Empire of Shadows

The sound of guns and cannons tore through the stillness of the night sky.

The decision to launch the attack in the middle of the night was one that Pedro and the other leaders had made after careful deliberation.

Because the Rapa government army still had quite a few cannons. If they fought during the day, they would easily be discovered, and then they would have to face the ravages of artillery fire.

Choosing the nighttime was relatively better. Of course, there was a minor issue: some of the fighters had night blindness.

They had selected some fighters who were not night-blind and had formed assault troops, launching a surprise attack around the two large bridges spanning the river.

The moment a soldier saw dense black dots moving towards their checkpoint in the moonlight, he subconsciously drew his pistol and fired a shot into the sky. The battle erupted in an instant!

President Diego suddenly woke up from his sleep. He had lost quite a bit of weight recently. At least, with a little effort, he could shake hands with his ’little brother’ or something.

As for self-pleasure, he didn’t need it, because he was the president, the nominal ruler of this country. He had ways to help his ’little brother.’

But after so many years, to be able to shake hands with his ’little brother’ again was still somewhat emotional.

He had lost weight, but he didn’t feel any lighter. Instead, he seemed more fatigued.A constant, inexplicable discomfort tormented him in his body. Sometimes, even breathing felt painful.

He went to see a doctor. The doctor said his body was healthy and showed no problems.

He said his eyes were getting blurry recently. The doctor also told him this was something people inevitably experience as they grow older.

In short, his body was very healthy.

He would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night, but this time, it was clearly different. He felt it wasn’t a problem with his body, but that there was a sound.

He pushed back the covers and walked barefoot to the window. He opened the thick curtains, listening to the sounds coming from afar in the deep night.

After a long time, the black night outside the window remained silent. No sound came through, as quiet as every other night.

He looked out from the window. All the streetlights outside the brightly lit building were on. Soldiers with guns continuously patrolled back and forth. There were almost no blind spots in the patrol.

But for some reason, he just felt a sense of unease.

It was as if an invisible hand in the night was fiercely gripping his heart, making it difficult for him to breathe. He clutched his chest, looking at the dark, deep sky in the distance, unable to speak for a long time.

After an unknown duration, his emotions had not only failed to calm down but had become more intense. The door to his bedroom was knocked on at that moment. The butler asked from outside, ”Master, I’m afraid there are some matters that require your attention now.”

Diego looked back at the two shadows visible through the gap beneath the door. After watching for a while, he finally replied, ”I’m up.”

The butler pushed the door open, his head bowed, and stood by the door. ”The anti-government armed forces launched a surprise attack on the two large bridges in the middle of the night. The front-line situation is very intense now. Our commander called to ask if we can blow up the two bridges?”

”If we blow up these two bridges, they won’t be able to enter the area around Zhuolan for a short time.”

”If we choose not to blow up the bridges, then...”

President Diego did not speak immediately. His vulture-like gaze was fixed on the butler. After a long watch, he finally said, ”I want to go to the study.”

The butler stepped aside and gestured outside the door. Soon, two maids walked in quickly with their heads bowed, helping Diego put on his clothes.

He was originally going to wash up, but because the matter was urgent, this time, he went straight to putting on his clothes.

Four or five minutes later, he arrived in the study. The several main leaders of the Ravila family who had remained in the city were already here.

They immediately stood up when they saw Diego enter. Although they were relatives, they were also in a superior-subordinate relationship.

”Sit down, all of you. What happened?” Now, the entire high-level of the Rapa government and the military were filled with people from the Ravila family.

Originally, Diego... was always uneasy about these people within his own family. He felt that if he gave them a chance, they would definitely fight for power and profit.

But now, at this very last moment, the only people he could trust were these people from the Ravila family.

He, and they, were very clear on this point: as long as Diego didn’t fall, the rule of the Ravila family would continue.

If Diego fell, the famous Ravila family would also come to an end.

The first to speak was his uncle. ”The rebels have already seized the middle section of Reef Horse Bridge. If we don’t respond now, they might cross the bridge.”

His pace was fast, afraid that speaking slowly would waste time. After speaking, he looked at Diego with a tense face.

Diego, at this time, appeared very composed, without a look of impatience, like a true president.

He looked at his uncle and asked softly, ”If we blow up the bridges, will it cause any actual, specific change to the matters we will face next?”

”Or,” he said, taking a cigar from the cigar box on the desk with a gloomy look, and handing it to the butler.

The butler took the cigar and went to the nearby bar to prepare it. Diego continued, ”...or if we blow up the bridge, will the entire situation in Rapa be completely reversed?”

He looked at these uncles. None of them spoke. They probably knew what Diego meant, which was why they didn’t speak. Because no one could afford the responsibility they would have to bear by speaking at this moment.

The butler quickly prepared the cigar and lit it, then brought it over on a tray, placing it on a dedicated cigar stand.

He took a puff of the cigar. The delicious experience made him feel that he had become more rational and intelligent. He shook his head as he spoke. ”No, there will be no improvement at all.”

”If we blow up these two bridges, it is also equivalent to cutting off our connection with the outside world. We will become an isolated island in Rapa.”

”It seems like we have resisted the enemy’s attack, but in reality, we have trapped ourselves here.”

”The resources here are limited, the population is limited, everything is limited. But outside, it is infinite.”

”They will develop stronger and stronger. Eventually, they will become stronger than us, so strong that we cannot resist.”

”When that moment comes, if they launch an attack again, can we stop them?”

He looked at these people. ”Hmm?”

The few family elders remained silent.

Diego took another puff of his cigar. ”My idea is, let them in.”

”Since they want a decisive battle, we’ll give them one.”

”Blow up the other bridge. They will try everything to protect Reef Horse Bridge. We will form an encirclement where the bridge crosses.”

”We will eliminate as many of them as enter!”

”We will devour them all!”

”The moment they can’t bear the pressure and start to give up their attack, that is when we counter-attack!”

The few people looked at Diego with surprise, shock, and disbelief, as if they were seeing Diego for the first time. This made Diego a little ashamed and annoyed. ”Don’t you fucking look at me like that!”

The few immediately withdrew their gaze. Although they were Diego’s elders, in this family, Diego still had a certain deterrent force.

At least he knew that he wasn’t the most outstanding one, but in order to rise to power, he had eliminated quite a few of his own brothers, sisters, and cousins.

If killing could solve the problem, he would only choose to kill, not to think of other ways. This was why everyone had been afraid of him in the past.

He was truly a tyrant!

”Alright, do as I say. Let them in, but don’t make it so... fake. Make them feel that they have achieved this victory through their own efforts.”

”You don’t need to worry too much either. We have the military supplies aided by the Federation, and also hundreds of thousands of brave soldiers. If there is only one victor in this war, it will only be me!”

”That’s it. Go and arrange it.”

He raised his hand and waved, signaling them to leave.

The few elders of the Ravila family looked at each other, and finally decided to carry out Diego’s order, because this order looked surprisingly reliable!

They quickly left. Diego, however, did not. He sat in his chair, smoking his cigar. The smoke that drifted up occasionally obscured his face, making him look somewhat ethereal.

He seemed to be thinking, but no one knew what he was thinking about.

The butler stood behind him, looking at his back, lost in thought.

...

The movement on the front line was quickly relayed. The other bridge was successfully blown up, causing the rebels to concentrate almost all their pressure on the Reef Horse Bridge.

The battle for Reef Horse Bridge was exceptionally fierce and brutal. It could be said that the bridge deck was covered with the corpses of soldiers from both sides.

The soldiers who came later had no choice but to step over the bodies, constantly moving forward.

At this moment, courage, fear—these emotions that only arise in specific environments—seemed to have been wiped away from everyone’s body by a mysterious force.

The soldiers rushed forward, forgetting everything. Seeing the government soldiers being scattered, these people who called themselves rebels could not believe that all this was real!

As they seized the bridgehead, more soldiers began to pour across the bridge, meeting a more intense battle.

The sound of guns and cannons never stopped. The rebels also used the few cannons they had scraped together to bombard the enemy’s positions.

The intensity of the battle only slightly subsided when the sky began to brighten.

Before the sun had even risen, on a large bridge about seventy or eighty meters long, the corpses of soldiers were continuously being thrown off the bridge by the people cleaning up the battlefield.

The surging river beneath the bridge, like a terrifying giant beast, swallowed them all completely.

Pedro came to the bridge from the rear. He looked at the pitted bridge deck and could feel the brutality of the battle last night.

”It’s not safe enough here. They still have a chance to blow up this bridge. Find a way to continue the advance.”

He said, turning to look in the direction of Zhuolan. ”From here to Zhuolan, it’s not a long distance. If we advance with all our might, we can reach Zhuolan in no more than two weeks.”

He gazed at the sky in the distance, seemingly looking at Diego Ravila, whom they had dubbed the ”President of Treason” in that city. He seemed to be fantasizing about what the two of them would say and do when he stood in front of him.

This would definitely be a historical moment. It would be recorded in human history, and it would be deeply remembered by all the living people of this country.

A rebel leader beside him said softly, ”Our losses are too great. They are like a huge pocket surrounding us. If we want to break through, I’m afraid it won’t be an easy matter.”

”We might have to pay a terrible price.”

Pedro pushed up his glasses. ”Any great change is accompanied by great sacrifice. Sacrifice can solidify our beliefs, can awaken the paralyzed souls of the people, and can bring this country back on track!”

”I believe that the soldiers’ sacrifices are meaningful, and they are worth it. What they have paid with their blood and lives in exchange for is a future full of light for their families, their children, and all the people of Rapa!”

The current Pedro had also learned to speak these empty and grand words, but in this period, at this crucial juncture of change, people seemed to fall for this kind of rhetoric.

That sudden sense of mission made many people immediately abandon some of their selfish interests and self-serving nature, and selflessly join this torrent of the era.

They might really be able to change this era, this country, but they would not be remembered by people, because they were just consumables.

Who can truly remember some consumables?

Consumables whose names are not even worthy of appearing in newspapers, magazines, or propaganda.

Soon they had finalized the next battle plan. By a little after nine, the battle had started again. This time, it became even more intense.

The rebel side had, from god knows where, gotten some modified cars. They looked more like armored vehicles, smashing and ramming across the battlefield.

In this kind of ”low-tech” battlefield, the appearance of armored vehicles was definitely a formidable weapon.

They quickly tore open a bloody path. The battle between the two sides also became more intense and fiercely contested.

All day long, Diego was waiting for some new news, but what arrived was always bad news.

They had contained the anti-government forces’ offensive to push further towards Zhuolan, but only temporarily, because they were clearly organizing a new offensive.

Diego had asked several front-line military officers of the Ravila family, and had received some not-so-good feedback from them.

These rebels had fierce firepower and tenacious will. This was a tough battle, and they couldn’t guarantee they would definitely win.

After receiving several such reports, Diego put down the phone. He said, without turning his head, ”Pack up the things in my exhibition room...”

The butler was slightly stunned. He seemed to know what the president intended to do.

”I understand, Master!”