Empire of Shadows

Watching Lance, seated in Diego’s chair and buried in his work, Pedro felt a peculiar sensation.

He simply stood there quietly, observing Lance work, having no intention of interrupting him.

When he first met Lance, he was just a high school teacher.

Perhaps due to the famine and other issues, he harbored dissatisfaction and resentment toward this society and Rapa’s ruling class.

If Diego and his group hadn’t sold off the already sufficient grain supplies for massive profit, there likely wouldn’t have been a famine, nor the events that followed.

At that time, he merely saw Lance as a Federal person who was, perhaps, not friendly to Rapa. Lance was promoting subversive ideas, instructing them on how to leverage the power around them.

The power they could see, touch, and that usually lay dormant, but which could erupt into immense force when unified—Lance was teaching them how to utilize all of it.

In Pedro’s eyes at that time, Lance was an ambitious ”mentor,” which was not exactly a compliment.

Over time, he heard many rumors related to Lance, particularly the signing of the ”Zhuolan Treaty,” where Diego sold off massive national interests in exchange for some aid from the Federal government.

At this point, Lance had become, in Pedro’s eyes, one of the primary culprits in the division of Rapa, an evil figure.The second time he truly met Lance was recently.

It was interesting: a long gap separated their first and second meetings, and the second time, Pedro approached Lance with a sense of ”pride.”

Because he had succeeded.

Their revolution had succeeded.

This meant he had translated what Lance taught him into reality, successfully verified it, and even added some of his own ideas.

It was like someone who worked hard and finally succeeded; he was eager for everyone who helped him to share his joy in that moment.

Even though Lance’s role wasn’t entirely honorable, Pedro still wanted to meet him, chat about their recent situations, and inform him that Rapa was now under his control.

The second encounter could be divided into two separate meetings, but the results were not as good as he had hoped.

The composure and calmness Lance displayed made him vaguely realize that some things cannot be achieved simply by wanting them.

He wanted to establish a new Rapa government—a fair, just, clean, and efficient government belonging to the people—but it seemed he couldn’t.

The tribal coalition army immediately declared war on him.

And today was his third encounter with Lance.

”Encounter” didn’t refer to the strict number of times, but rather a stage.

In each stage, Pedro himself underwent different changes, but Lance, uniquely, seemed always unchanged.

Now, Lance was sitting in Diego’s chair—the chair symbolizing the supreme power of Rapa, the chair that he, Ross, and the others would never sit in even once before their deaths.

Lance sat there so effortlessly, giving no one a sense of abruptness, as if... this place truly suited him perfectly!

Having fully seen through the entire ”event,” he now harbored no thoughts of fighting, struggling, or anything else.

When he used to read history books, he read superficially, never thinking deeply about the motives behind historical political figures’ actions, why they manifested in certain ways, or if there were deeper meanings.

He had never considered it. Now, he suddenly realized he didn’t need to consider it, because he was destined never to become such a person. Therefore, only seeing the surface level was enough.

He just stared at Lance, his mind wandering aimlessly.

After about twenty minutes, Lance put down his fountain pen and rubbed his wrist. When he looked up and closed the files and folders, he noticed Pedro standing by the door.

A fleeting look of slight confusion crossed his eyes, then he seemed to remember. ”My apologies, I was too focused just now and didn’t notice you’d arrived.”

”Please sit.”

He gestured for Pedro to sit opposite him. ”Unlock his handcuffs. Don’t worry, he won’t hurt me.”

Pedro silently stood there, allowed the soldier to remove his handcuffs, and then slowly walked to the chair opposite Lance and sat down.

”How are you?”

”Did you sleep well these past two days?”

It was a preposterous opening line. Pedro, who had countless pre-planned questions for Lance, was stunned, then laughed twice. ”Not bad. It’s very clean and tidy inside, and there’s food every day.”

”If you don’t consider the lack of freedom, I actually think that place represents the ultimate form of life humanity desires.”

”No pressure, no need to work. There’s food every day, and you can do your own thing.”

Lance nodded noncommittally. ”That won’t last long, because they will have new jobs to do.”

Pedro didn’t know what that meant, but he didn’t want to ask. ”May I ask you a question?”

Lance nodded. ”Of course. We are friends.”

The word ”friend” wasn’t jarring, but it brought Pedro more emotion and realization. After pondering for a moment, he asked, ”Will you rule Rapa?”

Lance shook his head. ”I won’t. It will become a state of the Federation.”

Lance spoke openly about the future change awaiting the region.

Pedro felt uneasy, though he had long anticipated it. ”You never considered whether the people living here would accept this outcome.”

Lance did not rebuke him after hearing his words; instead, he discussed the matter with composure.

”You, Diego, and the others—you don’t understand what the people want.”

”They only want a stable life, a job that can support them and their families, and if possible, some savings.”

”They want to eat until they’re full every day, wear warm clothes when the weather turns cold, and perhaps eat a little meat, whether pork, beef, or lamb.”

”Fish is fine too.”

”Life can be monotonous, without much excitement, but it must be stable.”

Pedro kept shaking his head. ”We could achieve that too.”

Lance took out his cigarette case. He offered Pedro one, then lit one for himself. ”What you mean by ’achieve that’ is achieving it by sacrificing the vast majority of people.”

”Sixty to seventy percent of the population is jobless. They have to find ways to feed themselves. Two out of every three Rapa people struggle daily just for food for themselves and their families.”

”Most Rapa people are in a state of hunger three hundred and sixty-five days a year.”

”But look at our development. Almost everyone can support themselves, provided they are willing to work.”

”People may not live with great dignity, but at least they can eat well and wear warm clothes.”

”A fifteen-cent piece of fried chicken can provide a family with a satisfying dinner, but here, that’s impossible.”

”Being ruled by the Federation is not a tragedy, Pedro. For the individuals being ruled, for these people, it is actually a good thing.”

”They will gain more job opportunities, a more stable life, and dignity.”

”They won’t need to risk their lives jumping into sewers to clear sludge with their bare hands, nor search rivers full of feces and animal corpses for sellable garbage.”

”Nor will they need to forage through the wealthy people’s garbage heaps for food scraps, bring them back, and reheat them to fill their families’ bellies.”

”Once the Federation rules here, they only need to work to gain things they couldn’t even dream of.”

”Rejecting Federal rule is a manifestation of selfishness, not patriotism.”

”Patriotism should be built on the foundation of everyone achieving a better life. If you throw them into hell just to maintain the independence you believe in, then you are nothing but an enemy of the people, a demon.”

Pedro’s expression was strange as he listened. ”You didn’t say any of this when you held the seminar with us before.”

Lance couldn’t help but chuckle at that. ”Because that content wasn’t in your script. It didn’t belong to you.”

Pedro sighed. ”So we were abandoned by the times.”

His tone was full of feeling and regret, but Lance had a different take. ”While that isn’t wrong, I think it’s a bit one-sided.”

”You took action. You will become part of this country’s history. When future children receive free compulsory education in class, they will read your names in their history books.”

”Pedro, you must know, this is an achievement many people spend their entire lives striving for and fail to reach, yet you achieved it so easily!”

”Furthermore, your work was not meaningless. Your actions will help the Federation better integrate with the people of Rapa.”

”Those with rebellious, defiant spirits, those who won’t be governed, have largely been eliminated. Once the remaining elements are cleaned up, Rapa will experience a rebirth.”

”All of this is thanks to the successful completion of your work. You, too, are the creators of this new era, even though your reputation in history might not be great.”

Pedro shrugged indifferently. ”I don’t particularly care about that, honestly.”

”I just hope... if you can truly, as you say, give the people here a beautiful life, perhaps everything you’ve done is right.”

Lance smiled, but offered no direct response to his statement. Instead, he asked, ”Do you have any unfulfilled dreams?”

”You mean a dying wish?”

Lance laughed twice, ignoring the slightly aggressive reply. ”You can think of it that way. After all, our cooperation has been quite pleasant.”

”Whether as your friend or your mentor, if I can grant your dying wish, I will.”

Pedro thought for a moment. ”Actually, I don’t have many regrets. Like you said, I did what I had to do.”

Then, as if a thought struck him, he continued, ”I also asked Diego what his last wish was. How similar this moment is!”

”You know, when I lived here recently, whenever I looked in the mirror, the person reflected back wasn’t me, but Diego.”

”He kept telling me in the mirror that he was waiting for me, or saying things I didn’t understand.”

Lance was surprised to hear this for the first time. ”That sounds rather alarming. So... what is your wish?”

Pedro had initially intended to say he had no final wishes, but unexpectedly, he looked at the high backrest of the chair behind Lance. ”I... I want to sit in your chair.”

”Diego’s chair, the President’s throne!”

Lance was surprised, yet felt it was understandable. ”You never sat in it?”

He stood up. ”You may sit, but don’t mess up the documents on my desk.”

He moved aside, gesturing for Pedro to take the seat.

Pedro’s body trembled slightly. He braced himself on the desk and stood up. ”I’m a little nervous.”

Lance responded with a smile. Pedro walked over to the chair, gripped the edges of the desk, took a deep breath, and slowly sat down.

Diego was a President who understood comfort. The price of this chair was incredibly high. Sitting in it felt like sitting in... he couldn’t describe it. The deep-sinking sensation was nothing like an ordinary chair; it was more like being held tightly in someone’s arms—comfortable and secure.

He was mesmerized by the feeling. He patted the armrests, his eyes slightly closed, as if imagining something.

After about thirty seconds, he opened his eyes, which were filled with regret, and then stood up.

”Won’t you enjoy it longer?” Lance asked. ”How did it feel?”

Pedro moved back toward the side of the desk. ”Very comfortable. It’s the most comfortable chair I’ve ever sat in.”

”But ultimately, it’s just a chair. It doesn’t represent anything.”

”Yes, it is only a chair. Besides comfort and aesthetics, it has no other attributes.”

”It might symbolize something different in your eyes, but that’s not because of any special quality it possesses, but because of the person sitting in it.”

Lance sat back down. ”When Diego sat here, it was the President’s throne. In the eyes of many, this office, this desk, and this chair represented the highest power of the entire nation.”

”But in reality, they are merely ordinary furniture.”

”If a person gains people’s respect because of an object, that respect will never be as lasting or sincere as the respect they earn through their own effort!”

Pedro nodded and sighed. ”Yes, you are right.” He paused. ”How much time do I have left?”

Lance glanced at the watch on his wrist, which showed the date. ”A few days.”

Pedro couldn’t help but laugh. ”I never imagined my life would end this way.”

”But... you’re right. At least it was exciting enough.”

”Goodbye, Lance.”

Lance nodded slightly. ”Goodbye, Pedro.”