Empire of Shadows

This book is first published on the entire network by 𝕥 𝕨 𝕜 𝕒 𝕟 . 𝕔 𝕠 𝕞

Soon, someone brought two glasses of water. The manager naturally placed his hands on the desk, his fingers interlocked.

At this moment, he separated his palms, spread his hands, "So... what are you here to do?"

The company has many businesses, some of which don't even go through him. He can't possibly know the specifics of every transaction.

Erwin didn't know what to say, but Lance seemed very natural and relaxed.

"We've encountered a little trouble and need some money."

The manager smiled. "That's not a problem at all. That's what we do."

"How much are you planning to borrow?"

"Two hundred."

"Two hundred?"

"Two hundred!"

The manager didn't think the amount was too small. Financial companies here, big and small, wouldn't let any opportunity pass. Moreover, from the perspective of actual interest, the smaller the amount, the higher the actual return.

Perhaps a thousand dollars would be calculated at an annual interest rate of fifty or sixty percent, but borrowing ten thousand might only have an annual interest rate of twenty or thirty percent.

Furthermore, small loans have lower risks. The probability of running away for a few hundred dollars is definitely different from the probability of running away for tens of thousands.

Of course, before that, he definitely needed to figure out the basic information of the people in front of him. He couldn't just give money to anyone who walked in.

That wouldn't be managing capital; that would be charity.

"I can tell from your accents that you're not locals."

Lance didn't deny it. "We're from the Empire."

The manager curled his lips. "I often see news about what's happening over there. It's a terrible place. So, do you have any collateral?"

"You're not locals. If you run away, it'll be hard for me to find you."

"Instead of covering this expense for you, I might as well just not give you the loan."

Lance knew this would be a troublesome process. He had to explain, "We don't have any collateral..."

Seeing the manager's expression and emotion, as if he were saying, "Are you kidding me?", Lance quickly added, "But we have the ability to repay."

Facing the manager's puzzled look, he explained, "There are fourteen of us here. We all work in Jinhaigang City. Because we lack legal status, it's difficult for us to go to other places."

"After all, as you know, there are fewer job opportunities in other places, and it's also less safe. Other cities aren't as tolerant as Jinhaigang City, so we won't run."

The manager agreed with this point. He opened his cigarette case, turned it slightly, and made an inviting gesture.

Lance took one, but Erwin only looked at it and didn't reach out.

The manager thought Lance was interesting and pushed a lighter over. It was a very classic desktop lighter. "Do you know how to use it?"

Desktop lighters of this period often had storylines. It looked about the size of an adult's palm—just the base.

On the base was a statue of a clown holding a torch. When you pressed one of the clown's arms, the clown would spit a spark at the wick of the torch, and then the torch would be lit.

Soaked with kerosene—the kerosene wick and the flint.

These desktop lighters were popular, with various shapes and prices ranging from low to high.

Lance approached with the cigarette in his mouth, took a deep breath, and seemed to relax completely.

Watching Lance skillfully smoke, the manager also lit a cigarette for himself. "Continuing the previous topic, tell me how you can guarantee that I'll get this money back after I give it to you."

"There are fourteen of us. Even if each person only earns fifteen dollars a month, that's two hundred and ten dollars."

"Give you half of that, and it will only take three months at most to completely pay it off."

"And I believe that even if we lose our jobs and can't repay the money, we can work for you to pay off the debt. There are many of us, so you don't need to worry about that at all."

After listening, the manager thought it made sense, but there was still one problem. "How can you guarantee that I can find you?"

"You can take pictures of us."

That was a good idea, but the manager decided to ask further. "Can I ask what you need this money for?"

"After all, for you, two hundred dollars isn't a small amount."

Lance didn't hide anything and spoke frankly, "We've encountered a problem. Some son of a bitch is planning to extort money from us..."

After listening to Lance's simple narration of the whole thing, the manager became interested. "I have a new suggestion. Would you like to hear it?"

Lance flicked the ash from his cigarette and said, "Do we have the right to refuse?"

The manager laughed a few times. "It seems not..."

He paused. "I'll help you deal with this... son of a bitch. You'll still owe me two hundred dollars, but I can lower the interest a bit."

"Actually, it's more beneficial for you if I solve this matter than if you just give money directly."

"According to company regulations, for two hundred dollars, we don't calculate interest on such small loans. Including principal and interest, you need to give me three hundred and fifty dollars within six months."

"Now I'll lower the interest a bit for you. You only need to give me three hundred and twenty dollars, including principal and interest, within six months, which is fifty-three dollars and five cents per month. This is my reward for your excellent performance."

Looking at the confident smile on the manager's face, Lance didn't directly agree or refuse, but offered a new multiple-choice question, "We'll give you two hundred and fifty dollars, including principal and interest. This money won't go through the company's accounts; it'll go directly into your hands."

The manager was stunned for a moment, then began to laugh loudly, unable to control himself.

Lance vaguely understood what the problem was.

"This company is yours?"

The manager nodded while holding his stomach. "That's so funny! You're trying to bribe me in front of me!"

"Hahaha, you're really interesting. You're nothing like that dull guy next to you. I haven't even asked, what's your name?"

"Lance..."

He spelled it out.

"A strange name, but you're a very interesting person, Lance."

"Since you've made me laugh so heartily, two hundred and eighty dollars, six months."

"This is the final concession. If it were anyone else, I would have kicked them out the moment they tried to bargain!"

When he said this, the manager had a sense of arrogance. In this era of scarce capital, as long as you had cash in hand, you didn't need to worry about not finding borrowers.

Some people might not be willing to bear such terrible interest rates, but there were always people willing to take a gamble.

Two hundred dollars, plus eighty dollars in interest—this interest rate in this era, in this city, wasn't expensive at all!

Lance didn't hesitate much. He extinguished the cigarette in the ashtray, then stood up while exhaling the last puff of smoke and extended his hand. "I'm glad we were able to reach an agreement, sir."

After a brief moment of absent-mindedness, the manager also stood up, extended his hand, and shook Lance's hand. "You're very interesting, Lance. Now I'm your creditor."

Then he shouted towards the door, "Fordis, get in here!"

Soon, a burly man pushed open the door and stood inside. "Boss, you called me?"

The manager released Lance's hand and pointed at him. "Follow him to deal with some son of a bitch, then take a walk around where he works, and then bring back some food..."

He looked at Lance. "You're different from other people your age that I've met. Honestly, there's something special about you. I admire you, and I think you won't be an ordinary person in the future."

"I hope to hear people mention your name in Jinhaigang City in the future, Lance."

"Also, don't forget the money you owe me. If you forget, I'll have someone remind you. You definitely won't like that reminder, understand?"

Although he thought Lance was interesting, business was business.

The girls who ran their businesses cheaply on the roadside wouldn't voluntarily reduce their fees just because their customers were regulars.

If they really liked you, they might live with you after work, but if you wanted to do something during work, you had to pay.

After briefly threatening Lance, he let them leave.

For him, two hundred and eighty dollars, converted to each month, was less than forty-seven dollars.

But it was many forty-seven dollars that supported his current life.

Moreover, there was no risk this time, because he hadn't spent a single penny, and he had also met an interesting guy.

The sense of abruptness in Lance, which was somewhat incompatible with the whole world, made the manager more tolerant and willing to wait and see how things developed.

When Lance and Erwin came out of the financial company, the young partners immediately surrounded them, asking about the final result.

While telling them that the matter was settled, Lance gave them a heads-up, "Three dollars per person per month, that's forty-two. Let Ethan pay the remaining five dollars himself. This is his fault, he should pay more."

Everyone had no objections to this and obeyed Lance's words.

Fordis frowned. "We're still in a hurry."

Lance immediately agreed. He told the other partners to wait for news, and then, together with Erwin, he got into the company's car and headed towards the port under Erwin's guidance.

The guy who called the police to arrest Ethan lived in a workers' apartment near the port.

This was Lance's first time in a car in this world. The interior was far more luxurious than the exterior suggested, especially the walnut wood and calfskin trim, which exuded understated luxury.

"How much does this car cost?"

Fordyce drove while saying without turning his head, "Twenty thousand dollars."

Lance whistled and said nothing more.

Twenty thousand dollars. He dared to dream of it, but it wouldn't be easy to scrape together.

The car was a little bumpy. Without good suspension, the ride was very "stiff", but it was still a car. As a man, he definitely wouldn't hate it.

The car stopped outside the dockworkers' apartments. Fordyce followed Lance and Irwin, mainly Irwin, to the fourth floor of the apartments and knocked on a door.

"It's you?" The drunken son-of-a-bitch raised his eyebrows when he saw Irwin. "Did you get the money together?"

Lance pulled Irwin aside to hide him. Fordyce stood in front of the man and said in a not-so-fierce tone, "Go to the police station and drop the charges you filed. This matter ends here."

The son-of-a-bitch didn't buy it at all, probably because he'd drunk too much and his brain wasn't working properly.

He pushed Fordyce. "Where did you find these actors?"

"You dog-born stowaways, don't think you can scare me just because you're big."

"I'm telling you, if you want me to drop the charges, it's simple. Just put two hundred dollars in my hand, otherwise..."

He stopped talking because Fordyce opened his jacket, revealing the holster and the gun inside. "Want to see if it can fire?"

The drunken son-of-a-bitch sobered up instantly, took a step back, raised his hands, and stood back inside the door frame. "I'm sorry, I didn't understand the situation..."