Empire of Shadows

In the morning, Mador returned from the docks with a few men. Lance received them in the open space behind his office.

He and two of them then went into the office together.

“These are all my former comrades-in-arms. Luigi was personally taken care of by them.”

He handed several photos to Lance, including a newspaper.

For a small country like the Aldra Republic, the death of a foreigner was definitely not a big deal.

There are always people in this world who don’t believe in evil. You tell them that a place is very dangerous, that they absolutely shouldn’t go there for tourism, but there are always people who insist on going, who insist on seeing for themselves whether it’s dangerous or not.

Yalan was included in the “dangerous travel list” of many wealthy countries because it was too poor.

In this era, even withdrawing money from the same bank in a different region was very troublesome, let alone withdrawing money across countries and banks. So most people would carry their money with them.

For tourists from wealthy countries, this amount of money might be a very small number, but for the people of Yalan, it was a huge sum of money! They felt it was worth the risk for a large sum of money, even money that could bring them financial freedom.

Every year, many tourists would go missing in Yalan. The local government was helpless and could only say, “Don’t fucking go to dangerous places.” It was no longer a question of whether to stay or not; it was a matter of not going at all.They wouldn’t report whether these foreigners were robbed and killed, or raped and killed. They wouldn’t report it. Who the fuck would take the initiative to report this?

But Luigi was different. He was a relatively famous foreign businessman in the Aldra Republic. His death would definitely cause some changes locally.

The newspaper reported his death, and there were also some death photos taken by reporters up close.

Half of his face had been blown off, and his cerebellum had been pierced. This was the real cause of his death.

Lance glanced at the photos, pursed his lips, and threw them into the trash can, along with the newspaper.

“How terrible, the public security in Aldra. Fortunately, the Federation is safe,” he pursed his lips, expressing his regret for his encounter, and then showed a smile.

“How should I address you two?”

Mador introduced, “The one on the left is Abel, a former second lieutenant in the Second Army of the Empire.”

“The one on the right is…”

The taller-looking guy took a step forward. “Griggs, also a soldier from the Second Army, a first lieutenant.”

Lance raised his eyebrows and glanced at Mador.

The latter explained, “Actually, many of us are from the Imperial Army.”

If the resistance army wanted to quickly form a fighting force, it was simply impossible to rely on farmers who had just put down their hoes.

This was not ancient times, where you could call it an army by giving each farmer a spear.

This was a more developed world, with rifles, artillery, and even some simple mechanized troops. Untrained farmers didn’t even know how to shoot. How could you have them fight a regular army?

And you expected them to make the regular army collapse?

That was not realistic!

Untrained farmers were never a match for a regular army. If someone told you that a group of farmers who had just gotten weapons and didn’t even know how to pull the bolt could make professional soldiers collapse, they must be lying. In fact, in the early days of various uprisings, many were supported by nobles from behind. They gave money, supplies, and also officers and armies.

Then, during the battle, they would have the army go easy, creating the phenomenon of three or five hundred rebels chasing several thousand Imperial soldiers.

It was precisely because of this that the situation in the Empire quickly collapsed.

It wasn’t that these rebels were so formidable, but that the nobles were too formidable. Now that the Emperor and the great nobles seemed to have sorted out the division of interests, some people were about to be liquidated.

Those nobles who were served up on the dinner table became the sacrifices to end this farce. Now that everyone’s interests and demands were met, well, the peasant uprising was over.

Mador, Abel, Griggs, and the other soldiers, along with their former “masters,” all became victims of interests. Their masters had already been served up on the dinner table, and their end was also obvious.

They would be executed in the name of “rebels,” and it would also implicate their families and clans.

For the middle and lower-level managers, they didn’t care whether these people had really rebelled, nor did they care about the reasons for their rebellion. They only cared about pleasing those above.

In other words, if nothing changed, they were doomed. “Politics is always dirty. I deeply regret what you have been through!” Lance nodded slightly. “I don’t care what you were in the past. Now you work for me. I will arrange to have all your families brought over.”

“Mador can do this. You are experienced.”

Mador nodded at the side and said, “Yes, all our families have been brought over.”

The two men’s faces were calm, not at all like they had just heard this good news.

You should know that when Mador and the others heard that they could bring their families over, everyone showed a look of ecstasy.

No one knew how the situation in the Empire would develop, nor did they know if the executioner’s axe would turn towards their families. Only by bringing them to the Federation would they be truly safe.

Griggs bowed slightly. “Thank you very much for your help, Mr. Lance.”

He glanced at Mador. Mador’s expression was briefly stunned, then became somewhat serious. He didn’t even have time to stop him before Griggs said, “Mr. Lance, I would like to discuss a business deal with you…”

“Shut up!”

Mador glared at him. “You shouldn’t say this!”

Griggs didn’t look at him, but at Lance with shining eyes. Lance was a little unsure of what they were up to. He was silent for a moment.

“I trust Mador very much. He protected me in a crisis. If he thinks your actions are inappropriate, I will give you a sum of money. You can try your luck here, or arrange for someone to send you back to the Empire.”

This sentence forced Griggs to look at Mador. Mador glared at him, but he showed no fear. “This is the Young General’s intention.”

As soon as the words “Young General” came out, Mador’s expression also softened a little. Lance became more interested in learning about these stories.

He glanced at his watch. “We still have a lot of time. Are you willing to share these stories with me?”

“Just a simple sharing!”

Mador sat back down. He knew where to start. Griggs said directly, “Let me tell it.”

Lance nodded slightly. “Please speak.”

“We are all the General’s soldiers. The General has been secretly arrested and executed. They fought to the death to protect the Young General’s escape. Now we have re-rallied around the Young General to fight for him.”

“We, including Mador, have all received the Young General’s kindness. If it weren’t for him, Mr. Lance, you know the situation in the Empire. Many people would have died.”

“He did not abandon us in times of crisis. Now we cannot abandon him either. We did indeed come with a purpose and a mission.”

“The Young General wants to overthrow the corrupt rule of the royal family. We will all fight for this great and sacred goal, even if it means being crushed to pieces.”

“But we now lack funds, lack supplies, lack everything.”

“We can sell our lives for you, Mr. Lance. We are the best enforcers. We are professionally trained soldiers. I will be a sharp spear.”

“We will pierce through all the shields that stand in your way and the enemies behind the shields. And what you need to do is to support our just cause.”

Lance frowned as he listened. “You are the sharpest spear in someone else’s hand, not mine. This will make me very worried that the spearhead might one day be turned against me.”

“Because I have what your master wants here. When our interests and wills are not aligned, whose side will you be on?”

He shook his head and glanced at Mador. “Withdraw some money from Mello’s, take your friends on a tour, and then arrange for them according to their own wishes.”

“Stay or go back.”

“Mr. Lance!” Griggs raised his voice and stood up.

Abel also stood up. Hiram, who had been sitting in the corner with little presence, directly took out his weapon and looked at them.

If they moved again, he would kill them all.

He didn’t care whose master’s soldiers these were, nor did he care what was happening to their master now. Lance sat in his chair with his legs crossed. He spread his hands. “This is the Federation, this is my turf. I call the shots.”

Mador also got up and looked at them, his expression very displeased. “Get out. You have disappointed me greatly.”

Griggs and Abel looked at each other, then apologized with some disappointment and turned to leave.

Lance glanced at Hiram, who also followed them out.

He had someone keep an eye on this group. If necessary, he would send them to the police station.

Although Lance was willing to integrate and unite the Empire immigrants, he would not accept these forces that clearly did not belong to him.

Walking out of the house, Mador began to complain, “I thought you guys were really planning to defect to me.”

Griggs glanced at him sideways. “To learn from you how to be a deserter?”

This sentence left Mador speechless. From a practical point of view, he was indeed a deserter.

“I’m going to make a phone call,” Griggs went straight out the company gate and headed for the phone booth at the entrance. He had to contact the Young General’s people.

In fact, it wasn’t just them who had come to the Federation. There were also other people. They had all come to seek various kinds of help.

The royal family and the great nobles had already settled the issue of the distribution of interests. Next would be the frantic encirclement and suppression of the rebel army, especially someone like the Young General, who should have been executed but had survived.

He had enough connections in the Empire. Once he was given the opportunity to grow, it was hard to say whether those nobles would have other ideas.

Some had gained huge benefits, while some had paid a heavy price.

The victors hoped that the current situation would last forever, while the losers hoped for another reshuffle.

The call was quickly connected. Griggs talked to the person on the other end about what had just happened.

Outside the phone booth, Mador looked at Abel and said, “You shouldn’t have done this. It puts me in a very difficult position.”

Abel showed an apologetic smile. “Actually… a lot of things happened after you left.”

“They surrounded our hometown, took out a roster, and arrested all our families, then forced us to surrender.”

When he said this, Mador already knew what would happen next. “My God,” escaped from his mouth.

“Yes, you know, they’re all dead.”

Abel rubbed his face. “Now what keeps us alive is the power of hatred, so you, and your Mr. Lance, don’t need to worry about what we will do at all.”

“At least before we complete our revenge, we won’t do anything. We will be the quietest and most useful tools.”

“Whoever can bring us the hope of revenge, we will fight for them.”

Mador felt a wave of fear. Fortunately, his family had already been brought to the Federation by him. He couldn’t imagine what would have happened if he had met Lance a little later. Maybe his family would have suffered a tragic fate too. He walked over and gave Abel a hug. “Everything will be fine.”

As he spoke, Griggs came out of the phone booth. “Martin will be coming over. We’ll be here for two days. You help us arrange it.”

Mador rolled his eyes, but in the end, he agreed.

Martin was the General’s cousin and also the family’s head steward. He had been sent by the Young General to the Federation to get some help.

Mador sighed. “You should have told me beforehand.”

Griggs, however, seemed very undisguised. “And then we’ll send back the money he gives me?”

“I don’t like to lie, Mador. What is, is. If he can accept it, then we will sell our lives for him.”

“If he can’t accept it, then we will go and find someone who is willing to make a deal with us. It’s that simple.”

Considering that the other party’s entire family was dead, Mador found it difficult to argue with these old friends. He just nodded. “Alright, you guys rest for these two days. See if Martin can convince the boss.”

“The boss?” Griggs asked.

“The boss!” Mador emphasized his tone. “He gave us our current life and also brought our families over. I will sell my life for him. It’s that simple.”

“What about the General?” Griggs asked again.

Abel next to him quickly stood between the two. “Alright, alright, don’t talk about this. I haven’t been to the Federation before. It’s a good opportunity to look around. They all say the water here is sweet.”

Mador glanced sideways at Griggs, a person completely dominated by hatred. He was too lazy to continue talking with this former friend.

He looked at Abel, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly, wanting to laugh, but held it back.

“The water is indeed sweet, but not necessarily safe.”

Abel scratched his head. “What do you mean?”

Then Mador began to explain what this meant. He actually liked to drink water from the tap when he first came. It was sweet, as if sugar had been added. But when he heard Lance say that the heavy metals in this water exceeded the standard and that drinking too much would lead to poisoning, he had a “what the fuck did I just hear” expression on his face.

He even asked Lance if the Federation government wasn’t afraid of people being poisoned to death by doing this.

In fact, they really weren’t afraid of people being poisoned to death.

Because this required a very long process. Even if someone was poisoned to death, the deceased’s family had to prove that their death was related to the water supply system, and they also had to find a way to win the lawsuit before they could get compensation from the federal government and the water supply company.

The energy and expenses they would need to spend might far exceed what they could get, so the federal government and the water supply company were not worried at all.

Replacing the entire water network was a super-huge project, and they simply didn’t have that much extra budget. Lance, on the second floor, watched Mador leave with his men. He withdrew his gaze from behind the blinds.

Many people were sitting in the office. Lance returned to his chair and sat down. “Keep an eye on them. If they cause us any trouble, get rid of them directly.”

He paused. “Is there anyone still causing trouble at the docks today?”

Elvin was now in charge of this matter. He shook his head and said, “No more. Many workers have already signed the ‘Waiver of Rights’ and then left with their final pay.”

Lance showed a contemptuous expression. “They once had a better choice, but greed destroyed them.”

He paused. “The firm will continue to recruit people, and our people will also continue to recruit. When the senator is about to leave, we will clean up those little trashes.”

He looked at Morris, who was sitting in a wheelchair in the corner. “Are you feeling better?”

Morris’s face didn’t look good. He hadn’t actually fully recovered, but he just couldn’t stay idle.

“A little better, at least it doesn’t hurt as much.”

Lance thought for a moment. “You continue to take charge of your men. At the same time, I will give you another sum of money to continue to expand. I want you to monitor the Five Families.”

This sentence was beyond everyone’s expectations, but then it was followed by a look of ecstasy.

“Are we… going to make a move on the Five Families?”

Lance nodded. “First is the Cassia Family, then the Kodak Family. Councilman Williams needs to offer more benefits to become mayor.”

“It’s unrealistic for us to give up all the profits from the liquor business, but besides the liquor business, the places in Golden Port that can produce so much profit are the dock business and the Kodak Family’s casino business.”

“Those people in the Bay Area are too united. It’s not good for us to touch them now. We still lack some foundation and strength.”

“But the Kodak Family is no problem. This is the price of their wrong bet.”

Hearing this, the men all rubbed their fists together. “Great, I’ve long been tired of hearing people always talking about the Five Families. In my opinion, there is only one family in Golden Port, and that is our Lance Family.”

Lance couldn’t help but laugh after hearing this. “Very good, very motivated. Then let’s work towards this goal.”

He glanced at his watch again. “I’m going to a party tonight. If you guys have nothing else, then go and do what you need to do…”

(End of chapter)

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