Empire of Shadows

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Eric had always looked down on Lance. If Lance hadn’t been so “well-behaved,” he would have found a way to get rid of him long ago.

However, seeing that he knew his place and knew how to make money for him, he thought he was actually quite good to Lance—I can tolerate you continuing to appear before me, isn’t that the greatest mercy?

For… those in power, it is so.

Ever since Eric could remember, rumors about the mayor and his relationship had always existed, and he had become the object of many people’s fawning.

The mayor was married, but he and his wife never had children, which made Eric’s position even more important.

People who seemed decades older than him acted like… children in his presence, which caused his self-confidence to swell to an unprecedented level.

He knew why this was, and he often told himself not to be too proud, but there was no helping it; it was impossible not to be proud.The most profound memory he had was from when he was a child, around six or seven years old, he couldn’t remember clearly.

Because his age was far less important than what happened next.

At that time, his uncle the mayor was not yet the mayor, just a city councilman, but a city councilman with backing and a legacy.

He was equivalent to the likes of Councilman Wade or Councilman Williams in Golden Port, wielding immense power.

That day, he was playing by the door when an adult who looked to be in his forties found him and gave him many toys.

He knew the purpose of these adults’ actions. At that time, he made an outrageous request—”I want to ride on your back and play at war.”

The green grass underfoot was lovely and tender, but the soil soaked by the rain felt uncomfortable. Just stepping on it, one could feel their shoes and feet slowly sinking.

Under his gaze, the “adult” first tried to laugh, but the smile froze halfway on his face.

His expression became very complex and changed rapidly. At that time, he didn’t know this was an internal struggle; he just grew impatient.

“If you don’t play with me, I’ll go find someone else to play with!” he said.

A person who was something like a butler and was in charge of him also prepared to shoo the man away.

Then he, this adult, dropped to his knees on the grass with a thud. Mud stained his hands and expensive clothes, but his face was wreathed in smiles.

To this day, Eric still remembered the way the man flattered him, “Young Master Eric, please, climb on!”

He had a very happy time that day, and the “horse” also had a very happy time. He served Eric very comfortably.

This man was now a powerful figure in another city because he had successfully gone through his uncle the mayor’s connections.

This incident gave Eric a very special set of values: in the face of his uncle’s power, no one could stand forever.

Even if some of them could still stand while talking to his uncle now, one day, they would kneel.

Even those big shots had once been his toys, so what right did a nobody from the gutter like Lance have to stand and speak to him?

This was the source of Eric’s arrogance.

Of course, he would still show respect to governors, state congressmen, and even bigger figures, because he knew that in the eyes of those even bigger figures, he was no different from the “toys” in his own eyes.

But Lance was clearly not a big shot yet.

He could feel the impatience in his own tone, but this was his truest thought.

What the f—k are you looking for me for?

Lance wasn’t angry at all, instead smiling cheerfully, “Young Master Eric, I heard some news. Fleming somehow found out that our casino is still in operation.”

“He plans to bring people to smash the casino and the nightclub in two days.”

“I don’t know how to handle such a big matter, so I could only tell you first. Maybe you’ll have a good idea.”

Eric was stunned for a moment, “You’re not kidding?”

There was a hint of doubt in his tone. Would they really dare to do that?

Lance guaranteed, “I swear on Johnny, it’s all true.”

Eric didn’t ask who Johnny was. He must be someone very important to Lance, right?

People in the Federation usually swore on the most important person or thing to them, like swearing on their family, or their toys.

Eric was silent for a moment, “Well done, I understand.”

He paused, “When the time comes, you arrange for some people to be there…”

This time, Lance interrupted him, “Young Master Eric, I’m just a small fry, but this time our opponent is one of the Five Families. I get scared just thinking about it, I can’t even muster a shred of a will to fight.”

“If it weren’t your business, with you and… Mr. Mayor as a solid backup, I would have already fled overnight.”

“So I think it’s best if you handle this matter personally…”

After hearing this, Eric found it somewhat absurd, then cursed “Useless,” and asked, “It’s in two days, right?”

“Yes, Young Master Eric.”

“Good, I’ll handle it myself when the time comes. I want to see if they dare!”

The casino was too important!

Eric couldn’t lose it. The “exorbitant profits” of several thousand a day made it impossible for him to pull himself away.

If he lost this income, he would soon lose the joy of his current debauched lifestyle.

It was only in these past few days when he wasn’t orbiting Shayna that he discovered he actually had a lot of disposable income every day.

This money could buy him things many times more joyful than winning Shayna, which also made him less clingy with her.

Moreover, he now saw this as a challenge from the locals to him and his uncle. He could not run from the challenge, because he represented not only himself, but also his uncle!

After hanging up the phone, he returned to the living room, where there were many young people who were clearly drunk.

These people had all come from his “hometown” in the last two days. Their fathers and the mayor had once been good partners. Some of them Eric already knew, but there were also some new friends.

Challenging the locals was not a simple matter. The addition of Chief Dell only gave the mayor the qualification to challenge the local order.

Although qualification is a manifestation of strength, he couldn’t just have Chief Dell and his agents act as the mayor’s thugs, could he?

This dirty work definitely needed someone else to do, and this time the mayor had a strong desire to redevelop the New Port District.

It was no longer a question of whether developing the New Port District had value, but a final showdown between him and the local order!

So this time, the people who came to support him were not just capitalists, but also gang members from his hometown, who were arriving in batches.

With the mayor backing them, what did they have to worry about?

The prosperity and wealth of Golden Port had long made people salivate. Now that there was a chance to get a piece of the pie, no one would be left behind!

The adults socialized with adults, and these young people naturally socialized with other young people. A large portion of them surrounded Eric, which was something they were used to doing.

“Eric, you don’t look too happy?”

Seeing him return grumbling, someone asked.

Eric explained what had happened, “These locals have bullied us for years, and now they even have to call me before making a move. They’re really shameless!”

The others chimed in, and someone suggested, “Eric, when the time comes, we’ll bring some people to help you. It’ll be a good chance for us to see just how impressive these ‘locals’ are.”

The frown on Eric’s face vanished. He raised his glass high, “Haha, good, it’s settled then. Let’s show these locals the strength of us brothers…”

After hanging up the phone, Lance looked at the old tailor to the side. The old tailor’s health had not been good lately; he had been coughing constantly due to the cold weather.

The original plan to open a tailor shop for him in the city center had been delayed until now, but as the weather began to warm up, his condition improved.

Once he was a little better, Lance would help him realize his dream of opening his own shop in the Federation.

At this moment, he was wearing glasses and staring intently at a few photographs. After Lance sat down, he asked, “How is it, is it difficult?”

The old tailor blinked his dry eyes and looked up, “Mr. Lance, there’s no technical difficulty. If you don’t require the fabric to be exactly the same, we can rush to make at least four sets tonight.”

A smile appeared on Lance’s face, “Then I’ll have to trouble you with this matter.”

He glanced back at the four men standing by the wall. These four were all veterans from the Empire. They were tired of the civil war and came to the Federation after Elvin’s people contacted them.

Previously, their leader, a man named “Mador,” had spoken with Lance. The rebel army, in order to fight for power and profit, had actually given up attacking the royal family’s last bit of resistance at the final moment and instead began to kill each other.

So he brought these dozen or so battle-hardened veterans to join Lance. He couldn’t stand the scoundrels who used people’s enthusiasm to overthrow the royal family for their own gain.

During this time, he had been helping Lance train the gang members, teaching them how to use firearms correctly.

Not everyone knows how to use a firearm, and certainly not everyone knows how to use one correctly.

These men happened to fill this gap.

This time, Lance gave them a new task. Because they didn’t show up often, no one knew they were Lance’s men.

The people in the photographs in the old tailor’s hands were all members of the Kodak family. They wore roughly the same attire. Lance needed a few sets of these clothes.

And this was also a test for Mador and his men.

The old tailor and two new apprentices began to measure Mador and the others, recording the measurements in a notebook. The rest of the work became much simpler—just wait!

Two days passed in a flash. On Thursday morning, Eric woke up early, and around ten o’clock, he arrived at the Empire of the Night nightclub with a large group of people.

Lance was not there, hiding far away to avoid getting splattered with blood.

They toured the first and second floors. The place wasn’t open for business yet, so there was no telling how lively it was. It wasn’t until they reached the third floor that they felt the “every second is money” atmosphere!

It was only morning, yet five gambling tables were already crowded with people. They clutched wads of cash, shouting at the top of their lungs as they threw their money onto the tables.

This made some in their group itch to join in.

Looking at such a lively scene, Eric couldn’t help but feel a little proud, “A small business, just enough to earn some pocket money.”

Then they went to the office on the fourth floor.

Sitting in Lance’s chair, they chatted for a while. Someone suddenly had a suggestion, “Eric, fire that Lance guy. I’ll arrange for someone to do it, you just give him a salary. That way you can save some money and be more at ease.”

“After all, we’re all our own people.”

Eric didn’t even hesitate for more than a few moments before agreeing, “No problem!”

He had already started to fantasize about things like an “Eric Family.” He was just an illegitimate son; he would not inherit his uncle’s “political legacy,” so from the beginning, he had no hope of becoming a great politician.

At the same time, a dozen cars sped through the roads. If not for the license plates telling the traffic police whose convoy it was, they might have been stopped more than once.

Everyone in the cars was expressionless. They carried clubs and some handguns.

The main goal of this operation was to “smash,” not to completely destroy or kill, so not many firearms were needed.

Just before noon, the convoy stopped outside the steps of the Empire of the Night nightclub. Instantly, many pedestrians in the area sensed that something was wrong and scurried away.

A large group of people, dressed in roughly the same clothes, carrying either clubs or hatchets, did not look like good people. They first gathered together, then walked up the steps in unison.

Lance was in a building across the street at this moment. He was holding still-warm fried small fish, eating while watching the show over here.

He didn’t plan to kill Eric today. Eric still had some use, but he would collect a little interest first!

As this group entered the nightclub lobby, at the very moment they crossed between light and shadow, their eyes would be briefly unable to see clearly.

And at this very moment, four men dressed similarly to them, also carrying baseball bats, emerged from a visual blind spot behind the open doors and joined their ranks.

No one would question why there were more people next to them. The people in front couldn’t see them, and the people behind could only see the backs of their heads.

And the people next to them couldn’t see them clearly.

Just like that, they easily blended into the group.

One group, not many in number, went to the first floor. They were responsible for smashing and destroying all the performance equipment on the first and second floors, making it impossible for the nightclub to operate normally.

A much larger group went directly to the third floor.

By the time Eric got the news, he was already waiting in the third-floor hall with a large group of people. Their side also had dozens of men, so Eric wasn’t afraid at all.

What, would they dare to hit him?

You know, because he got hit, the chief of the Starlight District precinct had already been dismissed!

Even Chief Charlie had been severely scolded by his uncle!

And that was when both sides had restrained their emotions. If he were to be beaten up again, one can imagine the consequences. Even the Kodak family would have to be cautious!

When the doors to the hall were violently pushed open, Wolfley’s cousin didn’t realize that Eric’s group had brought so many people. How did they know?

The cousin wasn’t sure, but he knew that things had just gotten a little troublesome, because Eric was also here.

Eric was initially a little flustered, but seeing that this group didn’t dare to make a move just because he was standing here, he became arrogant again.

He pushed aside the few thugs protecting him and walked to the middle of the two groups, “This is my turf!”

He pointed to the red carpet under his feet. These past few days, he particularly liked to speak using the tone and words of these gangs. He thought it was cool and could show off his manliness.

“If you’re here to play cards, I welcome you.”

“But if you’re here to cause trouble, I can only say you’ve come to the wrong place.”

“I’m standing right here today, let’s see who dares to touch me?”

His arrogance made those behind him burst into laughter. Even Eric himself couldn’t help but laugh; he found it extremely amusing.

He didn’t know if others could feel his joy at this moment, but he was truly happy.

Until… a buzzing sound rang in his ear, followed by a sharp pain that not only stopped his laughter but also his ability to think.

He fell down instinctively, lying on the ground, his mind a complete blank!

Mador didn’t know Eric, but he had seen a photo of him. He didn’t care who Eric was, who the mayor was, or who all these people were.

He only knew that if he wanted to live well in this city, for now at least, he had to listen to Lance.

Lance gave them high wages and a place to live, and even promised to find a way to bring their families over.

With their own abilities, they couldn’t do it.

The men at the docks were people who could only save a few dollars a month. If they became like that, it would be impossible for them to bring their families over in their lifetime.

So never mind that Eric was Eric; even if Eric were the president, they would not have stopped their bats.

But it had to be said, the quality of the Federation’s baseball bats was really good!

Mador swung with all his might, the whooshing sound of the wind in his ears. This small scene was nothing compared to the battlefield!

Eric’s screams and the frantic swings of the four men seemed to snap everyone’s nerves. After four or five seconds, when Eric cried for help, the pause button was finally released!

“F—k, get them, save Eric!”

Wolfley’s cousin still didn’t know how things had developed like this, but since both sides had started fighting, he had no chance to retreat.

Because he didn’t just represent himself; he also represented the face of the Kodak family.

But his face was extremely ugly at this moment. He glanced at the four guys who were still ganging up on Eric. When he got back, he would definitely make these four guys pay!

But now… with a wave of his hand, he said, “Get them!” The family members around him immediately joined the battle, and soon the place turned into a chaotic brawl.

Lance tossed the last of the fried fish into his mouth, chewing it up bones and all. He picked up the phone, covering the mouthpiece with a handkerchief.

“Is this the city police department?”

“I want to file a report. A Mr. Eric has been attacked at the Empire of the Night nightclub by a group of people from who-knows-where…”

“Yes, that’s right, that Mr. Eric!”

***

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