Empire of Shadows

Back at the company, Lance had everyone try out the handguns. They went to a deserted cliff on the west side of the harbor area. There was no one around, and it was very quiet.

Remember the original website domain name 𝕥 𝕨 𝕜 𝕒 𝕟 . 𝕔 𝕠 𝕞

Moreover, the sound of the waves crashing against the shore rocks would cover up the gunshots. Lance made a few simple targets and had everyone try them out.

This is the Federation, the free Federation, so there's no saying like, "Try not to use hot weapons as gang fighting weapons." He even heard that in another city, the fighting between large gangs even involved armored vehicles. Firing a few shots with a handgun shouldn't be a big deal.

Just like men love luxury cars, men also love weapons. Even the two girls tried them out.

Both were Magre's revolvers, small-caliber defense weapons that even the police praised... boring.

Lance thought it was very likely that these were leaked from the police station. The Federation people, who weren't very delicate, couldn't use small-caliber weapons. They preferred offensive weapons and hunting weapons, but that had nothing to do with him.

The weapons were all new, probably only used a few times. Big Beard had said that the rifling had been re-cut to ensure that using these weapons wouldn't cause trouble.

Before, a unlucky guy bought a gun from a black market arms dealer to rob someone, but it turned out that this gun had been used in a multiple-death murder case in another state.

This idiot fired two shots into the sky at the scene, without even injuring anyone, but successfully robbed a few dollars, and was thus sent to the electric chair—

The authorities needed to give the public an explanation, not a murderer!

So, buying weapons of unknown origin on the black market was not a smart choice. Many murderers would dispose of their weapons on the black market, and maybe some idiot would take the blame for them.

Fresh things always attract people's attention. While everyone was trying out the guns, Elvin pulled Lance into a corner.

"Do we really need... these weapons?"

Lance gave Elvin a cigarette, not directly answering his question, but instead asking, "How much money did we make this week?"

Actually, this was the third week, but this week wasn't over yet, there were still three days left.

Elvin said softly, "Four thousand four hundred and sixty-one dollars."

He clearly knew this number and kept it firmly in his mind, because twenty percent of this money belonged to them, which was close to nine hundred dollars. If the momentum continued for the next two days, they could each earn at least forty to fifty dollars this week alone.

This was unimaginable in the past!

Lance praised him, "I'm surprised you can remember this number, Elvin. You're more talented than I thought, in this area!"

But he changed the subject, "But do you know how many people outside would do crazy things for these four thousand four hundred and sixty-one dollars?"

"They dare to rob people at gunpoint for a few dollars. If someone knows that a group of illegal immigrants from the Empire without legal status can now earn several thousand dollars a month, do you think... they'll go crazy?"

Elvin's pupils contracted slightly. Having earned a lot of money in a short period of time, he began to develop a mindset that, while not stupid, was certainly not smart, like most ordinary people.

It's enough for me to live my life well. I don't want to have anything to do with others.

But this is the Federation, a country full of rebirth and ending, where miracles and destruction are staged every day.

Having money but not the power to protect it is a death sentence in the Federation.

"Do you know Mr. Jobaff?"

Elvin took a deep breath of cigarette. He felt that his worldview and values were being changed. "I know him. He's a very famous Empire immigrant. It's said that he runs a bank."

"I talked to him last week. He ran into trouble. Someone extorted him out of possibly hundreds of thousands, but he only dared to try to recover a very small portion, and he didn't even dare to go after it himself."

"Think about it carefully. Even Mr. Jobaff is being extorted and looted. What about us?"

"If someone now asks you to hand over all your money and then tells you to get out of the Federation, what would you do?"

Without waiting for Elvin to answer, Lance said, "If it were me, I'd give him a bullet and send him to see his fucking God!"

After saying that, he couldn't help but laugh, while putting his arm around Elvin's shoulder. "It's better to be a wolf, feared by people, than to be a dog, bullied by people!"

"I'd rather each of you be locked up in prison for life for murder than see you beaten to death and thrown into the sewers!"

When they returned to the company, everyone had a new spirit. Having made a lot of money and fired guns, they had a strength in their hearts. This was confidence!

"Lance, Ennio just called."

Lance nodded, took a number, returned to his office, and dialed it. "This is Lance."

"They've moved. They haven't come out yet. The location is at..."

Lance picked up a pen and wrote down the address. "Are you safe now?"

Ennio was stunned for a moment, but then a warm current that he himself hadn't noticed flowed through his heart.

"Very safe. They haven't discovered us. What should we do next?"

"Wait for me to come over."

After he hung up the phone, he gathered his partners. "There's something, there's danger."

"A guy named Kent cheated me out of fifteen hundred dollars. I'm going to go make trouble for him. There might be shooting, and there might be injuries. Does anyone want to go with me?"

He wouldn't demand that these people had to go with him. He had also been a nobody and climbed up from the bottom. He knew very well that some people might not have the courage, and weren't cut out for it!

If you make someone who doesn't have the courage to fight go fight, it will only screw up the whole fight, because you still have to be distracted to take care of him. It's better not to let them go from the beginning.

Putting the right people in the right positions is a healthy way to develop. Lance always believed in this.

Elvin and Ethan immediately raised their hands. Melo considered for a while and said that he would stay at the company to hold down the fort, but if Lance needed him, he would go too.

Lance didn't think there was anything wrong with Melo's choice. Even if he wanted to go, Lance would let him stay.

Among this group of people, Melo was the only one who was truly mature. He was the oldest and had experienced more, so he could play a role in stabilizing people's hearts when Lance wasn't around to deal with tricky problems.

Most of the others chose to follow, and this time he agreed.

"Close the door for now. Everything will be discussed after I get back. If we don't come back, go find Mr. Koti."

After a simple instruction, more than a dozen young people squeezed into three cars and started driving towards the Empire District.

At this time, Kent had just woken up. He had gone to bed late yesterday. Although he was the boss, he still had to work when it came to doing things.

Those croupiers and him were in a cooperative relationship, not his subordinates, and they wouldn't do these heavy physical tasks for him.

Only he and the big thugs did it, arranging things, cleaning, and then tidying up, easily getting it done at one o'clock in the evening.

This damn weather was stuffy and hot. He finally fell asleep in the stench of feet and sweat after two o'clock.

He was sleeping well, but it got hotter and hotter. Kent, who was half-awake, finally couldn't lie down anymore and sat up.

He was covered in sweat!

"This damn weather. I heard that some places are using something called air conditioning, which can cool down the room. Maybe one of you knows how much it costs!"

He walked shirtless into a small room and turned on the faucet to take a shower.

His whole body was covered with curly body hair, like a gorilla!

Some people said that he and his brother weren't real brothers. His brother looked like a normal person, without so much body hair, but he was not only a little darker in skin, but also had more body hair.

The person who said this first had become an unsolved mystery of the rising water level of Angel Lake, but the words he said didn't stop because of his disappearance, but spread even more widely.

After taking a cool shower for a while, he felt more comfortable and returned to the large room. "Turn on the ventilation equipment. Also, what are we eating for lunch?"

"Are there any good restaurants nearby? Who's going to get something to eat?"