Empire of Shadows

The chips were new, round, and smooth, with denominations of twenty, fifty, and a hundred. Lance wasn’t entirely sure if they could be considered cash.

He told Ethan to keep an eye on Mr. White and took two chips downstairs to a payphone, dialing the number Fordis had given him.

Soon, the receptionist’s sweet voice came through, “Thank you for calling Lianzu Finance. How may we help you?”

Lance could imagine her speaking in a disinterested tone while doing something unrelated.

“It’s Lance. I need to speak with Mr. Corti, or Fordis would do.”

Recognizing Lance, her tone shifted sharply, and she shouted, “Fordis, phone for you!”

Heavy footsteps approached, and soon Fordis’s voice was on the line.

“Having trouble?” he asked. Fordis assumed Lance’s call meant things hadn’t gone smoothly. Maybe Mr. White was missing, or simply refusing to pay up. He’d seen plenty of first-timers run into these issues before.

But he was wrong.“Mr. White agreed to pay, but only with chips. I’m not sure if they’re worth the full amount.” Lance described the chips’ appearance and the small print on the back: “It says ‘Kodak Family’ on them.”

Fordis laughed, “No problem at all. Kodak Family chips can be cashed in at their counters with no proof needed.”

He paused, curiosity getting the best of him. “How’d you get him to pay up?”

The company had sent people after this debt before, but they hadn’t managed to collect. Otherwise, Lance wouldn’t have been assigned to the case.

“I reasoned with him. Mr. White’s a reasonable guy, so he agreed to settle the debt.”

“Do I need to give him a receipt or the contract back?”

“No need, Lance. Bring the chips and contract back here. The company has people to handle the follow-up. Don’t steal their job.”

“I’ll pass the good news on to the boss. Quick work—you might just surprise us all!”

Hanging up, Lance returned upstairs and, in front of Mr. White, counted out thirty-five hundred dollars in chips.

“This is what you owe the company, so I’m taking it.” He glanced at the remaining chips. “The rest is yours. I’m only taking what’s due, and I despise rumors—understand?” Ṙ𝐀ɴоᛒĘ𝙎

Sitting slumped on the couch, Mr. White nodded, looking defeated. “Yes, I understand. I won’t say anything.”

“Good,” Lance handed the paper bag of chips to Ethan. “Sorry to have taken up your time, Mr. White. Have a nice day.”

Mr. White looked anything but happy and was unlikely to enjoy the rest of his day.

Leaving the apartment, the three of them headed back to the company in high spirits.

On the way, Elvin asked what had happened upstairs, and Friend A and Friend B were buzzing with excitement. Ethan was still giddy, saying, “Just one glare, and they ducked back inside like turtles pulling into their shells!”

“I thought someone would call the cops or try to stop us, but nothing happened!”

Lance, steering the car, chimed in. “That means the Federation citizens aren’t as tough as we thought.”

“If you’re weak and back down to them, they’ll keep pushing you. But if you show you can hurt them and aren’t afraid of their threats, they’re no stronger than anyone else.”

“So, don’t be scared of the Federation people. They’re just like the cowards we know. If you’re strong, they’re weak.”

“If you ever find someone won’t back down, it’s not because they’re unafraid—it’s because you’re not fierce enough.”

The words sank in, a powerful lesson that felt true and proven.

Soon they arrived outside the Finance Company, and Lance led them inside, suggesting they rest in the lounge. But seeing the intimidating characters in the lounge, they opted to wait in the hallway instead.

In the office, Lance set the paper bag on Alberto’s desk, who opened it and quickly counted the chips, displaying a meticulousness that left no room for error. He counted down to the last fifty-dollar chip.

“Thirty-five hundred—perfect!” he confirmed, looking at Lance with a nod. “The White I know isn’t exactly a reasonable man. Mind telling me how you convinced him?”

Lance settled into the chair across from him, looking relaxed. “We started by talking about the Jingang City Sailors. Turns out he’s a baseball fan, too. Then we chatted about cooking.”

“We found common ground, so communication got easier. I asked him where the money was, and he told me, ‘In the flower pot.’ Simple as that.”

Alberto laughed heartily. “I bet he never wants to see you again!”

He paused, then pulled out three fifty-dollar chips from the stack, pushing them toward Lance. “Here’s your share.”

Alberto knew White had the money; his own casino staff kept tabs on high-rollers. Gamblers rarely bargained over interest or repayment terms but only cared about getting enough chips to return to the table.

Rumor had it White had recently won over four thousand dollars at the Kodak Family casino, an amount equivalent to a hundred months’ pay for a regular worker. The Finance Company’s initial attempts to collect had failed because White wasn’t liquid, but Alberto always believed that with enough persistence, he’d get the money back.

He hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly—Lance had accomplished it in half a day.

“I’m excited about your next job, Lance,” Alberto said after a pause. “We usually reward our agents five percent, and you’ve earned it here. But this next task might be trickier than White’s case.”

Alberto explained the second “job.”

“Mr. Anderson runs a restaurant in the Bay Area. Last year, he hit a rough patch financially and came to me for help.”

“Now, he denies ever signing a contract, refuses to pay interest or repay the principal, and has even sued us.”

“If we approach him directly or harm him, he’ll file charges. Our lawyer says there’s a high chance we’d lose.”

“So this one’s different from White’s. You can’t use force. Understand?”

“You can’t hurt him—not even threaten him. You’ll need to get creative.”

“If you can solve this, I’ll double your reward.”

“No matter what you recover from him, I’ll give you ten percent!” Alberto held up both hands to emphasize his excitement.