Empire of Shadows

In the morning, Maurice hurried back from outside. He coughed a few times, his face flushed, but he quickly recovered.

From a medical perspective, his "wound" had completely healed, but the damage to his body wouldn't completely heal just because the wound had closed.

These would stay with him for life.

At first, he might not have been used to it, but now he was. Lance had even heard that Maurice would go to church with his girlfriend on the Sabbath.

Some people might not understand why some people suddenly develop faith after being injured.

In reality, this was the influence of the fear of death.

According to unofficial statistics, seventy percent of the Federation's population believed in God, but not all believers were devout.

Some were… if their whole family believed in God, then he/she could only believe in God. Therefore, the faith of these people, especially young people, was not firm or devout. They even believed that God did not exist under the influence of skepticism!

The truly faithful, steadfast, devout, and fanatical were the elderly.

The older they got, the more they believed that it was all real, that there was a God, a heaven, and everything else.

They believed that after they died, they would enter the kingdom of heaven to shepherd for God, and would live forever young and never aging in God's glory and gospel.

Why?

Why did people who once didn't believe, start to believe?

Actually, it's very simple: anxiety, fear, and resistance to death.

People are like that. Only when they are afraid will they resist, but death is a natural law that no one can escape, so how can they resist?

It's not like a simple thing, such as if you masturbate and draw blood, perhaps this will cast a shadow on you and solve the problem of frequent masturbation.

But death doesn't mean that if you don't do it, death won't come to you.

Whether you are afraid or not, whether you resist or not, it will come.

Then people can only choose a method that is easier for them to accept to resist death—

Religion, faith!

Everyone actually knows about this, but no one has ever specifically mentioned it, and they just treat it as a normal thing.

"It's been investigated!" Maurice walked into Lance's office, where there were many people.

They had been gathering here during this time, ready to respond to Lance's orders at any time.

Someone took the initiative to bring him a glass of juice. After he took a sip, he said, "The Coda family is mobilizing manpower, but it's not clear what they're going to do."

He sat down opposite Lance and put down the glass. "They've laundered the gangster gunman thing into a security company. I found someone willing to cooperate."

"They've been ordered these past few days to stay in the company and not go anywhere, and they may have to go on missions at any time. He said the company promised very high pay and bonuses."

Bandi was desperately trying to whitewash his image so that at least those big shots wouldn't think he was just a gangster, something that couldn't be brought to the table.

He not only threw away the knife in his hand, but also put on the suit that bound him, which only the upper class would wear.

However, he wasn't completely unprepared. He set up another security company, which Gaoli was in charge of.

The security guards inside weren't purely gunmen. In fact, many were ordinary security guards, but there were also some gunmen who would usually take on related jobs in society.

Therefore, it wasn't entirely made up of former Coda family gang members, but also some ordinary people from society who joined.

It might be a little difficult to persuade those gang members, but it would be much easier to persuade those ordinary people.

It was nothing more than giving money and threats. The simpler the method, the more efficient and useful it was sometimes.

Lance nodded when he heard this. "It seems they are already preparing. Is our new script ready?"

Lance looked at Elvin, and Elvin nodded. "They've taken the bait."

"Moreover, I also heard that they had a quarrel over this matter."

"Some people think this is a trap, but Feigal doesn't think it is."

Lance frowned slightly. "He doesn't seem like the kind of person who goes his own way."

Feigal was sometimes influenced by his emotions, but in such important matters, he would most likely think clearly before making a decision, rather than arguing with the cadres at this time for something he couldn't even be sure of.

"Something's not quite right!"

Lance touched his chin. The stubble was a little prickly. That's how it is when you're young, everything grows fast.

He shaved on time every day, but in just a short while, he could feel his beard growing out a little again.

Especially at night, it grew visibly to the naked eye!

The others didn't feel much. Lance had been keeping an eye on the decision-making.

This was a new plan called "Compass," but it seemed that they also had some ideas.

"Arrange more people to keep an eye on things at night to ensure there are no accidents."

Elvin agreed. A day passed quickly. In the evening, at six o'clock, the sky wasn't completely dark yet. Four large trucks entered the city from outside.

The shells of these trucks were printed with the names of surrounding farms, as well as many crops.

This kind of transportation vehicle from farms to the city was very common. Farmers around Jinhang City often bypassed channel companies such as Liji and Bailide and directly sent their goods to the dock for sale.

The city also consumed a large amount of vegetables and grain every day. They were not like farmers in other regions who had things they couldn't sell or couldn't afford the high transportation costs.

So this kind of truck was very common, but today's trucks were a little different, because these trucks were not just ordinary transportation vehicles.

According to the information Feigal obtained, these four trucks were full of alcohol that Lance had brought in from outside.

Four trucks, totaling 320,000, was already a very large sum of money.

The Keane family's financial situation had been very bad recently. Since they started the war with the Lance family and the bar was raided, their customers had decreased sharply.

Who the hell would risk a huge danger to drink in those bars where gunfights might break out?

There were other bars elsewhere, so their income had been a bit difficult recently.

Any other business now couldn't make money as quickly or as much as alcohol.

Even if Maple Iris Grass was extremely profitable, not everyone would take one or two every day. Most people would only think of using it once every few days.

Losing the highly profitable alcohol and the constant injuries and deaths, with compensation constantly being paid out, Feigal was indeed very troubled.

At this time, he heard about this news from a friend, so he planned to attack this batch of alcohol.

Whether it was snatching it and reselling it himself, or destroying it to make Lance feel the pain, it was a good choice.

At the same time, he also had a feeling, a feeling that something was not quite right.

How could he know about this highly confidential information?

Although he believed that his good friend wouldn't lie to him, it was… a little unreasonable.

That's why the argument in the office happened. He asked his men to rob this batch of goods, but his men thought there was something wrong with this batch of goods and it was not suitable to follow up now.

The two sides had a big fight in his office and finally broke up unhappily, but as the head of the family, he had absolute control in the Keane family.

Although the guy who argued with him was reluctant to follow up on this work, he eventually obeyed.

Of course, he wouldn't go himself. He arranged for his men to go.

At that time, his men shouted outside his office in front of many people, "You will kill everyone," which resonated with some people.

They had always been at a disadvantage in the war with the Lance family. Even though the number of deaths and injuries on both sides was constantly rising, their losses were obviously greater.

Some people thought that this was the same result as before, and that eventually these people would become "a thing of the past."

But some people were more optimistic. If they could bring back this batch of goods, at least they could get a quick buck in the short term.

With money, even if the people below complained a little, they could be appeased by the power of money.

At more than nine o'clock in the evening, after several hours of trekking, four large trucks finally arrived at the designated location—

A warehouse at the junction of the industrial area and the imperial area.

The air here was filled with a faint smell of oil and various dust rising from the boilers. This was also the place with the worst air quality in Jinhang City.

The only thing that made people feel gratified was that it was always downwind.

The wind blowing from the sea would not roll these dust and smells into the city, but would blow it to the suburbs west of the city and farther away.

There were wilderness, forests, and various plants there, which would soon be metabolized by nature.

The environment in the industrial area was a bit gloomy. In the dark night, the huge chimneys rising from the ground were darker than the color of the night. For some people with megalophobia, they were like huge monsters hidden in the night, making people uneasy.

The depressing, pungent smell made the industrial area almost uninhabited at night.

Except for those 24-hour production lines, you can't see any pedestrians outside at all.

This also allowed many criminal trades to take place here. The complex environment and the absence of pedestrians became the best paradise for evil.

It is said that 40% of the Maple Iris Grass transactions in the entire city take place here.

Four large trucks slowly stopped outside a warehouse. As the warehouse door was opened and the lights were turned on, they slowly entered the garage and stopped.

Subsequently, four drivers and two people who appeared to be escorts got out of the vehicles. After completing the handover with Lance's men, they drove away in the pre-arranged cars.

Just then, gunfire suddenly erupted!

The intense gunfire instantly shattered the night's tranquility, with echoes of gunshots everywhere. Lance's men outside the warehouse didn't even bother to retaliate, immediately jumping into their vehicles and fleeing.

The captain, who rushed out from the shadows, wore an expression of disbelief. This was the easiest encounter he had ever heard of with the Lance family!

He stared blankly as the taillights of those cars disappeared, then snapped to attention. "Quick, drive the cars away!"

Someone asked, "Shouldn't we inspect the cargo first?"

The captain hesitated, but just then, someone shouted, "They're coming back!"

"Fack, they must have called for backup. Quick, drive the cars away! We'll cover the retreat!"

Several young men jumped into the trucks, smashed through the gate, and drove off in the opposite direction.

Those who remained behind retreated while exchanging fire with Lance's men.

Whether it was an illusion or not, the opponents didn't seem very aggressive, as if they only wanted to stall them.

But at this moment, who could clearly understand the situation?

To ensure the successful transport of the wine, valued at three hundred and twenty thousand, according to the intelligence, the captain went all out, deliberately slowing down to buy time for the four trucks.

Seeing the four trucks getting further and further away, even to the point of being out of sight, the captain was just about to tell the driver to speed up and shake off the pursuers when a bulldozer suddenly appeared in the middle of the road, causing the driver to swerve sharply and crash head-on into a fire hydrant on the roadside.

Another vehicle crashed into the roadside on the other side, eventually getting stuck tightly by some concrete barriers.

The captain's entire world was a blur, shaking violently.

Water kept splashing in from outside, giving him a slight chill. The fire hydrant had been broken, and the enormous water pressure spewed out a huge column of water.

He supported himself on the back of the front seat, looking left and right. Just as he was about to struggle to get out, a blindingly bright light suddenly shone from outside, making him instinctively turn away.

The door was pulled open. Shielding his eyes from the light, he saw the people facing him—not just one, but several, all pointing pistols at him.

His companions beside him gradually woke up from the violent collision, then looked around with some confusion and bewilderment.

What greeted them were gun muzzles constantly spitting flames.

The world seemed to be muted at that moment. He couldn't hear anything, only feel his body shaking from the impact of the bullets.

Perhaps a few seconds later, he slumped in the car, his body riddled with bullet holes.

The situation in the other car was similar. Soon, the people inside were riddled with holes.

The person in charge of executing this plan walked to a nearby phone booth and dialed the number for Lance's office.

"The goods have been sent out... We..." He glanced back, "Some people were injured, but no one went to see God. We ran relatively fast..."

"I understand. Come back immediately."

The bodies were quickly disposed of, placed in body bags, and the crashed vehicles would soon be towed away by tow trucks.

These things would most likely disappear into Angel Lake, just like those people they had dealt with before.

The four trucks and two cars that came out of the industrial area headed north, arriving at the buffer zone between the industrial area and the city center.

After confirming that there were no pursuers behind them, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

At the same time, they seemed somewhat depressed because their captain hadn't caught up yet, and was most likely dead.

To be chosen as a captain, in addition to having performed meritorious service for the family, one also needed to have a certain degree of popularity.

Even if a hateful guy had performed many meritorious services, they might not necessarily become a captain.

Even if they became a captain, it was likely that no one would want to work with them.

That's how gangs are. This is also why many gangs are blood-related families, because if they don't do this, small cliques will become very prevalent.

Lance's situation is a minority. Perhaps in a few decades, if they haven't disappeared in the long river of history, the second and third generations will also have many small cliques and will split due to issues of interest.

But now, as a newly established gang, before they kiss success, they won't have problems so quickly.

The vehicles parked on the roadside. Losing their captain, they felt somewhat lost. One of them took the initiative to get out of the car and went to the phone booth to make a call to the cadre.

The call was quickly connected, and the other side also felt somewhat unbelievable, but in any case, successfully seizing the goods was a good thing.

Subsequently, they received orders to send the goods to the warehouse.

In the office, Figal also found it hard to believe that this was real. They had actually seized Lance's goods!

Not only could they make a lot of money, but it could also boost their morale.

At that time, he would directly announce to the public that he was transferring a batch of wine seized from Lance's hands. This would definitely let everyone know what had happened!

As for their little plan?

It didn't matter. He heard that the captain was dead, which was enough.

Thinking of this, he breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Tonight, he could sleep well.

The four trucks arrived at a warehouse belonging to the Keane family, where a large amount of wine and other things were piled up.

After the trucks came to a stop, they put away their weapons, went to the back of the trucks, found pliers, and forcefully cut the locks on the cargo doors. Then, two people each grabbed the handles on either side of the doors and pulled them open forcefully.

"How is it? What kind of wine is it?"

The gang members standing on both sides of the truck asked, but what they found strange was that those who were preparing to get on the truck to move the goods were all standing there dumbfounded.

They walked over step by step with some curiosity, and then looked inside.

In the next second, they, like the others, were stunned in place.

"Motherfucker, can you guys drive?"

"Son of a bitch, die!"

The rapid bursts of submachine gunfire rang out instantly. There was nowhere for these people behind the truck to hide, and they were instantly riddled with holes.

Soon, they rushed down and opened the other trucks, releasing the people inside.

In less than ten minutes, the entire warehouse was completely cleared!

The intense gunfire couldn't be hidden at night, and they didn't intend to empty the warehouse here. The plan was simple: destroy everything here!

Everywhere was wine, flammable wine. The weapons swept across the boxes of wine, and the entire warehouse was instantly enveloped in a strong aroma of wine.

They retreated outwards while destroying everything. After everyone had retreated, Hiram, holding a gun, stood at the door of the warehouse. He took out a cigarette from his pocket and then took out a silver lighter to light it.

He took a puff, then threw the still-lit lighter into the warehouse and left without looking back.

The spinning lighter rotated in the air, and the oil-soaked wick would not be extinguished by such a small amount of wind.

Finally, it landed on the ground, and the flames licked the wine. Blue flames instantly spread infinitely around the ground!