Empire of Shadows

Vargas, who was fiercely slammed against the wall, coughed violently. He looked up at the butler, and suddenly discovered that, in fact, when things happened, it was not as terrifying as he had imagined.

”I am a federal citizen.”

The butler was stunned for a moment. He suspected if there was something wrong with his ears. Then he sneered. ”Your joke is not funny,” he looked at the person who was using his forearm to press against Vargas’s neck. ”Give him a taste.”

The guy, who looked like a thug, immediately released Vargas from the wall, and then gave him two punches in the stomach.

Each punch used ten-tenths of its strength, hitting Vargas so hard that he directly held his lower abdomen and bent his waist, dry heaving.

Although he was not very afraid, the pain and discomfort were real.

Before he could react further, he was, by his hair, forced to raise his head again, and was dragged in front of the butler.

The butler looked down at him, staring into his eyes. ”I’ll ask you again, who did you sell the mine to?”

In fact, they knew the answer.

Federal people.Only the federal people dared to, in this country, so wantonly trample on the rules of the game they had set.

But as long as the answer was not officially announced, then it meant that they at least still had a little chance... no, it should be that there was still a little probability, that this matter was not done by Lance.

Vargas took a deep breath. He did not immediately answer this question, but said, ”I am a federal citizen now. I have already been naturalized. You are harming a federal citizen!”

His eyes had also become sharp and tough. It wasn’t that he himself had much ability, or could beat anyone or whatever.

It was just that at this moment, when he had said ”I am a federal citizen,” he had felt an indescribable, magical power pouring into his body from the void. He felt that he had never been better!

He broke free from the control of the thug by his side, and straightened up again. Although his lower abdomen was still in severe pain, that kind of cramping pain, he still forced himself to stand up straight, and ran his fingers through his hair. ”The passport is in the bedside cabinet in the room. There are many people who know that I am a federal citizen, and there are also many who know that you are finding trouble with me.”

”If a federal citizen dies here, and dies at your hands, what do you think will happen?”

His tone was filled with a kind of determination, which had made even the butler look at him sideways.

The butler glanced at a thug. Soon the thug had entered the bedroom, and in the bedside cabinet, he had found the certificate bag, and had given it to the butler.

The butler opened the certificate bag. The first thing that came into view was an immigration visa, with Vargas’s photo on it. The date of immigration was earlier this year.

He flipped through it a few more times. Inside, there was also a federal checkbook, and some documents that were useful in the Federation.

”It seems they have given you a lot of money,” the butler handed the certificate bag to the thug by his side. He glanced at Vargas. ”Take him back.”

Vargas, at this time, was a little panicked. ”Lance already knows that you have come for me!”

The butler immediately raised his hand, stopping the thug from dragging Vargas. He glanced at Vargas again, and after confirming that he did not see any guilt or dodging in the other party’s eyes, he finally turned and walked into the inner room.

Then he gave President Diego a call. ”I’ve already seen the person. There is a high probability that it was Lance who had bought these mines, and Vargas has already been naturalized into the Federation. He is carrying his immigration visa with him. He also said that Lance knows we have come for him.”

”Fuck!” The cursing from the receiver had made the butler understand President Diego’s mood at this moment. ”Now, am I to bring him back, or...”

After about twenty or thirty seconds, Diego had said in the phone, ”Bring this bastard back.”

The butler hung up the phone and returned to the outer room. ”Take him.”

Vargas did not resist.

Soon he had seen Diego. It didn’t take much time to get from the Zhuolan Grand Hotel to the Presidential Palace. Now, although the city had stabilized, there were still relatively few pedestrians and vehicles on the road.

People were all afraid, afraid of suddenly being harmed by others. The people now were already a little crazy. You couldn’t say when someone would jump out, and just for a few dollars on you, would give you a few stabs.

The convoy had soon returned to the Presidential Palace. Vargas was pushed into the presidential office.

He, due to his unstable center of gravity, had almost fallen to the ground, but fortunately, he had in the end, still stabilized his body, and then had slowly stood up.

Diego pointed at the chair opposite him. ”Sit down.”

The butler walked to Diego’s side, and handed Vargas’s certificate bag over. Diego opened it and glanced at it twice, and then threw it on the desk.

”You fucking used my money to get a federal identity for you and your family?”

”You think just because you are a federal person, I wouldn’t dare to kill you?”

The more he spoke so fiercely, the calmer Vargas became. He looked at Diego. ”I know, you dare to do so. But my current identity is very sensitive. I am a federal citizen.”

”They have been looking for a damn opportunity. If I die, do you think this will be the opportunity?”

This sentence had made Diego’s anger even greater. He looked at Vargas, his breathing had become much more rapid.

To be stared at by a tyrant like Diego was indeed a very stressful thing. Vargas could only hold on.

In fact, they all knew Diego very well. He was like a hyena.

If you didn’t show any signs of fear, then he would just bark fiercely.

But once you showed fear, he would start to attack.

So now, although he was a little scared, he still had to pretend that he was very calm, composed, and also not afraid.

The staring contest between the two had lasted for more than ten seconds. Diego took a deep breath to calm himself down.

He asked, ”Counting, you are still my cousin, Vargas. There is a blood relationship between us. Why did you betray me?”

Diego’s sudden change of words had made Vargas a little embarrassed, because this was the truth.

He was Diego’s cousin, a distant relative of the Ravila family’s outer circle. The reason why he had been chosen by Diego was also because he was ”distant” enough.

When they had a falling out, no one would say that he was disregarding his family. At the same time, there was a faint bloodline as a bond between them. This was a very suitable candidate.

Many of Diego’s industries were this kind of people, distant cousins. They were actually no different from strangers.

But if you really had to say, this blood relationship did indeed exist.

However, the embarrassment had only existed for a short while. Vargas said in a very firm tone, ”Who doesn’t want to live a good life?”

”And, Diego, you are too... brutal!”

”Gomez didn’t do anything to let you down, but you not only removed him from his job, but you also wanted to kill him.”

”Today it’s him. What about tomorrow?”

”For so many years, how many of the people who have been loyal to you have you killed?”

When he heard the name ”Gomez,” Diego’s anger had increased a lot. ”What do you know?”

”Gomez has been in contact with the federal people. He had betrayed us long ago!”

”I even dare to say that it was he who had brought these federal people in!”

Vargas did not speak, he just remained silent. To have a reason to make himself not so embarrassed was enough.

And he wasn’t lying. In these years, Diego had, because of ”suspicion,” already killed many of the people around him, which was also the reason why people were very careful, and why they had called him a tyrant.

As long as he had a suspicion about a person, he would be completely suspicious, and then he would find a chance to kill this person. There was almost no other choice.

Vargas, in the past, had been willing to take a not-so-much salary and to just muddle along and wait for death, and had not even dared to go to the mine, just because he was afraid that Diego would suddenly feel that he was already disobedient, and then would get rid of him, and replace him with an obedient one.

In fact, Diego also knew that to do so was not right, but he just couldn’t control himself. He always couldn’t help but to kill those who were suspected by him, but could not prove their innocence.

This was the absolute decay brought by absolute power!

Let alone to challenge him, in his cognition, anyone who might make him uncomfortable would become his enemy, and then be killed by him.

For this kind of a character to be able to last until now before a large-scale uprising had occurred, could already be said to be a miracle.

Diego took two more deep breaths. He skipped this topic, which had made him not so comfortable. ”It was Lance who had bought these mines, wasn’t it?”

Vargas did not deny it. He had already contacted Lance before. Lance didn’t need him to hide anything for him, so he had admitted, ”Yes.”

”Lance!”

”It’s Lance again!”

Diego supported himself with the desk and stood up from his chair.

He pushed the chair away and swayed back and forth a few steps. ”This damn guy!”

”He’s always finding trouble with me, fuck!”

He turned and looked at Vargas as he spoke, his eyes filled with a strong desire to kill.

Vargas could only, with a stiff upper lip, continue to hold on. After the two had looked at each other for a moment, Diego had exhaled. ”Get him out of here!”

The moment he had heard this, Vargas had let out a heavy sigh of relief. He had taken the initiative to stand up, and had bowed slightly. Without saying anything, he had turned and had left the office.

Diego sat there. It was a long while before he had picked up the phone and had dialed Lance’s number. He needed to talk to Lance.

The phone had rung for more than ten times before it was answered.

”I’m sorry, I had some personal matters to attend to just now. This is Lance.”

Hearing this familiar voice, the expression on Diego’s face had become even colder. ”You have tricked me out of most of the mines in my hands, Lance.”

Lance, after listening, his laughter had come from the receiver. ”Mr. President, isn’t this ’tricked’ a bit too much?”

”I have all the procedures for the transaction, and also the witnesses. All the transactions were carried out with the consent of both parties. How can you say it’s a trick?”

Diego’s voice was very low, with some roars. ”But those mines are mine!”

”Everyone here knows, everyone knows!”

”Those things are my property. I just hung them under some people’s names, fuck!”

This involved some of the internal situations of the Ravila family, and at the same time, it was also for his own face.

Before the federal people had arrived, this was indeed a good way of handling it. He could always control these mines and let the profits they generated all belong to him, and not to the family.

But after the federal people had come, he had, on the contrary, overlooked these factors, which had led to what was happening now.

In fact, even if he hadn’t overlooked, it would have been very difficult for him to have imagined that the federal people would be so... despicable?

He could only think of this word, despicable.

To use all kinds of means to continuously force the entire Rapa to evolve according to their design, famine, internal turmoil, civil war, and now his property had been deprived of a part.

Thinking of this, he wished he could fight it out with these federal people!

After about a dozen or so seconds, Lance’s leisurely voice had finally come from the receiver, and it was also with some carelessness. ”How do you prove it?”

”Your name is not on the property rights documents.”

Diego, as if he had thought of something, his speaking speed had suddenly increased. ”Your name is not on it either.”

Lance didn’t care at all. ”I have a full set of procedures, Mr. President. As a legal investment of a legal merchant, these things are now my private property.”

”You may not understand the concept of private property. In fact, it is written into the federal constitution. It is something that needs to be respected and is sacred and inviolable, protected by the federal government.”

”I’ve said so much just to tell you, you can’t prove that these things are yours, but I have.”

”If you don’t want to reason with me, I won’t reason with you either.”

”Are we going to be civilized people, or are we going to be barbarians? It’s entirely up to you, Mr. President.”

Diego’s face had already flushed a lot. His whole body was trembling slightly. If a federal doctor had been here, and had measured his blood pressure, he would have found that his blood pressure had already ”exploded.”

”No matter how much money you have spent to buy these mines, I will pay you twice the price.”

”Give them back to me.”

Diego had said what he had thought was a very reasonable idea. ”In a few months, your investment has doubled. You have succeeded!”

Lance did not answer whether he would agree or not. In the receiver, there was only a laugh of contempt.

Diego was breathing heavily. ”You are forcing me!”

Lance replied, ”In your eyes, I am just a gangster boss, a minor character who has been pushed to the front by some big shots in Congress.”

”And you, Diego, you are the president of this country, the ruler of 12 million people.”

”Are you willing to part with it?”

This question was asked with great skill. Just one sentence had made Diego not know how to answer, and he was stunned.

To use his own, so precious, life, in exchange for Lance’s ”cheap life”?

He was indeed not willing.

After about seven or eight seconds, Lance’s tone had changed, and had become a little lighter. ”Compared to your concern about what has happened to these mines, you should be more concerned about the changes in the civil war.”

”I hear... some of their anti-government armed forces have already united, and are planning to overthrow you first, and then they will, internally, fight for who is the savior.”

”Your trouble is big!”

”If you are short of money, or if you want to buy some federal products, or even to flee to the Federation, you can find me. No matter which, I can get it done for you!”

”I still have other things to do. I’ll hang up first.”

As he spoke, there was no more sound from the receiver. A warmth in Diego’s nasal cavity. He had reached out and had touched it, and had put it in front of his eyes. It was blood.

The next second, his vision had gone black, and he had fallen on the desk and had passed out.

His blood pressure had risen, and his body’s self-protection mechanism had taken effect.

The news that Diego had fainted had not been revealed. At that time, in the office, there was only Diego and the butler.

Then the butler had found the private doctor who had been serving the Ravila family. After the doctor had done a lot of checks, he had finally found that Diego’s blood pressure was too high.

In this period, the main methods for treating high blood pressure were sympathectomy and bloodletting.

Between these two treatment plans, it was clear that bloodletting was used in more scenarios, and had existed for a long time.

Besides having a slight negative impact on the body, it would not cause any malignant harm.

So the doctor had chosen bloodletting.

After letting out about 500 milliliters, he had given Diego some more medicine from the Federation. After about 30 minutes, Diego had woken up from his coma.

He had opened his eyes and had turned his head to look at the butler. ”What’s wrong with me?”

The butler had truthfully told him a little of what the doctor had said. Diego was a little stunned. ”I’m sick?”

”Why can’t I feel it?”

The doctor didn’t know how to explain this. ”High blood pressure is a disease that is very difficult to be detected. It is only when it acts up that it will be discovered by people, just like now.”

”But you don’t have to worry too much, Your Excellency President.”

”Bloodletting has a very intuitive effect on high blood pressure. I suggest that you let out some blood every once in a while, and just to keep your blood pressure normal.”

Diego was silent for a moment. ”I’ll think about it.”

He had asked the doctor to leave, and then, looking at the butler, he had said, ”Go and check on this doctor. I feel that he wants to harm me.”

The butler was also stunned for a moment. He didn’t understand why Diego had suddenly become so sensitive, but he still nodded and agreed.

Lying in bed, Diego felt much more comfortable. He looked at the ceiling, and let out a heavy sigh. ”Perhaps, I am very confused now. I can’t see the future at all.”

”Have I done something wrong?” he had turned his head again to look at the butler. ”They always say that I am a tyrant, a dictator.”

”Am I really as they say?”

”Is it my fault that they have betrayed me?”

The butler’s scalp had tingled slightly. He had bent his waist, and had lowered his head. ”No, you haven’t done anything wrong.”

”This is just an excuse they have found for their own betrayal!”

Diego looked at him, but because the butler had lowered his head, he couldn’t see the butler’s eyes, but the butler could feel that the scorching gaze was sweeping back and forth on his body.

After a while, Diego had finally said with a sigh, ”If only everyone was as loyal as you, how good would that be?!”

These mines had entered Lance’s hands, and it would be very difficult to get them back.

After he had fainted, he had calmed down a lot. He had already clearly realized this.

And now the most crucial thing was, just as Lance had said, to first solve the anti-government armed forces, and then to consider other things.