Chief Charlie stepped aside to let Councilman Wade walk inside, while at the same time giving a look to the others to f—king get out of the way.

“Sam’s attitude is very direct. He can hand over the notebook, but he wants a way to live.”

“Also, just now Steve… that is, the assistant chief of the state police, he gave me a call, saying that the state police department wants to take Sam away.”

There was no change in expression on Councilman Wade’s face. People like him were very qualified politicians, always acting.

“So it seems we don’t have much time.” He paused for two seconds to think, “Take me to see Sam first.”

Soon, Councilman Wade appeared outside the interrogation room. With Councilman Wade’s entry, Sam’s emotions seemed to ease a little.

He knew Councilman Wade. Before coming to Golden Port, he had learned about the situation in Golden Port through some channels and methods.

He knew that the local powers in Golden Port were very stubborn. Originally, the mayor and they had cooperated quite well, but he didn’t expect that the appearance of a Bureau of Hazardous Materials and a prohibition order would actually break this balance and tranquility.

This made him feel as if he had been kicked hard in the crotch, in short, a pain in the balls!

If he had known it would be like this, he wouldn’t have come.

But now, he had no mind to think about these things. He quickly stood up, “Mr. Wade.”

Councilman Wade raised his hand and pressed down, motioning for him to sit down. He then also sat down not far from Sam.

He glanced at the two bodyguards beside him, motioning for them to go and stand by the door, “I believe Mr. Sam will not harm me, right?”

Sam quickly said with a smile, “Even if I harm myself, I would not harm you, Mr. Wade.”

Councilman Wade laughed heartily, giving people the feeling that his laughter was very bright and upright, “I heard from Charlie that you needed to see me before you would tell me where that notebook is.”

Sam showed a bitter smile, “I just… want to live. After all, a big shot like you wouldn’t deceive a small character like me.”

“You are not a small character!” Councilman Wade said meaningfully, “In Paradise City, you are also a very famous person.”

He paused as he spoke, “I can guarantee your life safety, and even leave you some money, but you have to leave the Federation and go to a place where they can’t find you.”

“I know, you’re just an unlucky guy who got caught up in this, but things have already happened, and this is the best result.”

“If you accept, I can arrange for someone to send you away right now.”

“If you don’t accept, then…”

He didn’t speak, just took out a cigarette case, “Do you mind?”

Sam shook his head repeatedly, “I don’t mind, sir.”

Councilman Wade took out a match and lit the cigarette. He waved the match in his hand to extinguish it, then looked at Sam, “The time it takes to smoke a cigarette.”

This was for him to consider. It would take about six hours to get here from the capital. Chief Charlie didn’t know when they had sent people, so they could only be as quick as possible.

In other words, no matter what, everything had to be finished tonight.

When Councilman Wade didn’t speak, it put a lot of pressure on Sam. In the end, after weighing the pros and cons, he decided to reveal the location of the notebook.

After all, he couldn’t cause any substantial harm to the mayor. His taking over the Red High Heels was his own initiative; there was no involvement from the mayor.

Even if he accused the mayor of manipulating everything behind the scenes, he couldn’t produce any substantial evidence.

In the Federation’s political arena, when both sides have backers, relying on these things without substantial evidence simply cannot harm the mayor’s foundation.

This kind of thing is like… someone loses their job for soliciting a prostitute, but someone else has orgies in their office. Even among “masters,” masters and masters are not entirely the same.

The Golden Port side would not use him as a fatal weapon to attack the mayor, so if he handed over the notebook, he would be completely safe.

On the contrary, the mayor couldn’t save him now. Even if the mayor already had measures and means, he probably couldn’t get out in a short time.

Everything was controlled by the locals. He actually had no choice.

However, he also left a “tail,” because he had two notebooks.

“I’ve thought it over, Mr. Wade. The notebook is hidden behind the toilet tank in Room 203 on the second floor of the Red High Heels.”

Councilman Wade raised an eyebrow, “In the tank?”

“Behind the tank!” he repeated. “There’s a tile there that can be pulled out. The notebook is inside.”

Crack!

Suddenly, thunder rumbled outside. Thunder in the middle of the night is not common. Immediately after, it began to rain, and the atmosphere seemed to become somewhat inexplicably tense.

Councilman Wade looked back at one of his bodyguards. He immediately strode away.

Obviously, he went to verify if this situation was true.

Councilman Wade, with considerable interest, chatted with him about some situations in Paradise City.

Sam was very clear on this aspect. After all, he was from Paradise City.

Paradise City was very chaotic, and not quite the same as Golden Port. Over there, it was all people pursuing their “dreams.” As long as you had money, you could recruit people willing to take risks.

So over there, there was no division between local forces or outside forces. Everyone was looking at money.

More money meant more people, more territory, more support.

Less money, naturally you couldn’t recruit anyone, and could only muddle along behind others.

Every day was a thrilling day!

Listening to Sam’s explanation of Paradise City, Councilman Wade always maintained his curiosity, “You’ve given me a great understanding of Paradise City. I just don’t understand, Sam, why did you have to come to Golden Port when things were going well?”

Sam didn’t know if this was a trick question. He could only force a smile, “Because I heard… Golden Port is more prosperous.”

“Although Paradise City is also very prosperous, all industries are controlled by giants. Although we can make money, it’s all money that the giants look down on.”

“I want to achieve better development. I’m very optimistic about the present and future of Golden Port. I believe this will become a huge city.”

“Before it becomes more glorious, I came here, joined here, and in the future when it becomes dazzling, there will naturally be a share of the reward for me.”

He sighed as he spoke, “It just seems that this wish is unlikely to be realized.”

The two chatted for a while longer. Councilman Wade’s bodyguard walked in, nodded slightly, signaling that the item had been found.

Councilman Wade’s face was full of smiles. He uncrossed his legs and stood up. Sam also quickly stood up with him.

Hunched over, maintaining a humble posture.

“Very good, I have received your sincerity. Soon you will feel my sincerity.”

He extended his hand and shook Sam’s, “Everything will be fine!”

After speaking, he paused for two seconds, then withdrew his hand, “I’ll go back first. Charlie will cooperate with you on the subsequent work. I hope we have a chance to meet again. Your description of Paradise City has made me very curious about that place.”

“Goodbye.”

“Goodbye, Mr. Wade.”

Councilman Wade nodded and turned to leave the interrogation room.

The moment he walked out, the bodyguard placed the notebook in his hand. He flipped through it casually.

Actually, there wasn’t much startling content in this notebook. Most of it was records like “On a certain date of a certain month of a certain year, at a certain time, sent so-and-so to a certain number in the Bay Area, and picked the person up at a certain time.”

Then there was the physical condition of these girls, for example, “whip marks on a certain place and a certain place, minor injuries,” “knife wound on a certain place,” “received attention, violently beaten,” etc.

There were no words like “corpse.” After all, he hadn’t been in charge of the Red High Heels for long and hadn’t really gotten familiar with the big shots in the Bay Area. They wouldn’t easily kill the people Sam sent over. Everyone maintained a certain degree of restraint.

But even so, if this notebook were to be exposed, it would inevitably stir up a frightening wave of public opinion!

Who could imagine that those glamorous big shots on the surface would one by one have such vile and perverted hobbies?

So this notebook had to be destroyed, but not now. He had to destroy it in front of everyone. Only in this way could it be convincing.

After getting into the car, Chief Charlie stood outside the car window. He didn’t hold an umbrella. The middle fingers of both his hands were pressed tightly against the seams of his trousers. He was bent at the waist, head lowered, standing with downcast eyes.

“Take care of it. Don’t let those people from the capital get it. If any unpleasant words spread then, it will make us lose face.”

“If they want someone, giving them a corpse can also be considered an explanation.”

Chief Charlie’s waist bent even lower, and his face was also slightly bitter, because Councilman Wade had not mentioned any of the subsequent issues regarding him as the chief throughout the whole process.

The car window was rolled up, and the luxurious convoy slowly merged into the rainy night. The chief returned to the police station. He glanced at his two trusted subordinates at the door, Hunter and another person, and nodded slightly.

Hunter sullenly threw the cigarette he hadn’t finished smoking out the door. It landed in the rainwater and was completely extinguished without even a spark.

Just like at this moment, he was standing on the highway to the next era, facing a car crashing towards him, powerless.

Two minutes later, the two entered the interrogation room. Hunter held the key in his hand, “Taking you to the holding cell. You made the right choice.”

A smile that he couldn’t control appeared on Sam’s face. The muscles on his face seemed to have a mind of their own, twitching into a smile.

He knew it wasn’t good to smile at this time, but he was just happy that he could survive.

He didn’t notice that when Hunter stood behind him, he took out a piece of broken glass from his pocket, then suddenly grabbed his chin and lifted it up, and then the sharp piece of glass instantly slit his throat.

Hunter immediately pushed away. The two watched as Sam sat in the chair, clutching his neck, his eyes wide as he looked at them.

The carotid artery was cut, and blood gushed out uncontrollably. In just ten seconds, he didn’t even have the strength to shout.

Then, Hunter’s companion took a shattered glass cup out of his pocket—wrapped in a handkerchief.

He selectively threw the glass shards around. Sam’s head tilted, his eyes staring at them, already on the verge of death.

Hunter wiped the piece of glass in his hand with a handkerchief, then walked to Sam’s side, held his hand, and used his index finger and thumb to leave deep fingerprints on the piece of glass.

After shattering a glass cup, using a shard of glass to commit suicide out of guilt—very reasonable!