Shadow Empire

Chapter 437 Can I take a picture for you?

a few days ago.

"Mom, I want to go for a walk around the neighborhood."

Seventeen-year-old Faya looked at her mother and pleaded in a low voice.

She also has a younger brother, who, because he is so young, takes up all of her mother's attention.

This is not their home, this is a strange country. Their home has been destroyed by the war. They could only flee from that place full of disaster and death and come to the Federation.

The local government does not prevent people from fleeing abroad because they do not have the ability or energy to guide and resettle refugees.

It costs money to resettle refugees.

You have to provide them with a place to live, food to eat, and even if they are sick, you have to find a way to provide them with the most basic medical care.

The countries on Tanfit are all busy waging war. Who has the time to manage the refugees in these front-line war zones?

But if they flee to other countries, these burdens will become the burden of other countries, not theirs.

So these people didn't have to spend much money to leave Tanfit by boat.

They chose the Federation because it has developed rapidly in recent years, its industry is well developed, and its social infrastructure is relatively complete. In short, it's a good place.

Even the water and air are sweet!
But after arriving, some things were not as good as they had imagined. The federal government did not immediately introduce relevant provisions for refugee resettlement, and they were forced to live in the unpopular New Port area.

Some of the brave ones pried open the doors of uninhabited rooms and moved in with a swagger, acting like the owners.

But more of them are still crowded in places that can shelter from the wind and rain.

Winter is coming and no one knows what the future will be like, but fortunately, Faya's father is lucky and finds a job at the dock.

Only twenty dollars a month, but it was enough to keep their family alive.

Faya also wants to find a job, but she doesn't know anything. She wants to go to the city to see if there are any job opportunities. She also wants to explore the country and the city.

Her mother looked at her child who couldn't leave her side, looked at the tents around her, and finally nodded in agreement.

She knew that if she refused, Faya would stay, but it would be a crime to restrain a seventeen-year-old girl's curiosity about the world!
"Go ahead, but be careful and be safe!"

She raised her voice a little, "Don't do things like those people do. Your father already has a job."

The "thing like that" she was talking about was selling their bodies for money. Many refugee women started to make money this way because they really couldn't find any other way to keep their family alive.

Faya jumped out.

Although the New Port area is not very popular, it has to be said that it also reflects the beauty of federal industrial development.

The New Port District was built after the mayor took office. They accumulated some problems encountered in the previous city construction process. The planning of the entire New Port District was very advanced, with high-rise buildings everywhere. Except for the lack of people, it's really a great place!

Just through these buildings and the few federal people walking on the streets, Faya could feel some small shocks from the Federation.

She actually wanted to find a job, but she didn't know where to start, and she didn't know if there was any place like a labor market where she could clean rooms for people and do something else she could.

She would be satisfied if I gave her 50 cents a day, which would leave her at least 15 yuan a month, and could reduce the burden on the family.

She walked around for a long time but couldn't find a place to work, so she sat down on a bench in a roadside park, feeling a little discouraged.

At this moment, a person holding a camera stood in front of her.

"I've been observing you for a while!" He directly stated the fact that he had been secretly observing Faya.

Faya stood up nervously with a look of alertness on her face, looking like she was ready to run away at any time.

The photographer quickly added, "I'm a talent scout for Dream Crystal and also a photographer. My job is to discover talented girls for the company and help them realize their dreams!"

"I'm not a bad person, this is my business card..." He took out a business card from his pocket and handed it over.

Faya took the business card and took a look at it. In addition to the man's name, it also listed his work address, phone number, and other items.

This made Faya relax her guard a little. After all, bad guys would not expose some of their information so generously.

"You are beautiful!", the photographer praised.

This made Faya a little shy, "Thank you." She blushed a little, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Of course!" The photographer picked up the camera hanging on his chest, "Can I take a few photos for you?"

"I think you have a very special kind of beauty in front of the camera. This beauty is natural, simple and undeveloped."

"There is something very attractive about you. Maybe you will become a star in the future!"

"Star?" Faya knew this. There were stars where she came from, and everyone aspired to be a star.

Because celebrities represent high-income people.

"me?"

"Yes!" the photographer nodded repeatedly, "Then can I take a few photos for you?"

"Maybe we'll sign you as a model or an actress."

Faya was a little tempted. “Will I get paid after signing the contract?” she asked.

"Yes, the salary is at least 25 yuan per month, and we will train you to make you better and more attractive, so that you will have more choices."

"You're going to be a big star and make a lot of money!"

Faya was a little hesitant, but the idea of ​​making money finally moved her, "How can I cooperate with you?"

The photographer smiled and said, "It's very simple. I will teach you..."

Soon, at the photographer's request, Faya took a few photos, but unfortunately she could not see them.

"Give me an address, and I'll send the photos to you after they're developed. It's also possible that the company will sign you, so I need a way to contact you."

Faya told the photographer where she lived now. The photographer took a picture of her and gave her two dollars.

"Consider it the cost of this photo shoot. Maybe I'll use her in a photo album or a magazine. This is your reward."

Eventually, Faya accepted the money, but she didn't tell her mother or talk about it.

She wanted to wait until she was actually signed by the company before telling her family and giving them a surprise.

Instead of making them happy for nothing.

Faya's photos were quickly developed, and other scouts also thought that the girl was very beautiful.

"She is like a little flower blooming on the roadside that no one knows about!"

Someone commented, "She has a very special and tenacious temperament. I believe that some people will like her."

Her photos were put together separately.

These photos were put into another album, which was marked with her name, age, and current life situation.

A few days later, a respected client from the Bay Area needed some spice to his boring life. Soon, another manager of Dream Crystal went to the Bay Area with a briefcase of picture albums.

In a very luxurious villa, he saw today's target customer.

A middle-aged man who looks very elegant.

He was wearing a white turtleneck shirt and a gray vest with white dots. He was dressed very neatly, including his eyebrows and beard, which were carefully trimmed.

It's not the kind of grooming that is done by just washing it, but someone uses a sharp razor to trim the excess hair for him every day.

If you ignore everything else, just looking at his appearance, he looks like... a scholar, a cultured gentleman.

"I heard there are a lot of new products recently?" He crossed his legs and held a very exquisite pipe in his hand. The walrus-carved mouthpiece had beautiful patterns hand-carved by a master. The pipe itself was also very well made, whether it was the materials, shape, or various relief engraving techniques, they were all first-class.

This pipe costs at least several hundred, maybe even thousands.

The manager opened the briefcase and placed three newly sorted albums on the table with a flattering smile on his face, "They are all here, all the latest!"

The gentleman in front of him was one of the commissioners of the Likalai State Industrial Commission, a very complicated job.

Its main content is to formulate a series of standards and rules for the entire industrial sector of Likalai State, and to assist the state government in formulating the direction and plan of industrial development in the state.

For example, if the Likalai State Government wants to vigorously develop... the automotive industry, then the Likalai State Industrial Commission must design and plan subsequent government work around this goal.

They need to discuss which industrial groups to introduce and where to build a relatively complete automobile industry chain so that the automobile industry can get started as soon as possible.

It seems like this is just a "designer" job and it shouldn't have much power, but in fact it does have terrifying power.

Because everyone knows that if you want to make a lot of money, you must have a monopoly, but now the federal government does not support capital monopoly.

However, they have retained some opportunities, such as "policy monopoly".

They can formulate an "entry policy" for an industrial sector in the state and decide who can come in and who cannot.

If only one company in a state is eligible to enter, then it is a monopoly!

Although they may not do it so obviously, introducing two or three companies that may be owned by the same group of shareholders is fully in line with policy requirements and standards.

This disguised control of regional monopolies has brought them enormous power and wealth. Every year, local industrial groups transfer benefits to them in various ways.

It’s not that all people are bad people, but as long as it has anything to do with profit, in this country where capitalism is rampant, if you don’t bow to capital, they will move you away.

These words seem to sound very interesting. You accept the money that the capitalists are begging to give you, but it becomes the fact that you bow to the capitalists.

Why does it seem upside down?

But if you don't accept it, try it, and you will know why its expression seems to be upside down!

Mr. Bowen held the album in one hand, placed it on his trousers worth one hundred and twenty dollars, and held his pipe in the other hand, slowly flipping through the album.

Every two or three pages, or three or four pages, there is a girl, and the photos taken from various angles show the beauty of these girls to the greatest extent.

He looked at it for a few seconds, then took out a pair of wide-rimmed brown glasses from his pocket. After putting them on, he looked more elegant and easy-going.

His gaze lingered on each girl's face and body for a moment, then he looked at the next page indifferently.

There was nothing in the first album that moved him, so he picked up the second album and said, "Your quality is getting worse and worse."

The manager could only smile and say, “I will criticize them.”

In fact, it’s not that their quality is getting worse, but that Bowen’s taste is becoming more and more picky.

In the past, any girl who was pretty good would be fine with me, but later on he started to ask for this and that, and became more and more strict.

They even require various proportions and sizes, and they must be accurate to an approximate number.

But later his needs in this regard relaxed and he began to pursue a temperament, something that was not direct but real.

The manager was already sweating a little as his brows furrowed deeper and deeper.

Mr. Bowen is a big man, not only in the government system, but also in the Socialist Party.

If he is not satisfied, it will be very troublesome for me, at least I will get scolded.

Just as he was about to do something, Mr. Bowen's brows suddenly relaxed and a look of satisfaction appeared on his face.

It seemed that he had found the gift he wanted.

His gaze lingered on a girl in the album for a long time, and he even stroked the girl's photo with his hand for a while.

He also took off his glasses, lowered his head slightly, and looked closely at the album for a while before pulling out her photo and handing it to the manager, "This is it."

The manager picked up the photo and took a look at it. In the photo, a girl was smiling at the camera.

The smile is very pure, the temperament is also very pure, and it also vaguely brings a kind of...untamed feeling, a bit like the small flowers that have just bloomed on the roadside lawn in late winter and early spring.

Although the weather is still cold, it blooms so stubbornly and completely!
He said it was a difficult feeling, but it made people feel very comfortable and made people feel that she was a girl with her own ideas.

He glanced at the name, Faya.

A Tanfit refugee living in the New Port area, he was slightly relieved. Such girls were easy to deal with, at least easier than those locals or immigrants.

"When can you get it for me?"

Mr. Bowen took a puff from the walrus-ivory pipe, which made a slight crackling sound, and then he exhaled a thick stream of smoke.

In addition to the inevitable aroma of tobacco, there are many other complex flavors.

The manager could not ignore his gaze. He quickly thought for a moment and said, "Within seventy-two hours, Mr. Bowen."

The manager pulled out all the photos related to Faya, which means that unless she can return to the company alive, this will be the last bloom of her life!

Mr. Bowen nodded slightly. "Very good. I hope you won't let me down." He paused. "It's best not to hurt her."

Looking at his calm face with a faint smile, the manager was actually a little uneasy, because he knew that this man was also a pervert.

All people in the upper class are perverts, but some people never hide the fact that they are perverts, while some people may hide their perversion for the sake of face, that's all!

If you think someone is not perverted, it’s just that you haven’t discovered his perverted aspects, not that he is not perverted!
He nodded, "I promise she won't lose a single hair!"

They didn't talk about money because Mr. Bowen didn't have to pay for it himself. Someone would come and take care of the money, those industrial groups.

This is also a way for them to please Mr. Bowen. They have been working together for many years. In the end, they only need to show the bill to some brokers, and then the money will be deposited into the account designated by the company.

After returning to the company, the manager immediately called another group of people and gave them the information about the mission.

These people are not from Dream Crystal Company, but from another company. Their job is to do the dirty work such as kidnapping, transportation, and scene handling.

If anyone sees a special vehicle like the "Ant Killer Truck" in the Bay Area, there's no doubt it could be them.

Faya didn't know that her fate had changed because she took a photo.

Or the change she desired didn't happen, but something bad happened.

Soon the group found Faya in the New Port area, and they took action when Faya was out playing and looking for work "as usual" one day.

"Hello, do you know how to get here?"

At an alley, someone suddenly asked Faya a question while holding a map. Faya leaned over with her head tilted, and while her attention was focused on the map, two people quickly approached her from behind.

They had a very special anesthetic obtained from the medical group, and with the help of two adult men, she fell unconscious in a short while and was dragged into the car.

There were several witnesses around, but they didn't want to cause trouble for themselves and chose to leave in a hurry.

When Faya woke up from her coma, she was locked in a cage. They used special props to prevent her from shouting and she could only make humming sounds.

At this time, a special vehicle from the "Termite Gang Ant Extermination Company" slowly drove into the villa complex.

Some people noticed this scene, but just picked up their wine glasses and took a sip of wine with an expressionless face.

Or turn and walk away with a playful smile on his face.

It's just a part of their lives, no big deal!
Even in the basement of their villa, there may be some people there, or some people may have appeared here before!

The sunshine in mid-October still shines brightly on the earth, and the light is so strong that it seems that the whole world cannot accommodate a trace of shadow.

(End of this chapter)