Shadow Empire

Chapter 1063 It Won't Get Worse and the Competition

Regarding Lance's plan to dismantle the entire Rapa, some senators used a single word to describe the plan—

A highly precise surgical procedure dismembered Lapa into a pile of fragments with almost no unnecessary means, and then carefully placed them on a tray for people to admire, observe, and evaluate.

Once all the negotiations are over, the federal government will effectively take over Rapa completely, but from the outside, Rapa will still appear to be independent.

Ten or twenty years from now, the awakened people of Lapa will stand up, and some active social activists will look for evidence from all sides to prove that Lapa is also an integral part of the Federation!

The Lapa people, awakened to democracy and freedom, will demand a referendum to decide whether they are Lapa or federal citizens.

It can be said that no force was used at all, there were no gunshots or artillery shots, and everything was done in peace. This is an operation that can be called "art".

To ensure the interests of both Lance and the federal government, the Rapa government will not retain too much power.

Of course, nominally they have now authorized the federal officials to do so, and they are only responsible for oversight and, if necessary, revoking the authorization.

However, everyone understands that this is just a way to appease "outsiders," just like when your girlfriend asks you if she's pretty or not, comparing her to those pretty girls.

You say she's pretty, but it's definitely not because she's actually that pretty.

Lance didn't go into too much detail with the three ambassadors. He simply told them that if they wanted to side with the Federation, they had to be prepared to hand over all power to the Federation.

And these privileged classes—officials and capitalists—will forever be ahead of everyone else in this process of dramatic change in their country.

Whether it was an opportunity or something else, these people would still be so prominent and live much more comfortably than they do now!
However, these words were not very persuasive to them, and they also had no say in the matter.

That evening, everyone enjoyed a sumptuous dinner at Ambassador Cassia's house, but Lance could tell that some people were clearly distracted.

So not long after finishing his meal, he left on his own initiative.

As he was leaving, the Makan ambassador approached him, stood by Lance's car, bent over, and looked at Lance, who was already sitting inside. "Mr. Lance," he said, "our president is very interested in... joining the Federation family."

"Besides, I don't think the conditions you mentioned are excessive. Can we find some time to talk about them in more detail?"

Makan was eager to join the Federation because they were located on the border of the Republic of Aijied.

If it weren't for the sudden outbreak of war and the Federation's apparent ambition to seize control of the Alan land, the Republic of Jede might already be preparing to annex Makan.

It was precisely because the relationship between the Federation and the Alan region became tense that Makan had not yet been invaded by the Republic of Jede.

In this world, there are not many absolutes. It is possible that the president of the Czech Republic symbolizes revival and greatness for his own people.

But for the countries living around them, this is a dangerous ruler who could be annexed at any time.

Rather than be annexed by the Republic of Geed, they would prefer to join the Federation, at least the Federation would help them develop their economy or something else, while the Republic of Geed would only have endless demands and plunder.

Lance nodded slightly, took out a business card and handed it over. "This is the phone number for the senator's secretary's office. You can call this number, explain the situation, and the senator will arrange for someone to contact you."

The ambassador to Makan was somewhat surprised. "Isn't it you... in charge of these things for us?"

Lance smiled more. "I'm sorry, I can't be responsible for the situation in Makan, but if you encounter any problems and things don't go smoothly with the senator, you can talk to me about it."

"As long as I feel that your stance and purpose are not problematic, I will try to help you communicate with the senator."

The ambassador thought for a moment, took the small card from his hand, and stepped back two paces. "Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Lance. Have a pleasant evening."

Lance nodded again, then rolled up the car window, and the convoy slowly left Ambassador Cassia's villa.

When the Makan ambassador returned to the room, the other two were talking to the ambassador Cassia.

They stopped talking when Ambassador Makan came in.

One of them asked, "Have you made a decision yet?"

Ambassador Makan nodded. "We have no other choice. The domestic economic situation is terrible right now, not to mention the rest."

"If nothing unexpected happens, we will soon be discussing the commission with the federal government."

The ambassador he was speaking to said softly, “But that would require you to give up the power you hold and withdraw from the Asian Union.”

Ambassador Makan shrugged indifferently. "So what?"

Could things get any worse?

The two looked at each other without saying a word, only silence remained.

Some countries are already in such dire straits that joining the federation won't make things any worse, so why not give it a try?
The room fell silent instantly, with only the faint sound of their brains spinning rapidly.

Lance had originally planned to go back to Golden Harbor City, but unexpectedly, they actually came here.

The reason Ethan came here is that in the past two years, he has already made a name for himself in the boxing world.

"Steel Fist" is his current nickname in the boxing world, used to describe how terrifying the destructive power of his fists is!
Since winning the cruiserweight championship belt, he has now moved up to the heavyweight division and is ranked very high.

He no longer needs to prove his abilities to anyone to be accepted; he has already become a leader in the industry.

On May 2nd, there will be a boxing match for Ethan in New Gold City. His opponent is the seventh-ranked "Skullcrusher," a very well-rounded boxer who is considered by professional evaluation agencies to have a chance to challenge for the heavyweight championship in the next three to four years.

The organizers provided a total of 170,000 in appearance fees to the two people, with Ethan receiving 70,000.

This number could actually be higher; if his coach were to request it, the sponsor certainly wouldn't refuse.

However, Ethan did not ask his coaching staff to raise the price, because for Ethan at his current level, he might not be able to agree to fight the seventh-ranked heavyweight boxer.

Now he can not only play a match against the opponent, but also receive 70,000 yuan. Why should he resolve this? So, this match was arranged. The match started to generate buzz two weeks in advance, and at the same time, the betting company under the sponsoring company began to accept bets from all over the world.

They invested about 180,000 to 200,000 yuan to host this competition, so they must make a profit of more than 170,000 yuan from it; otherwise, it would be a huge loss for them!
However, they are very likely not to lose money, because people are so enthusiastic and the operation and promotion are also very good.

The front row tickets have been resold for several hundred yuan each, and even the regular tickets for the seats near the wall cost several tens of yuan.

People want to see Ethan in the ring. Unlike those "soft" boxers, he's now showcasing a very distinctive personal style – a barrage of heavy punches.

Watching his matches always sends adrenaline soaring, providing the ultimate enjoyment for all viewers!
After two weeks of promotion, bets from around the world had exceeded 50 million by the time the competition started, and the sponsoring company could expect to make a net profit of at least 1.5 million to 2 million.

And the closer it gets to the final moments of the match, the more people place bets, and the more frenzied it becomes.

Lance must have been following the match in New Gold City, though not on his own initiative. Someone else reminded him and talked to him about it, and that's how he found out that Ethan was going to play a match, and in New Gold City at that.

For most people, tickets are hard to come by, especially good seats, but for Lance, it's just a matter of a phone call.

On the evening of May 2nd, after paying for the tickets, Lance led his entourage to the front row, where the organizers had reserved some privilege tickets for unforeseen circumstances.

This is also a form of publicity, just like in almost all sports competitions, where the first two rows are often occupied by celebrities from all walks of life.

If these celebrities have enough influence and high profile, they will definitely be able to attract a group of people who were not originally interested in these sports to start paying attention to them.

When Lance sat in the front row, many people's eyes were on him. Some people recognized him and came over to greet him, but others did not recognize him and were just curious as to why he was able to sit so close to the front.

Time quickly came to 7:45, fifteen minutes before the start of the competition, and the contestants from both sides began to enter the arena.

The flashing lights and neon signs raised the crowd's spirits, culminating in a roar from the announcer: "Ladies and gentlemen, let us welcome the hardest fist and man in the history of boxing, the challenger charging toward the top, Ethan!"

As the host pointed to the entrance passage on one side, the spotlights instantly focused there.

Ethan, who walked out of the boxer's tunnel wearing shorts with numerous brand logos, had already gotten used to the attention and frenzy of the audience.

People on both sides of the stands kept screaming and reaching out to him. In order to get closer to their idol, these people would specially buy tickets for the sides of the aisle so they could get up close to their idol!

Ethan spread his arms and bumped fists with the audience on both sides of the aisle, which triggered even louder screams and shouts from the crowd!
Lance looked at Ethan's mature performance with some satisfaction; at least he was successful for now.

Even if Ethan were to leave the family one day, he would still be able to live a good and wealthy life in the Federation.

As long as he can win a few gold belts and championship titles, he will never lack money for the rest of his life.

Ethan's team is completely different from the past. The coach is still the same coach, but he has more people around him. There is still some time before the game, and the coach is working with Ethan to arrange tactics.

As Ethan listened, his eyes fell on Lance, and a look of surprise immediately appeared on his face. He ignored what the coach was nagging and walked straight towards Lance.

Lance also put down his crossed legs and stood up.

"Sorry, I can't hug you right now. I don't want to get your clothes dirty!"

Ethan was covered in a special oil that served as a lubricant.

Boxing gloves are inherently smooth, so if you hit a body coated with this kind of lubricant, the punch might slip out of your hand if the angle isn't quite right. It's a kind of opportunistic trick.

The boxing association must have known about this, but they didn't really do anything about it because everyone else was doing it.

Furthermore, the players were smeared with oil, which made the competition more exciting.

The sweat drips down the body's surface, and the rhythmic movements of the muscles shine even brighter under the lights, which plays a crucial role in promoting a positive image of boxers.

Moreover, these lubricants have more than just these functions. Some boxers' lubricants also have a certain analgesic effect, which can be regarded as an anesthetic applied to the body surface and absorbed through the skin.

The development of sports events is essentially a contest between cheating and anti-cheating.

The ointment on Ethan's body contains some pain-relieving ingredients. It's not that his coach is cheating, but that everyone is doing it!
However, I've heard that the Boxing Federation has begun considering stopping the use of ointments containing analgesics, which may be a good thing.

Lance chuckled and bumped fists with Lance. "So, how many minutes will it take to take him down?"

At that moment, his opponent walked in from the other side of the passage, and his followers were engulfed in a frenzy of screams, instantly igniting the atmosphere.

The skullcutter looked strong and was a typical old Commonwealth man.

He has a broad frame and a large build, and his gaze is somewhat cold.

Ethan glanced sideways at the skullcrusher, grinned, revealing his white teeth, and said, "I'll take him down in three rounds!"

The coach walked over at that moment and said, "It's your turn to go on stage."

Ethan frowned, but quickly relaxed. "Wait for me a moment. Let's have a good chat after I finish my match. I haven't seen you guys for a while. Irwin said you've all been very busy!"

Lance nodded. "Yes, I'm very busy. We can talk after your match."

Ethan quickly returned to the ring, and out of courtesy, he bumped fists with his opponent before retreating to his corner.

The coach repeatedly instructed him on how to execute the tactics and made him repeat them until the coach was sure he had really memorized them before letting him go.

In preparation for this match, they watched videos of most of their opponent's fights after moving up to the heavyweight division, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses.

However, given Ethan's style, he is very likely not to execute his own tactical arrangements.

After the host finished reading all the information, the referee came to the stage and gestured for both players to leave the corner.

Then the bell rang, and the first round began!
(End of this chapter)