Empire of Shadows

Within a matter of days, all the anti-government armed forces in Zhuolan were thoroughly cleansed.

People often saw anti-government fighters being dragged out of shacks in the slums, their faces etched with despair and disbelief.

Many of them believed that the people in the slums would shelter them. After all, they had brought these people, who were once the lowest class like themselves, freedom and romance, even if only for a short time.

But it was precisely those whom the rebels thought would stand with them who ultimately exposed them.

People were not necessarily grateful for the chaos brought by those who claimed to be ”doing good for the people,” so their betrayal was understandable.

Apart from a few rebel leaders who survived for a few more days, ordinary fighters, once found and arrested, were immediately executed on the spot.

Some international newspapers, including some from the Federation, reported parts of the event.

They described it as a ”brutal cleansing,” estimating that at least twenty to thirty thousand people were hunted down and killed in this manner.

Various birds of prey constantly circled over Zhuolan. If one wasn’t careful, they would swoop down, take a few pecks, and then fly back into the sky when humans chased them away.

Lance did not attend the trial of Pedro and his men, nor did he serve as the chief judge.The ones responsible for sentencing them were some tribal chieftains and ministers. It was the same public trial, with the same numb crowds.

Pedro’s occupation of Zhuolan was too brief. Although they constantly spoke of liberty, fairness, justice, and democracy, the people never truly experienced it. Consequently, they felt no affection for these men.

Pedro, standing on the judgment platform, experienced a spiritual overlap with the image of Diego in his mind.

He pleaded guilty to all charges brought by the prosecutor. Compared to others who tried to justify themselves or resist, he was perhaps the most straightforward.

Ultimately, everyone was sentenced to death. However, considering humanization and moral issues, the provisional government did not use the guillotine or an executioner’s axe; they used the gallows.

Some felt this was more dignified, as it wouldn’t create a bloody mess or splatter brains like a firing squad.

Hanging was bloodless, and the corpses remained largely intact. It was already considered a very decent way to die.

When Pedro stood on the execution platform, and the hangman fitted the noose around his neck and tied weights to his feet, he was still nervous and terrified.

Because no one knows what happens after death.

In reality, nothing happens.

People know this, but because they fear and resist death, they refuse to accept that everything returns to nothingness after passing, so they imagine many possibilities.

Reincarnation, Heaven, Hell—any belief in an afterlife stems from humanity’s struggle against death.

But sadly, no matter how elaborate these stories are, what is false remains false.

Pedro felt dizzy, and his ears were ringing. He looked at the crowd below the platform, observing their numb and curious expressions. He felt a pang of regret.

And this regret grew. If I hadn’t come to Zhuolan, if I hadn’t attended the seminar Lance hosted, would things have been different?

He would probably still be a middle school teacher, honestly working every day with his family and colleagues, earning a decent salary, seeing off each night, and welcoming each dawn.

Alas, there were no ”ifs,” and no regrets.

After the prosecutor confirmed his identity, the two executioners simultaneously pushed the lever that operated the mechanism. The wooden boards beneath the six men on the platform instantly gave way.

Pedro immediately felt a sensation of falling. The weights tied to his legs violently pulled him down. With a loud snap as his neck broke, he instantly lost all feeling below his neck.

In the sight of others, he had lost control of his bladder, but in his own perception, everything seemed fine.

He just felt a vague... inexplicable drowsiness. The sky seemed to be darkening.

He had tried to struggle, but the struggle yielded no results. Soon, his world stopped at that moment, sinking eternally into darkness.

”Alas...”

”My life!”

His final sigh echoed from the depths of the darkness. Everything was over.

A group of reporters frantically pressed their shutters, capturing the images of these men dying. This was clearly the advance of civilization!

From arbitrary, bloody massacres to the civilized use of the gallows—this was progress!

Watching the six corpses sway from the gallows, some of the people still awaiting execution were on the verge of collapse.

After the entire execution process concluded, they reported back to Lance. Since no accidents occurred, Lance merely listened to their report and instructed them to compile it into a final report for filing.

He had a more important task: forming the provisional government.

”Why ’provisional’?” Lance sat in Diego’s chair. Since he wasn’t as heavy as Diego, the chair looked slightly too wide for him, and he couldn’t entirely fill it with his body.

But this did not prevent him from exuding boundless authority to the men in the room just by sitting there.

”The provisional government exists because we need a temporary arrangement to transition to a situation we all desire to see.”

”Gentlemen, remember one thing!”

”What we give you is what is yours.”

”What we forbid—even if you have it in your pockets right now—you had better take it out immediately and place it on the desk in front of me!”

The rebels had been eliminated, and the country returned to stable rule. Some people’s thoughts inevitably began to drift into inappropriate territory again.

This was normal. It was like a group hired to dig up treasure.

Before they actually found the treasure, they wouldn’t harbor thoughts of keeping it; they would likely genuinely intend to dig it up and hand it over to their employer.

But once they found the treasure and actually dug it up, some people might develop other ideas.

For example, possessing the treasure—even if not all of it, a small part would be wonderful.

The situation was similar now. Before truly regaining control over everything, they hadn’t mentally associated this power with themselves.

But once they succeeded, and the power was in their hands, they began to covet and yearn for it.

Lance issued a small warning, cautioning them not to act foolishly, because they could not afford the consequences of defiance.

Looking at the men in the room with their varied expressions, he maintained his extreme composure. ”I know some of your thoughts might not be particularly dangerous, but both I and the Senator are afraid of trouble.”

”It’s best if everything proceeds as we discussed before. If anyone feels this arrangement does not meet your interests, you are entirely welcome to raise it.”

”But if no one steps forward to tell me why you object to this arrangement, then you had better not give me any extra work.”

He looked at the Minister of Foreign Affairs sitting to the side. ”You handle the subsequent matters.”

”It is not appropriate for me to be involved in those.”

”I have no other demand of you, only one: follow the rules!”

The roomful of ministers and tribal chieftains did not dare to breathe loudly in Lance’s presence.

Seeing their subservient demeanor, Lance nodded in satisfaction. ”What is there to covet about the power of a small, poor, and backward country?”

”Even managing ten thousand ants is less valuable than owning a single sheep.”

”Once you integrate into the Federal way of life, you will realize how correct your current decision is!”

The entire Yalan region watched the developments in Rapa. The tribal chieftains and leaders jointly formed the ”Rapa Provisional Government.”

The provisional government had no provisional president, only ministers for the various departments. It seemed the government was only missing a president.

The President of the Jede Republic immediately called the Rapa Minister of Foreign Affairs. His sources informed him that the Minister and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were currently the most powerful parts of the provisional government.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs was not surprised to receive the call from the Jede Republic President.

The President knew the Minister somewhat from past interactions; after all, he was the ”Minister of Foreign Affairs.”

”Why did you... only form a provisional government and not a new government?” The President’s tone carried confusion and a subtle probing.

He asked cautiously, with little aggression, clearly not wanting to provoke the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The Minister chuckled twice. ”Because we have not yet decided what the new government will look like.”

”The recent rebellion prompted much self-reflection. We are now being exceptionally cautious in undertaking these matters to avoid any outcome we do not wish to see, and we do not want to return to the past.”

Listening to these words, the President’s spirits sank. ”The Rapa is a member of the Yalan Alliance. If you have any trouble or issues, you are welcome to contact us anytime.”

The Minister chuckled again. ”Thank you for your goodwill, Mr. President.”

”Diego signed too many messy agreements and treaties before he died. You know that was part of the reason the rebellion broke out. So, after discussion, we decided to temporarily suspend all diplomatic activities and focus on domestic affairs.”

”This includes withdrawing from various treaties, organizations, and the Yalan Alliance.”

Hearing this response, the President couldn’t help but clench his fists. ”Joining the Yalan Alliance does not conflict with forming a new government, and the YA can provide you with various forms of aid.”

”Economic, political, military, or otherwise.”

The Minister politely, yet with a hint of regret, refused again. ”My apologies, we do not have such intentions for now.”

”Of course, if we decide to change our minds later, I will call to inform you.”

”In any case, thank you very much for your concern for Rapa and the goodwill you’ve shown, but we do not require it right now. Thank you!”

”If you have no further business, I have a lot of work to do...”

The President was silent for a moment before asking one last question. ”Is this because of the Federation?”

The Minister did not answer immediately, considering for a moment. ”This is our own decision.”

”Very well, I respect your decision.”

The President hung up, his mood sinking to rock bottom. Rapa’s ”withdrawal” from the alliance meant that more countries would soon follow suit.

The strongest defensive line he had used to counter the Federation’s soft invasion had been breached, and the entire defense structure was collapsing.

A few days later, the Rapa Provisional Government, citing the need to better build a new Rapa that conformed to international development, hired many people willing to help them build the country.

These included local Rapa people, such as members of notable families, and others who were famous or highly reputable.

Or foreigners, such as Lance.

Lance was hired as a Senior Government Affairs Advisor to the Rapa Provisional Government. His name wasn’t prominent on the long list but was still noticed by discerning people.

After all, as the primary promoter behind the ”Zhuolan Treaty,” many eyes were watching him.

However, watching him wouldn’t bring about any change, because once certain events start and are not blocked immediately, they become unstoppable.

In mid-to-late March, the Rapa Provisional Government, citing a ”lack of mature government management experience,” dispatched a delegation to the Federation on Lance’s suggestion to study the world’s most advanced governmental structures and management practices from the Federal government.

The Yalan Alliance representative, mainly from the Jede Republic, strongly protested, opposing the Federation’s penetration and invasion of Rapa in all forms, but their protests were ineffective.

This was because Rapa had publicly announced its withdrawal from all international treaty organizations, including the Yalan Alliance.

This caused the entire Yalan Alliance to become unstable, with several countries already considering aligning with the Federation.

After all, in the Yalan region, aligning with the Jede Republic wouldn’t necessarily yield many benefits.

Conversely, aligning with the Federation would certainly bring more advantages.

Furthermore, the Rapa Provisional Government’s visit would offer these countries a more direct ”experience.”

The Jede Republic felt the inevitability of the situation. They ceased protesting and began working to strengthen ties with the other countries in the Yalan Alliance, trying to keep them firmly on their side.

Lance was gone for two months. Upon his return to the Federation, Senator Cleveland hosted a ”return ceremony” at his estate!

The moment he stepped out of the car, the estate staff opened the closed gates for him. As he entered the hall, streamers began to fly, and the people in the room spontaneously turned toward him, applauding enthusiastically!

Senator Cleveland stood at the front of the crowd. He, too, was applauding. Seeing Lance, he stepped forward, embraced him, and then took his arm. ”Let us cheer for Lance’s return!”

People gave exaggerated shouts of welcome. The entire scene was highly dramatic, but Lance accepted it all graciously, for he knew he had earned it.

”Well done, Lance!”

”Great job, Lance!”

These ladies and gentlemen, representing the upper echelon of the country’s society, constantly praised him.

Someone with less robust psychological resilience would quickly fall into uncontrolled euphoria under such flattery.

But Lance did not. He merely smiled, nodding his acknowledgment to the crowd, and raised his hand to greet the ladies and gentlemen shouting his name, which made them regard him with even greater respect.

Senator Cleveland’s face was flushed with pride. When Lance first brought him this plan a few years ago, his first reaction was that it was impossible!

Everything was too idealistic. How could one conquer a country without war or other typical means?

Not just him, but others in Congress didn’t believe the plan would work either.

However, one thing Lance said resonated with them: the Yalan region was critically important to the Federation’s interests.

Whether due to the region’s abundant resources, its countless population, or its strategically advantageous position in the East Ocean, the Federation needed to secure this area to achieve its goal of becoming the world’s sole hegemon in the future.

Based on the attitude of ”success would be great, failure would be inconsequential,” Congress approved Lance’s plan and tasked him with executing it himself.

The result? The plan unbelievably succeeded!

This brought great prestige to Senator Cleveland, who had introduced Lance’s plan to Congress and formed a beneficial partnership with him!

His standing within Congress was further elevated, which was why he appeared exceptionally joyful.

At his level, even moving up one step was a massive improvement!

Therefore, hosting a banquet for Lance was a non-issue, and Lance still had a role to play in the subsequent cooperation efforts.

For example, his concession. Once the Federal government fully took over Rapa, the concession would become a negotiating chip.

Federal people could maintain consistency on foreign issues because their interests were consistent.

However, internally, dealings on many issues were not always so harmonious.

Lance, wine glass in hand, navigated the banquet with the Senator, constantly making introductions and exchanging toasts. The entire room reeked strongly of fame and self-interest!

The banquet concluded around nine in the evening, but Lance did not leave, as a small meeting was scheduled to follow.

It was more accurately described as a chat. Besides the Senator, several others were present, all deeply concerned about the advancement of the invasion—not just of Rapa, but of the entire Yalan region.

And Lance, as the absolute core of this small meeting, was about to unfold a grander vision for them!