Empire of Shadows

Lance leaned against the car, a cigarette dangling from his lips, watching the pedestrians along the roadside.

The middle-class community had a relatively strict access control system, and the security guard looked at Lance with a wary expression, always feeling that this young man didn't look like a good person.

It wasn't that he had any psychic abilities or mind-reading skills; it was just that he thought every non-resident looked like a bad person, especially since Lance was better-looking than him.

Recently, Lance's business had gradually improved, and he had met some people who told him about Patricia's father's situation.

Patricia's father, Mr. William Lawrence, was a civil servant at City Hall, working for the mayor, a role that was neither high nor low.

The Federation had three major parties: the Liberal Party, the Socialist Party, and the Federalist Party. Mr. Lawrence was a Federalist.

Originally, there were only two major parties here: the Liberal Party and the Federalist Party.

The Liberal Party was more in line with the interests of the lower and middle classes of the Federation, until many years ago when a huge split occurred within the Liberal Party, ultimately leading to a division, from which the "Socialist Party" emerged.

Socialists believed that excessive freedom would bring disaster to society and the country, and that emphasis should be placed on industrial and economic development, which was completely different from the Liberal Party's policies.

The Liberal Party advocated "liberalism," but was criticized by the Socialist Party as "laissez-faireism," arguing that excessive freedom for the people was of no practical significance to the country's development and economic construction.

The core contradiction between the two parties lay in the question of who came first, "the individual or the state," and it was irreconcilable.

So, a group of people who emphasized that "individual freedom should not override national interests" split off and formed the current Socialist Party.

Some of the Socialist Party's ideas received strong support from capitalists, so it developed very rapidly, often becoming the ruling party and holding a majority of seats in Congress.

Relatively speaking, the Liberal Party and the Federalist Party were at a disadvantage.

Perhaps this was why Mr. Lawrence, already forty years old, was still just a civil servant at City Hall, in a position that was neither high nor low—the faction behind him couldn't give him much help.

In this era where ideals had to bow to capital, having ideals alone was meaningless.

Two young girls on the roadside looked at Lance and waved to him. Lance smiled and greeted them.

The summer breeze always stirred people's hearts unintentionally. Not necessarily wanting to do anything, just feeling the breeze seemed like a moment of satisfaction.

"Lance!" Patricia, walking out of the community, was like an elf coming from a painting into reality. Lance threw away his cigarette and went to meet her, hugging her and generously praising her, "You look so beautiful."

Being praised by someone you liked was always a happy thing. Patricia smiled genuinely, "I think so too!"

She naturally took Lance's arm, "There's something I want to tell you."

Lance opened the car door for her, "What is it?"

Patricia was a little uneasy, "William and the others want to invite you to come back with me tonight. They've prepared dinner for you."

Lance returned to the driver's seat and started the car, "Good news."

"Don't you feel embarrassed?" the girl asked.

Lance shook his head and said, "If meeting your closest people is embarrassing, then you should think about whether I really love you when we're together, or just want to sleep with you."

"This is something I have to go through. Either I convince them, or they convince me!"

"I will become a warrior!"

He revealed a bright smile, and Patricia felt her heart melt.

The two went to see a movie in the afternoon, a rare, cheap, and universal form of entertainment in this era.

They went to a high-end cinema, where a ticket cost twenty-five cents, a place that would be cleaner and smell a little better.

In the summer, in those ten-cent or fifteen-cent cinemas, you never knew what the previous guest who sat in your seat had done there.

The twenty-five-cent cinema would have people to clean and clear the garbage, and the people who came here were of slightly higher quality.

Love in a Chaotic World, a movie about war and love. People liked to impose war elements into love movies, as if some hardships and tragedies could make love unforgettable.

Patricia watched very carefully, but Lance watched absentmindedly.

She was obviously watching very carefully, but for some reason, the more she watched, the redder her face became.

At the end of the film, after a long wait, the heroine welcomed back the ashes of the hero. She stroked the little life growing in her belly, and faced a new life with a strong smile.

It could be seen that they had already begun to pursue political correctness from this period, and it did indeed move many people.

First, there was some scattered applause, like a sixty-year-old man loosening his belt in the toilet, somewhat powerless.

Then, there was more thunderous applause, as people were moved by the girl's perseverance in love, her fidelity to her family, and her devotion to her husband.

Patricia was also applauding, and so was Lance, but not so enthusiastically.

At this time, the applause was like that of a seven- or eight-year-old child, pants pulled down, and it was over in a flash.

"You cried."

"It's so touching!" Patricia held Lance's hand, "Don't you think the heroine is great?"

Lance shook his head, "Actually, she should be more selfish, so her husband wouldn't have died, and her child's father wouldn't have died either."

"Pat, from the perspective of movie stories or art, war, love, death, and the imminent birth of a new life form an artistic cycle."

"But from the perspective of an ordinary person, if we get married and a war breaks out, I will take you away."

"I can't choose between loyalty to the country and loyalty to love, but if you have to make me choose, I choose you!"

Patricia's emotions, which were already moved to tears, suddenly erupted, and she couldn't help but give him a passionate kiss.

After the two kissed for a while, she became embarrassed again, and was a little shy.

The management of the church girls' school was very strict, and those old nuns had mental illnesses. They would destroy a person both physically and mentally through public corporal punishment.

There had been student suicides in some girls' schools more than once, but these were suppressed by the church and the federal government.

Patricia was a good girl, afraid of making any mistakes.

Lance knew that the girl was shy, so he took her out of the cinema. At this time, the sky outside had darkened a lot, and the sun was not so scorching anymore.

The two ate some snacks on the roadside. Actually, the taste was very average, but Patricia ate with relish, "I rarely eat roadside food. My dad says these roadside foods are unhygienic."

Lance didn't deny or refute, "That's true."

Her movements suddenly stopped while eating the hot dog, and then she looked at Lance. Lance helped her wipe off some oil stains on her face, "But if you give up experiencing things you've never experienced before because they're unhealthy, you'll regret it when you're old!"

"A little bit of unhealthiness can be exchanged for a lot of happiness. I think the small sacrifice is worth it!"

"You're right, Lance!"

Lance took her to eat a lot of street snacks. By the time it was completely dark, she was already full.

She looked at Lance with some embarrassment, "We still have to go back for dinner later. They will definitely find out."

"Then tell them."

Something that should have made Lance feel uneasy actually made Patricia feel uneasy. She liked Lance very much because Lance respected her. She could feel it.

It was a… very special feeling. She didn't know how to describe it, but she just knew that in Lance's eyes, she wasn't just a thing, nor just a body.

The car arrived at Patricia's neighborhood. The security guard lowered his head and saw Patricia through the car window, "Miss Patricia, this handsome gentleman is…"

"My boyfriend, please open the gate."

The security guard nodded, opened the gate, and then sighed as he watched the car's back. This was perhaps the most painful thing for every security guard.

"Are you nervous?" Lance parked the car, and just as they arrived outside her house, she couldn't help but ask.

Actually, she was the nervous one, not Lance.

Lance shook the brandy in his hand, "If Mr. Lawrence doesn't hate brandy, I won't be nervous."

Patricia took a deep breath, took Lance's arm, and knocked on the door.

In fact, the Lawrence couple had been secretly observing from behind the window when they parked. Mrs. Lawrence liked Lance, this young man, very much, but Mr. Lawrence still needed to observe him further.

The door opened, and Mrs. Lawrence had specially changed into a collarless light pink dress, wearing a string of pearl necklaces, looking radiant, not knowing if it was because she always had a good complexion, or for some other reason.

But she definitely didn't use wax.

"Welcome, Lance," she took the brandy from Lance's hand and gave it to her husband, "Thank you for your gift. You're so thoughtful."

Mr. Lawrence glanced at the brandy in his hand, and then glanced at his daughter, knowing that his daughter had chosen it.

She knew what kind of wine he liked, but she also secretly praised Lance for being so generous.

Currently, the best regular Cognac brandy on the market costs more than twenty dollars a bottle. Even he wouldn't treat it as everyday wine, only drinking a couple of glasses when something good happened.

"A very precious gift. We can taste it tonight," he gave the wine back to Mrs. Lawrence, "Open it."

Then, Mr. Lawrence, as the head of the family, invited Lance to sit in the living room for a while.

"Would you like something to drink? Black tea, coffee, or juice?"

"Water."

Mr. Lawrence paused for a moment, then chuckled. "Aren't you nervous?"

Mrs. Lawrence and Patricia were nearby, eavesdropping on the two men's conversation. It was clearly more interesting than clearing the table!

At the same time, they were eager to see how Lance would respond to Mr. Lawrence's first attack—a seemingly ordinary exchange, but one fraught with hidden dangers!