Empire of Shadows

Polly's head exploded like a watermelon dropped from a building, and after a brief moment of silence, chaos erupted!

At this moment, the deputy director remembered to grab Director Dale's head and push him behind the police car.

Director Dale stared blankly at Polly's twitching body on the ground, subconsciously reaching out to touch the warm, wet substance on his face.

It was sticky, soft, and slowly creeping downwards.

He touched the jelly-like substance, then looked down, and a wave of nausea rose from his stomach; he felt sick, nauseous, and wanted to vomit.

He flung the substance from his fingers onto the ground as if it were a venomous snake; he didn't hear the "thud" in the noisy environment.

But he succeeded.

His eyes no longer held the composure they once did; even in the face of the worst situations, he could calmly strategize.

All intelligent people are helpless when faced with violence as a solution.

No matter how smart you are, he'll shoot you.

No matter how eloquent you are, even if the president listens to you, he'll shoot you.

No matter how skillful you are, able to turn the tide and gain further opportunities, he'll shoot you.

Everything—politics, wealth, status, everything—pales in comparison to life.

A large amount of blood gushed from Polly's corpse; they were less than three meters apart, and he could even smell the strong, bloody odor and a peculiar fishy scent.

Director Dale felt a tremor from the depths of his soul—fear, dread.

Only when he accidentally set fire to his grandfather's warehouse as a child, almost burning himself to death inside, had he experienced such a tremor, a trembling, an inability to control himself.

At this moment, the surrounding noise finally seemed to affect him; the deputy director shook him forcefully several times before he looked at the deputy director with some bewilderment.

"You need to leave here now; the shooter might still be nearby," the deputy director said with a "I'm doing this for your own good" expression.

Director Dale, whose eyes had been somewhat dull with fear, immediately became sharp, staring at the deputy director, who seemed to meet his gaze with equanimity.

They stared at each other for two or three seconds, and Director Dale shook his head. "Thank you, but I don't need it. I'll stay here with my men; I'm not going anywhere!"

He spoke loudly, and some of the agents looked over; no one knew what they were thinking, but it certainly wouldn't be anything good.

The deputy director lowered his eyes obsequiously. "It's good that you have your own judgment…"

It was as if nothing had happened, but also as if many things had happened. Director Dale took out a handkerchief and wiped the remaining stains from his face, although he still felt somewhat disgusted.

He glanced at Polly, whose corpse was still gurgling blood, and tossed the already-dirty handkerchief over.

Unfortunately, it didn't cover it, and it quickly became stained with blood.

"The shooter is at the street corner; they're escaping!" Suddenly, an agent saw someone suspected of being the shooter getting into a car.

He shouted and jumped into a car on the side of the road, flooring the accelerator and spinning the steering wheel, the police car's tires screeching as it made a U-turn.

Immediately afterward, several other agents, fearing their colleague would suffer, also got into their cars and went to pursue.

Although the distance between them was a bit far, as long as they kept up, with the help of the radio, they definitely wouldn't let the other party escape in this city.

People breathed a sigh of relief; if they could catch the shooter, they might be able to uncover more valuable clues.

However, just as the first police car was about to speed through an intersection, a van rushed out from the side at an extremely fast, unreasonable speed…

The huge impact could be heard even from a distance of a hundred or two meters; the police car was overturned and pinned against the wall, with only the drive wheels still spinning.

A driver who looked somewhat frustrated emerged from the van's cab, looking anxiously at the overturned police car, seemingly at a loss.

Subsequently, several agents who had followed rushed to check on the condition of the agents in the car, while others rushed to the van driver and punched him.

Across the street, behind the window of a shop, a reporter used his camera to record everything in detail!

In the sunlight, several law enforcement officers were punching a driver on the ground.

Director Dale's gaze returned from the distance, his face grim. There was no doubt that the car accident was also arranged by the shooter's people.

He had completely calmed down at this point. He glanced at the dead Polly lying on the ground, thinking about one question:

What was his qualification to be silenced?

As a qualified politician, he would naturally think this way. The more he thought, the more he felt that a large net had trapped him—them.

You might not feel it when you don't struggle, but when you start to struggle, you can clearly feel it, and the more you struggle, the tighter the net becomes, making it harder and harder to breathe…

"…After a fierce battle, we finally killed the mastermind of the bombing, who refused to surrender and stubbornly resisted, the leader of the Brothers Gang, known as 'Big Polly.'"

"Currently, we will continue to arrest and question other members of the Brothers Gang who participated in this case, and decide whether to bring them to court based on the crimes they have committed in the past."

"Now, you can ask questions freely."

Half an hour later, in the Hazardous Materials Administration's conference room, Director Dale conveyed the results of the arrest by saying, "We killed Polly, who resisted stubbornly."

Because Big Polly was unwilling to be arrested, he knew that he had committed unforgivable sins and would eventually face the electric chair, so he refused to negotiate and refused to surrender.

The agents of the Hazardous Materials Administration could only kill him on the spot, and the work of uncovering the inside story of the bombing could only be opened up from other members of the Brothers Gang.

They had cordoned off the scene at the time, so people did not know how Polly died. Although some people said that Polly was assassinated to silence him, people in this era are still willing to believe the law enforcement agencies.

At this time, all the reporters at the scene raised their hands, and Director Dale calmly chose a reporter who looked a little more pleasing.

The other party's chest was labeled "Today's Goldport Column Reporter." Although Dale had not been in Goldport City for long, he knew how influential "Today's Goldport" was in this city.

The reporter's opening sentence made Director Dale blacklist this newspaper and all its reporters.

"Director, eyewitnesses say that you were about to capture Polly alive, but someone shot Polly from more than a hundred meters away to silence him. The public feels concerned about whether you can truly do your job well."

"Do you have anything you want to say to us?"

Director Dale replied without even thinking, "Fake news, next."

He pointed to another reporter, just pointing at random. A slightly balding reporter stood up and asked, "Director Dale, we are reporters from 'Tide News,' the fourth-largest newspaper in Goldport City. Have you read our newspaper?"

Director Dale nodded slightly, "I have some understanding."

There was a lot of laughter in the audience, and Director Dale suddenly realized something, and his expression became even more ugly.

The reporter didn't seem to care at all that he had offended the director of a powerful law enforcement agency. He asked even further, "This issue we published sixteen eighteen-year-old girls, who do you like the most?"

"Tide News" is a newspaper that mainly reports on strippers and publishes escort information. It is full of girls who are naked and in desperate need of help.

Anyone who is willing to lend a helping hand only needs to dial the number above to meet these poor girls and discuss assistance matters in detail.

The reason why this newspaper sells so well is because of those girls on it. For just five cents, you can see a lot of naked bodies, which is tempting for men of all ages.

It is said that they are also planning to publish a new newspaper recently, called "Erect," which mainly publishes male dancer information, targeting the growing female consumer market.

In Licari State Prison, a copy of "Tide News" costs more than ten dollars!

Reporters from this kind of lewd newspaper should mostly be in major nightclubs, strip clubs, and those escort venues, rather than appearing at the scene of a serious press conference.

Their audience doesn't care about these things at all. They just want to see bodies, not serious news.

But his appearance here is obviously a malicious act.

It can even be said that there are many reporters at the scene who are like him, and as long as they are called, they will embarrass Director Dale.

Even if they are not called, it doesn't matter, they will rush to stand up.

Listening to the harsh laughter of the crowd, Director Dale directly chose to end the free questioning, picked up the documents and turned to leave.

He returned to the office full of anger. Since arriving in Goldport City, nothing has gone smoothly!

He thought that the whistleblower had provided him with a huge smuggled wine warehouse, which was a good start, but he didn't expect that this was the beginning of misfortune!

Damn it!

In the office, he slammed the table hard. Polly's death made him go from being proactive to being passive again.

He looked at Goldport City bathed in the sunlight outside the window. Although the sunlight covered every corner of the city, he always felt that there was a shadow, lingering, looming, covering the city more than the sunlight…

The matter escalated faster than he had imagined. In less than an hour, almost everyone in the government knew about the new political joke, "had some understanding."

Those watching the spectacle were clearly divided into several groups. Most people laughed without restraint, not caring about Director Dale's face.

These civil servants were all native locals, like William, with many civil servants in their families.

Either you uproot them all across multiple departments, or you offend others by only dealing with one.

So, they could laugh loudly and happily without having to bear any consequences, and there were no consequences.

Some people didn't laugh so obviously; these were outsiders who were transforming into locals, or "Goldport immigrants," not "Federal immigrants."

They were almost all Federal people, but not native Goldport residents. However, as their jobs stabilized and they married locals, they were integrating into the local community.

So, they could appropriately express their true emotions without worrying about being retaliated against.

As for those who didn't laugh or speak, these were the typical outsiders. They had to be careful because, in this seemingly open and inclusive city, sometimes an outsider might not be tolerated!

Director Dale knew that all of this had a deeper mastermind behind it, including Polly's phone call saying that he didn't plant the first bomb.

Now, he believed it.

But Polly was dead, and many possible clues were gone. He had almost no solution other than to be annoyed.

Just as he was thinking about how to resolve the situation, the phone on his desk suddenly rang.

"This is Dale."

"Dale, it's me," he could still distinguish the mayor's voice. Remembering everyone's voice was something a qualified politician should do.

Some politicians, big figures, had a bit of a perverse sense of humor. They wanted everyone to respect them, and sometimes they would jokingly ask others on the phone if they knew who they were.

If you encounter such a person, you better know!

"Mayor..."

"Are you free to chat?"

Director Dale had not visited the mayor since arriving in Goldport. On the one hand, he came from the central government, although he was only a "small character" there.

But he had a senator behind him; he also had backers and a circle.

On the other hand, the Hazardous Materials Administration itself was a vertical organization. He didn't need to deal with local officials, and he tried to avoid it as much as possible.

The more you deal with them, the harder it is to maintain your neutrality. You never know how complicated the relationships here are.

If you spend too much time with certain people, what if they suddenly make an excessive request? Do you agree?

Moreover, the purer his loyalty to Congress and the President's Office, the more the old men above would like him and value him.

But now, he seemed to have no way out, so he immediately agreed.

A dozen minutes later, a very low-key but luxuriously decorated car stopped in the Hazardous Materials Administration parking lot. Director Dale changed his hat, wore a stand-up collar trench coat, and entered the mayor's car without being noticed.

The luxurious interior was full of soft padding, leather, sheepskin, ivory, silver, precious wood...

He took off his hat, took off his coat, and put it on the seat next to him.

"Want something to drink?"

The mayor took out a bottle of wine from a small liquor cabinet. Director Dale really needed some now.

Don't think that Congress is keeping a close eye on the national alcohol ban and demanding that they treat it seriously, severely cracking down on the situation of defying the ban and continuing to sell and drink alcohol.

In fact, they themselves have never banned it, and there are special people who provide alcohol to Congress and senators, including the President's Office, which buys a batch of alcohol for drinking every month.

This huge social experiment has always been aimed at the lower and middle classes, not the upper and middle classes.

They pretend to abstain from alcohol just to let the lower-level people know their determination, not that they really want to abstain from alcohol.

"Whiskey, do you have any?" Director Dale needed some strong alcohol to soothe his emotions.

The mayor changed to a bottle of Gold Label Napoleon Whiskey. The amber liquid and the aroma it emitted made Director Dale feel a little relaxed just by smelling it.

He took the glass, clinked glasses with the mayor, and then took a sip together.

After a sip of wine, he felt much better.

The car slowly started and drove down the street. People around couldn't see the situation inside because there were curtains.

The mayor probably saw Director Dale's "caution" and said with a smile, "You don't have to worry so much; I won't harm you."

He was referring to the fact that Director Dale waited for him to take a sip before drinking himself; he was too careful.

Director Dale smiled foolishly as if he didn't understand, but the mayor didn't mind being clearer, "Because we are both outsiders."

"How is it, Dale?"

"Are you satisfied with the locals' welcoming ceremony?"

Director Dale's expression gradually became serious, "I don't quite understand what you mean."

"Don't use honorifics; we are actually both outsiders."

"You are not a native of this city, and neither am I. We have the same experiences."

"This is their welcoming ceremony!"

"The local city councilors and the five major families they talk about, these locals who span politics, business, the underworld, and almost all industries have formed a huge network."

"We outsiders can't join them, so naturally, we will be wary of them and targeted by them."

"Do you know why Polly died?"

Dale actually had some guesses, but he still shook his head. Pretending to be stupid when you should is not really being stupid.

The mayor didn't mind him pretending to be stupid, "Because you are an outsider. You want to explore the secrets of the locals, so this person who may know the secrets of the locals, and is unwilling to keep them, or may not be able to keep secrets, must be silenced."

"I heard that Councilor Wade's people appeared at the scene and then withdrew."

Director Dale caught a key word from it, "Are you saying, Councilor Wade?"

The mayor nodded, "His family has existed longer than the history of this city. If Polly might know any of his secrets, then Polly will definitely be silenced."

"This is their welcome gift to you, and also a warning to you not to explore the secrets of this city and the locals!"

The mayor leaned back in his seat. The soft backrest made him feel comfortable and a little safe, "Actually, I've experienced it too."

"And my experience was more terrible and more brutal than what you've experienced."

"Would you like to hear a story?"