Empire of Shadows

Standing at the company entrance, looking back at the building that wasn't particularly tall but possessed a solemn and dignified atmosphere, sunlight peeked through the clouds, illuminating him.

In that instant, Karl felt a sense of 'rebirth'.

The whole world seemed to brighten at that moment, the gray and monotonous world becoming colorful, and he looked at the people on the street.

They weren't that different from when he had arrived, but for some reason, those people who had made him feel uncomfortable when he came.

People who seemed to be staring at him with critical eyes, all now wore smiles, like the summer breeze, stirring his emotions!

He didn't know that his life had entered another phase, his perspective on the world no longer one of looking up as a 'victim of life,' but one of looking down as a 'successful person'.

So everyone was a good person, the world was beautiful, and even the air was sweet.

Humming a little tune, he looked at the street, found the way home, and set off again with a light step.

An hour and thirty or forty minutes later, he returned to the New Port District, back to the 'office'.

Boni was talking to others; he had been 'fired'. He was sad, but he obeyed Lance's decision, and he also planned to go see Hope.

Seeing Karl enter from outside, both men paused slightly. Boni didn't know how to tell his good friend that they had a small disagreement when leaving Lance.

He knew it wasn't Karl's fault; he wanted him to be well, he was just a little impatient.

Boni felt he shouldn't have left Karl alone at the time. He took the initiative to walk over, wanting to explain something, but saw the unfamiliar look in Karl's eyes.

His movements stopped, and he stood there, feeling a little uneasy, like… something familiar from childhood was becoming strange.

People feel uneasy because of these changes, and he didn't know what to say or what to do.

Karl raised his foot and brushed past him, walked into the room, stood in front of the office that originally belonged to Boni, and then turned around.

He took out the cigar from his pocket, removed it from the metal cigar tube, and lit it.

Everyone was looking at him, including Boni.

Some people's expressions became strange and subtle, while others' expressions became slightly dissatisfied.

He took a puff of the cigar, allowing the smoke to fully combine with the oral mucosa, and then slowly exhaled.

The cigar smoke was thicker, he raised his chin, and the exhaled smoke shot out like a sharp arrow before beginning to dissipate.

"From today onwards."

He lowered his chin, his gaze sweeping across the faces of these friends and partners in the room, "I'm in charge here!"

Some people's faces showed expressions of surprise, while the unhappiness on others' faces turned into anger.

Boni was a good person; he had ideals, persistence, principles, and some noble qualities that Lance spoke of.

But this was not a chaotic region; he shouldn't be here, he should be in the front-line ruins of Slade.

Standing up as an ordinary person to resist the atrocities of the Dantela Republic's army, he would become a hero, a role model, a source of strength for people to resist invaders!

Everything he possessed would inspire people to follow him, but this was the Federation.

A stable society, mature commercial operations, everything was about money.

In such a society that had long lost its distinction between black and white, his excellence made him stand out and be independent.

This also meant that he was out of place, at least out of place with the mainstream group.

He would stop some people from doing things he thought were bad at work, and he would encourage people to do things he thought were good.

His nonconformity gave him his own personal charm; those who were angry were his followers.

But it also gave him people who didn't like him, those who showed smiles.

"You betrayed Boni!" a kid next to Boni shouted, as if he had been wronged, or as if he had been stabbed in the balls by something sharp, he was about to jump up!

Karl shook his head, "I haven't betrayed anyone. Boni is unwilling to work for Mr. Lance, but I am willing; this is not betrayal."

"And…" he took another puff of the cigar and blew smoke at the man, "This is between me and Boni. If you want to express your opinion, I'm sorry, you don't have the right to speak here!"

That kid still wanted to say something, but Boni stopped him, "I thought you would leave with me."

Karl shook his head, "I talked with Mr. Lance for a while after you left. He is a very wise and virtuous person."

"He made me understand a truth."

"You have your ideals, and I have my ideals."

"In the past, you were like a sun, making me, and even some of us, mistakenly believe that your ideals were our ideals."

"I suddenly understand now that it's not the same."

"Boni, we've been poor all our lives, suffered all our lives, and no one has ever bent down to reach out to us and say, 'Let me help you'."

"Now that there is an opportunity, I will not give it up!"

His expression became a little firm?

That word wasn't so appropriate, but it could be seen that he was indeed very serious, very determined, and even a little excited.

He held the cigar in one hand, standing in front of them, "I swear, I want to make a name for myself, I want to become a great person, that is my ideal!"

Boni's eyes showed some disappointment, "Even… if you have to hurt others?"

Karl took a deep breath. He pointed at Boni with the hand holding the cigar, "Even if I have to hurt others!"

"Come on, Boni, we've suffered so much, been hurt by so many people, who has ever pitied us?"

"We don't owe this world anything; it owes us!"

His eyes were a little grim. He had always thought Boni was stupid. They could have made more money, they could have had a higher status, they could have done so many things.

But because of his ideas, his principles, they had always been passive!

That was Boni's ideal, not his, not anyone else's.

He also realized that in the past, he had been shrouded in Boni's personal charm, which was why he couldn't see the future, because that wasn't his future, nor his ideal.

After getting rid of Boni, a brighter sun dispelled the influence Boni had on him, allowing him to break free from Boni's personal charm.

He then realized that in the past, he had also been quite stupid.

But now, he was different.

"Alright, I don't want to argue with you; we are brothers."

"You go pursue your ideals, and I will become the person I want to be, I wish you success, brother!"

Boni looked at him, their uncompromising gazes intertwined. After a while, Boni nodded, "Okay, I also wish you success in becoming a great person."

After he finished speaking, he turned and left, and several small partners glared at Karl with dissatisfaction or anger, and then followed Boni away.

But more people stayed here.

Karl took another puff of the cigar. He looked at the people who stayed around him and suddenly couldn't help laughing, laughing until tears were about to come out.

So, we have always been wrong…

After Boni and the others had walked far away, Karl returned to the office and sat in the position that Boni used to occupy.

Suddenly, he realized that this position was the best place in the room because sitting here, he could see everything in the room.

With the new 'boss' taking office, others who were unwilling to leave would naturally follow in.

The good news was that everyone knew Karl, so there was no need to start over.

The bad news was that the current Karl was more difficult to deal with than the previous Boni.

Karl sat in that chair, and he himself didn't notice that he was subconsciously learning Lance's sitting posture, crossing his legs, one hand on his thigh, and the other holding the cigar, placed on the side of the table.

"Boni and I are brothers, we've known each other since we were kids. Although he has his ideals and is pursuing his ideals, he has left us."

"But I don't want anyone to speak ill of him behind his back."

The others all nodded with a smile, indicating that they were not that kind of person.

Then Karl showed a satisfied smile. He liked this feeling.

"I am different from Boni. I want to become a great person. I want to have more wealth and higher power."

"I want to move to a villa in the Bay Area. I want to hold beautiful, fair-skinned girls to sleep every day. I want my room to be filled with money."

"I believe this is also your dream."

"So!"

He emphasized his tone, his gaze lingering on each person's face again, then moving away, "Whoever hinders us from realizing this dream is our enemy!"

"I am different from Boni. I won't be as easy to talk to as he was. Right is right, wrong is wrong."

"When working, I am your Boss. Only when we are not working am I your friend."

"I don't want anyone to offend me because they can't put themselves in the right position!"

He paused here for a moment, then looked at one of them, "Continue to keep an eye on Hope. You don't need to get too close, just know his daily itinerary and where he lives every day."

As he spoke, he took out a stack of money from his pocket, took out a few five-dollar bills, and placed them on the table, "This is your expense."

That person looked surprised. There were at least thirty dollars here, which was no small amount!

His hand touched the banknotes, and at the same time, he uttered, "Thank you for your…"

Before the word "generosity" could even come out, his hand was pressed down by Karl, "The money is given to you, the trust is also given to you, don't screw things up for me!"

He grabbed the guy's hand forcefully, and the latter felt a slight pain, but nodded alertly, "I know… Boss!"

Karl released his hand, then looked at the others, "Mr. Lance has given us a new job this time, because the naval base next door will soon be full of those soldiers."

"They have needs for release, so we need to recruit a group of people to help them solve these problems."

"There are some requirements I must tell you first. First of all, they must be willing."

"If I find out that any of you are forcing others to do this, I guarantee you will regret coming into this world!"

"Secondly, we will not deduct their money, ensuring that everyone gets at least one dollar!"

"Finally, Mr. Lance promises that no one will be harmed, and if anyone is injured, he will stand up for them."

Karl twisted his neck as he said this, "This is the first official job I've had since working for Mr. Lance, and I hope you don't screw it up."

The people in the room had no objection to these matters. If it were Bonnie, he would definitely not do this for Lance.

This is the difference between Karl and Bonnie. It can't be said that Karl is necessarily wrong, and Bonnie is necessarily right.

Not actively gathering women in need of help seems to respect them, but it's no different from letting them starve for meaningless dignity. This is also a form of tyranny, just one that isn't obvious.

On the contrary, Karl is helping them find a stable way to survive. For those women who are willing to do these jobs, this undoubtedly gives them a chance to live.

Not only are they willing to do it, but many girls in the Federation are also willing to do it. As long as it's voluntary, there's no problem at all!

Karl has strong execution skills. He has a strong desire and clear goals, as well as a flexible bottom line willing to overcome difficulties anytime, anywhere, so his work goes smoothly.

In two days, he recruited more than six hundred people, and many more are inquiring, wanting to join.

After all, that is a business of one hundred thousand people. Although they are not sure whether Lance can get the "exclusive operation" right, but… in short, believing in Mr. Lance is the right thing to do.

One hundred thousand people, even if each person only comes three times a month, and each time they can get one dollar, that is still a business of three hundred thousand. Everyone can get several hundred dollars. Is there any more comfortable job than this?

Stable, high income, and not much danger.

When Karl told Lance about this, Lance was also a little surprised. He thought it would take a few days, but he didn't expect it to be done so quickly.

He selected a few girls from the previous Red High Heels group and asked them to teach these new employees how to handle their new jobs.

Lance also introduced some more convenient systems, such as having a number in addition to their own names.

This is to make it easier for guests to remember them.

Those young lads may not be able to remember the names of everyone who has served him, and may get them mixed up, but the number is definitely correct.

In short, Lance has high expectations for their performance.

In addition, the new sales rules are progressing smoothly.

Because all bars must obtain their liquor from Lance, even if they are unwilling to disclose the specific operating conditions of the bar, Lance has a clear statistic on his end.

He can even analyze which bars are secretly obtaining liquor from other channels based on the specific data of each bar's purchases from him.

Data itself does not cheat; only people cheat.

Judging from the overall sales volume, the effect is much better than Lance estimated.

A large number of small, private bars have been cleared out, and the customer base has begun to become unified.

The people who run these bars suddenly discovered that since the new sales rules were applied, not only was their profit higher than they imagined, but the price of the liquor they received was the same as in the past, and some were even a little cheaper.

Because Lance's liquor prices remain unchanged, other liquors lose their competitiveness once they increase in price.

The situation may be a little better in the Bay Area and Starlight, where there are wealthy customers. Even if the price of liquor increases, they will still consume what they should and can afford it.

However, in bars outside these two districts, the sales of all liquors that have increased in price are very poor.

The poorer the place, the more this is the case.

With liquor prices so high, even a three-cent difference per glass will cause drinkers to choose other liquors.

Because it is easy to get goods, and the Dangerous Goods Administration has become deaf and blind overnight, bars don't stockpile goods much now.

This also makes it easier for them to adjust their business strategies, so the liquor sales situation is very intuitive. What sells well and what doesn't sell well is clear at a glance.

Lance allows suppliers to adjust prices at any time to respond to market changes, but each price adjustment must have a forty-eight-hour cooling-off period.

After only three or four cooling-off periods, all the liquors had their prices returned to their previous levels, and some were even lower, in order to gain greater market competitiveness.

This is also what Lance wanted to see. He monopolized the entire Goldport City's liquor sales market, but he doesn't want any brands to exhibit monopolistic behavior. This kind of competition will ultimately benefit the drinkers.

Drinkers used to be able to drink a glass for twenty-five cents, now they can take out forty cents and drink two glasses.

It seems like they have earned it, but in reality, the people who really profit are the bars, Lance, and the suppliers.

It was also during this time that Peter (Death Angel reserve cadre) arrived in Goldport City with his men.

He had the same problem as the dead Jordan. He felt that the air here was too humid and too bad.

From the moment he entered the city, he kept shaking his clothes to cool his body. The north had already started to cool down at this time, but the south was still at its hottest.

He didn't directly bother Lance, but instead began to carefully inquire about the Lance family in this city.

Although his actions also fell into the eyes of interested people, he soon discovered a Lance family that was not quite the same as the rumors.

"The police chief is Lance's man…"

"The mayor and Lance are good friends…"

"The Lance family is the strongest gang in Goldport City, without a doubt…"

"Now they control the entire city's liquor sales and also run all the casinos…"

One piece of news after another gathered, and when the company's people were preparing to tail him the next day, they actually ran away overnight!

People who can reach the level of reserve cadre in a large gang are not fools. Peter knows that he cannot take down the Lance family, so he will not stay here.

Caution and prudence saved his life, but he plans to report this news to the gang.