Empire of Shadows

A few days ago.

"Mom, I want to go for a walk nearby."

Seventeen-year-old Faya looked at her mother and pleaded softly.

She also had a younger brother, whose young age consumed all of her mother's energy.

This was not their home; this was a foreign country. Their homeland had been destroyed by war, and they had no choice but to flee that place full of disaster and death and come to the Federation.

The local government did not stop the people from fleeing abroad, because they had neither the ability nor the energy to guide and resettle the refugees.

Resettling refugees costs money.

You have to give them a place to live, something to eat, and even if they get sick, you have to find a way to provide them with basic medical care.

The countries on Tanfitt are all busy fighting wars, who has the mind to manage the refugees in these front-line war zones?

But if they flee to other countries, these burdens will become the burdens of other countries, not theirs.

So these people don't need to spend much money to leave Tanfitt by boat.

They chose the Federation because it had developed rapidly in recent years, its industry was very developed, and its social infrastructure was relatively complete. Anyway, any place was good.

Even the water and air are sweet!

It's just that after coming here, some things are not as good as imagined. The federal government did not immediately introduce relevant regulations for refugee resettlement, and they were forced to live in the deserted Newport area.

Some of the bolder ones pried open the doors of those uninhabited rooms and swaggered in, looking like masters of the house.

But more people are still crowded into those places that can provide shelter from the wind and rain.

Winter is coming, and no one knows what the future holds, but fortunately, Faya's father was lucky enough to find a job at the dock.

Twenty dollars a month is enough to keep their family alive.

Faya also wanted to find some work to do, but she didn't know how. She wanted to go to the city to see if there were any job opportunities, and also to explore this country and this city.

Her mother looked at the child who couldn't leave her side and at the tents around them, and finally nodded in agreement.

She knew that if she refused, Faya would stay, but to restrain a seventeen-year-old girl's curiosity about the world would be a crime!

"Go ahead, but be careful, and!"

She raised her voice a little, "Don't learn from those people doing that kind of thing, your father already has a job."

The "that kind of thing" she was referring to was selling their bodies for money. Many refugee women had begun to earn money this way, because they really couldn't find any other way to keep their families alive.

Faya skipped and jumped out.

Although Newport was deserted, it must be said that it also reflected the beauty of the Federation's industrial development.

Newport was built after the mayor took office. They accumulated some problems encountered in the previous city construction process. The planning of the entire Newport area was very high, with high-rise buildings standing tall. Except for the lack of people, it was really good here!

Just by looking at these buildings and the few federal people walking on the street, Faya could feel some of the small shocks from the Federation.

She actually wanted to find a job, but she didn't know where to start, and she didn't know if there was a labor market or something like that where she could clean rooms and do some things she could do.

She would be satisfied with just fifty cents a day. At least she would have fifteen dollars a month, which would reduce the burden on her family.

She wandered around for a long time and couldn't find a place to work. She came to a bench in a roadside park and sat down, feeling a little frustrated.

At this moment, a person with a camera stood in front of her.

"I've been observing you for a while!" he said directly, revealing the fact that he had been secretly observing Faya.

Faya looked alert and stood up nervously, ready to run away at any time.

The photographer quickly added, "I am a talent scout for Dream Crystal, and also a photographer. My job is to discover talented girls for the company and help them realize their dreams!"

"I'm not a bad person, this is my business card..." he said, taking out a business card from his pocket and handing it over.

Faya took the business card and glanced at it. In addition to the person's name, it also had his work address, phone number, and so on.

This made Faya relax her guard a little, after all, bad people wouldn't be so generous as to expose some of their information.

"You are very beautiful!" the photographer praised.

This made Faya a little shy. "Thank you," she blushed a little, "Can I do something for you?"

"Of course!" the photographer picked up the camera hanging on his chest, "Can I take a few photos of you?"

"I think you have a special beauty in front of the camera. This beauty is natural, simple, and undeveloped."

"There is something very attractive about you. Maybe you will become a star in the future!"

"A star?" Faya knew about this. There were also stars where she came from, and everyone yearned to become a star.

Because stars represent high-income earners.

"Me?"

"Yes!" the photographer nodded repeatedly, "Then can I take a few photos of you?"

"Maybe we will sign you as a model or actress."

Faya was a little tempted, "Then will there be a salary after signing?" she asked.

"Yes, there will be a salary of at least twenty-five dollars a month, and we will train you to become more outstanding and more attractive, so that you will have more choices."

"You will become a big star and make a lot of money!"

Faya hesitated a little, but the thought of making money finally moved her, "How do I cooperate with you?"

The photographer smiled, "It's very simple, I will teach you..."

Soon, at the photographer's request, Faya took a few photos, but unfortunately, she couldn't see them.

"Give me an address, and I will send it to you after the photos are developed. The company may also sign you, and I need to have a way to contact you."

Faya told the photographer where she was currently living. The photographer recorded it and gave her two dollars.

"It's the fee for this shoot. Maybe I will use it in a picture album or magazine. This is your reward."

In the end, Faya still accepted the money, but she didn't tell her mother or talk about these things.

She wanted to wait until she was really signed by the company and then tell her family and give them a surprise.

Instead of letting them be happy for nothing.

Faya's photos were quickly developed, and other talent scouts also thought the girl was very beautiful.

"She is like a blooming little flower on the roadside that no one knows about!"

Someone commented, "She has a special tenacious temperament. I believe someone will like her."

Her photos were placed together separately.

These photos were put into another picture album, which marked her name, age, and current living situation.

A few days later, a respected customer in the Bay Area needed to find some entertainment for his recent boring life. Soon, another manager of Dream Crystal, carrying a briefcase of picture albums, went to the Bay Area.

In a very luxurious villa, he saw today's target customer.

A middle-aged man who looked very refined.

He was wearing a white turtleneck shirt, a gray vest with white dots, and his whole person was very clean, including his eyebrows and his beard, which had been carefully trimmed.

Not the kind of trimming that is considered clean after a wash, but someone who uses a sharp razor every day to trim the excess hair for him.

If you don't consider other things, just from the appearance, he looks like... a scholar, a cultured gentleman.

"I heard that there are a lot of new goods recently?" He crossed his legs, holding a very delicate pipe in his hand. The walrus ivory carved mouthpiece had beautiful patterns carved by a master craftsman.

The pipe itself was also very well-made, whether it was the materials used, the shape, or the various embossed engraving techniques, they were all top-notch.

This pipe must be at least several hundred, and possibly thousands.

The manager opened the briefcase and placed three newly sorted picture albums on the table, with a flattering smile on his face, "They are all here, all the latest!"

The gentleman in front of him is one of the members of the Likalai State Industrial Committee, which is a very complex job.

Its main content is to formulate a series of standards and rules for the entire industrial field of Likalai State, and to assist the state government in formulating the state's industrial development direction and plan.

For example, if the Likalai State Government wants to vigorously develop... the automobile industry, then the Likalai State Industrial Committee must design and plan subsequent government work around this goal.

They have to discuss which industrial groups to introduce and where to build a relatively complete automobile industry chain to get the automobile industry off to a quick start.

It seems that this is just a "designer" job, and there shouldn't be much power, but in fact, its power is terrifying.

Because everyone knows that if you want to make a lot of money, you must monopolize, but now the federal government does not support capital monopolies.

However, they have retained some opportunities, such as "policy monopoly."

They can formulate "access policies" for a certain industrial field in the state and decide who can come in and who cannot.

If only one enterprise in a state has access qualifications, then this is a monopoly!

Although they might not make it so obvious, introducing two or three companies that may be held by the same group of shareholders completely meets the policy requirements and standards.

This kind of disguised control over regional monopoly power has brought them enormous power and wealth, and every year, local industrial groups will transfer benefits to them through various means.

It's not to say that everyone is a bad person, but as long as it's related to interests, in this country where capitalism runs rampant, if you don't bow to capital, they will move you away from here.

These words sound very interesting, you accept the money that those capitalists begged to give you, but it becomes the fact that you bow to the capitalists.

Why does it seem like it's reversed?

But if you don't accept it, try it, and you'll know why its expression looks reversed!

Mr. Bowen held the album in one hand, placing it on his hundred-and-twenty-dollar pants, and held a pipe in the other, slowly flipping through the album.

Every two or three pages, three or four pages, is a girl, and the photos taken from various angles maximize the beauty of these girls.

He glanced at it a few times, took out a wide-brimmed coffee-colored glasses from his pocket, and after putting them on, he looked even more gentle and easy-going.

His gaze lingered on the face and body of each girl for a moment, and then he looked indifferently at the next page.

There was nothing in the first album that could move him, he picked up the second album, "Your quality is getting worse and worse."

The manager could only smile along, "I will criticize them."

In fact, it's not that their quality is getting worse and worse, it's that Bowen's taste is getting more and more picky.

In the past, any average girl would do, but later he demanded this and that, becoming more and more strict.

He even demanded various proportions and sizes, and accurate to an approximate number.

But later, his demands in this regard relaxed, and he began to pursue a kind of temperament, something that was not direct but truly existed.

When his brow furrowed tighter and tighter, the manager was already sweating a little.

Mr. Bowen is a big man, not only in the government system, but also a very important person within the Socialist Party.

If he is not satisfied, I will also be in trouble, at least a scolding is unavoidable.

Just as he was about to do something, Mr. Bowen's brow suddenly relaxed, and a look of satisfaction appeared on his face.

It seemed that he had found the gift he wanted.

His gaze lingered on a girl in the album for a long time, and he even stroked the girl's photo with his hand for a while.

He also took off his glasses, lowered his head slightly, and looked at the album closely for a while, then took out her photo and handed it to the manager, "This one."

The manager picked up the photo and took a look, a girl in the photo was smiling at the camera.

The smile is very clean, the temperament is also very clean, and it vaguely brings a feeling of… untamed, a bit like a small flower that has just bloomed on the lawn at the end of winter and the beginning of spring.

Although the weather is still very cold, it blooms so stubbornly and completely!

He couldn't quite describe that feeling, but it would make people feel very comfortable, and it would also make people feel that she is a girl with her own ideas.

He glanced at the name, Faya.

Tanfit refugee, living in the Newport District, he breathed a sigh of relief, such a girl is easy to deal with, at least easier than those locals or immigrants.

"When can you get her to me?"

Mr. Bowen took a puff on the walrus ivory mouthpiece, and a slight crackling sound came from the pipe, and then he exhaled a thick puff of smoke.

In addition to the inevitable aroma of tobacco, there are also many other complex flavors.

His gaze made the manager dare not ignore it, he quickly calculated for a while, "Within seventy-two hours, Mr. Bowen."

The manager took out all the photos related to Faya, which meant that unless she could return to the company alive, this would be the last bloom of her life!

Mr. Bowen nodded slightly, "Very good, I hope you don't disappoint me.", he paused, "It's best not to hurt her."

Looking at his calm face, with a hint of elusive smile, the manager was actually a little uneasy, because he knew that this person was also a pervert.

All people in the upper class are perverts, it's just that some people never hide the fact that they are perverts, while some people may be concerned about their face and hide their perversion, that's all!

If you think someone is not a pervert, it's just that you haven't discovered the perverted part of him, it doesn't mean he's not a pervert!

He nodded, "I guarantee she won't lose a single hair!"

They didn't talk about money, because this money didn't need Mr. Bowen to pay out of his own pocket, someone would come over to take care of these money, those industrial groups.

This is also a way for them to please Mr. Bowen, everyone has been cooperating for many years, they only need to show the bill to some brokers, and then the money will be transferred to the company's designated account.

After the manager returned to the company, he immediately called another group of people and gave them the information for this mission.

These people are not from Dream Crystal Company, they are from another company, their job is to be responsible for kidnapping, transporting, and handling the scene and other dirty work.

If someone sees special vehicles such as "Ant-Exterminator Cars" in the Bay Area, then there is no doubt that it is likely to be them.

Faya was not aware that her fate had changed because she took a photo.

Or rather, the change she longed for did not happen, but something terrible happened.

Soon this group of people found Faya in the Newport District, and when Faya went out to play and look for work one day "as usual", they took action.

"Hello, do you know how to get here?"

At an alley, someone suddenly asked Faya a question while holding a map, Faya tilted her head and leaned over, when her attention was focused on the map, two people quickly approached her from behind.

They had a very special anesthetic obtained from a medical group, plus the control of two adult men, she soon fell into a coma and was dragged into the car.

There were several witnesses around, but they were unwilling to cause trouble for themselves and chose to leave in a hurry.

When Faya woke up from the coma, she was already locked in a cage, they used special tools to prevent her from shouting, and could only make humming sounds.

At this time, a special vehicle of the "Termite Gang Extermination Company" slowly drove into the villa complex.

Some people noticed this scene, only to raise their glasses and take a sip of wine expressionlessly.

Or turn around and leave with a playful smile on their faces.

This is just a part of their lives, it's nothing!

Even in the basement of their villa, there may be some people there, or some people may have been here before!

The sun in mid-October still shone fiercely on the earth, the light was so strong that it seemed that the whole world could not accommodate a trace of shadow.