Empire of Shadows

In a quiet city, an undercurrent was surging. News kept coming in, saying that so-and-so had taken things to the Federation and sold them for hundreds of times the price.

So-and-so had planned to escape, but was stopped halfway, his things were snatched, and he was also dead.

The atmosphere in the entire Saige City had become completely different. People were no longer discussing what ”treasures” might be in which unexplored place.

Their gazes were all focused on those local merchants.

The entire Saige City was like a huge powder keg, which could, in an instant, explode!

Incredibly fast!

”All that’s missing now is a spark,” Pedro said, while eating.

Many people had gathered around him. During this period, they had spent a lot of effort to push the situation to its current state.

They were those successful mountain runners, and also the ”hunters” who roamed outside the city.

They had played all kinds of roles, and had finally made the pressure in Saige City so great that it was about to explode.He swallowed the food in his mouth. The hot food made his breathing much smoother, and even his not-so-clear nasal passages had become clear.

Allergic rhinitis. He blew his nose, and the large, clear snot fell to the ground with a ”splat.” He turned his head to look at the people around him. ”Before we light this powder keg, I’ll ask everyone one last time.”

”Are you all ready?”

He pushed up his glasses, one side of which was already cracked, and the lenses were also a bit scratched. ”Are you ready to risk your lives, to fight for a future?”

The people around him looked at him with a resolute expression. Those young people, especially the dozen or so of his students, were now trembling slightly with excitement!

Of course they knew what ”future” Pedro was talking about. It was a future where ”the people are the main body of the country,” a future ”without exploitation and oppression,” a future ”with a civilized society and advanced system like the Federation”!

Everyone nodded vigorously. At this moment, a sense of mission, a sense of epic, arose spontaneously.

Some of them, at this time, had a premonition that they would one day be painted on an oil canvas!

It was just that they didn’t know what kind of a name they would give this painting at that time.

No one had backed down, no one had avoided his gaze. Pedro pursed his lips and nodded vigorously.

He stood up and slammed the bowl he had just been eating from on the ground.

The shattered porcelain fragments flew everywhere, and the sound of it shattering was even a bit harsh!

The people looked at him. He nodded slightly. ”Then let us be the ones to light the first fire that will burn down the old era and welcome the new one!”

In the afternoon, a large crowd of noisy people had gathered outside a grain station in the city. In just a few days, the price of grain had been doubling.

”Are they crazy, or am I?”

A mountain runner looked at the blackboard hanging outside the grain station. The cheapest grain on it was close to twenty a pound.

As for wheat kernels, wheat flour, these were basically all above thirty. This was simply crazy!

People had never thought that the price of grain could actually be so outrageous!

Just as they were discussing, the shop assistant had suddenly come out with a blackboard eraser, had wiped the price on the small wooden board, and had rewritten it.

In just this short while, it had risen by another fifty cents!

”Fuck, are you crazy?”

Someone couldn’t help but curse. The shop assistant just glanced at him sideways, and then next to that outrageous price, he had written a not-so-outrageous, normal price, a little over 3.2 for wheat.

The people had suddenly become a little noisy. Everyone was discussing, talking.

The shop assistant turned to look at them. ”The boss said, the high price is the normal selling price. You don’t have to complain that it’s expensive.”

”Now outside, even if you have money, you may not be able to buy grain.”

”If you don’t buy, there are plenty of people who are willing to spend this much money. Buy it or not!”

He then, with his hand, had pointed to the not-so-outrageous price on the other side. ”This internal price is for ’our own people’.”

Immediately someone below had asked, ”What is ’our own people’?”

”Do I count as ’our own people’?”

The shop assistant glanced at the man. ”You sell the things you get from the mountains to all the local merchants. They will give you a card.”

”Those who hold a card will get the opportunity to buy grain at a low price.”

”The more things you sell, the more grain you can buy.”

”For every ten dollars’ worth of goods sold, you can buy a pound of grain for 3.2!”

As soon as this explanation came out, the crowd had exploded!

They had finally realized what this meant—they were waving a scythe in front of them, cutting their flesh!

For the past half a month, the amount of mountain goods that the merchants had bought was not enough. They still had some stock in their warehouses, which could make up for it.

But what about next month?

What about the month after next?

Once they couldn’t collect enough things, would the big shots behind them think that they were all good-for-nothings?

Would they think that they were useless?

These marginal characters of the privileged class were like a useful piece of lamb casing. It could be used all the time, just a wash was fine.

But it could also be used once and then thrown away. Anyway, it wasn’t worth much.

So under the tacit approval of the mayor, they had begun to crazily raise the price of grain, and then had adopted this method of having to sell goods to be qualified to buy grain, to force everyone to sell their things to them.

Don’t want to sell?

Fine, just wait to starve to death!

The people’s emotions had suddenly become agitated. The two sides had been in a state of confrontation, and at this time, for such a thing to happen, would only make the people’s emotions continue to spiral out of control!

However, these merchants, the privileged class, they were sure that even if these mud-legged dogs were angry, they couldn’t do anything destructive.

After all, the Rapa people... were used to being honest. The most crucial thing was that they did not have the weapons to resist, nor the means of production. If they were to leave this incomplete society, most of them would find it very difficult to survive!

This was a typical case of relying on the resources in one’s hands that had a monopoly status, and not taking others seriously.

The people were roaring, shouting in anger, and cursing, but it seemed to be of no use at all.

The shop assistant had glanced at them sideways, had turned and had returned to the grain station, and then had sat there and had picked up a book.

Between these people and the grain station, and the grain that was piled on the ground, there was only a threshold of about two centimeters high. Besides this, there was no other obstacle.

But it was just this two-centimeter-high threshold that, at this very moment, here, was like a high mountain that was impossible to cross!

The people did not dare to do so. They actually also knew very well what it meant if they robbed these grain stations, so they could only curse loudly outside the door, but towards the people and things that were so close at hand, they had no way at all.

A sarcastic smile hung on the corner of the shop assistant’s mouth. He shook his head, calmed down, and continued to read the novel in his hand.

Just as he had gotten into it, he had suddenly heard someone stepping into the grain station. He had suddenly raised his head and had looked at the person. ”If you don’t have a certificate, then get out!”

The few people who had come in were staring at him. He had fearlessly stared back. The other party was getting closer and closer. What he hadn’t noticed was that the sound of cursing outside the grain station was getting smaller and smaller, and he couldn’t even hear it anymore.

His attention was all focused on the few people in front of him.

He knew very well that these few were probably tough nuts, but the habit of a long time, or rather, his understanding of these mud-legged dogs, had made him not make a move to dodge.

He had puffed out his chest and had looked at these people, and had glared back with an even more ferocious gaze. ”I told you to get out. Didn’t you hear me?”

The next second, the person who was standing in the very front had suddenly drawn the machete that was hanging on his waist, and had swung it at his neck!

The shop assistant had subconsciously lowered his head to look at the other party’s hand, but the muscles on one side of his neck had been completely cut, and only the muscles on the other side were exerting force.

We all know that if you are on horseback, and you pull the reins on both sides at the same time, the horse will stop.

But if you just pull on one side, the horse’s head will turn.

His head had tilted towards the side that had not been cut, which had directly made the half that had been cut be raised.

Blood had, with a ”puchi” sound, spurted onto the other party’s hand. He had, with his head tilted, looked at the spurting, fresh red blood. His mind had gone blank, and there was only one thought—

I’m fucking going to die!

Yes, he was going to die.

Almost two or three seconds later, the shop assistant had fallen to the ground with a thud, twitching slightly.

Countless cells in his body were making a final rescue. The sharp secretion of adrenaline had made his body instinctively twitch, but for saving him, it was already of no use.

He lay there, and the blood had soon soaked the ground around him, but he could only watch as those people had stepped over his head.

These mud-legged dogs, how dare they?

A few of them, each carrying a small bag of grain, had come out. They had glanced at the silent, and of their own accord, had made way for them, and soon had passed through.

The people outside the door were as if they had been put under a spell by a witch in the jungle, standing on the spot, motionless.

In their ears was their own, drum-like heartbeat.

The shop assistant had completely stopped moving.

A person had suddenly run into the grain station, and had begun to put grain into his own pocket. Then a second, a third, and more and more people had begun to rush in, frantically snatching everything they could!

This scene was not just happening here, but also in other places that were selling grain.

Once the bloodshed and killing had started, one side had to die, to be able to stop!

The entire city had fallen into a carnival of killing. In this group of people, there was a group of extremely special existences.

Pedro was wearing a trench coat that he had snatched from god knows where. This time he was not wearing glasses, but had a slicked-back hairstyle, and was full of pomade.

He was leading his men and was quickly advancing in the direction of City Hall.

And, these people were all carrying guns. At least many of them were.

In the chaotic city, people had also discovered them, but these people did not dare to go forward, because they had seen the guns.

Only the army has guns, but these people are not soldiers, then they...

A crazy and exciting thought had risen in people’s hearts. So their killing of the merchants, of the casinos, of the gentlemen had become even more frenzied!

Those gentlemen, who had once been high and mighty and had not even looked at them, had been tied up, had been hung on a tree, and had, with a knife, or some other thing, been stabbed into their bodies, not to let them die so quickly, but to torture them fiercely.

Those noble ladies, who had always looked at them with the eyes of looking at a maggot, were at this very moment, having their hair grabbed and being pressed down, and were being fiercely thrust at!

The order of the city, in just forty or fifty minutes, had been completely destroyed!

Occasional gunshots had rung out in the city, but they had soon been extinguished.

Crazy, all fucking crazy!

The mayor’s face could no longer be seen with an indifferent and ruthless expression. He had already connected to the Presidential Palace’s phone.

He was covered in sweat. His hair, which had always been meticulously styled, was even more so, soaked with sweat.

He was holding the receiver with both hands, his waist bent, his knees clamped, and his butt slightly sticking out, just like a victim who had just been anally penetrated. ”Your Excellency President, please send troops as soon as possible. Those people have gone crazy!”

”They have attacked our grain stations, our warehouses, and have taken away your grain, your wealth. They have also beaten, and even killed some of the security guards.”

”The police?”

”Some of the police have been killed by them, some have hidden, and some may have joined them...”

”I... I don’t know. Maybe we can’t last for three days.”

”I...”

Just as he was speaking, the mayor’s butler had run in, in a panic. His face was full of a terrified expression. He had pointed in the direction of the main gate, panting heavily, so much so that he couldn’t even say a word.

Just as the mayor was looking at him with some anxiety, the gunshots from the courtyard had made both of them shiver.

The great president on the other end of the line was also stunned. ”What happened?”

”Why are there such dense gunshots?”

”Who are you in a firefight with?”

He was constantly asking loudly, his emotions completely stirred up!

For a ruler, for the opponents to have weapons, and to not have weapons, are two completely different dimensions of creatures!

He knew that the privileged class, the ruling group, in Rapa had a private army. He himself also had a private army.

But in a poor place like Saige City, it was impossible to have so many private armed forces.

He knew that the mayor had seven or eight bodyguards with weapons, but the gunshots outside now were definitely not the sound that seven or eight weapons could make.

It was just that now, the mayor could no longer answer any of his questions.

The mayor had thrown the receiver on the desk, and had strode to the side of the window.

He looked at the people in the garden who were constantly in a firefight, and were constantly approaching, whom he had never seen before. A deep chill had surged up to the top of his head!

This is fucking not something he can get involved in!

Until this moment, he had not considered that these mud-legged dogs were really mud-legged dogs. He suspected if there was another ruling group behind this, for example, a certain minister was dissatisfied with Diego’s rule, and was planning to overthrow him.

It was too difficult for an ordinary person to get a weapon in a place like Rapa. Only this kind of possibility, to let these people get in touch with firearms.

However, he no longer had the mind to consider these. He had turned and had run towards the side of the desk, as if he hadn’t heard the great president’s shouts from the receiver.

He had packed some of the valuable things, had opened the safe, had put a few large gems in his pocket, and then, with a handgun and a box of bullets, he and the butler had run towards the outside.

Every year, the gold nuggets that were mined here, and also some of the gems, the best of them had all been kept by him.

Diego was too rich. He wouldn’t care if he was one gold nugget short, or a few gems more. He simply wouldn’t notice these things.

But these things, for the mayor, were indeed a precious wealth!

The manor was full of people who were running around in a panic. He and the butler had entered the garage, had started a car, and had tried to, from the side door of the manor, the small door that the staff of the manor used to go in and out, to leave.

But just as the car was about to reach the small door, he had seen someone raising a weapon and aiming at them.

The butler had suddenly turned the steering wheel, and had made the car hit a stone on the side of the road, and had stopped.

He had looked at these approaching people. Although the handgun was right by his hand, he did not have the slightest courage to fight back.

He had watched as these people had pulled open the car door, and had also slowly moved his butt and had gotten out. He had raised his hands high, his face full of fear and unease. ”Don’t shoot...”

More than ten minutes later, the mayor, in his own house, had seen the leader of this group, the guy named Pedro.

No one could connect the current Pedro with the one from the past. He had turned to look at the mayor, his eyes filled with a hint of curiosity and contempt.

This was his first close contact with a ”big shot.”

At the same time, he also, for the mayor’s action of running away, had felt a deep contempt.

At this time, the mayor was like a dog whose spine had been broken. His face was full of a careful, fawning fake smile.

”Please sit, Mr. Mayor.”

The mayor had slowly sat down. Pedro had walked to the opposite side of him and had sat down. ”I plan to take over this city. Do you have any good suggestions?”

The mayor had looked at Pedro’s not-joking-like appearance. He had been briefly astonished. Did the other party not know that the risk of staying, was much greater than leaving here?

Perhaps reading the deepest thoughts in the mayor’s heart at this time, Pedro had laughed out loud. ”You thought we were just coming in to plunder and then would leave?”

He liked this feeling, to take those high and mighty gentlemen, and to fiercely stomp them into the mud, and also to step on them a few times!

”No, we won’t leave. The times are undergoing a great change. Everything is different, Mr. Mayor!”

The mayor had fallen into a deep thought. After about two minutes, he had asked, ”The army will be here soon. How are you planning to deal with the army?”

Pedro’s face was full of confidence. ”We will crush them!”

The strong confidence had given the mayor an illusion, that maybe what he had said was true!

More than ten minutes later, many of the loudspeakers in the city had sounded. ”Hello, I am Pedro. Maybe you don’t know me.”

”But it doesn’t matter, because from today on, I will be taking on the role of the mayor of Saige City, and will be managing this city.”

”From now on, I will be announcing some new rules. Those who can accept them, do as I say.”

”Those who can’t accept them, you can leave this city now with your things.”

”After the sun rises tomorrow, if anyone is still here, and still does not abide by my rules, then I will kill him!”