Empire of Shadows

”Where did you go?”

Ross couldn’t help but ask when Pedro returned.

Although the conflict between the two had begun to manifest and showed signs of escalating, their interests were, at least for the moment, still aligned.

Pedro sat back down in his chief judge’s seat. He glanced at Ross, and after a few seconds, said, ”Federal warships have docked outside the harbor, with their cannons aimed at Zhuolan.”

Ross was first stunned, then his face immediately clouded with fury.

Pedro found this highly interesting.

The interesting aspect was that he had read many history books and texts. In those records, most capable ministers and officials, the higher they rose, the less likely they were to outwardly express their joy or anger.

But Ross was different. The higher his status became, the harder it was for him to control his emotions.

This made Pedro instinctively look at Diego, currently being tried, and recall the tyrannical and autocratic monarchs that flashed through his mind.

Because their power was no longer constrained by secular law or anything else, the endlessly expanding thirst for power completely lost them in an ocean of authority. Thus, they no longer hid their thoughts and began to act purely according to their own preferences.In other words, if Ross reached the pinnacle of power, he would become just such a person—savage, autocratic, and potentially worse than Diego!

The more obvious this became, the more Pedro realized he could not allow a man with the potential to become a tyrant and dictator to usurp the fruits of their revolutionary victory.

Ross was unaware that so many thoughts had flashed through Pedro’s mind in that instant. He clenched his fist and slammed it on the table. ”Damn it...”

The sound drew the attention of the people around them. Ross ignored their strange looks and stared at Pedro. ”What is he trying to do?”

The ”he” here was undoubtedly Lance. Ross immediately assumed this was Lance’s doing, a guess that was neither entirely wrong nor entirely correct.

Pedro shook his head. ”I don’t know, perhaps it’s to secure their interests.”

”These seemingly civilized Federal people, these moral paragons, are fundamentally worse than us.”

”At least we have some bottom line and moral restraint. They have none.”

This was not their land, and the temporary land they acquired through despicable means was not permanent, yet they were trying to make it permanent. This was unacceptable to all revolutionaries.

”Let’s continue the public trial for now.”

”After the trial concludes, we will talk to them properly.”

”At least we still have over ten thousand soldiers under our control; that is our biggest leverage.”

”If they choose to go to extremes, we are not without means to retaliate.”

”Before they destroy us, we can destroy the concession and the people inside it.”

Ross nodded. ”Don’t be so polite to him this time. He is nothing but an aggressor disguised as an investor.”

Pedro hummed. ”I understand.”

The speed of the subsequent questioning accelerated. Clearly, Pedro wanted to finalize matters quickly and establish the new Rapa government to counter the Federal offensive.

In his conversation with the Jede President, the other party had mentioned a crucial point.

If they could quickly form a legitimate government, the Federation would have to consider its international image and wouldn’t easily take drastic action against them.

It was similar to how the Federation, despite being able to send troops to occupy all of Rapa, still had to use these indirect, unfavorable methods.

They were trying to cultivate a positive, upright international image. If the new Rapa government was formed and appealed to the international community for aid and protested, some of the Federation’s moves might be temporarily halted.

This would give Pedro and Rapa a chance to breathe, allowing the YA to provide support and stabilize the current situation.

Pedro agreed with this view. He had read many documents and books about the Federation recently. From these materials, he saw a Federation adept at self-aggrandizement—a hypocritical, deceitful Federation.

With this thought in mind, Diego’s fate seemed to have been sealed early on.

By shortly after three in the afternoon, most questions had been asked due to the prosecutor’s accelerated pace. The prosecutor took a few sips of water and approached Diego.

”Do you admit to your crimes?”

Diego simply stared at him, then turned his head toward the direction of Pedro. He couldn’t quite make out who Pedro was, but he knew Pedro was there.

Initially, he had been anxious, but after three days, he no longer felt uneasy about being tried.

He looked at the prosecutor again. ”Stop asking pointless questions. Just end this quickly.”

What should have been a public assembly met with cheers was now becoming anticlimactic due to Diego’s behavior and the public’s indifferent response.

The prosecutor was about to speak, but Pedro spoke first. ”Diego, have you ever repented for all the crimes you have committed? Are you willing to confess your crimes to the world?”

Diego followed the sound, but his vision was still blurred.

A hint of mockery appeared on his face. ”I told you, whether I am guilty or confess, it no longer matters.”

”You are the victors. You can have anything you want, including my confession to my crimes and guilt.”

”If that is what you want, then fine, I confess.”

”What now?”

”Kill me?”

Pedro breathed a sigh of relief. His confession was all that mattered. After a brief silence, he said, ”The meaning of law is to ensure the safety of the people is not violated, not to be a tool for the powerful to toy with the populace.”

”You violated the law, Diego, and broke countless laws. Whether under the former Rapa laws or the laws we have adopted from developed nations, your outcome is singular.”

”You may have been a brutal dictator. You may have massacred your people without reason.”

”But we shall be a new, civilized, fair, and just government. I will give you the opportunity to exercise your final right, even though you are an unforgivable criminal!”

”What do you want?”

”In this final stage of your life, if it is not excessive, I can grant your wish.”

Diego was now able to accept all this calmly. One must eventually learn to accept reality, not resist and struggle forever.

He pursed his lips. His dry, cracked lips made him uncomfortable. ”I want... a large glass of iced fruit juice.”

This request surprised everyone. They had expected... something else entirely. No one had anticipated that his last wish would be a large glass of iced fruit juice.

Pedro’s emotions were somewhat complicated at that moment. Perhaps this was the truest portrayal of a tyrant’s final moments.

He had once casually trampled and dominated others’ lives, but in the final moments of his own, he only asked for a glass of iced fruit juice.

After a very brief consideration, Pedro granted his wish.

A soldier quickly brought over a large glass of iced fruit juice. As requested by Diego, it had large chunks of ice and was filled to the brim with juice.

His eyes seemed to light up. In that moment, freedom, or survival, seemed less important than the juice before him.

He picked up the juice, but unlike his past habits, he didn’t gulp it down. Instead, he slowly savored it, feeling it, and reliving the moment.

Reliving the old taste, the taste of the past.

When the juice in the cup was finished, he even chewed the remaining ice, finally placing the cup on the table before him with satisfaction.

Ross grew impatient. ”Do you have anything else to say?”

He was clearly urging Diego to proceed quickly to the end of his life. Honestly, rushing a man who was destined to die was highly uncivilized.

Some in the crowd even booed, and some on the judging panel couldn’t help but look at Ross, thinking he was too harsh.

Though Diego had resisted during the three-day trial, he had been cooperative and hadn’t caused any trouble.

As people who were once the oppressed, they wanted to give Diego a dignified end, and Ross was ruining it.

Perhaps sensing the dissatisfied looks directed at him, Ross coldly snorted and shut his mouth. He did not want to incur public outrage now.

With Ross’s prompting, Diego tidied his clothes and calmly faced the people on the judging panel. ”Come on!”

”Kill me!”

”Go and prove that you are right!”

”Not every change leads to a good outcome. Perhaps you will realize one day that it was better not to change at all.”

”You will drive this country into a deeper abyss. If I am an unforgivable tyrant, then you are equally unforgivable.”

Pedro knew what Diego was trying to say. He shook his head slightly. ”Whatever the future holds, at least one thing we will do better than you.”

”We will treat the people kindly, not harm them.”

He paused. ”Take him to the execution platform.”

Diego was escorted to the execution platform. The trial venue, which had been solemn and quiet, finally began to ”boil.” People spoke and surged toward the platform.

Diego continuously gasped for air, then knelt on the platform.

At this point, Pedro and the others walked over, coming closer, seemingly wanting to witness the entire process up close.

This allowed Diego to see them clearly.

He tilted his head and, as instructed by the executioner, rested it on the wooden block. He looked at Pedro and the others, a distorted expression on his face. ”I will wait for you in the passage to hell!”

With Ross’s impatient wave, the blade fell with a dull thud. Blood splattered above the blade, staining the executioner beside Diego.

And Diego’s wide, staring eyes rolled onto the muddy ground beneath the platform.

The man who had never bowed his head since birth, whose hair and cheeks had never been dirtied by mud, finally fully embraced the earth.

After a brief gasp, the crowd fell back into silence.

Diego was dead, but what about them?

What about Rapa?

What happens next?

Everyone’s eyes were filled with confusion, unable to see the direction of the future.

According to Pedro and the other revolutionaries, this was the apathy of a people oppressed and exploited into numbness by autocratic high pressure.

But practically speaking, was it truly appropriate to overthrow a stable regime through a short civil war, especially with external forces involved and great external pressure?

Did it truly accelerate the establishment of a new democratic Rapa regime, as Pedro claimed, building a strong country ruled by the people?

Or did it accelerate Rapa’s demise? The warships outside the harbor were the best proof—their cannons were aimed at Rapa. That was certainly not the act of a friend; only an aggressor would do that.

With such immense external pressure, internal stability was crucial...

The people might not think so far ahead, but they could feel the confusion and lack of direction.

Rapa Central Radio broadcast throughout the Yalan region all day: Diego had been justly tried and executed, ending his wicked life.

Simultaneously, Pedro and the rebels would form a new political party and proceed to form a new Rapa government—a government primarily composed of ordinary people.

Everything seemed to be moving in the direction they hoped for. However, early the next morning, Pedro was awakened by his aide.

He rubbed his sleepy eyes and opened his bedroom door, seeing the visibly anxious face of his aide. His sleepiness instantly vanished.

His expression became serious. ”What happened?”

His aide, his former colleague, spoke in a very anxious tone. ”This morning, almost all the tribal states publicly declared that our Rapa People’s Party is an illegal political party, that we are anti-government insurgents and rebellious forces.”

”They have united to move against us and destroy us...”

Pedro was jolted fully awake!

Rapa itself was composed of large and small tribes, which they referred to as tribal states.

The original chieftain of each tribal state held immense power within their region.

Among the many tribal states, the Ravila family and a few others were the strongest. Ultimately, the Ravila family secured the presidency, while the rulers of the other tribal states became ministers and other officials.

The success of Pedro’s uprising had been so rapid partly because, out of over twenty tribal states, only seven or eight had sided with the Ravila family.

Therefore, their civil war was very smooth. At the time, Pedro believed these other tribal states chose to remain neutral because they could no longer tolerate Diego’s dictatorship.

But now, they were suddenly publicly declaring the rebels an illegal force and demanding their elimination. This had to be planned and premeditated!

Connecting this to the Federal warships already patrolling outside the harbor, he once again ”saw” the man sitting behind the office desk, looking at him with a calm, indifferent gaze.

Lance!