Shadow Empire

Chapter 1049 Teachers and Students
After ending his call with the senator, Lance waited ten minutes before calling General Wells.

It seemed he had been waiting for Lance's call, and the moment the call connected, General Wells' laughter came through the receiver.

The navy is not yet a match for the army, so they tend to be more humble than army generals.

“Jeffrey just called me, and I think there’s no problem with what he told me.”

"Now you just need to tell me when you need them, and I will deliver them to your designated place at the time you request."

Lance immediately expressed his gratitude for Admiral Wells's thoughtfulness, saying, "I hope it won't be too much trouble for you. I'll have someone bring back some local specialties from Lapa; I'm sure you'll like them."

Upon hearing Lance's words, Admiral Wells suddenly became interested, because a very interesting term had begun to circulate in the Federation's upper-class circles: "Lance's local specialties."

It wasn't just Senator Cleveland and his men; other senators, including government officials like those in the Department of Defense, also received local specialties from Lance!
Everyone loved the local specialties that Lance had chosen, and so far, no one has said they disliked any of the gifts Lance gave.

Lance had previously gifted Admiral Wells a golden warship, and to this day, he still admires that warship from time to time.

He suddenly felt a sense of anticipation, wondering what Lance would give him this time. "I'm really looking forward to it!"

It was a brief call. Lance then told Admiral Wells his requirements, and Admiral Wells promised to fulfill them. The two then hung up.

With these warships, even if they don't need to get too close to the port, they can still exert a huge deterrent effect on the country and on those who have bad thoughts.

What makes a group of people bow their heads is not how noble or holy you are, but the weapon you hold that forces them to do so, nothing more.

The next day, more soldiers entered Zhuolan. They took over the work of the police chief and began to maintain order. Many deserters were discovered and arrested.

Pedro's soldiers, while enforcing the law in the streets, also announced to the people that they would hold a public trial for Diego, judging the wrongdoings and sins he had committed.

To Pedro's surprise, the citizens of Zoran did not react very strongly.

Some people would even deliberately avoid these soldiers and the "public trial propaganda leaflets" in their hands, as if there was something dirty on the leaflets.

This left Pedro, who had been observing the city, somewhat puzzled.

In his imagination, the city's citizens, especially those living in the slums, should hate Diego Chaido very much, but from what he was observing now and their situation, they did not seem to be as he had imagined.

Something must have gone wrong.

Seeing Pedro deep in thought, Ross asked, "Should we go see Lance?"

"Before Diego's public trial."

Pedro looked up at him, pondered for a moment, and then nodded. "Yes, of course I'll go. Let's go now."

He looked at his former colleague beside him and asked, "Do we have any other work to do today?"

His colleague is now considered a high-ranking official in Pedro's faction, mainly responsible for recording and arranging Pedro's daily schedule and work.

It wasn't that he trusted this colleague a lot, or that the two had a good relationship; it was simply that finding someone with the necessary skills in this area from within their group was indeed not easy.

Now, this former colleague had become his adjutant, and he shook his head, "There's nothing particularly important to do today..."

"By the way, the Republic of Germany called and said they would like to speak with you before 7 p.m. Their president."

Pedro suddenly seemed a little dazed. He glanced at Ross and the others without any particular meaning, or rather, without any clear purpose, before finally looking back at his adjutant. "I understand."

On the surface, he appeared to be unchanged, but in reality, his emotions were undergoing subtle changes.

Because the president of the Czech Republic wants to speak with him on the phone that evening.

He visited the Republic of Germany twice, and each time he visited, he could feel the tremendous development and changes in the country, which had already surpassed all other countries in Asia.

If there is any country in the Asia-Pacific region that has the best chance of catching up with the Federation, it is undoubtedly the Republic of Germany.

This country, which he once looked up to, and whose president he was not even qualified to look up to, actually wanted to talk to him on the phone and even make an appointment in advance. This feeling made him feel so good that it went from the depths of his soul to the tip of every hair on his body!
This kind of pleasure is indescribable, and only he himself can feel it.

Even a minor character, a middle school teacher, has to stir up trouble on the land of Yalan, and this sense of mission makes him immerse himself in it.

Ross looked at Pedro with a strange expression. He noticed that his adjutant's words had changed the way Pedro gave off.

Ross was a little confused, but he stood up and followed Pedro outside.

After all, he was one of Lance's "students".

There were also other people, those who had attended the seminar hosted by Lance, who, after careful consideration, stood up and followed them outside.

Now that these students are seeing their teacher again, and as victors, it's unclear whether Lance will be happy.

They put everything Lance taught them into practice and even made great use of it!

Some of the "non-standard" rebel leaders, after a few simple inquiries, roughly figured out why these people were going to see the Boss of the Concession.

At the same time, they also learned this secret that wasn't exactly a secret—

Lance and the current mainstream rebel leaders have a teacher-student relationship.

This made some of them worried: if Pedro Ross, the strongest rebel leader at present, got the support of Lance and the Federation behind him, could they have secured victory in advance?
Although they had various worries, they couldn't change anything and could only silently accept what happened.

The group arrived at the outskirts of the concession in a private car, where many soldiers patrolled or were even stationed.

A standoff has formed between the two sides, but it is not very serious, and there is no sign of escalation; it can only be described as very peaceful.

Upon seeing Pedro and his group arrive, the soldiers on duty proactively pulled away the wooden stakes wrapped with barbed wire.

Pedro looked at the wooden stakes with a strange expression. He rolled down the car window and looked at the two officers standing by the car. "This is too much. Remove all of these things. We don't need so many people here. Just leave some people and let the others take turns resting."

The officer's lips moved, but in the end he obeyed the order.

In fact, these people, these anti-government militants, have a sense of pride that belongs to them and to the people of Lapa.

They had an instinctive aversion and disgust towards Lance and the Treaty of Zoran signed by Lance and Diego, and were very opposed to these foreign powers and their influence in their own country.

The Lapa people's problems should be resolved by the Lapa people themselves, not by foreign interference.

As long as Pedro gives the nod, they dare to storm into the concession and regain control of the area.

But these are ultimately just wishful thinking on their part.

That's how politics is sometimes. You know something is wrong, but under the pressure of political demands, everyone will say it's right.

The convoy then slowly approached the concession, and the "guards" on the concession side signaled them to stop.

Looking at these people wearing trench coats with a bright red armband on their left arm, Pedro had a different feeling.

“These men aren’t soldiers,” he said to Ross, who was sitting next to him, “but they give me the feeling that they’re not easy to deal with.”

Ross didn't seem to notice any of this. "They all look the same to me, nothing special. You're being too sensitive, Pedro."

"Is it because you're going to see Lance?"

Pedro frowned; there was a hint of barb in his words.

Since joining Zhuolan, Ross's attitude seemed to have undergone some subtle changes. He was certain that this was not a good change, but now was indeed not the right time to fall out with him or have a talk, so he had been tolerating it.

“Perhaps I’m mistaken,” Pedro said, then looked at the two men who approached and explained their purpose, “We’ve come to visit Mr. Lance White. You can tell him, and he’ll see us.”

“Just say… the students from the seminar have come to visit.” The two members of the Lance family nodded, and one of them, carrying a rifle, went to the guard post next door and dialed the phone in Lance’s office.

He looked at the convoy, said a few words, put down the phone, and then came out. "Mr. Lance has given you permission to go in. We will arrange for someone to guide you."

As he spoke, he waved, and soon a motorcycle arrived at the front of the convoy.

Pedro smiled, nodded, said thank you, and then rolled up the car window.

“You don’t need to be so polite to a lowly soldier,” Ross said.

Pedro turned to look at him, and after a moment of eye contact, Pedro looked away.

It wasn't that he had given up in this silent "contest," but rather that he felt it was unnecessary.

After entering Zhuolan, he found that almost everyone around him had undergone tremendous changes, including himself.

Ross wasn't like this before, but as his power expanded, he seemed to have become the kind of person he, Pedro, and many others used to hate.

They start looking down on others, become intolerant of others, and consider themselves superior to everyone else.

If Ross were to become president... it would be nothing short of a new disaster for the country.

Ross probably had no idea how much Pedro had been thinking in such a short time. He just turned his attention away with a smug look, considering it a "great victory"!
As the convoy traveled through the streets of the concession, everyone fell silent as they gazed upon the clean, beautiful streets and buildings.

Before they came in, they considered many possibilities, such as the Federalists enslaving the Lapa people and using them as livestock, with Lapa people wearing collars everywhere.

Or perhaps most locals live without dignity here, while federal citizens and foreigners are the elite.

They wantonly humiliated the Lapa people for amusement, treating them like animals, clowns, and slaves.

But once they actually entered, they all fell silent.

They saw the Lapa people, dressed in clothes that might not be high-class, but were definitely clean and tidy, walking down the street, each with a genuine smile and pride on their face!

These emotions and inner changes seemed to have given their faces a glow, and their whole being seemed to be shining!
The clean and tidy streets make this place seem nothing like Lapa, or the Federation.

“You’ve been to Geed, and compared to here…” Ross looked at Pedro, as if their brief confrontation had never happened.

On matters of principle, minor disagreements among them will not affect their unity.

Pedro shook his head, took out a cigarette, and was so depressed that all he wanted to do was smoke.

"Jiede is not as good as here."

Ross was rendered speechless by his simple answer.

Pedro took two puffs of his cigarette and continued talking.

"Seeing some of the changes happening here, I suddenly have a sense of unreality. Are our old, outdated notions about Lapa really true?"

"Although I am reluctant to admit it myself, in my mind, Lapa is a poor and backward place, extremely backward in terms of civilization and all other aspects."

"I have always believed that civilization cannot blossom here, and we will need many more years of effort to achieve all of this."

"But Fairy, seeing everything that's happening here, seeing these people on the roadside, I'm suddenly a little confused."

"What exactly went wrong?"

He himself can't answer this question, so how can he expect Ross to answer it?

That's even more impossible. Ross lit a cigarette and sat there in silence.

The fact that the Lapa people living in the concession lived better than those outside, and were more like people in civilized society, was a blow to them.

They didn't even need to get out of the car to ask; they knew that no matter who they asked, these people would absolutely not want to go back to the way things were in the past.

Not only were the two people in that car silent, but the people in the cars behind them also fell silent.

Because here, they saw the Lapa they had always dreamed of, but its creator was someone they disliked and even opposed.

The convoy quickly stopped outside Lance's office building, which was also the management building for the entire concession.

After getting off the bus, the group looked at the tall building, which resembled a corporate building more than a government office building, and everyone looked on in amazement.

“This might be the tallest building in Lapa!” Pedro exclaimed in amazement. “What I’ve seen and heard here today has given me a lot of feelings and insights.”

"But anyway, now that we're here, let's meet Mr. White first."

"Our mentor in every sense of the word!"

After being searched, the group was allowed to enter the elevator.

This was their first time riding an elevator, and they both felt a little uncomfortable. After experiencing slight dizziness, they arrived at the floor where Lance's office was located.

After passing another body search and other checks, they were allowed to enter Lance's office.

Lance was sitting in a tea bar-like area near the east-facing floor-to-ceiling window. There was an irregularly shaped table and coffee table, with chairs around him. He was brewing tea, a kind of tea that he wasn't even sure if it could be considered green tea.

It has a very fragrant aroma when brewed, and locals also use it to make tea.

The moment the emerald green tea soup rose with its aroma, Lance felt completely fulfilled.

He prefers green tea to other drinks.

Perhaps it was because he hadn't drunk tea for so long, but the tea brewed from these leaves tasted fragrant and delicious to him.

He glanced back at Pedro and his group as they entered from outside, but instead of getting up, he smiled and beckoned them over.

Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing him in a golden cloak that seemed to imbue him with a sacred aura.

"Come and sit."

Pedro and his group were taken aback for a moment before walking over somewhat awkwardly.

Ross stood by the floor-to-ceiling window and glanced down. He then quickly took a few steps back and sat down away from the window. He was clearly terrified, his face turning pale.

Lance poured the tea into a cup. "Pedro, you distribute it."

Pedro nodded and subconsciously began to act. He felt that the tea looked familiar when he saw it, and after smelling it carefully, he looked at Lance with a surprised expression.

It seems to be asking, how could Lance like something like this?

They mainly use these leaves to chew, steep them in water to drink, and in some places they are also used as a toothbrush.

He had never tasted anything so delicious!

Lance's reaction to drinking this tea evoked a peculiar emotion in Pedro.

He quickly distributed the teacups to everyone, and Lance held one in his hand as well. "You can try it. It's my new research result."

"Of course, if any of you would like some alcohol or coffee, we have those here too."

He blew on the surface of the teacup, then took a small sip. The ease and comfort he felt spread throughout his body as the tea went down, making him feel completely relaxed...

(End of this chapter)