Empire of Shadows

The meal lasted for more than two hours, and it was clear they had all had too much to drink.

The most common thing people do in adversity is to reminisce about their glorious past, and memory can thus become a potent poison.

The recollection of the past made all three of them show some true feelings, including Bandy.

He had indeed been having a hard time recently. As soon as he thought of the past glory of the Five Families, a desire to return to the past would well up in his heart.

But the past is always just the past. When you open your eyes and the alcohol wears off, you’re back to reality.

He had reached an agreement with the two old-timers that they would form an alliance to let the younger generation of gangs know who was the master of the Golden Port City underworld.

But what Bandy wanted was more than just a show of fangs and claws.

After seeing the two guys off, he also returned to his car. Gorry brought a hot towel. He covered his face with it, and his whole body relaxed noticeably.

“Let’s proceed according to the plan…”

Gorry nodded. “Yes, I’ll give the orders immediately.”Only when the conflict and friction were intense enough could he get these people to “hunt tigers” with him.

Although the nightlife in the city center was not as vibrant as in the Starlight District, it was definitely not nonexistent.

It’s interesting to say that some people in the Federation have been trying their best to deny the existence of classes and the so-called class solidification, but in fact, everyone can see that classes do exist.

Including the ordinary people at the very bottom of society, they can also see the existence of classes at a glance.

Some people, as a family or even a clan, work hard for a lifetime, and their income is less than what some people have at birth. If you say that these two families are of the same class, I’m afraid even God would laugh his head off.

People are very clear about this, so the people of the Federation will strictly abide by the class system and class norms.

For example, the middle class only participates in nightlife in the city center and the Priliccia District. They rarely go to the Starlight District because the Starlight District is a consumer venue for the upper-middle class.

Even the middle class would feel a little strained when faced with a five-dollar glass of liquor.

As for the Bay Area, they would be even less likely to go. That was not a place they should be. Even just driving into the Bay Area would make them feel a faint sense of unease.

The consumption level in the city center and the Priliccia District where they lived was clearly more than one level lower. They could still afford a one-dollar glass of wine. Spending about ten dollars a night was not too strenuous.

But sometimes, some middle-class people would go to the Empire District to consume.

As the security of the Empire District continued to improve, and the price of liquor was the lowest in the entire Golden Port City, some middle-class people with not-so-high incomes liked this place very much.

Twenty-five cents for a large glass of beer, then find a place to sit down, eat some snacks, watch the strippers work hard and sweat, and then chat with friends.

The tips for a whole night were only one or two dollars, but it could let them experience the fun that would cost seven or eight dollars, or even dozens of dollars in other places. This was also full of attraction for them.

Lance had now closed some bars, but there were still some bars in operation. Every night, there were middle-class people coming from the city center to consume.

They were considered the main consumer group of the bars close to the city center. For the local people, fifty cents was their limit, but for these people, one or two dollars, two or three dollars a day was not a problem.

This was also one of the reasons why Lance wanted to take over the city center. Once he could do business with the middle class, it meant that his income would have a qualitative leap.

Of course, this day was indeed not far away. His plan was to deal with the Kodak Family, and then pull in the Pasoretto family to re-establish the rules of the game together.

Those who obey can continue to make a living in Golden Port City.

Those who disobey, either get out or die!

At a little after nine o’clock in the evening, several members of the Lance Family were on duty on the street outside the bar. They were responsible for the security of the bar, keeping a lookout, and also responsible for the safety of the bar’s customers.

Several young men were gathered together chatting. This kind of work was actually quite boring, with a minimum of four hours per shift.

There was no entertainment content. The streets were dark, and there were not as many people coming and going as during the day. They could only gather together to smoke and chat.

The bar had been open for a while in the evening, and now was the time when people were coming in. From time to time, some people would walk over from the surrounding alleys and then enter the alley where the bar was located.

The security of the Empire District made the nights here not so dangerous. The housing prices here had been rising, and were already relatively high in the downtown area.

Many people were very much looking forward to the future appreciation of housing prices. Some felt that it might become the second middle-class district in the future. The people living here were full of hope for this.

Lance had also heard this said, but he didn’t think it could really become a reality.

Because there were too many immigrants here.

This was a congenital deficiency. The people of the Federation always said how tolerant they were, and how willing they were to accept people from all over the world, but in fact, they were more exclusive than those stubborn countries and nations.

They were clearly also outsiders, but the first to arrive always excluded the latecomers, and would also despise and discriminate against them.

If the Empire District wanted to become the next middle-class district, unless all the immigrants in it moved out, it could only be the Empire District.

Several white-collar workers from the city center had arranged to meet after work and came here in the same car. They were old customers here.

They parked the car across the street and then walked over. At first, they were not used to it, but after a few times, they also knew that doing so was actually not dangerous.

Just as they got out of the car and were about to welcome a happy night, someone suddenly called out to them.

“You can’t go there.”

The few white-collar workers turned to look at the speaker, a guy in his thirties. They didn’t know each other.

“I don’t understand, sir.”

The white-collar worker who was driving looked at his companions. “Does it have anything to do with you where we go?”

The man continued to shake his head and said, “We have our own bars here. You can’t go over there.”

The driver waved his hand. “You should go see a doctor!” They said with a laugh and were about to cross the road, but were stopped by that person.

“I said, you can’t go over there…”

The few young men across the street frowned when they saw this scene. They could see the appearance of those people under the streetlights. They recognized them.

“They seem to be in trouble.”

Because they were customers of the bar, they were more concerned.

The few young men looked at each other and finally decided to go over and see what was happening.

They crossed the road and came to the side of the sidewalk over there. “Gentlemen, what’s happening? Is there anything we can do to help you?”

The white-collar workers breathed a sigh of relief. They also recognized these young men. He pointed at the person blocking them from crossing the road and said, “This person is crazy. He won’t let us go over!”

The few young men looked at the person. “These gentlemen are our guests. You’d better go and harass someone else!”

The young man who was speaking lifted his clothes, revealing the holster inside.

But the troublemaker was very tough. “A few fucking idiots who stowed away from god knows where, shut your stinking mouths. This isn’t your fucking country where you’re too poor to wear clothes. Get the fuck out of our country’s land!”

“And, this is our fucking territory. You’ve crossed the line!”

“Don’t fucking show me your dick. That little dick doesn’t scare me!”

At first, they didn’t react, but when the other party said the word “territory,” they reacted.

“Fuck, this is the Empire District!”

Looking at the map, the very rough dividing line between the Empire District and the city center just happened to cover this road.

You could say this was the Empire District, or you could say it was the city center. It didn’t have a very clear dividing line.

More people walked out of the shadows around them. They were all holding weapons in their hands, firearms, the kind that go “bang bang.”

The few young men who were clearly at a disadvantage took a few steps back. They were indeed a little scared, but Lance had also said that when faced with a life-threatening situation, a temporary retreat was not a sign of cowardice.

As long as you can regain your face, this is a smart choice.

They planned to retreat to the other side of the road and then call for people, but the other party clearly did not intend to give them this opportunity. With many dark gun muzzles pointing at them, they could only raise their hands.

The guy who had appeared first came up to them, pulled the weapons out of their holsters, and handed them to the people behind him.

He slapped the face of the young man standing in front of him with his palm. “You were very fucking arrogant just now, you know?”

The young man looked at him with his head slightly tilted. “You’re starting a war!”

“War?” The man’s tone rose slightly, and he couldn’t help but laugh out loud. He turned around and looked at the people behind him, as if he had heard a very funny joke. “He said I’m fucking starting a war!”

The people behind him also laughed, as if it was indeed very funny.

He turned around and suddenly punched the young man in front of him in the stomach. This punch was heavy and vicious, directly hitting the young man so hard that he couldn’t straighten up while clutching his stomach.

He took a step back, and with a forward step on his toes, he suddenly raised his knee. The young man flipped backwards and fell to the ground. Then those people rushed over and held these few young men on the ground and beat them severely.

Large and small leather shoe heels with shoe plates were fiercely kicked at their heads and bodies. The few young men were kicked until they kept letting out muffled groans, but no one ever begged for mercy.

After hitting them for three or four minutes, these people finally stopped, panting. The first person stuck out his tongue and licked the corner of his mouth, panting, while grabbing his collar and shaking it, and then spat on one of them.

“Next time you fucking dare to come to our territory, I’ll kill you!”

“Let’s go!”

The few white-collar workers were so scared they stood there and didn’t dare to move, and could only watch them leave…

About ten minutes later, seven or eight cars screeched to a halt on the side of the road, leaving faint brake marks on the ground.

Alan got out of the car and looked at the few young men who were leaning against the streetlight, beaten black and blue. He ran his hand through his hair.

He walked back and forth a few steps, then suddenly took a running start and kicked over a trash can on the side of the road.

“Who did it?”

This bar was now under his management, and these people were also his men. Since he had joined the Lance Family, he had never suffered such a loss!

One of the young men, while wiping the blood from his head, said, “They said, this is their territory, and told us to get the fuck out of their territory…”

“Fuck!” Alan cursed. “Send them to the hospital.”

He himself walked to a phone booth on the side of the road and dialed Lance’s number.

After all, a cross-district fight, this matter still had to be made known to Lance.

The call was quickly answered. Alan briefly explained the situation. Lance frowned after listening.

“It sounds a little abnormal,” he said, sitting on the sofa, with the others sitting beside him.

But he quickly frowned again, because in the afternoon, Figal had said he wanted to mediate, and he had refused. Then this kind of thing happened at night.

Although he felt it was very strange, but maybe Figal’s brain was really not good?

He was silent for a moment and lit a cigarette.

His mind was weighing the pros and cons.

In fact, no matter what the Kodak Family did, he would eventually take over the city center. Even if there were other problems, the city center had to be in his hands.

And the main territory in the city center was the Keane Family’s. In other words, there was an irreconcilable conflict between him and Figal, and they would have to fight sooner or later.

Now he was dealing with the Kodak Family. Would Bandy look for reinforcements?

He thought it was possible. The Five Families were, after all, a single entity in the eyes of many. And Lance believed that their continued growth would definitely attract Figal’s vigilance and dissatisfaction.

Maybe they had already colluded together.

In any case, he would inevitably have to fight Figal in the end. So now, did he still need to endure?

He asked himself.

In terms of hard power, he was not afraid of these people at all. There were plenty of refugees who were willing to pick up a pistol and risk their lives just to survive.

Not to mention that more Empire immigrants and illegal immigrants were coming here. He had no worries about finding people to fight for him.

In terms of soft power, Bruce had already firmly controlled the police department. With the help of the State Prosecutor’s Office, all the opposition had been purged.

With the power of the police department, he could hit Figal and his people so hard that they couldn’t even fight back.

Not to mention there was also a hidden Ponda.

He was not afraid of these people ganging up. So why endure?

After smoking half a cigarette, he stubbed it out in the ashtray. “Fight, fight hard. I’ll arrange for people to support you!”

After Alan heard this, he pursed his lips. He was a little moved, because as a “captain,” he had to be responsible for his own people.

Directly fighting across districts would obviously affect Lance’s pace, but he still supported him.

This made him feel the warmth of a family, and the care of an older brother.

He nodded vigorously. “Okay, I’ll wait for you.”

Lance hung up the phone. Hiram immediately raised his hand. “Me, me, me, me, me!”

Lance rolled his eyes and looked away from him. He jumped over and blocked Lance’s line of sight. “Me, I can’t sleep at night. It’s a good time to go out and get some exercise!”

The others all looked at him with a laugh. Lance could only agree in the end. “Alright then, be careful.”

Hiram slapped his chest. “It’s them who should be careful, not me!”

About ten minutes later, another seven or eight cars arrived, as well as four vans.

They knew the location of the Figal family’s bar, because there was a high degree of overlap between their customers, plus some other factors, so both sides knew the location of the bars in the border areas.

The group drove their cars directly outside the bar. The few people who were keeping a lookout outside the bar hadn’t reacted yet when they saw so many cars coming over. Hiram leaned out of the car window, holding his special submachine gun, and said with a big grin, “Good evening, motherfuckers!”

The cracking sound of the submachine gun instantly rang out, and the flames from the muzzle instantly illuminated a few panicked faces.

At the same time, the gunshots also alarmed the customers who were spending the night in the bar. They screamed and bent over, quickly leaving from the exit.

More than ten bar security guards and the like had just come out with guns, but were driven back by a hail of bullets.

Although Hiram didn’t quite understand why their resistance was so weak, but… who cares!

About ten minutes later, he was finally satisfied. He took one last look at the burning bar, and then got into the car.

The vehicles parked around the bar left in an orderly and quick manner, leaving only the raging fire!

At a little after ten o’clock at night, Figal, who had been asleep for a while, was shaken awake. He opened his eyes, turned on the bedside lamp, and looked at the person at the head of the bed with a look of annoyance. “What is it that you have to fucking wake me up now?”

He was still a little drunk, and because he had been woken up, he also had a bit of a headache.

He glanced at the clock on the bedside table. “It’s only fucking ten o’clock. Are you crazy?!”

But the person at the head of the bed was not crazy. He said with a grave expression, “Our bar was smashed, and also set on fire.”

Figal was stunned for a moment, and his eyes became a little clearer. He looked as if he hadn’t understood what the person in front of him was saying.

After a few seconds, he finally reacted. “Who the fuck did it?”

“I don’t know…”

“Fuck, which bar?” Figal sat up and rubbed his cheeks to make himself more awake.

“The bar on… road.”

Hearing this location, his expression became a little strange. “The one right next to the Empire District?”

Inexplicably, a face appeared in his mind, Lance!

“Yes, Boss.”

He leaned back on the head of the bed and thought for a moment. “Go and check. It’s impossible that there are no clues at all. Find out!”

More than ten cars moving without any cover at night would definitely have some witnesses. Not long after, he knew the truth. It was Lance who had done it.

He directly called Lance and cursed at him right away. “Were you deprived of oxygen when you were born?”

“Why the hell did you have to burn down my bar for no good reason?”

“I’m telling you, you think you’re so tough just because you haven’t met anyone tough. You’re in trouble, Lance, you’re in big trouble!”

“If you can’t give me an explanation, then I’ll fucking give you one!”

“Son of a bitch, fuck you!”

(End of a Chapter)