Empire of Shadows

At ten o'clock in the morning, the chairman of the Liji Group drove out of his house, wearing a cotton coat that wasn't too thick but very warm.

Today was the day of the trial, but he wasn't too worried about it. After all, for the group company, the worst-case scenario was just paying four million in compensation.

He knew that someone had been shorting the group company's stock recently. He and the board of directors and shareholders had discussed this issue, and everyone believed that these people would not cause trouble for the company.

The reason was simple: this wasn't the first time the Liji Group had done this; they had done it many times before.

Although the stock price would indeed decline due to their commercial ethics issues, it would immediately rise again after the annual report was released.

The capital market ultimately speaks with the company's profitability, not with moral character.

If a company's success or failure were judged solely by whether it had commercial ethics, then the entire Federation would be poor!

This was just a small accident. As long as they could drag out the lawsuit, the stock would not only not fall, but might even rise.

Because through practical actions, they expressed to shareholders and investors the core message they wanted to convey: not even a penny could be taken from their pockets!

So he didn't care about this matter at all. Yesterday, he had made an appointment with an old friend to go fishing in the suburbs today.

He liked fishing.

He liked to gamble with the fish beneath the calm surface while looking at the calm water. When he finally pulled up the fishing rod and watched the fish weakly shake its body in the air, the sense of satisfaction was even greater than sleeping with a female celebrity!

He loved fishing more than anything else.

So when someone invited him, he immediately came out.

He drove his beloved pickup truck, carrying his fishing gear worth several thousand yuan, to a river on the edge of the city.

At this time, the surface of the water had begun to freeze. To fish, you first had to drill a hole in the ice.

Winter fishing is actually very interesting, especially since the fish at the bottom of the water in winter are particularly fat, which makes it easier for anglers to break their previous records.

It's either longer or heavier.

A total of three people came, and the other two were old friends of his. They had also gone fishing together before.

They even had a house by the river, built specifically for fishing.

So, the happiness of the rich is something that many people cannot experience. Just to make it easier to fish, they spent more than ten thousand yuan before and after to build this house.

After fishing, they could change into a set of clothes here, then process the fish they caught, and have some wine and delicious food.

This was a kind of fun.

The three of them changed into their fishing cold-weather gear, smiled, and came to the ice. They used a special drilling machine to drill several holes in the ice, and finally broke them up into one piece.

This was an irregular hole with a diameter of about three to four meters. After the water surged up, it dropped slightly. The three of them placed customized comfortable chairs, a brazier, and several windshields, and began to fish.

There was pre-ground coffee in the brazier, constantly bubbling.

There was also some food, fruits, and the like next to the brazier. The outer skin gradually shrank, and after a while, it became very hot and delicious.

"The media has been full of your company's affairs these days. Why is the impact so great this time?"

The chairman of the board of directors kneaded the bait, and put the hook into the hole, "Some people are shorting the group company's stock. It's very likely that they did it, just wanting to make a profit by taking advantage of this kind of thing."

"Detran's hyenas are everywhere, it's not surprising!"

Detran is a famous financial street in New Gold City. More than 70% of the Federation's financial companies are gathered on both sides of the road and even in the surrounding area.

A large number of foundations are also here, forming a special financial industry atmosphere.

Some people say that Detran is the place with the strongest financial atmosphere in the Federation and even the world, and the streets are full of financial practitioners who calculate their income in seconds.

They joked that if someone lost a dollar on the streets of Detran, it would still be there after twenty-four hours!

Because no one would bend down to pick it up. Just the process of bending down to pick it up could cause people to lose many times more income than it!

This is actually a very exaggerated statement, but people in the Federation and even outside the Federation believe it.

They just believe that everyone in Detran is picking up money, picking up money from the financial capital market, but they ignore the essence of the financial game.

In order to obtain more benefits, some people here specialize in using legal loopholes to profit. These people are the Detran hyenas.

Once they discover prey, they will create contradictions and conflicts, and use the power of media and public opinion to make a profit.

Although they sometimes fail, overall, there are still more people making money, because people don't pay attention to those who don't make money.

Another companion wearing a red hat showed a slightly gloating expression. White mist would spout out when he spoke, obscuring some of his face, "Sounds terrible. Being targeted by these hyenas, they will definitely bite off a piece of meat from you."

The chairman of the board of directors shook his head, his expression very calm, "No, it's from those stupid investors!"

He emphasized his tone, "For us, we don't make money through the financial market. What can make us profitable are those physical industries. As long as we achieve our profit target this year, the environment they create will not affect the recovery and rise of the stock price."

"We are very confident in this regard!"

Another friend wearing a fur hat asked again, "Is the four million real?"

"Please, I'm just here to enjoy fishing time!" the chairman of the board of directors complained, but still explained a little.

"We suspect that this is the result of them setting a trap for us, so we have been appealing. We are lucky that the Supreme Court accepted this appeal."

"Okay, let's not discuss these things that affect our mood, let's enjoy fishing!"

They were using the best bait to fish in the river section with the most fish in winter, which in itself was a kind of cheating.

The fish underwater obviously began to increase, and they also began to frequently lift their rods.

Every time they reeled in was a surprise-filled anticipation. Maybe they could catch a super big fish that would break their career record!

At noon, the three of them ate a little something in the house by the river, and then took a nap.

After all, they were getting old. After sleeping until about three-thirty, they got up again to continue fishing.

They would not leave until five o'clock, so that the morning and afternoon would add up to at least four hours, which would allow them to fully enjoy themselves.

In the afternoon, the chairman of the board of directors had good luck, and caught several big fish in a row. Although it didn't break his record, it still made him feel excited!

Seeing that the sky was gradually turning dark, the day's fishing was almost over.

At this moment, suddenly the float on the water sank sharply, and he lifted the rod accordingly.

At the moment the fishing line tightened, he felt that this was a big fish!

He concentrated all his attention underwater, constantly competing with the prey in the water.

This was a very interesting process, and also a process of gambling.

The older people get, the more they like to gamble.

Two cars came from afar, and the cars stopped next to their cars. Some people got out of the cars.

The chairman of the board of directors just glanced at them, and refocused his energy on competing with the prey underwater.

He was completely focused, without the slightest relaxation. He had a strong feeling and confidence that this would be the biggest fish he had ever encountered in his life!

He had a voice in his heart telling him that he must catch this fish, it would become his honor!

Lance walked out of the car wearing thick clothes. The two old men glanced at them and withdrew their gaze.

They stood around the chairman of the board of directors, seemingly watching him fight with the water splashes in the water.

Perhaps influenced by the onlookers, he became more and more excited. Both his spirit and physical strength reached the peak he could achieve at this stage!

After more than ten minutes of competition, the constantly surging torrent under the hole finally disappeared a lot. The chairman of the board of directors, slightly panting, began to quickly reel in, and said, "Prepare the net, I feel like I'm going to break the record!"

The red hat stood up, holding the net by the water. Before long, a big guy floated up.

"Quick!" he shouted.

The red hat quickly scooped up the fish. The net, which was already not small, couldn't even hold it!

Then it was thrown on the ice. Everyone, including Lance, couldn't help but exclaim in their hearts, it's so damn big!

The smile on the chairman of the board of directors' face could no longer be hidden. He couldn't help but laugh out loud. Only people who love fishing know how happy he is in his heart right now!

"I'm going to make it into a specimen and put it in my villa!" he said as he walked towards the fish, and took out a tape measure from his pocket. He had to measure it.

"Sure enough, I broke the record!" His face was full of excitement and pride, but soon he also felt some discomfort.

Because of the long period of exertion just now, he was now a little exhausted, and at the same time his whole body was sweaty, sticky and very uncomfortable.

He glanced at the sky, and then said, "Let's call it a day, and it looks like you guys have other things to do."

He thought these people were here to find his two friends, but the red hat said, "They are here to find you."

The chairman of the board of directors, who was piercing the fish, was stunned for a moment. He turned to look at those young people, none of whom he recognized, "I don't know you."

Then his gaze turned to the red-hatted man, with a hint of resentment.

Anyone would feel uncomfortable being introduced to so many strangers without their consent, especially in such a private setting.

Although it was a public area, their entertainment was very private. They hadn't invited anyone, so he felt they shouldn't be doing this kind of socializing in such a private setting and time.

But since they had come, and he wasn't feeling well, he could only show a slight gesture.

"I'm covered in sweat. Let's go inside the house. It's warm there, and there are drinks. I can also change my clothes."

"We can talk about things later."

As he spoke, he bent down again to deal with the fish, a pair of legs walked in front of him.

He slowly raised his head, his gaze following those legs, moving to the young man's face. This was very impolite.

Because when he bent over, the other person walked over, as if he was bowing to them. He didn't have a good expression on his face, just looked at the young man who had disturbed him.

"I'm Lance, Lance White."

The young man extended his hand. The chairman of the board was slightly taken aback. He seemed to have heard this name somewhere.

If he had heard of it, then this young man was definitely not someone without a reputation.

After all, the social classes were different. You couldn't expect the President to have heard of an ordinary person's name. The people the President was "familiar" with were definitely figures from his own class, or slightly less, but the difference wouldn't be that significant.

Out of politeness, he reached out and shook Lance's hand. "Have we met before?"

He was a little unsure. Lance said with a smile, "We haven't met. This is our first time meeting."

The chairman of the board was even more confused. "I don't know where I've heard your name. Sorry, what do you do?"

Only when you are strong enough will you not care about other people's opinions, nor will you consider whether you have offended others.

He was asking Lance to introduce himself. Lance still had that simple, clean smile, which made the chairman of the board feel a little favorable.

People who smile are generally not annoying, unless the smile on their face is too damn fake, and it can still be seen through.

The two men's hands were still clasped. Lance continued, "I come from King's Port City. Could that make you think of something?"

The chairman of the board's eyes showed a few seconds of confusion, followed by an expression of disbelief. He turned his head to look at his two good friends, wanting to shake off his hand, but his hand was tightly grasped by Lance!

"Let go of me!"

"Damn!"

"Call the police, call the police quickly!"

He panicked and wanted to escape, using his other hand to pry at Lance's fingers, but no matter how he pried, he couldn't open them!

Lance's hand was like a pair of pliers, clamping his wrist painfully.

He glanced back at his two old friends. They were standing on the side, smoking, without moving, and the look in their eyes was completely different from when they were fishing just now.

Even if his reaction was slow, he realized something was wrong!

He looked at his two old friends in disbelief. They had known each other for more than forty years, and there were no conflicts between them. Their relationship had always been good.

If the relationship wasn't good, they wouldn't often go fishing together.

These two people were at about the same social level as him, with similar prestige and influence.

He really couldn't figure out why they would do this!

The intensity of the chairman of the board's struggle was decreasing, even a little resigned.

He looked at Lance, forcing himself to calm down. "What are you planning to do?"

"Kill me?"

"Who gave you the guts?"

When he asked these questions, his heart was actually beating violently, because he knew that since they had come, they must have made full preparations.

Lance shook his head. "Who it is doesn't really matter anymore. Anyway, you'll never know."

The chairman of the board swallowed. "Is it worth it just for the four million dollars?"

He spoke quickly, "I can give you four million… no, six million, including your previous losses. Let's end this here!"

"I won't cause you any trouble. It's all our fault!"

"I can also publicly apologize to you. I'll have them withdraw the lawsuit. This is our problem!"

Lance looked into his eyes and showed no signs of being moved. He knew he was old, and he knew he probably only had ten years left.

But the more this was the case, the more afraid he was of death.

Because he had too much to lose. These things made it impossible for him to give up everything he owned and leave this world.

The expression on his face could no longer be controlled, becoming panicked.

Lance shook his head. "It's not just about the money anymore!" He tilted his head slightly, and two other young men grabbed his arms and clothes from behind.

Lance let go of his hand, and because someone kicked him in the back of his knee, he knelt directly on the ice!

He let out a painful scream. His knees, which had been worn out for a lifetime, were also approaching their limit. This knock clearly caused a problem.

His two friends turned and left the ice, standing further away.

Lance nodded slightly, and Hiram directly pressed his head under the cold water!

In an instant, the biting ice water made him struggle violently, but he was no match for the two young and strong men!

Because of his panic, he had repeatedly inhaled a lot of cold water. This cold water stimulated his blood vessels to contract, making his sense of suffocation even stronger!

He couldn't break free, and the movement accelerated the consumption of oxygen. His desire for "breathing" became stronger and stronger!

Even though he knew he couldn't breathe at this moment, he couldn't help it in the end!

Watching him twitch violently a few times and then no longer react, Lance didn't let them let go of him, but waited a while, confirming that he was completely "gone" before letting the two men push him into the ice hole.

The entire riverside was frozen. Falling into the water at this time would only lead to suffocation, even if you were alive!

After doing this, they quickly returned to the shore. Lance shook hands with the two old men. "The rest is up to you. Remember to make yourselves look a little disheveled."

"Do you need my help?"

The two old men quickly shook their heads. "No need, Mr. Lance, we can do it ourselves!"

Lance smiled and shook hands with them separately. "Then we'll leave first."

After releasing his hand, the red-hatted old man whispered, "Give our regards to Senator!"

Lance nodded, "I will!"

Then they got into the car and left quickly.

The two old men were silent for a while, then began to wet themselves with river water. They glanced at the long fish, re-hooked it, and threw it into the river along with the fishing rod.

Half an hour later, two police cars and two rescue vehicles arrived at the scene…

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①: The "egg" here does not refer to a child.