Empire of Shadows

A few of them had arrived at the hotel they had booked. Their current identity was that of tourists.

Golden Port City, as a tourist city, did indeed attract many people to travel here. A few more tourists in a city would not make people feel strange, let alone would anyone notice them.

Of course, this team had also, from other places, for example, from a broker, obtained some information about the situation in Golden Port City.

For example, they could not expose their clear intentions. This place was different from other places. There would be many pairs of eyes on the road staring at you.

As long as they found that you were not right, they would tell the Lance Family, and thus find you, find you, and catch you!

This was also the reason why they could give a hundred thousand to catch a person!

You know, this team of theirs, in the past, the largest kidnapping order they had received was only for twenty thousand.

The reward this time was five times that of the last time. There was always a reason.

After the group of people had put away their luggage, and had rested for a short while, they began to prepare to first get a feel for the situation in this city.

While packing their things, the youngest guy in the team couldn’t help but complain, ”They really know how to pick a time. If it had been two or three months earlier, it wouldn’t have been so troublesome!”He was thinking about where to hide his weapon, because now that the weather was gradually getting hot, the streets were full of people in short sleeves and shorts.

If at this time you were to go out in a trench coat, it would definitely make everyone notice you.

But if you don’t wear a trench coat, and are in light short sleeves, it will be very difficult to hide your weapon.

The situation in Golden Port City was so complicated. For them, it was indeed a challenge and bad news.

The oldest guy in the team looked back at the young man and said with a smile, ”You will get used to all this. Any order that can make you a lot of money will not make you comfortable.”

”And for those orders that make you comfortable, you should never think of making a lot of money.”

The others all showed an expression of agreement. Only when the difficulty increased could the price be raised.

The young man didn’t say anything more. He just put the weapon in his backpack.

After they had checked their attire, the group of people stood in the living room of the suite.

Their team was called the ”Wolf Pack.” Everyone had their own code name, a total of six people.

One logistical staff, responsible for all the arrangements in the operation, for example, booking hotels, identity disguise, and the like. This guy knew the fake certificate dealers all over the Federation and was very resourceful.

One driver. Any mature team needed a mature driver. He could not only drive vehicles, but also all kinds of military equipment, for example, chariots, and also ships and the like.

One explosives expert. If the mission required the use of explosives, or if a door needed to be broken, he would configure all kinds of explosives according to the plan, and when needed, he would take them out.

Two breachers, and one sniper.

In fact, their team also had a seventh person, but this seventh person did not completely belong to their team. That was an ”armed broker,” who specialized in taking orders in the underworld, and then dispatching them.

They were just cooperating, but the broker did not just cooperate with their one team.

Every time, he would take a 3% commission.

It might not seem like much, but he had several teams under him, and the commission for the other teams would be higher. This was also a not-so-small income.

The core of the team was a breacher. He was the oldest, and also had the most injuries. The first-generation Wolf Pack only had him, this old wolf king, left. When he was finished, the team, the Wolf Pack, would have truly achieved a complete iteration.

”Remember our mission this time, and remember the information we have read. Don’t cause trouble, and don’t cause us any trouble!”

”Losing a hundred thousand is a small matter. Not being able to get out of this city is a big trouble!”

His expression was very serious. ”Don’t think I’m joking. Many people have already fallen here, including those well-known gangs.”

He could see the disdain on the face of the youngest guy in the team. He could understand. The gangs they had encountered before could only be said to be hard to describe, but this time it was really not the same.

Under the gaze of the wolf king, the youngest wolf cub could only restrain his contemptuous emotion, nodded, and said in a muffled voice, ”I will be careful!”

Then the group of people left the hotel. They first took a tour of the Bay Area.

These people had been to many places, so the Bay Area was... actually just so-so to them.

As long as you have been to Golden State, you will not be shocked by the prosperity of the Bay Area.

Then they had come to the Golden Port Casino. Lance also had a Golden Casino, but the Golden Casino was not yet officially open, and it was said that it would have to wait until the end of the year.

This was one of the largest casinos they had seen on the east coast. It was almost overcrowded. They had also played a few hands, with some wins and some losses.

In this process, they had indeed also discovered that there always seemed to be a pair of eyes, intentionally or unintentionally, paying attention to them.

This had made everyone become nervous. The thought of a pair of eyes watching them in any corner of the entire city made their assholes tighten a little.

On the third day after they had arrived in Golden Port, they had finally begun to approach the New Port District. From their movement trajectory, they looked like ordinary tourists, wanting to go and see everywhere.

They had spent two days and had toured the liveliest places in the city, and then they had walked towards the New Port District, just like a kind of ”travel guide,” a planned trip.

Even after entering the New Port District, the feeling of being watched was still faintly present.

”How did they do it?”

The group of people, while acting as curious tourists and observing everything around them, from time to time had to show a ”my God, this is so beautiful” look of surprise, and also had to communicate in a low voice.

The sniper couldn’t stand it anymore. As a sniper, he was more sensitive to this kind of gaze on him than others.

So much so that he was now even suspecting if he was being paranoid. Maybe there was no one watching him at all, and this was just his illusion.

But his body was always very itchy. This itch was the feeling of being watched.

The wolf king glanced at him and asked in a low voice, ”What are you referring to?”

The sniper looked at the goods in the shop window with a smile on his face. ”Have they bugged the whole city?”

”How did they do it?”

The wolf king didn’t know either. ”You’ll have to find a chance to ask the people of the Lance Family. Only they know.”

At this time, they were already very close to the place where Carl lived, only two streets away.

They had to first go to the place where Carl lived to have a look, to see if Carl was still there.

They had seen some fools who, while knowing that they were in danger, were not willing to change to another place to hide, and they had also seen people who felt that they could handle them.

In the end, they had all completed their missions. Those people had either been kidnapped, or had been killed. There were no exceptions.

Although the mission this time was a bit difficult, they did not think that they could not complete it.

Soon they had crossed two streets and had arrived at the New Bay Area.

To say it was the New Bay Area, in fact, it was still the New Port District. It was just that this was the place where the rich people of the New Port District lived. Before, the investors had wanted to build a new bay area here, but the beach here was not as beautiful as the one in the Bay Area, nor was it long enough. And there were too many cliffs and reefs on the surrounding coast, which was not beautiful at all.

Unlike the Bay Area, where the golden beach stretched into the distance, and you couldn’t see the end of it.

In addition, with the suppression of the Bay Area on this place, the environment here had not been managed. After Mayor Williams had taken office, he had set this entire area as the New Port District.

And this part of the New Bay Area was the rich people’s district of the New Port District. The houses here were all detached, and some were on the side of the road, very conspicuous.

They had passed by the outside of Carl’s house and had not seen Carl’s car. In the information provided by the agent, there was a photo of Carl’s car.

From this, it could be judged that there was a high probability that Carl was not in the house, which made them feel a little tricky.

If there were not so many informants in the city, to look for him would be just to look for him, but now the city was almost full of the Lance Family’s informants. If they had any actions that were not in line with their identity, they might be discovered.

The wolf king was already a little hesitant, and he had discovered a very special place.

On the way back, they had maintained the listlessness of a tired tourist. The old king said in a low voice, ”Did you notice that the people outside Carl’s villa, and the people outside the Wanli Group, their attire is all the same?”

If he hadn’t said it, the others hadn’t realized it yet. He said it, and these people immediately realized it.

”Have you not realized that they are actually not quite like a gang in the pure sense?”

”This job, I think we should just withdraw if we can!”

”Although the money is good, you also have to have a life to take it.”

The others did not immediately agree. They still had to think about it. After returning to the hotel, they might discuss it. Only after the discussion was over would they decide whether to end this job.

On the way back, none of the few people had the thought of talking. After they had returned to the hotel, everyone had sat down, and the wolf king had continued to bring up the idea of not doing this one job.

”It’s too dangerous, I think.”

”Have you seen a spider web?”

”It’s the spider webs that are hung between the plants in the courtyard when you were a child, a very large one.”

”Even a mosquito, a fly, as long as it touches one of the threads, it can make the spider pounce on it immediately.”

”This city is the same. There is an invisible, but fatal, big net.”

”Even if we are very careful, we may still trigger some mechanism here.”

”So, this mission ends here. I’ll call the agent, cancel the mission, and I’ll pay the penalty.”

The penalty was actually not much, the same as the deposit, and they had cancelled it very quickly. The broker’s side would also be very easy to talk to.

After the others had discussed for a while, they had decided to listen to the wolf king’s suggestion. Although he was a ”remnant of the old world,” his experience was rich enough to have led them through many crises.

The fact that an opinion could be unified had made the wolf king breathe a sigh of relief. The gravity on his face had disappeared, and there were more smiles.

He clapped his hands. ”We’ll just treat this trip as a real trip, have fun for a few more days, and then we’ll leave.”

”Now you go back and rest. After dinner in the evening, we’ll disperse on the spot!”

The youngest member of the team whistled. The girls here were all very hot. He was already a little unable to hold back.

Then everyone had returned to their own rooms, but soon, this youngest member of the team had returned to the living room with a slightly pale face. He looked at the few who were chatting on the sofa, his eyes a little straight.

”What’s wrong?” the wolf king, who was holding a wine glass, asked.

The hotel provided the sale of liquor. Of course, it was not for sale. It was something they had ”deposited” here before. They were now just taking it back and drinking it. Everything was in line with the laws of the Federation and the Prohibition.

”The gun is gone.”

”The gun is gone?” At first, a few of them hadn’t reacted, but soon they had realized something. The wolf king’s expression had also become a little more serious. ”Was it stolen, or lost?”

The young wolf cub’s face was still a little pale. He returned to his room and took out his backpack. On it was a knife mark, and the contents inside were all gone.

”A handgun, a magazine, is gone.”

”Fuck!” The wolf king immediately stood up. He walked back and forth a few steps. The Lance Family’s control over this city was very strong. He was not sure if the person who had stolen the things would report this matter.

Logically, they wouldn’t, but this was Golden Port City!

He was thinking, and the people in the room did not even dare to breathe as they looked at him.

After about half a minute, he stopped his steps and looked up at these people. ”We’ll leave immediately. We can’t...”

Just as he was about to finish, the doorbell of the suite suddenly rang.

The ringing of the doorbell was very rapid. All of them looked at the main gate. The ones who were sitting immediately stood up. The wolf king raised his hand to stop them.

He knew that these people were going to get their weapons. If it wasn’t the Lance’s men he was worried about, then there was no point in getting a weapon now.

If it really was Lance’s men, then even if they had a weapon, it would be meaningless.

”Who’s there?” he asked.

”Respected... this may be a fake name, but in any case, gentlemen, Mr. Lance wants to see you.”

A very plain and direct statement, but it made the people in the room break out in a cold sweat. Everyone’s gaze was focused on the wolf king’s face.

The wolf king’s face changed again and again. He pursed his lips, so much so that his lips had lost their color because of the force.

After a while, he finally opened his mouth slowly. ”Alright, I’ll go and see Mr. Lance.”

Soon the door was opened. Six people came out from inside, their expressions all very grave.

More than a dozen people were standing outside the door. They all had submachine guns on their shoulders. The wolf king even saw some grenades on some of their belts.

He cursed a few times in his heart, and then he chuckled. ”I’m not sure if I know Mr. Lance.”

The person who had come to pick him up smiled and did not speak, but just gestured for him to follow.

Soon, the six of them appeared in Lance’s office. In the office, besides Lance and some of his men, there was also a short guy.

Lance had a kind of a temperament that was very difficult to ignore. He just sat behind his desk, and it made people feel oppressed, pressured. The six of them all became silent, and their emotions also became low.

Soon they knew why they were here, because there was a gun on the desk. The gun that the young wolf cub had lost.

A modified handgun. And it was precisely because it had been modified that after the thief had stolen it and was about to exchange it for money, the fence had told him that it was best to take this gun to the Lance Family.

Without the Lance Family’s permission, no one would dare to casually dispose of such an obviously very modified handgun. It must have a special origin, and no one wanted to cause trouble.

So soon, through this thief’s description, Lance had known the situation of these people, and had had them brought over.

Mador walked to their side and signaled to look at their hands.

The wolf king was silent for a moment, and extended his palm. He thought that he had not done anything, so after considering for a moment, he was not afraid of Lance’s inspection.

He did it, and the others also followed.

After he had checked their hands, Mador turned to look at Lance. ”I’m not sure if they are good with a gun, but they definitely use a gun often.”

The other men in the room all touched their holsters, which made the atmosphere in the room a little more tense.

Lance smiled and raised his hand, signaling for them not to be too nervous. ”What is your mission in Golden Port City?”

”Don’t lie. I have a way to prove if you are lying.”

”If you don’t lie, we can be friends.”

”If you lie, then we can only be enemies!”

To sell out a mission and an employer was absolutely fatal to this group of them. After this, they would not have to mix in this circle anymore. So even the wolf king did not open his mouth, but kept his mouth shut.

Lance waited for a while. ”Do you have any concerns, for example, what rules?”

”Actually, you don’t have to worry about these at all. If you want to make money, I have countless orders here, and on my turf, as long as I don’t nod, no one can casually hurt you.”

”Unless he wants to be my enemy!”

”Can you say it now?”

After a few of them had looked at each other with their eyes for a moment, the wolf king explained, ”The agent had us bring a person named Carl. The reward is 100,000. Besides this, I don’t know who issued the mission. We only know what we have to do.”

Lance nodded slightly. ”You are very smart. You have won my friendship, this... they told me you are using a fake name.”

The wolf king was a little speechless. He considered for a moment and then said his real name.

However, for the Federation’s scarce naming strategy, Lance preferred to call him by his nickname.

”I will verify this news. For a short period of time, you don’t run around. This is my advice to you!”

Then he gestured for them to leave, and at the same time, he also reminded them, ”Your handguns!”

The young man was a little embarrassed as he walked over and picked up the gun. He even took the initiative to say ”goodbye, Mr. Lance.” Lance also said his goodbyes, and then watched him leave.

After they had left, Lance opened a drawer, took out five twenty-dollar bills, and placed them on the table, pushing them towards the thief.

”This is your reward.”

A thief, a killer, a prostitute, the oldest few professions. Even God cannot exterminate them. Lance had never thought of having a thief絕技 on his turf. That was impossible!

As long as they didn’t rob, and didn’t hurt anyone, Lance wouldn’t care about them.

The thief looked at the money on the table with some surprise. You know, this handgun, even if you went to sell it, would only be about twenty or thirty dollars, but Lance had given a hundred.

Seeing that the thief was still a little hesitant, Lance added some emphasis to his tone. ”We can’t have you be busy for a whole day for nothing, can we?”

The thief had never thought that Lance would be so easy to talk to. He had thanked him profusely and had taken the money, and was almost about to kowtow to Lance.

He had originally thought that he would still have to take a beating. As a result, not only had he gotten three or four times the money, but he had also gotten Lance’s praise. This was enough for him to brag about for a few years!

He kept thanking him, and also said that Lance was a good person, and slowly left the office.

After the outsiders in the office had left, Lance sat there, his ten fingers crossed, and his thumbs pressed together. ”Someone is trying to break the rules of the game again...”