Empire of Shadows

“Councilor Wade has left his estate.”

After the secretary hung up the phone, he turned to look at the mayor, who was standing by the window smoking.

The mayor had recently developed a habit of pushing open the window and gazing intently at the city. It had always been beautiful, possessing a unique charm.

Although there was an industrial sector here, it wasn't dominated by heavy industry. Instead, light industry was more prevalent.

The factories would bring parts back from the docks, perform simple processing or assembly, and then send them back to the docks. Heavy industry wasn't favored here.

Because there wasn't a strong heavy industrial atmosphere, there were no supporting upstream and downstream enterprises. Unlike those heavy industrial cities, where suppliers for everything from steel plates to screws could be found within the same city.

Here, anyone wanting to engage in heavy industry would first face the problem of inflated parts prices.

Many supporting components had to be purchased from other places, and the transportation and storage costs were a significant additional expense, so the heavy industrial atmosphere here wasn't strong.

This also meant that Goldenport City's pollution situation wasn't as bad.

As a port city, it was impossible to have zero pollution, of course, but compared to those cities striving for breakthroughs in industry, it was clearly a very livable place.

A beautiful city.

The mayor turned his gaze away from the neon lights in the distance that dyed the sky red. He turned to look at the secretary and asked, as if testing him, “So, what should we do next?”

The secretary pondered for a moment, “We need some external force to drive things forward…”

“Go on,” the mayor said, walking back to his desk and sitting down, looking at him intently.

He organized his thoughts, “Right now, the people are with Charlie. It will be difficult for us to get them over here. From the beginning, they haven't been on our side.”

“And now, with Councilor Wade expressing his stance and interfering, they will only become more rigid.”

“The only way to counter them is to seek some assistance from the state capital.”

The mayor nodded with great satisfaction, “Good, it seems you've learned something these past few years.” He paused, then picked up the phone and dialed an old friend's number.

“I've run into some trouble… Yes, that's all it takes. I just want to make them understand that now is not the time!”

“Okay… No problem, see you later.”

After the mayor hung up the phone, he leaned back in his chair with a smile, showing no sign of tension.

He certainly didn't need to be nervous, after all, he wasn't the one indulging in bestial desires.

A few minutes later, Chief Charlie was discussing some necessary upcoming work when the phone suddenly rang.

Chief Charlie had two telephones in front of him. One, a white phone, was for ordinary work-related calls, connected to the police station's internal network, and also capable of making external calls.

Usually, police matters in Goldenport City were communicated and resolved through this phone.

The blue phone next to it was a “private number.” It wasn't even listed in the phone book, but quite a few people knew the number.

The wealthy people in the bay area, as well as those in City Hall, including Chief Charlie's relatives and friends, and so on.

The main purpose of this phone was to deal with matters outside of work.

Now, this blue phone was ringing. Who could be calling him at this time?

He wasn't sure. He glanced at the people in the room, signaled for them to leave, and then answered the phone.

“This is the Goldenport City Police Department, Charlie speaking.”

“Hello, Charlie, this is Steve. I hope you haven't forgotten your old friend!”

The voice instantly brought a clear image to Chief Charlie's mind: the Assistant Chief of the State Police, they had met before when Chief Charlie had gone to the state capital for training.

They had met many times since. Steve was a very active person within the police system.

Rumor had it that he also did dirty work for people, which gave Chief Charlie a sense of innate closeness, but after this closeness faded, it was replaced by mutual wariness.

“Hi, Steve, I was wondering which big shot was calling me, I didn't expect it to be you!”

He gave Steve a little flattery. Although the State Police couldn't directly manage the city police department, as people in relatively the same system, the State Police had access to much higher levels.

The simplest example was that everyone did dirty work, but as a bay area hunting dog, he could only do dirty work for the bay area's wealthy people, but Steve could do dirty work for the state legislature's masters, and even for the governor!

He couldn't even resist the mayor, let alone the higher-level forces.

“Charlie, I heard you guys caught someone named Sam?”

Charlie immediately became alert, “It seems like there is such a thing, what's wrong?”

Steve laughed heartily and said, “This guy is suspected of some cases we're investigating. You guys prepare and transfer him over here. I've already arranged for someone to go to Goldenport City.”

“I'll have someone send you the relevant reward money. I must say, well done!”

“After the case is solved, I'll mention you in the report, don't worry!”

Charlie tried to bargain a little, “We also have cases here that require Sam's cooperation.”

Steve's tone obviously changed, turning hostile as quickly as flipping a book, “This is a case that the legislature (State Legislature) is paying attention to. You wouldn't choose to do anything stupid, would you?”

It sounded like advice, but it was actually a threat. Chief Charlie couldn't afford to offend those masters.

After a moment of silence, he suddenly said with a smile, “Of course, no problem, I'll cooperate with the transfer procedures.”

“Good, Charlie, you're a smart man. Next time you come to the capital, tell me, and I'll treat you to something delicious.”

“I have something else to do, I won't chat with you, see you later.”

Perhaps hearing that the conversation in the room had ended, someone knocked on the door outside, then poked their head in, “Councilor Wade has arrived…”

Chief Charlie immediately stood up and walked out, and soon saw Councilor Wade getting out of the car at the entrance of the police station. He hurriedly greeted him.

Councilor Wade seemed very easygoing, not putting on any airs of a councilor. He reached out and shook hands with Chief Charlie, his face full of smiles, “Thank you for working so late. How's the situation?”

Chief Charlie stepped aside to let Councilor Wade walk inside, while signaling with his eyes for everyone else to get the hell out of the way.

“Sam's attitude is very direct. He can hand over the notebook, but he wants a way out.”

“Also, just now Steve… the Assistant Chief of the State Police, he called me and said that the State Police wants to take Sam away.”

Councilor Wade's face showed no change in expression. People like him were very qualified politicians, always acting.

“So it seems we don't have much time left.” He paused for two seconds, “Take me to see Sam first.”

Soon, Councilor Wade appeared outside the interrogation room. With Councilor Wade's entry, Sam's emotions seemed to ease somewhat.

He knew Councilor Wade. Before coming to Goldenport City, he had learned about the situation in Goldenport City through some channels and methods.

He knew that the local forces in Goldenport City were very stubborn. Originally, the mayor and they had a fairly tacit understanding, but he didn't expect that the emergence of a Hazardous Materials Administration and a Prohibition Law would break this balance and tranquility.

This gave him the feeling of being kicked hard in the crotch, in short, a pain in the balls!

Had he known it would be like this, he wouldn't have come.

But now, he didn't have the mind to think about these things. He quickly stood up, “Mr. Wade.”

Councilor Wade raised his hand and pressed down, signaling him to sit down. Then he himself sat down not far from Sam.

He glanced at the two bodyguards beside him, signaling them to stand by the door, “I believe Mr. Sam wouldn't hurt me, would you?”

Sam quickly said with a smile, “I wouldn't hurt you even if it meant hurting myself, Mr. Wade.”

Councilor Wade smiled very heartily, giving the impression that he was smiling openly and honestly, “I heard from Charlie that you needed to see me before you would tell me where the notebook is.”

Sam showed a bitter smile, “I just… want to live, after all, a big shot like you wouldn't deceive a small character like me.”

“You're not a small character!” Councilor Wade said meaningfully, “In Paradise City, you're also a very famous person.”

He paused, “I can guarantee your safety, and even leave you some money, but you have to leave the Federation and go to a place they can't find you.”

“I know you're just an unlucky guy who got caught up in this, but things have already happened, and this is the best outcome.”

“If you accept, I can arrange for someone to send you away immediately.”

“If you don't accept, then…”

He didn't speak, he just took out a cigarette case, “Do you mind?”

Sam shook his head repeatedly, “Not at all, sir.”

Councilor Wade took out a match, lit the cigarette, waved the match in his hand to extinguish it, and then looked at Sam, “One cigarette's worth of time.”

This was giving him time to consider. It would take about six hours for the state capital to arrive. Chief Charlie didn't know when they had sent people, so he could only act as quickly as possible.

In other words, no matter what, everything had to be finished tonight.

Councilor Wade's silence put a lot of pressure on Sam. In the end, after weighing the pros and cons, he decided to tell the location of the notebook.

After all, he couldn't actually cause any substantial harm to the mayor. His acceptance of Red High Heels was his own initiative, and the mayor had no involvement in it.

Even if he accused the mayor of orchestrating everything behind the scenes, he couldn't produce any substantial evidence.

In the federal political arena, when both sides have backers, relying on these things without substantial evidence can't fundamentally harm the mayor.

This kind of thing is like... someone lost their job for soliciting prostitution, but someone else is having an orgy in the office. Even among the 'masters,' not all masters are the same.

Goldport City wouldn't treat him as a lethal weapon to attack the mayor, so he handed over the notebook and was completely safe.

On the contrary, now the mayor can't save him. Even if the mayor has measures and means, he may not be able to get out in a short time.

Everything is controlled by the locals; he really has no choice.

However, he left a 'tail,' because he had two notebooks.

"I've thought it over, Mr. Wade. The notebook is hidden behind the toilet tank in Room 203 on the second floor of Red Heels."

Councilman Wade raised his eyebrows, "In the tank?"

"Behind the tank!" he repeated, "There's a tile there that can be pulled out, and the notebook is inside."

Click!

Suddenly, thunder rumbled outside. It's not common to have thunderstorms in the middle of the night, and then it started to rain, and the atmosphere seemed to become inexplicably tense.

Councilman Wade looked back at one of his bodyguards, who immediately strode away.

Obviously, he went to verify whether this situation was true.

Councilman Wade chatted with him with great interest about the situation in Paradise City.

Sam was very clear about this, after all, he was from Paradise City.

Paradise City is very chaotic, and not quite the same as Goldport City. Over there, everyone is pursuing 'dreams.' As long as you have money, you can recruit people who are willing to take risks.

So there, there is no distinction between local forces or foreign forces; everyone is looking at money.

More money means more people, more territory, and more support.

Less money means you naturally can't recruit anyone and can only hang around behind others.

Every day is a thrilling day!

Listening to Sam's explanation of Paradise City, Councilman Wade always maintained his curiosity, "You've given me a good understanding of Paradise City, but I don't understand, Sam, why did you have to come to Goldport City?"

Sam didn't know if this was a trap, he could only勉强squeeze out some smile, "Because I heard... Goldport City is more prosperous."

"Although Paradise City is also very prosperous, all walks of life are controlled by giants. Although we can make money, it's all money that the giants don't care about."

"I want to get better development. I am very optimistic about the present and future of Goldport City. I believe it will become a huge city."

"Before it becomes more brilliant, I come here, join it, and when it becomes dazzling in the future, I will naturally have a share of the rewards."

He sighed, "But it seems that this wish is unlikely to be realized."

The two chatted for a while, and Councilman Wade's bodyguard came in, nodded slightly, indicating that the thing had been found.

Councilman Wade's face was full of smiles. He put down his legs and stood up, and Sam quickly followed suit.

Hunching his back, maintaining a humble posture.

"Very good, I have received your sincerity, and you will soon feel my sincerity."

He stretched out his hand and shook hands with Sam, "Everything will be fine!"

After saying that, he paused for two seconds, retracted his hand, "I'll go back first. Charlie will cooperate with you in the follow-up work. I hope we have a chance to see you again. Your description of Paradise City makes me full of curiosity about it."

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Mr. Wade."

Councilman Wade nodded and turned to leave the interrogation room.

The moment he walked out, the bodyguard put the notebook in his hand, and he casually flipped through it.

In fact, there wasn't much shocking stuff in this notebook. Most of it was recording things like "Month, day, year, time, sent so-and-so to so-and-so in the Bay Area, and picked them up at such-and-such time."

Then there were the physical conditions of these girls, such as "Bruises on certain areas, minor injuries," "Knife wounds on certain areas," "Valued, severely beaten," etc.

There were no words like "corpse," after all, he hadn't been in charge of Red Heels for long, and he hadn't really become familiar with those big shots in the Bay Area. They wouldn't easily kill the people Sam sent over; everyone maintained a certain degree of restraint.

But even so, if this notebook were exposed, it would inevitably set off a terrifying wave of public opinion!

Who could have imagined that those seemingly glamorous big shots actually had such terrible and perverted hobbies?

So this notebook must be destroyed, but not now. He must destroy it in front of everyone, only in this way can people be convinced.

After getting in the car, Chief Charlie stood outside the car window. He didn't hold an umbrella, his middle fingers were tightly pressed against the seams of his pants, his waist was bent, and his head was lowered, standing meekly.

"Dispose of it, don't let those people in the capital get it. If some unpleasant words spread at that time, we will lose face."

"If they want it, giving them a corpse is also an explanation."

Chief Charlie's waist bent even lower, and his face was slightly bitter, because Councilman Wade did not mention any of his chief's follow-up issues throughout the whole process.

The car window was rolled up, and the luxurious motorcade slowly merged into the rainy night. The chief returned to the police station, he glanced at the two confidants at the door, Hunter, and another person, and nodded slightly.

Hunter闷闷地threw the unfinished cigarette out of the door. It fell into the rain and was completely extinguished without even emitting a spark.

It was as if he was standing on the highway leading to the next era, facing the car crashing head-on, powerless.

Two minutes later, the two entered the interrogation room. Hunter was holding the key in his hand, "I'll send you to the detention room. You made the right choice."

Some smiles that he couldn't control appeared on Sam's face, and the muscles on his face seemed to have their own ideas, twitching and laughing.

He knew that laughing at this time was actually not good, but he was happy for himself to be able to survive.

He didn't notice that when Hunter was standing behind him, he took out a piece of glass from his pocket, then suddenly grabbed his chin and lifted it up, and then the sharp glass instantly cut his neck.

Hunter immediately pushed him away. The two watched Sam sitting in the chair, he covered his neck, staring at them with wide eyes.

The carotid artery was cut, and blood gushed out, and in just ten seconds, he didn't even have the strength to shout.

Then, Hunter's companion took out a broken glass from his pocket—wrapped in a handkerchief.

He selectively threw the glass shards around. Sam tilted his head, staring at them, already on the verge of death.

Hunter wiped the glass shards in his hand with a handkerchief, then walked to Sam's side, held his hand, and used his index finger and thumb to leave deep fingerprints on the glass shards.

Breaking the glass and committing suicide with the glass shards is very reasonable!