Empire of Shadows

“Are their men all in the valley now?” Lance and the Empire immigrant gang leader walked to the side, asking about Joshua and the Holy Bell Party.

The gang leader nodded. “Our men have been watching from a distance. I don’t know if they’ve been discovered, but it’s certain that the Holy Bell Party’s men are basically all in the valley now.”

The outside world’s crackdown on the Holy Bell Party had become a political correctness. In addition, they had indeed done very bad things. Even if Lance did not push this matter, the prosecutor and the police would continue to apply pressure, investigate, and arrest them.

In addition, with the desertion of some socialites, the Holy Bell Party had begun to shrink back into the valley. This was their headquarters, and at the same time, a relatively hidden place.

The momentum outside was not good now, so they had all gone into hiding.

This was actually also a characteristic of faith. When they encountered danger, they would only think of uniting around their leader, instead of scattering and fleeing like those they considered to be without faith.

These people gathering together, on the contrary, provided some convenience for Lance, which was also the reason why he had personally come over.

“Mr. Lance, do you need us to…” the gang leader here wanted to express his “loyalty” to Lance.

The best way was to go and deal with the people of the Holy Bell Party with Lance.

Lance shook his head. “You stay in the city and prepare tomorrow’s dinner for us, and then wait for us to come back.”“As for coming with us?” he tilted his head and looked past this guy, at the somewhat… unpresentable guys by the railroad, and said with a laugh, “Let’s forget it.”

“My men are not familiar with them. I’m afraid there might be accidental injuries if we fight.”

The gang leader was a little embarrassed after hearing this, but only a little, because what Lance said was not a problem.

These people of his, compared to the people Lance had brought, were indeed not just a little bit worse.

He looked back and glanced at the subordinates he had once been proud of. Seeing them standing scattered as if they had no bones, and some even leaning against the car, everyone was wearing clothes they thought looked good, and everyone was trying their best to stretch their understanding of freedom. He felt his face get a little hot.

Because on the other side, a group of people wearing dark suits and thin trench coats, dark soft felt hats, and most importantly, the armbands on their left arms and the red pocket squares on their chests, and also the unified tone of their ties, the first impression these people gave him was that of a fucking “regular army”!

He pursed his lips. “Okay, Mr. Lance. I promise that you and the gentlemen will have a sumptuous dinner tomorrow night!”

Lance nodded slightly and patted his arm. “Don’t think too much. I’m still counting on you to continue to sell liquor for me!”

“After Joshua is finished, you can appropriately expand your own territory. If you have any extra needs, you can contact me.”

“Arms, liquor, money, and even official support.”

As he spoke, he stopped here. “Let’s leave it at that for now. We still have to rush to work. Have the people you found who are familiar with the road conditions in this vicinity come?”

The gang leader nodded repeatedly. “The people have already come,” he turned and shouted a few times. Soon two young men ran over.

“They have grown up here since they were young. They are very familiar with the road to the valley, and also very familiar with the situation over there.”

Lance sized up the two young men and then nodded. “That’s it.”

He turned and waved his hand. The large group of young men from the Lance Family on the platform immediately got into the prepared cars. The two young men were arranged in the first and last cars.

And Lance himself got into the armored car.

The weather was not yet hot now. At the end of March, it was spring when the temperature was rising. Even wearing a trench coat would not be hot, and sitting in an armored car would be even less so.

Elvin did not come this time. His role in Golden Port City was much greater than here.

Sitting with Lance was Ennio. He always had a bit of an obsession with the first firefight. In fact, Lance did not intend for him to come, but he insisted on following.

It was about an hour’s drive from here to the valley. The journey would definitely be boring, so they would chat.

There were also some people in the armored car. They would be responsible for shooting out of the firing ports when necessary, and in case the armored car was trapped, they would rush out.

But this possibility was very small, because Lance knew the importance of coordinated combat.

“Morris told me recently that he plans to get married,” Ennio suddenly said, which made Lance a little surprised.

“He didn’t tell me about this. With that little nurse of his?” Lance asked.

After Morris was injured and hospitalized, a nurse had been taking care of him. Because his injuries were very serious, and his father had passed away, his will was very low during that period.

The little nurse not only took care of his physical problems, but also gave him some psychological support.

After he was discharged from the hospital, the little nurse also resigned from the hospital and continued to be responsible for taking care of Morris.

A man and a woman, if they are together for a long time, it is inevitable that some feelings will grow.

It just so happened that Morris’s body and mind were injured, so the little nurse could easily occupy a place in his heart.

“Yes, it’s that little nurse, but I’m a little worried,” Ennio said with a look of some worry.

Lance lit a cigarette. “What are you worried about?”

Ennio hesitated and said what he was worried about. “I feel that that woman doesn’t really love Morris that much. She just thinks that Morris is very rich.”

Of course, Morris was very rich. According to the rules that Lance had set for them, Morris now had a net worth of over a million.

Even in a place like Golden Port City, where the rich from the southern region gathered, not everyone could have a net worth of several million.

In addition, Morris was now the manager of the casino. He had a 0.03% commission on the annual revenue of the Golden Port Casino, which was about 400,000 to 500,000 a year.

Even if he did nothing else, his wealth would continue to expand.

Moreover, his physical condition, compared to ordinary people, was not necessarily that good. After all, he had suffered multiple organ injuries. Even if he had recovered now, his life potential had also been greatly stimulated in the process of recovery.

The doctor had told Lance that his ideal lifespan was now around forty-five.

If he was injured during this process, causing a recurrence of the injury, or any other accident, it was possible to shorten his lifespan.

This made it even more worthwhile for a girl to like him—

When he left this world, the girl could take all his property at a not-so-old age and start a new life.

This was what Ennio was worried about. He and Morris were the best in the family. He cared more about Morris’s situation than anyone else.

He didn’t know who to talk to about this problem and could only ask Lance for advice.

Lance took a puff of his cigarette and shook his head. “My opinion is different from yours, Ennio.”

“I even think that if she likes Morris’s money, it’s actually much better than having a real relationship with him.”

“This way she will be like a toy for Morris to seek some comfort. As long as she still wants to get Morris’s wealth, wants to live a comfortable life, she will obey Morris in everything.”

“But feelings are different!”

“Feelings are fickle. Maybe at this moment she loves him very much and feels that this is the greatest love in her life.”

“But it’s also possible that the next moment, she suddenly doesn’t love him anymore. No matter how Morris tries to keep her, she will leave him, abandon him.”

“We all hope that he will have a good life. As long as he likes this girl, no matter why this girl stays by his side, as long as he stays, that’s enough.”

“As for the things you are worried about, you don’t have to worry at all. Don’t forget what we do!”

Lance smiled. “If she does something unforgivable…” he took a puff of his cigarette, and while exhaling, he said, “…then send her to reunite with him.”

Hearing this, Ennio seemed to have some new ideas. He thought for a moment and then nodded. “I think I understand.”

The vehicle was swaying on the country road. The atmosphere in the car was not heavy, and was even a little relaxed.

After all, with such a big guy, this battle would definitely be very easy.

In fact, the not-so-long journey was spent in a swaying appreciation of spring. Soon, the distant horizon began to have obvious ups and downs, and the convoy slowly stopped.

“Are we going to rush over directly, or wait until it’s dark?” Hiram and Lawn were both in the front car. It was just past noon, and the sun was directly overhead.

If they got a little closer, the other side could easily discover this not-so-right convoy. For safety’s sake, Hiram had specially come to ask.

Lance looked at the distant valley and the entrance to the valley. He shook his head slightly. “We’re not waiting. We’re going straight over.”

“They are more familiar with the terrain inside than we are. If we go at night, we will be at a more obvious disadvantage.”

“Now that it’s daytime, we have an armored car to open the way. We won’t consider these.”

He patted the armored shell of the armored car next to him. “Let’s go and test their quality!”

At this time, Joshua was walking back and forth in the deepest part of the church with some annoyance. The negative effects of this crisis had directly destroyed the entire Holy Bell Party.

Even if they were to rebuild later, they could no longer use the name of the Holy Bell Party, and they couldn’t even mention anything similar.

And it would be very difficult to continue to stay locally. They could only go to other places.

It was just that for so long, his father’s generation, the people in his family, had all been deeply cultivating this land.

To suddenly have to give it up really made people feel lost about the future.

To go to a new place and start a new struggle. It sounded very easy, but to really do it, no one knew what would happen.

They were not expanding outwards by fighting, they were being driven away. The gangs in the surrounding areas, would they give them a chance to take root?

Even if they did take root, how would they start over?

To run the previous criminal businesses?

To sell private liquor?

Human trafficking?

He himself was not clear if he could continue, and without the support of some big shots, he was afraid that this fall would be very painful, very tragic.

Just as his mind was in a mess, a subordinate suddenly ran in, panting a little. “Joshua, a convoy is rapidly approaching us!”

“A convoy?” Joshua was stunned for a moment. He stopped and looked at the person who had come, with a hint of confusion on his face. “What convoy?”

“I don’t know, but it’s very fast.”

Joshua was silent for a moment. He had many thoughts in his mind. Who could have come at this time?

He had many guesses, but no matter which guess it was, the result was not good.

It was either the Marcus family had come, or some of the local gangs that had been suppressed by them had come, or it was possible that the people of the Lance Family had come.

No matter who it was, in short, this was not a good thing!

His expression was a little fierce. The gentle expression of the past had disappeared, and his fists were also clenched. “Have everyone get ready to welcome our friends!”

The emphasis he placed on the word “friends,” an ordinary person, given the current situation, would definitely interpret this “friend” to most likely mean “enemy.”

But the guy in front of him did not react. Maybe it was because his brain was a little hypoxic from running all the way, and his ability to think had weakened a little.

“Should we have them kill the remaining sheep?”

Joshua was stunned for a moment. “Why kill the sheep?”

There was a lot of grain stored in the valley, and there were also some cattle and sheep. Recently, there were a few more people here, and the consumption of food was also a little fast.

The guy in front of him still did not react. “If it’s already afternoon, aren’t we going to keep them for dinner?”

“If we don’t kill all the sheep, we won’t even be able to get a decent dish out. They will think that we have really fallen.”

Joshua looked at this subordinate who was thinking “we can’t let our friends think we are not doing well.” He took a deep breath to make his emotions less irritable.

“Get out, have someone prepare their weapons. They are the enemy!”

Soon a large number of people appeared in the church and the surrounding houses. They came to the entrance of the valley with weapons in their hands.

Some others had climbed up to the watchtowers that had been built on the nearby mountains, looking down at the vehicles that were rapidly approaching.

Of course, in order to avoid a wrong confrontation, Joshua had two of his subordinates drive up to meet them, to see who it was.

A car sped out of the valley. Before it had gotten close to Lance’s convoy, two people from the back seat of the first car had leaned out of the car, one on the left and one on the right, and had opened fire frantically with their submachine guns.

Joshua, who was standing on the bell tower of the church in the distance, his face turned ashen as if it could drip when he saw this scene. “Don’t let them get close to the valley. Deal with them outside the valley!”

This was not a very difficult battle. He thought so, because the valley was easy to defend and difficult to attack, and they could climb up to the hillside and shoot from a high position.

But the scene he saw next directly shattered his understanding of the word “firefight”!

The so-called firefight definitely requires “fighting,” fighting, struggling. Just like the firefights of the gangs in the city, after closing the distance, you fire a shot, I fire a shot. It just depends on whose resistance is high and can last until they get to the hospital.

Even if you level up, it’s nothing more than everyone shooting at each other with submachine guns.

But what did he see?

He saw the convoy suddenly disperse, and then two armored cars rushed out of the dust, and drove straight towards the mouth of the valley.

His eyeballs were about to pop out. His voice also carried a trace of panic. “Have them make a move quickly!”

The gunshots instantly filled the entire valley, and the valley also echoed with the gunshots, as if… many people were fighting.

At this time, Lance had an indescribable feeling. The clanging sound of the bullets hitting the outside of the armored car was like the feeling of sitting in a car during a heavy rain.

He was not worried about the protective ability of the armored car at all. It could deal with large-caliber rifles without any problem, let alone the current handguns and submachine guns, which were mainly pistol rounds. Even if there were some rifles, it would be very difficult to leave too many marks on its shell.

“Cheating” always makes people feel excited, and so did he.

The driver had already approached the valley. Lance put on his bulletproof vest and helmet, and poked a part of his body out from under the gun tower.

Most of his body was hidden behind that shield-like thing. He could only see the scenery outside through two slits.

He wasn’t too worried about someone aiming at him. With the gangsters’ marksmanship of not being able to hit a person from twenty meters away, he should be more worried about stray bullets.

He hadn’t had this kind of satisfying feeling for a long time. He grabbed the grips of the machine gun with both hands and then pulled the trigger.

The ammunition belt began to roll, and the bullets were fired out with a “thump thump thump thump” sound. No matter where they were shot, a piece of dirt would be blown up.

If they hit those people, a flower of blood would bloom on their bodies, and then they would fall to the ground.

Like Hitting certain glancing spots—like the shoulder—could even shear an arm straight off!

A machine gun is indeed the scythe of the god of death. The places it has reaped fall down in rows.

With the machine gun starting to fire, the first to be dealt with were the few watchtowers on the valley. The machine gun bullets easily penetrated the thin wooden boards, and soon there was no sound from inside.

The people on the hillside were also quickly killed, or had to hide.

Having lost the advantage of shooting from a high position, for Joshua and his men, the situation was moving in the worst possible direction.

The other vehicles began to follow the armored cars and continuously advanced. The firefight between the two sides also gradually moved from the outside to the inside of the valley.

“Fuck, fuck!” Joshua had completely lost his former demeanor. He was bending over and cursing at the top of his lungs.

“Do we have any bombs?”

The people around him remained silent. A bomb, they didn’t have much use for it.

Looking at these people, Joshua took a deep breath. “Find a way to block the road in with some things. We can’t let them come in so easily.”

He returned to his own office, took down the weapons that had been displayed on the wall as works of art, a carved revolver, a carved bolt-action rifle.

Then he walked to a window, smashed the glass on the window with the butt of his gun, and then, after cleaning up some of the broken glass, he forcefully pulled the bolt and looked back at the others. “If we fail, we will all die!”

“Everyone go and get ready!”

“Either send them to hell.”

“Or get ready to return to the embrace of the Lord!”

(End of a Chapter)