Empire of Shadows

The intense gunfire in the city made people realize that something fundamental had changed.

This was perhaps the quietest day on the streets of Old City since it became a major city; almost no pedestrians were walking outside.

Bob’s son hid behind a curtain in an apartment, pacing nervously, occasionally peering out onto the street.

Police cars continuously drove by, their sirens piercing the air and stimulating his heart.

”Stop walking!”

”You’re making me dizzy!”

His sister complained from the side, while his mother and younger sister sat huddled in a corner.

This was an apartment purchased under the name of an ordinary person—a very common apartment, not in the center but not too far out, a ”middle-class apartment.”

In reality, middle-class people rarely lived in apartments due to the poor value; they preferred the social atmosphere of communities over impersonal, cold apartment numbers that lacked privacy.

This apartment was larger than the cheaper sixty- or seventy-square-meter units, measuring about ninety square meters. Bob bought six units across three floors—Six adjacent units were interconnected by cleverly designed features, allowing them to move quickly between the rooms via staircases and hidden doors. This was to prevent them from being trapped in a single room.

All six units served as safe houses for different occupants, stocked with canned goods that allowed them to stay inside for long periods.

If they moved in late at night, no one would notice that the unoccupied unit next door now had residents.

Bob’s son stopped pacing when he heard his sister’s complaint. ”The situation is far more serious than Dad said!”

”With such a massive attack, Dad might...”

His voice trailed off in sadness and agitation. His mother and sister showed sadness, but his older sister’s face remained largely unchanged.

The status of women in the Federation was improving, but it had not yet reached parity with men’s dominance.

As Bob’s daughter, she was largely ignored. Bob himself was not a man who respected women; he forbade his daughter from participating in family business, only allowing her to join family gatherings and meals on holidays.

Even though she knew what her family did and benefited from it, Bob forbade her from getting involved further or working for the family.

His views were traditional: if his sons failed in a fight or were kidnapped, the family would, at worst, beat them and hurt them slightly to negotiate a deal.

But if his daughter were kidnapped or captured, her fate would be terrible.

She would be abused and tortured. This humiliation would also brand the entire family with disgrace—in the eyes of many, her living presence would represent their shameful past.

Some traditional families, once a woman was violated, would kill her themselves, staging an accident or suicide to erase the shameful past, even if the enemy hadn’t killed her.

Neither sister had truly benefited from the family’s illicit profits, making the older sister somewhat unhappy with her current life.

She felt she wasn’t ordinary, but she lived an ordinary life.

She saw Bob only a few times a year, so their relationship lacked emotional depth.

Seeing her brother’s distress, Bob’s eldest daughter’s expression softened. Their sibling relationship was still strong.

She had always defended her brother against her husband.

She walked over and put her arm around her brother. ”What has happened is regrettable, but what we need to do now is stay here. We can’t let anyone know we’re here, and we wait quietly.”

”Do you remember what Dad told you?”

”If he is tried and sent to prison, the only ones who can help him escape are us. That is our responsibility. You must complete it!”

This was one of Bob’s contingency plans. His children had money, and his son held some connections.

In Bob’s view, as long as they were willing to spend money, even if they couldn’t free him entirely, they could certainly make his life inside better.

The siblings embraced, remaining silent.

They didn’t know what was happening outside or what Bob’s fate was. Their original plan was to leave Old City today or tomorrow, but now, it seemed they were stuck here for a while.

Bob’s son whispered, ”I’ll call Fran in a few days. Maybe he can find out what’s going on.”

The family’s emotions seemed to stabilize slightly. Fran, in their eyes, was a symbol of power and strength!

But what they didn’t know was that Fran, the source of their perceived strength, was also in dire straits.

The small cruise ship they chartered was intercepted by the battleship. The men led by Major General Bruni and Hiram blocked their path.

There was no fierce fighting. When shells landed around the ship, the passengers, who had never experienced war but now faced the black muzzles of cannons, immediately dropped their weapons.

If they hadn’t surrendered, the warship would have shelled the vessel.

Some old literature described shipwrecks, with heroes surviving for weeks on a wooden plank or a barrel, drinking their own urine, catching food, and eventually washing up on an island.

Such stories remain literature because the fantasies were too beautiful to be real.

At sea, a single plank or barrel wouldn’t save them. Even a small boat without power, food, or water would mean certain death.

Fran, the family’s supreme decision-maker, knew that if the shelling began, everyone on board would die.

He chose to surrender.

The battleship didn’t approach directly. Two small boats were dispatched. After boarding, the crew quickly secured the weapons on the ship.

Hiram then boarded.

Major General Bruni’s men also boarded. The Major General didn’t know Fran, but Hiram did.

Hiram spotted Fran in the wheelchair immediately. He smiled as he approached. ”Mr. Fran, where were you headed?”

Fran’s health was poor. A doctor was accompanying them to ensure he survived the journey.

Fran whispered, ”Is Bob finished?”

In his mind, these people finding them meant the operation was over, Bob had been eliminated, and that’s how they knew their route.

But that wasn’t true. Lance had known their itinerary since they left the harbor.

The reason it took over two days to find them was the sheer size of the ocean. Without precise coordinates, finding a single ship was difficult.

They decided to work backward from the destination port. They found them less than half a day’s sail from the Slad coast.

Hiram scratched his ear. ”What did you say?”

”Speak up! I can’t hear you!”

Fran’s eyes were like knives, trying to cut a piece of flesh from Hiram!

Even now, he was still the patriarch of the Perez family, one of the Federal Five Families, a giant of the underworld.

The man before him was merely a subordinate, yet he was humiliating him so blatantly!

His rage and fury were soaring.

But the situation was dire. He had to suppress his anger. ”I asked if they had eliminated Bob yet?”

Seeing his humiliation, some of the Perez family elders looked indignant. One man stepped forward. ”You don’t need to humiliate us!”

Hiram looked at the man, then glanced at his combat captain.

The captain leaned in and said loudly, ”Fran asked if we had eliminated Bob.”

”That man said you shouldn’t humiliate them like this. I think he believes you’re pretending to be deaf to insult Fran.”

In reality, Hiram’s eardrum repair surgery had been performed successfully, but required a long recovery. His hearing was still severely impaired.

The doctor guaranteed he would regain some hearing, but it would likely be muffled.

Hiram understood. He suddenly drew his pistol and shot the man who had spoken, hitting him in the cheekbone.

The man collapsed instantly, like a puppet whose strings were cut.

Hiram walked over and fired repeatedly into the man’s head until the magazine was empty.

He quickly replaced the magazine, throwing the empty one to his captain, then spat on the corpse. ”That’s what you get for laughing at me!”

The surrounding people watched his actions in shock, a profound chill running through them.

Hiram returned to Fran. ”I don’t know if Bob is dead, but I do know, Fran, you are in big trouble!”

”I don’t care who you are. You were driven out of the Federation, so you’re nothing.”

”If you all...” He pointed his gun at the people on the deck, ”...still believe you are important, that fool is your model!”

He looked at Major General Bruni’s man. ”We need a room to talk privately with this important person, Mr. Fran.”

Major General Bruni’s man nodded. He knew talking to Hiram was difficult, so he communicated primarily through gestures.

No one asked for Fran’s opinion. He had no authority here.

Fran was quickly pushed into a room, and his escorts were politely asked to leave.

Fran, realizing Hiram was likely suffering from hearing loss, grabbed his notepad and pen and wrote down what he wanted to say.

”My health is poor. I can’t speak loudly now, so I will write.”

”What do you want?”

Hiram glanced at Major General Bruni’s man. He knew the official couldn’t openly state their demands. They were government officials; they couldn’t be seen extorting wealth like a gang.

Hiram, therefore, would speak for him.

He tossed his hair back. The lock of hair covering his face fell back in place. He blew on his hair—a gesture of ease. He was completely relaxed, perhaps unaware of how much his body language revealed.

”The money you took with you, and the funds in your private Federal bank accounts.”

”We know you want to leave, and we recognize that you are no match for us. But the assets belonging to the Federation cannot leave with you.”

Major General Bruni’s man looked at Hiram, silently confirming that Hiram had talent for extortion.

”The Federation’s assets should remain in the Federation, whether they are artwork, jewels, cash, or bank accounts. They belong to the Federation, and they will stay in the Federation!”

Fran’s expression was conflicted. If he gave up all the assets, they would survive, but they would have no capital to rise again in Slad.

The people on the ship, mostly in their late thirties and older, were generally useless for starting a fight.

The Perez family’s young generation lacked the hardening of fire and blood. They were only skilled in dissipation, drug use, and seeking pleasure.

Fran had planned to use the cash to bribe local officials in Slad, find a new protector, hire some locals, and recruit some immigrants to rebuild the family.

But without the cash, they had no chance.

Starting with robbery?

Could he rely on young men who couldn’t handle a rifle to rob banks or kidnap the wealthy?

Fran’s silence annoyed Hiram. ”You haven’t answered my question!”

Fran flinched. He looked at Hiram, then at the silent, influential-looking man.

After a brief pause, he wrote: ”I can agree, but we must be allowed to leave alive!”

Hiram immediately agreed. But Fran didn’t respond immediately. He stared intently at the quiet man.

He felt the real power lay not in Hiram, but in the silent man.

After a few seconds, the man nodded solemnly. ”No problem.”

That ”no problem” was like a shot of adrenaline. Fran relaxed. He still had some hidden accounts and bearer bonds in safe houses in the Federation.

He could retain a portion of his wealth.

His plans for a resurgence in Slad might need modification, but at least some embers remained.

He wrote, ”I agree,” the effort consuming all his strength.

They quickly wheeled Fran back to the deck. Fran looked at his terrified family, then sighed. ”I have agreed to their terms. Give them everything, including our bank accounts.”

”Don’t hide anything. It’s pointless. This will ensure we leave alive, and this matter ends here.”

One man immediately protested. ”That’s impossible...”

He said only that one sentence before being shot.

Hiram shot the man again. The deck fell silent.

The remaining family members looked at the armed men surrounding them. They knew resistance meant immediate death. Compliance was the only way to survive.

A massive amount of wealth was quickly moved to the battleship. The previously stern-faced official now smiled faintly.

What happened next was out of his hands.

When Hiram finished registering all the bank accounts, he came to Fran.

The moment Fran surrendered his accounts and passwords, he paused. He looked at Hiram, his face a mix of tears and laughter. ”On the open sea, how will you verify the authenticity of these accounts?”

”How will you ensure we haven’t lied?”

A chill ran through him. He couldn’t stop the spread of panic. His face twisted in fear!