Empire of Shadows

In December, the weather was getting colder. The air exhaled when walking and breathing normally on the road could form a white mist.

It had been a week since the chief of the state police had been sentenced for dereliction of duty. The newly appointed chief of the state police was said to have been nominated by the Secretary of State, but this had not much to do with Carl, who lived in New Birmingham.

Everything seemed to have returned to peace.

He rubbed his hands and came out of the villa, with his wife, who was a dozen or so years younger than him, and their two children by his side.

He actually had two other children, but those two children already had their own families and jobs, and their contact with him was not much, limited to asking him for some money to spend when they were short of it.

Carl had divorced his first wife and had married his current wife. He liked this woman very much and was very good to her.

The young mistress snuggled up to Carl’s side, and the two children also ran laughing in front of them.

Today was the weekend. A new restaurant had opened in the city. It was said that the taste was not bad, and many of the city’s celebrities had dined there and had given good reviews.

Because it was a reservation-only system, Carl had made a reservation a week in advance.

For this meal, he and his family were all very much looking forward to it, especially his wife. She was already thinking about how to show off to her friends the best delicacies she had enjoyed in the best restaurant.If there were something like WeChat Moments, she would definitely be a social media expert.

The prepared car was parked outside the villa. With the advent of the era of huge profits caused by Prohibition, Carl and his men could also be considered to be living a good life.

He had bought a villa, a luxury car, and the pockets of his subordinates were also full of money.

Compared to the ordinary, ignorant citizens who complained about the gentlemen, Carl would thank the gentlemen’s policies every day for finally letting them eat their fill.

The Empire immigrant gangs were never the mainstream, mainly because they lacked some important elements.

The gangs of the Summurian people are very strong, because the policy of Summuri is to encourage outward migration, and to encourage the people to form gangs to compete for benefits.

From the four major families on Summuri Island, it could be seen that the ruthlessness of the Summurian people was brought from their roots. They had lived in such an environment, so naturally they also knew what to do in a new environment.

They were also not like the gangs of the other few large ethnic groups, who all had their own characteristics, and their own inheritance.

The Empire immigrants had no inheritance.

The emperors and nobles of the Empire had never encouraged outward migration, nor had they encouraged people to form gangs. If it weren’t for the overall progress of the world’s civilization, perhaps the people of the Empire would still have to thank the fact that they were the wealth of the nobles, which had prevented them from starving to death.

Such a group that had been subjected to class exploitation and oppression for a long time would find it very difficult to produce any particularly strong immigrant group.

Even if there were some that could be called gangs, they were all just small-time.

Without a big backer, without a big background, the development would be difficult, but fortunately, it was all in the past.

”Run slower, my dear, don’t fall!” he looked at the two children running towards the car and couldn’t help but call out to them to run slower.

The two little ones, dressed in fluffy clothes, were very cute. Fortunately, they were not like him, who was fat and bald, and not good-looking.

The two children responded loudly, ”I know,” but they did not slow down at all and rushed into the car.

”These two rascals!” he sighed, with a look of a father’s helplessness.

The couple walked to the side of the car and got in. The space in the car was very large, enough for everyone in the family to have a spacious space.

He swayed his body from side to side a few times to make himself more comfortable. ”Are you going back with me after dinner?”

He asked his wife. The woman was fiddling with her handbag. ”No, I’m going to get my skin care, and then I’ll play cards with my girlfriends a little later. I’ll be back a little later.”

Carl nodded. ”I see. I’ll take the children to their grandfather’s then.”

His wife did not object. She also knew that her husband was a busy man.

Along the way, everyone was chatting idly, without any theme. Looking at the quiet city outside the window, Carl would sometimes seem a little absent-minded.

”You have something on your mind!” After he had been caught daydreaming once, his wife asked.

In Carl’s mind, the image of Ennio had instantly appeared. The man who had claimed to be a cadre of the Lance Family had contacted him, had told him about the living conditions of the Empire immigrants on the Likalai State side, and had also mentioned the person Lance White.

He liked this kind of atmosphere very much, Empire immigrants and Empire immigrants together, helping each other.

But... sometimes some things did indeed make it very difficult for people to find the right direction. At the end of last month, he had made a choice that he had thought was very correct at the time, to stand on the side of the lieutenant governor, the chief of the state police, the chief of the city police, and the highway patrol.

And also the gangs around him.

On the other side of them was only one guy, which was the Lance Family. His choice actually had no problem, from the perspective of that time.

But now, this previously correct choice might have a little problem.

He came back to his senses and blinked. ”It’s nothing, my dear. I was just thinking about work.”

His wife did not continue to ask, because she also did not understand the management of the gangs, let alone those criminal businesses.

”As long as you’re not thinking about other women, it’s fine!” she secretly pinched her husband’s little autumn autumn with her hand.

Carl shivered and pushed her hand away, and said in a low voice, ”Are you crazy? The children are still here!”

His wife smiled and shook her head, with a provocative look.

This was perhaps one of the reasons why he liked this woman. Not only because she was young, not only because her figure was good, not only because she was beautiful, but also because she was sometimes very crazy and could bring him an unprecedented stimulation!

Unlike his ex-wife, who would only do the missionary position, with no fun at all, just like fucking punching in at work!

The car soon stopped outside the reserved restaurant. The manager in charge of receiving the guests, after checking their reservation information, led them into the restaurant.

”Every guest is our most honored guest. We understand and are willing to respect our guests’ privacy. I have noticed that you have reserved for dinner tonight. Please come with me...”

He said some things that sounded very professional. The family of four followed behind them.

Originally, Carl’s two bodyguards had intended to follow, but were stopped by the manager.

”If everyone brings their own bodyguards, butlers, drivers, and secretaries in, do you think that’s a good idea?”

”And your reservation is only for four people, so I can only let you in four people.”

Carl looked at his wife and children with some difficulty, and then at his bodyguards. Then he turned and walked towards his bodyguards. ”Give me the gun.”

The bodyguard gave his handgun to Carl. Carl had not carried a handgun with him for a long time.

Mainly because he was too fat, and wearing a handgun would not look very good. It would bulge out.

On the other hand, he had already reached the point of starting to live a life of luxury. He was no longer personally in charge of the fights and killings. These were all the responsibility of his subordinates.

He put the gun in his pocket. This way, with a handgun, his sense of security was much greater.

Then he and his family entered the restaurant.

The restaurant was not like a traditional restaurant with an open hall. They were guided to a separate room, which looked very artistic.

Maybe they didn’t quite understand the word ”artistic,” but they would feel very comfortable, very high-end.

Sunlight streamed through the open light well, illuminating a small courtyard of a dozen square meters. Flowers, plants, and stones filled the space, giving it an indescribably pleasant atmosphere.

Their dining spot was right beside the open courtyard. While setting the table, the manager smiled and said, “When it rains, dining here feels especially comfortable.”

”The rain will flow down through these places and drip onto the tiles on the ground. Sometimes the sound they make is like playing the music of nature!”

The whole family showed a look of amazement. Then the manager took out a menu and let them order.

The price of the dishes was indeed not cheap. The cheapest dish was ninety-nine cents. Some of the main dishes were on average about twenty or thirty, thirty or forty.

Like a truffle-roasted venison, which was actually close to two hundred. The things here were so fucking expensive!

Carl’s wife had never worried about money. She had casually ordered some food, whatever was more expensive.

Although Carl had money, and could afford it, his heart still ached a little. After all, he had been poor.

But there was a reason for being expensive. The best ingredients and the best cooking techniques. Every dish had brought this family an experience they had never had before.

Even if there were some things they had eaten in other restaurants, what they ate here was a completely new experience and feeling!

In short, besides being expensive, these foods were still worthy of such an expensive cost!

After settling the bill, the family left the restaurant with full satisfaction.

Just as they came out of the restaurant, the cold wind blew on their faces, and it was a little unbearable.

Carl subconsciously looked to both sides. He did not see his bodyguards, but their car was still here.

He walked to the side of his car and pulled the car door, but it didn’t open. He felt a little uneasy. He looked at the streets on both sides, which had no pedestrians, and a touch of fear surged in his heart.

At this time, a few people came from the street not far away. They were wearing soft felt hats, and long, dark-colored trench coats. The brim of the soft felt hats blocked the light from the streetlights or something from falling on their faces. You could only see their jawlines.

Besides this, the most conspicuous thing was the red armband on their left hand.

They were from the Lance Family. When he had seen Ennio, he was also wearing such attire.

”Fuck!”

”Run!”

”Run fast!”

He pushed his wife, pulled his children, and ran towards the other end of the street...