Shadow Empire

Chapter 1039 Fast and Ruthless
There is a very "old" proverb in the Federation—

If you encounter someone unwilling to back down on a narrow bridge, and you happen to be unwilling to back down either, courage is the key to getting through.

There is no turning back between the Rapa government forces and these anti-government armed groups. After a two- or three-hour lull during the day, the fighting resumed.

News kept coming back to Zhuolan from the "front lines," and the residents of Zhuolan were filled with anxiety and fear.

In fact, all of them, the people living in Zhuolan, whether they are in the city center, the wealthy area, or the slums, are, in a sense, among the beneficiaries of the few stable areas in this country.

They are a close-knit group of vested interests, and even the poor in the slums are part of it.

Because in Zhuolan, the only problem they face is poverty.

But in other cities, even the poor living in slums face not only poverty, but also many other problems.

This is perhaps why people yearn to live in big cities—not only because there are more opportunities, but also because they are more stable.

This peace and stability is about to be broken, and people are feeling uneasy.

Juan stood somewhat nervously near the door. He had grown taller and stronger recently.

Since he was promoted to sheriff, he has undergone a tremendous change.

He is no longer the same person he used to be. He has become more confident, and even exudes an aura of authority, something that only those in positions of power possess.

All of this was due to that coincidence; he happened to be among the first people to register their personal information, which gave him this opportunity.

Power is a corrupting influence, and Juan, who has just become a police chief, is still very cautious about his new job and new life.

But as he began to adapt to his new life, he seemed to be integrating into a new, emerging class.

He would accept some illicit money.

Such situations exist in any civilization and any society.

The New Federal Center Concession did not allow street vending, but the people living there, even those at the bottom of society, were wealthier than ordinary people in other places.

There will always be some people who want to set up a stall here to earn a little money to support themselves. If they want to set up a stable stall here, they must make the police turn a blind eye to their behavior.

And what about those girls or women who sell their happiness? They stand in groups of three or five on the street, posing provocatively. Logically, the police should drive them away. But what if they paid a sum of money and instead of standing naked on the street, they stood in an alley?

As it turns out, as long as social structures develop and progress, and people become wealthier, the current federation is the ultimate goal of these developing societies at this stage.

The free market, capital, breeds alongside corruption and other things that many consider repulsive.

At first, Juan was hesitant to accept bribes, but soon everyone else did, or rather, everyone was watching him and waiting for his decision. Under the influence of this collective will, he also chose to accept bribes.

It didn't actually take long for me to go from feeling uneasy to feeling at ease.

He was waiting in Lance's office, with Lance's back to him, looking down at the entire concession area through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows.

If the most bustling place in Lapa was previously the city center of Zoran, then the most bustling place now is the new Federal Center.

It is like a most dazzling gem, set in the barren land of Lapa, shining with a brilliance that does not belong here.

After watching for a while, Lance turned around and looked at Juan. Just one look from him gave Juan the feeling he had when he was a child facing the heat wave from the boiler!

The scorching heat forced him to hold his breath to protect his organs. Although he didn't know why he was doing it, whether it was a bodily instinct or something else, he did it anyway.

Now, he had that feeling again. Although there was no boiler or heat wave here, he still held his breath.

The aura that formed behind Lance like a tsunami made him involuntarily lower his head.

Lance sat down in his chair, not letting Juan sit down, but looking at him, "I've heard there have been several robberies in our new federal center these past few days?"

Juan is now the police chief, and he is responsible for security issues in a certain area. Two of the incidents occurred within his jurisdiction.

Several other incidents occurred in the jurisdictions of other sheriffs.

He didn't know why Lance had called him to his office alone, but he knew very well that what he needed to do now was not to shirk responsibility, but to take it on.

He nodded. "This is my dereliction of duty, Mr. Lance. I haven't arrested them yet."

Lance smiled and did not reprimand him for his incompetence. "This is a special time, Juan."

"People don't know who will come out on top in this civil war, the Ravira family or the anti-government forces."

"But no matter who comes to the end, it represents a huge upheaval."

"Especially in times like these, we must ensure that our territory does not descend into chaos. Robbery, theft, and no matter how heinous the crime, must not be allowed to occur easily."

“As a police officer and a sheriff, you have an even greater obligation to protect the safety of the residents living here, as well as the interests of the business people.”

"Your next task is to severely crack down on criminal activities, so that all those who harbor evil in their hearts will not dare to unleash their evil.

He paused for a moment, then said, "There's another matter; could you investigate it for me?"

“I’ve heard that some people believe the Zoran Treaty that Diego and we signed is invalid. Find these people and the people behind them, and give me a list.”

"You can use any means you think will solve the problem, and I will support you."

"Once you finish both of these jobs, you will become the police chief of the new federal center."

Juan's heart began to race uncontrollably. Because he had experienced poverty, hardship, and exhaustion, he cherished his current life even more and longed for a better one.

It's like those who are born and raised in the sunlight will never understand the yearning for light in people living in a bottomless, impenetrable abyss.

They've been exposed to it for so long that they've come to regard sight as a natural occurrence, rather than something they need to crave.

Juan had been through the worst of times, so he understood the allure of power and status better than anyone else.

He nodded. “I will, Mr. Lance.” Lance smiled at him. “You don’t have to keep a long face all the time. Just do your job well. I won’t use nice words to tell you what to do.”

"I just hope you don't let yourself down, and don't let your family down."

"I'll wait for good news from you..."

After exchanging a few words, Juan left Lance's office. As he left, he saw several Federation members, who appeared to be of high status.

He deliberately stood close to the wall, slightly bent over, and although there was no particularly ingratiating expression on his face, he wasn't exactly sullen either.

He stole a glance at the long-haired man walking at the front, trying to connect him with some names in his memory, and finally settled on the name of someone he felt was the right answer.

He then turned and left, feeling that one day he could be like these people.

Back at the police station, the other sheriffs asked him what he had been doing in Lance.

These past few days, it's not just some people in society who are restless; even within the police station, there's a sense of unease.

Everyone is discussing what might happen if the anti-government armed forces—whom they now call insurgents—strike their way to Zhuolanlan and the new federal center.

They are very worried about these things happening. Many people now believe that the Treaty of Zoran, signed by a traitorous president like Diego, is against the will and wishes of the people of Rapa and is a pseudo-treaty with no real binding force.

One theory is that once the rebels reach this area, they will either abolish the Treaty of Zoran or renegotiate with Lance and the Federation.

This has led to some instability within the concession, as people fear unforeseen events, which has resulted in some criminal activity.

Everyone knew that Lance had summoned Juan, so they were very curious about what Lance had told him.

Juan led everyone to his office. He is still very young, but beneath that youth, he already possesses a certain composure.

"Mr. Lance said that we should do everything we can to prevent crime from happening."

One of the sheriffs couldn't help but say, "That's probably unlikely. It's very difficult for us to completely eliminate crime. Even in the federal government, they can't prevent crime from happening."

Juan didn't argue with the sheriff's almost instinctive rebuttal, but continued, "Mr. Lance means that no matter what kind of criminal we catch, we should deal with them in a 'strict and severe' manner."

"If a thief strikes and you prick him on the back of his hand, he might hold a grudge against you."

"But if you cut off his hand, he will feel fear, and other people who want to reach out to you will also feel fear."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Okay, that's basically it. We need to maintain the current level of public order. If any crime is committed, we should deal with it severely, just as I just mentioned."

After the sheriffs left, Juan stood at the office door and looked at the desks closest to him.

He knocked on the office door, and everyone's attention immediately turned to him. After gesturing for him to come in, he went back into the office first.

Soon, all the people he had summoned entered the office.

Life's opportunities are truly fascinating. Two of these police officers, like Pedro, are high school teachers.

The only difference might be that one of them serves the Commonwealth, while the other sees the Commonwealth as an enemy.

"I need you to help me write a... something like an explanation..."

He gave a brief explanation, and the two high school teachers exchanged a glance. One of them asked in a consultative tone, "Isn't this... a bit too harsh?"

"They only robbed shops and passersby. Isn't it too harsh to sentence them to death now?"

For the people here, the verdict seemed somewhat unreasonable, but Juan did not think so.

"serious?"

“I don’t think it’s serious. You have to understand, people choose to commit crimes because the cost of crime isn’t high enough.”

"If no matter what the crime, the only outcome if caught is death, would people still commit crimes so easily?"

"No, they won't commit crimes easily because they can't afford such serious consequences."

"If we just arrest them, beat them up, and throw them in jail for a while, it won't have any deterrent effect at all."

"Only by making them truly afraid can we prevent such incidents from happening to the greatest extent possible."

Upon hearing this, the people in the room stopped talking. It was clear that this was not something Juan wanted to do himself, but rather something that the person behind him wanted to do.

Juan has been the subject of discussion within the police department. He is the youngest sheriff there, which inevitably raises suspicions about his relationship with Lance.

Now that he has suddenly proposed to take stricter measures, it is very likely that it was Lance who made the suggestion, and naturally no one else would object.

Soon, Juan issued a public notice stating that crime was rampant and that in order to better curb criminal activity, they had decided to severely punish all criminals.

It was also mentioned that the arrested criminals would be publicly executed.

The first batch arrived in just two days.

This time they arrested more than a dozen people. These people originally thought it was a small matter, and at most they would only have to serve a year or two in prison.

In this situation, being in prison is, in a sense, far safer than being outside. Many people voluntarily enter prison to reduce the risks brought about by war.

But they never expected that at such a time, the new federal center would enact a new regulation to severely punish all perpetrators of heinous crimes.

They didn't know what "making an example" meant, but they knew they were about to die.

On the day of the execution, possibly in front of thousands of onlookers, more than twenty people, ranging in age from seventeen to thirty, knelt on the ground.

His life was ended amidst the gaze of others and his own pleas.

The entire execution site was completely silent, with only the sound of gunshots echoing in the air!

(End of this chapter)