Empire of Shadows

The harsh, piercing sound of the buzzer rang throughout the mining area. A trace of a puzzled expression appeared on the numb faces of the miners in the mine shaft.

They asked each other; it wasn’t time for a break yet, so why would this harsh sound suddenly ring out?

The mine was very large, with many winding passages, and deep shafts, so they didn’t use music as a bell, nor did they use an ordinary bell, but a harsh, piercing, sharp noise.

This sound had a very strong penetrating power. People who were closer to the speaker would, in just a few seconds, feel a pain in their head.

People began to slowly leave the mine shaft, or leave their workplaces, and return to the mining field.

This had already become an instinct that was deeply embedded in their bones. As long as they were not dead, they had to obey.

The rules on the mine had always been very harsh. They would often directly dispose of those who did not obey. This place was located on the mountainside of Horseback Mountain, far away from the outside world. It was a lawless place.

A foreman might, just because a miner had glanced at him, kill the miner, and then throw him into the mountain to become food for the wild beasts.

So at this time, it could be seen that almost all the miners were, with their heads lowered, slowly coming to the position where they would stand every day, and then squatting down.

This was a routine, to count the numbers.From the moment they had entered the mining area, they were no longer themselves. They were just tools for the ruling group, for Diego, to dig the mine.

The managers on the mining field had gathered together. Among them, the manager of the mine had a somewhat worried look on his face. ”The head steward just called, asking us to temporarily stop operations. There’s a problem in Saige City. Some people have seized control of the city.”

The other managers all showed an incredulous expression. The supervisor in charge of logistics couldn’t help but stand up. ”Then what about our supplies?”

Mining is a physical labor. If you give them less food, they won’t be able to dig.

At the end of the month, if they can’t hand over enough silver, Diego’s side will be angry, so every miner has to have about two pounds of food every day, and also protein, a little meat.

Their food was not bad, and the money was not too little. Each person could get an income of about six or seven hundred Paras a month, which was a pretty good income locally.

However, not every miner could leave this place alive. It wasn’t that they were unwilling to pay or something, and had secretly killed the miners.

It was that Rapa’s mining technology was very backward. It was almost just letting people dig down with picks and shovels. They would often encounter things like a cave-in and being buried.

When a cave-in was encountered, at least a few or a dozen, and at most, dozens of people would directly disappear.

Don’t expect the mine to save them. On the one hand, the cost of rescue was too high, but human life was too cheap. These people would not, for some worthless lives, to take out a cost that exceeded their value to rescue them.

Humanitarianism is only built on the basis of being able to eat your fill, to wear warm clothes, and to be relatively affluent.

Before these are achieved, humanitarianism is just a ”vocabulary.”

Besides this, you also have to consider some other situations, such as excessive fatigue, a sudden heart attack, and the like. Every year, many people will be like this.

There are also those who can’t stand it and go crazy. The environment at the bottom of the mine is very oppressive. The electric wires simply can’t reach the depths of the complex mine.

In the depths of the mine, all they used were very dim battery lamps. In order to be able to work for a longer time, the light bulbs were very dim, and you could only barely see clearly.

The deep and dark cave was like the mouth of a monster. People would always, after digging a few times, couldn’t help but turn back to look at the darkness, which was so dark that it seemed to be able to swallow everything.

They would become crazy, at the bottom of the deep mine, and then self-destruct.

As for other accidents, for example, falling, for example, being hit by something that had fallen, for example, a problem with the ventilation equipment.

There were too many possibilities that would let people be forever left here, in the deep cave.

But no matter if their given job was dangerous or not, to work hard was something they had to do. In order to let them have the physical strength to work, to be able to eat a good meal every day could also be considered a seasoning in life.

More than a ton of grain a day. To rely on reserves was clearly not very realistic. The grain reserves here were only enough for two to three weeks.

It had been about ten days since the last transport. The manager looked at the head of the logistics department. ”How long can our grain last?”

The head of the logistics department said, ”If we maintain the current high-intensity of going down the mine, it might only last for three or four days.”

”But if we don’t let them work at such a high intensity, then we can cut this part of the expenditure, and it can support us for at least a week.”

The manager nodded. ”A little over a week. That’s enough time for the army to come.”

”These few days, let the miners have a good rest. Don’t say what shouldn’t be said. Have someone keep a close eye on them. If anyone dares to take the lead in making trouble...”

A cold glint flashed in his eyes. ”Then dispose of them!”

”No matter what, the silver mine cannot have a problem in our hands.”

Soon these people had begun to make arrangements according to the manager’s instructions. The manager was the actual controller of this silver mine. He was Diego’s trusted man. Diego trusted him, just as he had trusted Gomez before.

As long as he did not make a mistake, Diego would continue to trust him.

The others all stood up one after another and began to attend to their work.

The miners didn’t know what on earth had happened. It was just that the obedience training of a long time had made them not even willing to use their brains to guess what had happened. They were just blindly following.

The manager came to his office, the highest place in the entire mining area, with the best view.

He tapped the microphone. ”The merciful and magnanimous president has compassion for your hard work. Our production quota for this month has been reduced. For the next few days, you can all have a good rest, to welcome the new beginning of next month.”

”Alright, line up and go back to your dormitories.”

”Although you are resting these few days, it is strictly forbidden to run around in the mining area. Without permission, you are not allowed to leave your rooms...”

He read out a series of management regulations. This kind of thing had happened in a similar way before. The entire mine had entered this kind of a defensive shutdown state, so he, and the entire management, were very experienced in this.

No one doubted that Diego’s army couldn’t handle the turmoil in Saige City. It might not even take a week, and they could resume their underground operations.

Not all of the miners were fools. There were also a few who had not yet had their personality and will completely worn down. They had gathered together to discuss what on earth had happened, but they couldn’t come up with anything.

They had no clues about this break, and had no way to understand why this situation would occur.

”Maybe something important has happened, and they are not telling us,” an older miner said, standing in front of his simple dormitory, looking at the foggy mountain forest.

The humidity in the air in the mountains was too high. Sometimes, they, on the contrary, missed the relatively dry mine.

In the dormitory, after just one night, the clothes would have a half-wet, half-dry feeling. It was very uncomfortable to wear, as if you had broken out in a sweat.

So most of the people in the dormitory were bare-chested. Some were only wearing a pair of shorts, and some were even wearing nothing at all!

The older miner was only thirty-five, but he looked like he was in his forties.

Another, younger miner said indifferently, ”Who knows?”

”Anyway, as long as it has nothing to do with us, it’s fine. To be able to not go down the shaft these few days, is the most comfortable thing this year!”

”If only it could be like this for a few days every month, how great would that be!”

Another miner, who was already lying on his bed board, sneered. ”I’d rather believe that they will let you rest forever, than to have you rest often.”

As soon as these words were spoken, people were stunned for a moment, and then they had no more interest in continuing to talk.

Death and work were always the inescapable topics on the mine.

To be able to rest for a few days, for all the miners, this was even more comfortable than a holiday or the New Year.

The people were, with a painful expression on their faces, lying on the hard bed. The bones in their bodies, because they had been stretched flat by the hard board, were making a ”ge-da-ge-da” sound. The expression on their faces became both pained, and comfortable.

With a long sigh, the miners’ whole bodies quickly relaxed.

They were no longer thinking about why they had stopped work. Compared to thinking about these, they were more concerned about what to eat for dinner.

The ”fall” of Saige City had quickly spread in Rapa. Those who were still circling with the military, and were still looking for a correct path of development, seemed to have suddenly discovered a shortcut to the ultimate goal—to establish an anti-government armed force.

To control a city, to master a population, to set the rules, to gain the right to speak.

And then to use the power they had in their hands, which could fight against the Rapa government, until in the end, they could directly overthrow the Diego regime and the others.

To transform this country, to transform the whole world!

Ross was the second person to contact Lance. He had heard that someone had taken control of Saige City, and in this process, had used a large number of weapons. He knew that this must be related to Lance.

Only the federal people could, at a time like this, get them a large number of weapons. Just by relying on their own ability, they would never be able to, in their lifetime, to research and to self-produce new firearms and bullets.

The only person who could provide these things for them, and who didn’t mind cooperating with them, seemed to be only Lance.

Ross wanted to have a chat with Lance. He also needed some aid, and he was also very interested in the matter of attacking a city.

With a city in his hands, it was equivalent to having a large piece of resource, and he would have more initiative.

He had to contact Lance.

However, at this time, Lance did not know about this call, because he was on his way to the Horseback Mountain Silver Mine.

When he had learned that Pedro had used, in fact, not so complicated means to create conflict and opposition, he had set off from Zhuolan.

Based on his observation of Pedro during this period, there was a high probability that Pedro would be able to handle Saige City.

Sure enough, it was not too unexpected. Saige City had soon, because of a major outbreak of internal conflicts, become a bomb that had blown up the closed rule of Saige City, and it was not just a matter of making the mayor of Saige City lose face.

They had also exposed some lies, and had revealed some of the truths and facts of the cruel exploitation of the low-level people!

Who would have thought that some of the things that were only worth a few dozen in Rapa, when sent to the Federation, could be exchanged for a few thousand? A gap of dozens, hundreds of times. Where had all the profits gone?

Sometimes, some things just can’t be thought about too deeply. The more you think, the more you can’t get over it.

A row of armored vehicles, driving on the highway, still had some oppressive power. In addition, the road to Horseback Mountain was still in good condition, so it actually didn’t take too long to get there.

When he had passed by Saige City, Lance had not stopped. The other things he had promised to send to Pedro were on their way.

Lance was a man of his word. Pedro had paid the money, and he had to give the other party the goods.

At the same time, he also wanted to observe at a close distance, to see what the combat effectiveness of Rapa’s army was, and whether it was, as some people had said, that they had no combat effectiveness at all.

The convoy, under the guidance of a guide, had soon arrived outside the Horseback Mountain Silver Mine.

The manager was in his office, eating game, drinking wine, and chatting with the other members of the management.

For these people, even if the silver mine had all kinds of inconveniences, as long as one thing was there, this place was their paradise—power!

The manager had the greatest power on the mine. He was like the local emperor here.

When these people were talking, they would, in their excitement, all can’t help but stand up, and to say it while acting.

The number of educated people in Rapa, and the level of their education, were both very low.

Once they were unable to express what they wanted to express, they would wave their hands and feet to express it.

A few of them were, as if they were dancing, eating, drinking, and chatting, when suddenly, the captain of the mine guard team had run in.

The people at the side of the table all looked at the captain of the mine guard team. The originally lively scene, because of his appearance, had seemed to have become a lot quieter.

However, at this time, he had not bothered about these things, whether he had disturbed these people from relaxing here, but had directly said, ”Vargas is back. He said he wants to come in, and has something to tell you.”

The manager had already drunk some wine, and his reaction had slowed down quite a bit. ”Then let him in?”

He asked.

Originally, this matter should have been decided by him, but now, the alcoholic beverage had corroded his soul.

It was only after a few seconds that he had reacted. Now it was him who was in charge of the work.

He took a towel and wiped his face, trying his best to make himself look a little calmer. ”Is there anyone else with him?”

The captain of the mine guard team said, ”There are also some cars, square, and they don’t look like ordinary cars, about a dozen or so.”

The manager thought for a moment and then said in a daze, ”It must be the government’s aid that has arrived. They have sent us grain!”

The manager seemed a little excited. ”I knew it, President Diego wouldn’t abandon us!”

As he spoke, he had drunk the last bit of wine in his cup in one gulp, and then had slammed the cup on the table. ”Let’s go. Come with me to meet Vargas, and also the important supplies he has brought!”