Empire of Shadows

In mid-to-late November, the weather finally turned cold, and people no longer avoided the sun but began to seek it out.

Over the past ten days or so, the new house Lance bought had been completed.

The people from the Blue Lotus Community Service Company called Lance and told him that all the houses had been built.

Logically speaking, building your own house should be a lot of fun. In the memories of many Federation citizens, building the house they lived in with their father and grandfather was a very precious memory of their childhood—

Most people with such memories come from middle-class families. As everyone knows, only their lives are very fulfilling.

The poor mostly buy cheap, remote apartments, while the rich live in villas or estates. Luxury apartments in the city center are also a good choice.

Only the middle class pursues a kind of 'sentiment.' No one in this world is busier than them!

Besides work, they schedule every minute of their time and enjoy doing things that they don't actually need to do.

They often arrange special things for themselves and make a list, such as reading a book every week and writing a review.

Or they must learn a musical instrument within a certain period and show it off to friends and relatives.

They can always find many things that seem to make their life process more meaningful. This is the middle class.

Sentiment, refinement.

And building a house happens to be one of the many life plans they have, and a very important one at that.

But unfortunately, Lance and his people don't have the time or the skill, even if they could buy all the pre-made wood directly based on the selected model house and just piece it together according to the drawings.

A house is a big project, let alone so many houses here, so in the end, the professional things are still left to the professionals to do.

The community service company hired a professional construction team. They were construction teams under these building production companies. Give them some money, and they can quickly build the houses.

Lance drove over, and he was very satisfied with everything here. The more than two-meter-high vegetation wall, whose name he didn't know, could well block people's view.

And outside the vegetation wall, there was also an iron fence about one and a half meters high.

He bought several houses at once. These townhouses were not separated by courtyard walls, forming a whole.

The community service manager was very enthusiastic about Lance, such a 'big customer.' 'The colors of the roof and exterior walls will be completed in the next few days. You can already consider choosing a decoration style.'

'I recommend our community service company's partners. You can take a walk around the community and also take a look at the model houses. These are all decorated by them.'

'If you are not satisfied with their work results after the decoration is completed, we can also negotiate with them for you…'

The manager said a lot, but it all meant only one thing: he hoped Lance would sign the company he recommended as the decoration company.

Decorating such a four-and-a-half-story building—a basement counts as half a story, then there's the first floor, second floor, and half an attic, so it's called four and a half stories.

Such a four-and-a-half-story house, totaling more than 300 square meters, would cost at least 500 yuan to decorate well.

If you want to decorate it better, then it will cost 1,000 yuan.

The manager can get a 2% return from it. Even if Lance decorates according to the lowest standards, he can still get at least dozens of yuan in kickbacks.

And the community service company can also get some profit from it.

Seeing that Lance didn't show any obvious refusal, the manager immediately knew that he didn't have any options at the moment and began to promote it more vigorously, even going back to get a brochure to introduce the various styles inside to Lance.

At this time, the most popular thing in the Federation was 'Modern.'

Modern originally meant something fashionable, trendy, and stylish, but it has now transcended its own meaning and is becoming a phenomenon.

Modern family, modern girl, modern decoration, modern… everything!

Lance flipped through the brochure in his hand and then handed it to Melo. As the 'chief housekeeper,' he was enough to handle these things.

After the group returned to the company, their faces were filled with a kind of… special happiness because they had a home.

The sense of security that a home brings to people cannot be replaced by other things. The feeling of curling up in bed, covering your head with a quilt, clearly dark and small, but able to bring unparalleled security, is also irreplaceable by other things.

Those who went told those who didn't about the various good things about the new home, as if good days had already arrived.

Lance looked around, 'Where's Ennio?'

Ennio liked to join in the fun. It was surprising enough that he didn't go to see the house today, but he wasn't even in the company now, which was very unusual.

Maurice came over and explained, 'He went to the hospital. His father is hospitalized.'

Lance had heard about the discord between Ennio and his father, and he had also heard that all his goals were to move out of his house.

Now that he can take the initiative to see his father, something must have happened.

'Is there anything I need to do?' he asked.

Maurice shook his head, 'He should be back soon. You know, the situation between him and his father…' Maurice shook his head.

Almost most immigrant families face similar problems: income, expenses, savings, poverty…

At this time, Ennio didn't know that Lance had specifically asked about him. He was standing in the ward looking at his father, who was covered in bandages. The father and son looked at each other, but neither had a good expression.

No one spoke first, as if whoever spoke first would lose. They were just sulking like this.

After a while, a doctor walked in led by a nurse. He glanced at Ennio, 'Are you the patient's family member?'

Ennio didn't speak, just looked at him, 'Never mind who I am, just say what you have to say.'

The doctor glanced at the silent man, took out a bill, 'Your… relative's account is empty. He currently owes the hospital seven yuan. Also, if he needs further treatment in the hospital, you must deposit at least fifty yuan into his account.'

Actually, it didn't need to be so much, but they were also afraid, so they could only ask for a little more first.

It's easy to refund the excess, but it's not certain that the shortfall can be made up.

The Federation's social medical insurance does not reimburse people's expenses without any restrictions. People pay medical expenses according to a certain proportion, and there is also a limit.

If this limit is exceeded, you will need to pay the full medical expenses yourself if you don't have additional commercial insurance.

It's not as good as it boasts at all. There are a lot of people who can't afford to see a doctor, and even many middle-class people go bankrupt every year because of medical treatment.

He gave the bill to Ennio, who took it in his hand and looked at it, not understanding it.

But he could understand the numbers typed out by the typewriter at the bottom of the bill, as well as the two signatures.

He glanced at his father again, was silent for a while, took out a wad of money from his pocket, counted out seven yuan, and then counted out fifty yuan.

The doctor wasn't encountering this situation for the first time. He took the money and counted it, 'Don't leave yet. I'll have the accountant issue you a receipt. The extra money will be refunded when you leave the hospital with the receipt.'

He felt that these two must have a lot to say and didn't like to intervene in the conflicts between patients and family members, so he took the little nurse to get the payment receipt.

In the room, only the two of them were left again.

After about ten seconds, the man suddenly asked, 'Where did the money come from?'

'Did you do something illegal?'

He looked at his son. Ennio didn't even want to look at him at first, but at this time, he was so angry that he put his hands on his hips and turned to look at his father, walking back and forth a few steps, and said in a slightly louder voice than usual, 'At least I have money in my pocket, but you can't even take out seven yuan!'

The man kept looking at him, 'Although I am very poor, every penny of mine is clean.'

'What's the use of being clean?'

Ennio's voice was even louder, 'If being clean was so good, why did Mom leave?'

'If being clean was useful, would you be lying here unable to even take out seven yuan?'

'Listen, I don't want to argue with you, but you have to remember that the dirty money you think of can now save you and allow you to receive the services of the Federation's medical care that you love!'

'And those clean money you talk about, I have never seen them since I can remember!'

The man seemed to still be struggling, 'I will succeed…'

Ennio shook his head in disappointment, 'You thought so twenty years ago!'

The man didn't seem to want to continue to argue with Ennio on this issue. He changed the topic, 'The person who injured me said that I hurt his family…'

'He has already reunited with his family!'

'You…' The man looked surprised. He had just said one word when he suddenly seemed to realize something and lowered his voice, 'Did you kill him?'

Ennio shook his head, 'These have nothing to do with you. You just need to know that he won't come looking for you again.'

'Then, you continue to pursue your Federation dream!'

He raised his wrist and glanced at the time, 'I have to go.'

After saying that, he took two steps, then came back and put the cigarette on the bedside table, as well as a ten-yuan bill.

'You can use it, or you don't have to.'

'Money is just money. There is no such thing as clean or dirty.'

After he finished speaking, he took a deep look at the man, turned around, and left without looking back.

He hated this man.

He hated him for inflicting all his failures on his family through domestic violence, which was also why Enio wanted to escape the family.

But when he saw the man lying on the bed covered in injuries, he suddenly felt a little soft-hearted.

Some of the good things he had done in the past began to surface from the depths of his memory.

The cake he bought for himself on his birthday when he was a child, the pair of sneakers he bought for himself, taking himself out to play... …

When you hate someone, you can't find any reason to forgive them.

But when you feel soft-hearted, you can find many beautiful memories.

People are always contradictory, and they will always be contradictory.

The man looked at Enio's back, his eyes moving to the pack of cigarettes and money.

The little nurse sent the voucher, telling him that if he didn't use up all the money when he was discharged from the hospital, he could use the voucher to get the remaining money, and he must keep it safe.

He struggled to sit up, glanced at the cigarettes on the cabinet, forty-nine cents a pack, he couldn't afford it.

He usually smoked five cents a roll, which was the kind of ordinary hand-rolled cigarette, a roll does not necessarily have much, anyway, it is a roll, belonging to the private use of tobacco leaves rolled out for sale.

Choking, spicy, this is inferior raw tobacco, and even some of them are not the taste of tobacco.

He had many impulses to spend a little and buy a pack of better commercial cigarettes to try, but eventually gave up.

Because life is too difficult.

How ridiculous it is that a person can use reason to overcome desire!

He pulled out one from inside, took out a pack of matches from the cabinet drawer, and lit it.

Then coughed twice, but he felt great!

The feeling this cigarette gave him was much better than those ten-cent cigarettes, than the cigarettes he rolled himself.

He looked at the white ceiling.

Enio was driving, thinking about many things in his mind. When he passed a red light at an intersection, he stopped the car.

Looking at the scenery on the street, his thoughts drifted far away.

He has money now. He has hundreds of dollars after following Lance for a short time. Making money is too easy.

He was a little confused again, maybe this is a stage that everyone must go through.

Suddenly, the car horn and scolding in his ears brought him back to his senses. He was now at an intersection, and he had stopped because of the red light just now.

He had some thoughts and divergent thinking during the waiting time. He knew this was his problem.

But just as he was about to start the car and leave, someone suddenly slammed heavily on his car window.

The whole car seemed to be shaking.

Outside the car window, a middle-aged man was loudly cursing something, and kept hitting the car window and roof, looking fierce as if he wanted to eat someone.

The two looked at each other, and neither of them had any intention of stopping. They were still hitting the car window and cursing Enio.

Enio glanced back at the baseball bat exposed under the passenger seat, and an indescribable desire for destruction instantly filled his heart!

He turned around, grabbed the baseball bat, and then pushed the car door open forcefully.

The car door hit the bastard, making him retreat a few steps, and then Enio waved the baseball bat and hit him.

The surrounding horns and curses all stopped in an instant, leaving only the man's begging for mercy.

The whole world seemed to enter a strange rhythm.

I don't know how long it took, he gasped slightly, straightened up a little staggeringly, looked at the moaning man, looked at the horrified eyes of the onlookers, wiped the blood on his face, and returned to the car.

He wanted to drive away, but after a burst of venting, reason began to return, and he felt that this matter was suddenly a bit tricky.

He didn't leave, but went to the side of the road and made a phone call to the company.

Lance, who was counting money, answered the phone, "This is Lance."

"Me, Enio, there was a little accident…"

Soon, two cars drove out of the alley behind the company. More than ten minutes later, Lance saw Enio on the side of the road.

The police also came, as well as an ambulance. The unlucky guy had just been sent to the ambulance, and the police were questioning Enio.

Lance walked over. When the two policemen saw Lance walking over, they both took a step back, and one of them even put his hand on the gun holster.

These people were all wearing the same attire, looking a little scary, not like good people.

Lance raised his hands to prove that he was harmless, "I am his friend, to understand what happened."

"Which branch are you from?"

The two policemen looked at each other, and one of them said, "We are from the Empire District Branch."

This is within the Empire District. Lance showed some smiles, "I know John… now he should be the Assistant Director."

The expressions of the two patrolmen immediately softened. This is one of our own.

Lance also took the opportunity to get closer, out of sight of the people, took out twenty dollars from his pocket, and stuffed it into the pocket of one of the patrolmen, "I believe we will also become friends."

The two patrolmen looked at each other again, with more smiles on their faces, "Of course, sir."

Lance was very satisfied with their reaction, "Then can I chat with my brother for a few words?"

The person in charge of taking notes put down the writing board in his hand, "Why not?"

They took the initiative to go to the front of the car, leaving them at the rear of the car.

Enio told Lance what happened. Lance listened very seriously, "Do you think he will die?"

Enio shook his head, "Although I lost my mind at that moment, I guarantee that I didn't want to kill him. I held back. He is probably seriously injured."

It's okay as long as he doesn't die.

"You had an argument, he asked you to get out of the car, you were afraid that he would hurt you, so you got out of the car with your baseball bat."

"He looked like he was going to hit you, you were too nervous, so you fought back. You heard that he swore to kill you, you can only let him lose his ability to resist first."

Lance patted his cheek, "Don't talk nonsense, don't admit anything, even if they beat you, remember, you were very nervous, he provoked you first."

"I'll help you arrange a lawyer, everything will be fine."

"Is there anything on the car or on you that can't appear in court?"

"Guns, or anything else?"

Enio shook his head, "No."

Lance patted his arm, "Remember my words."

He turned around and walked back to the front of the car, giving each of the two patrolmen a cigarette, "My friend is encountering this kind of thing for the first time, a little nervous, can I see the notes he said before?"

One of the patrolmen looked a little embarrassed, "This is not very… in line with our work principles."

Lance handed over a business card, it was his own, "I'll treat you to a drink after get off work tonight, try to overcome the difficulties."

The two hesitated for a while, and finally gave the writing board to Lance.

On the one hand, Lance knows John. John is not only greedy, but also a sinister and vicious character. People in the branch are a little afraid of him, let alone these two patrolmen at the bottom.

On the other hand, Lance's generosity also made them very excited.

After Lance got the writing board, he simply modified a few places in it, "He was too nervous, a little incoherent, this description is more reasonable, what do you think?"

The two policemen glanced at it, you have finished saying everything, what else can we do?

But they also nodded in agreement, after all, their job is to restore the truth.