Shadow Empire

Chapter 1019 Public Speech
Thick fog hung in the air of Jingang City in the early morning. Yellow warning lights flashed rhythmically in the fog, forming a series of yellow halos that expanded and contracted along the entire railway track.

It all seemed so unreal. The train conductor had reduced the speed to a very slow level. Although he didn't quite believe the train would derail here today, he still needed to be careful.

Visibility is too low.

In the depths of winter, Jin Gang City is often shrouded in fog on most mornings, especially when there is no strong wind, the fog becomes even thicker.

This time is full of fun for some people, such as children.

They would run through the fog, laughing and joking with their companions, their laughter ringing out in a series of crisp sounds, but for some people who might have psychological issues, it was terrible.

Everywhere there were halos of light that kept expanding and contracting. There were hardly any people in sight. Suddenly, the laughter of some children came from somewhere, enough to make the scalp of these people tingle.

One by one, people emerged from the thick fog with their hands in their pockets and heads down, only to disappear back into it. Sometimes, such scenes can give one a sense of unreality.

It's as if everything is still in a dream!
As the train chugged into the train station, the platform was completely cleared out.

This morning, the Lance family took over the Golden Harbor City Railway Station because very important supplies were being transported from New Golden City.

Ten million in cash, and weapons ostensibly worth ninety million, were transported in more than twenty train carriages. All of these items were extremely important, and no mistakes were allowed.

So starting at four o'clock in the morning, the Lance family thoroughly cleaned up the train station, and now there is no one left except for essential staff.

Some people may have some objections to this, but even if they do, they have to put up with it.

The train slowly pulled up to the freight platform, and soon the loading and unloading cars were up and running thanks to the reliable workers.

They unloaded the contents of the carriages and loaded them onto another train.

The train station in Jin Gang City is the final stop. Goods will be transported to the two docks via the city's internal railway after arriving here.

This part of the railway is not publicly accessible; it was built by the Jinkang city government and some wealthy individuals in the bay area, so it is not connected to the Southern Railway Network.

Moreover, transporting them from here to the inner railway doesn't even require leaving the station; it's just on the other side of the platform.

The movers are all employees of Lance Company. They are all people from Jingang who know them well. If they cause trouble, it won't just be them who will suffer.

Of course, this is only the worst-case scenario; the selected workers would never do something so stupid, and even if they wanted to, they couldn't.

Surrounded by Lance family members with guns, they had no chance to do anything or be human under so many eyes and gun barrels.

Looking at the boxes of arms and weapons printed with the McGraw-Hill Industries logo on the cart, everyone was deeply shocked.

How many weapons are there here?
They were also wondering what Lance was up to.
Were they fighting in a war abroad?

Or are they involved in the arms trade?
People didn't know, and dared not ask, but that didn't stop them from becoming even more awe-inspiring of Lance and the Lance family!
Lance soon appeared on the platform as well. He hugged Melo and then turned to watch as nine waterproof boxes, supported by wood, were carried out and placed into the other side of the train car.

“What do these seem to be?” Merlo asked.

Because he then saw the men who had returned with Lance enter the carriage filled with boxes; they were all carrying weapons and had serious expressions.

Lance didn't hide anything and told the truth, "Money, ten million in cash."

Melo gasped. He also had a net worth of over two million, but because he wasn't a frontline cadre, he received less in profit sharing than others.

However, his salary is higher than others.

No matter how high the salary is, it can't compare to the subsidies and bonuses for a single operation. The bonuses and subsidies, which can easily amount to tens or hundreds of thousands, have made those who have been fighting on the front lines, such as Hailam, worth more than five million long ago.

Lance didn't know exactly how much money he had, but it was a lot.

This money in the bank, in the passbook, is just a string of numbers.

There are many numbers larger than this string of numbers in math books, so people won't be too impressed by this string of numbers.

But the situation was different now; this was real money. Melo could already imagine what was inside the boxes, and his gaze immediately returned to the wooden crates.

“I think we should arrange for more people to go with them. It might not be safe to have so much money with only these people.”

Lance disagreed with his point of view this time. "Arranging a few people is to prevent some fools from touching these things. There is no need to arrange more people because I believe that in Golden Harbor City, no one who can threaten them will dare to touch my things!"

That overwhelming confidence is like a sudden tsunami, giving people a very strong sensory stimulation.

The "idiots" Lance was referring to were probably some movers who might be curious to see what was inside and cause some unnecessary trouble.

The troubles caused by these people can be easily resolved by Lance's men.

But if a problem arises that they can't solve, it must be a big problem, and behind every big problem there must be a powerful figure.

In Golden City, in Likale State, there aren't any big shots foolish enough to come looking for trouble with him right now.

The goods were quickly loaded onto the truck and transported to the Jin Gang Wharf in about forty minutes.

The dedicated line from the train station to the dock was unobstructed. The moment it arrived at the port, a ray of golden sunlight pierced through the thick fog and began to rise from the sea.

The sky gradually brightened.

By this time, there were already many workers on the dock, who, with the help of mechanical tools, were loading these items onto the cargo ship.

The entire loading process took only about an hour. Around 8 a.m., after Lance finished breakfast, everything was loaded onto the ship.

He wiped his mouth briefly. "I won't chat with you anymore. I need to get to Zhuolan as soon as possible."

They chatted for a while while having breakfast; Maurice's wife is pregnant.

Although Lance told him that he could continue his life by replacing his trachea in the future, he still wanted to create a successor first.

If that doesn't work out, everything I have can still be passed on to his children.

Newlywed life has made Maurice look quite plump, but he also seems to be in good spirits.

This reflects the fact that wealthy people are never short of a happy life.

Melo escorted Lance to the dock, and after the cargo was inventoried, Lance left the port with the ship.

The cargo ship arrived at Zhuolan's dock at around 4 a.m. the next day.

The docks were also under martial law, and there were not only people from Lance, but also local government troops.

Diego had already been notified and arrived at the dock early in the morning.

The moment Lance stepped off the dock, Diego excitedly walked over to him, looking at Lance with anticipation on his face.

He really doesn't want to die.

But he also knew that whether he lived or died was not up to him.

The anti-government forces outside are pressing him hard. If he doesn't get new aid, he may be besieged in Zhuolan and become a "symbol of the victory of the liberation movement" in the eyes of some "progressives".

The anti-government forces claim they will save Rapa and its people from the corrupt and brutal dictatorship, and these platforms have gained considerable support among young people.

The fact that they can still continuously expand the size of their army shows that more and more young people in Rapa are beginning to "awaken" and break free from the shackles of their past thinking, starting to seriously think about and view the country and everything here with an independent and free personality.

According to unofficial statistics, the number of anti-government militants in Rapa now exceeds 550,000 and continues to increase.

The government forces, on the other hand, comprised a relatively small portion, numbering only around 100,000.

If it weren't for the contradictions, conflicts, and opposition among these anti-government armed groups, President Diego might not even be in the picture now.

He's been having nightmares lately, and the content of those nightmares is always the same few things. Either he dreams about the leaders of those anti-government armed groups, like Pedro and Ross.

They stormed into the presidential palace with weapons, dragged him from his office, and hanged him on the execution rack outside the palace in front of everyone.

He would sway constantly with the sea breeze, and the wooden execution rack would creak and groan as if to accompany the swaying of his body.

Or, the federal army would suddenly appear beside him, drag him to the square outside the presidential palace, and, in front of a large number of Lapa people, declare him a tyrant, an anti-human ruler, and then execute him.

Whenever he has these nightmares, he is awakened and then finds it difficult to fall asleep again.

This is one of the reasons why he has lost a lot of weight; poor sleep will definitely lead to weight loss.

"Is the stuff on the ship?"

Diego's eyes gleamed with a chessboard-like light. Lance nodded. "Ninety million Federal Sols in military supplies, firearms, shells, bullets, and other related items, as well as ten million Federal Sols in cash."

He glanced back at the cargo ship's deeper silhouette in the darkness. "They're all on board."

Diego's heart burned with fervor, and even the chilly sea breeze couldn't dispel the astonishing heat emanating from his body. "Then what are we waiting for?"

"Let them start unloading!"

Lance neither nodded nor shook his head; he simply looked at Diego. "You know, this is a deal. I brought these things to show my sincerity, so what do I want?"

Diego was stunned for a moment, and the flame in his heart was extinguished in an instant.

He has actually been thinking these past two days. He is not as completely brainless as people imagine. He is still using his brain, though not much, but at least he is using it.

He could already imagine the consequences of taking this poison; even if he managed a dismal victory in this round, he would still be destroyed in the next.

His fate is already sealed, and there's a high probability it can't be changed.

His gaze towards Lance kept changing, sometimes showing fear, and sometimes showing a fierce look.

Lance simply looked at him calmly, meeting his ever-changing gaze, staring into his eyes without the slightest fear.

During this process, Diego even considered whether to kill Lance and the people here, and then go to negotiate with the anti-government forces.

But his fear of the Federation soon made him abandon the idea, because he knew that if he did it, the Federation would definitely send troops to Lapa.

Therefore, he was never able to make any decisions in his heart, and could only compromise in the face of constant changes.

"I will announce it after dawn," he said, his voice hoarse, as if he had lost something, and the light in his eyes had dimmed considerably.

Lance nodded slightly. "Then I'll give these things to you after dawn."

Without giving Diego any further chance to speak, he walked directly to the convoy by the roadside, got into his armored vehicle convoy, and left.

Diego looked back as Lance's car drove further and further away, eventually disappearing into the night. He clenched his teeth and his hands into fists.

But in the end, I relaxed.

At 9:30 a.m., Rapa Central Broadcasting, a nationwide channel that now broadcasts news and political propaganda daily, began its work again.

Those who could afford it sat at their desks at home, listening to the clattering radio until it fell silent, while those who couldn't gathered under public loudspeakers on the street to listen to the sounds that rang out promptly at 9:30 every morning.

"This is Rapa Central Radio. We will now be transferred to the Presidential Palace, where President Diego will address the nation in ten minutes."

"Repeat it again..."

Lance was listening too; the exquisite radio was placed on a table not far away, and he was sitting on the sofa, smoking a cigarette.

Some Lapa “locals” were already seated around him, representatives of large families, or heads of households, including people like the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

They have completely sided with the Federation and with Lance, so they are here now, not in the presidential palace or their own offices.

They also knew that after Diego's public speech this morning, the Lavila family would soon end their long rule over the land.

Everyone looked excited; this was an important historical moment, and they were not only witnesses but also participants.

And in the spotlight of their attention was Lance White, the driving force behind the entire plan.

Although he was still very young, everyone who looked at him was filled with awe.

At 9:41, President Diego's voice came through the radio. He coughed twice, his voice sounding somewhat hoarse.

After returning to the Presidential Palace in the morning, he sat there blankly for a long time, seemingly able to foresee his own end, and at the same time hating himself.

Knowing full well that the ending is predetermined, why don't we have the courage to fight and break free from all the constraints?

Is there still hope?
He didn't know that he didn't have the courage, even though he really wanted it.

"I... am Diego Lavila, President of Lapa. It is now 9:41:36. I am in my office at the Presidential Palace and will be making the following remarks."

“Lapa has experienced a lot in the past period of time: famine, turmoil, civil war, and many other things.”

"Many people have left us, left us forever."

"We have many problems here. I, and other officials, were overly optimistic, blindly optimistic, and greedy, which led to the tragedy."

"famine."

"I want to apologize to all those who died during this time, because our stupidity and greed led to all the tragedies."

"I know an apology may not change anything, but I still want to apologize to everyone at this moment..."

At that moment, the entire city of Lapa seemed to fall silent.

People stared in disbelief at the radios and the large loudspeakers standing upright; they couldn't believe that President Diego had actually apologized in public!

That guy, who was a dictator and tyrant even in death, actually apologized to the people?!
They all found it incredible!

Ross sneered when he heard this. "Just another political charade."

Pedro remained silent, sensing a sense of desolation and despair in President Diego's tone, as if he had reached a dead end.

He could roughly guess what had happened.

Lance was listening, as were the members of the ruling group of Lapa around him, but compared to Lance's calmness, their faces showed some exasperation.

Diego's apology implies that they were wrong too.

Do rulers make mistakes?
Do not!
Rulers never make mistakes!

“Damn it, he’s damaging our prestige!” someone said, and others immediately echoed. Diego had disgraced the Lavila family and dealt them a blow to their reputation.

“I know I am an incompetent man, and this country is a mess under my rule.”

"With civil war and famine going on, I can't help everyone get back on track."

"Therefore, I declare that from this moment forward, those who wish to survive, and local communities, are permitted a high degree of autonomy until the war is completely over..."

The average listener was unaware of what was happening, but among the anti-government forces, some, like Pedro, suddenly stood up.

He stared wide-eyed at the radio in front of him. He knew that President Diego's situation was bad, but he did not expect that the Rapa government's situation had become so bad!

This is no longer just selling out the country; after selling out the country, he personally dismembered it completely, just so that it would be easier for the federal people to use knives and forks when it was served on the dinner table!
(End of this chapter)