Empire of Shadows

Half an hour ago, a few people walked out of the Golden Port Casino with gloomy faces and luggage.

After confronting Lance head-on in the venue just now, they clearly realized that their trip to Golden Port City had come to an end.

This city is very good, everything here is very good.

Casinos, women, beaches, streets, shopping malls, everything exudes a intoxicating atmosphere.

Living here is like living in paradise. They also want to stay, but after doing what they did just now, they are no longer qualified to stay.

Although the gang representative had some regrets deep down, he would not show it.

He believed that one day, he would come back and stand on this land again in another guise.

At that time, he would not come here as a guest, but as half an owner.

The private liquor market of 200 million a year, he believed that all the gangs in Ya'lan would be boiling, including his boss!

But now, he must leave as soon as possible, before Lance comes to make trouble for him.

He himself was also a member of the gang, and he had encountered some similar situations. Some people provoked him, and in the end, those people's bodies were hung on the palm trees by the roadside, swaying in the sea breeze.

No matter how unwilling he was to admit what Lance said, Lance was not wrong in one sentence.

This is his territory.

Having a conflict with them on their territory, and then not running faster, the consequences are unimaginable.

He is not a fool, so they ran away.

These people did not sneak over. The patrol intensity of the Coast Guard is constantly increasing, and it is difficult to smuggle successfully.

Moreover, they didn't need to smuggle. They were people with status and had money to buy tickets, and they could enter the country legally.

Now, if you want to leave here, you can buy a ticket to leave.

The cruise ship from Golden Port City to Ya'lan has never stopped. Ya'lan is also a tourist resort.

The primitive tropical jungle is full of exciting adventures, and there are also young and beautiful girls on the beach who can sell themselves for one night for a few dollars.

And those girls who are willing to do anything for a ticket, here is also paradise.

Other people's hell, tourists' paradise!

The income of federal people is definitely a high-income group for Ya'lan people, so there are two cruise ships traveling between Golden Port City and Ya'lan every day.

There is a joke among the people that many ordinary workers in the Federation have their own villas and lovers in Ya'lan.

After these people bought their tickets, they boarded the ship directly. There were at least one or two hundred passengers on the ship, and this ship belonged to a shipping company in the Federation, so safety was guaranteed.

Although the gang representative did not quite understand some of the social mechanisms of the Federation, he knew one thing, that is, here, the gang may not be the opponent of big capital.

After a group of people boarded the ship, they obviously relaxed a little. They came to the cruise ship's restaurant, because they left in a hurry, they didn't even have time to enjoy lunch.

Several people gathered together, eating lunch while discussing what had already happened.

"After going back... will there be some trouble?"

The gang representative's subordinate had some worries on his face.

This time, the Boss asked them to come over to find out what the Lance family was planning to do.

After all, the main export direction of their wine is Golden Port City. They didn't know much about the market in Golden Port City before, but today, they know it.

A market of 200 million in this period is quite terrifying. They may not even occupy 1%, but it still makes their gang and life undergo earth-shaking changes.

The cadres in the gang have all moved into big houses, drive cars smuggled from the Federation, and the big houses are also full of young and beautiful girls who are ready to go at any time.

All this is due to the smuggled wine business.

If the Boss knows that they have messed up this operation, he might do something.

Not to Lance, but to them.

The representative's face was not very good-looking, but at this time, he certainly couldn't say discouraging words, "Don't worry, if they do that, it will definitely cause more people's dissatisfaction."

Saying that, he couldn't help but sneer, "Golden Port City is so close to Ya'lan, a speedboat can go back and forth in a day, you think about it, he has blocked the financial path of so many people, how many people want to kill him?"

The representative's explanation immediately relaxed everyone's expressions.

That's right, the rural gangs in Ya'lan have just made some progress, and now Lance's strategy is making them unable to make any money, or the profits are greatly reduced, they will definitely hate Lance very much.

Since Lance and them are not on the same path, then move him away!

This world is never short of people who are crazy for money, either others are crazy, or they are crazy!

A large number of gunmen poured into Golden Port City. As long as he shows up, there is a risk of being shot. By then, he will take the initiative to compromise.

Some hard-mouthed people who wanted to crack down on crime have appeared in various countries in Ya'lan, because the gangs in Ya'lan have affected the lives of the government and the people.

However, most government officials who show a strong crackdown on crime do not end well.

In his eyes, Lance will also bow his head and compromise because of the continuous assassinations.

The emotions of several people became more relaxed, and they happily talked about some of the things they saw in Golden Port City.

The advancement and superiority of the Federation deeply attracted them. The gang representative smiled and said that when he earns more money, he will also buy a villa in Golden Port City, fantasizing about the beautiful life in the future.

After a group of people finished eating, they returned to the cabin to rest. Later, they had to meet their Boss.

Although the gang representative said that there was no problem, he was still a little uneasy in his heart.

He tossed and turned on the bed and couldn't sleep. The turbulence of the waves gradually made his eyelids heavy, and he fell into a dream in a daze.

Also in a daze, his dream was shattered by a knock on the door. Someone knocked on the door of his room.

He opened his eyes and was stunned for a few seconds before he suddenly woke up, immediately took the pistol under the pillow in his hand, "Who's there?"

The cabin is not big, just a room and a small bathroom. He turned over and sat up. As soon as he walked to the door, a voice came from outside the door.

"Coast Guard, room check."

The gang representative frowned. He had dealt with the Coast Guard several times. These people are very difficult to deal with now. He had seen a squad leader before and offered to spend some money to redeem their detained goods, but was rejected.

And he was warned and almost detained.

If possible, he really didn't want to see these people.

But now he was blocked in the room, and it was not okay not to see these people.

Immediately, he didn't dare to delay any longer and opened the door.

There were several coast guards in Coast Guard uniforms outside the door. They glanced into the room and then two of them walked in. One of them tentatively called out his name.

He was stunned for a moment, just for a few tenths of a second, and suddenly he realized that these guys were here to arrest him!

Everyone who hangs out in the gang will have some things that are similar to instinct, including being called their full name by others!

He wanted to run away, and his body had just tilted to make a running motion, but before he could take a step, someone immediately pounced on him from behind and knocked him to the deck.

With a bang, he almost fainted!

After being kicked a few times, he was handcuffed.

At this time, he realized that his subordinates were all here, just like him.

Those people stood on the deck with handcuffs on their heads, and he looked at those people with an ugly face, but no one reminded him.

He didn't know what mistake he had made, but he knew that if he let these Coast Guards take him away like this, he would probably be in trouble.

He said to the guy next to him who looked like the leader, "In the box in my room, there are my documents, which can prove that I am not a criminal."

The guy who looked like a squad leader glanced at him, then went into his room, took out the suitcase, and opened it in front of him.

After the squad leader checked all the clothes and threw them away, the things underground gradually appeared.

Two stacks of twenty-dollar bills, a total of four thousand dollars, and some change.

"This is the document you said?"

The squad leader asked with a smile while holding two stacks of money.

The representative nodded, "This is not mine, it's... yours, sir."

The squad leader was immediately happy after hearing this. He laughed twice, and the representative also laughed, but as he laughed, he could feel that the other party's voice became indifferent.

"Bribing law enforcement officers, you still say you are not a criminal?"

He put the money in his pocket, "Take him away."

The gang representative just wanted to explain something, but someone immediately punched him, making him unable to speak in pain.

He was dragged to the side of the ship, and then through a small passage, he went directly onto the gunboat.

Standing on the gunboat, the gang representative's expression finally completely collapsed. There was a strong uneasiness on his face. He still didn't know where the problem was.

But he didn't dare to ask casually, these people didn't look easy to get along with, so he could only hold it back.

After catching them, the gunboat began to return quickly.

The closer he got to Golden Port City, the more uneasy he felt. He had a faint guess, but he didn't want to believe that this guess was true!

Seeing that the coastline was already close at hand, the speed of the gunboat gradually slowed down, and the squad leader took out two bottles of wine from the cabin and put them in the gang representative's suitcase.

Then he pulled out his gun. Realizing the gravity of the situation, the mob representative immediately knelt on the ground, "Don't shoot, don't shoot!"

"Can I at least know why?" he shouted, knowing that only by understanding the reason could he possibly escape this outcome.

The sea breeze whipped his hair and clothes, even though it was the height of summer, and the scorching sun was unleashing its inexhaustible power in the sky like a giant fireball.

But the mob representative felt a chill all over his body, even his sweat was cold!

He looked at the squad leader pleadingly. At that moment, he inexplicably thought of those who had once begged him not to shoot. He subconsciously used their pleas for mercy to beg the squad leader.

But it didn't seem to work.

The squad leader looked at him calmly, "If you offend God in King's Harbor, that's just between you and God, and God might not necessarily take you away."

"But if you offend Mr. Lance, even God can't save you!"

He finished speaking and, without waiting for the mob representative to say anything, pulled the trigger directly.

The bullet entered his forehead, spinning and tearing open the back of his head. Bones and brain matter splattered everywhere, killing him instantly.

Even so, he fired a few more shots into the body, then shot and killed the others.

Subsequently, a coast guard officer walked out with a state-of-the-art camera and photographed the neatly arranged corpses, as well as the two bottles of wine in the suitcase.

Without a doubt, these were people from a smuggling ring, trying to bring two bottles of wine into King's Harbor. The value of the case already exceeded five hundred dollars, which could no longer be considered a minor offense.

During the arrest, these smugglers fiercely resisted, and were ultimately killed and captured by the brave coast guard members. That was all!

If it had been before this, these people who followed McCock might not have desperately helped Lance so much.

But since McCock's transfer order came down, promoting him to deputy chief, they realized who the real "daddy" was.

The squad leader put the gun back in its holster, then shook his head and returned to the cabin.

After landing, he would give the film to the reporter, and the news would be published in tomorrow's 'King's Harbor Today'.

Of course, before that, he had to call Mr. Lance and tell him that he had completed his task.

The news of the deaths of those who didn't give Lance face quickly reached Lance, and he simply said "Good job," praising them.

Now he felt no unease whatsoever about using these people to do things for him. So much money was invested every year; this was what they should do.

After Lance hung up the phone, Elvin asked, "What about the others who left later... should we take care of them?"

He was referring to those who had left later. Lance shook his head, "Don't worry about them. We are not incapable of tolerating people with dissenting opinions. Even God is questioned or refused obedience by some."

"What I dislike is unreasonable nonsense and those who clearly disrespect me."

"If I were to eliminate anyone who disagrees with my decisions, it would be difficult for anyone to do business with us in the future."

"As long as they don't cause trouble, leave them alone."

"Oh, right, send them a copy of tomorrow's 'King's Harbor Today'. Understanding a little more about the news and the world will help them on their future paths."

Early the next morning, Zabry rubbed his hair as he walked out of the bedroom. They had discussed many things and even talked to headquarters that night, but some issues remained unresolved.

Just as he walked into the living room of the suite, preparing to get some water, he noticed the newspaper on the carpet inside the door.

This was the first time he had seen a casino hotel delivering newspapers. Maybe it was some kind of escort service newspaper?

'Tide News' was distributed throughout the entire Licari State, and he had seen it before.

Many young people's sexual awakening was completed by 'Tide News'.

As he picked up the newspaper and saw its name, he instinctively wanted to throw it aside, but he was quickly drawn to a line of text—

'Smuggling Ring Members Armed and Resisting Arrest, Executed by Gunfire'

He stood in the doorway, subconsciously turning to the corresponding page according to the page number.

This era had no so-called "rating" system; otherwise, 'Tide News' would not be placed on newsstands for direct sale. Therefore, the newspaper's picture showed two photographs.

One was a photo of several people lying in a row on the ground; they were clearly all dead.

The other was a close-up of the mob representative's face, his eyes staring blankly at the sky, his whole person looking listless, with a small, dark red hole in his forehead.

"Fack!" Zabry cursed.

In reality, this was not a "curse" but a release of emotion!

He knew that Lance would definitely take action, but he didn't expect the action to come so damn quickly, while simultaneously displaying his control over the coast guard.

Because these photos were taken on a gunboat, he was using this method to tell everyone that this was his territory!

Some of the content they discussed yesterday faced renewed changes at this moment. He took a deep breath, took the newspaper back to the room, changed his clothes, and redialed the headquarters' phone number.

Many people were doing the same thing as him. They all saw the newspaper, and they all saw that damned dead face!

In fact, Lance was showing not only that the coast guard listened to his arrangements, but also that 'King's Harbor Today', a local heavyweight newspaper, was carrying out publicity work according to his ideas.

Not many people knew that the people who died in the photos weren't really caught smuggling two bottles of wine and killed in a firefight.

They simply offended Lance, insulted him, so they died in this designed slaughter.

People would laugh at these people's stupidity, giving up their lives for two bottles of wine. No one cared about what the truth behind it was.

For them, the truth was that when they could talk about this with their friends, a quick "idiot" or two was enough!

At the same time, in a different location, Officer Breeden (the police officer who helped Lance get his identity) shook his head. He keenly noticed that there was something wrong with this news, but he couldn't say what it was.

There couldn't be smugglers stupid enough to only smuggle two bottles of wine; they must have offended someone.

He put down the newspaper and began to concentrate on his cream of beef soup.

The name might sound a little scary, but the taste was indeed good. The rich cream and cheese flavors thickly enveloped the chopped beef cubes, every bite a double satisfaction of fat and protein.

He was thinking that his recent business had suffered setbacks because, due to the conscription, many people had run off to enlist, which reduced his extra income a lot.

Just then, someone knocked on his door.

Without even turning his head, he shouted, "Wait a minute," then slurped up the food in the soup bowl, wiped his mouth, and got up to walk towards the door.

When he opened the door, he was somewhat surprised to see the person outside, a former friend.

"Wow, I never expected it to be you..."