Empire of Shadows

The office door was suddenly knocked on. Hiram, who was chewing gum, drew the handgun from his holster.

He stood on the side of the wall by the door—

This was a bloody lesson.

In past battles, everyone had discovered that if you were inside a room and someone knocked or asked a question, the mortality rate for answering from behind the door was very high!

When encountering gunmen who had come with orders to kill, they wouldn’t play any games of “open the door first” or “shoot first.”

As long as you made a sound behind the door, they would immediately open fire on the door.

The first time someone went to see God because of the foolishness of standing still, people might not have paid much attention. But as more people died and were injured, it was gradually discovered and taken seriously.

The walls were harder, and not all houses were made of wood. It could provide more protection.

“Who’s there?” Hiram’s thumb, holding the gun, released the safety. He could shoot at any time.

“It’s me, Elvin. It’s done.”Hiram opened the door a crack, glanced outside, and after confirming it was Elvin, he put the safety back on and holstered his handgun.

He walked in from outside, a submachine gun slung over his shoulder. “It’s all taken care of.”

Lance nodded slightly, stood up, and walked towards the door. After a couple of steps, he remembered something, turned his head to look at Loraine, and extended his hand.

She took Lance’s hand and held it tightly, following him out of the vice principal’s office with her small schoolbag on her back.

Walking down the corridor, Loraine looked at the people around Lance with some curiosity. It was the first time she had seen them.

But she could feel their heartfelt respect for Lance.

There were only quiet and neat footsteps in the corridor. This was very strange. It hadn’t been like this at first. Everyone’s steps had been chaotic and disordered.

But after walking a few steps, Loraine found that everyone’s pace had started to become consistent, and the sound of their footsteps had become neat.

Lance hadn’t noticed this, but even if he had, he wouldn’t have cared much.

This was actually a kind of “leadership effect.” As the most special and prominent person in this group, his behavior would unknowingly influence others, making others take him as a role model and draw closer to him.

Whether it was an ordinary action or something else, it wasn’t intentional; it just naturally became his rhythm.

Upon reaching the elevator, Lance asked, “Whose men were they?”

Elvin pursed his lips. “The Holy Bell Party.”

This made Lance turn his head to look at Elvin with some surprise, as if asking, “Are you kidding me?”

“The Holy Bell Party?” he repeated, his tone filled with confusion and incomprehension. He had no feud with the Holy Bell Party.

Why did they want to assassinate him?

And how did they get in?

Elvin quickly explained, “They all have Holy Bell Party tattoos, and they’re not recent. They should have had them for a long time.”

With a “ding,” the elevator doors slowly opened. Lance led Loraine by the hand and walked to the very back first, then turned around.

Only then did the others enter, filling in around and in front of him. After the group entered, they all immediately turned around, facing the direction of the elevator doors.

Hiram pressed a button on the panel with a finger he had just picked his nose with, leaving a sticky mark.

Not long after, perhaps only thirty to fifty seconds later, the elevator doors opened again. The people standing in the lobby all turned to look at the elevator.

After Lance came out, he glanced at the ardent young men in the lobby and nodded slightly.

Although Lance appeared at the company almost every day, it was still not an easy thing to get close to him, even for the members of the Lance Family.

These ordinary gang members all had their own jobs. It could be patrolling a certain block, staking out a certain place, or having various other tasks to do.

Only a few could be on duty at the company.

Except for large events, it was not easy for them to get close to Lance, and Lance was the idol of the young people in their twenties, and even the entire Golden Port City.

Even the half-grown male students in this private school had a strong curiosity and longing for this legendary figure, Lance!

One can imagine how excited they were when they saw Lance, and how much they wanted to show themselves off.

Seeing them standing with their heads held high and their chests out, Lance smiled, walked towards the outside, and casually patted the arm of a young man next to the elevator.

This immediately made the young man’s face overflow with a proud and showy expression!

The bodies were placed in the lobby on the first floor, seven of them in total. They were left with only their underwear; all their other clothes had been stripped off.

After being inspected, they were placed to the side.

Lance was about to let go of Loraine’s hand. After all… a corpse was a bit too stimulating for a girl like her.

But he tried, and Loraine instead held his hand tighter. He turned his head and glanced at the girl, seeing determination and a certain resolve in her eyes.

He no longer tried to break free from her palm, but continued to hold her hand and came to the side of the corpse.

Each person had a tattoo of a handbell and a Bible on their chest. This was one of the marks of the Holy Bell Party.

It represented the gospel and glory of God. Everyone who joined the Holy Bell Party had to have such a tattoo.

“Looks like it’s real. Find someone who knows them and ask.”

Lance stood by the side for a while, and then walked outside as he spoke. Although these people were dead, there were still clues.

Aishe’s father.

The young man with a submachine gun slung over his shoulder by the car door immediately opened the door. Lance quickly walked over, got into the car, and then Loraine.

The others also got into the cars one after another, leaving only a few people here to deal with the aftermath.

After Lance’s convoy left, the precinct chief of the Creek Valley District also led the police into the scene.

Not long after, the principal of the private school issued a notice to the public that a group of thugs from the Holy Bell Party in the western region of Likalai State had attempted to carry out an attack in the private school but were discovered in time.

After their attempts to be persuaded and stopped were unsuccessful, they were shot dead at the scene.

The Creek Valley District precinct hoped that everyone could provide some clues and intelligence. The principal, in front of reporters, used harsh words to criticize the actions of this extremist organization, the Holy Bell Party, and also called on all sectors of society to pay attention to the issue of campus safety…

What happened today made them, including other private schools, understand a truth.

Sometimes, no matter how many people you know, in the face of power, it is of no significance at all. It shatters with a single touch!

Aishe was also ordered by the principal to suspend her studies and go home because she was considered the fuse of the whole incident.

She could do whatever she wanted, except go to school!

Considering that she was still a girl, the principal had Aishe’s teacher drive her home.

The school had suffered a huge loss this time. It could be imagined that after today, a large number of students would withdraw from this school. The network of connections they were proud of would also be shattered by more than half!

The school board and those investors would skin him alive and then slap him in the face with it. He had messed everything up!

Now the only thing he could do was to do everything he could to make up for it, to minimize the losses as much as possible.

There was a not-so-short road from the Creek Valley District to the Bay Area. Aishe was crying all the way. Her teacher didn’t know how to comfort this girl either.

The atmosphere on the way was very heavy. As a teacher at the best private school in Golden Port City, at least until this moment, he knew very well how much trouble Aishe’s father had caused.

Not to mention the private schools in Golden Port City, even the private schools in Likalai State would most likely not accept Aishe.

It wasn’t that Lance’s influence could cover the entire Likalai State, but that those schools didn’t want to cause trouble!

Unless they moved to another state, she might not even have a place to go to school.

The teacher sighed silently. “Everything will be alright,” he could only say this, but it was of no use. There were only sobs from the back seat.

Aishe wanted to be strong, but she couldn’t do it at all. The thought that she and her family had caused such a big trouble, it was as if the sky had fallen for her.

The heavy and sad atmosphere in the car continued all the way. After passing the inspection by the guards at the community gate, the car slowly entered the internal road and stopped outside her house.

Perhaps because he was about to be freed from this terrible matter, the teacher’s mood was a little better.

“After you go back and calm down, have a good talk with your father.”

“My suggestion is, you can have him change to a new environment for you, and it’s also a good opportunity to make some new friends.”

“If you have any questions you want to consult, you can give me a call.”

The teacher pursed his lips and sighed again. “I will always be proud of you!”

Without considering the matter itself, he still liked Aishe very much.

Aishe was very active in the class and was willing to participate in various school-organized activities.

For a private school like this, the activities organized by the school were often not simple, but more like a multi-level social activity.

It required their parents to come to the school. This was also why some people, who were clearly not of this class, still had to bite the bullet and even take out loans to send their children here.

Wasn’t it to use the school as a bridge to get to know those real upper-class people?

Although doing so might make them seem a little humble, but in the world of adults, how can there be humble or not humble?

There is only “rich” and “strapped,” nothing else.

Aishe and her family were keen on various social activities and were considered a relatively active family.

She was beautiful, had a head of golden hair, and had a good family. Who could dislike her?

Perhaps it was because she was at home. Aishe’s tears had subsided a little. She said a “thank you” and then pushed open the car door and got out, bowing to her teacher.

Then slowly, her steps were visibly heavy as she walked towards home.

The teacher shook his head, started the car again, and left. He still had to go back and write an apology letter and read it at the assembly, because he had not been able to distinguish the true situation of this matter at the first opportunity, which had caused Miss Loraine to be harmed.

He couldn’t help but slam the steering wheel. A beep made the pedestrians on the side of the road curse in fright.

Every teacher has a scale in their heart. Even a fart from a good student is loud and fragrant, while those students who are not cared about or valued by them, even if they are sacrificed, they feel that it is what they should do.

Standing on the steps, Aishe’s gaze withdrew from the rear window of the teacher’s car. She rang the doorbell. There was no answer, and no one opened the door.

She was suddenly stunned for a moment, and then her body began to tremble slightly.

When she came down from the school’s administrative building, she had seen the cleaners who were wiping the bloodstains on the ground, and she had also seen the police throwing body bags into a car.

She began to let her imagination run wild, became terrified, and rang the doorbell several more times. There was still no answer.

Just as she took off her schoolbag and took out her keys, fumbling but unable to insert the key into the lock, the main door slowly opened.

Her mother looked at her with unfocused eyes. That gaze was not like looking at her own daughter, a living person, but more like looking at something.

“Mom…” she called out timidly and in a low voice.

Her mother seemed to have just come back to her senses at this moment. She slowly squatted down and hugged her, hugging her very tightly, so tightly that she began to feel pain!

She seemed to have realized something. She did not cry out in pain, but just hugged her mother, as if wanting to give her some sense of security.

Aishe could firmly resist that silent and powerful force and not let herself cry out in pain.

By the side of Angel Lake, several young men were packing up the bloody tarpaulin, diligently and seriously.

Devon bent down and wiped the bloodstains on his leather shoes, making sure that his newly bought leather shoes were free of any dust. Only then did he straighten up in satisfaction.

“Dig the pit a little deeper. The last one was too shallow. I could fucking smell the stench.”

“If you guys are lazy again this time, then I’ll throw you down and let you have a good time!”

He cursed a couple of times with a laugh and sat in the car with the document in his hand.

Before Lance had even left the school, Aishe’s father had already been arrested.

Perhaps for this middle-aged man, he didn’t think Lance could escape this disaster.

He didn’t even, like Hoff, feel that something was wrong and immediately run. When Alan and Devon found him, he was actually at home, laughing foolishly at the television!

Then soon, he was taken away, in front of his wife.

Everyone has to pay the price for their own actions, to bear the consequences. No one is an exception, not even Lance.

Aishe’s father also didn’t last too long before he told them everything. What was interesting was that he was also a small shareholder of the docks, with less than one-thousandth of the shares, but this was also a gain.

After he had signed the equity transfer agreement, he was about to be buried deep underground.

And with these things, he had exchanged for the safety of his family.

His wife and his daughter were saved by him.

Blowing in the cool spring breeze, the car sped along the road leading to the city. The comfortable atmosphere emanating from the mountains and forests made one want to shout out loud!

To be eternal in such a beautiful place was already a kind of blessing!

When Devon returned to the company, Lance had just come back not long ago.

This was Loraine’s first time here. Her emotions had been quite intense today. After she came back, her whole person was obviously a little listless.

Lance had Corinda take the girl to wash up and then rest for a while. He himself still had to deal with some work matters.

Because this assassination attempt had not been able to be carried out, Lance had Bolton fill the streets with men.

This matter also served as a reminder to him that in this city, there were also places he could not monitor.

“It’s possible they came in at night!” Bolton was sweating a little. If a few gunmen could come in today without them knowing, then more gunmen could come in tomorrow!

He was very satisfied with his current life. His daughter had also returned to his side. His wife was as obedient as a large toy. His newborn son had great potential for the future.

The most important thing was that he had money in his hands, and more and more money, and also more and more social status.

He was more eager than Lance for this kind of life to continue.

Lance listened to his explanation and nodded noncommittally. “This is indeed a problem. We don’t have anyone on the streets at night. If someone really comes in, there’s a high probability that we won’t be able to find them.”

He pondered for a moment. “I’ll find a way to solve this.”

He didn’t say how to solve it. Bolton would inevitably think more. He had to show his value.

He suddenly seemed to have thought of something. “A few days ago, Hoff seemed to have left once. It’s also possible that they came back in Hoff’s car.”

Lance nodded. “I remember this. Someone saw Hoff’s convoy leave Golden Port City.”

He raced his brows and thought about the possibility of this development. It did exist, and it was not accidental.

But he quickly shook his head again. “Hoff ran too early. If we could find him, then these problems wouldn’t exist.”

“We still need to continue to expand our eyes, to let our tentacles spread throughout the entire Likalai State, instead of being limited to Golden Port City.”

“Don’t be satisfied with our current achievements, gentlemen. Now is not the time to rest on our laurels and enjoy.”

“We still have many enemies and have to face many challenges.”

“I can only give you one piece of advice, and that is not to slack off. Once you slack off and leave the team, I will not stop and wait for you!”

As he spoke, Devon walked in from outside. He handed the document bag in his hand to Lance. “He said it was Hoff who had him do it. In addition, this is the equity transfer agreement he signed.”

Lance took out the document and looked at it seriously. Then, he quickly signed his name at the end of the two documents. These two documents immediately became legally effective.

“His family over there…” Devon was a little hesitant.

Lance shook his head slightly and capped his pen. “We are people who follow the rules, and we are also people who keep our word. He has exchanged this equity for the safety of his family, so we cannot tear up the agreement.”

“It takes a long time to build authority, but to tear it down, it only takes an instant.”

(End of a Chapter)