Empire of Shadows

Chapter 302: Match Three [Sponsored Bonus Chapter: Jialadiya +3]

The adult world is incredibly complex, because the smiles you see on people's faces aren't necessarily genuine expressions of happiness.

Hypocrisy seems to have become the most unwelcome, yet unavoidable, gift at everyone's coming-of-age ceremony.

Lance was smiling, and President Pemann was smiling too. They were both mocking each other, but subtly, without making it too obvious.

This book is first published on 𝕥 𝕨 𝕜 𝕒 𝕟 . 𝕔 𝕠 𝕞.

The two of them chatted as they walked to the parking lot, where a luxury car, longer than ordinary cars, was parked.

There was another car in front, with three people inside, likely bodyguards.

Ordinary cars only have two rows of seats, front and back, but this car had three rows, front, middle, and back. The second and third rows faced each other, with a small, movable table in between.

The benefits of money were on full display at this moment, the ultimate enjoyment, the ultimate pleasure!

Lance glanced at it; the price was 37,500. This could be the savings of many people who don't eat or drink for their entire lives.

Actually, this society isn't that cruel, at least they can afford it if they don't eat or drink for their whole lives.

The secretary asked Madore to put the money in the trunk. Originally, they didn't really want to give Madore a ride, but Lance said he was his personal bodyguard.

President Pemann, having already agreed to give Lance a ride, waved his hand and let Madore get in the car, but in the passenger seat.

Lance, Pemann, and his secretary sat in the back.

"Very comfortable seats," Lance said, patting the sofa. President Pemann had also seen Lance's car worth 20,000. He was once again certain that Lance was a rich man.

He smiled, seemingly humble but actually showing off, and waved his hand. "It's just for work convenience. Actually, I don't like overly luxurious things."

That was a bit much, but Lance didn't care. He wasn't here to be a good person today either.

He smiled and nodded, then told Madore to tell the driver where to go.

The car quickly started, and the two cars, one in front and one behind, drove onto the highway.

President Pemann was very talkative. Whether it was small secrets from the Presidential Palace, secrets of the Jial royal family, or anecdotes about the nobles, he always had something to say.

The two of them talked very congenially along the way. When the car was about to enter the main road, they encountered a convoy of trucks.

At this moment, a truck suddenly changed lanes, almost hitting President Pemann's luxury car.

Although the driver's cursing wasn't loud, Madore, sitting in the passenger seat, heard it all.

The lead car may have noticed something unusual, but the bodyguard car's driver didn't notice anything unusual through the rearview mirror. He could still see President Pemann's car.

There was no place to park on the side of the road here, so they planned to stop on the side of the road ahead and then get back on the road.

At this moment, the driver of the car behind honked twice to express strong dissatisfaction. Not only did the truck in front not yield the lane, but the flap of its truck bed suddenly fell down…

This description isn't entirely accurate; it should be that one end of the flap landed directly on the ground, creating a ramp between the truck's cab and the ground.

President Pemann's driver stared dumbfounded at everything that was happening, cursing the truck in front. If he accidentally hit his car, wouldn't his salary be docked to death?

Just as the driver was about to stop, Madore took out a gun from his chest and pointed it at the driver's head. "Drive up."

The driver didn't react at first, not to mention him, even the two people in the back didn't react.

By the time President Pemann and his secretary reacted, Lance had also taken out a gun and was looking at them with a smile. "Mr. Pemann, I'm a good person, but you better not challenge whether I'll turn into a bad person!"

At this point, how could President Pemann not know that this was a trap!

He wanted to squeeze out a smile, but he really couldn't. "Mr. White, I think there might be some misunderstanding between us."

Lance didn't interrupt him, which gave him some hope. At this moment, after a short acceleration, the car directly rushed onto the truck.

The truck's tarpaulin was blocked by layers of rainproof cloth. Although there was light inside, it wasn't strong, just like his mood at this moment, which was gloomy.

There were many other people in the truck. They put away the flap, and the truck also began to accelerate.

Adding up the front and back, it might have only been one or two minutes. President Pemann's car disappeared!

At this time, they had already exited this not-so-easy-to-walk road. The bodyguard car had already stopped on the side of the road. They thought they would see President Pemann's car immediately.

But when the two trucks accelerated and left, they didn't see anything!

The three of them looked at each other, what the hell was going on?

Such a big car, it was still in their sight a minute ago, but a minute later, it disappeared?

Everyone was driving forward all the way, whether it was them or the truck behind them, but where was President Pemann's car?

Where did it go?

They turned around and tried to find it while sweating coldly, but it was impossible to find anything, which made them realize that the trouble was big!

They immediately reported this matter to the company—they were not bodyguards of Barz Investment Bank, they were personnel of a security company, and President Pemann hired them.

When the company knew that they had lost President Pemann, the first reaction was not to immediately tell Barz Investment Bank or call the police.

Instead, they sent people over to try to find the missing President Pemann's car on this section of the road. After all, losing such a big shot would be a fatal blow to the company!

At the same time, the situation in the truck had stabilized. With so many people in the truck, President Pemann and his secretary also accepted their fate.

Interestingly, the driver had been closing his eyes since getting in the car, and even covered his head with his clothes.

He kept saying things like "I didn't see you, don't kill me," which made people laugh and cry.

In the back, Lance had already put away his gun. President Pemann was still trying to remain calm. "Can I know what your purpose is in bringing us here?"

Lance nodded. "The money you swindled from those investors."

The truck was driving towards the suburbs. There were fewer and fewer pedestrians on the road. President Pemann's car was too conspicuous, it needed to be hidden for a while.

The bumps on the road were also telling them that they were moving away from the city, which made the two of them panic.

President Pemann did not admit Lance's statement. "We have never cheated anyone. If you don't believe us, you can ask those investors if they can get a rebate from us every month?"

"Just like what we said in the contract we signed, we will never delay the rebate. No one can fulfill the rebate more punctually than us!"

"Mr. White, I swear to God, we are not scammers!"

"You must have some misunderstanding about us!" He seemed to want to stand up with some excitement, but soon the dark muzzle of the gun made him sit back down with a wry smile.

Lance shook his head and said, "You use the investors' principal to pay their rebates. If I'm not mistaken, the 25th, the last time, is when you run away."

President Pemann looked at Lance in disbelief, and his secretary also had an ugly look on his face.

Both of them seemed to want to say something, but they didn't know what to say, how to say it.

Lance shook his raised toes. "You hurt the feelings of the people of Jin Gang and cheated their money. My request is very simple, give me the money, and then I will give you a way out."

"If you think I'm lying, or think… I can't do it, we can try."

"Maybe you are professional in fraud, but I am professional in prying open people's mouths and disposing of corpses!"

"You may have heard of the legend of Angel Lake, I don't want you to become part of the legend too!"

The speed of the truck obviously slowed down, and finally stopped slowly. "We're home, Mr. Pemann, and this Mr. Secretary."

Pemann slowly got out of the car. He looked at Lance with a miserable expression. "If I don't show up tonight, they might suspect that something happened to us, and they might leave early…"

"What I mean is… can you let me make a phone call to them?"

He was still trying to struggle. Lance fired a shot directly, hitting him in the calf.

President Pemann let out a scream that he and his secretary couldn't believe. He fell to the ground, clutching his leg and screaming.

This was the suburbs, and his screams couldn't travel far. Even if someone was nearby by sheer luck, that person would only speed away instead of helping him call the police or something.

"Want another shot?" Lance asked, "If not, you better shut your dog mouth!"

In the next second, President Pemann shut his mouth, but he was covered in sweat because of the pain.

"Can you… help me stop the bleeding first?"

The bullet actually pierced through his calf, but seeing that he was willing to cooperate, Lance had someone treat his wound.

Then, supported by the secretary, he limped to a house in a suburban depression.

"Mr. Pemann, and this Mr. Secretary, let me reiterate my demands."

"I only want money, I don't want your lives, and you don't have to think I'm too much. We are all taking away money that doesn't belong to us, it's just that maybe…"

He scratched his head, "My approach doesn't have much technical content, but I like its simplicity."

"Mr. Pemann, I don't like always repeating the same question, are you ready?"

President Peyman pleaded, his face pale, "This money isn't something I can decide on my own; it's a decision for our entire team. I alone can't access that sum!"

Lance looked at the secretary beside him. "And you?"

"Do you have anything to say?"

The secretary was silent for a moment, seemingly in thought. After about twenty or thirty seconds, he finally asked, "How much do you want?"

President Peyman turned his head to look at him, as if asking, "Aren't you going to persist a little longer?"

But Lance said with a smile, "All of it!"

Naming Rules: The total amount of rewards exceeding 300 in a short period of time will allow you to name it. The alliance leader can exclusively name 3 chapters.