Empire of Shadows

Lance was discussing some important matters with everyone when the phone suddenly rang.

The attention of everyone in the room immediately focused on the phone.

They could feel the recent tense atmosphere and vaguely guessed that a terrible phone call would unveil the "Great Era" to come.

Was this the call?

Many people's hearts began to race as the phone rang incessantly in the room.

After ringing several times, Lance picked up the phone, "This is Lance."

He was prepared to receive some not-so-good news, but certainly not bad news; he had already taken some precautions.

He had only so many industries under his control, and trying to deal with him by attacking his industries wasn't a good choice, so to some extent, he didn't have any "fatal weaknesses."

This was a good thing.

He had expected that a bar or someone would say that they were under attack or investigation, but unexpectedly, the caller was Panda.

"I want to meet you," he said.

After careful consideration during this period, he finally decided to fully lean towards Lance.

He had also heard about what was happening outside, and even heard some extra rumors that the Bay Area's dissatisfaction with Lance was because of Lisa.

Of course, the rumors weren't directly stated like that, but he guessed that it had something to do with Lisa.

He felt that he should do something.

Lance agreed to him, then hung up the phone, "Panda wants to meet me. I don't know what he wants to do. You guys continue with your work."

Someone reminded him, "Be careful!"

Lance nodded, and people were sent to prepare. Soon, several cars left from the back alley.

More than ten minutes later, the convoy entered the dock.

The dock was now Lance's territory. Almost 70% of the workers here relied on Lance for their livelihood, so it was very safe and reliable.

These workers were actually very clear that if someone else came, they might not be as stable and comfortable as they were now.

Lance never charged them extra money except for a small fee, and he also provided them with free work clothes, gloves, and labor protection items.

What they gave to Lance was actually much more than what Lance took away!

Meeting at the dock was also for safety reasons.

In a remote corner where there were few people, Lance waited for Panda.

Panda got out of the car, looking a little haggard.

Lisa's mood had been very bad during this period, and Panda's mood had also been terrible.

On the one hand... the thought of Lisa having slept with so many people made him instinctively unacceptable, but Lisa met him after all that was over!

The most crucial point was that being a call girl was not Lisa's intention; she was coerced!

After meeting and marrying him, she had been loyal to him and was pregnant, with only a few months left until she gave birth.

He was now in a very contradictory mood, on the one hand, feeling... uncomfortable about Lisa's previous experiences.

After all, the secret garden that originally belonged only to him had traces left by more than just him, and he felt very uncomfortable thinking about it.

He was now a little afraid to go to the Bay Area because he had a psychological shadow of not knowing how to tell others!

He always felt that the well-dressed men he met on the street might have patronized Lisa, might have entered Lisa's secret garden!

This made him very painful!

But he was unwilling to lose Lisa, even if she had been a high-end call girl, even if he might meet many of Lisa's former clients in Goldport City.

It wasn't her fault, nor was it his fault, it was the fault of those who had forced Lisa and the people in the Bay Area!

He had been very painful during this period and had been thinking. Finally, he made a decision. He wanted to maintain this marriage and continue it.

At the same time, he also wanted more power!

When he had more power, no one would laugh at anyone because of these things, and no one would mention these things again, hurting him or Lisa.

Power was the biggest solution to his current predicament, without exception.

"I'm sorry!" Panda's opening words surprised Lance.

"Sorry?" he repeated, then handed Panda a cigarette.

Panda took it and took out a lighter, lighting Lance's cigarette first, then his own.

"Lisa's matter... has implicated you."

He looked at Lance with a very sincere expression, "I heard that the Bay Area's dissatisfaction with you is because of that old dog Hoff. He has a wide network of contacts, and our affairs have implicated you."

Lance waved his hand, "No one would stand by and watch her fall into such a situation. I don't regret it, and you don't need to apologize to me for it."

Panda pursed his lips, "Has anyone ever told you that sometimes you are more of a gentleman than those gentlemen?"

He took a puff of cigarette and slowly exhaled, the cold sea breeze instantly dissipating the smoke, making it impossible to tell whether it was cigarette smoke or hot air exhaled from his mouth.

"I've thought a lot, Lance."

"The best way to avoid being hurt is to hold the weapon in your own hands instead of putting it in the hands of others and then asking for help when you encounter harm."

"Of course, I'm not talking about this matter. I still want to thank you and apologize for this matter. I'm just talking about... the rest of my life."

"I want to be a senior special agent, I want to be the director. I need help, and I can help you!"

A very profound realization. People only have such a profound realization after being severely hurt.

Life has always taught people in such a cruel way, just like running. People will never learn to run correctly without falling hard a few times!

"How can I help you?"

Panda touched his somewhat thin cheeks. His stubble was very prickly.

His immediate superior had been making trouble for him, and he actually knew why—because his immediate superior had taken the opportunity for promotion that originally belonged to him, so they were naturally at odds.

Even if Panda did nothing and thought nothing, his superior would suspect whether this guy would play tricks on him.

So Panda directly set his sights on this guy.

"I want to replace him. Help me!"

Lance didn't answer immediately. He took several puffs of cigarette. After the cigarette was finished, he nodded and said, "I will."

The two hugged, and Panda quickly drove away. The work of the Dangerous Goods Administration has always been very dangerous. It's normal for some accidents to happen at work, right?

Although senior special agents usually don't go to the front line in person, they won't let go of major cases once they encounter them.

Sitting in the office and commanding on the front line can earn completely different merits!

You should know that every major case requires a complete report from multiple people and will be reviewed by superiors. If the report mentions that the senior special agent didn't go to the front line, then he can basically only drink a little soup from this credit.

Want to eat meat?

No way!

Back in the car, Lance was thinking about helping Panda. Strictly speaking, now was not a good time because the external pressure was great.

But it was also a good time because Panda's joining could stir up more trouble!

The Coda family's casino can't do without alcohol, and there must be people from the Coda family in the Dangerous Goods Administration.

As long as they investigate the Coda family's casino, the alcohol will be put away.

When they leave, the alcohol will be taken out again. Of course, this refers to private rooms and private gambling tables.

Having the Dangerous Goods Administration stare at the Coda family's investigation can play an important role, diverting the Coda family's attention.

Then, all that Lance has to deal with is Charlie, Hunter, and those in the Bay Area.

In an apartment in Starlight District, Eugene came out of the bedroom. He had been hiding here during this time. Lance's people were still looking for his whereabouts everywhere.

Stone had talked to him about this matter, telling him that he would be safe soon, but before that, he had to hide for a while.

They chose an apartment in Starlight District, which was also Stone's, or rather Fleming's, decision.

The Coda family had strong control in Starlight District, and at the same time, they didn't think that Lance would think that at this time, Eugene's family not only didn't leave Goldport City but hid in the most prosperous place.

Stone had considered sending Eugene's family away, for example, sending them to other cities or other states, but he quickly dismissed the idea.

Because his, or rather Eugene's family's, whereabouts also represented the Coda family's face.

If people knew that they were forced by the Lance family to send their people away, how would they view them?

At the same time, Stone believed that it wouldn't take long for the Lance family to perish, and soon everything would be over, and the city would return to what it was before.

Hiding in this apartment, Eugene was muddled all over. There were no rich family entertainment activities during this period. He either slept or slept.

Sometimes he couldn't tell the difference between day and night. Besides reading books, newspapers, and magazines, he was sleeping.

After waking up, he continued to read books, newspapers, and magazines. When he was drowsy, he fell asleep.

If he didn't look at the light outside the window, he couldn't tell the difference between day and night.

"Where's the son?" He picked up the cigarette on the table, took one out and lit it, then sat down at the table in the dining room.

There was some food on the table. Actually, he couldn't feel hunger or fullness, but he instinctively picked up the fork on the plate and stuffed some food into his mouth.

These are delivered every few days by gang members. They're all excellent ingredients, sometimes even already prepared.

He doesn't lack anything in that regard.

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He ate several mouthfuls in a row, then suddenly noticed his wife standing in the corner of the kitchen, looking somewhat uneasy, and not answering his simple question.

He immediately frowned. As a confidant of Stone, he was definitely not a fool, and he had already realized that something was wrong!

He immediately rushed into another room, his son's room, but didn't see his son.

Then he checked the bathroom, but the young man wasn't there either.

A furious expression appeared on his face. "Where did he go?"

His wife answered tremulously, "He… he said he was bored and wanted to go out for a walk, but he didn't tell me where!"

"F**k!"

"Don't you f***ing know what time it is?"

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

His wife lowered her head and said softly, "He wouldn't let me…"

He wouldn't let her.

Eugene himself was muddleheaded, let alone his son.

How could a young man stay in this environment forever? He had wanted to go out for a long time, but he might have been worried before. However, the safety of this period made him start to ignore the danger and become even more irritable.

He couldn't stand being stuck in this apartment all day, unable to go anywhere. He wanted to go out!

His father worked for the famous Stone, which meant he didn't lack money or social status. He wanted to return to that extravagant life, wanting to drink and sleep with girls!

He didn't want to face his father and mother in this room with only newspapers, magazines, and books!

Even just going out for a little while would make him feel like he had come back to life!

This was Starlight District. He was very familiar with it, having lived here since he was a child. He wouldn't be in danger!

Eugene looked at his wife with cold eyes, his temples throbbing. He was now very headache, and also angry!

He picked up the phone and asked his men to bring his son back as soon as possible. This was the only thing he could do now.

He still held a glimmer of hope, just… going out for a bit, nothing unexpected should happen!

At this moment, in a bar in Starlight District, he was drinking with some friends.

The scent emanating from the girls around him and the smell of alcohol mingled together, making him immersed in it, even forgetting the danger!

"Where have you been lately?"

"We couldn't find you!"

Several kinds of alcohol were placed on the table in front of them, including beer, brandy, and whiskey.

There were also some snacks, fruits, and some candies.

This was not a Coda family bar. The bar now belonged to the gray industry and was currently managed by Stone.

Eugene was Stone's confidant and often appeared in various similar industries. As Eugene's son, he often followed Eugene or other gang members or their children, appearing in these places.

After all, he was more or less a "young master," and these gang members were very familiar with him.

If he appeared in a Coda family bar, his old man would know he had sneaked out in less than five minutes.

He had enough of hiding in that small apartment. This was not what he wanted. He wanted alcohol, he wanted to drink with friends, and he wanted to vent his emotions!

So he sneaked out after his father fell asleep, and would sneak back after he had his fun, and no one would notice all this!

He and his friends chose a safe bar. After a few people sat down, he took a big gulp of wine.

The moment the alcohol entered his body, his whole person seemed to relax.

He put his arm around the girl next to him, his hands wandering all over her body.

The soft touch made his whole body almost burn!

"Something happened at home, but it's nothing. Soon everything will return to the way it was before!"

The girl held a glass of wine and fed him a sip. After he finished drinking, he took a deep breath on the girl's body, his face full of intoxicated smiles.

These friends didn't know what he had done. The conflict between Eugene and the Lance family was only known to a very small number of people, and they didn't continue to ask.

Young people, together, naturally meant alcohol, tobacco, and sex. He had been suppressed too hard during this period and was a little too late.

He unzipped his pants, signaling the girl to sit on him.

The girl didn't want to at first, but with the addition of bills, she didn't care about much!

She rode Eugene's son like a knight, and everyone drank a lot of wine, and the atmosphere naturally became very lively.

In fact, the bar operator didn't like this kind of thing happening in public. The bartender asked the security guard to remind them to restrain themselves a little.

As a result, the security guard came back quickly after going, with some surprise on his face, "It seems to be the person the Lance family is looking for."

"Keep an eye on them."

The bartender had someone replace his work for a while, and he came to the manager's office in the back.

"I saw Eugene's son."

The manager didn't react at first, "Who is Eugene?"

"The son of the guy the Lance family is looking for!"

The manager reacted at this time. Alberto and Francisco had told them about this and sent them photos.

Lance didn't ask Alberto for any help, but Alberto still took the initiative to help in finding people.

He was not afraid of the Coda family, let alone offending them.

Although he couldn't spare anyone to search the streets for these people, it was no problem to let his bars, strip clubs, and other business places pay attention.

Unexpectedly, there was a gain.

The manager quickly picked up the phone and dialed Alberto's number.

Now most of the family's affairs are handled by Alberto and Francisco. The phone was quickly connected, "Boss, the person you asked us to pay attention to is in our bar."

Five minutes later, Lance knew about this.

Twenty minutes later, several cars stopped outside the bar.

About half an hour later, several young people came out of the bar drunk.

If it weren't for the fact that they were still in the "hiding" period, Eugene's son would have planned to spend the night here!

But today he was finally satisfied, using up all the savings he had accumulated for many days in one go, and with the intake of alcohol, his whole person felt comfortable.

A few people walked out while agreeing on the time for the next meeting. Just as they walked to the side of the road, ready to leave by car, a van stopped in front of them.

Before they could react, a few more people came from behind, supporting the young man who couldn't stand very steadily, threw him directly into the car, and then got into the car together.

The car quickly accelerated and disappeared into the night. The whole process took about ten seconds. By the time these people reacted, the car had disappeared!