Shadow Empire

Chapter 1046 Defeat
Police officers were constantly dispatched within the concession to drive out the unruly ordinary people who had come in from outside.

Some conflicts have occurred, and some people are unwilling to leave, as the anti-government forces could attack Zhuolan at any time, making the city increasingly dangerous for them.

They didn't know if they would receive any protections, security or other benefits, within the concession, but it was the only option they could think of.

Ships constantly set sail from Zhuolan's docks, but not everyone can board a ship to leave. In the end, they can only turn their attention here.

Now these police officers, their own people, are trying to kick them out of here. How could they possibly accept this outcome?

And so the conflict began.

Initially, several ordinary people from Lapa refused to leave the open space where they were temporarily "living" and also refused to leave the concession, which led to a conflict with the police.

They thought the police wouldn't dare do anything to them, after all, the Federation's cultural exports had been quite successful in Lapa, leading them to mistakenly believe that things would be the same here, within the concession.

Everything should be based on human rights, respect for freedom and individual will.

The police officers pulled out their batons and beat them. Some of them couldn't withstand the attack and began to fight back. The farce ended when one of the officers drew his gun and fired.

When the first policeman used a handgun and fired, he was not punished in any way, which meant that the police department, as well as the Lance and the concession administration system, were encouraging such behavior.

Sometimes people are stupid, but other times they are very smart.

The riots and chaos in the concession were quickly brought under control, a large number of people were cleared out, and the concession returned to its original appearance.

Those people walking on the streets of the concession, those with identification documents confirming they were residents of the concession, would walk with their chins slightly raised, just like those grandfathers.

In their minds, they have already broken free from the bottom of society and are now in a position between the bottom and middle classes. Although they are not yet middle class, they are at least not at the bottom.

This shift in mindset made them even more enthusiastic about everything within the concession, including Lance, as well as the Federation and the Federal government.

This is a very pathological psychological change; a victim will fanatically gravitate towards the perpetrator, which sounds like the awakening of a long-time submissive.

But that's the reality. These people living in the concessions were proud of being "colonized" and even felt superior to other uncolonized people in the mainland. It's strange, yet not strange.

After all, people are not water. Water flows downhill, but people only strive to go uphill.

This is indeed a tragedy, a tragedy for Lapa, a tragedy for the people of Lapa.

Large numbers of middle-class and privileged people from Lapa waited at the "New Federal Center Resident Registration Office" to apply for residency status within the concession.

They used to mock the residents who had registered their personal information here, those at the very bottom of society.

They described those people as "livestock stamped with steel seals," believing that registering personal information was tantamount to tightly controlling a person and completely depriving them of their freedom.

But now, they are actively putting shackles on their own heads because of war.

For several days in a row, Lance "took in" a lot of people like this, and they transformed into residents of the concession, but they were not quite the same as the ordinary residents.

They need to contribute to the concession; these people can't do the lowest-level labor in factories, so they have to invest here.

Whether they open a shop or a factory, they must hire workers, otherwise they will eventually be kicked out.

With its increasingly better environment, more and more job opportunities, and its safety, this place is becoming a desirable destination for more and more people.

In early February, on the mornings of the 3rd and 4th, fog enveloped the entire Zhuolan.

Two people in a hurry were heading from downtown Zhuolan toward the concession.

They had been waiting in line to join the concession. There were too many applicants every day. In addition, due to some of Lans's regulations, one had to either contribute to the construction of the concession or have real money to invest in the concession. Otherwise, others could only wait in line.

No one knew when the rebels outside the city would attack, so those who were even slightly capable were anxiously waiting for news.

Early in the morning, the two neighbors planned to go to the interview together. If they passed the interview, they could move into the concession area.

The two were considered middle class in Lapa, living on the outskirts of the city center, and had some money.

Because they were preoccupied with their own thoughts, the two didn't talk much along the way, and their conversations mainly revolved around whether Zhuolan could hold out and whether the rebel army would cause any damage to the area.

They also talked about Diego.

"It's been a while since we've seen Diego, you know?"

"Some people say he has actually already escaped!"

The person speaking had his hands in his pockets, head down, and the cold wind blowing in through his neck and into his clothes made him feel a bone-chilling cold.

The damp cold felt like it would stick to you once it entered, impossible to get rid of.

The person next to him hummed in agreement, "I've heard that too, but I don't think it's true."

"Do you think the Federals, and those big shots, will let Diego escape?"

"He is an ideal tool, and in my opinion, he will be the end of this war game. He will definitely appear when needed."

"I'm more worried about today's interview than that."

“I only have a little over a thousand yuan right now. If they want me to invest, I really don’t know what I can do with this money.”

A little over a thousand dollars, federal sols, is actually a considerable fortune here, but as he worried, it's not enough for investment.

He could only hope that his professional skills would win him the favor of the interviewer.

As they were talking, they suddenly heard a series of rapid footsteps. As they walked, they turned their heads to look in the direction from which the footsteps were coming. Soon they saw a group of soldiers in government uniforms running towards them.

They froze on the spot, instinctively standing still. They thought the soldiers might just be passing by, but then they realized they were wrong.

Several soldiers surrounded them and raised their weapons, shouting, "Take out your valuables!" A wrinkled veteran who looked to be in his mid-thirties reached out and grabbed their coats, reaching into their pockets.

Both of them were somewhat unable to handle this unexpected situation and just stood there dumbfounded.

They didn't realize until they saw the soldiers search their belongings and put them into their own pockets.

"That's mine..." one of them realized that what had been taken from them was not only their personal belongings, money, or other things, but also some of the documents they used to apply for residency status within the concession.

He didn't care about the money; it was just small change and not worth much. But he couldn't lose the supporting documents he needed for the application.

He tried to reach for the documents back, explaining the situation as he did so, "You can take the money, but please give me back these documents..."

But in response, the veteran took a step back, drew his weapon from its holster, and fired two shots into his stomach.

His companion was terrified, raising his hands and looking at the government troops, completely bewildered as to what had happened.

Soon after, these people had looted all their belongings and left, running towards the city center.

It was at this moment that more soldiers began to run out of the fog, and those who were still standing realized what had happened.

His mouth slowly opened wide, unable to close, and his eyes were filled with fear!

The government forces have been defeated!

Large numbers of defeated soldiers appeared around Zhuolan, and some had already begun to rush into the city.

The person in charge of the investigation immediately notified Lance, who then obtained the exact information through telephone and telegram inquiries: the last military force of the Lavila family had completely collapsed.

Unable to stop the advance of the anti-government forces any longer, they began to flee in droves, and the only direction they could escape to was Zhuolan.

While having several main streets guarded, Lance kept an eye on the movements of the routed soldiers and the advance of the anti-government forces.

Among the anti-government forces—or rather, the "insurgents"—many people have changed their names for them.

These government troops were just a disorganized mob in the face of the rebels, but once they entered the city and faced ordinary people, they became hungry wolves.

Starting around 6 a.m., the gunfire continued intermittently without stopping, and news kept pouring in.

The fleeing soldiers attacked the city's central district, looting large quantities of goods and killing many people.

Now this group of defeated soldiers is completely out of control; they are like a swarm of locusts, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.

The store was robbed, and those who looked wealthy were taken from all their possessions. Anyone who refused to cooperate with the robbery was killed on the spot.

Some don't even care whether you cooperate or not; they just walk over and shoot a few times, lay the person down first, and then loot the body.

At eight o'clock, new news came that some defeated soldiers had occupied the port and were requisitioning all the ships docked there, trying to leave by boat.

They had developed a physiological fear of the insurgents, and every ship was crammed with rout government troops who were frantically trying to escape this wretched place.

The city became even more chaotic, with gunfire everywhere, including in Lance's territory, where some routs attempted to storm the city.

In their minds, this place is also very prosperous and wealthy.

The idea that Commonwealth people are rich has taken root in people's minds. The propaganda of the past two years has not only made locals culturally more aligned with the Commonwealth, but has also promoted some common social conditions in the Commonwealth here.

For example, the average federal salary is already close to sixty federal sols, which is a possibility for them.

They couldn't earn that much money even if they didn't eat or drink for a year; it might take them two or three years. So, the idea that the Commonwealth people are very rich has become an inherent label in their minds.

These people are now completely out of control; all they want to do is rob someone and then leave by boat.

Naturally, the affluent city center and this place became their primary choice.

As a large group of defeated soldiers charged toward the bridge leading to the concession with their weapons, three armored vehicles suddenly appeared, startling them.

Just as they stopped and began to realize something was wrong, the machine guns on the armored vehicle started firing bullets.

The storm of bullets tore these people to pieces in an instant, and they turned and ran, howling and crying.

But how could the human body possibly outrun the speed of a bullet?
Soon, only corpses and lingering smoke remained on the streets.

Three armored vehicles arrived at the scene of corpses. Hailam stepped out of one of the vehicles, gun in hand. He glanced down at a soldier who was still alive, raised his gun, aimed it at the soldier's head, and fired a burst of machine gun fire.

The bullet shattered the soldier's head in an instant, a sight that looked somewhat nauseating, but that was nothing compared to what Hailam had done.

He looked around to make sure no one was still alive before giving the order.

"Hang them up with ropes and suspend them from the streetlights and buildings on both sides..."

Before long, the roadsides were lined with the corpses of defeated soldiers, hanging there, swaying in the wind or slapping against the walls.

The same scene unfolded elsewhere. The armored vehicles that Lance brought here played a significant role. Perhaps they were not very effective on the front lines of the battlefield, but in the city and on the roads, they were deadly weapons!
The routed soldiers quickly realized that this was not a good place, and they began to deliberately avoid it, even when passing by.

This gave the people in the concession a strong sense of security.

Around 11 a.m., after the routed soldiers had been lying in wait for about five hours, the Lavila family returned to Zhuolan with some of the soldiers they had gathered. While they were setting up fortifications, they were also trying to find Diego.

Unfortunately, Diego was gone. Meanwhile, just before 1 p.m., the rebels finally "surrounded" the entire Zoran.

Actually, saying they surrounded the city isn't quite accurate. They didn't actually surround Zhuolan, but they did control all the roads Zhuolan could take away from here except by water. The atmosphere in the entire city instantly became terrible.

More people, carrying their possessions and their families, tried to rush into the concession, as it was now the only place that offered them a sliver of security.

(End of this chapter)