Empire of Shadows

"We've talked about this, Bill."

"Now you can give me an answer. Our time is limited, don't waste each other's lives, okay?"

Remember the original website domain name 𝕥 𝕨 𝕜 𝕒 𝕟 . 𝕔 𝕠 𝕞

Bill glanced at the cadres sitting next to him, somewhat sullenly, "I said, I need time to consider..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lance hung up the phone.

Bill looked at the receiver, feeling very unhappy, but he found it difficult to make any decisions. Perhaps sensing his emotional change, a senior cadre asked, "What's wrong? What happened?"

He hesitated for a moment, "Lance called, wanting us to give up the territory of the Imperial District to him. I didn't agree."

It wasn't that he didn't agree, but that he needed to consider it. This was a subtle and skillful way of expressing it.

A considerable portion of the senior cadres in the office immediately became unhappy.

"What makes him think he can ask us to do that?"

"Moreover, we don't seem to have any conflicts with their business. On the contrary, they have been using cheap alcohol to squeeze our bar sales."

"We haven't caused him any trouble, how dare he cause us trouble?"

Some people even shouted loudly, "Let him try! Let's see if we can beat him until he hurts!"

Now, under the collective environment, the heroic side of these people's emotions has been amplified, and even Bill cannot easily make decisions that contradict their ideas.

He is just such a person. As he gets older, he sometimes hopes that others will take responsibility, rather than himself.

He figured out some things, slapped the table, and said firmly, "Yes, you are right. This is the territory we fought for ourselves, why should we give it to him?"

"If he wants to take it, he must be prepared to have a tooth knocked out!"

"Let the brothers in the Imperial District pay attention, be careful they might directly attack..."

Soon, the topic of discussion changed from "Did Polly plant the bomb?" to "How should we fight Lance and defeat him?" Although they thought it was a good idea, Bill always felt a little uneasy.

He always felt that there might be some trouble, and he was also curious about what prompted Lance to make a decision so quickly.

Didn't he say he needed a few days to consider?

But what Bill didn't know was that Lance couldn't wait any longer, and wouldn't give him any more time to consider.

Considering for a few days, still needing to consider? Does this kind of thing need so much consideration?

To put it bluntly, it's just that Bill is too indecisive. He is already old, and Lance decided to help him so that he can make a decision.

After hanging up the phone, Lance walked to the window and lit a cigarette.

Ervin happened to push the door open, and as soon as he came in, he heard Lance asking him, "Where are our new gentlemen?"

This was a good opportunity to test whether these people were reliable.

Some people always talk fiercely, making it seem like everyone is a super killing machine on the battlefield, but when they are really needed, they all become the Lambs of God.

"They are compiling a training plan. We plan to rotate the people we have on hand for training."

This was Lance's plan, to have more family members receive some military training. Even if it's only for a week, it can lead to good progress in their execution and combat abilities.

"Call them over, I have work to arrange for them. Also, find some combat captains."

Ervin nodded in agreement, and curiously asked, "Is there an operation?"

Lance did not deny it, "We don't have time to wait for Bill to make a decision now, and I'm worried that once the development trend becomes clear, he will not only lay out a large-scale plan for the port area, but may even squeeze towards us."

"So we must drive them out before they react."

Ervin was slightly worried, "Didn't Blue say..."

Blue, the branch director, meant to find a way to make the Red Dog Gang act first, so that Lance's counterattack would not be considered a violation of the "disrupting social order" rule.

But now he couldn't care about that anymore. Regardless of who planted the bomb, the social order has already been broken!

He shook his head, "Don't worry about that, they can't worry about us."

Soon, a dozen veterans and seven or eight combat captains gathered in the office. Lance stood by the window, watching the wailing police cars spinning around on the streets.

The bombing case has made the law enforcement departments nervous. Blue just called him and told him to keep it down recently.

But obviously, he couldn't keep it down.

"Lance, everyone is here."

Lance turned his gaze from the outside back to the people in the room. He walked to the table and sat on the edge of it.

"You probably already know that some idiot bombed the Dangerous Goods Administration and also killed a high-ranking special agent."

"Next, the entire Goldenport City situation will undergo some unexpected changes. Before these changes affect us, we must complete the unification of the Imperial District."

"The Red Dog Gang's Bill is hesitant and indecisive, just like the bitches under him. So, let's help him."

"They still have about four bars and several [other establishments] in the Imperial District. Your task is to take care of these bars and drive them out."

"But I must remind you that you should try not to set fires."

"There are many old buildings in the Imperial District, and these old buildings have not been fireproofed. Once they are lit, they can easily cause fires, which will become a huge problem."

"Expel them! If they fight back, let loose and mess them up!"

Ervin stood there, "Where do I go?"

Lance walked to a wooden board, casually picked up a pen, and drew a circle on the map, "You and I will go to their biggest strip club here..."

In the evening, the neon sign of the Flower Sea Strip Club lit up. This is the Red Dog Gang's largest business venue in the Imperial District.

It not only operates a legal blowjob business, but also an illegal call girl business.

However, although Bill is indecisive, he is still very cautious in operating criminal businesses.

The call girl transactions do not take place here, but in the old apartment next door.

There are a total of thirty-six rooms. It is said that when business was at its hottest, the girls had to line up with their customers to find an empty room.

However, after operating for more than ten years, business has gradually become not as good as before.

The girls are getting old. Even if they rotate the girls from time to time, after more than ten years, the customers are already familiar with every girl here.

This kind of business sells a sense of novelty. When the girls and the customers are as familiar as a couple without a marriage certificate, the customers lose interest.

This is not actually a matter of taste, because their tastes have never changed. They have always been fond of young, fresh faces.

However, even so, this is still a very lively place. Striptease, alcohol, and sex, under the night, these things always attract people's attention.

Tonight, many young people are standing at the entrance of the Flower Sea Strip Club. They are standing together in groups of three or five, talking in low voices.

It looks a little strange. The customers who entered the club also found that there were a lot more "people" today than usual.

However, these customers quickly relaxed. Those strangers would not affect their revelry here.

Under the double anesthesia of alcohol and sex, they quickly forgot about them.

Time passed bit by bit until ten o'clock, which was also the best time for the club's business.

From time to time, you can see girls leaving the club with customers and coming to the old apartment next door.

Customers need to pay two dollars and fifty cents to take the girls upstairs.

There is a role similar to an apartment manager in the lobby management office on the first floor. When the customer pays him the money, he will record something in a notebook and then take a key and give it to the other party.

The keys have door numbers on them, so they can find the room according to these numbers.

Generally, these customers will come out in about ten minutes at most. Few people can last more than twenty or thirty minutes, after all, every girl has her own specialty in this area.

Some are technical, their talents may not be very outstanding, but through exercise, they have acquired some very special abilities, making people disarm and surrender in a surprise attack during a contest.

There are also some who are talented, they don't need to do anything, they just need to lie there, and the customers will quickly disarm and surrender.

As for wanting to stay longer?

The thugs below will tell you that this is impossible!

There are quite a few gang members gathered here, and as time goes by, these people are somewhat sleepy.

At this moment, the headlights suddenly lit up at the street corner in the distance. After all, being able to afford a car these days is still a minority. Three pairs of headlights illuminated the road in the night, also making the Red Dog Gang members at the door become vigilant.

The three senior cadres who were playing cards in the manager's office also received the news. They put down the poker in their hands and came to the door with weapons.

The three cars did not come quickly, it took several minutes to reach the entrance of the club.

The car window in the back seat of the middle car rolled down. The neon lights and lights of the Flower Sea Striptease Nightclub illuminated his face. He turned his head and looked through the car window at the people on the steps, his expression calm, even indifferent.

There was not a trace of fear on his face. The people who came down from the other cars stood in front of his car, eight people, standing in a row.

You must know that at this time, the people on his side added up to less than ten.

The Red Dog Gang's senior officers also saw Lance. "Lance, this isn't a place for you. Leave now, and I'll pretend you were never here."

Lance removed his black lambskin gloves, took out a cigarette, and Hiram bent down to light it for him with a match. He exhaled smoke, looking at the people on the steps, "What if I say no?"

The senior officer in the red sequined suit seemed to have heard the funniest thing. He 'ha'd' once, then spread his hands and spun around.

"I have so many people, what do you have?"

Lance still looked at him with a calm expression, "Does having more people make you powerful?"

Perhaps the large number of people surrounding him gave him a sense of security. He slightly raised his chin, looking at Lance with his nostrils, "Having more people is powerful!"

Just as he was feeling smug, someone suddenly nudged him with their elbow, signaling him to look around.

Around them, many people wearing black soft felt hats, black trench coats, and red armbands emerged from the darkness.

Their clothing blended into the night, making it difficult to spot them earlier. So, no one had noticed that there were people around, but there were.

As these people continued to close in, the process alone brought great psychological pressure to the Red Dog Gang, so much so that they dared not act rashly!

The Red Dog Gang no longer had the advantage in numbers, and coupled with the fact that no one knew if there were more people in the dark, they all fell into silence.

The senior officer in the red sequined suit also felt a heat rising on his scalp, along with a dry mouth.

"Do you still think you have more people now?"

The red sequined officer standing on the steps looked very ugly. He wanted to say something, but in the end, he didn't say anything.

Lance shook his head slightly and made a 'move' gesture. The people in front of his car seemed to receive a signal and neatly pulled out submachine guns from under their trench coats.

The three senior officers on the steps, and their confidants, realized what was happening. Whether they were preparing to draw their guns and fight back, or planning to escape, it was already too late!

The flashy guy in the red sequined suit who had been talking to Lance looked at the dark muzzles. At this moment, he didn't even move, just stared blankly, and then said, "Fuck."

The next second, eight submachine guns fired simultaneously. The hot bullets not only dispelled the cold of the night but also dispelled the silence.

The sound of gunfire echoed throughout the night sky, accompanied by screams and cries from inside the club, adding a touch of Goldenport City's style to the quiet night!

The whole process lasted less than fifteen seconds. In reality, only the senior officers and core leaders in the middle died from the shooting, while the surrounding small fries didn't suffer too many casualties.

As long as they didn't move, the bullets wouldn't chase them. Lance was sometimes very merciful.

Hiram, carrying a handgun, strode up the steps in a few steps and emptied his magazine into the corpses on the ground. He maintained the Lance family's style very well—making the forensic doctor spend several times the time to find the bullets and piece them together.

The Red Dog Gang members around looked terrified. Some people silently raised their hands and knelt down, followed by more people.

Soon, the thugs at the door were kneeling on the ground in several rows. Honestly, it was still very cold, and the ground was cold and hard, a little painful.

But compared to a headache, a knee ache was obviously acceptable!

Lance took one last puff of his cigarette, threw the butt on the ground, and Hiram opened the car door for him to get out.

At this time, blood had already flowed down the steps, layer by layer, flowing to his feet.

He glanced at the cigarette butt extinguished in the blood, looked at his new leather shoes that had been stained with blood, shook his head, and stepped onto the steps in the blood.

He walked past the corpse of the guy in the red sequined suit, raised his foot, and stepped over his body.

Thirty seconds ago, he still had the appearance of already having won.

Thirty seconds later, he lay on the ground gazing at the stars. Life's opportunities are so unpredictable.

At this time, the club was silent. The guests and girls huddled in the corners. Some people tried to escape from the back door, but there were people there too.

As for jumping out of the window?

They couldn't do that.

As Lance's men began to enter the club, the club quickly gave up resistance.

So many people outside couldn't resist these people coming in, and some gang members in the club wisely chose to surrender. After confirming that they had controlled the situation, Lance walked in from the outside.

"Sorry for the disturbance," he said, apologizing for tonight's attack. He stood in the center of the hall, "This is between me and the Red Dog Gang, it has nothing to do with you."

"Now, if you want to leave, take your belongings, raise your hands, and you can leave through the door."

"Please do not make any misleading actions, such as putting your hand inside your collar or in your pocket."

"I can't guarantee that someone won't overreact and shoot!"

Some people in the crowd exclaimed, "It's Mr. Lance!"

"Is it Mr. Lance of the Lance family?"

They suddenly became less afraid, and some even asked, "Mr. Lance, did the Red Dog Gang offend you?"

Lance shook his head, "They didn't offend me, Bill just made a stupid decision."

Someone else asked, "Will this place still be open in the future?"

Lance looked as if it was a matter of course, "Why not?"

"I will renovate it and reopen it. You can still come and play then."

"But at that time, it will no longer belong to the Red Dog Gang, but to us..."

Hiram walked over from a distance, tossing his hair, "What about the people outside?"

Killing them all would be too many people, not very convenient, so he needed to ask Lance.

Lance thought for a moment, "Leave their weapons behind, and then let them get lost."

Hiram nodded and went back outside. He arranged for people to strip these people of their clothes, leaving them only with their underwear, and then told them they could get lost.

It was clearly a very humiliating thing, but at this time, to these people, it was like the most wonderful sound in the world!

Their faces were flushed with the joy of surviving a disaster, and they quickly disappeared into the darkness, rubbing their body hair.

In one night, the Red Dog Gang's territory in the Imperial District was swept clean.

But strangely, not many people reported it to the police.

On the contrary, more people reported it in the port area. The police came a few times, but they soon left again.

They didn't see any firefight scenes, nor did they see any corpses. They only saw cleaners diligently washing the ground with chemicals.

Branch Director Blue personally ran to Lance, but looking at Lance's calm face, all the words he originally wanted to say suddenly couldn't be spoken...