Empire of Shadows

Gudong...

Gudong!

His heart had never pounded so violently!

A police officer stared with wide eyes, in disbelief, at the guy who was snatching the baton from his hand. His mind, in an instant, had lost the ability to think!

It was as if a lamb, waiting to be slaughtered, had suddenly opened its bloody maw. The upper and lower levels of the food chain had been reversed. All of this had happened so incredibly!

Whether it was the police, or these people who were attacking the police, their pulses were all becoming frantic!

”Fuck you!”

Before the police officer had reacted, along with a curse, a fist had landed on the bridge of his nose.

His nose had been severely hit. The sour feeling and the hot, rolling current that had been produced in an instant had made him subconsciously let go of the baton in his hand. Then, the person who had snatched it had raised the stolen baton high, and had brought it down heavily on the police officer’s head.

In that instant, he had finally understood what the people who had been hit by his baton had felt.The whole world seemed to be spinning. He couldn’t even stand steadily. He had almost subconsciously bent his waist, bent his legs, and stuck his butt out, spreading his hands to lower his center of gravity, wanting to stand steadily.

But the world was still spinning. Even if no one around him had touched him, in the end, he had swayed and had fallen to the ground.

Just one blow had caused some problems with his sense of balance. This might require a period of treatment to recover, but it was clear that the people in front of him had no intention of letting him have time to recover.

Soon, fists, shoe soles, and all kinds of things were concentrated on his body. The police officer could only hold his head and curl up!

He had wanted to shout for help, but the shoe soles that were landing like raindrops had made it impossible for him to shout. And he also knew that even if he had shouted, it might not have been useful.

He could only do his best to protect himself, but it was of no use. Someone had jumped up and had fiercely stepped on his body. He had felt his ribs break.

The intense pain had made it difficult for him to breathe, and was accompanied by an urge to vomit.

The next second, he had suddenly vomited, a mouthful of blood.

But the people around him did not seem to be planning to let him go. Through the gap between his two arms, his eyes, which were looking at the outside, were also full of despair.

And regret.

Maybe he regretted hitting people. Maybe he regretted coming here today. Maybe he regretted many things.

However, regret could not change what was about to happen.

At this time, the people who were attacking him had an incredible emotion surging in their hearts. They looked at the people around them. The police, whom they had once thought were invincible, were now, at their feet, like a child who had been beaten to tears!

In an instant, a surge of strength had been injected into their bodies from their feet. They were originally much stronger than they had imagined!

The hot blood had begun to rush to their heads. A young man had rushed two steps and had kicked the police officer in the waist, but the police officer’s reaction was not strong. He had already fallen into a coma.

The perpetrator had, in the end, become the only one who was injured in this conflict, and those who had previously been at the low end, being exploited and oppressed, had now become the perpetrators.

Their identities had, at this moment, been reversed!

Pedro, in the chaos, had helped the woman up. Looking at the completely chaotic crowd around him, he had originally wanted to say something, but had realized that now was not a suitable time.

The woman was helped up by Pedro. She was saying words of thanks, and Pedro shook his head. ”Take care of yourself, and only then can you take care of your child. Don’t risk yourself next time.”

”If you die, there will be no one else to take care of your child like you.”

”If you want to protect him, you have to protect yourself.”

The woman had thanked him repeatedly. Pedro just smiled. ”I have to go. I also need to get some food. Take care of yourself!”

He turned and led his wife and children towards the city. They also had to go into the city to find some food.

He had just taken a few steps when he stopped.

He had found that some people had taken the initiative to come to his side.

He was a little vigilant and had hidden his wife and children behind him. This action of his had immediately made the group of people who were approaching them also stop.

One of them, a middle-aged man of about thirty, stood out. ”We... want to act with you.”

Pedro did not completely trust him, and still looked at him with a suspicious and vigilant gaze. The middle-aged man had no choice but to continue to explain, ”We are from the same place. Just now, we saw you were the first to stand up, and we feel that you are like a hero.”

”And...” a somewhat embarrassed and shy smile appeared on the middle-aged man’s face, ”we are all illiterate, and you look...”

He had not finished his sentence, but Pedro knew what he was trying to express.

His attire had made him look like an intellectual. Many people, when they were facing a problem, would often turn to those who were knowledgeable, at least the knowledge they had was much more than that of an illiterate person.

With a reasonable explanation, the somewhat dangerous expression on these people’s faces had instantly softened. Although he had not completely let down his guard, he still showed a smile, and extended his hand. ”Pedro.”

These people all shook hands with him one by one, and also introduced themselves.

For some reason, Pedro had a feeling that this group of people was his ”team.”

They had begun to stick together and had walked towards the city. These people had also brought some of their women and children. The leader, the middle-aged man, Saen, their village and the city where Pedro lived were actually not far apart, only a distance of thirty or forty kilometers.

This distance, if placed in some large cities, it could be said that they were from the same place.

The close proximity had also made the relationship between Pedro and them a little closer.

”The situation in the village is very bad. We have been out of food for many days.”

Saen’s expression was a little grave. ”They have dug up all the potatoes. Some people have been poisoned, but in order not to go hungry, people have still found a way to swallow all these things.”

The potato pieces that had sprouted and had begun to grow, after the fully grown parts had been dug out, the rest had all gone into boiling water and had been boiled continuously.

After being boiled until they were completely mushy, they were eaten as a soup.

After a long period of high-temperature cooking, a part of the solanine would be destroyed, but not all of it.

Some people were fine after eating, and some were poisoned. In fact, this had a direct relationship with the temperature during cooking.

But the people in the countryside did not know these. They just instinctively steamed and boiled. As for whether they would be poisoned, they could only leave it to fate.

It was said that Saen had said that there were also some who had mixed in a lot of grass leaves and some soil, to reduce the content of the mashed potatoes and to reduce the danger of poisoning.

In short, now, the things that could be eaten in the fields near the village had basically all been eaten. They were so hungry that they had no choice but to come to Zhuolan to try their luck.

Everyone’s situation was basically the same. If they were not extremely hungry, who would be willing to come to Zhuolan?

Pedro and his group were walking outside, letting the women and children walk in the middle.

As they were walking, Saen asked, ”Pedro, do you think we can find food in Zhuolan?”

Pedro was silent for a moment. ”I don’t know.”

He glanced at the people around him, who were a little younger than him. His own eyes were also a little lost. ”I don’t know if the president and the ministers have discovered these problems, and I don’t know if they have considered how to start to solve this problem.”

”The best way is to mobilize some of the reserved grain, to let the people have a bite to eat as soon as possible, and then to arrest those who have taken the opportunity to hoard grain.”

”Although our food reserves are not much, we should be able to get through the current difficulty.”

”If the president and our ministers don’t mess around.”

He did not say it with full certainty, and at the same time, he had also passed on a thought—

The problem can be solved, but the problem is the person who can solve the problem. Does he want to solve it?

Saen and his group didn’t quite understand these. They just knew that what Pedro had said seemed to make some sense.

The roadblocks on the outskirts of the city had been pushed flat. A large number of refugees had begun to enter the city. The police chief, seeing that the situation had already begun to develop in an uncontrollable direction, had, on the one hand, had the police to, as much as possible, block these refugees on the outskirts of the city, and on the other hand, had called the Presidential Palace.

Diego was enjoying his favorite iced fruit juice.

He had specially imported a huge ice maker from the Federation. This ice maker only served him and some of the ministers, providing ice cubes all year round.

Even in the winter, Diego needed to drink iced fruit juice.

His physique was relatively fat. Just a casual movement, and it was as if there was a ball of fire in his heart. Only the iced fruit juice could press this ball of fire down.

When the phone rang, he had just finished a glass, and the strong, fruity aroma was still lingering in his mouth.

It wasn’t him who had answered the phone, but his butler.

After two minutes, the butler had come to his side. ”Master, it’s a call from the police chief. Some refugees are entering the city.”

Diego frowned. ”Didn’t I say to block these refugees outside the city?”

”How did this good-for-nothing let them in?”

The butler did not explain. This was not his responsibility. He just bent his waist, and then lowered his head, in silence.

Diego had motioned for him to bring the phone over. Then he had picked up the receiver, and had begun to lose his temper.

”How did you handle it?”

”Didn’t I say not to let these refugees enter Zhuolan?”

”They will make a mess of this beautiful city, and what do you want the federal people to think of me?”

”What do you want the people of the other countries of the Yalan League to think of me?”

”Fuck!”

”Go and solve these problems!”

”Before you have handled it, don’t let me hear any more bad news about these things!”

The police chief was afraid that this great president would suddenly hang up the phone. He quickly said, ”There are too many of them, Your Excellency President. Our police officers are very limited, and it is very difficult to control them.”

”And these people have already attacked the police in the marginal areas of the city. A small number of police officers are unable to control them.”

Diego could hear the meaning in his words. Can’t control them, not enough manpower. These are all excuses. He has a deeper intention to express.

”What on earth do you want to say?”

The police chief lowered his voice a little. ”I hope... when necessary, to be able to use weapons.”

The police department also had guns, but these guns were all locked in a cabinet. Only with permission could they be taken out and distributed to the police officers.

Most of the time, the police officers did not need to use weapons. A baton was enough.

Many of the batons in the hands of the police officers were ”treasures” that had been passed down for several generations. Just as a president’s son is still a president, a pariah’s son can only be a pariah.

A police officer’s son is still a police officer. They will take over their father’s job, so a good baton is not just a handy tool for them, but also a symbol of identity.

In Rapa, there were also places and professionals who specialized in making batons for the police officers. The batons they made, as long as they were properly maintained, could often be passed down for many generations.

In the past, the problems they had encountered, the police officers could solve them just by taking out their batons, but this time, it was not possible.

So the police chief had applied to Diego for the right to open fire.

To open fire was not a small matter. Diego was very cautious and did not immediately agree.

”Has the situation gotten so bad?”

The police chief took a deep breath. ”Your Excellency, there may be more than 100,000 people who are entering the city, and there are even more who are rushing over from the surroundings. We are under a lot of pressure.”

”Zhuolan only has a little over 3,000 police officers. We still have to protect some of the government departments. The number of people who can be used to solve this matter is simply not enough.”

”They have already made a move on the police. If we don’t equip the police officers with weapons, they are simply no match for these people.”

When Diego had heard this, his brows had already been tightly knitted. He stood up, supporting himself with the armrests of his chair, and had swayed back and forth a few steps.

The butler’s expression had been very serious all along, and the two maids in the distance were also the same.

Before, someone had, because they couldn’t help but show a smile, been dealt with by Diego for some reason.

He hated it the most when others laughed at the way he walked. He also knew how comical and ridiculous his swaying appearance looked—

Once, a circus ringmaster had brought a few penguins for an exhibition. Diego had never seen a penguin, so he had had someone invite the circus to the Presidential Palace to perform for him alone.

The penguins had come on stage as the last act. The moment he had seen the penguins come out of the box, swaying, he had been convinced that this circus ringmaster was mocking him!

So he had had the circus ringmaster fed to the lions he was raising, and then had had all the other animals sent to the Zhuolan zoo.

He cared very much about other people’s attitude towards him, but he was not willing to lose weight.

”How long will it take for us to mobilize the army into the city?” he asked the butler.

The butler thought for a moment. ”About seven to eight hours.”

The military district of Rapa was not in Zhuolan, but in a place to the north of Zhuolan. This arrangement was also to prevent, in case some ambitious man in the army appeared, Diego from having no countermeasures.

But this had also given him a bit of a headache now. ”I remember there is a branch of the army stationed in the city.”

The butler nodded and said, ”There are only about 500 people. 500 people cannot suppress this riot.”

Only then did Diego put the receiver back to his ear. ”Alright, go and do it.”

”I’ll give you the authorization, but I also hope that you won’t let me down.”

He hung up the phone and then dialed the number of the military district. ”Bring your men to Zhuolan. There’s a riot here that needs you to solve.”

He put down the phone and sat back in his chair. After being in a daze for a while, he poured himself another glass of iced fruit juice.

The ice cubes clinked back and forth in the golden goblet, and the rich, fruity aroma had, in an instant, filled the entire room.

Diego had not yet realized that this was not just a riot.

In the cities further away, the cities that could not, in a short time, come to Zhuolan, people had already begun to head out into the wild.

When hunger begins to run rampant, humans are even more of a locust than a locust!

There are also tropical primitive jungles in the territory of Rapa. For so many years, they had known what could be eaten, and what could not.

A large number of people had left the cities and had entered the wild. They had stuffed everything they could eat into their mouths, or had hoarded it.

People’s fear of going hungry in the future would inevitably make them continuously hoard grain. This was a vicious circle.

Now they still had things to eat, but what if they couldn’t find anything to eat?

In the end, their target would always be only one place, and that was Zhuolan.

In the minds of these people, as long as they reached Zhuolan, everything would definitely be fine.

The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. When the disappointment reaches a certain degree, they will deny reality.

The entry of the ”outsiders” had made the atmosphere in the city of Zhuolan a little more tense. The number of people on the streets had become much less. Many people had returned to their own residences and had closed their doors and windows.

The hotel had also given Lance a call. The general meaning was to hope that Lance and his staff could stay in the hotel.

Now there might be some threats outside. The hotel’s side also had a security team, of about a hundred or so.

Although a security team of a little over a hundred people seemed to not be of much use in the face of the current situation, in the end, it had given some people a sense of security.

Mador walked over to Lance’s side from a distance. ”The police have all been dispatched. I hear they are also carrying weapons.”

Lance nodded noncommittally. ”Don’t let these weapons frustrate the people’s passion.”

Mador could understand Lance’s meaning. He nodded and turned to leave, to go and arrange the mission.

The police chief, at this time, had also left the police station by car. This time he was going to do a great job!

He had to show his own value and importance, so that the great president and the ministers would continue to entrust him with important responsibilities.

He had wanted to expand the manpower of the police department many times.

Zhuolan, as the capital of Rapa, had a population of several hundred thousand, but there were only 3,000 police officers, which was clearly too few.

For the police chief, the more police officers there were, the greater his power, and the more benefits he could get from it.

In the past, every time he had brought this up, the people above would, on the grounds of ”no need,” refuse to expand the police force.

The people of Rapa were too honest and would basically not resist. Even if there were gangs and troublemakers, they were only a minority.

This was an opportunity, an opportunity to show his face in front of the gentlemen. He already had some plans.

At this time, the refugees who had poured into the city, because they had attacked the police, had become a little different from the past. They had become more aggressive.

Pedro, on his way, had already seen some people attacking the shops on the side of the road, robbing, smashing, and burning. They were acting as if they had lost their minds.

He was a little puzzled, but he also seemed to have some understanding.

In the absence of anyone to guide them, these people would become ”bad elements”!