Empire of Shadows

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In moments of extreme tension, a person can not only hear their own heartbeat but also the sound of blood flowing through their veins.

He used to hear people say that during duels, cowboys in the West, with their backs to their opponents, would experience this sensation at the moment they completed the last step, turned, drew their guns, and fired.

It was as if time would slow down, their vision would improve, allowing them to see every movement of their opponent, including their subtly trembling fingers and the lowering of their center of gravity to ensure a stable shooting posture—everything would slow down.

The sound of their own heartbeat would echo in their ears, thump… thump. And the sound of blood rushing through their veins, like flowing water! He had heard it, but he didn’t believe it.

Perhaps the heartbeat could be heard. He felt that way the first time he took off his first girlfriend’s pants; his mouth was dry, and his heart pounded against his skull like thunder.

Of course, that was definitely not an excuse for his first time lasting only a dozen seconds! But to say he could hear the flow of blood, he didn’t believe it.

He thought it was something cowboys made up to show a certain cowboy spirit and demeanor. “I can even hear the chatter of hundreds of millions of children, damn it!” But now, he believed it. Like flowing water, blood was rushing.His mind went blank for a moment. The hospital bed crashed through the ward door. He pulled hard, turning in the opposite direction he wanted to go.

The other end, however, turned precisely in the opposite direction. He ran with all his might, hoping to get his brother out before the others rushed in.

He didn’t have a grand sense of morality; he just felt it was what he should do. If, for some reason, he couldn’t do it, couldn’t get his brother out, he wouldn’t be foolish enough to stay. There was still a chance now, and he had to try.

“Gentlemen, this is Anbin…” Two security guards saw the people walking into the hall. They began to perform their duties, bracing themselves.

Capitalists didn’t care about danger; they only cared if the money they spent delivered the value it was supposed to. One person walked out of the security office, and the other picked up the phone.

He seemed to be preparing to call for backup from the resting security guards. But before the call could connect, a hand pressed down on the switch, and the phone, which had been making some noise, went completely silent.

The security guard in the security office slowly looked up. A dark gun barrel pointed at him, then waved to the side. “Come outside.”

He placed the receiver on the desk, slowly straightened up, and raised his hands. He noticed his colleague, already pressed against the wall, his face distorted, looking innocently at him. Both were ordered to squat in the corner, their hands and feet tied.

“We’re looking for a bastard. We’ll leave after we find him. We won’t harm anyone else here, but on one condition: don’t do anything stupid.” The two security guards looked outside. There were still many people out there. They exchanged glances, then lowered their heads and remained silent.

The young man standing in front of them pulled out two packs of cigarettes and shoved one into each of their pockets—the forty-nine cent kind. Although not particularly good cigarettes, at that moment, forty-nine cents was a very popular “good cigarette.” The two had no further objections and remained silent. Forty-odd dollars wasn’t enough for them to risk their lives.

Elvin directly pushed open the door to the emergency center. The doctor, sitting close to a young nurse, was whispering something to her.

He might have been giving the young nurse a physical examination and was engrossed in it. When he suddenly heard the door being pushed open, the first emotion on his face was panic, followed by shame and displeasure.

But soon, the displeasure turned into unease, and even a little fear. More men in black trench coats walked in from outside. They pulled back every curtain meant to protect patient privacy, checking if the person inside was the one they were looking for.

The doctor stood up. “Hey, this is the emergency center. You can’t do that!” He appropriately displayed some professional integrity, but not too much; he couldn’t be blamed.

Elvin strode in and stood in front of him, casually picking up some “reports” from the counter. “Someone with a gunshot wound just came in for emergency treatment. Where is he now?”

The doctor stammered, unsure whether to speak. He could tell these people were not good guys. Elvin put down the report; he couldn’t read it, but he could read people. “Are you going to sacrifice yourself for someone you don’t even know?”

Without any mental struggle, he chose to say what he knew. “He’s in a ward on the fourth floor, the one with ‘Emergency Ward’ written on the door…”

Elvin patted his chest. “Good job. That was easy, right?” He waved his hand, gesturing for the others to go upstairs, and he prepared to leave himself.

“I apologize for disturbing you all,” he said, glancing at the somewhat pale young nurse.

“I apologize for our actions. I hope we haven’t caused you any trouble. We’ll be leaving soon.” With that, he too left, and the emergency center returned to its previous quietness.

There weren’t many patients in the emergency center. Some were unconscious or in a coma; only one or two were awake. Even though it had returned to its previous quietness, the hearts of those who were awake could not return to their previous state.

The fourth floor wasn’t high. Compared to the slow elevator, the young men, running and rushing, arrived on the fourth floor earlier than the elevator. The moment they burst into the ward, they rushed back out. “He’s gone…”

Elvin placed his hands on his hips and glanced at the empty ward. “He couldn’t have gone far. The car is still here. He must have just…”

He suddenly noticed something, walked to the edge of the corridor, and picked up a lit, unextinguished cigarette butt, only half-burnt, from the corner of the wall. He picked it up, took a puff. The strong cigarette smoke entered his lungs, making him feel a bit more comfortable.

He slowly exhaled the smoke. “He’s still in this building. Find him!”

In the utility room, he looked at his good friend lying on the ground, blood seeping from his waist and abdomen, his expression somewhat pained!

Damn it, he had thought this was a simple job, but not only had their own man been injured, but the other side had located them so quickly.

He wanted to smoke, but he didn’t dare. He had hidden the hospital bed in the adjacent ward, then carried his brother into this utility room, hiding behind a shelf. T

he only thing he could do now was pray that they wouldn’t come in, or would just glance and leave.

Unfortunately, God in Golden Port couldn’t hear the prayers of people from Paradise City. The footsteps outside the door grew more numerous, and he could even see shadows constantly passing through the gap under the storage room door.

He didn’t even dare to breathe loudly, almost lying on the floor, holding his breath, drenched in sweat. The chaotic footsteps outside the door suddenly lessened, and he no longer saw shadows moving back and forth.

Had they left? He breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he looked at his still-unconscious brother, about to high-five him, the storage room door suddenly opened. Then, the opened light illuminated the entire storage room, and his heart almost leaped out of his chest!

At this moment, his mind was blank, and he could only pray that they would just glance casually, and not come behind the shelves.

But unfortunately, they searched very carefully. The footsteps grew closer and closer. He grew more and more desperate until a pair of shoes appeared in front of him.

He slowly followed the gleaming leather shoes upwards, noticing the well-tailored, straight trousers, the warm wool overcoat, and finally saw a person looking down at him.

“Found you!” The person then raised his voice. “They’re here!”

More people flooded in. Elvin also walked over. He glanced at the two people on the ground. “Take them away.” Soon, the group left the Anbin Hospital’s main entrance. They escorted the two men onto the bus, and then the group quickly disappeared from the hospital entrance, as if they had never appeared!

Elvin took them directly to the old house on the western outskirts, where there were fewer people, and everyone was afraid of getting into trouble.

The unlucky man, who had been sitting in the rocking car for an unknown period, finally arrived here, tense and uneasy.

He was pushed out of the car and shoved into what looked like a garage or warehouse, where waterproof tarpaulins covered the ground. The sudden burst of light made him squint. He was told to sit on a chair.

Elvin walked over, smoking. The others were scattered around, and there were people outside the door too. “You surely know why we’re looking for you,” Elvin said, pulling up a chair and sitting opposite him.

He didn’t speak, but he certainly knew, because they had abducted a girl earlier and shot and wounded a young man. When they wounded that young man, they didn’t even think anything of it.

He was just a young man, a young man from a small gang. Sam also had a transcendent status in Paradise City, and it was said that he was backed by some powerful figures, so they were accustomed to being reckless in Paradise City.

As long as they didn’t provoke those they couldn’t afford to provoke, no one could harm them. So for him, for them, they didn’t think shooting and wounding, or even killing, a young man was a problem.

Seeing his silence, Elvin looked around. “Who’s going?”

“I will,” the young man’s captain stepped forward.

This young, passionate, and dynamic social organization had not yet become corrupt. It was like a rising sun, full of care and unity.

This young captain felt a bit of self-loathing. If he had arranged for two more people to go with them, perhaps none of this would have happened.

He also hated these people. He took a pair of pliers and a hammer from the wall. This made the man somewhat inclined to give in, but he still wanted to try and see if he could endure it.

At least this way, after Sam rescued him, it would be easier to explain. It wasn’t that he didn’t resist; he did, but he couldn’t endure it.

The young captain held his pinky finger with the pliers and raised the hammer high… If he hadn’t been tied to the chair, he might have already been rolling on the floor.

He screamed in pain, but it was very quiet around them. There weren’t many people in the western suburbs, and even if someone heard it, who the hell would dare to come and see?

Most people would pretend not to know what happened, and once the warehouse door was closed, the sound wasn’t actually that loud. Elvin watched him struggle and scream in pain. Only when his reactions became less intense did he continue to ask, “Can you talk now?”

The young captain hadn’t fully vented his anger yet. He stood by, already reaching for the second finger. “You’d better not speak…”

“I’ll talk, I’ll talk!” he struggled violently again. It hurt too much. He had overestimated himself and underestimated these people. The young captain reluctantly moved away from him and stood against the wall, but he knew when to do what.

“It was Mr. Sam and Booker. They needed that girl. Someone placed a delivery order.”

Elvin thought for a moment after hearing this. “Red High Heels, right?”

“Yes, yes, Red High Heels…”

This matter was a bit troublesome. Elvin knew a little more than the others. He knew that Lance had rejected the mayor’s decision to assign Red High Heels to him.

In other words, no matter who was currently running Red High Heels, the mayor was certainly behind them. Other matters, Elvin decided on his own, but for this matter, he had to inform Lance.

The call quickly connected to Lance. Elvin briefly explained the situation. “What do we do now?”

Lance leaned against the headboard of his bed and lit a cigarette. Countless images and ideas flashed through his mind. He remained silent, and Elvin didn’t urge him. He himself felt helpless just hearing about it.

He was just a small figure, yet he was about to enter into a confrontation with the mayor’s forces. He couldn’t even imagine it, so he wouldn’t disturb Lance’s thoughts.

About ten minutes later, Lance’s voice came through the receiver. “Have Morris keep an eye on Red High Heels. Be careful.”

“Then arrange cars. When they send Lisa out, intercept them halfway. Take the person, the car, and their people. Be quick. Don’t give them a chance to conclude it was us.”

“Plan it at your discretion. See which route is faster and more convenient to get out of the city, and hide in Creek Valley City until I return.”

If he didn’t have Mr. Pasoretto as his backer, he might have considered other options, but he believed the mayor wouldn’t fall out with Mr. Pasoretto over something without evidence. And regardless of Mr. Pasoretto’s attitude on this matter, if something suddenly broke out and he didn’t protect Lance, then he wouldn’t possess the core elements to be one of the Federation’s five major families. As for later? First, deal with the matter at hand.

He had considered letting Lisa suffer first. Actually, that would be the best way, offending no one, only burdening Lisa. But he was unwilling to do that, not just because someone was watching this matter, but because if this wasn’t stopped, they would increasingly push Lance’s bottom line.

You don’t want it to get out of hand, do you? Then give in! Giving in again and again, he would eventually become scum, no different from Heller. Everyone is born with a bottom line, and that bottom line is abandoned through repeated experiences like this. Although he might not become a good person, he absolutely refused to be scum!

Elvin was a little worried after hearing this. “Will there be trouble?”

Lance had already made his decision, so he wouldn’t change it. “I’ll handle everything.”

Elvin felt heavy-hearted after hanging up the phone. He found Morris and told him what Lance had instructed. Morris immediately left with his men. He himself returned to the warehouse.

The unlucky fellow who had revealed the mastermind felt unusually relaxed now. Except for the pain in his fingers that made him frown occasionally, he felt much better. He knew Elvin was the leader of this group and directly asked, “When can I leave here?”

“My friend needs a better medical environment.”

Elvin stood at the door, squinting slightly at the man. He took a drag from his cigarette. “You can’t leave…” Before the unlucky man could show an incredulous expression, Elvin turned and left. His command came from outside the door, “Take good care of him. Wait for Lance to return.”

“You’re breaking your word!” he shouted, filled with resentment.

The young captain retorted, “Did we say earlier that if you confessed, we’d let you go?” He was somewhat startled, his mind beginning to ponder whether that was the case, but then a fist hammered his face, interrupting his thoughts…

The next morning, Booker limped over to Sam. “It’s all arranged. We can send her over anytime.”

Sam, holding a slender cigarette holder, squinted at Booker. “Then send her over. Remember, make sure they know we’re back!”

Booker nodded. He hurt everywhere. This Sam was a pervert! But he didn’t dare to speak up, only silently obeying. At this moment, he even started to feel that it would be better to remain in prison. He thought he was twisted enough, but compared to this pervert, his perversion was childish, like playing house!

At this moment, a modified van was already at the door. It had a giant red high heel on its side, and on both sides of the van, new advertisements were printed: “Red High Heels Club, The Best Club” and “If you become God, it must be because of Red High Heels.”

But there was no address, no phone number, no other contact information. People who could become members of Red High Heels had ways to get the contact information. And those who couldn’t even get the contact information basically weren’t qualified to become members of Red High Heels.

The mayor was very satisfied with the membership system he proposed, and they were not short of money, so they didn’t need to profit from the poor.

Lisa had already put on beautiful clothes, dressed up like an exquisite gift, and was placed in a large gift box. Beside her were many torture devices. Inside the compartment, there were also various costumes, and even some medicines and surgical supplies!

This was Sam’s request. Perhaps today’s client wouldn’t need it, but he had to know that the services Red High Heels could provide him were not as simple as he thought!

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