Empire of Shadows

Ted stood on the balcony, watching the gradually chaotic streets of the city. There was no unusual expression on his face.

He was from the Federation. In the Federation, he was just an ”ordinary person.”

He had no special status, no prominent background, but he always felt... that this era owed him.

If he were in a different environment, or a different era, he would definitely be able to become a remarkable person. He firmly believed this!

When he was in the Federation, he would rent out his work card to the Federation’s largest ”work card consignment company,” which was Lance’s labor introduction agency.

Every month, he could get an income of about sixty-plus from his rented work card—

With the federal government’s tax reform, people with an income of less than one hundred now needed to pay taxes, so the scope of application for a work card had become wider.

One work card could simultaneously solve the work problems of three or four, or four or five people.

And this had also made the federal people increasingly dissatisfied with the environment they lived in.

Too many outsiders, illegal immigrants, and refugees were pouring into their cities, snatching jobs from them, and there were even people who were specially helping them to ”legally” plunder the jobs that should have belonged to the natives.So now, many people were making a living by renting out their work cards. Anyway, they didn’t need to do anything, and they would have a stable income every month. Was there anything better than this?

Of course, they also had to bear the obligation of paying taxes.

Like Ted, he could get a ”rent” of about sixty a month, but he needed to pay about twenty-plus in taxes. What he could actually get his hands on was only about thirty.

This thirty-something, in the Federation, was very difficult for him to live a happy life.

But in Rapa, he was like a high and mighty king!

He was already thirty-seven, and was not yet married. It was very difficult for him to find a suitable girlfriend.

He looked down on the older ones, and the ones he liked looked down on him.

After a ”awakening,” he had decided to come to Rapa to try his luck.

Mainly because he had heard that the cost of living here was very low, and that life was very fulfilling.

And the facts were indeed so.

A dozen or so dollars could make a girl of only seventeen, eighteen, or nineteen serve him like a god. During the day, she would lead him around to play, and at night, she would also take good care of his brother. And he didn’t even need to pay much for this.

The remaining dozen or so Federal Sols, here, also had enough spending power. He had spent two dollars to rent a house, and the rest was to enjoy an almost perfect life every day.

Eating, drinking, playing, having fun, no need to work. And if he didn’t like her, he could, at any time, change to a new escort.

There was no place more suitable for him than here.

Besides this, there was another point, which was also the best point in his opinion.

And that was, the local people would be very respectful to him!

They all treated foreigners as gods. This city, for some of the local people, might not be as safe as it looked during the day.

But for a federal person, this place was absolutely safe.

Whether it was the police or those ordinary people, they all had an inexplicable fear, which had made him feel very good!

In the Federation, he was a subordinate who was not valued by others, but in Rapa, although he was still poor, he had become a person of the upper class.

He had finally felt some of the ”glory” of being a federal person!

During this period, Rapa had become chaotic. Even the capital, Zhuolan, had become chaotic.

Robberies, thefts, and smashing of shops would happen from time to time.

However, he was not afraid at all. Those criminals, after seeing his white skin, would take the initiative to avoid him!

Not to mention, now he had hung the federal flag outside the house he had rented. He was, in this way, telling everyone that the one who lived here was an upper-class person from the Federation.

”Honey...” a hot body hugged him tightly from behind. He could feel the softest touch of the girl’s skin. The girl was not wearing any clothes, just pressing against him.

The lust that was emanating from the cells of his body, from the inside out, was eroding his reason. If it weren’t for the fact that his kidneys were still a little sore, perhaps he could have pulled the girl and had another round here.

”What are you looking at?” the girl asked.

Eighteen years old, the best age. She didn’t feel that what she was doing was shameful, or tragic.

Everyone has the basic right to pursue a better life. And her body was her own. How she wanted to use it, she didn’t need to get anyone else’s consent.

Ted turned around and hugged the girl, and took a deep breath from her shoulder and neck. The natural fragrance from her body, accompanied by the smell of the shower gel and shampoo, was really something that could seep into a person’s body, and even into their soul!

”I’m just looking at the situation outside. The streets are getting more and more chaotic.”

Speaking of this, a look of some fear also appeared on the girl’s face.

Ted let go of the girl. He really didn’t feel like it now. After too many times, he was a little inexplicably afraid.

He was no longer a seventeen-year-old, a twenty-seven-year-old young man. He was thirty-seven. He was already old, and he was a little unable to take it.

”Let’s go out for a walk today. That what’s-its-name temple you mentioned, I haven’t been there yet.”

The girl was a little worried. ”But it’s a bit chaotic outside now.”

Ted, without a care, walked towards the bathroom. He needed to take a shower, and then to change into new clothes.

”Don’t worry!”

”I am a federal person. If those fools’ eyes haven’t fallen on the ground, they will know what to do.”

He stood at the door of the bathroom and turned his body to the side to look at the girl. ”They will avoid us, not me avoiding them!”

Ted’s words had made the girl feel a little more at ease. She had, from the bottom of her heart, felt the importance of a foreigner’s identity.

Thinking of this, she also walked towards the bathroom. They still had a lot of time.

She put up her hair, and tied it up. ”What you said to me last time, have you considered it?”

”What is it?” Ted stood in the bathroom, looking at the girl.

The girl walked in front of him and squatted down, and looked up at him over his brother. ”The matter of taking me to the Federation.”

Ted was just about to say that he would consider it again, but he had suddenly closed his eyes and had sucked in a breath of cold air. In that instant, he had felt as if his soul had been sucked out.

The water from the shower was falling with a pitter-patter. After a dozen or so minutes, he had walked out of the bathroom, a little annoyed.

In the midst of his passion, he had promised the girl to take her to the Federation.

However, he soon became relieved. In a few days, he would find a chance to dump this girl.

Go to the Federation?

Come on!

This is just a bitch. Who knows how many men she has had before him, and how many similar things she has done?

Others are not willing to take her away. Why should he take her away?

He can find a better one!

Having made a decision, there was no more burden in his heart. In his perfunctoriness, he had also become more proactive, and had even talked about taking the girl to see his parents.

This had made the girl convinced that she had this federal man in her grasp!

The two had gotten dressed and had left the house. Just as they were about to go out, their neighbor had also warned them.

”It’s very chaotic outside now. You’d better... wait until the situation has stabilized, and then leave.”

Ted had said a ”thank you,” but had not taken the neighbor’s words to heart, and had left with the girl without looking back.

He is a federal person.

Even the officials here have to give way to him, let alone the little hooligans on the street.

He had taken the girl to the temple they had talked about, a scenic spot.

This place had once been an important religious ritual site for the local religion. They had sacrificed lives here to their gods.

But with the progress of world civilization, and the rise of the tribes, this kind of a barbaric sacrificial activity had stopped.

The main reason was that in the struggle between the political power and the divine power, the political power had won.

The temple was not large. Inside were mainly some murals and some of the vessels that had been left behind. It could also be considered a very important ”historical trace” in the local area of Zhuolan, and one that was full of a historical atmosphere.

After taking a tour of the temple, Ted had felt that this place was not as fun as he had imagined. He had taken the girl and had returned to the city.

”I’m a little hungry,” he said.

The girl thought for a moment. ”I know a restaurant that tastes good. Maybe you can try it, and their charges are not high.”

Ted looked at her. She explained, ”It’s about fifty Paras per person.”

Added up, it was just a little over a dollar, 1.3 or 1.4, which was indeed not much.

You know, to consume in those more famous restaurants in the Federation, you couldn’t even sit down without twenty or thirty, and sometimes it might take fifty or sixty, seventy or eighty.

Ted, who had been poor for a long time, waved his hand. ”Let’s go to this place!”

This ”spending money like water” feeling had made him a little giddy. He felt that he should talk to the labor introduction agency, to see if he could rent his work card to more illegal immigrants.

His money now was still too little, and could not fully support his extravagant life here.

As for the girl who had been begging to go back to the Federation?

Go back for what?

To go back and be a poor man?

He would rather die than go back to the Federation!

The two had soon arrived at the restaurant that the girl had mentioned. Looking at the somewhat deserted appearance here, Ted had frowned. ”This place doesn’t seem to be as good as you said!”

The girl had quickly explained, ”Usually there will be a lot of people, and you also need to make a reservation. It’s probably because it’s been a bit chaotic in the city recently, so...”

Ted had not gone to study what the reason was. ”Alright, let’s try it first. Maybe the taste is indeed not bad?”

The two had entered the restaurant, and the manager had received them.

It had to be said that the restaurant that the girl had recommended was indeed not bad. It had a very local Rapa characteristic and style, and he had eaten some of the food that he had never eaten before.

After the meal, the manager had come with the bill to settle the account. It was only a little over 120. He had given 130, and the rest was all considered a tip.

He had also made a few comments, to which the manager had been very humbly accepting.

To be able to serve a foreigner, for the people of Rapa now, was definitely not a bad thing.

After the two had walked out of the restaurant, they had not immediately gone back, but had taken a walk towards the commercial street.

What they didn’t know was that two young men had already set their sights on them.

Just now, when Ted had taken out his wallet, he had not been discreet. He had raised his hand, and had opened his wallet, and had exposed all the money inside.

The two young men who were passing by had seen the thick stack of banknotes in the wallet, and a devil-like thought had begun to grow wildly in their hearts, out of control!

Although they had not been sure that they had to do something, they had just followed him, maybe to see if there was any advantage they could take.

”He’s old enough to be that girl’s father.”

One of the young men, seeing Ted’s hand on the girl’s waist and on her butt, couldn’t help but say a sentence.

His tone was a little resentful.

The other young man also had an unhappy feeling in his heart. ”These damn foreigners!”

That young and beautiful girl clearly had an unusual relationship with this foreigner, which had also made them a little depressed.

Young people are always like this, with a clear distinction between love and hate. They will have a set of three views that are not necessarily the same as the way the world works.

Maybe in the eyes of an adult, the girl’s actions were impeccable. She just wanted to live a better life.

But in the eyes of a young person, this was a kind of a shame!

National, of the country, of the whole society.

In this process, they had, more than once, seen Ted’s wallet and the banknotes inside.

Although the two young men had not said anything, they had through each other’s eyes confirmed some of their own thoughts.

They were planning to rob Ted.

After wandering outside for more than an hour, Ted was finally a little tired.

”Honey, shall we go back?”

The girl naturally would not refuse. She was still counting on Ted to take her to the Federation!

”Of course, honey!”

The two had begun to walk in the direction of the house they had rented. When they had walked a certain distance from the commercial street, and the number of people on the street had clearly decreased, the two young men had looked at each other. One of them had taken out a dagger from his pocket, and had chased after them.

Perhaps hearing the footsteps that were chasing closely from behind, Ted had even turned his head to look.

When he had seen the two young men staring at him and running towards him, his heart had suddenly clenched, and a huge pressure had been born out of thin air, but soon, this pressure had disappeared.

If this were in the Federation, he would definitely not have resisted, and would have taken the initiative to cooperate.

But this was Rapa, a place where a foreigner was an upper-class person!

He had not run away or done anything else to reduce the danger, but on the contrary, he had stopped, and had turned to look at the two young men who were rushing towards him.

This had also made the two young men stunned for a moment.

Their footsteps had paused. They had not seemed to have realized that this target would do this.

And their pause had, in turn, given Ted a very special ”sense of security,” a sense of security that only a foreigner could have!

”I don’t know what you are going to do, but I’ll remind you, I am a federal person!”

He had raised his head slightly. He liked this feeling, to have gone from a low-level person in society to an upper-class person. He had finally understood why those rich people, those gentlemen, were always talking about their status. Because it really felt good!

Looking at the two young men who had completely stopped, he had a sneer on his face. ”If I were you, I would turn and leave right now. Otherwise, you will get yourselves into big trouble!”

The two young men had looked at each other, and had both seen something in each other’s eyes.

Their gazes had also, at this moment, undergone a huge change, and had both become fierce.

They had chased after him again for two steps. One of them had even taken out the dagger from his pocket. ”Give me your wallet!”

Ted was a little nervous at this time, but just a little. His gaze had lingered on the faces of these two young men for a moment. ”You haven’t figured out the situation, have you?”

”Are you trying to rob a federal person?”

”Who gave you the guts to do this?”

”Fuck!”

As he spoke, he had even tried to use his hand to grab the dagger in the young man’s hand. He seemed to be convinced that these people would not dare to do anything to him.

Maybe it was this action of his that had provoked the young men, or maybe his attitude in the face of a threat had provoked these two young men.

In the process of fighting for the dagger, the young man had gritted his teeth. He had originally had a fire in his heart, and he had directly stabbed the dagger into Ted’s body.

The moment the sharp weapon had plunged into his body, Ted’s whole person was stunned.

He had first glared at the young man in front of him, and then had looked down at the dagger that had been stabbed into his chest.

Blood had begun to seep out from the place where it had been stabbed. He could feel that the hot, rolling current was constantly flowing.

Then he had subconsciously reached out to grab the young man’s neck. Perhaps it was because after this one stab, the young man had not found that to stab a foreigner could have much of a ”deterrence.”

His eyes were filled with a ruthlessness, and he had again, in succession, stabbed a few more times. Amidst the girl’s screams, Ted had soon fallen to the ground.

He would, from time to time, as if he were taking a deep breath, to suddenly suck in a breath. The strength was all flowing out of his wounds. He had begun to frequently open his mouth, but it seemed that he couldn’t suck in much air.

The two young men had stood in front of him in a daze for a while, and then they had immediately begun to search his body.

His wallet, his watch, his belt, and even his leather shoes had all been stripped off by these two young men, and then they had quickly disappeared at the end of the street.

It was not until this moment that the girl had remembered to call the police, or rather, she had finally dared to.

More than ten minutes later, three police cars had arrived at the scene. She had, when she had called the police, told the operator that the one who had been attacked was a foreigner!

The police, after they had arrived at the scene, had simply checked Ted’s condition, and had shaken their heads.

It was clear that he was already dead.

Two police officers had walked to the girl’s side, and had taken out their notebooks. ”Tell us what happened.”

The girl was hugging her arms, and was squatting on the curb on the side of the road. She had recounted what had just happened.

”A very ordinary robbery and murder case,” the police officer in charge of the records had said, as he had written the last period.

The girl had suddenly raised her head. ”This is not an ordinary robbery and murder case!”

”Open your eyes and look. That is a foreigner!”

The two police officers had shaken their heads slightly, and had not given her any new response.

Soon, the matter of a federal citizen having died had spread in the city...

(End of a Chapter)

This chapter was translated by Nightjar Reads. For advance chapters and the newest releases, visit nightjarreads.com