Empire of Shadows

Chapter 636: Difficulties to Overcome on the Road to the Ideal Destination [666+4]

The cigar in Lance's hand was clearly expensive; the metallic casing would tell anyone at a glance that it wasn't cheap.

At the very least, those few-dollar cigars wouldn't give you a metal, possibly even gold-plated, individual tube, but this one did.

Karl hadn't smoked a cigar before, but he nodded, somewhat tempted, "Of course, sir."

Lance opened the cigar tube, took out a cutter, processed the cigar in front of him, and explained why he was doing it.

Then, he took out a special lighter, scorched the end of the cigar for a while, and handed it to Karl, "Try it, take a small puff first."

Karl was a little excited; young people are always very excited about things they haven't experienced but crave, and now hold in their hands, because those things are their former dreams, the life they pursue.

Like the girl lying in bed wrapped in a blanket, telling you she won't go out tonight, or the cigar in his hand, representing status and position.

His hands even trembled slightly; after taking the cigar, the smile on his face couldn't be stopped. He took a small puff and then felt like someone had punched him!

He coughed violently, trying to inhale the cigar smoke into his lungs.

The excessive nicotine gave his throat a hard punch!

Just one puff, and his throat was hoarse!

He coughed violently, unable to straighten up.

After a while, he was clearly better, and the tears in his eyes told Lance that he hadn't had an easy time.

"Cigars aren't meant to be inhaled; let the smoke swirl in your mouth for a while, use your tongue to stir it."

"You can feel some unique flavors gradually filling your mouth, slowly changing, and then spit it all out!"

"Like this!" Lance lit his own cigar while Karl was coughing, took a puff, and demonstrated.

Then, he exhaled easily, looking extremely elegant!

"This is my first time smoking a cigar, Mr. Lance," Karl explained, his voice still a little hoarse. He looked at the cigar with lingering fear and took another small puff.

This time, he didn't inhale into his lungs but imitated Lance, letting more smoke swirl in his mouth, adhering to the oral mucosa.

He gradually felt that very interesting sensation. First, there was a distinct nutty flavor in his mouth, and a hint of milky flavor, but it quickly transformed into a flavor he couldn't name, but it was clearly something like fruit, and there was also a hint of whiskey.

Very magical!

He learned from Lance and slowly exhaled, trying to make himself look more elegant.

And his actions made Lance couldn't help but laugh, because Karl at this time looked like a little monkey learning human behavior!

"Did I do something wrong?" Karl was a little confused; he didn't know why Lance was laughing.

Lance shook his head, "No, you didn't do anything wrong, I just think it's very interesting. I see something stronger in you than in Boni."

"The desire for a better life, the pursuit of wealth and power."

Lance paused, "Cigars don't need to be finished in one go. When you feel it's about time, you can extinguish it and put it in this tube to preserve it."

"Next time you need it, take it out and light it again."

Lance handed over the original metal cigar tube, along with some other items.

"Do you know how much one of the cigars in your hand costs?" he asked.

The best way to stimulate a person's ambition and desire is to let them touch something first.

It's like women; if a woman doesn't give a man any attention, the man won't overthink.

But if she winks or even gives a little benefit, then the man will have a delusion that this woman might like me.

Power is the same; if you don't let someone who hasn't enjoyed it experience the pleasure of power and wealth, they won't work so hard to want to have these things!

Karl shook his head, "I don't know, Mr. Lance."

"Fifteen dollars, Karl."

Karl's eyes widened. He looked down at the cigar in his hand, unable to imagine that its price was so high!

So high that a local Federal worker could only afford three after working hard for a month!

"How much money did I just spit out with that puff...?"

He was shocked by the luxury of Lance's life and took another sip, the experience completely different from smoking, intoxicating him.

More intense nicotine was absorbed faster through the mucous membrane, entering the bloodstream and starting to take effect. He felt a little dizzy, but he didn't hate the feeling; on the contrary, he liked it very much.

After Lance helped him extinguish the cigar, he tightened the cigar tube and threw it to him, "Put it away. Our break is over. Now you can continue to tell me your story."

If Karl might have had a hint of hesitation in his heart before, then at this moment, he had no hesitation at all.

This was the life he wanted, a cigar costing a dozen dollars casually placed in a drawer, instead of squatting outside working hard all day, only earning a few dozen so-called hard-earned dollars that could give him peace of mind.

He didn't want that kind of life!

"Mr. Lance, the thing is like this..."

He told everything that happened yesterday in detail. Lance was a little surprised by Mr. Hope's ambition and execution ability.

He thought, thinking about whether he could gain anything from this matter, or whether he might lose anything.

After Karl finished speaking, he closed his mouth, sat quietly, and even slowed his breathing a little, for fear of disturbing Lance's thoughts.

After a long while, Lance's expression changed slightly. He looked at Karl with a smile, "You are different from Boni."

"His story doesn't have these things."

Karl nodded, "Boni thinks Hope is a good person, and everything he does is to make us people, the refugees, live better."

Lance asked, "What about you?"

This was actually a rather complex and important question, and Karl vaguely had this feeling in his heart. If he could answer this question well, he could go further.

After a dozen seconds, his heart was pounding violently. He tried to make himself look normal, "Mr. Lance, if I were richer than him, then I would definitely be able to do better than him."

"I can personally help more refugees without asking them for any return. I will help others more cleanly, not doing it with a purpose!"

Lance was a little surprised by Karl's very spiritual answer. He pondered for a while and nodded, "You have given me some new understanding of you. I am starting to look forward to your future."

"Karl, the road of life is always tortuous, full of bumps, hardships, traps, and everything that wants you to stop, to hinder you."

"Difficulty is not necessarily tripping you up, and overcoming difficulty is not necessarily as simple as getting up after you fall."

"It will appear in various ways on the road to your ideal. Everything that makes you stop is your difficulty, and you must overcome it."

"Boni is a good boy. His demands on himself are the difficulties he faces in reaching his ideal."

"The bad thing is that he was unable to overcome the difficulties, so he stayed there, stayed on the road to his ideal."

"I regret that I can't meet him at the ideal destination, but I hope you can appear there."

Lance slightly raised his chin, "From now on, you replace Boni's position."

"In the future, you are the boss of your group of people, and if you have any questions, you can come to me, and I will also give you support."

"As for Boni..."

Lance shook his head, "He fell down and can't get up, and we can't help him either, so let him stay there."

"Don't be influenced by him, and don't disturb him."

Lance started giving him new tasks, "You can help me find out about Hope's situation, such as where he lives, but don't interfere too much."

"Because you have a new job!"

Karl became serious, he kept Lance's words firmly in his mind, "You say."

"I heard that many women in your area are working as call girls?"

This question made Karl a little embarrassed, but he still nodded, "Yes, it's a common phenomenon."

"There is no technical threshold for being a call girl, and it makes money quickly."

Lance's fingers gently tapped on the table, "The naval base will soon welcome naval soldiers. You know, they are young people like you, most of them are stronger than you and a little older."

"Their demand for sex is very strong. This is a big business."

"I plan to hand it over to you to do."

Karl was stunned for a moment, but he quickly agreed, "No problem, Boss."

He tentatively called out "Boss", Lance didn't object, as if he didn't hear it.

But this also made Karl very happy, he felt that he was accepted.

"Don't force those poor women. You go and tell them the real situation. The Federal soldiers need them, and each time they can get at least one dollar."

"No one will bully them, no one will not pay, and I will solve any problems."

"We temporarily need..." He thought for a while, "Five hundred people."

"Can you help me solve this problem?"

"Karl?"

Karl clenched his fist, "Watch me!"

Lance was very satisfied with his drive. He might lack some of the noble qualities of a Boni, but he could definitely go further than Boni.

Because even if he fell, he could quickly get up instead of lying there, unable to rise.

“Go to Mr. Melo's place to collect the funds for this job. Can you use a pistol?”

Carl nodded quickly, “I know a little.”

“Then get a pistol as well, and protect your own safety.”

“Carl, remember my words.”

“I hope to see you again at the finish line of your ideals!”