Empire of Shadows

“I’m in trouble!”

“Originally, I wanted to send my interview materials back, but they refused, and they even restricted my freedom.”

“I made a friend here, Ian. I’ll introduce him to you when I get back. He helped me escape.”

“We need to get out of here!”

Lance’s face was calm as he asked slowly and methodically, “Did you get some military secrets? Why would they lock you up?”

Some sounds came from the receiver, like urging sounds, and George’s heavy breathing.

“This place is completely different from what’s reported back home. Hundreds of people die every day. This place is hell!”

“They’ve woven a huge lie!”

“Our losses are heavy. I have to take these materials back. I have to tell people what on earth is happening here!”

“Those people, those young people, were deceived, induced. They joined the army, but they are sent to the front lines to die. This is not a just war, nor is it a necessary war, Lance!”“They are using the lives of our children in exchange for their stable power!”

“I want people to know the truth!”

Lance listened to the words that he had almost squeezed out from his throat, a smile on his face.

But it was a mocking smile.

He did not try to persuade George, because if George could have come to his senses, he would have come to his senses when his freedom was restricted.

As a result, not only had he not come to his senses, but he had also escaped from the command post with the help of others. This meant that he had already made up his mind.

Even at the risk of death, he had to make these things public.

Lance lamented his spirit, but he did not agree with his choice.

He casually opened a cigarette case, took out a cigarette, and tilted his head to light it. “How do you want me to help you?”

“I need a boat, a boat that can take us back. That’s the only thing I need!”

Lance considered for a moment and then agreed. “I will contact the local smuggling boats. Can I reach you on this number?”

“Yes, you have to be quick. They are looking for me!”

“Wait for my news!”

George left his phone number for Lance. Lance recorded it on a small card.

After he hung up the phone, he smoked his cigarette and shook his head.

The gentlemen sitting in the office all looked at Lance. Mello asked, “Should I make a contact?”

As the largest gangster organization in Likalai State, bar none, with their base camp occupying the port, the Lance Family had many connections in transportation.

In particular, now that Lance had taken over the port investment company and had become the largest individual shareholder of the Golden Port Docks, whether it was a shipping company or an international trading company, as long as they were loading and unloading goods at the Golden Port Docks, they had definitely dealt with the Lance Family.

With just a few phone calls, someone could help him solve this problem.

Lance looked up at Mello and shook his head.

He pinched the mouthpiece with his thumb and index finger and took it from between his lips. “When he decided to call me and drag me into this, he was no longer my friend.”

Looking at these people, he seemed to lean back in his chair. “When he went to the front line, I talked to him. This trip has no meaning and no value. Whether he finds out the truth or not, it will not bring any change.”

“He insisted on going. Not only did he go, but he also planned to expose the lies that the military and the federal government were hiding from the public…”

Someone laughed a few times, his tone also full of disdain.

The Lance Family’s cooperation with the military had given them a clearer understanding of how unreasonable and how tough the military was!

Not to mention that this war was also supported by Congress and the Presidential Palace. This George was planning to use the power of one person to fight against the entire country’s ruling class. How stupid!

“Now…” Lance raised his hand and swept it across the small card with the phone number recorded on it. “He still plans to drag me down. I can only go to the cemetery to see him more often during the New Year or holidays.”

Mello sat back down. Lance dialed Admiral Miles’s phone number. “That George, he ran away from the front-line command post with his materials. He just called me, hoping I can get him back.”

Admiral Miles, who had heard this news, was stunned for a moment, and then asked, “What are your thoughts?”

If Lance really wanted to protect George, they could let George come back alive, but the things in his hands would definitely need to be confiscated, and they would also have to arrange for someone to keep an eye on him.

As long as he dared to act recklessly and try to expose the front-line matters, they would have to shut him up.

He had thought that Lance would consider it this way, but it was clear that Lance was not so stupid. “He left me a phone number. Who should I give this number to?”

Admiral Miles was stunned again, but this time he reacted very quickly. “You can just give me the phone number.”

He couldn’t help but ask again, “Do you really not need to… you know, we can do this.”

Lance laughed twice. “Rules, Your Excellency General. If I break the rules, I will pay the price.”

“If you break the rules, you will also pay the price.”

“I have already warned him, but he still wants to break the rules. Then he must pay the price for his own actions!”

Admiral Miles thought for a moment and also understood this truth. “I see. I’ll call you when I have further news.”

Soon the two of them ended the call. At the same time, Admiral Miles was also a little annoyed. These good-for-nothings from the army couldn’t even keep an eye on a reporter.

While feeling a little embarrassed, he also felt that this was a good opportunity to mock the generals of the army.

Thinking of this, he picked up the phone. As soon as he opened his mouth, he was very rude—”I hear you let a reporter run away…”

The army general was very angry, so soon the major general of the front-line command was so scolded that he couldn’t lift his head.

But fortunately, they had gotten the current location of the two reporters. After discussing for a moment, they decided to lure George and Ian out, instead of searching for them.

What if they weren’t in that house, but were hiding somewhere else?

Once they are disturbed, they might completely escape.

Soon the front-line command had worked out a countermeasure. Not long after, a local picked up the phone and dialed the number.

He first spoke a few sentences with the guy on the other end of the line in a local accent, and then asked where the person who had just called had gone.

To say “just now” was actually about forty or fifty minutes ago. The guy on the other end of the line told him to wait a moment. After two or three minutes, the call was answered again.

The guy who was calling had already tried very hard to speak in standard common language, but it still carried some strange accent.

“Your friend has paid for your boat fare. At seven o’clock tonight, I will be waiting for you by the sea.”

“You go from… to… when you get there, you will see a small boat with a horizontal bar painted in red.”

“Remember, the boat will leave at 7:15 sharp, whether you’ve come or not.”

George didn’t even have a chance to speak before the call was hung up. He breathed a sigh of relief in his heart and had a new understanding of Lance’s vast connections.

Even at this moment, he had not realized what trouble he would bring if he really returned to the Federation.

For himself, for the people around him, and also for Lance.

There was a high probability that he would die in an accident. After all, many accidents happen every day.

Golden Port City might also welcome a major anti-corruption purge. A large number of officials would fall from power, and then the newly appointed mayor and police chief would decide to make an example of the Lance Family, to become the first battle to make a name for themselves.

In the end, the gangs in the city would be purged once. Those who could not escape would eventually be sent to the electric chair.

And as for Lance, who had provided George with a chance to return, even if he fled to other states, he would eventually be caught.

Because he stood on the opposite side of the entire country.

George had not considered any of these. Now his mind was full of wanting to report on these reports that could shake the entire Federation, and even the world.

And also the footage he had filmed. He wanted to let everyone see how cruel and terrible war was!

At this moment, he was like an extreme anti-war activist, only caring about the ideas in his own head, and not anything else.

He returned to his room and, with Ian, packed his things. At this time, it was still more than an hour before seven o’clock.

For being able to take a boat back to the Federation right away, the two of them did not show any pleasant surprise, nor did they relax.

The more at this time, the more careful you have to be.

At 6:30 in the evening, the two of them arrived at the designated place, but did not see the boat.

The summer in late May and early June got dark later. The sky was still bright here. They observed the surroundings and did not find anything wrong.

After about twenty minutes, a small boat came to the shore. After the two had observed for a while, they finally came to the side of the boat.

They had an agreed-upon signal. After confirming the signal, the two were invited to board the boat.

The moment they stood on the deck, both George and Ian breathed a sigh of relief. The two looked at each other and showed a smile.

The captain signaled for them to go into a room first, so as not to be seen by the people outside.

As the two of them were walking towards the room, George asked, “How long will it take us to get to the Federation?”

He was already a little impatient to get back to the Federation, to see this big news explode like a super bomb and send the society and public opinion of the Federation to the sky!

The room was very dark, and the lights were not on. Only some things could be vaguely seen. When all three of them had entered the cabin, the moment the captain turned on the electric light, both George and Ian were stunned.

In front of them was a row of soldiers with guns, federal soldiers.

Almost instinctively, George and Ian turned and wanted to escape. The door behind them, at some point, was also blocked by a group of soldiers.

The two’s faces were extremely ugly. They slowly raised their hands.

The military officer in charge of guarding George walked over with a grim face. He directly punched George in the stomach, making George clutch his stomach and curl up on the ground.

“You’re not escaping this time!”

(End of a Chapter)