Empire of Shadows

It only took three days to traverse from the Jede Republic to the territory of Rapa, from north to south.

In recent years, the Jede Republic had been building railways. They were not only building them within their own country, but had also taken the initiative to extend their railway network to other countries.

As long as there was no strong opposition, they would be included in their own railway network system.

Some said that their doing so was with bad intentions. Once the railways were unobstructed, their army could, in a very short time, follow the railway to reach any place on the entire continent.

But there were also some who were relatively indifferent to this, especially some very poor countries. They had nothing more to lose.

On the contrary, they were more hopeful that the Jede Republic would come and invade them. This way, they could all, from top to bottom, take the initiative to surrender. Maybe life would be better than now.

There were fewer people who refused their railway construction. Whoever stood up to refuse, it was as if they were standing on the opposite side of everyone, so the railway networks of the eleven countries were all connected.

And the source was the ”Central Station” of the Jede Republic, a huge, even larger than some of the stations in the Federation, starting point.

Such a large project actually did not cost much money, because the value of people here was very cheap.

The core of the thing about ”value,” the foundation, is actually people.If there are many people, and they are cheap, the construction cost will naturally not be high.

The reason why all the projects that seemed huge to the federal people could be completed in this backward place was here.

As long as you provided food and lodging, and gave a little money every month, a local currency worth five Federal Sols, there would be people who would rush to do it, and there were even some who would do it for no money.

The entire Yalan region has a population of over a hundred million. Everything is scarce here, except for people.

Some people won’t do it, but there are people who are rushing to do it.

The railway, and the work related to the railway, had also, for a period of time, become one of the very decent jobs in the entire Yalan region.

Whether it was a section chief, or an ordinary railway worker, as long as they put on their uniforms, even if it was the dusty, blueish coarse cloth uniform of a railway worker, it would give people a very different feeling.

Not to mention the train conductor who drove the train.

After the train conductor had washed up, he had come to the cab. The operator was already waiting for him here.

”Good morning.”

The operators in the cab all bowed. ”Good morning, sir.”

”Are the lads all ready?” The train conductor came to his own seat and sat down.

In fact, this kind of a steam train did not have any real driving work. It was not like a car or a horse-drawn carriage, which also needed to correct the direction, and had a little bit of skill.

The driver of a train basically just did one thing, to decide the speed, to make it run faster, or to just stop.

Besides this, to occasionally pull the whistle was also one of their jobs, but it could be done, or not.

The several operators all said that they were ready. The train conductor pulled the whistle. The sound of the whistle was already very loud, but he could still distinguish that in fact, this whistle sound was not a real ”clear sound.”

The boiler had not yet completely burned up, and the pressure was not yet large enough, but it was enough.

With the sound of the whistle, the train began to slowly start up.

At first, it was very slow—

”Hoo... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ch”

It couldn’t even catch up with the speed of a pedestrian.

But as the boiler had opened more of its air ducts, and the fire had become more fierce, its speed had also begun to increase—

”Hoo... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ch”

”Hoo... ... ... ... ... ... ... ch”

”Hoo... ... ... ... ch”

”Hoo...ch”

”Hoo-ch-hoo-ch-hoo-ch”

”Hoo-ch-hoo-ch-hoo-ch-hoo-ch-hoo-ch”

The speed of the train was constantly increasing. The wind from outside the window was blowing in. The train conductor left a small gap in the window, and then took out a novel he was carrying with him.

There was enough space here. He glanced at the map, and then he put his attention on the novel.

Reading a novel was his favorite thing to do during the process of driving a train.

It passed the time, and he had gained some, perhaps useless, knowledge, and had also muddled through a day’s time.

The Jede Republic had been developing at an ultra-fast speed in recent years, and was already the country with the strongest strength and the best economy in the entire Yalan region, bar none.

All of this had a direct relationship with the series of policies formulated by the president’s cabinet.

A more open and free market, and the budding of private capital, had made the entire Jede Republic show a feeling of vitality!

It was like... the spring that had bloomed with vitality before the arrival of the height of summer!

Every person of Jede knew that they were walking at the forefront of the times, and that they were steadfastly advancing in a certain great direction!

This feeling of life getting better every day had made the people of Jede deeply fascinated, and addicted to it!

They were very honored, honored to be the background of the opening of a great era, even if it was just the background!

The public opinion and public sentiment within the Jede Republic were very pure and united. Perhaps this was the reason why they could create a miracle on this rich and poor land!

The train was moving forward at a constant speed on the rails with a ”kanglangkanglang” sound. Seeing that it had already entered the territory of Rapa, the train conductor had slowed down the speed a little.

In the past, he had encountered the matter of the local aborigines, because of their greed, dismantling the rails to sell for money.

Later, at the request of the Jede’s president, he had fiercely killed batch after batch, and had finally successfully stopped this trend.

This was actually also a characteristic of the Yalan side. The so-called ”basic rights of man,” simply did not exist!

Whether it was the person who had stolen the rails, or the person who had sold the stolen goods, and the person who had finally bought the finished steel ingots, their whole families would all return to God’s embrace.

After several fierce killings, this trend had immediately stopped.

Although it was a bit bloody and brutal, it was very useful.

From questioning, to understanding, and then to agreeing, it actually did not take too long, and not too many things.

At this time, it had already, from a place with not many people, entered the heartland of Rapa. There were people living in the surroundings, and the train conductor had been here before.

Some of the people who had never seen a train would also chase after it, which had made him feel amused, and at the same time, a little nervous.

In order to remind these people not to appear on the rails, he had very dutifully pulled the whistle a few times, to remind the people who might exist in the places that could not be seen, to tell them that the train was coming.

Pedro had already led his men to the designated location, and had already been here for more than an hour, but he had not yet seen the ”aid” that Mr. Andy had talked about.

He was still okay, and could still bear it, but some of the people who had followed him were already a little unable to bear it.

It had been more than an hour and it had not yet arrived. They suspected if they had been deceived by that federal person.

If it weren’t for the fact that Pedro was usually quite prestigious, they might have already left.

Just as some people were once again, in a complaining manner, trying to test Pedro, the sound of a whistle had suddenly sounded from the jungle.

Everyone’s attention was, in an instant, attracted by the whistle.

Just as the train conductor’s perception of this place being poor and backward, not everyone had seen a train, and not everyone had heard the sound of a whistle.

People subconsciously had a fear of the unknown. Some people had immediately stood up nervously, facing the direction from which the sound of the whistle had come, and were constantly backing away.

There were also some who, while backing away, were asking, ”What is that sound?”

”Is it a monster?”

Pedro had seen a train. When he had gone to the Jede Republic, he had seen a train, and also that which was called the ”miracle train station.”

”Don’t be nervous. It’s a train.”

He was stunned for a moment after he had said this, and then he had realized where the ”grain aid” that Mr. Andy had talked about had come from.

These federal people were more insidious and vicious than he had imagined!

If they took this batch of grain, then they would never be able to remain in the same camp as the Rapa government!

Because this grain was the grain that Jede was aiding to Rapa. In a certain sense, it was actually the property of the Rapa government!

They have robbed the Rapa government’s things, and they still want to maintain a high degree of consistency with the Rapa government?

If Diego knew that they had done it, he would definitely, at the first opportunity, send out the army to suppress them!

But not to take it?

There were so many hungry people in the camp, who were waiting for food.

It was easy not to take it, but what about those people?

You know, hunger is not just about having an empty stomach!

Long-term hunger will lead to organ failure, and you won’t be able to live for long either.

Those old people who were clearly eating every day, but were still constantly dying.

Those young people who were clearly eating every day, but as long as they did something, they would feel tired, and their hearts would pound if they moved.

This was what hunger had brought!

Without this food, they would, in a short time, slowly die, bit by bit.

While others were still curious about what a train was like, Pedro’s face, on the contrary, had already revealed a kind of helplessness.

Two minutes later, the ”hoo-ch-hoo-ch” sound of the train’s movement had already come from far to near, and could be vaguely heard.

Just as Pedro was thinking when those people of Andy’s would make a move, a sudden sound of an explosion had interrupted his thoughts, and then a dense gunshot had resounded through the entire jungle.

The jungle had become lively for a short time, but just for a short while.

Because most of the animals, the ones that could be eaten, had already been caught.

The exchange of fire had only lasted for less than ten minutes, and then he had heard the sound of a car leaving, and near the jungle, a prompt had sounded, which should have been from a megaphone—

”The grain is on the train. Whoever gets it first, it’s theirs.”

Pedro was stunned again, and then he was startled. He picked up a larger cloth bag and rushed towards the train.

The meaning of that sentence just now was that they were not the only ones who were waiting for a ”good harvest”!

The others, seeing Pedro make a move, had also followed. These days, they had already adapted to the life in the jungle. Running, jumping in the jungle, were all no problem.

And to be barely half-full had made them not have much fat. Everyone looked very agile.

Besides the fact that they would pant when they ran, they could be called athletes!

When a group of people had passed through a patch of jungle in front of them, they had seen the train tracks on the raised base, and also the derailed locomotive and the first two carriages.

Pedro glanced at the rails that had been blown up. He vaguely knew how the federal people had done it, and at the same time, he had also discovered another group of people.

And the one who was leading that group, he knew.

They were classmates at Lance’s seminar. When they had met again after a month or two, whether it was Pedro, or the guy opposite him, their emotions were all complicated.

There was joy.

This had proved that they were not alone on this path.

What people fear the most is loneliness. Once you are lonely, you will begin to enter a state of internal friction, to begin to doubt yourself, to doubt everything, and in the end, to walk towards destruction or complete silence.

Not to be lonely, for a person, is very important.

So they would have joy.

But after the joy, there was vigilance, and guard.

This was a path that was bound to be lonely. They, who had, without any turning back, walked on this path, meant that they had to bear more pain and torment than others!

They also had to face many things that they might have considered, or had not considered.

For example, conspiracy, deception, betrayal... all kinds of bad things.

The relationship between people will become complicated. Many people don’t even trust their own blood relatives, let alone them, who were just ordinary people who had only been together for seven days.

The smiles on the faces of the two, when they had first seen each other, had quickly faded. They had looked at each other, and then had rushed towards the nearest carriage.

Soon, they had discovered that it was not just the two of them. There were more people around.

Pedro and his group had forcefully pushed open a door of a freight car. The grain, which was full to the brim, had, with a ”huala” sound, flowed out, and had directly buried the few people who were standing under the carriage.

Pedro was stunned for a moment, and had quickly organized the people to dig these few unlucky bastards out.

There was no fear or unhappiness on their faces, only a pleasant surprise!

”This is wheat!”

”We have food to eat!”

Pedro had nodded, had untied the bag from his waist, and had begun to frantically fill it. The others were also filling.

There were also some who had directly grabbed a handful of wheat and had stuffed it into their mouths, slowly chewing, their faces full of a happy smile and tears!

These wheat grains had not been hulled. This was actually also an ”open conspiracy.”

Do you say it’s grain or not?

Is it enough in weight?

Pedro’s large pocket was soon full. He raised his head and looked at the pile of grain, which had not been lost much. A faint joy had also been born in his heart.

With so much grain, everything will get better.

They had made some plans and strategies before. They had originally thought that the grain aid would not be too much, but they had not expected it to be so much!

The people were all filling the grain. The conflict that Pedro was worried about had not happened. No one would waste their time on snatching.

He looked at the long train. He realized that the grain here, just by them, simply could not be finished!

At this time, not many people had realized the source of this batch of grain. Pedro had not said it, and he had noticed that his colleague might have also realized it, but the other party had not said it, let alone had he opened his mouth to ask.

To talk about these matters at a time like this would only affect the speed at which they got the grain. It was better to wait until everything had settled.

As one after another of the carriage doors were opened, more grain was scattered on the ground...

”We can pack another batch!”

His colleague, the high school teacher, had an unconcealable ecstasy on his face. ”There is too much grain, and I have found that some people have brought wheelbarrows. We also have to get some wheelbarrows over!”

Pedro glanced at the train. He nodded. ”Let’s go, let’s go back together!”

His colleague had looked back at the piles of grain near the train with some hesitation. ”Then this grain...”

Pedro had shouldered his food. He had bounced it. ”This grain is not something they can finish with just their pockets. We’ll go back now, and mobilize everyone to come.”

He and his colleague had looked at each other. The two had been colleagues for more than ten years, and they had, from each other’s eyes, quickly seen what the other party wanted to express.

This was a kind of a tacit understanding. His colleague had not continued to object, but on the contrary, was very supportive.

A group of people had quickly walked away with the grain on their backs. They had burst out with a strength that they themselves could not have imagined—this should have been a very strenuous thing.

The grain on Pedro’s back was at least seventy or eighty pounds, but at this moment, he did not feel much weight at all!

Their camp was a certain distance from here. Without carrying anything, they could walk there in more than an hour.

Carrying a heavy load, it had taken them three hours to get back to the camp.

When the people had seen them bring back so much grain, a look of pleasant surprise had appeared on everyone’s face.

But soon, Pedro had stood in the middle of the camp, telling them that there was more grain waiting for them. He had demanded that everyone, to take their tools, and to go and bring back more grain!

Whether it was the elderly, the women, the children, as long as they could walk, they all had to go!

”Is it necessary to be in such a hurry?” his colleague, while resting and catching his breath, had walked to his side and had asked.

Pedro had taken a sip of water. The cold water was very cool, and had cooled down his hot body.

He looked at his colleague. ”Don’t tell me you don’t know where this grain has come from.”

He at the same time had looked around, and after confirming that no one was approaching, he had finally said, ”Don’t take me for a fool. I’ve read the newspapers. This food has come from the aid of the Jede Republic.”

Pedro nodded. ”So you think that this train has suddenly lost contact, and that Diego and his men will pretend not to see?”

”I don’t know what deal they have, but I know that a trainload of grain like this must be worth a lot of money. At most, before dinner, if it still hasn’t arrived in Zhuolan, Diego will send someone along the road to look for it!”

”So much grain, it looks like a lot, but if we don’t go all out, we won’t be left with much.”

”A round trip takes at least five hours. How many more trips can we make?”

He, seeing that the people had all been mobilized, had patted his colleague’s back, and had walked over to guide them on how to make the tools.

Yes, the tools for transportation.

Like some of the elderly, the women, the children, they simply couldn’t carry a heavy object of dozens of pounds.

But as long as the tools were made well, they could easily push dozens, or even hundreds of pounds.

This was the biggest difference between humans and animals.

Humans not only use tools, but also make their own.

However, he had also run into a small problem.

There were a few of the students’ parents who believed that he shouldn’t, for the sake of making transport tools, to dismantle some of the shacks that had been built.

It had taken them a long time to build them. Now, to dismantle them, didn’t that mean that all the previous work had been wasted?

Looking at their strong opposition, Pedro had hesitated for a moment, and in the end, he had still decided to tell the truth...