Empire of Shadows

Lance was in his office, talking with Councilman Williams about the night’s firefight and the potential chaos in the city for the next period of time.

Just as he was roughly explaining his way of dealing with these problems, Elvin knocked on the door and stood at the entrance looking at him.

The two looked at each other for about three to five seconds. Lance said, “I have something to deal with right now. We’ll talk later.”

“Okay, call me when you have time,” he said and then hung up.

Only then did Elvin say, “They’ve captured Stone.”

“Stone?” Lance was also a little surprised. He wasn’t sure if Bandy’s men would have an important character leading the team tonight. He didn’t think a core member would go, at most some “manager” or the like.

Yes, they no longer used the more common gangster title of “cadre.” These people were all “managers,” “assistants,” and the like.

If someone who didn’t know heard their conversation, they would definitely think they were a very legitimate enterprise.

Only those who truly knew them knew that they were essentially a gang in the process of being whitewashed.

The probability of catching a manager was high, but the probability of catching a core member of the Kodak family, like Bandy, Gorry, Fleming, and Stone, was very small.The more noble a person’s status, the more they fear death. This has been verified in countless people.

In fact, it’s not just the emperors of the ancient world who were always seeking the path to immortality. The rulers of the modern era are also troubled by this.

This is a problem that almost every ruler will face—

How can “my” rule last longer?

How can “I” live longer?

Including now, in a medical laboratory that Lance did not know about, but some people did, they had already begun to try to extend human life through medical science.

Organ transplantation is a by-product of the research process. They believe that replacing people with younger organs is a way to make humans live forever.

But the fact is that the rejection reaction will kill the recipient earlier than aging. Although it cannot be applied to longevity, there is no problem with using it in the ordinary medical field.

But this kind of research is not without any meaningful scientific and technological achievements. In fact, there are.

For example, a certain medical group found some interesting phenomena. Young blood, in all aspects, will provide the body with more vitality than aging blood.

In order to better try and find a return worthy of the investors’ so much capital investment each year, they found through research that injecting the blood of a younger carrier with smaller genetic changes into the body of an older person can guarantee the activity of the older person’s organs to a greater extent and guarantee their physical state.

In those young bloods, there are still some things that scientists have not yet discovered, but that are effective and are at work.

And this just happened to find a better way out for those congenitally disabled children produced by inbreeding within those large families—the blood bank.

However, none of this has anything to do with Lance. He has not yet reached this class.

The more powerful one is, the more one fears death. Bandy and his brother are also among those who fear death.

The suffering people believe that death is a release, but for them, death is the end of happiness and the beginning of fear, so they will not risk leading a team in person.

But he never imagined that Stone would actually be at the scene.

“Have they brought the person back?”

Elvin nodded. “He’s already been sent to the old house.”

Lance stood up, took the clothes hanging on the back of the chair, put them on, and casually took a handgun from the drawer and inserted it into the holster. “Let’s go and have a look.”

As he spoke, he gave another order, telling Elvin to notify the people at the manor to all withdraw.

He wasn’t really going to storm Figal’s manor. Even if the defense of the manor was relatively weak now, it would still cost a considerable price to storm it.

Their mission this time had been successfully completed. There was no need to continue to waste ammunition and risk fighting with Figal’s men.

Soon, a convoy of several cars came out of the back door of the bank, drove into the night, and disappeared.

The fierce gunshots had made the streets much less crowded with cars, let alone pedestrians.

Soon, the group arrived at the old house. Stone was tied to a chair.

His face was a little swollen, and his eyes were narrowed into a slit.

If you looked closely, the swollen part looked like a footprint. It seemed that the situation was not too bad, at least he was still in high spirits.

When he saw Lance come in, Stone raised his head, his eyes flickering a little. He looked at Lance, wanting to say something, but in the end, he didn’t say it.

“This is our first time meeting. Has anyone ever told you that you and Fleming are quite similar?”

As the “dark side” of the Kodak family, Bandy would not bring Stone with him when he attended those political or social events. Even Gorry rarely appeared with him in public.

So Lance had seen Fleming, but not Gorry.

But he was quite similar to Fleming. They were indeed brothers.

Gorry did not speak, but remained silent.

He believed that whether it was Bandy or his father, they would find a way to rescue him. What he needed to do now was to wait.

Seeing that he was not speaking, Lance couldn’t help but smile. He looked at the person next to him. “Mr. Stone doesn’t seem to think much of us. He’s not even willing to speak.”

“Who can help him correct his views?”

A young man stood up. “Boss, let me teach him to respect others.”

Lance did not refuse. This young man was called Ted, a newly promoted captain. He walked to the wall and lit a cigarette.

Under Stone’s disbelieving gaze, Ted walked over and punched Stone in the stomach.

In an instant, the intense pain, as if his intestines had been broken, began to attack him, and he also had an urge to vomit.

His body was tied to a chair. The only thing he could do was to curl up his body as much as possible, as if doing so could reduce the pain in his stomach a little.

But Ted didn’t give him much chance to experience these feelings. Instead, he grabbed his hair and forced him to raise his head, and then punched him hard in the face.

The huge force made Ted unable to even hold on to his hair. A lock of hair was left in his hand, and Stone was hit and fell backwards.

Fortunately, the person next to him held the chair, otherwise this fall would definitely not have been light.

His eyes were filled with pain and hatred as he looked at the young man in front of him, but soon his eyes became gentle and even a little foolish.

He recalled the people he had dealt with. When they looked at him with such eyes, he would only make those people more painful!

As a former perpetrator, he knew very well that when he stood in that position, he would subconsciously develop a desire to “tame.”

He wanted to make those who were not convinced become convinced, and to make those who were unwilling to bow their heads bow their heads. For this, he could have people tortured to the extreme!

Now the positions of the two sides were reversed. He couldn’t be stupid.

His eyes were clear and dazed, and there was nothing fierce in them. This look could even be selected for an acting textbook— “How to show a dazed and ignorant look.”

But in his heart, he firmly remembered all these people. He would repay the pain he had suffered today, many times over!

Ted looked at his eyes with a cold smile on his face. He opened his palm and bent his four fingers inward, and slapped Stone across the face. His whole face was instantly swollen even more.

He couldn’t even feel his cheek anymore!

Everything he had in the past was telling him to hold on.

He gritted his teeth, trying not to focus on his painful and numb cheek. His eyes still showed such a dazed look.

But this couldn’t save him from being beaten. Lance smoked his cigarette and looked at him with a half-smile. His “game time” had just begun.

At least he had to wait until he finished this cigarette before the game time would end.

On the other side, when those who had escaped told Bandy and Gorry that Stone might also be finished, the first thing Bandy and Gorry did was not to believe it.

Because only a few people knew about their plan to secretly attack Lance’s rear.

The head of the Tita family knew, Figal knew, and on their side, it was just the two brothers, and Fleming and Stone, a total of six people knew.

They themselves couldn’t possibly have leaked the secret. If Figal had leaked it, he would only have died a more miserable death. After all, he was the bait.

As for the Tita family…

Bandy shook his head. He wasn’t sure.

“The most important thing now is to confirm Stone’s situation!” he looked at Gorry. “Don’t be anxious yet. I’ll give Lance a call.”

“If Stone is really in his hands, no matter what conditions he sets, I will get him back.”

Gorry nodded, not saying a word, just sitting there seemingly calmly.

But this seemingly calm was not calm at all. After all, it was his son, after all, he had raised him for so many years, and he would inherit everything he had in the future.

Now he was said to be captured, and he was a little unable to accept it.

His composure now was just to not affect others. He was actually very panicked in his heart.

Bandy looked at him, who seemed unable to hear anything, and finally sighed.

Lance’s phone number hadn’t changed. It was still the old number, just moved.

The call was quickly answered, but Lance was not there. But fortunately, they seemed to have Lance’s other contact information. After dialing a few more numbers, the call was finally answered.

“I want to see Lance!”

Someone came in and said something in Lance’s ear. Lance, holding a cigarette, said, “Don’t mind me,” and left the room.

He went to another room and picked up the phone. His tone still carried a trace of lighthearted pleasure. “It’s me. What’s up?”

“Mr. Bandy?”

Bandy took a deep breath. “Lance, give me Stone. You can set any conditions.”

Hearing his suppressed emotions, Lance laughed twice. “I don’t quite understand what you mean, Bandy. Stone is not with me.”

Bandy’s breathing on the other end of the line became heavier, and his voice also became deeper. “Come on, don’t play this game with me. We all know he’s in your hands. Hand him over.”

“How much money do you want, or what do you want? Name your price.”

Lance waited for a while, as if thinking, and then asked, “You seem very sure that he is in my hands. Why?”

This sentence made Bandy stunned for a moment. He really didn’t know how to answer, and could only say, “Don’t say these meaningless things. Tell me, what will it take for you to let him come back.”

“He’s not with me. I’m busy fighting Figal’s men. I don’t have time for you, Bandy. So you should go and ask someone else if Stone has gone to them.”

“If that doesn’t work, you can call the police. The police might be able to help you.”

“I have other things to do. And don’t forget, we are still at war. Don’t fucking call me as if we have a good relationship!”

He slammed down the phone with a click, and then couldn’t help but laugh.

On the other end of the line, Bandy cursed a few times. He glanced at the expectant Gorry and had to say patiently, “He said Stone is not with him. I don’t think he’s telling the truth. I’ll talk to Williams.”

He then dialed Councilman Williams’s number. Not long ago, Councilman Williams was still on the phone with Lance. He must not have gone to bed yet.

After stating his name, Bandy said, “Help me get Stone out. You can name any conditions.”

Councilman Williams knew very well that the fact that Bandy could call him here meant that he had hit a wall with Lance.

He would not make decisions for Lance’s affairs. This would only make their relationship worse.

He said with a smile, “I don’t quite understand what Stone’s disappearance has to do with Lance.”

“But I will help you ask. If he is willing to talk.”

Bandy was very frustrated. After thanking him a few times, he hung up the phone.

Councilman Williams did not call Lance, but picked up the newspaper again.

James, sitting next to him, asked, “Don’t we need to check in with Lance?”

Councilman Williams shook his head. “Once the wheels of a train start to turn forward, they will not stop easily.”

James nodded thoughtfully.

Lance returned to the room. Stone had obviously received an extraordinary “reward.” When he saw Lance come, he even breathed a sigh of relief.

Lance raised his hand and had Ted go back to the wall and stand. He looked at Stone. “Now, are you willing to talk to me?”

Stone licked his lips. “What do you want to know?”

A smile appeared on Lance’s face, his white teeth seeming to glow in the night. “I’m very interested in your next plan.”

Figal’s side saw that Lance’s men had inexplicably retreated. This was obviously not the same as their plan. He hesitated for a moment, but didn’t dare to chase after them, and could only wait dryly in the manor.

The Kodak Family’s men didn’t come. The Tita family’s men came later than planned. Figal’s face was very ugly.

He called Bandy. The moment the call was answered, he started cursing!

“You fucking said you would come and support me as soon as possible, but I haven’t seen your men until now. You son of a bitch are just a lying fraud, Bandy!”

“I will never fucking believe a single word you say again. Go to hell with your lies and your ugly face, you bastard!”

Bandy waited until he had almost finished cursing and had stopped, then asked, “Are you done cursing?”

This calm response made Figal suddenly not know how to answer. He was stunned for a moment, and Bandy’s voice continued to come from the receiver. “I had Stone lead a team to support you. Lance’s men set up an ambush on the way, repelled our support, and also captured Stone.”

“Now, not only have I suffered heavy losses, but I’ve also lost my nephew.”

“Figal, I understand your situation, so I won’t hold it against you now, but you need to watch your tone.”

“If you talk to me like that again, I’ll go and side with Lance!”

This one sentence made Figal angry, but he had no good solution.

In fact, he had overlooked that Bandy and Lance were not at peace. They also had conflicts. The things he said were completely unfounded!

“Sorry, I was too anxious.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

Bandy said in a muffled voice, “Not causing me trouble is the greatest help to me!”

Originally, Figal wanted to say something more, but in the end, he gave up.

He had a feeling that they were really no good anymore.

It wasn’t that they were about to die, but that in the face of an opponent like Lance, they were no longer very good.

The most precious quality of a person is to recognize their own shortcomings and weaknesses. As long as they recognize this, many problems will be solved immediately.

After Figal hung up the phone, he frowned and sat in his chair, falling into thought.

In the middle of the night, Bandy called Lance again, but Lance didn’t answer. The person who answered the phone said that Lance had already gone to bed, so he could only give up.

Early the next morning, he called Lance again, but at that time, Lance had not yet gotten up.

It wasn’t until a little after eight o’clock that Lance answered his call.

“We all know that Stone is definitely in your hands.”

“Lance, let’s talk frankly.”

“Yes, I did arrange for him to lead a team to sneak attack you. I admit it. We are in a state of hostility, after all. I did this out of my own consideration.”

“Now, he has fallen into your hands. No matter what happened to him, I only have one request: give him to me.”

“If he is dead, give me his body.”

“If he is still alive, hand him over to me.”

“You can name any conditions. Money, or something else, it’s all fine.”

“He is my family. I will become crazy for my family!”

“I just want him back now, dead or alive, that’s all!”

This was to give Gorry an explanation. For a whole night, Gorry had not slept, and he had become much more haggard.

In the morning, it was he who took the initiative to say to Bandy that Stone might already be dead.

He just wanted Stone’s body back now, so that he could… be buried relatively intact in the family cemetery. This was his last wish.

So this time, Bandy’s conditions became more lenient. Dead was also fine.

Lance did not interrupt him this time. After waiting for him to finish all his words, he asked, “Including having you hand over your licenses and leave Golden Port City?”

Bandy suddenly fell silent, because he really couldn’t agree to this condition.

Hand over the licenses, leave Golden Port City. What would they have left? What future could they have?

The moment before, Bandy, who could do anything for his family, seemed to feel that… it was just a nephew, and actually not that important to the whole family.

(End of a Chapter)