Empire of Shadows

Some people say that loan sharks are devils, but in fact, the people who borrow from them are also devils.

It’s just that one devil is a little stronger, and one is a little weaker. In essence, there is no difference between them.

People’s pity for those who borrow high-interest loans is just because these people are in a weak position in the end.

These people will always, with their own reasons for not understanding high-interest loans, or for some other reason, to tell the public that they have no choice but to do so.

The public is also very easily deceived. No matter what these weak people say, they think that what these people say is true.

But what they don’t know is that before these people borrowed the money, he actually knew more clearly than the onlookers what he was doing, what he was going to do, and what they would encounter in the end.

Just as at this very moment, although the gentleman in front of him was in the business of eating people, from his glamorous appearance and his amiable attitude, you couldn’t connect him with the word ”devil.”

Auge sat in his wheelchair. He stared at the property certificates, his mind filled with thoughts of his wife, his daughter, and what the doctor had said about suing him to get back the money he owed the hospital.

After about a dozen seconds, he nodded slightly. ”Alright.”

The two of them soon came to a sofa in the main hall that was for resting. They sat there.There were many such places in the casino for the guests to rest, and they could also let them do some work by the way.

The person who was lending the money quickly took out a standard contract, and after filling in a series of information on it, he placed it in front of Auge. ”Sign it, and this money is yours.”

Next to the contract was six hundred dollars, all in twenty-dollar denominations, thirty of them in total.

If it weren’t for the fact that he had gone to a bank to inquire, and the bank could only give him five hundred, perhaps he would not have been likely to sign this agreement.

He picked up a pen and was ready to sign, but for a moment he stopped.

The loan shark did not rush him. He leaned back on the sofa, his legs crossed, and was smoking a cigarette. He was not in a hurry at all, and even advised—

”Actually, you can think about it a little more. After all, this is not a small matter like buying a pack of cigarettes. It concerns your house.”

”If you are not satisfied with this price, you can also go and ask other financial companies, or some real estate agents are willing to help you with this.”

Mayor Williams was going to expand the city to accommodate more people and enterprises, so naturally, he had not only built a new industrial district, but also a new residential district.

The houses in Golden Port City would become more and more, and in addition, with the depression of these years, real estate has not been very prosperous. The market price is always a ”slow-sale” price.

Auge’s apartment could be listed for 1,200, at some real estate agencies, and then after hanging for a few months, and after welcoming at least a dozen or so groups of people to see the house, it might be sold.

Then the person who bought the house would have to haggle, and with the commission charged by the local real estate agent, he would only get about a thousand in his hands.

The purpose of a loan shark is to make money, not to do charity. So whether it is a bank or these financial companies, they will not lend money according to the actual price of the house. That would be too stupid.

A loan shark pursues more profits, and a faster return, so the price they give will be higher than that of a bank, in order to attract borrowers.

He could be very sure that the price he had given was definitely a relatively high one among his peers.

Although the interest was a little more, this was a casino!

Those who want to borrow money to live can go to the financial companies outside. In a casino, everyone plays for a ”fast.”

Someone would borrow a thousand here, and in less than an hour, they would be able to pay it back and leave with a few thousand.

There were also some who had borrowed two or three thousand, and after a dozen or so minutes, they had left with a pale face, and had never come back.

Having seen it too much, even a person with the softest of hearts would become hard.

After hesitating for less than a minute, Auge signed his name on the document and also put his thumbprint.

The loan shark took the document and glanced at it. After confirming that there was no problem, he put away the document and the asset certificate, and then pushed the six hundred forward. ”Now it’s yours. Have a pleasant day, Mr. Auge.”

As he spoke, he stood up. He still had to go to work, and at the same time, he had to arrange for someone to go to the registry office to freeze the property under this asset document, to prevent a second transaction.

Holding the six hundred, Auge’s breathing became much heavier. This was the most cash he had ever seen in his life, not counting what he had seen in newspapers, magazines, and movies.

This six hundred was clearly light and airy, but in his hands, it was so heavy that he could hardly lift it.

The young reporter couldn’t help but say, ”Actually, you can still return it to him now. No interest within a week.”

Auge had wavered for a moment, but he quickly shook his head. ”Push me to exchange for chips.”

The reporter still wanted to say something, but Auge suddenly urged, ”Hurry up!”

His voice was very loud. Some of the waiters around had all looked over. Maybe he himself also knew that perhaps if the reporter persuaded him a little more, he might really give up.

He couldn’t give up. This was the last hope.

The reporter finally pushed him to the counter. He exchanged for six one-hundred-dollar chips.

When the reporter was about to push him to the main hall, he had the reporter send him to the elevator.

The highest bet for a single person at a single table in the first-floor lobby was a hundred. On the first floor, he might not have time!

The reporter didn’t say anything either, and directly sent him to the second floor. The upper limit on the second floor was even greater. For here, six hundred was equivalent to... five or ten downstairs.

The battle was very intense. Until two hours later, he stared blankly at his last two hundred in chips being cleared by the dealer. His whole person was filled with a dead air of despair.

The reporter by his side also had his emotions constantly fluctuating. He swore that this was the most exciting gambling he had ever seen in his life.

Perhaps in the eyes of the big shots... it was just a small game about six hundred dollars.

But for Auge, this was a contest between despair and hope, between survival and death!

He had once won up to 1,100!

This was simply a miracle!

His chips were just a hundred short of doubling!

At that time, the reporter had also advised him. He had won five hundred. He was still short of 450. To borrow a little from others, and to put it together, there was still hope of gathering it.

But Auge’s eyes were already red. He felt terrifyingly strong, and then he lost the next hand.

He had also been just a step away from the ”end.” The last hundred. But with just this last hundred, he had successfully turned things around.

He had experienced several thrilling moments. He had once been just one centimeter away from hope!

But whether it was one centimeter, one millimeter, or one kilometer, not having it was not having it!

Until this time, the last two hundred were taken away by the dealer. The game was over.

He was completely silent, slumped in his wheelchair, his whole person as if he had lost his soul.

The reporter sighed and pushed him back to the first floor.

The gentleman who had lent him the money saw Auge’s despair and walked over again. ”It seems your luck is not good, my friend. Maybe you need another sum of money.”

Auge slowly raised his head. He glanced at this gentleman, his eyes full of despair and violence.

This had made the loan shark take a couple of steps back. He raised his hand and made a gesture of resistance. ”Alright, I shouldn’t have disturbed you.”

After saying that, he laughed twice, shook his head, and turned and left.

To make a move in a casino?

No, no one can do that. Look at the constantly patrolling security guards. They will at any time draw their handguns and kill those who are trying to harm the casino’s interests!

This is Lance’s casino. Here, even if Mr. President comes, he has to follow the rules!

Of course, this is an exaggerated statement, because Mr. President has never been here. People don’t know if he will follow the rules, but it does not prevent them from saying so, because to say so is very cool!

”Send me back.”

The reporter silently pushed the wheelchair to the entrance of the casino, and then, supporting Auge, he left.

Auge, lying in bed, didn’t know how to open his mouth to his wife. This house no longer belonged to them.

Guilt filled his heart. He felt despair, and he felt that he couldn’t breathe!

Perhaps at this moment, death was the best destination.

He lay there on his side, looking at the sky outside the window.

The sky was very small, only as big as the window. The surrounding area was all occupied by the walls, and also the other patients.

His heart was in a panic now, but strangely calm. He just lay there until he fell asleep.

In the evening, his wife came to bring him dinner, and was still complaining about not being able to find the passbook, and that various bills had already been mailed to the house.

Those people would put the bills in an envelope and have a mailman deliver them. If the apartment had a mailbox, they would put it in the mailbox.

If the apartment did not have a mailbox, they would stuff it under the door.

The apartment they lived in was a very old one. A mailbox had been designed at the beginning, but later the mailbox had gotten in the way a little, and had been removed by the administrator.

In the period just after it was removed, the administrator would manage the mail according to the house number, but later he was too lazy to continue to manage it, and the mailman would directly stuff it under the door according to the house number.

For the people of the Federation, the first few days and the last few days of every month were the most terrifying days!

Because they themselves were not sure what and how many bills they would receive, and how much they would have to pay.

Many times, the people of the Federation did not know how much they had to pay for something they had done. They would only, after a period of time, receive a bill that had been mailed over, and only then would they know how much they had to spend.

Sometimes it might be a small matter that people thought was very simple, but it would cost a lot of money.

This had also led to many of the lower and middle-class families in the Federation, every time the bill day came, when they saw the envelopes with the bills, would immediately have a mental breakdown!

Auge’s wife was also complaining about the bill day. Their current situation was already bad enough, but those people still didn’t plan to let them go and had sent all kinds of bills.

”We need at least eight dollars to pay off all the expiring bills. There are still some bills that can be postponed a little, but they can’t be postponed for too long.”

”I only have less than five dollars in my pocket now. You think about it. Can you remember where our passbook is?”

His wife, while tidying up some of the things on the bedside table, asked casually.

She had asked once before, and he had said he didn’t know, so this time she did not expect her husband to be able to remember.

Sometimes a man will forget something as soon as he turns his head. She was already used to it.

”I’m sorry.”

She heard her husband say a sentence. She looked up at her husband with some astonishment. ”Did you just say something?”

”I’m sorry?”

Auge put down his lunch box. His whole person’s state was very bad. Only at this time did his wife notice this.

”I’m sorry. I lost the money.”

His wife was stunned for a moment. ”You mean, you went to gamble?”

Auge was painfully rubbing his face hard with both hands. He seemed to want to rub this layer of skin off!

”I..., I wanted to win some money to save our house, but I lost.”

”I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that!”

His wife was silent for a moment, her heart sad and desolate, but she still had to comfort her husband. ”Forget it. A hundred or so. After you get well, it won’t be difficult to earn it back.”

”Although I don’t want to say it, and you certainly don’t want to hear it, but don’t do this next time.”

”No matter what you do, tell me first.”

”I’m sorry!”

His wife put her arm around Auge’s shoulder. ”Everything will be fine.”

”I also lost our house...”

Auge’s wife didn’t know how she had gotten home. Her consciousness seemed to have stayed in the hospital, stayed on her husband’s shocking and terrifying words!

He had actually also lost their house.

And the purpose of his doing so was just to save this house!

She couldn’t understand.

Maybe she was a housewife. She didn’t know much about some of the things in society, but she just couldn’t understand why this fool would do such a stupid thing!

Now that’s great. They still owed the hospital over 900, and then they had also lost their own house.

She just sat in the living room, her mind a blank.

The good news was that they could still live in this house for six months. The bad news was that they still had to find a sum of money to pay back the hospital.

However, to a certain extent, this was actually another effective solution. Now this house no longer completely belonged to them. Even if the hospital’s side went through the procedure, the court could not seize this house, nor could it sell it.

But... in the end, they had still lost everything.

Auge had returned home from the hospital. In fact, he had now completely stopped his treatment, because he had not paid the money.

However, he was still occupying a hospital bed. The hospital’s side was not short of beds. As long as he did not receive treatment, there would be no fees.

”I’ll go and find a job,” he sat opposite his wife and held her hand.

”I am a skilled worker. Although my leg is broken, my arms are fine. I can still do those jobs.”

”Before, they mentioned seventy a month to me. I’ll lower my income a little, to sixty-five. There will definitely be a factory that needs me.”

”Although... the house is gone, but we still have hope.”

His wife just stared at him blankly. The two looked at each other for a long while. He let go of her hand and said again, ”I’m sorry.”

The sound of a key turning soon came from the door. The woman wiped away her tears, and then squeezed out a smile.

Their daughter was back.

The girl was carrying a school bag. She was overjoyed when she saw that her father was back!

”You’re well!”

”God, I’ve missed you so much!”

Auge squeezed out an ugly smile. ”I’m just... yes, I’m well. I can go to work.”

The girl did not see through his lie. The family sat together again.

His wife stood up to make dinner. Just as her husband had said, if he could find a job as soon as possible, everything might still have a turn for the better.

Although the girl felt that the atmosphere was a little off, she did not realize what had happened.

The next day, Auge went out to look for a job. A reporter was also following behind him.

These few days, the news in Golden Port City was still centered around the conflict of the parade and demonstration. They said that the trial would be soon.

Auge was not very concerned about these now. He just wanted to find a job.

What was a pity was that he had gone to several garment factories. When they had learned that his leg had been broken by someone in the parade and demonstration, they had all refused his application for a job.

In the words of these factory owners, they would rather hire a rookie than a skilled worker with a union and labor federation background. They had had enough!

One day, two days, it had always been like this.

The Golden Port Today had already begun to report on some of the problems that the workers who had participated in the parade were now encountering in their life and work.

Newspapers such as the Federal Post and the Federal Daily had all reprinted these news stories, including the Observer magazine, an authoritative magazine that studied social phenomena, which had also put the scene of the parade and demonstration on its front-page headline.

The workers were holding up their banners, with their eyes in the sky, and walking in the middle of the road with an arrogant air. They had rolled up their sleeves and were waving them high, with a serious, ready-to-eat-people expression on their faces!

But the content was the terrible living situation of the participants now.

Not being able to find a job was just the simplest and most common problem they were facing. Then there was the problem of medical expenses, the bills, and all kinds of problems.

Most of these problems, Auge had also encountered. He was the same as them.

The report had raised a question, and that was, the people who had stopped them from doing so, what were they doing now?

This was a very old, but always very effective method, to let the enemy have a conflict, an opposition, and even a clash within.

And at this very moment, the hospital had sued Auge. The reason was that he had been in arrears of medical expenses and was not willing to pay. The hospital’s side hoped that the court could freeze Auge’s assets and to squeeze out the arrears of funds!

During this period, it had always been these cases, and some hospitals had already been delayed. The court’s side believed that the hospital’s claim was clear in its facts and the evidence was conclusive, so it had not even taken half an hour to pronounce a verdict.

But this time they had run into a little trouble. The hospital’s lawyers, with the court’s documents, had gone to the government department’s asset registration office to freeze the assets when they had discovered that Auge’s house had not only been frozen, but it was also in the process of being transferred.

This meant that the hospital simply could not take away Auge’s house, let alone auction this house to make up for the losses.

However, they were not without a solution. Soon they had come to his door...