Empire of Shadows

The atmosphere inside the police car was very somber. To avoid being "tailed," Hunter didn't even drive his own car.

The shape, color, and even license plate of his car had long been memorized by some people, and it wasn't exactly a secret.

As long as a few people were stationed outside the police station, they would definitely see his car coming and going.

To prevent Lance from knowing or discovering this, he specifically changed into a formal police uniform in the first-floor storage room and put on a wide-brimmed police hat—

Once officers reached the rank of officer or higher, the police force didn't have as many strict requirements for their attire.

And they could find many reasons not to wear a police uniform, such as needing to contact informants, collect intelligence, look for clues, or…

In short, they had many ways to reasonably avoid wearing a police uniform. Plus, the freedom of dressing as one pleases was included in the freedom advocated by the Federation, so it had basically become an unwritten rule in the work manual.

As long as you were of a high enough rank, no one would care whether you wore a police uniform or not.

Wearing a police uniform and a wide-brimmed police hat, Hunter pulled open the driver's seat, the brim of his hat pulled low. He sat directly inside, and he would be driving today.

He didn't tell the others in the car where they were going or what they were going to do, but because he was the chief and the others were his confidants, they had no choice but to obey.

The police car left the parking lot without alarming anyone. Hunter looked at the sneaky figures outside the police station through the rearview mirror, a sneer creeping onto his lips.

Then he drove around the city in circles. He wasn't sure if Lance's people were tailing him, and he had to ensure the safety of this operation.

After shaking them off for half an hour and confirming that no one was indeed following him, he drove straight out of the city.

According to the young man's confession, his evidence was hidden in the suburbs, and he knew the location.

From the city to the suburbs, the atmosphere in the car was very somber. Besides the sound of people using matches or lighters, there was no extra conversation.

Oh, and the sound of the wind.

The car soon arrived at the edge of the city and stopped at an abandoned old train station.

With the continuous development of Goldport City, the train lines were also constantly adjusted. After a more suitable route was found, this route and station were completely abandoned.

A decade or so ago, people still stopped here, but when the new train station directly connected to the docks, this place was completely abandoned.

The abandoned train station didn't seem very big, but at this moment, it gave people a somewhat eerie feeling.

The empty platform was covered with various plants, and the moss-covered glass on the ceiling blocked some of the sunlight.

There were only some plants where sunlight lingered on the ground.

And those places that were completely shaded and where no sunlight lingered were lifeless.

The rusty rails and steel-structured station gave people an indescribable feeling, and standing here gave one a sense of inexplicable time and space dislocation.

The young man said that he had hidden the thing in a biscuit tin, and that the box was placed in the drawer of the duty room in the station.

Only then did Hunter tell the people around him the purpose of their operation, "We need to find the duty room. There's a box inside."

"After you find it, don't open it. Just give it to me. That's our mission this time."

He looked at the people around him, "You are all the people I trust the most. After this is over, I will give you a better future!"

They all nodded, just like when he joined Charlie, a bright future was also the motivation for them to join Hunter.

A group of people immediately dispersed. Hunter didn't know which room the duty room was, so they could only search the rooms one by one, but fortunately, there weren't too many rooms, so they should be able to search them all before noon.

After they entered the station, two young men crawled out of an inconspicuous cement pipe.

"We don't have much time."

One of them was a little nervous. In fact, he didn't need to be nervous at all. There were other people around, so even if Hunter rushed out at this time, they wouldn't have anything to fear.

But sometimes, being prepared doesn't mean you're not nervous, like a boy and girl's first time.

They were clearly prepared, but they were still nervous. They didn't need to be nervous at all, but they just were.

A slightly thin guy walked to the front of the car. He crawled under the car and fiddled with it for a while before crawling out again.

After repeatedly confirming that there were no problems, the two found a place to hide.

The station wasn't big, with only twenty or so rooms in total. Soon, Hunter and the others found an iron box in a room with a microphone.

The box wasn't very heavy. When shaken, there was indeed something rattling inside, and it didn't seem like a bomb.

And it wasn't the very thick type of biscuit tin. It didn't look very big, and could at most hold a notebook.

Hunter was very careful. He stood far away and found something to smash open the box. If there was indeed a notebook inside, then even if he smashed it with a stone, it wouldn't cause any problems.

The box was smashed open, and a notebook did appear inside. Hunter walked over and picked up the notebook, but didn't check it immediately because there were still some people around him.

He couldn't be sure if these people were Lance's people. He needed a more private environment now.

When people seek a private space in an unfamiliar environment, the most likely choice is an environment that can give them a sense of security, rather than a room in this seemingly eerie old train station.

He took his men back to the car, but he didn't let the others get in. Instead, he had them guard the area.

He wanted to see what exactly was written in this notebook in the car.

After confirming that the others had dispersed, he excitedly opened the first page, and then froze.

A clown was drawn on it, and then it said, "F**k Q." His mind was somewhat stopped at this moment.

He subconsciously flipped back, and it was all blank. This wasn't a ledger at all. This was a trap!

In an instant, his head was full of sweat. He looked up at the surrounding wilderness, and it seemed that every place hid something that frightened him!

He had been tricked out. His heart began to pump blood frantically, his face was flushed, and he felt thirsty. Panic dominated his emotions!

He didn't even have time to call his men to get in the car. In fact, in this very short moment, he thought that these men might be able to help him block the pursuers if they stayed here!

Without any hesitation, he turned the key, started the car, and then slammed on the accelerator…

The violent explosion instantly made the quiet station "lively." The shock wave generated by the explosion became the last straw that broke the old glass.

Large pieces of glass kept falling from the roof of the station. They pressed on some plants, but some also fell on the open space and shattered.

The micro-world inside the station was instantly destroyed, but these falling pieces of glass would eventually allow more sunlight to shine into the station, giving birth to more life!

The several policemen who were guarding around the car were also directly knocked down by the shock wave. They fell to the ground and looked back in disbelief at the car frame that had become scrap metal.

There were no flames, just some smoke. Hunter had completely disappeared!

Several cars suddenly drove out of the bushes next to them. Some people leaned out of the cars, holding submachine guns in their hands and pulling the triggers at the policemen who were lying on the ground, not killed by the explosion.

After circling the scene, the cars sped away, leaving only a destroyed car frame, several corpses, and a pile of bullet casings!

The news of Hunter's death soon reached Lance's ears. He curled his lips, "Understood. Let's leave it at that."

As he spoke, he put down the phone, but quickly picked it up again. This time, he was calling Blue, "Come to my office."

About five minutes later, Blue appeared outside Lance's office.

"You came quickly. Would you like something to drink?" Lance asked.

In fact, Blue hadn't gone home for the past few days. He was staying in a hotel not far away. After he went back, he couldn't help but think about which part the matter had developed to, and whether any accidents would happen.

So he found a place to live near Lance's office. Lance's call just now was to the hotel front desk.

"No, no need. I had some before I came."

His eyes were somewhat eager, somewhat expectant, and somewhat uneasy, "…How did it go?"

Lance looked at him and spread his hands naturally, "He had an accident. The car exploded. If the forensic technology is very good, there's a high probability they can find a part of him. As for whether they can piece together a complete part, I'm not sure."

When Blue heard this, it was as if he hadn't reacted. After a long while, his eyes regained focus, "I thought…you would have a gunfight, and then a fierce exchange of fire, and finally you would kill him."

Lance nodded noncommittally, "The others did die from close-range shooting, but Hunter was the special one."

Blue knew some more details, "What about his family…"

Lance smiled slightly, "They have no value anymore."

He paused for a moment, "Alright, let's not talk about these boring things. Do you have some more formal clothes?"

Blue was a little confused, "Yes…"

"Go change!"

He barely had the courage to ask why, and ran out of the office. Then, twenty-some minutes later, he reappeared before Lance in a very formal suit.

Lance sized him up and down, walked up to him, straightened his somewhat messy tie, and said, "I'm taking you to see the mayor."

"Now that Hunter is gone, we should discuss the matter of the new局长."

Although he had a premonition, when Bruce actually heard these words, he suddenly felt an urge to kowtow to Lance!

He clenched his fist, not even noticing how much his voice was trembling!

"Okay!"