Empire of Shadows

In the brightly lit hall, ladies and gentlemen held their wine glasses, craning their necks to look at Mayor Williams in the center of the crowd, and at Joey Diaz beside him.

The newly inaugurated Admiral of Golden Port City.

Today was his last day before assuming his post. As was customary, Mayor Williams had invited him to this event, which served as a welcome ceremony.

The political and celebrity figures of Golden Port City had all gathered to show their welcome for Admiral Joey Diaz’s arrival.

The military and the people are one family, or something to that effect.

Of course, it was impossible for everyone to come, so the people were once again represented without their knowledge.

Admiral Diaz appeared to be only in his fifties, with a slim but energetic build and slightly graying hair. He was wearing his neat military uniform, without a hat.

Just standing there, he gave off a very different feeling from the exquisitely dressed gentlemen around him.

His face was full of smiles, not the slightly dismissive smile Admiral Miles had when he arrived, but a very enthusiastic smile.

It was as if he, this admiral, was a fake, as if he were just an ordinary person.Mayor Williams said some nice pleasantries, avoiding the matter of why Admiral Miles had left, and only talked about some of the good changes that would come with Admiral Diaz’s arrival.

The applause and cheers from the people kept the smile on Admiral Diaz’s face.

Mayor Williams turned to look at Admiral Diaz. ”Would you like to say a few words?”

Admiral Diaz met the gazes of the people. He deliberated for a moment, nodded, and the crowd instantly fell silent.

He was very tall, taller than most, and stood ramrod straight, possessing a special temperament. ”I have always heard about Golden Port City, and about the beauty of this place. This is my first time in Golden Port City.”

”I have already felt the enthusiasm of the people here. I will also take over Miles’s work and protect all the beauty here!”

”In this process, perhaps we will have some areas of contact. If I don’t get some things right, I hope you can be a little more patient, and also give our soldiers some patience!”

”I hope to become good friends with everyone, and I also hope you are willing to become my friends.”

He smiled as he spoke, then looked at Mayor Williams, indicating that he was finished speaking.

The people who could appear in this conference room today were, at the very least, people with some status in Golden Port City. They had participated in many such social occasions and knew that this speech was over.

Immediately, people began to applaud and cheer, very timely, as if they had practiced this many times!

Mayor Williams took two glasses of wine from a waiter. He handed one of them to Admiral Diaz, who took the wine glass with a smile and a word of thanks.

Mayor Williams raised his glass. ”To our soldiers, our heroes!”

Admiral Diaz glanced at Mayor Williams and also raised his glass.

In fact, everyone knew what Mayor Williams was saying, but his expression was very clever. It neither seemed fawning, which would make the people in his party think he was a clown, nor did it fail to express his willingness to cooperate with Admiral Diaz, his confidence, and his attitude.

After this glass of wine was finished, the rest of the time was for mingling.

Lance stood not far away. He was still observing this Admiral Diaz, when the latter took the initiative to walk over.

The others saw Admiral Diaz go to find Lance, and they all stopped their own steps of wanting to approach, moving away from the two, and taking the initiative to create a ”private” environment for them.

”Mr. White!” He called out Lance’s surname with certainty, which showed that he had done his homework.

Lance’s face quickly piled up with smiles. ”Just call me Lance.”

Admiral Diaz did not refuse. ”You can also call me Joey. My friends all call me that.”

”Joey.”

The two clinked their wine glasses, and this was considered an introduction.

”I have heard about you from others. Miles has also spoken of you.”

Lance raised an eyebrow. ”I hope they said good things.”

Admiral Diaz presented himself as a completely different general from Admiral Miles. He was very amiable. He would laugh heartily here, rather than pretending to be profound.

”They say you are a ’Magic Boy,’ always able to solve many things that others cannot.”

”The Department of Defense, the military, Congress... you are a very resourceful person, Lance,” his words were layered, complimenting Lance with a hidden meaning.

Admiral Diaz and Admiral Miles had an okay relationship. It couldn’t be said to be very good, but it wasn’t bad either. After all, they were people in the same ”system.” There might be a competitive relationship between them, but this competition was definitely much better than the competition between the navy and the army.

This was a benign competition. When Admiral Miles had left, he had given Admiral Diaz a piece of advice.

Here, besides having to consider Mayor Williams’s attitude, he also had to be careful of Lance.

Admiral Miles was not clear what role Lance had played in his downfall, but it certainly wasn’t a very glorious one.

Admiral Diaz had no intention of avenging Admiral Miles for the time being. He just found it very interesting that a gangster boss could actually get involved with so many big shots.

If only the Presidential Palace was missing, he would have basically netted all the top brass of the Federation. As for whether he had any connections with the high-level officials of the three parties, it was not yet clear.

A very magical person, so magical that Admiral Diaz even felt that Lance was a bit unreal.

Lance thought for a few seconds and replied with great sincerity, ”It’s sincerity... Admiral Diaz.”

”I move every friend with my sincerity. I believe sincerity is the ultimate weapon. As long as you give your true heart, others will repay it with theirs!”

Admiral Diaz’s smile became more obvious after hearing this. ”Are we friends now?”

Lance clinked glasses with him again. ”Are we not?”

After the social event in the evening was over, Admiral Diaz returned to the naval base.

Many workers were cleaning the ground that had been shattered by the shells. Looking at the traces on the ground, one could imagine how fierce the bombardment had been.

The ground within the military base was all paved with concrete. There were also some underground facilities here. The concrete on the ground was very thick.

It was very difficult for a naval gun to penetrate the ground at a small angle, so the ground was only a series of very shallow pits.

The workers were cleaning out the concrete fragments and dust from the pits, and then sprinkling water, brushing them simply with a brush, and then pouring in new concrete.

The damage to the main structure of the building would definitely have a certain impact on the whole ground, but the impact would not be too great.

”Are these all Lance’s men?”

Admiral Diaz asked as he walked towards the villa where he was staying.

The villa area was in the middle and rear part of the naval base. Although it had been bombarded, the best ones had not been hit.

The main targets of the Dantra’s allied fleet had been on the various ships docked at the port, including the cargo ships at the civilian port.

After these large ships had sunk, it would cause the port to be unable to be put into use immediately even after it was repaired. It was not an easy matter to salvage these sunken ships, and it could delay the time for the port to resume operations.

Besides some of the taller buildings in the naval base which had become the main targets of the bombardment, the places where the military officers and the commander lived in the back had not been included in the attack range.

The adjutant walking beside him nodded. ”They are all Lance’s men. The labor introduction agency of the Wanli Group is currently the largest labor dispatch company in Golden Port City.”

”The price is low, the construction period is fast, and the quality is good. You can’t find anyone more suitable than them here.”

Admiral Diaz nodded and soon entered the villa.

The villa had also been thoroughly cleaned, and the furniture had all been replaced with brand new ones, which at a glance, you could tell had not been used.

The adjutant, as he followed Admiral Diaz in, took the initiative to explain, ”The furniture that Admiral Miles used when he was living here has already been packed and sent to the warehouse. They said that this is all brand-new, unopened furniture. It was only unpacked after being moved in and placed.”

”If there is anything you don’t like, or are not satisfied with, they can come over at any time to make furniture for you on the spot according to your requirements, or to order furniture.”

Admiral Diaz walked into the living room and patted the fine leather backrest of the sofa. He could feel that the price of this sofa was not cheap.

The decoration of the entire villa was very luxurious. If you said that this was a house that had been meticulously decorated by a certain capitalist, people would believe it.

At this moment, Admiral Diaz felt a bit emotional. He finally understood what Lance had meant by “sincerity,” and why the congressional side — especially Senator Cleveland’s small group — had such a good relationship with him.

He understood it too well!

He took a tour of the room and then came to the study.

The bookshelves were also new, including the desk and the chair, all were new.

He stood in the study and looked back at his adjutant, a puzzled look on his face, because on his brand-new desk, there was a box about a foot or so high, and nearly four feet long.

The adjutant also saw it and was a little puzzled. ”There was nothing here the last time we came!”

As he spoke, he opened his holster, his hand on the grip of his gun. While signaling for Admiral Diaz not to come over, he walked to the side of the desk.

On the box was a note—For Admiral Diaz, from your friend, Lance!

Of course, he did not really have the Admiral open it, but had carefully pushed the box himself. It was very heavy.

But he felt that this box could be lifted, so he slowly, grabbed both sides of the box, and tried to lift it.

When Admiral Diaz saw something, he suddenly spoke up, ”Alright, I’ll do it.”

Because of the angle the adjutant was standing at, he couldn’t see what was under the lifted box, but Admiral Diaz, who was behind him, could.

The adjutant wanted to say something, but was stopped.

Soon the box was opened, revealing the contents inside: a warship.

More accurately, it was a warship made of gold, currently in service, and also one of the warships under Admiral Diaz’s command, the Liberty.

This was the first time he had, from a very strange perspective, to appreciate a warship made of pure gold, and it was also one that he commanded.

This made Admiral Diaz can’t help but bend down and carefully observe everything on this golden warship. It was exactly the same as the real one!

There were even some sailors working on it, as if a certain moment had been captured, and then, in this way, was displayed here.

The silver base was inlaid with fine blue sapphires, and the wave-shaped, non-inlaid white silver, made it look as if it were really sailing on the sea!

This was simply a work of art!

Of course, he also saw some data on the base, for example, that this warship had used twenty kilograms of gold and five kilograms of silver, and also over a thousand fine blue sapphires.

At this very moment, Admiral Diaz had a deeper understanding of ”sincerity.”

The more he looked at it, the more he liked it. He was from the navy, and this Liberty was his ”flagship.” The more he looked at it, the more he felt that this gift had been sent to his heart.

It had nothing to do with its value, nothing to do with the gold, silver, gems, or anything. It was just a simple liking!

He admired it for a while and then said, ”Is there a collection room or the like here?”

The adjutant nodded. ”There is.”

He nodded slightly. ”Have someone put this thing in, in the very center, and give it some light. Don’t damage it, you understand?”

The adjutant put the lid back on the box and then found someone to come.

In fact, twenty-five kilograms was not a very heavy weight. For some professional soldiers, they had a way to carry it by one person.

But to carry it, and to take it away without harming it, were two different things.

Two people, supporting its base from both sides, was clearly much easier.

He sat in that particularly comfortable chair, patted the soft armrest, and looked at the brand-new study. He was satisfied to the point of being unable to be more satisfied!

He had had a thought for a moment, to give Lance a call, but he had quickly extinguished this thought.

If he were to call now, perhaps in the eyes of others, he would be a very easy person to handle. He couldn’t let people think that he was easy to handle, so he would temporarily not call Lance.

In the evening, he rested in the villa. The fine mattress had made him have a good night’s sleep.

The next morning, after he got up, he began to take over the work here. Admiral Miles had already left this place, and the only ones he had taken with him were his own men. The remaining soldiers were still here.

After this one blow, for Admiral Miles to want to get up again, to have his own power again, would not be a simple matter.

It could be said to be very difficult.

For the navy’s internal, Admiral Miles’s ”exit” meant that there was one more fleet’s quota, one more new admiral.

Not everyone in the navy was a naval admiral, and not everyone was the commander of a certain fleet. With one less Admiral Miles, for those interest groups that still had room for improvement, it was definitely a good thing, not a bad thing.

Congress, the federal government would not let Admiral Miles easily ”make a comeback,” and at the same time, a new competition might form within the navy, so for Admiral Miles to want to come back, he could only wait, to slowly wait.

Unless the tragedy of the war could let the Federation lose a few more fleets, only then would the federal government consider re-appointing Admiral Miles, who might be able to bring some changes with his experience.

Admiral Miles’s backbone had already been drawn away. The rest were all ordinary middle and low-level soldiers and officers who had no direct interest relationship with them.

They were actually also very confused, but they didn’t have to pay too much attention, because for these people, what the upper-level struggle, the upper-level consciousness, were all too far away from them.

What they had to do was to continue to maintain absolute obedience.

To obey the new military officers, to obey the new base commander.

In order to ensure that Admiral Miles had not left a pile of mess for him, he now began to check the financial situation of the base. He just took a rough look, to see the total income and expenditure.

The specific detailed accounts would be checked by a specialized team.

”This... what is this?” he pointed at one of the major expenditures and asked his adjutant.

His adjutant ran over and took a look, and was also at a loss—”Total Expenditure on Physical Therapy.”

”I... I’m not very clear either.”

This was a large sum of money. Admiral Diaz frowned. ”Then go and find someone who knows. From the amount here, someone should know.”

Soon the adjutant had found a lieutenant.

”Good morning, General!” This lieutenant had never stood at attention so seriously.

There was only a small smile on Admiral Diaz’s face, but this little smile was enough. ”Don’t be nervous, Lieutenant. I noticed that in our base’s expenditures, there is one called...”

He looked down at the document in his hand. ”Physical Counseling Treatment.”

”What is this?”

The lieutenant’s face changed slightly. Admiral Diaz continued to add, ”Whatever it is, it’s a thing of the past, and has nothing to do with the present. you can say it boldly.”

The lieutenant’s face changed again and again. ”Your Excellency General, it’s... the ’accompanying the army’...”

Admiral Diaz immediately understood. The Federation had long since abolished the military brothel, but some things are not so easy to cut off just by saying so.

For the current generals, the high-level military officers, if you want the young men to charge out of the trenches and to their deaths, can’t you at least satisfy their desires before they die?

You can’t just let a group of big boys who have no experience leave this world. That would be too cruel, wouldn’t it?

So although the federal government had long since abolished it, this situation still existed.

It was just that from a formal establishment, it had become an informal one.

Admiral Diaz looked at the document that recorded this number again and couldn’t help but shake his head with a smile. ”Who is in charge of these projects?”

The lieutenant still had a straight face. ”It’s Mr. Lance, Your Excellency General!”

”Mr. Lance?”

The lieutenant’s face changed slightly again. He squeezed out a smile. ”They all call him that.”

Admiral Diaz didn’t dwell on the form of address any further. He could tell that, in these soldiers’ minds, Lance still held a bit of status.

The last incident, although he had caused three soldiers to go directly to the front lines, his protection of his own, and his generosity, had also made the soldiers like him very much.

”Are these girls locals?”

”They are refugees, Your Excellency General!”

Diaz turned the page of this ledger. ”Thank you for your cooperation, Lieutenant. In the future, I may still need your help. Write down his name.”

The last sentence was to his adjutant.

As long as he was not using federal girls, and this money was paid by Congress, he was actually also very indifferent.

The only thing he wanted to know now was how much Admiral Miles had been getting from this.