Empire of Shadows

Sitting in the car, Bridge looked at the street scene outside. Honestly, Golden Port City's prosperity was not inferior to that of the Federation's capital, and in some places, it was even more prosperous.

However, it was obvious that the street scene on his left (north side) was more prosperous, while the street scene on his right (south side) did not look so prosperous, because the right side was the Empire District.

Even though it was close to the city center, it was still slightly inferior.

"We are going to Starlight District next, which is one of the most lively places in Golden Port City at night."

"One of?" Bridge had been working in the company during this period, and he did not know the administrative division of the entire Golden Port City, nor did he know which places were lively and which places were deserted.

However, he had heard that Starlight District was the most prosperous and lively place in Golden Port City, with opera houses, cinemas, nightclubs…

All the places for enjoyment were here!

But why was it only one of?

He didn't quite understand.

The young man driving the car in the driver's seat said with a smile, "There is another place that is also very prosperous, which is the middle part of the port area."

"However, those who play there are… you know, like you, upper-class people, going to such a place will make you feel uncomfortable because it's full of poor people."

"But it is undeniable that it is more lively there."

"If you want to go and take a look, experience the life of ordinary people, we can bypass it from the expressway."

It wasn't that it was more lively there, it was actually that there were more poor people. If there were as many poor people as there were rich people, perhaps the two sides would be equally lively.

But in this city, there were ultimately more poor people and fewer rich people, so some people would feel that the port area was more lively.

Bridge leaned back in the back seat and loosened his tie a little. "I haven't really explored this place properly. Can we go and take a look? Will it delay your rest time?"

"Of course not, I am happy to serve you, Mr. Bridge!" the driver replied quickly and pleasantly.

Then he turned the car around and drove onto the expressway.

Although it was already 9:00 PM, there were still many cars on the expressway, which also showed the prosperity of Golden Port City.

Ten minutes later, the car drove out of the branch road of the port area expressway, and a port area completely different from the daytime appeared in front of Bridge.

It was very lively, not referring to the neighborhoods themselves being lively, but referring to the small stalls and vendors on both sides of the road being lively.

Some people were selling food, some were selling second-hand goods, and some girls who needed help were huddled together.

When tourists approached them, the customers would touch and pinch them like they were selecting goods, and then choose a favorite one to take away.

To the small hotels not far away.

After everything was over, they would return here.

The whole street was full of people, so that the speed of the car was reduced a lot, but this liveliness could not hide the fact that the ground was full of garbage, which made Bridge, who originally planned to go down and take a look, make a different decision.

In fact, the capital also had it, but that world was too far away from Bridge, making him feel strange.

Bridge didn't want to come down. He just sat in the car and looked at it, like an observer outside an ant box.

They liked to watch ant boxes, but that didn't mean they wanted to live in them.

"Let's go, there's nothing to see."

The young driver quickly chose to go to Starlight District via 13th Avenue, which was the fastest route.

When the car was about to leave the port area, the young driver suddenly noticed warning signs on the street in the northeast corner, and the outer side of the wall looked a little damaged.

He suddenly remembered something and couldn't help but complain, "The government of Golden Port City is the worst I've ever seen. Did you see the corner of the wall over there?"

Bridge leaned forward slightly and looked in the direction the driver was pointing. "Yes, a corner of the wall seems to have been damaged by something. What's wrong with it?"

The young driver explained, "There was a car accident here the month before last, and the damaged wall skin has been here since then."

"But two months have passed, and they haven't even planned to repair it!"

"I'm not saying it's not good here, but I believe if it were in the capital, they would have repaired it a month ago."

He knew that Mr. Bridge behind him was from the capital, and saying such things was obviously to please Bridge.

The bigger the company, the harder it is to climb up.

He was advertised as a manager, but in reality, there were more than a dozen managers like him on the first floor.

If there was no big opportunity, then he would likely only work here in his thirties or even forties.

This was not the life he wanted. He also hoped to be able to carry a briefcase, wear a smart suit, greet others with a smile, take the elevator under the service of others, and then watch the envious and jealous eyes of others being isolated by the elevator door.

He had to seize this opportunity.

Bridge smiled knowingly. He understood too well what this young man wanted to do, because that's what he had done in the first place.

Just as he was about to say something, a beam of light suddenly illuminated his eyes, and the strong light made it impossible for him to open his eyes.

In an instant, many things that he had forgotten rang in his mind.

When he was a child, his parents bought the bicycle he wanted for his older brother, who had better grades, but he was required not to touch the bicycle because it was his brother's.

He thought of his hard work in studying and doing housework in an attempt to gain his parents' praise and recognition, but was disappointed when they regarded it as a matter of course.

He thought of the fact that he had received an invitation to university, but because his brother believed that going to university would only waste the family's money, he eventually lost the opportunity to go to university.

He thought of many regrets. The first half of his life was almost suppressed by his brother. No matter how hard he struggled and resisted, he could not get ahead.

But he also thought of later, when he entered society and became a salesman for the Liji Group through his own efforts.

His job was to go to remote areas to resolve disputes with farmers.

These farmers often had conflicts with the company because the company's purchase price was significantly lower than the market price.

A more peaceful approach was to refuse to sell things to the company, or even contact surrounding farmers to refuse to sell together.

Those with more violent means of resistance would contact many farmers to refuse company personnel to approach their farms, or even damage some of the company's vehicles and equipment.

These farmers… they didn't know that for the company, they were the most basic cells that provided nourishment for the entire company. Their only value was to transfer the profits they earned from their labor to the company's hands, so the company would not allow them to damage the company's interests.

Bridge was not very comfortable with this unscrupulous job at first, because you had to find a way to persuade the farmer to sell you something worth a hundred yuan for fifty or even forty yuan.

This persuasion not only included you standing together and persuading him with communication face to face, but also included deception, intimidation, and threats.

Things like water and power outages were the most basic. The company had a complete set of procedures to deal with these people, but some salesmen were not unscrupulous enough, and they might not be able to be ruthless to those old farmers and their wives in their fifties and sixties.

He couldn't do it at first, but as other salesmen's performance improved and they gained attention from the head office, he knew that he had to step up his efforts.

He used many despicable, shameless, and even criminal means, and eventually became the salesman with the best performance. He settled all the farmers in his jurisdiction, making them accept ultra-low quotations, which made the company a lot of money.

In the next few years, he always maintained a leading level, and eventually he was promoted to work at the company's headquarters.

He still remembered that day, all the employees in the entire department stood on both sides of the office door to welcome him.

They applauded warmly, and even young girls offered hot kisses…

Those beautiful scenes appeared in his mind. He saw the regretful tears of his parents, and saw his brother's obvious unwillingness, but eventually bowed his head to himself under the pressure of life.

He thought of the smooth skin of those girls or ladies in the office, and their strong desire for protein, even if the smell was strong.

He thought of many things, and finally all the pictures turned into strong light!

Strong light that was so strong that people couldn't open their eyes!

"Boom!"

People living nearby almost felt like there was an earthquake. An old man living on the first floor suddenly sat up from his bed, and he looked out the window a little hysterically.

A ray of light shone from not far away onto his windowsill. He already had some premonition, and he pleaded with God in his heart, hoping that what he guessed had not happened.

He walked to the window and opened the curtains, only to see half of a truck head.

"Fuck!"

"Mother! Fuck!"

In an instant, his face turned red, and swear words spewed out of his mouth like crazy, like a bladder that had been holding back for a whole day, and could no longer hold back!

The picture frame that had been leaning on the wall finally couldn't hold on and fell to the ground with a bang, and even the wall cracked a little.

The old man put on a coat and ran out. He stood on the sidewalk, looking incredulous!

The same place, almost the same time, another truck, another car!

The wheels of the car were still spinning!

He didn't care about these things. What he cared about was…

"My house!"

Some pedestrians had already gathered around, staring in shock at the scene of the horrific car accident. Someone had already called the police, and others had called the fire department.

Soon, police cars and fire trucks arrived, along with ambulances.

The truck driver was snoring away, completely asleep. Without a doubt, he was another one of those nighttime truck drivers who thought "a little drink can perk you up."

These kinds of truck drivers are dangerous and frequently appear. Many news stories have reported on them. People, when they see it, just treat it like a… joke. They think some people are too stupid, actually believing that drinking can perk you up!

The firefighters glanced at the mangled car. The driver in the cab was already done for, looking like he was about to "explode."

The guy in the back seat was a bit luckier—

A bit luckier doesn't mean he was still alive, but rather that his death was a bit more peaceful, only relative to the driver.

"Another drunk driving accident. The reporters will have new news to report tomorrow."

The police officer in charge of the call examined the scene and reported a "car accident" directly to the radio station. This wasn't murder, not premeditated killing, just an ordinary car accident.

Even the Hazardous Materials Management Bureau and those big shots hoped it was just a car accident, because only then would they have real content to report about "the dangers of drinking to health and safety!"

A dozen minutes later, Leni arrived at the scene, cold sweat pouring down as he looked at Bridge, already zipped into a body bag.

He even forgot to answer the officer's questions until the officer nudged him. "Hey, is this the Bridge you know?"

"Huh?" Leni looked at him blankly, then seemed to understand what the officer was asking, and nodded quickly. "Yes, yes, that's Bridge. I know him."

He couldn't help but ask, "What happened?"

The police officer, recording the deceased's identification information, finished writing and pointed with the hand holding the clipboard and pen towards the intersection. "Your friend was driving south to north, this car was driving west to east, and it hit him from the side, pushing him here."

"Both people are dead. The driver was drunk, and he was already asleep when we arrived…"

Leni swallowed. "Is… is it possible it wasn't an accident?"

The police officer glanced at him, hands on his hips. "You better be responsible for what you say. Leave your identification information, and we'll arrange for officers to follow up."

Leni thought of Lance, and some other possible, potential avengers. Cold sweat poured down him. "I… I didn't mean that. I was just… sorry, I was shocked, I misspoke."

The police officer then nodded slightly, tapping his chest with the clipboard. "Next time, think before you speak. You can't just spout nonsense about this kind of thing, understand?"

Besides nodding, what else could Leni do?

Soon, the two cars were moved. The police searched the cars and found a gold watch, but they pocketed it themselves.

There was also some cash, and they did the same.

There wasn't anything else. If they didn't dislike blood on ties, maybe they would have taken Bridge's tie too.

When the driver woke up, he realized he had accidentally killed someone. But his truck had insurance—drunk driving wasn't illegal at this time. It was a moral issue, not illegal, so the insurance company would likely haggle with him.

As for how much compensation?

Maybe around fifty thousand yuan. Life always has a price, and it's written where people can see it, but people rarely notice.

The only one who might have been busiest at the scene was the landlord, constantly asking who would compensate him for the money to repair his house after the accident…

The next morning, Leni called Lance first thing.

"Mr. Lance…" The call actually went through. Leni didn't know what to say. Neither of them spoke, maintaining this somewhat inexplicable state.

After about ten seconds, Leni said, "Mr. Bridge was in a car accident last night. The situation was terrible. He died on the spot."

Two seconds passed before Lance's voice came from the receiver, somewhat indifferent. "Is that so?"

"It's a pity to hear this news. Will he be buried in Gold Harbor City or sent back to his hometown?"

"If he is buried in Gold Harbor City, remember to notify me. I'll go offer a flower. At least we can be considered friends who have met."

Leni tried several times, and finally mustered the courage. "Bridge's death…"

He couldn't finish speaking, and Lance, after waiting a few seconds, said, "You'll have to ask the police. Maybe the police have some different views on his death."

"If you don't have anything else, I have other things to do."

Leni opened his mouth, and could only say goodbye to Lance and hang up the phone.

Bridge had already finalized most of the contracts. The remaining ones were for lawsuits or waiting for breaches. Even if they arranged for a new specialist to come, they wouldn't change these strategies.

Don't expect the company to budge just because one Bridge died. Once the company bites down on the meat, there's no escaping.

Know that this could bring them at least several million in profit. Even if a hundred people died, even if the company paid out compensation, they would still have several million in profit left!

So don't expect that just the death of a specialist would make the company loosen its grip. Once the company bites down on the meat, there's no escaping.

Leni wasn't sure if Lance did it, but he had a hunch that it might be related to Lance.

After Lance hung up the phone, he took out several stacks of money from the drawer and placed them on the table. There was a total of five thousand yuan, with five-yuan, ten-yuan, and twenty-yuan denominations.

In front of him was a woman, who clearly showed a look of joy when she saw the money.

"Your husband fulfilled his promise, this is yours."

The woman thanked him and walked over to take the money, but Lance suddenly pressed down on it. He looked at the somewhat surprised woman. "I don't want more people to know about this."

"Don't tell anyone. Don't spend all this money at once, spend it slowly. After all, your children are still young, and they need money to grow up, right?"

The spark in the woman's eyes quickly died down. She nodded nervously. "Yes, Mr. Lance, I…"

Lance released his hand, took a kraft paper bag from the side, put all the money in it, and handed it to her. "I'll have someone send you back."

The woman no longer had any worries and repeatedly thanked Lance.

Her husband was a truck driver who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness. The doctor told them he wouldn't live much longer.

He had already started to feel pain all over his body, so much so that he couldn't sleep. Then Lance found him and gave him a job he couldn't refuse.

A car accident, five thousand yuan, enough for his children to grow up healthy!