Empire of Shadows

Soon, the soldier whose thigh had been shot through came over on crutches, supported by his comrades. He saw that Admiral Miles’s nephew was also here, and his scalp tingled a little.

In that situation, whether it was him or Carl, they actually had no “way out.”

There was a cliff in front, and a cliff behind.

If you jump forward, people will give you a thumbs-up and say “well done,” but if you fall backward, people will only laugh at you.

In fact, this kind of situation happens frequently in people’s lives. For example, a couple who are angry with each other say they are breaking up, and that neither should contact the other.

Even if they still have feelings for each other and still love each other, they are both holding their breath and are unwilling to be the first to bow their heads.

After they have each walked a long way forward, even if they stop again and look back, they will find that it is already too late.

Just like at this very moment.

The moment the gunshot rang out, the three soldiers were very regretful. Once a gun was fired, even if Carl were to be punished, their days would not be easy.

The army is a dictatorial, unreasonable place. If they think you are wrong, you are wrong.Forcing those girls to do things they didn’t want to do while they were relaxing, and even pulling a gun, and fucking getting injured!

This was typically unforgivable!

Carl also regretted it. He could have clearly solved it in other ways, but he had used the stupidest method.

Once a mistake is made, it is almost impossible to go back.

So when the three soldiers came over, their expressions were a little out of control. They looked full of regret and fear. These emotions were piled up on their faces, and they looked extremely stupid!

Lance walked up to the injured soldier and glanced at his leg. “Is it a serious injury?”

The soldier who had dared to be insolent and humiliate him in front of Carl was, in front of Lance, as docile as the girl they had tried to assault!

“No… I mean, yes, the bullet went through my thigh. A piece of my flesh was cut off.”

The bullet had tumbled in his thigh for a moment. Although the time was short, the wound it had caused was not light.

The doctor had used scissors and a knife to cut off some of the completely minced meat and then had stitched it up.

After the stitches were removed, his thigh would be one thick and one thin, but for him, it might not be a bad thing. At least when a landing battle was needed, people would not need him to charge at the front with a gun.

Lance nodded slightly. “I will compensate you with a sum of money,” he paused, and then, thinking about it, he directly took out his checkbook, signed a check for eight thousand, and handed it to him.

He looked at the huge number on it, a little at a loss, and then looked at the major next to him.

The major also didn’t know what Lance was going to do, but for the sake of the concession he had made, he nodded slightly and had the soldier take the check.

They all only noticed that this was an astonishing fortune, but no one noticed that this was the same as the current basic pension of the federal military.

“You too!” Lance gave the other two a check each. The faces of the two of them were blooming with joy. To be able to not get hurt and get eight thousand, this was fucking too lucky!

It was all thanks to their brother. They hoped that he could get a few more shots next time.

The two of them very politely said “thank you, Mr. Lance.” Then Lance put away his checkbook. Then his face changed, and he signaled for the colonel to give him his sidearm.

After the colonel hesitated for a moment, he handed his sidearm to Lance. Lance, with an expressionless face, released the safety and fired three shots in a row at Carl’s thigh.

The people in the room were all stunned. The soldiers outside also rushed in with their guns. The major raised his hand and signaled for them to leave.

Carl, biting his lip hard, only let out a muffled grunt, and did not scream in pain.

His forehead was covered in beads of sweat. He clenched his fists tightly, and the muscles all over his body were tense.

Fresh blood flowed down his pant leg. You could see the bloodstains constantly spreading downwards.

Lance put the safety on the handgun and returned it to the major.

He turned and looked at the three of them again. “Are you satisfied with this punishment?”

“He fired one shot, and I shot him three times. If you’re not satisfied, I can shoot him a few more times.”

Lance’s appearance looked very serious, but after the seriousness, the three soldiers all felt a chilling thing.

It was like a series of small knives, stabbing at their bodies.

This made the three of them even lighten their breathing, and they didn’t dare to look at Lance’s eyes.

Moreover, they had just taken someone else’s money, and now Carl had also been punished. They had gotten both their face and their substance.

If they were still ungrateful and didn’t recognize the situation, then they would be causing trouble for themselves.

In fact, they had already caused trouble. At this time, only the major vaguely understood something.

This money could be said to be compensation, or it could be said not to be compensation. This was the money to buy their lives.

The three of them shook their heads repeatedly, indicating that it was enough. They had forgiven Carl, and also admitted that they were also at fault in this matter. They were also willing to apologize to Carl for this.

Carl just gritted his teeth and looked up at the three of them. After just one glance, he lowered his head. He was afraid that these three, or the other military officers, would see the hatred in his eyes.

He still didn’t know how to hide his emotions well. If it were Mr. Lance, he would definitely be able to completely hide his emotions. He needed to continue to learn from Lance.

No matter what Carl was thinking at this time, Lance was more or less satisfied. At least they were acting according to a script they had not seen.

Lance nodded slightly, and then looked at the major. “Then I’ll take my men and leave first. Help me apologize to Admiral Miles. If we don’t send this fool to the hospital, his little life will be in danger.”

The major was silent for a moment, and then squeezed out a smile. “Do you need me to drive you?”

A military vehicle also had privileges in the city. It could run red lights and drive recklessly, but it was clear that Lance’s car could also do this.

He said with a smile, “Thank you, but there’s no need. My car is faster!” and then had his men support Carl and leave the room.

The major saw them to the door, and then watched them leave. He looked back and glanced at the three soldiers, his face turning cold.

He looked at the military police standing by the door. “Deal with them according to military regulations.”

After he had finished speaking, he went straight back to Admiral Miles’s office and recounted everything that had happened outside, including the matter of Lance himself shooting Carl three times.

Admiral Miles listened with a frown as his nephew recounted these matters. He looked out the window at the military port and was in a daze for a while.

His nephew, the major, waited by his side for a while before asking, “Do we need to ease the relationship with Lance?”

The admiral turned his head and looked at him. “How are you planning to ease it?”

“To find a reason to kick out those three fools and let him kill them?”

“Or do you or someone else take the initiative to go to his door with a gift and tell him that this was all a misunderstanding, and then turn a blind eye to his subsequent assassination or open killing?”

“Or do you think I, a naval admiral, also need to look at his face?”

The major gave a bitter smile and said in a low voice, “I don’t think it’s that bad.”

The admiral stood up and walked to the side of the window, and pushed it open.

It was directly facing the distant port and the parade ground.

On the parade ground, the densely packed soldiers were training under the scorching sun. The slogans they shouted, the military songs they sang, could still be heard even from here.

From a distance, it was a dense mass of people. These people, added up, were at least seven or eight thousand. He looked for a while and then turned around. The warships and military personnel outside had become the best proof of the weight of his epaulets!

“He’s just a gangster boss. If he can continue to bring us profit, we are good friends.”

“But if he wants to do something he shouldn’t, then we are not friends.”

“There are plenty of people in this world who are willing to be friends with us, understand?”

The major nodded, but he now also had many questions. “If Lance really makes a move on those three soldiers, what should we do?”

The admiral glared at him. If this weren’t his nephew, he would have this bastard go and swab the deck now!

“Don’t let those three fools out. As long as they go out, Lance will definitely make a move.”

The admiral returned to his chair and sat down heavily. He took out his pipe and tapped it on the edge of the table, and then filled it with new tobacco, pressed it down, and then lit it.

“So not letting them out is the best solution.”

The major asked again, “If they go out, and are also killed, then should we do something to Lance?”

The admiral shook his head. “He is protected by a congressman, and his influence is not small. Even if he really did it, it can only be like this.”

“Without evidence, we can’t do anything.”

This was the most troublesome place after having influence and status.

If Lance were a minor character, the kind of minor character like dust, he would not have any hesitation in killing him.

But now he needed to consider the thoughts of the congressional side, to consider the thoughts of the local mayor, the governor, and those people.

He also had to consider whether it would cause greater unnecessary trouble, for example, whether the Empire immigrant soldiers and the Slad immigrant soldiers would mutiny.

He had too many things to consider. It could only be said that if Lance really did it, then it was done. The friendship between the two sides would probably end here.

Unless there was a further push of interests to make them become friends again.

In fact, this matter would not have developed into this. As long as the admiral had taken half a step back and had directly handed Carl over to Lance, this matter would have been over.

But his words, both inside and out, had meant that he wanted to kill Carl in the naval base. How could Lance possibly let him do that?

Everyone had a reason to stand up for their own men. Since they were not willing to “let it go,” then they could only be at loggerheads.

In fact, in the end, it was still that Lance could not be valued by Admiral Miles. He did not take Lance seriously.

If it were someone else, a governor, or someone from Congress, or even someone from the Department of an

of Defense, then it would be another matter.

He glanced at his nephew. “Remember, don’t let those three fools out. This time, send them to the front line on rotation.”

“I would rather they die on the front line and come back wrapped in the national flag in the future.”

“I don’t want them to die in some stinking ditch. These fucking sons of bitches, they’re always causing me trouble!”

The major also sighed. “The work building over there…”

“Everything as usual. Have the military police go and patrol.”

This matter, it seemed, could only be like this.

Sitting in the car leaving the military district, Lance looked at Carl, who was doing a simple hemostasis. He lit a cigarette himself, took a drag, and then handed it over. “Do you hate me?”

Carl took the cigarette and took a drag, and shook his head. “I don’t.”

Lance raised his eyebrows and asked with a smile, “Why?”

Carl took another deep drag. The feeling of his lungs being filled with thick smoke gave him a sense of substantial satisfaction. While exhaling the smoke, he said, “If I hadn’t left there, I might have died there.”

Lance smiled and nodded. “You’re not a fool, Carl.”

“Compared to that friend of yours, you are undoubtedly much smarter!”

Lance was talking about Boni. Boni was a typical romantic idealist. He always felt that this world was beautiful, and that people should do some good things and were not willing to do bad things.

But he didn’t understand that if there was no black in this world, how would people know what white was?

Carl was much more real, and also much more realistic. No romance, no ideals, just wanting to live a better life.

He had helped that girl to a certain extent because he couldn’t stand the actions of those soldiers, but at the same time, for a part of the reason, it was because he knew that Lance didn’t like this, even if these girls were doing this kind of work here.

Carl smiled. His face was a little pale, and his lips had lost their color.

It seemed that being praised by Lance was something that made him very happy.

The hospital was not too far from here, a little over a ten-minute drive.

The vehicles driving on the roads of Golden Port City, when they saw Lance’s convoy, would take the initiative to move to the side to let Lance’s convoy pass first.

In fact, there had never been any rumors of Lance bullying ordinary people, but people still had some awe.

After arriving at the hospital, the doctor soon performed surgery on Carl. Thanks to his thin build, Lance had shot him almost at close range. The bullet had gone straight through his thigh without injuring the bone.

A piece of meat on his thigh also had to be dug out. It looked the same as that soldier. After it had healed, a piece would be sunken in, and his walking might be affected a little.

But compared to losing his life, this was already the lightest price.

Lance did not wait for Carl’s surgery to be over, because he knew that these surgeries were not dangerous, and he went straight back to the company.

Admiral Miles’s actions today had made him very unhappy.

He had given a lot of money, and had fed him full, but on these issues, he had first considered himself.

It could only be said that the current Lance, for Admiral Miles, was a person who needed to be looked at in the eye, but not a person to be respected.

Lance’s weight was still a little light.

“What are you planning to do?” After returning to the company, Elvin took the initiative to ask.

Lance pursed his lips. “They have already taken the money. They should pay the price for this money.”

Elvin was a little worried. “Then the admiral’s side?”

Lance thought for a moment. “He’d better endure it.”

He didn’t take Admiral Miles seriously at all. “Anything can happen on the battlefield. Who knows if in a month he will be ‘the admiral of the navy, Miles, the pride of the Federation,’ or ‘the sinner of the navy, Miles, who has brought shame to the Federation’?”

When Lance said this, there was no hesitation. Elvin was even shocked for a moment, but when he looked at Lance’s calm, as if he could really do it, gaze, he soon also became composed, and a faint smile even appeared on his face.

“I hope he doesn’t do anything stupid!” he said.

Lance smiled and pointed at him. “You’ve also become smarter!”

In an era without radar, where everything relied on eyesight, intelligence and information were particularly important!

The movie “Surprise Attack on Golden Port” was not just for shooting a movie, but more for realizing Lance’s own ideas. But at the same time, it might not be pointing out a path for the Dantra people.

Instead of being crushed back and forth by a million federal troops on the ground battlefield, and losing to the number of people and shells, it was better to open up another battlefield and pull the attention of the federal army away from the main battlefield.

Once the naval battle began, Golden Port City would be half a front line, and the real front line was actually still centered around Yalan. That was the main battlefield of the navy.

Lance just needed to find a way to send some news out, and he could destroy Admiral Miles’s line of the navy. And he believed that the congressional side would, on the contrary, be secretly laughing.

They would have not only removed a big mountain from within the military, Miles’s line, but would also have deepened and strengthened the Federation’s “great final battle” ideology. Even if they felt something was wrong, they would pretend not to know.

It was just that Lance could not tell Elvin or anyone else about these matters. He could only bury them in his heart. As long as Admiral Miles crossed the line, he would definitely find a chance to deal with him.

Lance paused for a moment. “We still have some friends in the navy. Check the identity information of these three people and find a way to force them to go home.”

If they hid in the naval base, Lance would have no way to deal with them.

But if they were to ask for leave to go home, then there would be a suitable way.

This matter soon spread among the refugee community, including the things that Carl had done.

Many of the Slad people spontaneously went to the entrance of the hospital to pray for Carl. It seemed that someone had said that he was about to die or something. In short, under the processing of the fluctuating emotions of the masses, God had already taken away half of him.

There were also some who had come to Lance’s side. They didn’t dare to gather, but they also took turns to come to the outside of Lance’s company and bow to the inside.

For the Slad people who were now at the very bottom of the Federation’s discrimination chain, for someone to be able to speak up for them, to uphold justice for them, was clearly regarded by them as a future pillar!

Slad’s terrible performance in the war had made the citizens of the Federation even more believe that the Slad people were not a “superior race,” so their status had dropped again and again.

The people of the Federation are just so realistic. They know too well how to find a sense of superiority from others.

This matter seemed to be over, but in fact, this was definitely not just the end, but precisely just the beginning!

Carl soon came out of the hospital and then came to Lance’s office. He gave Lance a kowtow, because Lance had, in a real sense, saved his life.

He had calmed down now, had become rational, and the more he thought about it, the more scared he became.

If he had really been left in the military camp by Lance, he might have already been thrown into the sea by them.

The kindness of saving a life is a debt that can never be repaid in a lifetime!

(End of a Chapter)

The novel has already been fully translated up to the final chapter. You can access it on my Patreon at /caleredhair