Empire of Shadows

The moment the airtight trunk suddenly cracked open a slit, and then the trunk lid was lifted high, a strong light shone in.

Some of the small insects hidden in the blankets, invisible to the naked eye, quickly retreated into the deepest part of the blankets.

Attorney General Terry looked at the briefcase lying quietly in the trunk. He straightened up and looked around.

There was no one else in the parking lot. Lance and Chief Anthony were walking behind, and it would be a while before they arrived here.

He bent down, pressed his hands on the latches of the briefcase, and opened it.

With two “thuds,” he opened it, holding the briefcase.

It was still gold, one-kilogram standard gold bricks, with the stamp of Parkway Bank on them. He counted them. There were twenty in total.

This made him unable to help but whistle.

In fact, being a prosecutor can be very lucrative, let alone the fact that he was the Attorney General. Those enterprises, those capitalists, when they encounter trouble, will often try to work on the prosecutor’s office.

Especially for some public prosecution cases, the attitude of the prosecutor and the prosecutor’s office determines the final direction of these cases.If you can persuade Attorney General Terry, then a case that might have been a heavy sentence will be let go lightly in the end.

However, he would not take money from just anyone. Some people, after giving you a little money, would mistakenly think that the positions of the two sides had been reversed. He wouldn’t even look at the money of such people.

In their eyes, Attorney General Terry was the rare great and good official that people talked about.

He would conduct an investigation before accepting a gift, investigate the content of the case, investigate the background of the defendant, and investigate the specific social situation of these people.

Only when he considered it safe would he accept it, trying his best not to let himself appear in negative news.

In fact, even if it did appear, with his current status, he could quickly suppress the matter. It would just affect his future advancement.

However, he could accept Lance’s money, and he could accept it with confidence.

He smiled and closed the briefcase, locked it, and then threw his golf bag into the trunk and closed the trunk lid.

His mood was good. Because of the war, he was also paying attention to gold.

With the changes in the world’s economic and financial system, gold had become the standard for standard purchasing power, and its price was still constantly rising.

From a little over 300 an ounce in the middle of last year, it had quickly soared to over 400 an ounce now.

Some experts said that as long as the war did not stop, the price of gold would continue to grow!

It was more stable than currency!

Even at 400 an ounce, a one-kilogram gold brick would be 14,000. Twenty of them would be 280,000.

Maybe in a short time, this would be 300,000, 350,000, or even higher!

A smile was on Attorney General Terry’s face. He was even humming a little tune while driving. Getting to know Lance, becoming friends, was one of the most correct things he thought he had done after reaching middle age.

Getting to know Lance, Lance would solve his financial troubles. He believed that as long as he opened his mouth, Lance would continue to give him money.

He knew some people like Lance. They had lofty goals, great ambitions, just like those super capital financial magnates and consortiums that surrounded Congress.

As long as the senators dared to ask, they would dare to give, and they would dare to give any amount!

What they feared most was that you were not willing to accept money, or were not willing to accept their money.

Lance was like that kind of person. He was very generous, not stingy at all.

Besides being able to get extra financial income from Lance’s side, he could also help him to get in touch with the big shots on the congressional side. This was what he valued more.

If one day he could become the lieutenant governor, or even the governor, the number of people who would send him money would be even greater, and it would be safer.

He was now a little curious, how much could Chief Anthony get this time, but he would not take the initiative to ask. This was not something that could be asked.

In the parking lot, Chief Anthony was already sitting in his car, but Lance had him wait a little.

After about four or five minutes, Lance came over with a briefcase and placed it on the passenger seat next to him.

“Thanks to your help this time, I won’t repeat the words of gratitude I’ve already said. Some small local specialties, I hope you will like them.”

Chief Anthony smiled and said a few nice words, but he did not refuse and gladly accepted Lance’s gift.

Even if this briefcase were full of money, it couldn’t hold much.

This briefcase was not the very thick kind. Based on Chief Anthony’s knowledge of its size, it could probably hold about 30,000 to 40,000.

The Federation did issue a fifty-dollar denomination banknote, but it was not widely circulated, because the denomination was too large.

The mainstream circulating denominations of banknotes at present were five and ten dollars. Twenty dollars was not a small amount, and very few people could take it out.

After all, one bill was about half a month’s income for a worker. The ordinary working class basically had no use for such a large denomination banknote.

Even when they were paid, they would take the initiative to ask for two-dollar and five-dollar denominations, instead of ten or twenty.

Sometimes, when you buy something for a few cents, if you take out a twenty-dollar bill, the shopkeeper will refuse to sell it to you and think that you are here to cause trouble.

However, for a bribe, twenty dollars was already the highest denomination banknote.

A hundred of them, which was 2,000. This small briefcase could hold about fifteen to twenty stacks, thirty to forty thousand.

If it were stuffed full, it might have fifty thousand, and it was unlikely to have sixty thousand.

This sum of money was not a small amount for him. The chief of the state police was actually not a particularly good position to make money.

Although there were many departments here and a lot of power, this power was often of no use.

The state police, the city police, and the township police were completely separate. Although the state police could intervene in the city’s cases, they would not do so unless it was necessary. This could easily offend people.

As for the others, it was mostly the same. They did not have a superior-subordinate relationship with the local police, so it was not convenient to interfere in local affairs, and the local areas might not let them interfere.

Their real business was still the interstate highway police, the mounted police.

Wandering on the interstate highway, checking the passing vehicles, you expect to get benefits from this?

The owners of the seized vehicles would rather pay a fine of ten or twenty dollars than to think of giving him a gift.

So if he wanted to make money, it was not so easy, and sometimes he had to face risks.

Lance’s at least thirty, forty, or fifty thousand, and possibly forty or fifty thousand in benefits, could suddenly make his life much more comfortable. He looked at Lance and said sincerely, “Thank you for the gift. I like it very much.”

Thinking of his younger son who was in college, the loans and various expenses on him, and the difficulties his older son was encountering in finding a job, this sum of money could indeed bring him a great deal of help.

As the chief of the state police, he didn’t even want his own son to join the state police!

It can be seen how fucking bad this job is!

Lance smiled and patted the roof of the car. “As we spend more time together, you will know that I am a generous person who loves to make friends.”

“If you run into any trouble that you can’t solve yourself, give me a call.”

“In a few days, I’ll introduce you to some friends, friends from the State Prohibition Committee. You’ll have some work-related cooperation in the future.”

Chief Anthony did not refuse and agreed.

Then he drove away. He drove very fast today. On the road, he even ran into a state trooper on duty, who pulled his car over.

He was driving a private car today, so he was not recognized, and then he was asked to pull over.

When a highway patrolman with his gun belt slung loosely walked over, leaned his arm on the car window, bent down, and knocked on the glass, and saw the chief’s face appear behind the glass, he wished he could slap himself.

“So, was I speeding?” Chief Anthony asked.

The patrolman squeezed out a smile. “No, I just wanted to say… good afternoon, sir.”

Chief Anthony looked at the police officer’s somewhat frightened look. After a while, he couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, you’re just doing your duty. I’m not the chief now, just a driver.”

“Do you want to check my documents?”

The police officer breathed a sigh of relief. “No, no need… sir!” He had originally wanted to say “chief,” but he quickly remembered what the chief had just said and used “sir” instead.

“I noticed that your front headlight is a little dirty…” As he spoke, he walked to the left front headlight, wiped the headlight with his sleeve, and then took a few steps back and glanced at it. He nodded with great satisfaction, and then walked back and continued, “So I pulled you over. It’s much better now. you can leave.”

Chief Anthony nodded slightly. “Well done. Keep it up!”

He rolled up the car window again, and then started the car and left.

The police officer’s partner was eating snacks with a puzzled look on his face, looking at him. “Did you run into your dad?”

The police officer let out a breath. “You definitely wouldn’t believe it. I ran into the chief!”

His partner pursed his lips. “I thought you ran into God!”

Seeing that his partner didn’t believe him, he didn’t say anything more, but was just very curious why the chief was taking this road out of the city.

Could it be that he was going to play golf?

Chief Anthony returned home without any incident, but later his car speed had slowed down.

When he got home and had parked his car, and was about to pick up the briefcase and leave from the main driver’s side, he found that it was a bit difficult to carry this briefcase with one hand!

What’s inside?

Not money?

He was a little astonished. He turned around and directly opened the briefcase. Then he saw six neatly arranged gold bricks inside.

Lance had even specially made a bottom cushioning bracket for them to ensure that they would not run around in the box, nor would they collide with each other and make a sound.

Seeing the not-so-exquisite stamps and numbers, he picked one up, and his mind was completely absorbed.

This is fucking… too great!

For the next few days, Lance had been “thanking” those who had helped him, and was also preparing for his subsequent control of the entire state’s liquor market.

He moved among the upper class of Likalai State. More and more people knew of such a figure, saw him, and became friends with him.

Just as Lance was looking for new friends, on the front line battlefield, Corporal Paul was being reprimanded.

From an ordinary low-level soldier to a corporal, this was a huge promotion for Paul’s military life.

He was able to become a corporal because his luck was relatively good. He had already changed four partners and comrades-in-arms. On average, every battle, his partner would fall by his side.

Because he had been able to survive four battles without dying or being injured, and had summed up some experience, he had been promoted.

The army hoped that he could pass on more of his experience to the new soldiers. This time, the front-line army had been supplemented with a large number of army soldiers from the rear. He had noticed one thing.

More immigrant or refugee soldiers, they were like consumables sent to the battlefield.

It was just that before he had any opinion or reaction to this, the company had called him over.

After entering the company’s tent, he found that the cadre officers in the company had all come. They all had a look of confusion, and did not know what had happened.

For a time, everyone had all kinds of guesses. Some even said whether they were going to be relieved, to have them withdraw to the rear to rest and reorganize.

This guess was the most popular. Although the supplies on the front line were not lacking, and the wine was also sufficient, after all, it had been going on for so long. From the terror of life and death to numbness, they also needed to relax a little.

A few people huddled together, smoking, and fantasizing about what they would do if they could go back to the rear.

They had already heard that the federal military had asked the Slad side to provide a military brothel, and it had already been established. Some of them wanted to go and try it.

As they were chatting about something or nothing, a few military officers lifted the curtain and strode in. Paul and the others quickly threw away their cigarettes and stood up straight.

“Sit down,” a military officer he had never seen before stood in the leading position. His face was very serious. From his rank, it could be seen that this was a captain.

A few of the military officers exchanged a few words in a low voice. Their company’s lieutenant commander introduced the captain’s name, and then had them listen quietly.

“According to the latest request from the command, your company has been selected for the next stage of the plan.”

“We will rush out of the trenches, and from a more northern position, we will go around to the side of the enemy’s line of defense, launch an attack, and attack from both sides, striving to break through the enemy’s defensive line.”

“Because the plan is urgent, you only have…” the captain glanced at his watch, “thirty-five minutes to prepare.”

“Thirty-five minutes later, we will set off. Have your soldiers pack their personal belongings and gather at the assembly point.”

After the captain had said these words, he turned his head and said a few words to the company commander in a low voice, and then quickly left. He still had to go to other companies to deliver this message.

As soon as the captain had left, the low-level officers in the tent couldn’t help but stand up, their voices a jumble of confusion.

Paul also followed them and surrounded the company commander. Looking at these young, all-dirty faces, the company commander could only sigh silently.

“I don’t know much, just that the higher-ups don’t want to continue to be so passive. they want to fight more actively, more proactively, so we are required to take the initiative to attack.”

Everyone in the tent fell into silence, and Paul was no exception.

Another corporal couldn’t help but ask, “Don’t they know… that if we go out like this, it’s not much different from sending us to our deaths?”

His tone was filled with disbelief and sadness. With defensive fortifications, and occupying a topographical advantage, the number of casualties they suffered in each exchange of fire was more than the other side.

Although the number of deaths had now been greatly reduced, in terms of the number of casualties on both sides, they were still at a disadvantage.

They had indeed made progress, but every progress represented a casualty.

Now they hadn’t even learned to defend, and they were going to attack?

Isn’t this the same as not being able to walk and wanting to run?

Looking at the dejected look of these subordinates, the company commander could only comfort them, “Maybe the situation is not so bad. They may not be able to find us.”

This sentence was just him saying it to himself. No one believed it at all.

In terms of war, they were really not very good.

Although in the eyes of the people of the Federation, Slad had been beaten back again and again by the Dantra allied forces, even so, in terms of military literacy and combat capability, they were also stronger than the people of the Federation.

Their side had always been in a state of high friction and conflict. They would start fighting at any time, and both sides had maintained a vigorous fighting spirit.

It couldn’t be compared with the people of the Federation, who had been at peace for decades. This generation had no understanding of war at all!

Seeing that these people were not speaking, the company commander stamped his foot. “Anyway, go and tell the soldiers that the country needs them!”

“And I will go with you too.”

Perhaps this sentence made Paul and the others realize that even if they were abandoned, the company commander was also the one who was abandoned along with them, which made them feel a little better emotionally.

Paul took this terrible order and returned to the trench he was defending. He told them about these things.

Except for the two new recruits, the faces of the others were all particularly ugly.

“Is there no other way?” someone asked. “Do we have to go?”

The ones who asked these questions were all veterans. They had already deeply understood the cruelty of the battlefield.

This time, as the attacking side, they could already imagine that in the case where there was a certain gap in the military literacy of the two sides, they could only break through the enemy’s defensive line by filling it with their lives.

They didn’t know how many people here would die on the battlefield, and it might even be themselves.

Paul shook his head. “The company commander will also go with us.”

Even the military officers were required to go to the front line. This meant that they were not allowed to raise any objections.

After a short silence, the two new recruits began to pack their personal belongings in a daze, along with the veterans. More than ten minutes later, they had arrived at the assembly point.

The troop transports, the supply trucks, were all ready. Company commanders were constantly shouting for their soldiers to assemble and get on the trucks.

Paul also found their company. Under the shouts of the company commander, he led the soldiers to climb onto the troop transport.

This one trip, it was really a matter of life and death.

Paul counted the number of people. No one had deserted. He breathed a sigh of relief and at the same time felt a little stifled.

He didn’t know if he wanted the soldiers under him to have run away, or not to have run away.

As this troop transport was filled with people and began to start up, it began to move on the road, swaying.

After coming out of the huge defensive area, he also saw some tanks and infantry fighting vehicles on the road.

The new recruits wanted to talk, but they didn’t know what to say. The veterans, on the other hand, had a look of having nothing to live for.

“We will win!” Paul looked at the others and said seriously, “We will definitely win!”

(End of a Chapter)