Empire of Shadows

In the late hours of the night, the people who had gone out had returned one after another, some of them still cursing under their breath.

They had gone to the casino.

It was hard to come to Golden Port City and not visit the Golden Port Casino. In the travel magazines of the Federation, the Golden Port Casino had already become a must-see attraction for visitors to Golden Port City.

Even if you didn’t gamble, you had to go in and play a little, to see one of the largest casinos on the East Coast.

To see a life of extravagance and debauchery!

Think about it, from the moment you enter the lobby, you are surrounded by young, beautiful girls and handsome boys. They are wearing clothes specially made for them by the company, which accentuate their physical advantages to the greatest extent.

Whether it’s a male or female escort, they can give every guest who comes here the greatest, most extreme enjoyment!

Everywhere you look, there are players squandering money. The concept of wealth here is really just like what is said in those books, just meaningless numbers.

But everyone’s mind is crazily revolving around these numbers, going mad!

Every day, many miracles of wealth are staged here. Sayings like “entering the casino with twenty dollars and leaving with twenty thousand” are a dime a dozen locally, all pointing to this huge casino.This is a place of miracles, but also a place of sorrow. Every day, many people will also lose their last penny here, and will even borrow from loan sharks, and then lose the loan shark’s money as well.

But in any case, as long as you come to Golden Port City, you should come and see, and take a look around.

So these motorcyclists and gangsters from the north, those of them who were interested in gambling, also went to the Golden Port Casino. Here they felt the feeling of their blood boiling in their veins!

From time to time, the happy and crazy laughter of a certain player could be heard, or the questioning of some people who were unwilling to accept the result.

Everyone’s mind was constantly changing with the gambling utensils in the dealer’s hands.

And just in this one afternoon and evening, this group of people had basically lost everything.

“Fuck, that dealer was definitely cheating with the poker cards. He kept winning!” someone still couldn’t help but complain. He had been complaining all the way!

The person next to him was also complaining, but it was about another matter. “Why don’t we have Lance Poker over there?”

“Is this a new game they just launched?”

“This is so much fun, much more interesting than those other poker games.”

“Did you see the hand of the guy in seat four?”

“He had a single card, but he scared away the biggest pair. This is too interesting!”

“Luck is no longer the key to determining victory or defeat. There is also the psychological contest of the game. This kind of game should really be popularized quickly!”

There were also others among them who had played Lance Poker, and they all liked this gameplay very much.

The contest of intelligence made them feel that they were not fools. If someone could also scare away someone else’s big hand through some intimidation and other means, then they would be even happier!

They discussed everything in the casino, and even forgot the fact that they hadn’t eaten dinner yet.

The strong mental stimulation made them feel no hunger. They were now only thinking about those exciting game matches.

The group returned to the motel. The motel here was very cheap. You could get a bed for only twenty cents. Each room had eight beds, because this was an industrial district.

The most numerous people in the industrial district were not the rich, but the ordinary people who worked here or were looking for work.

At the same time, the flow of people here was not small, and it was very mixed.

There were locals, illegal and legal immigrants, and now there were also refugees.

Living here would not be so conspicuous. No one would care why these people who looked like they were not to be trifled with appeared here.

After they had all gone in, a man on the stakeout got out of his car. He walked to the side of the phone booth and dialed a number.

About ten minutes later, a dozen or so cars arrived here.

It was late at night now. Lance had also come over to have a look. Of course, he would be on the periphery, not running inside.

As they surrounded the motel, one of them walked into the yard next door. He found the motorcycles of those motorcyclists.

Although these motorcycles had keys, the keys of this era could only guard against gentlemen, not villains.

The locksmith just fiddled in the keyhole with two special tools, and soon one of the motorcycles was picked.

“Stay away,” a newly appointed captain instructed. He watched the locksmith leave for a distance, then forcefully stepped on the starter and at the same time gave it some gas.

Amidst the rumbling and choking sounds of the motorcycle engine, it started.

The “thump thump thump” sound from the exhaust pipe traveled far in the quiet night. The motel was a three-story small building. A few of the rooms on the second floor that had already turned off their lights suddenly lit up, and the faint sound of cursing could be heard.

Then a few windows were pushed open. The shadow on the motorcycle twisted the throttle, and the motorcycle drove out of the parking lot.

“Fuck, someone’s stealing our bikes!”

A few people ran downstairs with their things. Jordan also woke up from a hazy dream.

He rubbed his eyes and walked to the window to look outside. It was dark outside and he couldn’t see anything, but he could vaguely hear some sounds.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Someone under him said with a laugh, “A motorcycle was stolen. I don’t know whose it is.”

The cars they had driven over were the property of the gang, but those motorcycles were personal property.

So these people who had come by motorcycle were so angry and worried. Jordan also couldn’t help but show a smile.

Before they came, he had said, don’t fucking ride a motorcycle for such a long distance.

But these people just wouldn’t listen. They just wanted to have a spontaneous ride!

They had wasted so much time on the road, and it was also because of these sons of bitches. It was either a flat tire, or they ran out of gas on the way, and they had to drive their car to a gas station to get gas back for them to add.

Or they couldn’t stand the wind and had to slow down. Otherwise, they would have arrived in Golden Port City long ago.

“Serves them right!” Jordan said, and returned to his bed and lay down again.

This kind of thing would only happen in Golden Port City. In the northern cities, many people knew about the Death Angels. Those motorcycles all had the Death Angels’ logo.

Any thief, as long as their brain wasn’t messed up, wouldn’t casually steal the property of the Death Angels.

What’s more, no one would buy these motorcycles, unless they didn’t plan to live.

These vicious and violent gangster groups were often very extreme in their treatment of those who were “not afraid” of them. It seemed that only in this way could they make everyone afraid of them.

But here, they didn’t have such a great reputation. Not even a few people knew them.

“Holy shit, it was my bike that was stolen. He hasn’t gone far. Brothers, chase after him!”

The riders immediately rode their motorcycles and chased after the place where the engine sound was coming from in the distance. The lights in the rooms on the second floor were turned off again.

They did not feel any sense of crisis, but just felt that… this was a small interlude.

When those who were riding motorcycles had gone far away, the people who were surrounding the motel began to approach the motel. Hiram did not rush to the front line either. Although he really wanted to, he also knew that he was actually not quite suitable to rush to the front line anymore.

As the scale of the Lance Family grew larger and larger, everyone’s status, power, and influence were also rising.

They no longer only represented themselves, but also the “small groups” that surrounded them.

For example, the low-level gang members who had come for this operation were all on good terms with him and his group.

When there was a mission, Hiram would take the initiative to find them, and they were also willing to work with Hiram and his group.

The scale of the family was constantly expanding. While expanding, it seemed that at the same time, one after another, invisible walls were appearing, separating some people from others.

In the beginning, there were only Lance, Elvin, and Ethan. There were only about twenty of them in total.

Everyone was a brother, and they were all very familiar with and understood each other.

But now, they could no longer recognize everyone. They hadn’t even heard of many of the gang members.

The formation of small groups was also something that would inevitably happen during the expansion of the family.

In order to ensure the future of these people who were risking their lives with him, Hiram also began to restrain his impulses.

The group of people he valued were also ruthless characters.

Besides the people who were guarding outside, the others all entered the motel quietly with their weapons.

The motel owner, who was dozing off, saw the figures moving. Just as he was about to cheer up and ask if they needed a room or had any other needs, he suddenly shivered, and all his sleepiness disappeared!

The cold eyes of those people looked at him as if he were a dead man. One of the young men made a shushing gesture, and at the same time, with a “shh.”

The owner immediately covered his mouth, indicating that he would not make a sound.

He noticed that those people had red armbands on their sleeves, and his fear dissipated a little.

He had never heard of Lance’s people harming innocent people, unless they were provoked first.

The owner didn’t think he would offend the Lance Family, so tonight, it had nothing to do with him.

He let go of his hand and said softly, “Do you need my cooperation?”

The young man shook his head with a smile. “You just sit there.”

As they spoke, they went upstairs. The lights that those people had turned on just now had let them remember those few rooms. They came to the corridor, and the surrounding area was filled with the faint sound of snoring.

But it wasn’t all. If you listened carefully, you could also hear some moaning sounds.

There were refugee women from the vicinity working here. Each time it was only one dollar or even just a few dozen cents. This price was very cheap even in the Port District.

For the workers who were engaged in heavy physical labor every day, they were actually used to the physical fatigue. It was mainly the psychological fatigue.

They couldn’t see the future. Everything was shrouded in the black smoke from the chimneys. There was not a single bit of light in their lives.

They needed to vent, they needed some stimulation.

And these women in the cheap motels who needed help became their best choice.

They helped others and received a moral reward. At the same time, they also solved their psychological pressure through venting. Everyone got what they wanted—

The owner of the motel rented out a single room. Those refugee ladies got a fortune that could ensure that she and her family could fill their stomachs. And those workers also relieved their inner anxiety.

No one here suffered a loss. Everyone got what they wanted, and society became stable because of it. But the federal government thought this was wrong and illegal.

But those gentlemen were doing similar things with the power in their hands, yet it became a matter of romance. Sometimes you really don’t understand this world, which side is real.

The young man’s hand was on the doorknob. He looked at his companions outside the other two doors and gestured with his hand.

Three…

Two…

One!

The three of them almost simultaneously turned the doorknobs of the rooms (because someone had gone out, so they had not locked the door from the inside), and at the same time turned on the electric lights in the rooms.

The people lying in the rooms were once again illuminated by the glaring light. Some cursed and turned their heads to lie with their backs to the light, while others directly covered their eyes with their arms.

But there were also some who sat up in a huff.

“Can’t you fucking…” he suddenly stopped talking, because the person in front of him was not his companion, but a handgun.

The dark muzzle of the gun was pointing at his head.

At this moment, his heart was agitated, but also calm. He didn’t even have the action of going to find his own handgun, but just looked at this person who was holding a handgun and pointing it at him.

He wanted to ask if he could smoke a cigarette before he died, but the next second, a bullet blew off half of his face. He fell onto the bed with a thud.

The sound of a gunshot can travel far at night.

The first gunshot was like a signal. Soon, fierce gunshots rang out, but only for a while, lasting less than ten seconds.

Then everything became quiet again.

Everyone in the entire motel was woken up, but no one dared to make a sound.

In the last few rooms in the corridor, those who had been moaning just now also closed their mouths at this moment.

The young man held a handgun in his hand and looked around. His gaze fell on a slightly trembling arm.

He walked to that bed with his gun. The person on the bed had been shot twice in the chest, his eyes were closed tightly, and he was motionless. Even his chest was not rising and falling much, as if he were really dead.

But strangely, his hand was still trembling slightly, trembling uncontrollably.

He looked at the person. It just so happened that he was blocking the light from shining on the face of this “corpse.” He just looked.

Time sometimes passes very quickly, but sometimes it is very slow, just like at this moment.

After a stalemate for about ten seconds, the “corpse” finally couldn’t stand the huge pressure and suddenly opened his eyes, but what awaited him was another bullet.

The young man checked around again before putting away his handgun.

Soon someone came up with a body bag to put the corpse in. These corpses would be dealt with overnight and would not become a source of panic for the citizens.

Now Lance paid great attention to the “experience” of the citizens.

This kind of work certainly didn’t need the young man to do it himself. He walked downstairs, lit a cigarette, tilted his head and glanced at the owner, and walked over.

“I’ve broken your bed and wall panels, and I may have to trouble you to deal with those beddings and clean up the bloodstains.”

The young man had a cigarette in his mouth and squinted. He tilted his head slightly, letting the cigarette butt point upwards, so that the smoke from the cigarette butt would not smoke his eyes.

It is very uncomfortable to be smoked in the eyes by a cigarette. It is very spicy and very uncomfortable.

He took out a wad of banknotes from his pocket, all in fives. He counted out ten and placed them on the table. “Including their accommodation fees.”

The owner was not afraid and was still refusing. “This is too much. You don’t need this much.”

The young man took the cigarette from his mouth and showed a mouthful of white teeth. “You’d better take it.”

The owner’s expression froze, but looking at the half-smiling smile on the other’s face, he sighed. “Alright…” he took the money and was silent for two seconds. “Thank you.”

The young man raised his hand and waved it, and walked towards the outside.

He walked to a car parked diagonally opposite the road, flicked away the half-smoked cigarette in his hand, and then bent down and looked towards the back seat of the car. “Boss, it’s done.”

“Is anyone injured?” Lance asked.

The young man shook his head. “No, they didn’t even have time to react.”

Lance nodded slightly. “Well done.”

The young man was very modest. “It is our honor to be of service to you!”

Lance laughed. “Do a good job, and everyone will have a chance!”

At the same time, the few motorcycles that had chased out finally cornered the car thief in a remote open space. The car thief also stopped his car and just stood there.

“Fuck, keep running!”

The guy whose bike had been stolen got off the back of his companion’s motorcycle, casually pulled out the dagger from his waist, and was about to go up and teach this car thief a lesson.

But the next second, many bright car headlights suddenly lit up, making him squint his eyes. The people behind him also squinted their eyes. Their eyes couldn’t adapt to the strong light so quickly.

But they didn’t have a chance to adapt either.

A few seconds later, gunshots rang out.

The car thief just stood there, silently watching those people being riddled with bullets.

After the gunshots ended, he walked to the side of the body of the person who had walked towards him, bent down and picked up the dagger in his hand, a look of “I like this thing very much” on his face.

Then he also pulled off the scabbard and put it in his hand.

He walked to the side of the road and dialed the number of another phone booth.

In the dark night, the motel, where a fierce gunfight had just broken out, was quiet opposite, without a single bit of noise.

The phone in the phone booth on the side of the road suddenly rang, which made some people who were already afraid feel an inexplicable sense of horror.

The phone was quickly answered, and then quickly hung up. The person who answered the phone returned to the side of Lance’s car and bent down. “Boss, those riders have all been dealt with.”

Lance nodded slightly again. He then looked at the driver in the front seat. “Let’s go back.”

The vehicle slowly started. A few other cars in the distance also started up and formed a convoy with Lance’s car, disappearing into the night of Golden Port City…

(End of a Chapter)