Empire of Shadows

The gunshots continued until the middle of the night before completely subsiding, as if the entire city had plunged into chaos. Lance also didn’t get to sleep until the wee hours.

Too many things had happened tonight. People were still in shock over the mayor being shot during his speech when an even greater turmoil erupted in the city.

The gangs secretly controlled by the Mayor all began to launch “gang wars” on the day he was shot. Lance received a call from Foster at night.

At 11:30 PM, the Cassia Family attacked the Pasoretto Family’s estate. The two sides engaged in an extremely fierce firefight, and it wasn’t until after 3:00 AM that the battle was considered over.

But everyone knew that “over” here referred to the end of this battle, not the end of the entire war.

The city’s turmoil had people’s attention focused on the Mayor’s assassination and the gang wars, so much so that they didn’t even notice that the dockworkers had already gone on strike.

All these events seemed to be squeezed together in an instant, making the ordinary people of Golden Port feel that it was incredible, while at the same time, they could clearly feel that there was a hand, or many hands, manipulating all this to happen and change.

This feeling was terrible for ordinary people. They were like a leaf blown from a cargo ship into the sea.

When the leaf was on the ship looking at the sea, it only felt refreshed and happy. But when it fell into the sea itself, it finally understood what “stormy seas” meant.

At a little after seven in the morning, Lance arrived at the hospital in the city center. The city center had also become much quieter. Many shops had bodyguards maintaining order at their entrances or inside, and the display windows of some shops on the roadside were shattered.Someone must have looted their shops late last night. For robbers, looting the brand-name stores in the city center was obviously a very attractive crime.

Those expensive branded items could be sold for a higher price when fencing them, and there was no worry about not being able to sell them.

This destruction made the atmosphere in the city center a bit tense. On the way to the hospital, Lance witnessed two roadside robberies, and someone was stabbed.

After the convoy entered the hospital, the atmosphere here was noticeably more relaxed.

The medical groups were the last people you wanted to mess with. They were very rich and willing to spend money.

Whether you were a criminal or a politician, as long as they felt you were affecting their ability to make money, they would take care of you.

The guards at the entrance carrying submachine guns or rifles were a warning to all criminals: don’t come here looking for trouble.

On a bench outside Morris’s hospital room, Lance saw Ennio.

The sound of footsteps startled Ennio awake. He flipped over and sat up, his hand also reaching into his coat, until he saw clearly that the people coming were his own.

“I’m sorry,” Lance apologized.

Ennio and Morris were good friends. They were both brought to the Federation by their families when they were very young.

They had been here for almost fourteen or fifteen years.

At that time, you could come here with just a boat ticket. The Federation was in its fastest period of development and needed a large number of workers, so you could become a Federation citizen without any conditions.

Ennio’s father was busy chasing his Federation Dream. Morris’s father had not yet become a complete gambling addict at that time and was also busy with work.

They lived close to each other, on the same street, and got to know each other over time.

Ennio liked to protect the weak. Morris was not tall to begin with, so the two became a pair.

Most of the time, on the surface, it was Ennio who played the role of the older brother, protecting and helping Morris.

But in reality, the one who truly played the role of the older brother was Morris, who had been in and out of casinos since he was a child.

He was clearly more mature than Ennio. Although small, he was more opinionated than Ennio.

After Ennio’s parents divorced, his feelings for his original family became much weaker, which also led to a closer bond between him and Morris.

Although the two were not related by blood, they were truly like real brothers.

Ennio’s eyes instantly turned red. Lance gave him a hug. “I will make the people who hurt him pay the price!”

Ennio nodded, his voice a little choked. “I believe you!”

Lance released him. “Is he awake?”

“I don’t know…”

Lance had someone find a doctor. The doctor smiled when he saw Lance, but he quickly realized it was best not to smile at this time.

He wasn’t very afraid of these gang family members, because these people would also get injured, get sick, and eventually come to the hospital.

As long as they couldn’t do without the hospital, the doctors didn’t have to be too afraid of them. On the contrary, these people were high-quality customers.

Look, one gunfight, four people to rescue. Although three died, those three who died also had to pay a large rescue fee!

The doctor walked over with a serious expression. “Mr. Lance!”

“How is my friend now?” he asked.

The doctor picked up the clipboard in his hand, which recorded the monitoring situation from last night. “Mr. Morris has a very strong life force. He may wake up earlier than we expected.”

At night, there were nurses and a doctor on duty in the ward responsible for checking on Morris’s condition. For injuries this severe, there was a high probability of some inexplicable sudden situation. If not dealt with in a short time, the patient could die.

So someone was watching him all night, including now. There were also two nurses and a doctor inside, guarding Morris’s life and safety.

Of course, don’t think this is because the hospital is so responsible. It was only after they heard that Morris only had basic insurance and that Lance was willing to pay the full fee that they became so attentive.

If it weren’t for the fact that arranging for several more doctors was too… blatant, they would have loved to arrange a hundred doctors in Morris’s room to protect him alone.

“This is good news. Can we see him now?”

The doctor nodded. “Of course, but if you want to go in, you have to be fully disinfected. Otherwise, you can only look through the glass.”

“He has too many wounds on his body. We have to ensure that the room is as quiet as possible to reduce the risk of infection.”

The group went to the doctor’s on-duty office and, through a huge glass wall, saw Morris lying in the hospital bed.

He hadn’t woken up yet, but his whole body was slightly swollen. The doctor explained that this was a normal phenomenon.

He lay naked on the bed, and the doctor had even inserted a urinary catheter for him. Although it looked a bit funny, no one could laugh.

The bandaged areas on his body were still faintly oozing blood. It was clear that he had really suffered this time.

Coming out of the hospital, standing on the steps, Lance lit a cigarette.

Ennio clenched his fists. “Lance, this time when we fight the Wolf Gang, let me go.”

Lance did not refuse. “You can, but you have to take care of your own safety. I don’t want you to be lying down after Morris wakes up.”

He paused and looked at Bolton, who was sitting in a wheelchair to the side.

In fact, Lance knew that Bolton could do without the wheelchair. The bullet had only broken one of his ribs, and surgery had already corrected the rib’s position. He was now wearing a special garment to ensure the rib wouldn’t dislocate.

He could walk on his own, as long as he didn’t run or jump. But he still chose to sit in a wheelchair, which seemed to show more “sincerity.” After all, he was now someone who had bled for the family.

“Morris’s men will cooperate with you for now. I need to find out the situation of all the senior cadres of the Wolf Gang, including their what’s-his-name Wolf and their other person in charge.”

Bolton endured the severe pain caused by inhaling, and the smile he couldn’t control on his face almost made him lose his composure. “No problem, I will get it all done as soon as possible!”

Morris being down was bad news, but for him, it might actually be good news.

He could get involved in more family affairs and gain more importance and a greater say.

If nothing had happened to Morris, he wouldn’t have had this opportunity!

Lance nodded slightly. “Get it done as soon as possible.”

“Yes!”

He forcefully suppressed the throbbing in his heart, his hands gripping the wheels of the wheelchair so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

At this moment, the Professor was a little embarrassed, but only a little, because he had calculated that Lance would definitely retaliate against the Wolf Gang.

And the facts proved that he did retaliate, but the Professor had miscalculated the target.

Counting the people on Jobav’s side and the people in the bar, they had actually suffered heavy losses this time.

Two senior cadres and about thirty core members had died. Although Wolf didn’t say anything, from his pained expression, it was clear that his heart also ached.

The internal atmosphere of the Wolf Gang was much better than some other gangs. Wolf himself didn’t have much personal charisma, which also meant he didn’t put on airs.

Anyway, everyone was brothers. He saw himself as the alpha wolf, and he would take care of everyone else. From their perspective, the atmosphere was actually good.

So many people dying left him without a smile all morning. But this matter… it didn’t seem quite right to blame the Professor, after all, the Professor was only half wrong, not completely wrong.

In Wolf’s office, Wolf asked, “What do you think they will do next?”

The people around all looked at him. Although he didn’t see any mockery on their faces, the Professor was still a little embarrassed. Wolf really didn’t know how to ask questions.

He knew this question would make him embarrassed, but he still asked it.

Sometimes the Professor didn’t know if he was really stupid or just pretending.

He coughed to cover up his emotions. “We can’t wait. Continue to attack, a little at a time.”

“Don’t forget, besides our own ideas, there’s also the task he gave us.”

Hearing the Professor mention this, a look of reluctance appeared on Wolf’s face, but he was helpless. After all, the Mayor was the nominal and for the most part, actual ruler of this city. He couldn’t refuse.

But then he had another thought and asked, “I heard he was seriously injured…”

The Professor pushed up his glasses and looked at him. “He told us several days in advance when to make a move, and then he was shot just before we made our move.”

“Wolf, actually, I never expected you to be able to keep up with my thinking. But for such a simple question, I still hope you can use your brain more.”

Wolf showed a look of annoyance. “No one taught me these things, damn it!”

He slapped the table. “So we attack now?”

The Professor nodded. “Let those small gangs charge in front. If they refuse, tell them that whoever captures the territory, it will be theirs in the future.”

This sentence made Wolf’s eyes widen. Perhaps knowing what this guy was going to ask, the Professor still explained, “Don’t worry about them growing stronger than us.”

“Just find a reason, and at that time, leak some information to Lance.”

“He will help us solve our troubles.”

These small gangs had remained relatively independent after being incorporated into the Wolf Gang, which was not in the gang’s interest. So the Professor planned to solve these troubles once and for all this time, by letting Lance solve them for him.

As long as their backbone and leaders were dead, the rest would naturally become true members of the Wolf Gang, helping them to localize.

A look of contempt appeared on Wolf’s face, although he did admire the Professor.

The Professor ignored the contemptuous look. “If you guys have no problem, then go and act. Pay attention to their people on the street!”

Because Bolton and Morris were attacked, the entire Empire District became outwardly relaxed but inwardly tense. The old-timers’ gazes were like those of hawks, locking onto every pedestrian and every car on the street.

The news that Bolton was injured was like the sky falling for them. Now, many people relied on Bolton to live a happy old age.

For them, they didn’t care who the mayor was or who the municipal councilman was. They only cared about Bolton’s health.

Actually, all these people knew that above Bolton were the Lance Family and Lance, but the social status of these old-timers was too low. They simply couldn’t get in touch with a “big shot” like Lance.

So Bolton became particularly important to them.

A few old-timers were still talking about the attack that happened yesterday. Of course, they were discussing the case of Bolton being shot.

“Did you hear?”

“Mr. Bolton sent five thousand dollars to the family of the waiter who died for him. He is truly a remarkable gentleman!”

The other old men also showed admiration, and a little envy.

After all, that was five thousand dollars. Give them five thousand dollars, and they wouldn’t have to worry about money until they died.

Bolton had gone to see the waiter’s family in the morning and, in front of everyone, stuffed five thousand dollars into their hands.

In his version of the story, the waiter had proactively drawn the gunmen’s attention away for him, creating an opportunity for him to escape.

Simply because he had once praised the waiter and given him a few tips.

He was very moved, so he decided to repay the waiter’s family with five thousand dollars.

This matter quickly spread throughout the Empire District. Many people said that Mr. Bolton was a good man of sentiment and righteousness.

He clearly didn’t need to do anything for the person who died accidentally in the shooting, but he still gave such a large sum of money.

The waiter’s family was also very grateful for Bolton’s compensation. They accepted the fact that their loved one had passed away and did not resent Bolton. They even hoped that their other children could also work for Bolton.

Of course, Bolton refused. He did not want tragedy to befall this family again…

The old men talked about these things, sighing with emotion.

Suddenly, an old man saw two cars coming from the direction of the Port District.

Inside were young men. Looking at their serious faces, they didn’t look like normal people. He quickly stood up and ran to the phone booth.

Before long, Lance heard this news.

Now Bolton also had his own office and his own phone in the company.

Lance didn’t even need to give Ennio an order; he left with his men.

A constant stream of phone calls converged all the abnormal movements within the Empire District. This is why the Professor had also treated Bolton as a target to be dealt with.

He thought Lance’s eyes were blind, but in fact, they were not.

The gunshots from other districts also gradually reached the Empire District. The people living here were also aware of what had happened in the past few days. When the gunshots rang out, they would leave the scene as soon as possible and hide in alleys or roadside shops.

After the gunfight was over, they would come out again.

The entire city had gunshots ringing out almost all day. Golden Port had never been so chaotic.

Charlie had already begun to try to control the situation, but the effect was not very good.

There were firefights between gangs everywhere, fighting for territory, or just firefights to attack the other side’s effective forces.

People were constantly calling the police station, saying that a bullet had suddenly shot through their home’s glass. There was even an unlucky person who was hit by a stray bullet—

The bullet penetrated the not-so-thick wooden wall and hit him!

The entire police station was filled with endless calls. A large number of workers had also gathered at the port. Johnny stood at the very core, waving his fist, leading the workers to protest the dock management company’s decision!

In the dock management company manager’s office, many merchants and ship captains were negotiating with the manager.

Some hoped the manager could arrange for their goods to be loaded onto the ships as soon as possible and warned him that if their reasons caused the goods not to be sent out in time, leading to claims, they would sue the dock management company.

There were also ship captains demanding that the manager arrange for people to unload the cargo as soon as possible. They had no plans to stay here for a long time, and even just floating in the sea or at the docks required huge daily costs.

The manager’s office was full of people, and his head was about to explode!

But besides saying “I will arrange it as soon as possible,” he had no other good solution.

He had already bought off some workers, and these workers were willing to cooperate with him to continue working. But a dock that required more than ten thousand people to operate normally, even if his buy-offs were effective and there were a few hundred, or even one or two thousand people still working, it was completely insufficient.

The city was full of gunshots, and there was a strike at the docks. Golden Port was in complete chaos.

(End of chapter)