Empire of Shadows

Chapter 295: Clearing the Field [666+4]

Inside a public phone booth, a middle-aged man, dressed in ordinary, even somewhat worn clothes, was holding the black receiver, his attention focused on the people outside the booth.

A young man, whom everyone called Maurice.

Maurice's father was a well-known gambler and drunkard in the Imperial District. Maurice had grown up among casinos and bars since he was a child.

He always ran errands for his father or others to earn some pocket money.

In fact, from this perspective, he should have had the most comfortable childhood among Ennio and his group!

People on the street knew him, and he could earn a penny or two for each errand he ran.

The man inside the phone booth, reeking of alcohol, was a friend of his father. The two were always gambling and drinking together, and their relationship was good.

Naturally, his relationship with Maurice was also good.

He was thinking about some recent rumors and changes when the phone suddenly connected, "Hello, Michael?"

"F*ck, it's me. I'm on Phoenix Road right now. Are there any places to drink around here?"

"This sh*thole downtown, it's not convenient to get a drink at all. Is this the good place you were talking about?"

"…I don't know. This place is terrible. No casinos, no bars. How can you survive here?"

"Really? They won't hit me, will they? People downtown are arrogant, even the pedestrians are like that… Okay, I'm buying, hurry up!"

He hung up the phone, came out of the public phone booth, and looked at Maurice somewhat ingratiatingly, "My friend lives here, and he has a good relationship with me. He'll take us to a nearby bar, but…"

He scratched his head a little embarrassedly, "I promised to buy."

Obviously, he didn't have the money. The price of drinks in downtown bars wasn't cheap. A beer that cost thirty cents in the Imperial District would probably cost around fifty cents here.

And those slightly better whiskeys cost more than a dollar an ounce.

The price of alcohol was increasing rapidly. In the Imperial District, Lance took care of them, and the price of alcohol was not high, so they could still afford it.

If they lived in other places, they wouldn't be able to drink every day, or even only once every three to five days.

Plus, Maurice's current status was different from the past, so when Maurice needed him to help find a bar here, he immediately agreed.

Before long, a cursing middle-aged man walked over from a distance. He hugged Maurice's father's friend and then glanced at Maurice.

His father's friend explained, "This is my friend's son. He's buying today!"

Hearing that someone was buying, the newcomer's expression softened a lot. He shook hands with Maurice, his tone slightly condescending, "The cost of living downtown is not low. Are you sure you can afford it?"

Maurice took out a wad of money, at least thirty or forty dollars. The man whistled, "Follow me."

The three of them crossed two streets and came to an inconspicuous detached building.

The whole house had no light at all at night, and there was no noisy sound. Only a faint smell of alcohol could be smelled, but it was not strong and could easily be ignored.

The man knocked hard on the side door a few times. With a "click", the observation window was opened, revealing a pair of vigilant eyes.

"F*ck, it's me. This is my friend and his nephew. Open the damn door, I can't hold it anymore!"

Maurice laughed. This was an old drunkard!

The person looked him and the two strangers beside him up and down. Seeing that they didn't look like agents from the Dangerous Goods Administration, he opened the door.

He also warned, "You can drink, but don't act crazy, don't cause trouble, or we'll kick you out!"

After speaking, he stepped aside and let the three of them in.

The bar was not small, with two floors, about four hundred square meters in total. There were already many people here, of all kinds, and some girls.

Single girls have become the standard configuration of bars now. The value of their existence is to attract those single drunkards to spend more.

The three of them bought some wine, and the two middle-aged men began to brag to each other. They started talking about the recent situation in King's Port, then talked about a series of new documents signed by the president, the rare additional conscription plan of the Ministry of Defense, and the international situation.

Listening to them chat, it was as if they were the heads of two countries, discussing some major national affairs. Whether it was the president or Congress, they were all sh*t in their eyes!

After drinking a few glasses of wine, they began to criticize current affairs. Perhaps they had gone a little too far, the bartender walked up to them and knocked on the bar counter, "You've had too much to drink!"

He kindly reminded them, "I'll give you two glasses of ice water for free, calm down, or go out and get some air…"

Listening to their disrespectful remarks, although there might not be any police here, the bartender still had a headache.

These frustrated middle-aged people always talked about these things after drinking too much, as if they really had the ability to manage the country—

If they really had it, they wouldn't be so poor that they had to calculate how much to drink at the bar.

Nearly an hour later, the two were finally satisfied with their drinks. This was the most comfortable time they had drunk this year!

The two left the bar with their arms around each other's shoulders, and Maurice followed behind them, watching them urinate in the middle of the road and run laughing after being illuminated by the car lights.

He walked to the phone booth, "I'm at the intersection of Fourth Avenue and Phoenix Road. There's a…", he looked around, "There's a pink oral GG sign."

Not far above the phone booth, there was a pink neon mouth, and the neon tongue inside was constantly rotating, like a vortex, a sucker!

This was the most blatant oral sex shop. After entering, there was a long row of sofas, and some people might be waiting in line.

When it was your turn, you would be led to a separate room with dim lighting, and then a girl with an unclear face would come and go straight to the point.

The price of oral sex downtown was not cheap, starting at least six dollars, or even eight dollars.

Some people would rather walk a few more steps or take a ride to the port area to find one or two dollars, rather than spend so much to enjoy the same service.

These services are currently legal in the Federation. This is not sex, so it does not constitute sex trafficking. As long as it is not sex trafficking, it is not illegal!

Hiram's laughter came from the receiver, "You can take some time to enjoy it, we'll be there soon."

Maurice scolded him with a smile and hung up the phone, then found a place to sit down and lit a cigarette.

A dozen minutes later, five cars stopped by the side of the road.

Hiram got out of the car, tossing his hair. He saw Maurice at a glance, "Are you done so soon?"

Maurice walked over and hugged him, then looked at the others, "Follow me…"

The group returned to the detached building. Maurice patted the door, and the gatekeeper showed his eyes again.

He glanced at Maurice, "You just came here."

Maurice didn't deny it, "I want to buy a bottle to take back and drink."

The gatekeeper looked at him, then looked around, not seeing anyone else, said "Wait", and closed the observation window.

Then there was the sound of the bolt being opened. To prevent people from the Dangerous Goods Administration from easily rushing in, this door had many bolts.

About ten seconds later, the door opened. As soon as the gatekeeper pushed the door open, he slowly raised his hands.

His eyes were full of fear and anger. He looked at Maurice as if to say, "You f*cking betrayed us."

Maurice punched him in the waist and abdomen, "I f*cking don't like your eyes, bastard!"

Saying that, he pushed him into the room and locked the door.

The bar's unique complex smell, accompanied by some music, Hiram squinted slightly. He seemed to particularly like and revel in this environment.

He lit a cigarette, took a satisfying breath, and slanted it in his mouth, half-closing the eye on the side of the cigarette to avoid being smoked.

Then, holding a submachine gun in both hands, he strode into the middle of the bar and pulled the trigger directly!

"Clear the field!"

The customers screamed and lay on the ground. Only the bar's security guards and staff were still standing. They didn't seem to understand what was happening.

Hiram tossed his hair and aimed directly at the person closest to him, pulling the trigger to the end, shooting as he walked.

By the time he approached this person, all the bullets had been fired!

And the person in front of him had been riddled with holes!

For a time, the entire bar was filled with gunshots, screams, and shrieks!

This was the Greg family's largest bar. Three senior executives on the second floor were discussing what to do after Kares died. They had not yet reached a consensus.

One person suggested avenging Kares by attacking the Lance family.

Another person believed that Kares was already dead, the so-called Greg family was already destroyed, and they didn't need to sacrifice themselves for the destroyed Greg family.

These Segang people who had gradually taken root in the Federation were actually no different from those Sumerian Federation people. Their self-recognition as "Federation people" had begun to override their recognition of race and blood!

And one person said everything was good, but nothing was good.

The three were considering what to do in the future when a fierce burst of gunfire suddenly erupted downstairs. The three were stunned, their faces changed, but then they immediately grabbed their weapons and looked downstairs.

The firefight downstairs was basically over. Resistance was futile against such a well-prepared attack!

While two of the senior executives were still in a daze, the one who had been advocating for a fight with Lance and his people, without regard for who he knew or didn't know, directly fired a shot at someone.

The sudden gunshot caused everyone to curse inwardly and immediately take cover, followed by a hail of gunfire directed at the second-floor staircase.

The guy who fired first was instantly sent tumbling down the stairs, while the other two could only run back...