Empire of Shadows

The door was slowly pushed open. People’s gazes fell on Lance, who was sitting behind the desk, and only then did they notice the manager, who was sitting with his back to them.

The manager had his back to them, holding his head. The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Vargas walked over with a smile. While shaking hands with them, he had them come in and sit down first.

”What are you playing at?”

The captain of the mine guard team directly slapped away Vargas’s extended hand, glaring at him.

Perhaps others would, with a little hypocrisy, deal with this nominal mine owner. After all, he could be considered an outer member of the Ravila family—

It was worth mentioning that it wasn’t that Diego was unwilling to use a core member of the family, but that the Ravila family was not a complete whole. There were also some struggles and purges among them.

If a core member were to become the mine owner, then this mine owner would be a real mine owner, and this mine would have nothing to do with him.

For example, Diego had an uncle. If he had let his uncle come, then this mine would be his uncle’s, not his.

Only by using an outer member of the family like Vargas was it the most appropriate.The manager would save him some face, but the captain of the mine guard team had no such thoughts.

He had men in his hands, and also guns. At a time like this, a person with a gun was fierce!

As long as it wasn’t the army, everyone had to respect his thoughts and opinions.

At the same time, he was a loyal friend, a subordinate of Diego’s, and it was impossible for him to betray Diego. Then he didn’t need to respect anyone here. On the contrary, he had to be respected by others.

He had felt that the atmosphere in the room was not right, so he was instinctively a little vigilant against Vargas.

Vargas looked at his hand, which had been slapped away, and did not say anything, but just smiled. ”It’s nothing. It’s just that there is something that needs to be announced in front of everyone.”

”Since the captain is not willing to shake hands with me, then please sit down.”

The captain of the mine guard team had glanced at Vargas, and had looked at Lance twice. He had walked towards the manager.

At this moment, the manager had really wanted to turn around and tell him not to come over, and then to gather the people, but Hiram had been staring at him all along.

The young man’s gaze was like a knife, stabbing at his body, so much so that he didn’t dare to raise his head, and didn’t dare to do anything.

Even just to think about it, his heart would beat like crazy.

Soon, the sound of footsteps from behind was getting closer and closer. The manager had also fallen into despair.

Because the captain of the mine guard team and his men were all in this room, the others had nothing to worry about.

These members of the mine guard team all had guns. They didn’t believe that anyone else could deal with them.

They had also come to the other side of the desk, and had sat down in the chairs that Vargas had prepared for them.

At this time, the captain was sitting by the manager’s side, looking at him with a puzzled look. ”What’s wrong with your head?”

Hiram’s blow, although it had not broken his head, had made it swell up. It was a very obvious swelling, and there might be some bruising.

The manager had glanced at Hiram again, had shaken his head, and had not spoken.

The captain had looked at the surrounding people, had said ”so mysterious” in a low voice, and then had looked at Lance and Vargas.

”I have come back this time, mainly to announce one thing to all of you.”

”I have already sold this Horseback Mountain Silver Mine in my hands to Mr. Lance White.”

”From today on, Mr. Lance will be the Boss of all of you, and also the new mine owner.”

As soon as his voice had fallen, the captain of the mine guard team had stood up. ”What the fuck are you saying?”

”Who doesn’t know that this mine is... Diego’s. What’s yours or his? What on earth are you thinking?”

He had stared at Vargas with wide eyes, and had also looked at Lance twice.

As the captain of the mine guard team, his appearance was very ferocious. When he had widened his eyes, it was indeed a bit scary.

This had something to do with the things he had experienced. They had disposed of many miners. When you do this kind of thing too much, you will naturally produce a kind of a thing that makes your own kind feel fear.

This feeling was very strange, but it did indeed exist.

Just as when a domestic animal sees a butcher, it will often be so scared that it trembles. Because they can feel the aura on the butcher that makes them shiver!

The captain of the mine guard team also had it. Vargas, being stared at by him, had not dared to meet his gaze.

This had made the captain of the mine guard team seem a little pleased, but Lance were not affected by him. He had once again displayed the documents, the authorization, the sales agreement, etc. ”According to the laws of Rapa, I am now the owner of this silver mine.”

”Does anyone object?”

The captain, who was already a little impatient, had suddenly slammed the table. ”I object!”

”What kind of a thing are you, to dare to touch Diego’s things?”

”Are you tired of living?”

The soldiers who were standing in the back of the crowd had, in a way, had taken the guns from their backs to their fronts. Their eyes, as they had looked at the surrounding people, were also hiding a naked, arrogant attitude.

For them, as long as it could be killed by a bullet, it could not pose a threat to them.

After killing too many of their own kind, they would lose their reverence for life, including their own.

They could not feel the danger.

The others, seeing that the captain of the mine guard team had already shown his attitude, had immediately also stood up one after another to oppose Lance’s decision.

”Everyone knows that Vargas is just a puppet. You are reporting with a puppet’s things?”

”Young man, the situation here is very complicated, far from what you can touch. You’d better put down your things and get out of here. Otherwise, there is a high probability that you won’t be able to go back, and you won’t be able to see your mother!”

There was also someone who had said with a laugh, ”I have never seen such a ridiculous thing. Someone in Rapa actually wants to seize the wealth of the Ravila family, and it’s Diego’s own!”

The others had also all laughed out loud. They had not noticed that Vargas, after he had invited them in, had already left.

Lance had leaned back in his chair, watching them laugh wildly, and had just found it very interesting.

The captain of the mine guard team had suddenly, as if he had remembered something, looked at the manager who was still sitting on the side. ”What’s wrong with you?”

The manager had looked up at him. In his eyes, there was something that he couldn’t understand, but that had suddenly made him very flustered.

The two had looked at each other for a few seconds. He had suddenly reached out to grab the gun in his holster, but the next second, with a ”bang,” everyone’s laughter had, in that instant, been stifled!

The two people who had been standing behind the captain had looked down in terror at the brains on their bodies, and at the captain, whose head had been blown open. A strong urge to vomit had begun to surge.

The two of them had, almost at the same time, bent down and had begun to vomit violently.

It wasn’t because they had felt that it was so disgusting. In fact, this kind of a thing, in an instant, or rather, at the first moment, you couldn’t feel disgusted.

Many people’s brains had simply not had time to sort out the whole thing. They were still explaining to themselves what on earth had happened. How could they have the time to have the urge to vomit?

In fact, this vomiting was from fear.

The most direct, and the fastest, response of an emotion.

Because of fear, a violent vomiting.

The others were also stunned. They had looked at the corpse, with a large hole in its head, which had fallen back into the chair. The captain was looking up at the ceiling, his eyes had completely lost their focus, had become lifeless, had become... like a dead fish.

His two eyeballs were even looking in different directions. The moment his brain had been severely damaged, it had affected some of the changes in his body.

The soldiers he had brought with him had not even had time to take the rifles from their backs before they had been ”tututu” and had been turned into sieves.

Everyone’s face was pale. Lance was still sitting with his legs crossed, his hands on his legs.

Hiram had raised his handgun again and had begun to ”call the roll” on them. This time he had changed to a high-caliber handgun. The exquisite pleasure that each shot had fed back to his wrist had given him an indescribable feeling of pleasure!

The bullets were no longer, as if they had no strength, drilling into a person’s body. This high-caliber handgun, every shot, was like a heavy fist hammering on these people’s bodies, hitting them so hard that they had retreated, and had even fallen, and then it had taken their lives.

The gunshots had sounded continuously. The tip of Lance’s foot was tapping slightly. He had, calmly and composedly, witnessed all this.

In the end, the hot muzzle of the gun had been pressed against the manager’s head. It was so hot that his whole body was sweating, and a desperate expression had also appeared on his face.

He had opened his mouth, but in the end, he couldn’t make a single sound, and could only show a pleading look.

If it were possible, he actually didn’t want to die either.

A few more smiles had appeared on Lance’s face at this time. ”You see, the simplest way to resolve a difference is to resolve the people who are creating the difference.”

”Now, no one objects.”

”Bang!”

The gunshot had rung out, and a member of the mine guard team had slowly fallen down. Vargas’s heart was already beating at more than 180!

He had led his men to attack the dormitory of the mine guard team, and had killed all the people he could see inside.

He had never seen such a fierce federal person. When they had killed people, it was as if... they were killing small animals.

There was not a single trace of pity in their eyes. It was not because they were strangers that they would have any emotions such as pity.

There was also no hesitation. It was as if they had a firm belief that was supporting them.

That was a person!

Even a small animal would make a person hesitate the next time they made a move, but these people had not. They were like born-executors, with no feelings, only work.

”There’s another one here!” Vargas had seen that a storage cabinet seemed to be shaking. When he had shouted this sentence, he had also not hesitated.

Soon, the person in the storage cabinet had taken the initiative to push open the door. It was a young man who looked to be less than twenty.

He might have, through some other means, for example, by bribing the captain of the mine guard team, with money, or with the unique bribery method of the women in his family.

It was also possible that he knew the captain of the mine guard team, or knew a certain person, and had only then entered the silver mine and had become a member of the mine guard team.

This was indeed an easy job. They didn’t even need to keep an eye on the miners. That was the foreman’s job.

They just needed to find a high place to stand, and to stare, to prevent the miners from sneaking away.

When necessary, if they had found that a miner had secretly hidden some silver, they would also have dragged the miner out, and had hung him in the square and had whipped him, until he was air-dried!

To use fear to deter an intelligent creature is very effective.

This young man was a little thin and weak, not as burly as his other colleagues. His face was also full of a pleading expression.

It had to be said that this young fellow looked quite handsome, with thick eyebrows and large eyes. He should be very popular among the girls.

”Please, I just started working...”

The next moment, a gunshot had rung out. He had suddenly raised his head, and two bullet holes had appeared on his face. Then a few more shots had been fired, until he had completely stopped moving.

Only then had he been dragged out of the storage cabinet and had been placed on the ground.

One after another, the corpses had been neatly placed together, which was truly frightening.

At this time, the mine had been completely controlled. The staff had all begun to be driven to the drill ground, and the workers were also discussing what had happened.

Someone had run back to the office and had told Lance that the mine had been completely controlled. Only then had he put down his leg, which had been crossed, and had stomped his foot, to let his pants become smooth again.

”Hook these people up, and hang them in the square.”

When he had come in, he had already seen two miners who had been hung on the poles in the drill ground. The people were already dead, and were even starting to drip, but they were still being hung.

This was the ultimate weapon used to deter the miners, but now, it was them who were being hung up.

If they were still alive, they would definitely not have wanted these things to happen, just like the miners they had hung up.

The staff, the miners, were all crowded in the drill ground. On a small, three-story building directly opposite them, Lance’s figure had appeared.

Usually, this was the position where the manager stood. He would say something here, for example, to demand that the workers increase their mining speed, and to make corresponding rewards and punishments.

Or, in front of the people, to decide the life and death of some of the miners.

They had never been shy about it. To enter this mining area, was no different from being dead, or in prison, even though they had come of their own free will.

But today, this position had welcomed its new master!

”My name is Lance, Lance White. Let’s get to know each other first.”

”You can call me Mr. White, or you can call me Mr. Lance, either is fine. You can even give me a nickname.”

”But the prerequisite is, don’t let me know!”

”You must be very curious what on earth has happened.”

”In fact, it’s very simple. I, from the previous mine owner, Mr. Vargas, have, with money, bought the ownership of this silver mine.”

”From the day we signed the contract, this silver mine belongs to me.”

”But some people don’t seem to be willing to accept this fact.”

His men had begun to carry the bodies of these leaders in, and then, with thumb-thick hooks, had hooked them into their bodies, and then had pulled the ropes, and had hung them all up.

These people were all deader than dead. In an instant, a clamor had appeared in the drill ground, and it was getting louder and louder.

Almost all of them were staring at Lance with their mouths agape—

Is he really not afraid of death?

This is Rapa, on the land controlled by Diego!

Is this person crazy, or are they, these workers, the employees, crazy?

Some were clamoring, but when a burst of bullets had been fired at the open ground in front of them, the entire drill ground had become quiet again.

These people were not the small leaders of the main management. It seemed that he didn’t really care if they were ”loyal” or not.

These people could not get in touch with the Rapa government. For example, Diego’s phone number was only in the hands of the manager.

”In normal times, what you should do, you will still do.”

”Besides this, everyone’s salary will be increased by 15%.”

”Maybe you don’t know how much that is. To put it simply, for every 100, I will give you an extra 15...”

The originally quiet group of miners had, in an instant, become a little ”reactive.” They were constantly whispering to each other, so much so that they couldn’t even maintain their most basic formation.

The foremen had seen it and had wanted to go over several times, but in the end, they had held back. Who knew what the new boss was like?

As for the problem of Diego and not Diego... look at those unlucky bastards who had been hung up. Isn’t that already the best answer?

After he had read out some of the new rules, for example, Lance would allow them to go home to see their families, and would give them two weeks of vacation every year, he had also re-formulated their working hours and content.

Because soon there would be some mining equipment that would be transported from the Federation.

The people here, especially the low-level people, were not concerned about the matter of changing their boss. On the contrary, they had already accepted this fact.

Who had asked Lance to give more?

It’s all selling their lives. Of course they hope to be able to sell themselves for a good price.

The entire mining area, under the dual means of the deterrence of death and the increase in wages and welfare, had been easily brought under control.

After solving these matters, Lance had entered the manager’s office. Some of the related documents, records, and the like of the mine were all stored here.

Lance casually flipped through some of the documents, and did not go into detail.

”Find a separate room for these. Maybe they will be of some use in the future.”

He looked at Vargas, his gaze falling on him. ”You did a good job. I am very satisfied.”

Vargas was not as excited as before. The cold wind from outside had blown on him. Looking at the corpses that were hanging on the gallows, and swaying with the wind in the mountains, it was as if a basin of cold water had been poured over his head. It had, in an instant, chilled him to the heart!

”It’s what I should do,” he replied, very cautiously.

People all said that Diego was brutal, but for some reason, he felt that perhaps Diego was not as good as this Mr. Lance.

Lance could feel his apprehension at this time, but he did not explain.

What makes you respected is not your benevolence, but the awe that others have for you!

”The things I have promised you will definitely be done. You can now, at any time, go to the Federation, Vargas.”

”I have already arranged a federal identity for you. By way of investment immigration, you and your family have all become legal federal people.”

”But, I want to give you some advice.”

Vargas bent his waist. ”Please speak, Mr. Lance.”

”The Federation is a very special country. If you want to live a happy life in that place, and you want your family to live a happy life there, you have to have money.”

”Your money may seem like a lot, but to buy a better villa, to buy two better cars, there won’t be much left.”

”With only expenditure, and no income, you won’t be able to last for long.”

Vargas, listening to these words, was silent for a moment. ”I am willing to serve you, Mr. Lance.”