Empire of Shadows

The Professor was a very intelligent man, whether it was in the operation of the gang or in the operation of the business.

Unlike other gangs whose bars were named casually, or left to the cadres and captains in charge of the bars.

This led to the names of the bars under a gang being almost all different, with all sorts of names.

But the Professor was different, all the bars used the same name, called "Wolf Bar", which was easy to recognize and had brand awareness.

This is actually a very worthwhile process of cultivating brand recognition. When a customer always drinks at the Wolf Bar and develops this habit.

Then, when he has the opportunity to choose in the future, he will most likely choose the Wolf Bar.

Even because of the recognition of the bar's brand, he will recognize the Wolf Gang, this gang!

No one wants to be a gangster forever. The Professor's goal is very ambitious. He hopes that the Wolf Gang is just a stage in his life, not forever.

He wants to use the Wolf Gang as a platform to go to a higher place, such as... politics.

It sounds a bit incredible, but if he doesn't plan to run for governor or senator, just being a city councilor or something is actually not a problem.

The Professor himself has always believed that being a high school teacher is not the limit of his ability, but the limit of his family background and social relations. If he had more opportunities, he might be even better!

But unfortunately, he is just an ordinary person from an ordinary family, without any prominent background, and no noble person willing to lend him high-interest loans. He can only eventually become the leader of a gang.

Now, he vaguely sees a glimmer of hope again!

With the closure of the Workers' Club, the bars in the port area have also begun to become lively, with customers starting to come almost after noon.

In just a few days, both Wolf and the Professor felt the joy of making big money!

Stuffing more than ten or twenty thousand dollars into their pockets every day, Wolf's eyes were red, and he finally knew why people like to run to prosperous places.

Because here, money is everywhere!

He didn't believe it before, but now he does.

So, in addition to fighting Lance, the Wolf Gang's main focus is now on the bars.

At more than two o'clock in the afternoon, someone suddenly patted the door of the bar. The gatekeeper glanced outside. There were several people, one of whom he had seen before and had come to drink a few times. He even remembered the other party's name.

It seemed to be called... Dave something?

"Aren't you working today?", the gatekeeper didn't open the door immediately. His eyes swept over the few people behind Dave, and finally returned to Dave.

Dave was a little nervous, his palms were sweaty, "You know, we're on strike."

The gatekeeper slapped his forehead, "I forgot about that!", he smiled, "Are these all your colleagues?"

Dave nodded and said, "Yes, the club has been closed down, they want to have a drink."

"I like your wine, it doesn't have too much water, at least it's worth the money!"

The gatekeeper couldn't help laughing, "You know your wine!", he said as he opened the door, but his eyes were still fixed on the few people behind Dave.

They were wearing the blue overalls common on the docks, and they didn't look harmful.

In the end, he still thought that there was nothing wrong with these people, "Do you know the rules here?"

Dave breathed a sigh of relief, "I know, don't cause trouble."

"You seem very nervous?", the gatekeeper took another look at Dave.

Dave shook his head, "No, I just thought about the strike, I can't wait to have a drink!"

The gatekeeper felt that his answer was fine, and Dave had indeed come a few times and was very well-behaved.

He stepped aside from the door, "Have a pleasant journey, gentlemen."

"Thank you!", Dave nodded and brushed past him. After everyone went in, he began to re-insert the bolt.

Although the Dangerous Goods Administration is unlikely to come and check them, they must also be wary of Lance's gang.

Just as he closed the door and was about to sit back in his chair, someone suddenly grabbed his neck from behind with their arm and forcefully lifted his head up.

Suddenly attacked, his whole body shivered, and when he wanted to resist, it was too late.

A knife cut his throat, along with the carotid artery.

In less than twenty seconds, he fell to the ground.

The "Maiden's Fantasy Journey" that he put on the chair was also knocked down by him and fell beside him...

Dave left here with a pale face. Although he was mentally prepared, it was still too shocking for him to watch these people kill another person in person!

When he ran out of the bar, several cars that were parked but not turned off at the entrance of the alley quickly drove towards this side.

When the car stopped, a group of people got out of the car.

Ennio was carrying a submachine gun in one hand and a half-smoked cigarette in the other. His face was filled with unconcealed hatred!

A large group of people with guns came in, which made everyone in the bar lose their ability to think for a moment. When a thug reached for the clothes under his body, Ennio raised his hand and fired!

The gunshots woke up the drunks who were drunk in broad daylight, and the whole bar was in chaos in an instant!

The manager who was still sleeping groggily was awakened by the gunshots. His whole body shivered in fright. He directed the others to go out and see what happened, and dialed the headquarters' phone.

"What's wrong?"

Wolf answered the phone. The manager said in a panic, "They're killing their way in..."

"Who is killing their way in?"

"Who else could kill their way in besides Lance's people?"

"Fack, send someone over quickly, at... Street!"

The gunshots in the receiver were very intense. It sounded like the other party was using submachine guns, and more than one.

The manager was trembling with fright. He was a cadre and hadn't experienced this kind of battle for many years!

He didn't even have time to hang up the phone. He threw it aside, and his hands trembled as he opened the drawer and took out a pistol and held it in his hand!

Between rushing out to be shot to death and hiding, he chose to hide.

He crawled under the table, gritting his teeth to prevent himself from making any sound.

The gunshots outside the door didn't last long. In less than two minutes, the only thing left in the entire room was the "Hello, hello" sound coming from the receiver.

As the office door was kicked open, even the "Hello, hello" sound was gone.

Whether it was the manager or Wolf on the other side of the receiver, they both held their breath.

The sound of footsteps came from far to near. The manager suddenly wanted to shit, and his stomach was very uncomfortable. He was too nervous!

He had been like this since he was a child. When he was nervous, he either wanted to pee or shit. After so many years, he still hadn't changed.

He thought that he could change these things after joining the gang and becoming a small boss, but now it seems that he was wrong.

Maybe he wouldn't be nervous when he killed others, but when others wanted to kill him, he couldn't help but be nervous.

He prayed that those people wouldn't find him, because they wouldn't be able to see him hiding under the table unless they came to the back of the table.

But it seemed that God didn't stand on his side this time, "Get out from under the table, if you don't want to be beaten into a sieve!"

"Let me see your hands, drop the weapon on the ground!"

The manager did as he was told, "Don't kill me, I'll come out!"

He put the weapon on the ground and pushed it out, then raised his hands and crawled out from under the table in a somewhat embarrassed and awkward manner.

Ennio looked at him and walked to the safe, "What's the password?"

The manager reported a number. He didn't dare to lie now. The safe was quickly opened, but there wasn't much money inside.

Ennio glanced at it, pulled out his pistol, and the manager's face suddenly showed a look of horror, "Don't kill..."

Bang!

The bullet directly opened a hole in the manager's head. He probably didn't even think that the person in front of him wouldn't even give him a chance to finish his sentence!

A dark hole began to ooze blood, not much, it seemed that he still wanted to reach out and touch it, but in the next second, he fell heavily to the ground.

There was no gushing blood, and it didn't spurt out, just a little blood flowed out along the small hole, little by little downwards.

His whole person just fell to the ground like this. In fact, he was not completely dead. The remaining tissues in his brain were still trying desperately to restart the system.

His eyelids were flickering slightly, closing quickly, and his eyes were full of fear!

Ennio walked over, stood in front of him, emptied the magazine at his head, and then breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

He glanced at the receiver on the table, picked it up, put it to his ear, "No matter who you are, it will be your turn soon!"

Wolf, who was quietly listening to all this, cursed furiously, but then he heard the sound of the phone being hung up.

Furious, he rushed out of the office, "Someone, someone!"

The Professor also came out, "What's wrong?"

"Lance's people attacked our bar on... Street, everyone was killed, what do you think I should do?"

"Of course, retaliate!"

The Professor frowned, "Tell me what happened."

Although Wolf was a little irrational because of anger, he still obeyed the Professor very much. He told what had just happened. The Professor's brows were tightly furrowed, and the more he frowned, the more ruthless he became. In the end, he could even insert flowers! Because he realized that Lance had given him a difficult problem!

The Professor's silence gradually calmed Wolf down. He hadn't seen the Professor like this for many years.

"Is it very troublesome?"

The Professor nodded. "Let's talk in my office."

"First, call and have all the other bars shut down."

Wolf was stunned for a moment, clearly unwilling. "Just because of this… to shut down all the other bars, won't that make people think we're too timid?"

"Timid?" The Professor lit a cigarette, his brow furrowing, his eyebrows almost meeting. "The result of not being timid is that all the bars will be wiped out by them. This isn't the time to be stubborn."

Wolf cursed a couple of times, and then the phone rang again. The two exchanged a glance, and the Professor answered the phone.

"It's me."

His voice was very distinctive, his enunciation clear and precise, which was rare among gangsters.

Most gangsters were exposed to street gang culture from a young age, and they spoke with a distinct gang style and accent.

Before the other person could speak, the Professor heard gunshots. "Lance's people are attacking. I can't hold out much longer. Can you send some men over?"

The Professor was silent for a moment. He recognized who it was. "Do you think if we send people over now… you can hold out until they arrive?"

The man suddenly fell silent.

If Lance's men were outside the bar, it would be one thing, but once they entered the bar, there was no question of holding out or not.

The sound of violent banging on the door brought the manager back to his senses. He cursed twice. "I'm afraid it's too late."

After a brief silence, he suddenly said, "Give my money to my family. This is my last wish, Professor."

The Professor knew that the only thing he could do now was to agree. "Don't worry, your money, and the gang's compensation, not a penny will be missing when it's given to your family."

The manager sighed deeply. "Damn it, why did we come to Goldport City?"

"So many brothers have died…"

Before he could finish speaking, they heard the sound of the door being smashed open. He hung up the phone and pulled the trigger, meeting a storm of bullets!

In an instant, he was riddled with holes.

Although he died, at least he died like a character, not a spineless coward.

The Professor held the phone, and he suddenly felt the same rage that Wolf had shown earlier. These people were all old brothers who had come with them from Fides.

Some had already died in the competition with the gangs in the port area, and in the competition with the Red Dog Gang.

The death of a stranger would not cause the Professor any emotion or unease, but now, it was someone he knew who had died, a brother he had spent several years with.

He was also silent.

The receiver was quickly picked up by someone. "I don't know if anyone has said anything to you just now."

"But I still have to say, soon, it will be your turn!"

The Professor pursed his lips. "Who are you?"

"Remember your daddy's name, I'm Hiram!"

With a bang, the phone was slammed onto the base. The Professor stared blankly at the silent receiver in his hand for a while.

He looked at Wolf, wanting to say something, but not knowing what to say.

He took a deep drag of his cigarette, hung up the phone, and quickly dialed other numbers. Some were busy, and others went unanswered.

The more he dialed these numbers, the more uneasy he felt. When he dialed the last number and it was answered, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Are you alright over there?"

"Fine, no one is causing trouble. What's wrong?"

The Professor suddenly didn't know what to say.

Should he say that all the other bars had been wiped out by Lance's family?

Should he say that a large group of their old brothers had died again?

For a moment, the Professor didn't know how to answer this question!

But he quickly came back to his senses. "Close the bar, now. There's a problem."

"Lance's people have somehow figured out the location of our bars. They're retaliating against us!"

The manager Number Three on the other end was also shocked when he heard this. "Is it that serious?"

"I'll go there immediately…"

Suddenly, the Professor also heard some noise coming from the other end. Manager Number Three said, "Something seems to be happening outside. I'll go take a look. Don't hang up."

The Professor wanted to say "Don't go," but the words were stuck in his throat, unable to be spoken.

His mouth was full of bitterness. Lance's people were acting too fast. He didn't have any reaction, any news!

Violent gunshots rang out again from the receiver, and the Professor's tense body suddenly relaxed.

He seemed to be looking at Wolf, but there was no focus in his eyes.

The gunshots didn't last long, and then clear footsteps came from the receiver, and he could vaguely hear some laughter and chatter.

The receiver was picked up again, and a gentle voice came from inside. "Wolf?"

"Or is it Professor?"

The Professor was somewhat aware, and his eyes were slightly red. "…Lance!"

Lance sat down on the chair, and the room was full of his men.

The manager was dragged on the ground by his hair, he had been shot twice, but he was not dead yet.

"It's the Professor."

"How does it feel?"

Lance beckoned to Elvin, signaling him to drag the manager over.

The manager was dragged on the ground by his hair, making sounds of pain.

The Professor didn't say anything, but Lance could hear his breathing getting heavier.

"Want to say a few last words to your brother?"

The Professor rarely felt such a desire for destruction as he did now!

If Lance were in front of him now, he could bite Lance to death, piece by piece!

He gritted his teeth and said, "Put him on the phone."

"No, I'll relay it for you. This is your last chance to talk to him. You can choose not to."

"You son of a bitch!" The Professor couldn't help but curse. This Lance was too evil!

But the answer he received was a gunshot. Lance raised his hand and pulled the trigger, and the bullet hit the manager's shoulder. "Next sentence, I'll shoot him dead."

All of the Professor's anger and hatred ultimately turned into helplessness. "Mr. Lance, please tell him for me, Wolf and I are sorry for him."

Lance looked at the dying manager. "The Professor said, he and Wolf are sorry for you."

A trace of relief appeared on the manager's face. "It's okay… bastard!"

Lance picked up the phone. "He said 'It's okay, bastard,' but I don't know if the bastard he's talking about is me or you. What do you think?"

The Professor had never hated a person so much. "He's talking about me."

Lance continued to provoke him. "You killed him."

The Professor didn't speak, and Lance also let out a breath of stale air. "Time's up, Professor. Say goodnight to your brother."

He couldn't say it, how could he possibly say it?!

Lance looked at the manager. "The Professor didn't speak."

He pressed the muzzle of the gun against the manager's head. "See you in the next life!"

With a bang, a gunshot rang out. Even though he was very far away from the Professor, he suddenly twitched, as if the shot had hit him!

Lance's voice rang out again. "This is just the beginning, Professor."

"You're very smart, they all say so, but you smart people did a stupid thing, and that is to provoke me!"

"This is just the beginning!"