Empire of Shadows

In the hospital, a man lay on a sickbed, with a woman and two children by his side.

For the children...any time, any place was carefree. Their values had not yet formed, and they lacked sufficient understanding of emotions like joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness.

Any place, any time, was not a reason to stop them from playing, even in the hospital room at this moment.

Their father lay on the bed enduring pain, but the two children were at the foot of the bed, laughing and saying something.

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Children of seven or eight years old are at their most innocent and pure.

The woman by the bed wore a light green dress with a lotus collar. She handed the peeled fruit in her hand to her husband, and the man opened his mouth to take small bites.

The juice was sweet, but he was in pain.

The woman watched her husband struggling to eat a piece of fruit, and her eyes started to well up again.

From the clothes of her and the children, and the fruit basket under the bedside table, it could be seen that their family was quite well-off.

"How could that terrible person be so cruel, to hurt you so badly..." The thought of receiving the call and rushing over, seeing her husband covered in blood, made her legs go weak.

Fortunately, the doctor said that although the injuries were severe, they were not life-threatening, which relieved her.

But the thought of that scene filled her with hatred.

The man's expression was complicated.

Now that he had been beaten and was lying in bed unable to move, he began to feel regret for what had happened that day.

Most people are like this; they never know regret until they feel the pain themselves.

Only when it truly hurts do they begin to reflect.

That day, he encountered some trouble, at work.

A sociologist once made a very interesting comment, arguing that the current Federal society is dangerous because its economic growth rate is accelerating.

And the key role is not being played by the real economy, as it did during the past periods of rapid economic growth.

The leading force in economic growth now is the financial sector.

Some false things constantly create new highs, breaking people's understanding of value and creating an illusion of prosperity. He believes all of this is very dangerous.

Because once the Federation needs to face something with its hard power, all the illusions will shatter.

After this comment, he also pointed out the most dangerous group in the Federation—the middle class.

The middle class has more bank bills and loans than the lower class, but they do not have the risk resistance of the truly wealthy when facing economic storms.

Once they lose their jobs, it only takes three months for a chain reaction to occur, leaving them unable to pay so many bills and then bankrupt.

Every time they "attend an opera" to enrich themselves, they ultimately add an extra weight to the straw that breaks their back.

They don't just "attend an opera"; they also play golf, play tennis, socialize...

The man was facing a similar problem. The company had recently encountered some trouble, with large capital wanting to swallow them up, causing the company's market value to decline continuously.

In this barbaric financial era, it was too easy for large capital to swallow up small capital.

They only needed to publicly release a series of "distrust" opinions, and the small company's stock would immediately start to plummet.

Then, they could acquire this company, whose stock price was obviously manipulated by market sentiment, at a price far below market value.

The worries at work, coupled with the chain reaction that would result from losing his job or a decrease in income, made him irritable.

He was in danger of being fired, and everyone in the company was uneasy.

Even when driving on the road, when someone deliberately made things difficult for him, he exploded.

He opened the door and got out of the car, walked to the car in front that was not moving, and vigorously pounded on the windows and roof, threatening the other party with a fierce expression.

"Either you fucking step on the gas, or I'll fucking stomp on your face!"

And then...he was hospitalized.

He was now a little regretful. People who have calmed down after suffering a relatively heavy loss will have this emotion, but he would not say it.

He just looked at his wife, trying to comfort her, "The doctor said I'm fine, everything will be alright."

While the couple was talking, the door of the ward was suddenly pushed open. A young man wearing a dark trench coat, with a suit of the same color underneath, a red tie, and a red pocket square, held the doorknob and smiled.

His smile was handsome, and both the husband and wife had a good impression of him. The wife wiped the tears from her eyes and squeezed out a suitable smile to maintain the upbringing of a middle-class family woman, "Sir?"

Lance stood at the door and took off his hat, "Is this Mr. Vidal's ward?"

Actually, he knew this was it without asking, because the situation of the idiot lying on the bed was similar to Ennio's description of his injuries.

Mrs. Vidal immediately stood up. She realized that this person was here to find them, "Yes, please come in. Are you?"

Lance walked closer. The two children were not very afraid when they saw him. People do not have much fear of handsome people. Instead, they looked at him with curiosity.

Their good family education prevented them from touching Lance's hat or anything else on him, which was good.

"I apologize for what my brother Ennio did to you..."

At first, they didn't react, but soon the man became a little agitated, and Mrs. Vidal also became agitated.

But the good education and "self-restraint" she had received since childhood made it difficult for her to say harsh words. She could only ask Lance to leave, "You are not welcome here. Please leave, sir!"

The two children seemed a little at a loss because of the sudden change in their parents' emotions. Lance did not leave and continued, "I know he did something stupid. The matter has already happened, and I want to try my best to make amends."

"And I also hope to ask for your forgiveness on his behalf!"

The man's voice was not loud, "I will not forgive him. I know what you want to do. I will never forgive him, and it is even more impossible for us to reconcile."

Lance took out a kraft paper envelope from his coat, "Here is..."

Before he could finish speaking, Mr. Vidal said while coughing, "Take your money and leave my room, immediately!"

His wife comforted him while looking at Lance, "I'm going to call the guards."

Lance raised his hands slightly, "Okay, don't get excited, I'll leave first..."

After Lance left, Mrs. Vidal even went to the corridor to take a look, and only returned to the room after seeing his figure indeed about to leave the corridor.

Mr. Vidal was no longer coughing, but his breathing was slightly heavy.

"He wants me to forgive that murderer. I will never forgive him!"

"And, dear, don't worry, they will not only bear our medical expenses, but also compensate us with a large sum of money!"

"They beat me like this, they must pay the price for it!"

Understanding and reason are one thing, but he couldn't bring himself to give up pursuing accountability for a little money after being beaten so badly.

The wife just watched him silently, supporting his decision.

In the evening, Mr. Vidal, tormented by fractures, injuries, and constant pain, quickly fell into a dazed sleep. His wife packed up and prepared to leave with the children.

The children had to go to school tomorrow, and she also needed to go home to prepare food and other things.

She could drive, but she wasn't very skilled. The speed on the road was very slow. She drove with full concentration. Suddenly, one of her children sitting in the back seat said to her, "Mom, a car has been following us ever since we left Dad."

Mrs. Vidal slammed on the brakes, and the car behind almost crashed into them!

The driver stuck his head out of the car window and cursed loudly. It seemed that the drivers in Jin Harbor City had bad tempers?

However, when the other party found out that the driver here was a lady, his temper obviously became a little better, but he still hoped that she would try not to drive on the road if she was not yet proficient in driving.

She looked around nervously, "Where is that car?"

The two children looked around, "It's gone."

Although it was possible that the children had seen it wrong, after experiencing what happened in the afternoon, she was still a little scared.

She didn't go straight home, but went to her parents' house. With her parents around, she could feel a little more at ease.

In the evening, at seven o'clock, when the family was having dinner, suddenly the doorbell rang.

Mrs. Vidal became a little nervous, but her parents thought it might be a neighbor coming to visit, and told her not to be so nervous.

But before long, he heard a familiar voice.

"I'm here to chat with you..."

Lance stood at the door with a smile on his face, "Just sit down and have a good chat. No one will get hurt, and nothing unexpected will happen. You can even call the police to protect you here."

"I promise, I just want to chat with you."

Mrs. Vidal's father had more experience, and he asked, "Are you carrying a gun?"

Lance opened his trench coat, then his jacket, "No weapons."

The old man considered for a while and motioned for him to come in.

When Vidal stood at the junction of the dining room and the living room and saw Lance, she obviously felt scared, "Were you the one following us this afternoon?"

Lance shook his head, while her father told her not to speak first, "Go get us two cups of coffee."

He and Lance went to the living room and sat on the sofa, "You can say whatever you want to say to me."

Lance repeated what he had said at the hospital, "I just hope that while apologizing, I can also gain your forgiveness."

The old man looked at Lance and asked softly, "Are you a gang?"

Lance didn't answer immediately, "That depends on your definition of a gang."

The old man took a deep breath, "What do you want?"

"A letter of understanding."

Mrs. Vidal wanted to say something, but the old man stopped her, not giving her a chance to speak, and asked his wife to take their daughter out of the living room.

Watching the two women leave, the old man seemed a little helpless, "So we really don't have any other choice, since you're already sitting across from me."

He was implying that Lance already knew their family situation and might harm them and their family.

It seemed like a request, but it was more of a threat.

Lance didn't deny it, but he didn't admit it either, instead using a more euphemistic way, "I just hope we can all be relieved of this matter as soon as possible."

"Maybe I was a little impatient, and I apologize if it caused you any trouble."

The old man thought for a while, "I will help you persuade them, but I can't guarantee I can do it."

Lance took out a kraft paper envelope and put it on the table, "There's a thousand dollars here. You're under a lot of pressure from medical expenses, so this can alleviate some of it…"

The old man refused, "The reason I'm persuading them isn't because of the money. I just don't want more people to get hurt."

"As for medical expenses, I believe the judge will make you pay us."

He paused, "If that's your purpose, then you've accomplished it. Can my family and I continue with our dinner now?"

Lance thanked the old man for his choice and then left.

After Lance left, Mrs. Vidal came downstairs from upstairs. She said with some complaint, "You shouldn't have agreed to him."

The old man beckoned to the two children. The two children hadn't realized the seriousness of the matter, just like their mother.

He put his arms around the two lovely children and looked at his daughter, "So you want to go against a gang for his sake?"

"You can not consider your and his safety, that's your business, but the children are innocent."

"They can find us here today and talk to us nicely."

"Tomorrow they can find your home and talk to you not so friendly."

"My decades of experience have taught me a lesson: don't risk your life to verify anything. You can't afford to fail…"

Mrs. Vidal accepted her father's choice in silence.

The next day, lawyer Robben and his assistant went to the hospital to discuss the letter of understanding with Mr. and Mrs. Vidal. The case was reported to the police by a passerby. At that time, Mr. Vidal had lost his ability to resist, even his consciousness.

Therefore, it was characterized as a serious criminal case of injury, and criminal cases are prosecuted by the federal prosecution system. In other words, this case is not suitable for out-of-court settlement, and it must eventually be concluded through a court trial.

Lawyer Robben quickly obtained Mr. Vidal's letter of understanding. When his wife told him that she was being followed, and that the other party had even come to their door.

He first felt anger, but quickly turned to fear, and finally, under his wife's persuasion, agreed to the understanding.

And this understanding can reduce Enio's sentence by at least one year!

The remaining process will be relatively simple. Since both parties have no objection to the process of the case, and Mr. Vidal admits that his attitude was not very friendly, the court decided to hold the trial on November 30th, with one week left.

In these few days, Lance's name began to spread among more Empire people. Mr. Burton does have some problems sometimes, but he is not completely useless. At least he is doing a good job in spreading the news.

Thanks to his vigorous publicity, more Empire people know that there is such a gentleman who is willing to provide financial assistance to Empire students who come to the Empire and can get into college but do not have the funds to attend.

This is definitely good news. According to official incomplete statistics, there are approximately 1.2 million Empire immigrants with legal status in the Federation, and the number is still increasing.

As for immigrants without legal status, firstly, it is impossible to count them, and secondly, there are also more and more of them.

Whether it is to seek wealth or to escape the domestic war, this is a very suitable place.

There are more or less relationships between these people, just like that neighbor who washes dishes, he drove his neighbors in the Empire to immigrate to the Federation, and they will maintain contact with each other.

And these later immigrants will also form social circles with other immigrants to exchange information.

In addition, Lance is essentially "giving away money", so the news spread quickly, and everyone is discussing the authenticity of this matter.

After all, going to college is a considerable expense. At least five hundred dollars a year must be prepared to meet the expenses of a college student.

They don't quite believe that someone is so kind, but they hope that all this is true.

The news naturally reached the ears of the Camilla gang. Heller sat in his office, with two low-level gang members in front of him, telling him the topics they had heard.

One of them said: "Lance said that as long as you can go to college, he will not only cover the tuition, but also give the student a house next to the university to live in…"

Another person added: "I also heard that. I also heard that if you have good grades in college, you will also get a car worth more than a thousand dollars."

The first speaker nodded repeatedly, "Yes, and there are cash rewards, totaling three thousand dollars!"

Heller watched them describe "going to college" as a double leap of class and wealth in a short while, and couldn't help but start thinking about it.

He asked the two to leave first and dialed a phone number, "Have you heard about that Lance thing recently… How much money do you think he has… No, I'm just asking, I feel curious."

"After all, it's not easy for such a friendly rich man to appear among our Empire people… Don't worry, no… What's the situation with this group of people? Do you know?"

"…Oh, I see. I thought they all had some special background. It turns out they are all illegal immigrants and ordinary people. Thank you, I know!"

He hung up the phone with a chuckle. He had already decided to get back the money he had lost from Lance and his group, but now he couldn't wait any longer.

The greater Lance's reputation, the more negative impact his actions might bring, and at the same time, if Lance really becomes more and more wealthy, the success rate of his actions will only become lower and lower.

In addition, he also realized that Lance's approach of spending money to buy fame is worth learning!

It is said that the Camilla gang has a bad reputation. If he can also sponsor some people to go to college, wouldn't his reputation improve!