Shadow Empire

Chapter 1053 Mirror
Ross, looking somewhat disheveled, ran over in his pajamas.

They are currently residing in the presidential palace. Apart from Diego's office, which is still considered a "no-go zone," all the other rooms have been properly arranged for them.

Pedro's office is right next to the president's office, and if you don't count the president's office, then his office is the largest and most beautiful in the entire office.

Besides these offices, the presidential palace also contains many bedrooms. It is less of an office building for the Lapa government and more of a castle built by the Lavila family to demonstrate their power.

It has hundreds of rooms and is so huge that it doesn't look like a presidential palace at all.

Many people are currently living in the presidential palace, waiting for the formation of a new government.

Some active and progressive individuals from various places were also arranged to stay in the presidential palace after arriving in Zhuolan, so that they could communicate with the leaders of the uprising and various progressive individuals at any time.

Pedro believed that if they were to form an enlightened and egalitarian people's government, then a certain degree of openness and use of the presidential palace would become valuable and meaningful.

Although Ross objected, everyone else supported Pedro, so he had no choice but to keep quiet.

Ross's room was only about twenty meters away from Pedro's, and he looked uneasy and anxious. "We've been tricked!"

Pedro looked at Ross and strode toward his office, with Ross following closely behind. As he walked, Ross said, "They jumped out as soon as Diego died. They used us as executioners to deal with Diego, and now they're coming after us!"

“We should go to Lance as soon as possible and ask them to provide us with another batch of weapons and ammunition. Oh, and what about Geed? Didn’t you speak with their president?”

"Weren't they supposed to be sending us a batch of supplies?"

"Have them send these supplies over as soon as possible!"

Before the Battle of Zoran, the Federals had completely stopped providing material support to these anti-government forces. To put it bluntly, they were severely lacking in ammunition, medicine, gasoline, shells, and the like, which was simply insufficient to support them in continuing a large-scale battle.

This time, almost all the remaining princely states stood up to strongly oppose them. Ross was also awakened by his adjutant. When he saw the manifestos, they accused them of being reactionaries, thieves who were a real threat to national security, and scourges that were destabilizing Lapa.

He started to panic.

Even if each of the dozen or twenty princely states could only send twenty or thirty thousand people, it would be enough to overwhelm them. Moreover, they didn't know whether Lance or the Federation was behind this or controlling it from behind the scenes.

If so, this is the worst possible outcome!
At this moment, Ross had a feeling... as if he had transformed into Diego. When he first heard the news, another thought uncontrollably surfaced in his mind.

When Diego learned that their rebel army had reached the outskirts of Zoran, did he also feel the same anxiety, unease, panic, and even an urge to run away while holding his pee?
Pedro suddenly stopped, catching Ross off guard and causing him to bump into him. "You're too tense, Ross."

Facing Pedro, whom Rose himself considered his biggest rival, Rose's gaze gradually calmed down under Pedro's stare. "Yes, I was too nervous!"

He wiped his face. "I'll go change my clothes and then come to your office to find you."

Pedro nodded as he watched Rose leave, remarking that Rose was too nervous, while forgetting that he himself wasn't even wearing shoes.

But I can't worry about that now.

Once he arrived at his office, he immediately called Lance, who was awake and reading the newspaper.

Newspapers reported on the political repression in Dantra, with a majority of members of the second-largest party suspected of betraying national interests and assassinating the president, who was conducting a political purge.

Every day, people were arrested and secretly executed, and the situation on the main battlefield changed dramatically!

What's even more surprising is that the combined forces of Slard and the Federation did not take advantage of this opportunity to launch an attack, but instead maintained the same restraint, as if all parties had agreed to wait and see how things would develop.

Lance flipped through a few pages of the newspaper and gleaned a lot of useful information from them.

Many years ago, when he was imprisoned and had nothing to do, he started learning to watch the news and read newspapers with the other people.

It feels like a leisurely life, but in reality, this is also the daily routine.

Reading books, newspapers, and watching the news are part of their daily learning process.

At first, he couldn't understand it either, but with the help of some friends, he gradually began to interpret what the newspapers were trying to express between the lines.

Something hidden behind those ordinary words.

Just like the news he just read, there's no doubt that the Federation and Slade have reached an agreement with the president of Dantra, exchanging benefits.

If they are merely "waiting," then they will not allow the president to wield the butcher's knife and begin to crack down on domestic opposition forces; this is not a proper strategy of waiting for the best offer.

Once he eliminates all the opposition, no one will be able to afford the price, and the president's price will also decrease. Therefore, they must have reached an agreement on something, somewhere that no one would notice.

The war is over.

This is what this news article really wants to convey. Although it seems to be gloating about the major political problems in Dantra, what it actually wants to tell some people is that the war has come to an end.

As he ate, he glanced at Roger and the others on the other side of the table. "There haven't been any problems at the factory, have there?"

"Are our goods allowed to enter and leave the port normally?"

Roger nodded and replied, "No problem at all. The insurgents didn't detain or search our trucks; they just let us through."

“There were no restrictions at the port. We just loaded the goods onto the ship and left. No one checked or did anything else.”

Lance nodded. Pedro wouldn't have acted recklessly unless he had lost his mind.

Lance made him, and he can also destroy him.

After answering Lance's question, Roger hesitated for a moment, then asked softly, "Mr. Chairman, I heard this morning that the princely states are going to declare war on these rebel armies..."

Lance took a bite of a piece of bread, which was slightly toasted and covered with all sorts of strange toppings. The sauce on top, combined with the slightly crispy texture of the bread, explained why the Commonwealth people liked to toast their bread before eating it.

Besides giving it a better texture, it also makes it softer and more fluffy.

Many breads harden after cooling down and only become soft again after being slightly heated.

The base is made with a mixture of butter, salted cheese, chopped and dried vegetables and spices, a touch of lemon, a small amount of minced tuna, and some local shredded vegetables. It has a strange but delicious flavor.

"Don't worry about these things. No matter how the situation in this country changes, it will ultimately not affect us."

"However, during this period, it is best not to rent out the property unless absolutely necessary."

"We'll consider going abroad once everything has settled down."

Roger accepted Lance's advice in its entirety. Just as he was about to discuss some work-related matters, the butler walked over to Lance, bent down slightly, and whispered in Lance's ear, "You have a phone call."

The butler here is the son of Lance's butler at the Federal Manor. Their father-son relationship sounds a bit obvious, but it's not entirely obvious either.

The butler at the Federal Manor was a refugee from the Empire. He used to work for the Empire's nobles, but they were all killed after the royal family regained power following the victory in the Great Battle of Royal Victory. To avoid being eliminated as well, he was the butler.

He fled to the Federation with his family overnight. Through the introduction of some reliable Federation people, he became Lance's butler, in charge of some things in the manor, but not in charge of things outside the manor.

The old housekeeper was already grateful for this; he had been given a stable job so soon after arriving, and he had no other thoughts but gratitude.

A nobleman's steward is often considered half a master, and in order to maintain the nobleman's trust, he and his family will serve the nobleman with their entire household.

His son, also a butler, will eventually replace him, and his grandson will be trained from a young age to be Ace's follower.

When Ace grows up, he will become Ace's butler, and this will continue for generations to come.

The advantage of doing this is that they can more easily gain the trust of the master, because all their own interests depend on the master.

The better the host family prospers, the more benefits, interests, and even power they can gain.

If the main family doesn't prosper, they won't live comfortably, and might even be implicated. Lance still trusts them quite a bit.

Hearing the butler say that, Lance put down the bread in his hand, wiped his hands and cleaned the food and sauce residue from the corners of his mouth, and placed his hands on the armrests of the chair.

The moment he stood up, the butler lifted the chair back so it wouldn't make a sound and pulled it out from under Lance.

Everything flowed so smoothly, it was even pleasing to the eye.

"Excuse me for a moment," Lance said, turning and leaving. He answered Pedro's call in a nearby lounge.

Two or three minutes had passed between the time the call was connected and when he picked up the receiver.

“It’s breakfast time, Pedro. This is the time for you to enjoy the best food and time of your day, not to bother others.”

His tone was lighthearted, even joking, which showed that he was in a good mood.

After Pedro and his ilk are eliminated, the leaders and chiefs of these princely states will gather together to form a provisional government.

And he, Lance White, will temporarily serve as the prime minister, or some other position, in the interim government as a foreigner, but he will certainly be the top leader.

With such a status and position, the next steps would fall into place naturally. The two-year work was about to be completed, and Lance had no reason not to be happy.

He will break through one layer of constraints and enter a higher social level, completely saying goodbye to his lower-class self.

Anyone would react like this when something happy happens; their tone is light, joking, and full of humor.

Lance's happiness at this moment formed a stark contrast with Pedro's anxiety. The joy that could be conveyed in Lance's tone sounded particularly grating to Pedro's ears.

"You're the one who orchestrated all of this!" Pedro's voice was low. If he still harbored any illusions at this point, it wouldn't have been him calling Lance today, but someone else, someone less naive.

Lance crossed his legs, lit a cigarette. He had just eaten something and his craving for a cigarette was kicking in. "Don't put it so harshly, Pedro."

"What do you mean I'm the one who did this?"

Pedro's tone was somewhat anxious, "You made them pretend to be neutral before, and now you suddenly announce that you're going to attack us, isn't that your doing?"

Lance couldn't help but chuckle twice after hearing this. "You know what?"

"How many years has the Lapa government, headed by the Lavila family, ruled this country?"

"Do you know how many years these chieftains of the princely states have ruled their territories?"

“You are the one who disrupts the order. What’s wrong with them eliminating you, eliminating all unstable disruptors of the order like you?”

I just don't think so!

"I listened to the public trial these past few days, the live broadcast, and heard how you tried Diego."

“Using things he didn’t do, and rumors used to smear or defame him, to fabricate charges against him.”

Diego didn't resist much because he knew it was the privilege of the victor.

"Privilege, do you understand?"

Lance took a drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaled. He twitched his ankle, and out of Pedro's sight, a cold yet pitying expression crossed his face.

"The victor decides everything, while the loser can only accept it. This is the privilege of the victor and the bitter fruit that the loser must bear."

“I have some respect for someone like Diego, even in the last moments of his life. Pedro, I hope you won’t ruin my impression of you.”

"You shouldn't be someone who only knows how to complain and blame others; you should be a hero to yourself and those around you."

"The stage for the final scene has been set for you. Perform it well and don't let them down!"

Pedro gritted his teeth. "I'm not a loser yet!"

His tone was filled with resentment and a hint of bitterness, which Lance could hear.

Having gone through so much, he was only one step away from his ultimate goal, but that one step seemed like an insurmountable chasm to him now!

Faced with that chasm, he felt only deep despair.

He is not Ross, nor is he one of those people who have not received higher education. He has the thinking ability of a normal person, or even a person who is better than a normal person.

During his time as a rebel leader, his thinking and abilities, honed through experience, made him more akin to a competent politician than a high school teacher.

Therefore, he was well aware that he had now found himself in the same predicament as Diego.

Diego can still put up a fight, while Lance aims to deplete the unstable groups and young, impulsive, and ambitious individuals within Lapa to the greatest extent possible.

So he provided Diego with a lot of material and financial aid, enabling Diego to continuously build up new armies and fight against them.

But now, Lance no longer needs so many people to be used up; he has used up almost all of them, and he will not give Pedro any assistance.

With the resources they have now, they have no chance of winning!
This is despair, profound despair!
You're armed with a small dagger, while your enemies are carrying rifles and pushing cannons. This isn't an equal battle; it's a one-sided massacre.

Lance did not respond to his answer, "I am not a loser," and he himself seemed to fall into silence.

After a long while, he said in a somewhat hoarse voice, "I will make you understand that I am neither a wife nor a loser."

Lance chuckled twice. "I'll be looking forward to your performance, Pedro."

“I heard that you previously considered yourselves my students, so as my best student, I hope you can earn my respect.”

The call ended there. Lance hung up and then dialed the Minister of Foreign Affairs. "Let them begin."

On the other side, after hanging up the phone, Pedro immediately dialed the phone number of the "Coalition" command and made military deployments.

A large number of troops left Zhuolan with supplies and headed back to the vicinity of Jiaoma Bridge.

The government forces built an encirclement and defense perimeter inside the Jiaoma Bridge, which severely annihilated many of the insurgents.

Now it's their turn to do it.

The more Pedro did this, the more comical he felt, as if he were being manipulated by fate, because he felt more and more like Diego, experiencing everything Diego had experienced, and even worse!

Ross arrived at his office soon after, looking a little calmer than before, but only a little.

He pushed the door open and walked straight to the desk, sitting down opposite him. "What did Lance say?"

Pedro looked at him, his gaze somewhat stiff and unfocused. "Lance said he's looking forward to our performance next."

Ross slammed his fist on the table. "I'll take some men and arrest Lance. If we have him in our hands, we won't be in such a passive position!"

Pedro was silent for a moment. Under other circumstances, he would have refused, but now they really didn't have a better option.

As anti-government armed groups that rose from "unorthodox" origins, they have little respect for "rules".

Pedro nodded. "Be careful."

(End of this chapter)