Empire of Shadows

Richie sat on the old sofa, a cigarette dangling from his lips, having already learned of David's death.

The unfortunate soul in the newspaper lay on the ground, head tilted, a bullet hole near his temple, another in his neck, and roughly seven or eight in his chest.

Human emotions are complex.

David and Richie had the best relationship among their group. David's death didn't evoke much horror in the others; many of them commented on his passing with phrases like, "He returned to God's embrace."

It seemed that, as a member of the Holy Bell Party, returning to God's embrace was a great honor.

It was strange. If it was such an honor, why didn't they just off each other?

Suicide wouldn't allow them to enter Heaven and listen to God's gospel, but they could kill each other to get there.

No one did that. Regardless of how devoutly they considered themselves, or how loyal and pious they claimed to be to God, they never thought about rushing to God's embrace.

There were still too many things in the human world worth clinging to, so many that even these "pure white lambs of God" had to temporarily set aside their faith for material desires.

Or perhaps, since it wasn't them dying, they couldn't feel the pain, just like David towards the lower-level gang members.

He always said it was their honor to sacrifice themselves for God.

It was also their honor to return to God's embrace.

Now that he himself had the honor of obtaining everything, he shouldn't be in pain, but rather joyful and happy. Unfortunately, you couldn't see any of that on his face.

Richie took a drag of his cigarette and glanced at the listless Arthur in the corner cage. Actually, they hadn't really abused Arthur; they just beat him up a few times, and he immediately became cooperative.

This also made Richie very worry-free, at least he didn't need to constantly arrange for someone to keep an eye on him, in case he escaped from here.

Arthur also didn't utter any harsh words, didn't say that as soon as he left here, he would have his father, his brother, his Lance brothers send them all to hell.

He hadn't said a single harsh word; instead, he would actively express his willingness to cooperate and negotiate.

His familiarity with these things made people feel a little unbelievable!

"Time's up."

Someone reminded him. Richie took another drag of his cigarette, stubbed it out on the ground, and walked to the phone next to him, picking it up.

Then, he dialed the number on a piece of paper. There were already two crossed-out numbers on the paper, with times next to them.

This was his task: to make Mayor Williams run around.

He didn't quite understand these political issues, but he knew that Joshua wanted him to cooperate with Mr. Charles, so he cooperated, and didn't care about anything else.

The phone rang for a while and was answered. He heard Mayor Williams' voice and was just about to speak when suddenly a piercing siren sounded not far away.

Although the sound wasn't very loud, it still somewhat affected his speech.

Fortunately, the siren didn't last long and stopped quickly.

He then restarted the process, "You're very punctual, Mr. Mayor. Our game is already halfway through. You'll be able to see your child soon. I hope you don't stop here."

"Then the next address is... You have thirty minutes. You must arrive before 5:15."

"Then... we'll talk later!" He finished speaking and hung up the phone, then crossed out that line of numbers.

At the same time, he dialed Mr. Charles' number, "Sir, I just contacted Mayor Williams. He's at that phone booth. I told him to get to the next address in thirty minutes..."

Mr. Charles replied with satisfaction after listening, "Well done. No need for any extra communication. Keep it up."

"Soon things will be over, and this place will be your territory!"

He said and hung up the phone. For a small character like Richie, he didn't even have the most basic concern.

All the words he said were just based on a normal attitude towards work.

Just like a doctor in a hospital.

As long as a beggar has the money to treat himself, he can treat the beggar like a normal patient.

Mr. Charles was like that; this was just work.

He didn't explain to Richie why he was doing this, nor did he explain what to do next. All he needed was obedience, firm and resolute obedience!

Richie returned to his sofa and sat down. The slightly sunken sofa surrounded his body, making him feel a strong sense of security.

They had both been discovered by Lance.

Mayor Williams, who walked out of the roadside phone booth, had a fierce smile on his face. This expression was hard to describe; it was like a smile born of extreme hatred.

He stared at Lance, his eyes full of angry flames, "I heard the sound of car horns—"

"Beep—"

"Beep—"

"Beep—"

"Beep—"

"Beep beep!"

Lance immediately recorded these changes in the horns with numbers, using their length as "1", "2", "3", and recorded them on the paper in his hand.

There were a total of five, which could have many variations. Lance's method was like this: drivers in different areas used different horn patterns.

As long as you could hear the sound of horns during the call, you could definitely find them!

This was a very effective method, and it wasn't easily discovered.

"You continue to do what they say. I'll go take care of it."

Mayor Williams nodded vigorously. Just as Lance was about to leave, he suddenly grabbed Lance's arm, "Don't kill them."

Looking at the murderous intent almost radiating from Mayor Williams' eyes, Lance nodded, "I'll leave it to you."

After he finished speaking, he patted Mayor Williams' hand, and the latter released his hand and said, "Sorry."

Lance turned around and got into the car. According to this string of numbers, he had already located the area where Arthur was, the Triangle District.

In fact, the Triangle District was not an administrative region. It was just the intersection of three administrative districts and the area extending outward. Because this place bordered three sides, criminals who committed crimes could jump back and forth repeatedly.

Cross-district law enforcement was also a major taboo in the Federation. In addition, the police station sometimes couldn't figure out who should handle the cases here, so this place became more chaotic than other places.

Clearly, going north was the Bay Area, but in this area, many shop windows had wire mesh or even steel mesh windows.

Lance's initial financial company was also here.

It was well-connected and looked very prosperous and lively.

Chaos also brought another kind of stability. From different perspectives, there were rules here. As long as you didn't violate the rules here, few people would actively cause you trouble.

Richie and his group found a back-street house with a basement, and no one meddled in their business at all; they didn't even have curiosity.

In the past, some people had curiosity. From birth, they were full of curiosity about the world, until they might have walked into a Triangle District alley because of curiosity and then saw—

A gang was conducting shady transactions, so they went to see God.

Someone was committing violence, they became witnesses, so they went to see God.

Someone was hiding something, so they went to see God.

With more people going to see God, there were fewer curious people alive.

In fact, some people noticed that someone had put an iron cage in the alley, but no one was curious whether the cage contained dogs, women, men, or something else.

They wanted to live and had no curiosity.

If someone still had a trace of curiosity, they would notice that there were some unfamiliar vehicles on the street.

Several young people standing at the entrance of the alley noticed those slow-moving cars. The Lance Family was indeed the largest gang in Goldport City, but that didn't mean there were no small gangs or community families.

These young people lived nearby, and they were an obvious, developing community family.

A group of young people who lived nearby and knew each other banded together for warmth, and this was the prototype of a gang.

They regarded this area as their territory, and that slow-moving car was clearly not a passerby.

Several young men exchanged glances, one of them touching the dagger in his arms and nodding to the others.

They immediately headed towards the slowly moving car. The people inside couldn't help but laugh at the sight, reminding them of their former selves.

The young men quickly approached the vehicle and blocked it. At the same time, the "Boss" of the group raised his hand and pressed it against the door frame of the passenger seat. He looked down into the car and said, "This is... the family's territory. You..."

He saw everything inside clearly, then suddenly stopped talking. His face began to turn pale, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

He had seen the two people sitting inside, and he recognized the badge on their left arms, the one they regarded as an "idol."

The small boss suddenly became stuttering and stammering, "I'm sorry, sir. I... I didn't know it was you."

He retracted his hand and stood outside the passenger door, standing straight, just like he did when he was young and still held reverence for teachers.

Standing straight because of being punished.

The young man in the passenger seat smiled and said, "Don't be so nervous. I didn't know this was your territory."

The other young men also realized this, and they didn't dare to speak, huddling together.

But with that one sentence from the young man in the passenger seat, smiles of surprise appeared on their faces!

What did this mean?

It meant that the Lance Family acknowledged that this was their territory!

In the future, if anyone wanted to take their territory or do something bad here, they could more confidently argue with them—

The Lance Family has acknowledged that this is our territory, so why do you say it isn't?

In King's Harbor City, this was like official certification.

The small boss was so excited that he couldn't close his mouth, revealing a few uneven and slightly yellowed teeth. "Sir, is there anything we can do for you?"

The young man nodded. "Have any strangers been around here recently?"

"People you haven't seen before, who suddenly appeared and might be living nearby."

The young men immediately began to discuss in low voices. Before long, they provided some information and were willing to actively cooperate with them.

The Lance Family immediately called for backup, but in the end, it was proven that those locations were not where they were looking for the person.

They didn't make things difficult for the young men, after all, they were just being helpful.

As the time approached the next agreed-upon time, all the cars stopped at the designated locations Lance had instructed them to listen for.

At 5:15, Richie picked up the receiver on time and dialed the number. When Mayor Williams answered the phone and said a few words, Richie frowned again.

There was a brief burst of honking nearby, but because it stopped quickly, he didn't pay attention to it.

He continued to do what Mr. Charles had asked him to do, keeping Mayor Williams busy. He promised that this was the last time.

Mayor Williams would be able to see Arthur soon.

He reported the process to Mr. Charles again. He knew that people like Mr. Charles actually looked down on him, but he didn't care.

What he wanted wasn't to be looked up to or down upon, but real benefits. He had done so much for Joshua, so it shouldn't be a problem to give him a little more of the two-hundred-million market, right?

Of course, he also had a question in his mind, and he took the opportunity to ask it, "Sir, should we release Arthur?"

He glanced at Arthur, who was behaving honestly in the cage, and asked his question.

Mr. Charles chuckled, but although it was a laugh, it didn't make people feel comfortable, because the laughter was full of sarcasm.

"No need to release him. He still has other uses."

"You can rest now, and don't continue to contact Williams. Let him understand that we are playing him!"

After speaking, he hung up the phone. Richie shook his head as he looked at the receiver in his hand. Although they were... a religiously inclined gang, as long as Joshua promised something, he would definitely do it.

He could hear Mr. Charles' ridicule towards him. He didn't feel angry, but instead felt that the truly laughable one was this important figure, Mr. Charles.

Even gangsters knew to keep their word, but he, such a big shot, had no concept of it at all.

He went back to the sofa and sat down, feeling a little drowsy after napping for a while. He touched his hungry stomach. "Is there anything left to eat?"

A subordinate handed over a small bag of cooked food. He glanced at it, not enough to fill his stomach. "Who's going to buy some back?"

Several people looked at each other. Actually, none of them wanted to go out, because going out meant risk.

But now that Richie had asked, they couldn't possibly let Richie go himself.

In the end, they chose one guy. Who knew what price those people would have to pay for this.

Richie looked at the subordinate and nodded, taking out a few banknotes and giving them to him. "Buy a little more food. There aren't enough cigarettes either. Buy enough for a few days. We should be able to leave soon."

It was winter now, so after buying it back and putting it outside on the balcony, it wouldn't spoil in a short time.

The man took the money and nodded, then put on a baseball cap and lowered the brim, walking out of the room.

As soon as he walked out of the alley, he saw two cars parked on the side of the road, with people sitting inside.

As he looked at these people, they also noticed him. As he walked out of the alley, he put his hands into the pockets of his jacket, where there was a handgun.

He had never felt his heart beat so strongly, and he had never felt so close to God at this moment!

He shrank his neck, lowered his head slightly, so they couldn't see his face clearly.

He had a feeling that these people were not normal.

But he didn't dare to go back now. Maybe turning around now would startle these people. He could only grit his teeth and continue to leave.

When he walked out of the alley and walked towards the deli, after walking for more than ten meters, he felt the gazes and pressure on him disappear.

His face became extremely ugly. He wasn't sure if they were Lance's people, but he didn't dare to gamble!

The only question now was, what the hell was the phone number in the room?

Less than a minute after he left, Mayor Williams' car drove over from a distance and parked on the side of the road.

Lance waved to him from the roadside cafe. Mayor Williams also walked in with his hands in his pockets. Before entering, he shook his clothes, removing his hat, which had some snowflakes on it.

It was warm in the cafe. Only Lance's table was occupied. Obviously, everyone else had been temporarily asked to leave. Lance was treating, so they had nothing to complain about.

Lance poured Mayor Williams a cup of hot coffee. "Do you want milk and sugar?"

"One sugar, one ounce of milk."

Mayor Williams' expression showed surprise and amazement. He put his hat on the chair in the booth opposite Lance, then moved his body and sat down. "He's here?"

There was a small silver cup in the cafe, which was used to measure milk.

A small cup was one ounce, about twenty milliliters, which could effectively improve the taste of the coffee.

Lance helped him pour the milk in, then added a cube of sugar.

"He's in these buildings across the street."

He retracted his hand and looked at Mayor Williams.

Lance once again broke his upper limit of understanding of Lance. He thought this matter would take a long time, and it might even be impossible to find, just lock a location.

But what he didn't expect was that they actually found him!

Lance briefly explained, "The houses here can only hear up to three different honking sounds, but just now you said you only heard two."

"This means that their location is at a street corner, and those honking sounds are also numbered, so it's not difficult to guess."

"Now our only question is, should we go find him?"

"Or continue to wait, wait for them to expose themselves, and then snatch Arthur back from their hands."

If James were here, he would realize that, including his father, they were facing many choices every day.

There was no clever way to make a smart choice.

Courage and responsibility.