Empire of Shadows

The port district is large and bustling, but it's a bustling born of poverty.

This kind of bustle is completely different from the bustle of the city center or the bay area.

In the port district, the girls who need help wear cheap, second-hand, and possibly stained revealing clothes for their aid services, standing under the streetlights at the alley entrance, waiting for business.

When a customer comes, they negotiate a price and go into the alley. It's just a cheap transaction. Besides discussing the price, they don't say anything else to the customer; it's purely business.

In the bay area, even the streetwalkers sit on the chairs of outdoor cafes that look nice, sipping coffee and striking alluring poses.

They can flirt and chat for a while, and when the mood is right, they go to a nearby hotel. Sometimes they run their business like a romantic encounter.

As for the city center, business is business, a more upscale business, a more blatant business, and a more satisfying business.

You need money, lots of money.

Each area has its own way of being bustling, so you can't say this place isn't bustling because the streets are full of business and customers.

The deserter assassin came to the southeast corner of the first intersection outside the First Pier exit. He leaned against a phone booth, watching the three-story building across the street.

His gaze would occasionally be inadvertently drawn to the hot, young girls, but it would quickly return to the building.

Federal girls are really enthusiastic when you can produce the money.

He rubbed his itchy nose, deciding that after this deal was done, he would definitely try the girls in the bay area.

The building diagonally opposite him was the Brothers Gang's "headquarters," with a sign that read "Brothers Import and Export Company." Their sources of income were varied, including protection fees, extortion, blackmail, kidnapping, threatening other businesses to make them hire their workers, and smuggling.

No one knew how much money they made each month, but it was definitely a lot because their boss, "Big Polly," had already bought a villa in the bay area.

However, he still preferred to stay in the port district. No matter how good the bay area was, it was a playground for the rich, while this was his real home.

Just as the deserter assassin was waiting for Jimmy to come out of the company at noon, Jimmy was sitting on the sofa in the manager's office on the third floor, covered in sweat.

"Wipe your sweat; you're sweating a lot," Polly said, picking up a handkerchief that he had just used to blow his nose and tossing it on the coffee table in front of Jimmy.

The latter inexplicably picked up the handkerchief and started wiping his sweat, but he soon realized there was something wrong with the handkerchief.

The sticky feeling made him feel a little disgusted. He glanced at the handkerchief in his hand, seemingly wanting to confirm something, but at that moment, Polly diverted his attention.

"I heard you've become a famous high roller at the casino recently. Is that true?" Polly wasn't actually tall, only about 1.6 meters, and that was with shoes on.

He looked thin when he wore clothes, which was a problem that short people often had. Even if they were covered in muscles, they wouldn't look strong when they wore clothes.

But if the muscles were too abundant, it would make people feel bloated and fat.

His skin was very fair, and he looked refined, but there were rumors that he had been molested by a caregiver in an orphanage since he was a child until he mustered the courage to stab that bastard to death with a dining knife.

And "Big Polly's" legendary story began from that moment.

Now, he was just a short man with fair skin who looked refined.

Adding "Big" to his name was actually a sign of his dissatisfaction with his short stature, and he also wanted others to understand a truth: even if he wasn't tall, he was still the biggest!

Jimmy was much taller than Polly, but at this moment, facing this short man and the words he said, he was sweating all over in fear.

"Polly, I..." Jimmy didn't know how to explain, and at the same time, he hated the people who spread rumors!

Polly raised his hand to stop him, then sat down next to him.

Jimmy proactively bent over, making it easier for Polly to put his arm around his shoulder.

"Actually, I don't really care whether you win or lose. I only care if you've touched the company's money. This concerns the future lives of all our brothers, you understand?"

Jimmy quickly explained, "No, absolutely not. I've already sent the company's accounts to the accountant."

Polly nodded slightly, "I heard. That's why you have the opportunity to sit here."

"I don't mind you guys going out and making some money for yourselves, but if you, any of you, cause me trouble because of some stupid thing, you know the consequences."

"We've struggled together for many years, and I don't want to lose any of my brothers."

"Can you understand what I'm thinking now?"

Jimmy had no other thought but to nod, "Of course!"

He struggled for a moment but still wanted to take the initiative to confess, "I extorted some money from Chobaf in the Empire District..."

Polly tilted his head slightly and raised his eyebrows. He let go of Jimmy's shoulder, patted him on the shoulder, and stood up, "I know Chobaf, a rich Empire guy. How much money did you extort from him?"

"Thirty thousand."

"Thirty thousand!" Polly repeated, then couldn't help but laugh, which made Jimmy sit foolishly on the sofa and laugh along with him twice.

Polly's laughter was very distinctive; his shoulders would rise and fall constantly with his laughter, which looked a bit comical, even funny.

But Polly's laughter suddenly stopped abruptly. His face remained motionless, and his eyes looked down at Jimmy.

He liked it when others were sitting while he was standing, only in this way would he have a condescending feeling.

"You extorted thirty thousand from a rich man, and you're still alive. It's simply a miracle!"

"Now tell me, why is there this miracle?"

Jimmy was very nervous. He didn't even dare to look Polly in the eye and said somewhat helplessly, "Because Chobaf is very honest, Polly. Many people are extorting him, and he never resists."

Polly raised his eyebrows, "Many people?"

"Many people."

He fell into deep thought. After twenty or thirty seconds, he turned and walked behind his desk, "If I ever find out again that you're taking the company's money to gamble, I'll tear you apart and feed you to the fish."

"Now, get out of my office. There's a batch of alcohol coming this afternoon. If I ever find out you've made a mistake..."

Jimmy quickly stood up to express his loyalty, "I will definitely kill myself before you do!"

He knew he had passed the test. The reason he passed wasn't actually because he and Polly were "brothers"; it was simply because he had balanced the books.

Polly shook his fingers twice, signaling him to get out quickly. He quickly said goodbye and left the room.

At the moment of closing the door, he breathed a heavy sigh of relief and cursed, "Fuck."

Polly wasn't tall, but his illustrious past gave him too much pressure, making it difficult for him to develop the idea of resistance. In fact, this is often the case.

You clearly know that the other person is just a living, ordinary person, not much better than you, and will also die from a fatal attack.

But you just can't muster the courage to face it, to fight.

They had all witnessed Polly's blood-soaked path, so they were even more afraid of this little man who didn't actually seem crazy than ordinary people.

Fortunately, this matter was resolved satisfactorily. He lit a cigarette to relax his mood. At this time, he wasn't sweating anymore, and the sweat on his head began to be absorbed by his skin. Only then did he feel some tightness on his scalp.

Then he remembered the handkerchief, and a stream of swear words poured out of his mouth. He bumped into two guys and ran into the bathroom, washing his head with the water from the faucet.

The other younger brothers in the bathroom quickly left. Everyone knew that he had just come out of Polly's office and was now cursing, who knew who he was scolding.

After washing the snot off his head, he returned to his office. It was said to be an office, but it was actually just a separate room with a few tables and several of his confidants.

As soon as he came in, the few people who were sitting or lying down immediately stood up.

"Is the matter resolved?" his top confidant asked. This person knew that he had taken the company's money to gamble and had tried to dissuade him, but it was useless.

When a gambling addict gets carried away, even if the money is his father's life savings, he can still unhesitatingly slam the money on the gambling table.

"The matter is resolved, but there won't be a next time," he paused. "There's a batch of alcohol coming this afternoon. Polly arranged for me to pick up the goods. You guys come with me, bring your weapons."

With Golden Port City and the upper-level state increasingly showing signs of joining the alcohol prohibition alliance, the price of alcohol has already risen sharply in a short period of time.

Mainly because some large suppliers suddenly started hoarding goods. Everyone knew that alcohol would definitely be banned, so these alcohols could be sold for double the price in no time. There was no reason to sell them cheaply now.

The alcoholic beverage market suddenly changed from a buyer's market to a seller's market, and prices naturally continued to rise.

Alcohol that used to be worth ninety-nine cents now costs one dollar and twenty or thirty cents, and there is still a tendency to continue rising. Almost everyone who realizes this is trying to hoard alcohol.

The group put on their weapons and then walked outside.

The deserter assassin, who had been waiting at the door for most of the morning, finally saw Jimmy leading the way out of the company gate...