Empire of Shadows

Fides City.

In a nameless bar.

Gario sat at the bar counter.

This book is first published on the entire network by 𝕥 𝕨 𝕜 𝕒 𝕟 . 𝕔 𝕠 𝕞

This was his bar. Relying on the liquor sent by Lance, he quickly acquired a large amount of funds, and his gang was also constantly growing.

In this era, money can end everything!

Those who can't afford to eat, those who are jobless and homeless, they can stab a stranger for a full meal.

They can also sell their lives to you for the money you give them!

Fides is a city with relatively simple economic development, so there are not many opportunities here, unlike King's Harbor City.

If you don't do well in this line, you can find a new job in another line. Even if you don't do well in all jobs, you can choose to lie down or crawl.

The rich business formats can find enough opportunities for people to survive, as long as they can recognize themselves and don't have illusions about reality.

But in Fides, even if you recognize yourself and don't have illusions about reality, and even if you are willing to lie on the bed with your butt up, there must be someone behind you!

Girls are okay, but boys...

So, not being able to eat in here means you really can't eat!

Gario now has money in his hands, and he can attract many people to join his gang. His gang is also growing and his influence is changing.

Even the city councilors are drinking here.

For example, the one sitting next to him now.

"Good wine."

There are seven city councilors in Fides City, and Philip is one of them.

After Sidney left Fides City, the Socialist Party, as a political exchange of interests and some ideas, promoted him to be the mayor of King's Harbor City, and at the same time dismantled the original political interest groups in Fides City.

Now these politicians and those from Sidney's time are not the same group of people.

They are all new vested interest groups and naturally will not abide by the rules of Sidney's era.

Philip shook the wine glass in his hand, admiring the psychedelic light that penetrated through the glass and the amber liquid.

There are still a few people in the bar. These people are either staff members of the city hall, civil servants, or local celebrities.

This bar is specially opened for these big shots. As a heavy industrial city, alcohol, machine oil, and coal are indispensable!

Even for politicians who don't work on the assembly line!

Now, Gario is the only one in the city who can stably provide high-quality alcohol.

Gario smiled, a very simple and honest smile, even looking a little shy, but if you think he is really shy, then you are definitely wrong.

A gang leader cannot be an honest and shy person. This is his disguise.

Looking at his silly smile, Philip knew he was pretending to be stupid, "I heard these wines are from King's Harbor City?"

Avoiding his question again is obviously not appropriate.

Gario nodded, "I have a way in King's Harbor City..."

Councilor Philip put the wine glass in front of his nose and smelled it, then took a sip, "High-end taste!"

He paused and said, "Very fragrant, not only the aroma of wine, but also the smell of money, and something else."

Gario quickly weighed it in his mind for a while, "I can take out five percent."

Councilor Philip didn't make any indication, so he had to continue, "You see, if they know you took it, they will also take it. Your seven councilors, one mayor, maybe the police chief also needs..."

"Five percent for each of you, ten percent for the mayor, three percent for the police chief, and I can still have left..."

He quickly calculated, "Fifty-two percent."

"I have a lot of costs, and I am also taking the risk, and I also have so many people to support."

After thinking for a while, Councilor Philip took out three twenty-five cent coins and two one-dollar bills and put them on the table.

This money can't even buy the glass of wine in his hand. He pushed the money towards Gario, "This is the money I invested."

Sometimes these politicians are more shameless and rogue than the darkest gangs!

Obviously, he could have gotten it for free, but he still took out the money. This is actually a kind of sarcasm, a kind of arrogance!

He wants to use this method to tell Gario, "I don't owe you anything."

As for whether he really doesn't owe him anything, everyone knows it in their hearts, but at least he can convince himself.

When he needs to make a choice when facing certain problems in the future, these two dollars and seventy-five cents may play a key role.

Gario knew this, but he still smiled and put the money in his pocket. Councilor Philip showed a smile on his face.

"You are a smart man, Gario."

Gario was just about to respond when the manager suddenly walked to his side and said a few words in his ear.

After apologizing to Councilor Philip, he entered the office.

The phone was quickly answered, it was Ennio.

"My dear Ennio, what made you think of calling your old friend?" he laughed loudly as he sat on the manager's chair. He laughed very loudly because only in this way could Ennio feel his enthusiasm.

Ennio exchanged a few pleasantries, "We have encountered a little trouble here. My good brother Morris was attacked by the Wolf Gang and is still in the hospital."

Gario's expression suddenly changed a bit, "That's really too bad!"

But soon his attention shifted to the name "Wolf Gang", "Are you talking about Wolf and them?"

"Yes."

Gario also had a very deep impression of the Wolf Gang, because the Bear Gang, the Wolf Gang, and the Viper Gang were the most famous gangs in Fides City.

Everyone in this city, from top to bottom, is related to industry. The entire city is in this atmosphere and environment, so most of the time, gangs are named as simply as possible.

They don't admire the term "family" very much, but they worship powerful animals in nature.

This is a characteristic of a region.

In coastal areas, because there is more and richer cultural exchange, they have many other ideas when it comes to naming.

However, the environment in the western region is relatively closed, and the outdoor environment is dangerous. Things like bears and wolves often attack pedestrians.

These predatory animals give people an inherent impression of power, so when choosing names, these people are more inclined to use powerful animals as the names of their gangs.

Before these gangs left Fides, Gario could only be considered a second or third-rate gang.

If it weren't for the fact that there were quite a few Imperial people, he might not even be considered second or third-rate.

Only after they left, and he earned money from the smuggled wine from Lance, did he start recruiting troops and expanding his power, and then he mixed into the first-rate forces.

So hearing this familiar name again, he felt a little emotional.

"The Professor is a very powerful person. He had a good relationship with the councilors and even the mayor of our city at the time."

He paused, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

The sound of a match being struck came from the receiver. After a while, Ennio said, "Professor, Wolf, the Wolf Gang, these people...do they have any family members?"

Gario was stunned for a moment after hearing this. Although there is no saying in the Federation that "hatred should not be extended to the family", in fact, some people, especially those at the bottom, still agree with it.

But the upper class is different. The higher the level, the more they pay attention to killing them all, and never leaving any future troubles.

In the Federal political arena, there are many cases of sudden family deaths or accidental family deaths, but they are rarely revealed to ordinary people.

Gario considered for a few seconds, "Only the Professor knows Wolf's situation, we don't know."

"After the Professor's son died, he divorced his wife. His wife took her daughter and remarried."

"By the way, the Professor's father is still alive. He also has an older sister and a younger brother, and their family..."

"In addition, there are several senior cadres in the Wolf Gang who are also local to Fides City. I can find out their situation."

Ennio didn't ask the last sentence. Gario added it himself. Since he decided to do it, he would do it thoroughly. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why he can lead his gang to survive in Fides City, ruthless enough, not as simple as his appearance.

Ennio pursed his lips after listening, "I'll come over in a few days."

Gario thought of Councilor Philip sitting outside and thought for a moment, "I'll take them over, I also want to meet Mr. Lance in person."

He knew very well who provided him with these wines.

Ennio was easy to talk to, but he couldn't make these big deals. He had to meet Lance in person to feel at ease.

At the same time, he also wanted Councilor Philip to know that he was not an insignificant little guy with connections only in the local area.

Even in King's Harbor City, he had connections!

In this era, people still have great awe of big cities, awe of everything in big cities, those people who live in big cities!

In fact, people's way of thinking is very simple. It must be more difficult to survive in big cities than in small cities, and those big shots in big cities must not be easily provoked by them.

This logic is actually not a problem, but they overlooked one thing.

Those who live in dilapidated old houses in big cities may not be as powerful as those who live in big houses in the countryside.

Ennio did not refuse. He covered the microphone and agreed after a while, "Lance agreed, I will pick you up then. Please pay attention to this matter."

After hanging up the phone, Galio returned outside and sat next to Councilor Phillip. "Sorry, that was a call from Goldport City."

Councilor Phillip paused slightly in his turning motion. He turned his head to look at Galio, his gaze meeting Galio's for the first time today, his eyes filled with inquiry.

"I just got an opportunity to meet the big boss."

Councilor Phillip seemed to think of something. "I remember Sidney went to Goldport City. Is he the mayor there now?"

Galio lowered his head and raised his glass to conceal the bewilderment on his face. He really didn't know that Sidney had gone to Goldport City.

This wasn't because he was ignorant, but because the vast majority of citizens wouldn't know where the mayor went after leaving their city. No one cared about that; they only cared about themselves and their lives.

"Yes!"

Galio nodded slightly. "So?"

Councilor Phillip shook his head. "We'll discuss the shares when you get back."

Galio nodded and agreed with a slightly apologetic tone, "I'll be back as soon as possible."

After seeing Councilor Phillip off, Galio pulled some of his trusted core members into a car and briefly explained the situation.

No one voiced any thoughts like "We shouldn't hurt their families." Many victims' families had been affected by the Wolf Gang, and no one had ever said they were wrong.

The professor and his wife had been divorced for almost five years, and five years was enough to change many people and things.

If you didn't specifically inquire, many people might not even know about those past events that were gradually being covered up by time.

No one would remember that the professor's descent into darkness was because the sunlight couldn't reach his tragically deceased son.

Nor would anyone remember that there were these two people, who had a frightening father and husband.

In the evening, the professor's daughter returned from work. Her brother's death had changed her personality somewhat, and she began to reject being alone with men.

Although... this might be a problem, she felt that she was doing quite well now, just like her mother.

She made some simple food and called her mother out. The two sat at the table, eating dinner and chatting.

It was all content related to her work.

Just then, someone knocked on the door.

Seeing her mother about to get up, she quickly said, "I'll go, you continue eating. Maybe it's a neighbor or something."

She wiped her mouth and ran towards the door. The old woman shook her head slightly.

After a dozen seconds, she saw her daughter backing away with her hands raised. The old woman found her movements a little strange, and immediately asked, "What are you doing, dear?"

Her daughter didn't answer her, but a few seconds later, she knew the answer.

Several people came in from outside, one of whom was holding a gun.

The old woman sat there in a panic, repeatedly calling out "My God," but God didn't seem to be on duty today, and didn't hear her call.

Galio walked in from outside. He looked at the two women, one big and one small, with no change in expression on his face. "I'm sorry, there are some things that may require you to leave with me for a while."

The professor's daughter returned to her mother's side, put her arm around the old woman's shoulders, and gave her some comfort.

She looked up at Galio, "Where are we going?"

"Goldport City!"

When this word came out of his mouth, both of them knew it was because of the professor.

Galio grasped his left wrist with his right hand and hung it in front of him, which made him look less aggressive. "Don't make things difficult for me, ladies."

Things went smoothly. Faced with these guys holding weapons, they had no ability to resist.

The same was true for the families of other people.

The riots in Goldport City hadn't yet reached Fides, but it shouldn't be long before most of the Federation was discussing the chaos in Goldport City and ways to resolve it!

In the evening, the not-so-peaceful city once again experienced violent explosions. Many people lay in bed or sat on the sofa, emptying their minds.

They didn't understand why the whole city had suddenly become like this?

But it seemed that the mayor was still hospitalized, the police chief hadn't been selected yet, and everything seemed to be in a delicate environment.

This seemed to be beneficial to everyone, maintaining a strange balance.

At eleven o'clock, Alberto was shaken awake from his sleep. He rubbed his eyes and sat up. He was in a car.

The car was parked outside a Cassia family warehouse, where they stored wine and weapons.

The five major families were partners, but in a sense, they were also competitors.

Even in the past, when the mayor hadn't turned against them, the five major families were wary of each other, looking for opportunities in each other.

They knew the specific situation of the Cassia family, just as the people of the Cassia family knew the specific situation of the Pasreto family.

Blowing up this warehouse might not be as direct as killing so many of their people, but it would definitely make Rick (the boss of the Cassia family) more heartbroken than killing their people!

Those people he recruited from Yalan cost dozens of dollars a month. Even if a thousand died, the loss would only be tens of thousands of dollars.

But the wine and various supplies in the warehouse might be worth hundreds of thousands!

At this time, there were no other abnormalities around the warehouse except for a few people patrolling. Alberto rubbed his eyes and picked up his gun.

He glanced at Fordis and nodded slightly. Then Fordis put his hand out of the car and made a gesture.

The cars parked in the darkness all started and rushed towards the warehouse!

The people outside the warehouse were easily taken care of by them. Seeing that the mission was about to be completed, a relaxed smile appeared on Alberto's face!

Paul asked him why he raised his hand. After all, he wasn't a core member, and he didn't need to participate in such a risky activity.

But he told Paul that from the moment he raised his hand, he pretended to be one!

He was very grateful to Paul for bringing him out of Sumuli Island, allowing him to see this prosperous world and have his own share of the industry, so he wanted to do something for Paul.

In fact, there was another relationship. Now in the early stages of the war, the intensity of the fighting wasn't too high.

Going on a mission at this time was definitely safer than going on a mission later. A non-core member like him had already done something for the family once, so even if there was work that required him to participate in later.

With Paul's personality, he wouldn't arrange any other dangerous work for him!

As long as he blew up this warehouse, he would have completed half of it!

The gunshots were rattling, but it was a pity that there was a little lack of blue light, otherwise it would be more atmospheric.

The gunmen guarding outside the warehouse were quickly taken down. Alberto jumped out of the car and pushed open the heavy sliding door of the warehouse.

The lights inside suddenly turned on!

One black muzzle after another was aimed at him. Before he could react, he was knocked out by a car!

The next second, that car was shot into a sieve!

Alberto was laboriously helped up from the ground by Fordis. He saw a smiling face. The glass between them quickly shattered, then splattered with blood, stained red with blood, and he could no longer see the person's appearance!

This was a trap, a trap waiting for them to take the bait. Someone had betrayed them!