Shadow Empire

Chapter 55 Only one chance

The wheels slowly stopped, pressing the dust that had just been disturbed and had not yet been raised back under the wheels, and the dust settled before it even rose.

This car, which was worth only two or three hundred dollars, was parked in an alley across the street from the casino. Lance put the pistol in the car. He was not sure whether the other party would search him. If he carried it with him, it would be of no use at all and might even "aid the enemy."

He put the pistol in the toolbox between the driver's cab and the co-pilot's seat, and put the dagger under the belt behind his waist - a folding knife.

Generally, people's body searches focus only on the upper body, trouser pockets, and legs; other parts of the body are less likely to be searched.

After he did all this, he asked Morris to stay in the car and said, "If I don't come out in thirty minutes, you call this number and have them come find me."

"But there's a high probability that you won't be able to use this number."

It's Alberto's number.

I refused Fordis' help at first because I didn't want to continue to owe him a favor, but if it really involves my own life safety, I still have to owe him a favor.

Moreover, he didn't think that this trip would be life-threatening. Why would he take the risk of being wanted for murder just for a few young people who knew nothing?
This is not the West. You can't just hide in the mountains and be safe.

In the city, not only the police will be looking for them, but also the gang members and even professional hunters!
There is a special group of people in the Federation who call themselves "bounty hunters". Their job is to capture criminals on the bounty list and make a living by earning the bounty.

They first appeared in the western region, and then gradually spread to the entire federation. As long as there is a bounty, you can be sure to see them.

The reward warrants frequently issued by federal law enforcement agencies are actually specially prepared for them, because sometimes directly offering a reward can save a lot of financial expenditure compared to the police cost of finding the suspect.

Of course, the most important thing is that he is rich. No one can go against money. Money is Lance’s confidence.

Morris nodded and sat obediently in the car, while Lance crossed the road and came to the wooden door at the back of the building and knocked.

The person in the door opened the lookout and looked towards him, his alert eyes full of doubt, "Are you the one we are waiting for?"

Lance stood there openly, "If I'm not in the wrong place, I'm the one you're waiting for!"

The door was opened and a sturdy man looked at him. Lance was only wearing a dark shirt and didn't look like he had any place to hide a weapon, but he still asked for a body search.

After a simple body search, Lance was allowed to pass. "Go straight down from here and you will see the room with the light on. The boss is waiting for you!"

Lance nodded slightly and walked down the stairs calmly.

In the room, Ennio and other young people were asked to kneel on the ground while holding their ears. The radius of his left arm was broken, so he could only let it hang down.

There was someone behind them holding a stick, ready to beat anyone who let go.

At first everyone thought... this wasn't a punishment that was hard to bear, but after a few minutes or even more than ten minutes, they couldn't stand it anymore.

So they had to choose between sore arm muscles and the pain of their ears being pulled, and most people chose the latter because even if they tried to hold on, their arms would eventually become too weak to pull on their ears.

Several young men were grinning and looked very uncomfortable. The atmosphere should have been very serious, but this scene was indeed somewhat funny.

When Lance walked in and saw this scene, he couldn't help but laugh, "Sorry."

"Very funny?" The casino owner sat astride a chair with his hands resting on the backrest to support his chin.

Lance nodded. "It's the first time I've seen this, it's really interesting," he said, and asked, "Do you mind if I smoke a cigarette?"

The casino owner looked at him for a moment and said, "Go ahead." Then he looked at the thug beside him and said, "Give our guest a chair." At the same time, he stood up and turned the chair around, sitting facing Lance.

After saying "thank you", Lance sat on the chair and lit a cigarette, "So..."

Seeing Lance's calmness, which didn't seem to be pretended, the casino owner suddenly didn't know what to do.

His original idea was to see the quality of this financial company. If it was a strong one, he would do them a favor and put it into practice.

Jingang City is neither big nor small, and it is unknown when the two sides will have the opportunity to contact each other again.

If the other party is not strong, then extort money from him, after all, he is right in this matter.

But judging from Lance's performance now, he is a little confused. Is this financial company strong or weak?

He could only feel the situation first, "Every place has its own rules. Your people came to my casino to lend money at high interest rates but didn't say hello to me. This is your fault."

The normal practice is that they come to negotiate first and then discuss the distribution of profits. The casino often requires a 20 to 30 percent advantage before these loan sharks can enter.

Ennio and his people did nothing but come in and lend money directly, which broke the established rules.

They were indeed wrong in this regard, and Lance felt that he might also be somewhat responsible for not explaining clearly what they could and could not do.

So he nodded directly, "You're right, it's my problem. You can call me Lance, but what should I call you?" The casino owner pursed his lips, "Kent."

"Okay, Mr. Kent, so how can you let me take them away?"

Kent looked at Lance for about two minutes. His expression didn't seem to change, but his eyes kept changing, with caution, caution, greed, and desire intertwined.

He was observing Lance. To be honest, this young man didn't look like someone walking on the edge of gray at all. He wasn't as vicious as those bosses of financial companies, nor did he look like a sinister person. Instead, he behaved like a harmless college student.

Clean clothes and a clean smile will give people a good impression, but in this kind of place, these behaviors will only be regarded as a sign of weakness or lack of confidence.

His eyes wandered over Lance's body. This suit was not cheap. He licked his lips and said, "Well... one... fifteen hundred dollars. Take them away."

He offered a very high price. At first he only wanted five hundred dollars, but he wanted to know if Lance could give him that much, or see if there was a chance to get more.

If he doesn't say it, there will definitely be no chance, but if he says it, there might be a chance.

Lance raised his eyebrows and said jokingly, "One thousand five hundred dollars, that's not cheap, Mr. Kent."

"If it were those illegal immigrants, fifteen hundred dollars would be enough to buy a few lives, but you just asked me to take them away from here."

"Maybe we could be friends?"

Kent looked at him and heard the threat hidden in his words. His expression changed slightly. "Are you threatening me?"

"No, I just feel that you offered a price that is difficult to accept."

Kent reiterated his position, "Your people did something wrong, in my casino!"

"If you want to be friends with me, that's fine, but it has to be after I get the money!"

His voice was a little loud, and several thugs had already approached Lance from behind. All they needed was a command from Kent to pin Lance to the ground.

Feeling these people approaching, Lance still did not show any panic.

When a person encounters a vicious dog on the road, the best thing to do is to leave quietly instead of running.

Running will attract vicious dogs to chase you, and their nature will make them attack you in the process of chasing.

It's the same with people. At times like this, as long as Lance shows panic and anxiety, Kent will have someone catch him and "attack" him.

On the other hand, if he acted calmly, Kent would be confused about whether he had any hidden cards.

Kent looked around and suddenly seemed to have discovered something. "Where's Morris?" He looked at the burly man standing on the stairs.
The latter shook his head and replied, "I didn't see him. Only this gentleman came here alone."

Kent had some guesses in his mind, and his tone slowed down a little. "My father told me since I was a child that if you make a mistake, you must be brave enough to take responsibility. This is your responsibility, Mr. Lance."

"One thousand five hundred dollars, or..." He turned his head and glanced at the people kneeling in the corner, "I'll break their legs, and then you take them away."

“In Jingang City, no one can say that I am doing something wrong.”

Lance turned his head and glanced at Ennio and the others. Their eyes were a little evasive, perhaps because they felt... it was shameful to be caught, beaten, and betrayed Lance. Now they even wanted Lance to pay to rescue them.

“Lance, you don’t…” Ennio wanted to tell Lance to ignore them, but was knocked to the ground by a stick.

Two strong men went up and started beating him up. Soon he fell to the ground, screaming in pain, and then he became obedient.

Kent was observing Lance, and did not see any pity, sympathy, or any other emotion on his face. He raised his hand, and the two strong men exhaled and stood back.

Lance turned around at this time, with a smile on his face, as if he had encountered something good. He nodded slightly and repeated the number, "One thousand five hundred."

After a few seconds, he asked, "Check or cash?"

Kent laughed too, and laughed out loud. He took out the cigar, which was only one-third empty, lit it, and took a puff.

Whenever he encounters something that makes him unhappy or happy, he will have a few sips.

"You're a smart man, Lance!"

“Checks are a hassle for us.”

“Cash!”

(End of this chapter)