Empire of Shadows

The atmosphere in the room was somewhat oppressive. Lance looked at the photographer whose eyes were darting around, "Have you seen this girl?"

He shook his head, "No, sir."

Lance tilted his head slightly, and Hiram, wearing brass knuckles, punched him in the cheek!

His brass knuckles had four sharp, file-like corners that directly tore open the photographer's cheek.

Before he could even scream, he was punched in the face again, and could only hug his cheek and beg for mercy on the ground.

"This girl, I've seen her, I took pictures of her, the photos are in the album!"

Lance's gaze shifted back to Manager Mike's face. Mike's scalp was already prickling slightly. He hadn't seen this girl in the album in the past few days.

This could only mean one thing: she had been 'delivered'.

"My patience is limited," Lance said, looking at him. "I just want to know the current situation of this girl, and where she is. I've been very patient and tried my best not to get angry. I hope you don't waste this opportunity."

"Mike, right?"

"Don't force me!"

After weighing the options, Manager Mike gritted his teeth, "The general manager should know about this."

"Where's his office?"

"He's not at the company right now."

Lance suddenly stood up. Manager Mike nervously explained, "He's very busy and only comes back occasionally, but I know where he lives..."

The general manager was indeed very busy, busy with socializing and enjoying himself.

This was a very lucrative business. Girls like Faya had no cost, but sending her to the basement of those powerful figures would bring in at least tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands.

If this girl died and was made a mess, they could also get a large sum of money from cleaning up the bodies, including hush money.

The entire company's operation was completed in two parts.

The first part was Dream Crystal Agency, which collected qualified girls in the Licalai State area for the powerful figures in the Bay Area to choose from.

The second part was the execution company centered on "White Ant Gang Pest Control Company," which was responsible for the specific kidnapping and subsequent cleanup work.

They also participated in promoting the mystery of the Angel Lake flood, which can be considered a serious crime.

One person could bring him a net profit of at least more than 100,000. Doing two deals a month could break through two or three million in annual income.

So most of the time he was enjoying himself.

In his mansion.

Several girls were also imprisoned here. Having seen dark things, they would also be eroded by the dark atmosphere.

At first, he didn't understand why those powerful figures would do these things, but gradually, as he came into contact with more and more dark things, he gradually felt the meaning of what the powerful figures were doing—

Controlling life!

Yes, they were playing with life, controlling life, they were blaspheming divine power!

Those girls knelt on the ground, their terrified eyes filled with the deepest fear of him. To survive, they were willing to do anything.

Personality, dignity, everything, was ruthlessly crushed by the desire to survive, as long as they could survive!

At that moment, he felt that he was no longer an ordinary human, he was God!

The God of these people!

He gradually began to enjoy these things.

Making money and recreation became one of his jobs.

He stood on the terrace on the second floor of the villa, wearing a floral shirt, beach pants, and a straw hat, looking down at some girls playing in the pool below, with a contented look on his face.

This is the fucking life!

Just then, his trusted assistant walked over, "Mike is here, and he brought a friend."

The general manager shook the wine glass in his hand. The sound of the ice cubes colliding with the glass drew people's attention to the amber liquid. He tilted his head and drank the wine in the glass, "Let them in."

He went to change into a casual outfit and met Mike and a few people beside him in the living room.

He noticed that Mike's hand was bandaged. The white bandage seemed to hide a kind of redness that was about to come out.

In fact, no blood could be seen now, but for some reason, he had a feeling that blood would soon soak through and overflow.

"I hope your hand didn't encounter any big problems!" he said, then looked at Lance, "What's this gentleman's name?"

Mike introduced in a sweat, "This is Mr. White."

"Mr. White has something he wants to talk to you about."

"Chat?" The general manager emphasized the word, "Okay, let's chat."

He asked someone to bring some drinks, iced fruit juice, he liked iced fruit juice, especially iced orange juice.

The sour and sweet taste was his favorite!

"What do we want to talk about?"

Manager Mike was extremely nervous. Others didn't know the general manager's power, but he knew it.

If the businesses they did were reported, they wouldn't be spared even if they were hanged a hundred times!

But for so long, no one had ever come to make trouble for them, which could only mean that the general manager had big shots supporting him behind him!

Moreover, he also knew that the general manager also had some desperadoes in his hands.

He didn't want to get involved in this kind of thing!

Lance took out Faya's photo, placed it on the coffee table, pressed it with two fingers, and pushed it over, "I want to find this girl. They said she once appeared in your company's album."

The general manager was stunned for a moment, and the look in his eyes towards Manager Mike also began to show a hint of coldness.

But in the end, he decided to take a look at the photo first.

He picked up the photo from the coffee table and took a look. He recognized who the girl was at a glance and already knew where she had gone.

Mr. Bowen was in a high position of power. Although he himself was not scary, the influence he generated was something the general manager could not contend with.

If this matter involved Mr. Bowen, he might encounter big trouble!

In the eyes of others, he was a great person, but in front of those powerful figures in the Bay Area, he was like a small stone on the roadside, which could be kicked away with a casual kick!

He shook his head and put the photo back on the coffee table, "I haven't seen this girl. My employees may have misremembered. We haven't registered her information."

Lance looked at him, "I came to see you with great sincerity. If you want money, name a price."

The general manager became a little impatient, "I said, I don't know about this!"

He stood up as he spoke, "If you don't have anything else, leave here. You are not welcome here!"

A few bodyguards also leaned over, faintly surrounding Lance.

"Isn't there any room for negotiation?"

"I just want to take her away."

The general manager sneered, "Get out of my house, now!"

Those bodyguards all puffed out their chests, as if showing off their muscles.

But the next second, gunshots rang out. The bullets pierced through those strong pectoral muscles. The general manager looked in disbelief at these people who were frantically shooting in his villa. He wanted to run, but his legs wouldn't listen.

There were some girls screaming outside, but it soon stopped.

At the first moment the gunshots rang out, a car crashed open the villa's iron gate, and then Ervin and their cars quickly entered and controlled the entire villa area.

Lance looked at the general manager, who was pale and pressed on the sofa. He crossed his legs and placed his hands with interlaced fingers on his lower abdomen. He said slowly, "Now, can you remember where she is?"

Although the general manager was very scared now, there seemed to be a breath in his heart supporting him, "You've caused big trouble, you know?"

Lance blinked. He looked at Hiram, who was picking his nose, a big piece. He squatted down and wiped the booger on the general manager's body. In the other party's horrified eyes, he punched him on his shattered knee!

The screams went out of tune at this moment!

He cursed and rolled around in pain again. At the same time, he also understood a truth, don't continue to provoke these people!

Fracture is one of the most intense and unbearable pains!

His entire knee was shattered, and the dual pain of the bone and the bone fragments piercing into the flesh was tormenting him!

In an instant, bean-sized beads of sweat began to emerge from his pores, and the whole person quickly became "wet."

Ervin walked over from outside at this time. The people in the house were all under control. He briefly searched the entire villa, "There's a basement in the gardener's house, but it's locked."

Lance's gaze shifted to the general manager, "Where's the key?"

The general manager may have passed the initial unbearable pain period at this time. Regardless of the secretion of any hormones in the body, the intensity of the pain decreased.

He carefully hugged his knee, leaned to the ground, and looked at Lance, who was looking down at him. After weighing it for a while, he said, "The key is in the drawer in my bedroom."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but continue to say, "I'm just a small character. You don't understand how much trouble you've caused yourself."

Lance glanced at Hiram again. Hiram was picking his nose, a big piece. He squatted down and wiped the booger on the general manager's body. In the other party's horrified eyes, he punched him on his shattered knee!

The screams went out of tune at this moment!

He cursed and rolled around in pain again. At the same time, he also understood a truth, don't continue to provoke these people!

After he had more or less regained his composure, Lance lit a cigarette and asked, "Where is that girl?"

He didn't speak, remaining silent.

Lance tilted his head, and Hiram's hand suddenly gripped his knee, causing him to twitch in pain. He immediately began pounding on Hiram's hand, trying to make him let go.

He cursed, but the more he cursed, the tighter Hiram gripped.

In the general manager's head, a nerve snapped.

"He's passed out," someone said, noting that he was still breathing.

Hiram had never encountered something like this before, and he didn't know what to do.

Meanwhile, Ervin, who had obtained the key and opened the basement door, walked over with a grim expression.

"You'd better see for yourself."

Lance had his men keep an eye on him, and then the group went down into the basement.

The lights were bright, but the girls inside had been tortured beyond recognition. They huddled in the corners, each covered in scars, some old, some new.

The oldest was barely in her twenties, and the youngest was only a teenager.

A surge of violent emotion churned within Lance. Ervin stood beside him, his voice heavy. He had always thought… they were bad enough already.

They killed, smashed, stole, and robbed; they did almost everything that bordered on crime.

But at this moment, here, he suddenly felt… they were no different from saints!

"Should we let them out?"

Lance nodded. "Give them clothes, take them out, and have Corinda bring some girls over to soothe their emotions."

Back in the villa, Lance dumped the water and ice from the ice bucket onto the general manager's head.

He shivered for a moment, waking from his stupor. He took a deep breath, the sound of air hissing through his vocal cords.

After two or three seconds, he finally realized what had happened!

"Give me a name," Lance said.

The general manager didn't speak, but after a second or two, he shivered and instinctively looked at Hiram, who had left an indelible impression on him!

He wanted to be tough, but the intense pain weakened his resolve.

He wasn't some spiritual warrior with lofty ideals, seeking to transform human society; he was just a living demon.

He was afraid, he was terrified, and he would compromise!

Even as he hesitated, Hiram wrested his hand from his control, placing his little finger on the table and raising the hammer he had found in the basement!

Hiram didn't give him any time to react, and then came the ring finger, the middle finger…

He finally couldn't take it anymore. These people were all demons, lunatics!

"Bowen, Bowen Hayes, I said it! Are you satisfied now?"

"Let me go!"

Lance looked at him as if he were an idiot. "You… deserve to live?"

"If God let you live, it was God's mistake. I am not God, I sentence you to death."

"But before you die, I will make you experience all the pain you inflicted on others!"

He was dragged into the basement, where there were many instruments of torture, each terrifying, especially a very special dagger.

It looked like a leaf, with many barbs and cracks, and was a dark reddish color.

When the general manager saw the dagger, he trembled all over.

This dagger was an ancient instrument of torture from a civilization. It was not sharp at all, but very dull, but the pain it inflicted was unimaginable!

Because it didn't cut through people's tissues, but tore them apart!

He shouted until his voice was hoarse, unable to make any sound.

He was suspended on the rack, his head hanging low, the ground covered in blood, sweat, and his excrement.

He could only say in a weak voice, "Kill me…"

But no one killed him. They simply left, relocking the basement door. Lance casually threw the key into the low bushes.

Without a doubt, he would continue to endure pain in the basement, the dual torment of body and mind, which would drain his last shred of sanity, leading him to destruction in madness!

When they came upstairs, Corinda had arrived and was comforting the rescued girls.

These girls came from different cities, and they had suffered terrible trauma in body and mind.

Even after being rescued, they didn't immediately show joy at being alive, but looked at these people with fear and unease.

"That son of a bitch!" Lance cursed. His gaze swept over the girls for a moment. "Settle them down first, and find a psychologist to see if it's of any use."

Then he sighed heavily. "Hopefully, it's not too late."

As for the others?

Apart from the innocent pool girls, the others ended their sinful lives in a burst of gunfire.

Of course, to reduce the workload of the local police, their bodies would be stuffed into oil drums, contributing their own strength to the upcoming filming of 'The Legend of Angel Lake.' This could also be considered a form of compensation to society.

After obtaining the name, Lance did not act immediately. He had to first find out who this person was and see if there was any other way to get the girl out.

His first thought was of Councilor Williams.

Councilor Williams was curious about Lance's sudden visit, but as Lance stated the purpose of his visit, Councilor Williams also showed a thoughtful expression.

"Bowen's influence is not small. He has many friends in the state government: the governor, the lieutenant governor, the secretary of state."

"If you try to force your way through, it will have terrible consequences," he reminded Lance. If such a figure were killed, it would trigger a collective panic among the politicians of Ricalei!

At that time, they would unite to deal with Lance, who had broken the rules.

Lance didn't speak, knowing that Councilor Williams must have something else to say.

Sure enough, he continued, "Are you determined to save this girl?"

Lance nodded. "It's an obsession. God guided her father to kneel before me and beg me to help him find his daughter."

"I cannot refuse. I must bring her back, even if it's just a corpse."

Councilor Williams chuckled twice. He nodded. "Wait for me a moment."

In front of Lance, he dialed a number. After a while, the phone was connected. He didn't call Bowen directly. Lance didn't know who that person was.

But he heard the other party agree to help with this matter.

Lance didn't know what Councilor Williams would have to pay for this, but he would be grateful for Councilor Williams's efforts at this time and remember his contribution!

After hanging up the phone, Councilor Williams said, "If that girl is not dead, you will see her soon."

If she was already dead, there was a high probability that she had already been disposed of.

At the same time, the phone beside Bowen rang. He looked at the phone for a long time, as if he could see through the meaning behind the ringtone.

But in fact, he couldn't.

He answered the phone. "This is Bowen Hayes."

"Hi, Bowen, it's me, Wade. Someone asked me to find you to do something…"