Empire of Shadows

After the police chief returned to the police station, he didn’t call anyone. He just sat behind his desk and, for the first time, seriously, personally began to wipe his desk and tidy it up.

He had worked here for a long time, so long that he himself couldn’t remember clearly. Maybe it was ten years, maybe eleven, or twelve.

It wasn’t until this moment, as he stood here looking back, that he realized he had already come a long, long way.

Life is always like this; time just quietly slips away from one’s side inadvertently.

It’s only when people notice that a long time has passed that they will sigh at the ruthlessness of the years.

Time, it really passes too quickly.

He also had this feeling at this time.

He wiped the corners and crevices of the desk with a cloth, wiping away the dust with his own hands.

Then he tidied up the messy desktop, and everything looked pleasing to the eye.

His gaze fell on the photo frame, which held a photo of him and his family.The police chief had a large family. He had two wives and seven children.

As he sat here at this moment, he couldn’t seem to find many things related to his family in his mind. They were all very... shallow memories.

The last thing in his memory with his son was scolding him not to date those cheap girls.

Cheap girls, was a way of saying it, girls of the pariah class.

He had to admit, some pariah girls were indeed very beautiful, but he, his children, and his family were not of that class.

His son would, in the future, marry a girl from a privileged-class family, and would be a help to his career, not marry a good-looking pariah girl.

The last words he had said to his son were—

”You can like a pariah girl, you can sleep with her, and even let her have your child.”

”But you shouldn’t fall in love with her, nor should you think about living with her.”

”What you need to do is to break up with her at the right time, and then to invest in a new relationship that can bring help to you, to our family.”

”You know those prostitutes?”

”If you don’t know how to treat those pariah girls, just treat them the way you treat prostitutes.”

”You think they really love you, but in fact, what they love is just your status, just the expensive clothes on you, and also the right you have to live in the city center!”

These were the last words he had said to his son. It seemed like a long time had passed.

How long had it been since he had spent a long time with his family?

He wasn’t sure, couldn’t remember. Maybe it had been a few weeks, maybe a few months.

He suddenly, had a strong desire, which prompted him to pick up the phone and dial his home number.

The one who answered the phone was his first wife, his first wife, who was now more like the head housekeeper of this family.

”I’ll be back for dinner tonight. Have the children all come back, and also prepare something more sumptuous.”

His wife was a little surprised, because most of the time, the police chief would not eat dinner at home.

He had a lot of social engagements to deal with, the mutual banquets within the privileged class, the banquets of the police chiefs under him, or, in order to curry favor with other connections, he would take the initiative to invite others to a banquet.

He rarely dined at home, and even if he did, he rarely made such a solemn request to prepare something more sumptuous, and he rarely asked all the children to come back.

He didn’t really like his children. For his family, this was what they felt.

He always felt that his children were a bit stupid, so when he talked to them, he would be a little impatient.

In fact, it wasn’t that he felt that his children were stupid, but just that these children had not experienced the beating of society. They had, from the moment they were born, lived in a honeypot. They simply couldn’t recognize what the reality was, behind the hypocrisy of this society.

They didn’t understand, so they would seem a little stupid, not smart enough. But they were not really stupid. They just lacked some experience, some opportunities.

After he had given his instructions, he sighed. A small half of the 24 hours had already passed, and there was not much time left before tomorrow morning.

He didn’t know what Lance White and his group were going to do after 24 hours, but he knew that in the end, the board would fall on his ass.

Because he had messed everything up.

At this very moment, he suddenly thought of Gomez, the president of the chamber of commerce who had once been very trusted by Diego. Now it was said that the other party had also defected to the federal people.

For some reason, his emotions had undergone some changes. He himself had not realized this, but had just felt that some kind of indescribable inspiration had flashed by.

When he wanted to find out what it was, he couldn’t find it anymore.

He had called all the police chiefs to his office. ”I have already been to see Lance. This person is very difficult to talk to. He directly denied that his men had hijacked those two young men.”

The police chiefs’ faces immediately showed an ugly expression. Some even showed an angry expression.

”Then what do we do now?”

One of the police chiefs asked, ”Can we, through the mayor’s connections, or some other people’s connections, to find a way to search Lance’s manor and his several residences, and also those factories?”

”Or we can go a step further. We can seize his factories and force him to hand over the people?”

These words had gotten the support of some. Because this was what they had done in the past.

If someone had resisted them, they would, through the power in their hands, to force these people to compromise.

Of course, this was limited to the privileged class, and a part of the merchants, the foreign merchants.

As long as they did this, there was no time they had not succeeded.

These police chiefs believed that the situation they were facing this time was also the same.

The police chief shook his head. ”This is very difficult to do. Lance is not the same as those ordinary foreigners. He is not so easy to be threatened by us.”

”And to do so may cause the situation to escalate towards a worse situation. In the end, a situation that none of us want to see may appear.”

Although he had not personally tried, he just had a premonition that if he really used this set of tricks to deal with Lance, his end would be very miserable.

The police chiefs were all a little discouraged. Someone asked, ”Then this matter, just let it go?”

”... (The name of the dead police chief) just died like that?”

The police chief, after a short silence, said, ”According to twice the pension standard, send the pension to... his family’s hands.”

”This matter... let’s just leave it at that for now!”

He sighed again. The number of times he had sighed in this one day was more than the number of times he had sighed in the entire first half of this year.

After a while, he continued, ”We are not sure what will happen tomorrow, but I have a premonition, a bad premonition.”

He paused for a moment, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and lit one. ”There is a high probability that I will be removed from this post. At that time, you don’t have to be too nervous.”

”If they want to manage this city well, they can’t do without the police, and they can’t do without you.”

”At that time, the work will continue as it did when I was here. If the mayor or someone higher up has arranged for a new chief, you also don’t have to resist.”

These words of his were full of a pessimistic color. The people in the office were all silent, and the atmosphere also became heavy.

The police chief smiled and stood up. He walked in front of these police chiefs, patted their arms, and his face still retained some smiles.

”What’s wrong?”

”Do you think I might... die?”

When he had said this word, his expression had also twitched slightly, but soon he had adjusted his expression.

”No, you don’t have to worry so much. This is now a diplomatic incident. Even if they really want me to die, I won’t die immediately.”

”We still have a chance to meet again. I believe this.”

He had also given some instructions on the matters after he had left, including their extortion of some people, and some of the matters of taking black money, all had been perfectly explained.

In the end, he had had the police chiefs all leave, and had had them return to their work posts, and to be mentally prepared to welcome tomorrow.

And he himself, had stood at the door, and had taken one last look at the desktop and the desk that he had tidied up, and also all the things that he had put back, and had slowly pulled the door handle, and had closed the door of the police chief’s office.

Standing outside the door, he still felt a little moved. He sighed again, and then turned and left.

He had left from the back stairs, and had gone directly to the parking lot. He didn’t want to see those police chiefs, those police officers again. It would only make him feel even sadder.

He had returned home early. His two wives were preparing for the evening’s dinner.

He, as if he had thought of something, had taken off his coat, had rolled up his sleeves, and in the surprised gazes of his two wives, had also joined in the process of preparing for dinner.

At a little after seven in the evening, the last family member had also come back from outside. The smile on the police chief’s face had become much more.

When the last child had, with some confusion, come to the side of the dining table and had sat down, he had, with both hands on the edge of the table, made a gesture similar to ”pushing” the table, but it was not a real push.

”I know, you must be very confused, why I have suddenly asked you all to come back.”

”Actually, something has happened today.”

”If you are concerned about the news, you will definitely know that a foreigner was killed today, and at the same time, we have also lost a police chief.”

His wives’ faces all showed a look of surprise and some fear. How long has it been since a police officer had been sacrificed in this city?

His second wife was a little younger. She couldn’t help but ask, ”What happened?”

The police chief had briefly recounted what had happened. ”...They have given us an ultimatum, only 24 hours.”

”That is to say, by tomorrow morning, close to noon, if we still can’t catch those two culprits, the federal people may have to use some means.”

His two wives had not yet realized what, but his children, especially the two who had been to university, had already realized the seriousness of the matter.

His eldest son asked, ”What will happen to you?”

The police chief, while eating a fine steak with his knife and fork, had, with a seemingly very relaxed tone, replied, ”There is a high probability that I will be dismissed from my post. As for whether they will do anything further to me, I am not clear.”

He looked very relaxed, but in fact, he was not at all.

As the police chief, he knew very well what he had done in these years, for himself, and for those big shots.

They would not let a person like him, who knew some secrets, and could even be said to be scandals, to continue to live after he had lost his value.

There was a high probability that he would die. What he was most worried about now was the things he had done in these years, and the consequences they had brought, and whether they would implicate his family.

He had not been very concerned about his family before. Perhaps at that time, he had also known very well that as long as he did not lose his job, his family would not be hurt.

But now, he had felt the threat, and had also felt that his family might be in danger.

”Tomorrow morning, you all find a way to hide first. It’s best if you can leave Zhuolan, to go to another place, or to go to another country to hide for a while.”

”Although I don’t like the Federation, the Federation is indeed a good choice.”

”After this period of the storm has passed, then you can consider whether to come back.”

As he spoke, he had taken out a few deposit certificates from his pocket, and had handed them to his two wives, and also to his eldest son and eldest daughter.

”This is a deposit certificate from a federal bank. On it is the explanation of the bank where you can get the money. Inside is the money I have gotten in these years.”

”In total, there is about 400,000 or so, which is enough for you to live a good life in the Federation.”

”Of course, if you want to go to other places, for example, Jede, you can.”

”But my personal suggestion is that you’d better go to the Federation. The movements of the federal people will only get bigger and bigger.”

His first wife had held his hand, her eyes filled with a trace of worry and a longing. ”You can also leave with us, our whole family together!”

There might not be any love between them, but the new family affection was maintaining their relationship and connection more firmly than love.

The police chief had let out a heavy sigh. He had pursed his lips, and had gotten himself another piece of steak. While cutting, he had, in a very relaxed tone, said, ”If I go with you, then none of us will be able to leave.”

The dining table had suddenly fallen into a silence, leaving only the sound of the police chief cutting his steak and eating.

Of course they knew what this sentence meant, and it was precisely because they knew that they were silent.

The next day, early in the morning, the police chief had arrived at the police station. Many people had seen him.

He now had to let those who were watching him know that he had not run away. Only in this way would his family have a chance to leave.

Not long after he had left, his family had simply packed up the valuable things they could take, and had hurried to the port, and had bought a boat ticket to the Federation.

Time seemed to, at this moment, have become slow and meaningless.

The police chief, as he had yesterday, had begun to tidy up his office. Perhaps he wanted to, after he had left, to be able to leave a very special impression on everyone.

The new police chief, the moment he had pushed open the door, would not have found this place in a mess. He might have felt that the previous police chief was a person who loved to be clean.

He didn’t know why he had such a thought, but he just wanted to do so.

Unconsciously, the time had come to noon. It was very quiet outside.

However, he knew that at this time, many people had already gathered outside the Presidential Palace. They were protesting. They were holding up all kinds of banners, and the sound they were making had probably made Mr. President feel annoyed.

This was the final result of their ultimatum.

At twelve o’clock, the phone on his desk had suddenly and abruptly rung.

The harsh ringing sound had startled him, and he had even, because of the shock, broken out in a bit of a sweat.

”Those two people, have you found them?”

The call was from the Presidential Palace.

The police chief was holding the receiver with both hands. He said, carefully and in a low voice, ”I’m sorry, I haven’t found these two people.”

He did not emphasize that Lance had interfered in this matter, nor did he emphasize that it was not his own incompetence, but that this group of Lance’s was too unreasonable.

He had suddenly, been able to understand the feelings of those who had been wronged and their families. At this very moment, he had clearly felt that kind of an intense, heart-stinging emotion.

The receiver had been silent for a few seconds and then had been directly hung up, not at all polite.

And at this time, President Diego was, in the face of the federal ambassador’s pointing at his nose and shouting, but he had no way at all.

Did he not know that it was Lance’s men who had hijacked those two culprits?

He knew. He knew everything.

But politics is not a math problem. If you put the known elements together, you can get an accurate, and unique, answer.

Of course, the premise is that the person who is solving the problem knows how to solve it.

Politics is not like this. Even if everyone knows what has happened, these have no relationship at all with the things they are going to do.

Not a single bit of relationship.

The Federal Ambassador to Rapa, at this time, had a very serious and angry face, as if he really didn’t know where those two were!

”Your Excellency President Diego, before I came, I had already spoken with the Secretary of State on the phone. He feels shocked about what has happened here.”

”And he has already reported to Mr. Federal President. Mr. President has given instructions.”

”If you cannot find those two people within 24 hours, then this matter will be handled by ourselves. Your country is not allowed to interfere, not allowed to obstruct, and not allowed to influence.”

”Otherwise, it will be regarded as a humiliation to the Federation, and we do not guarantee that we will not take further measures, including but not limited to diplomatic means, military action...”

The Federal Ambassador, as he spoke, had glanced at the watch on his wrist. ”You still have fifteen minutes. After fifteen minutes, we will use our own way to solve this problem.”

This is what the federal people want, right?

Diego looked at the ambassador, and thought in his heart, but he seemed to have no other way.

He could only, helplessly, make a final attempt.

”I will give feedback on this matter to the Yalan League, to the Jede side. We will protest to the Federation. This is an act of interfering in the sovereignty of other countries!”

”You clearly said at the negotiations that you would not do this!”

The ambassador smiled as he spoke. ”You also did not mention at the negotiating table that you would kill a federal citizen!”

(End of a Chapter)

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