Empire of Shadows

In the eyes of every believer, God is supreme, pure and flawless.

Just as in the eyes of his followers, Hope might have a few flaws, but overall, he was still a good person.

The moment the bald kid said, “He is destroying us,” the followers sitting in their chairs couldn’t help but stand up and shout something at him.

Soon, they were warned again. If they still couldn’t control themselves, they would have to leave.

In the end, they promised that they would sit there quietly. If they made another sound, they would be asked to leave.

Two police officers were recording what he said. The precinct chief tapped his fingers on the table. “Why do you say he is destroying you?”

The bald kid glanced at the people behind the precinct chief, and then at the reporter. “Hope advocates gaining attention through confrontation, thereby raising our social status in the Federation.”

“If some strangers break into your house and want to gain the right to live in this house by punching you a few times, would you agree?”

The followers, who were originally prepared to refute his views, couldn’t find a point to refute when they heard his simple description.

Because what he said was the same as what was happening now.Everyone’s face had a not-so-identical expression: shock, thought, furrowed brows. Although they felt that this metaphor was not quite right, they also didn’t know how to refute it.

On the contrary, George (the star reporter of Golden Port Today) gave the bald kid two close-ups.

“I heard that he is going to hold a new opportunity on January 1st to fight against this city. I knew then that I should do something.”

“The relationship between us and this city is already bad enough. If it is intensified further, what we can get will definitely not be the tolerance of this city, but their anger!”

“We wanted to persuade him, but seeing him in an expensive suit, riding in a high-end car, and as soon as he opened his mouth, he wanted to teach us some great principles, I understood that I couldn’t change anything.”

“Except by ending his life!”

The precinct chief licked his lips. “Where did the weapon come from?”

The bald kid replied, “It was stolen. When we broke into a house, we found a weapon in the house. I hid it.”

“Originally, I planned to take it out and exchange it for some money, but I later changed my mind. I wanted to use it to save our group!”

There were also many houses in the New Port District that had been sold before. There could be anything inside, like a large blind box.

Now many of the houses in the community had been pried open, but there were also some communities that still had security guards on duty.

During this period, there had indeed been many “lucky events,” such as finding clothes, winter supplies, some things that could be sold for money, and even cash in the pried-open houses.

Finding a gun could only be said to be a little beyond people’s expectations, but it was definitely still within reason.

The precinct chief nodded. The bald kid was very cooperative, which made his interrogation go very smoothly. “When we caught you, you were not alone. Are you an organization?”

“Who is the leader?”

The bald kid shook his head. “We are just ordinary friends, with the same ideas and thoughts. We are not an organization, and we have no leader.”

“Who suggested you do this?”

The bald kid seemed to have hesitated for a moment. “I suggested it. I also provided the weapon, and I was the one who fired the gun.”

The precinct chief nodded. “Do you know what this means?”

The bald kid nodded again. “I know. I will go to jail, and I might even be put in a noose, but I don’t regret it.”

“Hope has put everyone on his dangerous chariot and is driving towards destruction. If the brakes don’t work, then the only way is to overturn this chariot!”

“Even if I have to pay a price, at least more people have survived.”

The precinct chief shook his head. He supported himself with the back of his chair and turned to look at the observers behind him. “Now that the suspect has admitted to shooting Mr. Hope Wright and has explained the reason, do you have any other questions?”

Hope’s assistant immediately stood up. “This is a murder!”

“He is just the executor. There is a mastermind hidden deeper behind the scenes!”

He said it with great certainty. The expressions of the followers who were observing by his side also looked at him with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty, and then at the bald kid.

The precinct chief’s expression was calm. “Do you have evidence?”

“The law of the Federation is based on evidence. If you have evidence, I can continue to investigate.”

“If you don’t have evidence, these groundless speculations can only be considered as your personal inference, and will not be taken by us as a factual basis for reference.”

“He has already pleaded guilty!”

With a suitable motive, and the suspect having pleaded guilty, and without any resistance, this case was basically at a point where it could no longer involve more people.

Unless Hope’s assistant could produce more evidence, otherwise, it all ended here.

This was also one of the reasons why gangs were so rampant. When they harmed some people, or even killed some people, and were discovered by the police, they only needed to push out a few people to take the blame to get away with it.

Spend some money, speed up the judicial process, and after the verdict, everything is considered to have come to an end.

Even if new evidence could be found, it would be very difficult to continue to pursue it on the basis of this case, unless it was indirectly pursued through other cases with new evidence.

George could also see that this bald kid should be a character who had been pushed to the forefront, but in any case, this news did have some value.

What was valuable was not the assassination of a new-thought leader of the refugees by a group of young people, and the death of this thought leader, but that the refugees were splitting.

Regardless of whether this was created by Lance, or whether it really existed, George believed that after his news report came out, it would accelerate the occurrence of this matter.

He had won a major award, the “Golden Newspaper Award,” the highest honor for a journalist.

Besides the new sense of accomplishment he could get from winning this award repeatedly, just winning the award and continuing to expand his influence seemed to be unable to bring him more freshness.

But this time, standing here, he suddenly had a brand new experience.

Because he knew that when his report came out, this group would change, the entire refugee group of the Federation would undergo corresponding changes, and even the political environment of the Federation and the refugee group would change!

This was a “power” he had never felt before. Through his pen, he was manipulating the occurrence and change of these major events.

That feeling was more thrilling than winning the “Golden Newspaper Award,” than the comfort he had sought from his girlfriend!

He turned his head to look at Hope’s assistant, turned the camera, and also took a picture of him. The angry expression on his face was mixed with a subconscious dodge when he was suddenly photographed, creating a feeling of panic.

It had a very picturesque feel. He felt that this photo was a success.

Being repeatedly interrupted, Hope’s assistant didn’t know what to say. He had no evidence to prove what he had said.

The precinct chief looked at the others. The others had nothing to say either. Some were still cursing, but some were thinking.

The precinct chief looked at the bald kid and asked the most important question of the day, “Are you a citizen of the Federation?”

The gazes of the others also immediately focused on the bald kid. He shook his head. “Although I really wish I were a citizen of the Federation, I am not. I am a Slad.”

“Is there anything that can prove what you said?”

The bald kid was silent for a moment. “There is something in my underwear that can prove my identity.”

The precinct chief had a police officer go and take out the thing from his underwear, a somewhat rusty small iron box. The precinct chief opened it in front of everyone.

Inside were a few photos, which clearly showed the bald man smiling, with different body shapes at different times.

Beside him were also his family members. He had a smile on his face, as if taking a photo was a very happy thing.

On the contrary, his father always had a serious expression.

Besides these photos, there were also some documents that could prove his identity during his time in Slad.

There was no doubt that he was a Slad, a real, pure-blooded refugee.

After these evidences were all photographed by the reporters, they were put away by the precinct chief. “That’s it!”

“I hope you can spread what you have seen truthfully, without personal modification or processing.”

“If I find out that some people have recreated the process of our interrogation and added some malicious descriptions, then we will find you, and then arrest you and lock you up!”

He paused for a moment, and then stood up. “You can leave now, gentlemen…”

The news of Hope’s shooting spread throughout Golden Port City at the first opportunity and was still constantly spreading outwards.

When the news reached Mayor Williams’s ears, he was also a little surprised. He hadn’t expected Lance’s actions to be so fast, and the effect to be so good.

A refugee had killed a refugee. People could no longer accuse the people of the Federation of doing these things.

Even if they thought so in their hearts, but, could they produce evidence?

Evidence is actually of no practical significance in most cases, but at certain specific times, it becomes very meaningful.

For example, when the Secretary of State once again faces the questioning of the Slad ambassador, he can also ask back, “Do you have evidence?”

Wrangling is also one of the important links in diplomacy.

At this time, Mayor Williams put down the phone. He looked at the middle-aged and young man from Slad, who looked very much in line with the aesthetic standards of the Federation’s people, and nodded slightly. “Mr. Fitz, there is some very bad news.”

Mr. Fitz was stunned for a moment. He changed from a leaning-back posture to a slightly forward-leaning posture. This change was a defensive one, which showed that he was in a disadvantageous position between the two, and his heart was very uneasy and cautious.

Mayor Williams smiled. “You don’t have to be so nervous. News just came in. Mr. Hope Wright died unexpectedly in an assassination by a Slad.”

“Just outside his current residence, the assassin shot and killed him in front of everyone.”

“My God!” A look of disbelief appeared on Mr. Fitz’s face. He was holding the armrests of his chair with both hands and was about to stand up.

He looked at Mayor Williams, at the half-smile on his face. The emotions that had been churning in him just now suddenly seemed to have been doused with a basin of cold water and quickly cooled down.

He stopped there, half-standing, stopped there.

After a few seconds, he slowly sat back down. “Sorry, Mayor Williams. I was too shocked when I heard this news and was completely unable to control myself. I deeply apologize for my impolite behavior!”

Everyone was talking nicely, and you suddenly stood up. This is impolite!

No matter what the reason!

Mayor Williams was very easy to talk to now. “I accept your apology.”

Mr. Fitz sat there and waited for a while longer before his brain gradually recovered its ability to think. “Then the matter we talked about before, is it cancelled?”

His face was a little regretful.

He was also a Slad, a relatively active social activist recently.

He held up a concept opposite to Hope’s, proposing the views of “only through non-confrontation can we gain acceptance” and “contribute first, then harvest,” and had already gained the support of some of the public.

Not everyone was as radical as Hope. There were also some who were willing to be down-to-earth and lower their heads.

Originally, Mayor Williams’s intention was to have them have a debate, on the 31st, which was tomorrow.

He would prepare some backup plans for this debate. More people would support Mr. Fitz’s views, and he would win a great victory in the debate—

If Hope did not come to participate in the debate, then they would widely publicize that Hope knew he could not win, so he was a sore loser and did not come.

If he came, he would definitely fall into a trap.

Unexpectedly, what had been planned had suddenly undergone such a change. This made Mr. Fitz very annoyed!

Originally, he was only one debate away from success, but Hope’s sudden assassination had suddenly drained the joy from his body.

He had never wished for Hope to pull through and be able to have a debate with him as much as he did now.

Seeing Mr. Fitz’s annoyance and disappointment, Mayor Williams shook his head. “No, although he is not here, I can still see the shining value in you!”

He paused for a moment. “Without Hope in tomorrow’s debate, you will be performing a ‘one-man show.’ You have to convey your thoughts, your ideas, to more people.”

“Let more people understand your thoughts. That is a correct thought.”

“When guests come to someone else’s house, and they want to have their own room, a place in the dining room, they must pay the rent.”

“It can be their hard work, or their dedication in any matter, but it can’t be tough!”

“You have to let more people support you. When the time is right, we will have multiple consultations.”

Mayor Williams picked up the cigar on the ashtray, took a puff, and then slowly exhaled. “In the end, you will, as a hero, lead the people to a new life.”

The expansion of the city requires too much low-level basic labor. The local people of Golden Port may not be able to look up to these jobs, but these refugees definitely can.

Turning a demand into a kind of charity, the city can be stabilized again, and some of the dirty water on him can be wiped a little.

After hearing this, Mr. Fitz nodded repeatedly. “This is also what I hope for, to bring a better life to the people!”

Although he had sided with Mayor Williams, it did not mean that he did not understand where his own value lay.

“Very good. You are a smart man. You will definitely succeed, Fitz. I have high hopes for you!”

Mayor Williams’s side had arranged for Mr. Fitz to replace Hope and become the new generation of the “Light of Slad”—

This iteration speed was a bit fast. Hope had set a bad example. I hope this Mr. Fitz can hold on.

Otherwise, this title will eventually become a joke.

Mayor Williams knew this news, and Mr. Charles naturally also knew it.

He was walking back and forth in his office. He had just been discussing with others some of the things that needed to be done after the New Year in Manteno, and now such a terrible piece of news had come.

Hope was a very important character for their next steps. Suddenly losing such a person, their war with Mayor Williams became passive.

“I hear that many new social activists have emerged in the New Port District recently. Some of them already have a considerable influence.”

Mr. Charles shook his head and rejected this proposal. “It’s too late. Hope is unique.”

“If what we need is just those with influence, then it is indeed feasible to do so.”

“But what we actually need is someone who can drive people to riot. He must have extraordinary influence and authority.”

“The others don’t have this opportunity. We don’t have the time to cultivate them.”

He stopped walking and looked around. “If we change the plan, we will also be very passive. We must continue to push the New Year’s plan forward.”

“I remember Hope has an assistant who has been with him all along. Find this person. We need him to replace Hope.”

Someone raised a question. “Can he do it?”

Mr. Charles shook his head. “Whether he can do it or not, he must do it!”

“We have to make use of Hope’s assassination. We can say that he was assassinated by Williams’s men because they were afraid.”

“We have to let them know one thing: the Federation people are afraid, which is why they assassinated Hope. This way, they will continue to firmly believe that the path they are taking is correct.”

“If a larger-scale conflict doesn’t break out on the first, and the Speaker asks us to have peace talks, should we talk or not?” he looked at the other people in the room. A very simple rhetorical question unified their thoughts.

Things had come to this point. There was no longer any possibility of reconciliation.

But they couldn’t express their stance by “I refuse to mediate.” They needed another way to tell those who wanted to mediate.

They refused to reconcile!

(End of a Chapter)