Shadow Empire

Chapter 1058 Goodbye
Looking at Lance, who was sitting in Diego's chair and engrossed in his work, Pedro suddenly had a strange feeling.

He just watched Lance work quietly, without making any attempt to disturb him.

When I first met Lance, he was just a high school teacher.

Perhaps due to famine and other reasons, there was some dissatisfaction and resentment towards this society and the ruling group of Lapa.

If Diego and his men hadn't sold off the ample grain they had been tempted by huge profits, there might not have been a famine, and the events that followed wouldn't have happened.

At that time, he just thought that Lance was a Federation member who was probably not very friendly to Lapa, who was spreading a reactionary ideology and telling them how to make use of the forces around them.

They made use of everything they could see and access that, while not usually apparent, could unleash tremendous power when united.

At that time, in Pedro's eyes, Lance was an ambitious "mentor," which was not exactly a compliment.

During this time, he also heard many rumors about Lance, especially about the signing of the Zoran Treaty, in which Diego sold out a lot of national interests in exchange for some federal aid to him.

At this point, in Pedro's eyes, Lance had become one of the culprits who split Lapa, and was an evil one.

The second time I truly met Lance was not long ago.

Interestingly, after their first meeting, they didn't see each other again for a long time, and when Pedro met Lance the second time, he still had a sense of "pride" about him.

Because he succeeded.

Their reforms were successful.

This means that he put what Lance taught him into practice, successfully verified it, and added some of his own ideas.

It's like someone who has worked hard for a long time finally succeeding, and he desperately wants to share his joy with everyone who has helped him.

Even though Lance's role wasn't honorable, he still wanted to meet with Lance, catch up on things, and tell him that he was now in charge of Lapa.

The second meeting could actually be split into two separate encounters, but the outcome was not as good as he had imagined.

The calmness and composure Lance displayed made him vaguely realize that some things cannot be done just because you want to.

He wanted to establish a new Rapa government, a fair, just, clean, and efficient government that belonged to the people, but he seemed unable to do so.

The allied forces of the princely states declared war on him directly.

Today marks the third time he has seen Lance.

"次" does not refer to the number of times in the strict sense, but rather to a stage.

He himself underwent different changes at each stage, but Lance, on the other hand, seemed to remain unchanged throughout.

Now, Lance was sitting in Diego's chair, the chair that symbolized the supreme power of Lapa, a chair that he, Ross, and the others had never sat in even once until their deaths.

Lance sat there so casually, without giving anyone the feeling of being out of place, as if... this place was indeed very suitable for him!
He has completely seen through the whole "event," so he has no intention of resisting, struggling, or having any other thoughts.

In the past, when he read history books, he always read them superficially without thinking deeply about the purpose of those historical political figures doing or doing things, why they did it in that way, or whether there was any deeper meaning.

He had never considered it before, and now he suddenly realized that he didn't need to, because he was destined never to become that kind of person, so he only needed to see the surface, and that was enough.

He just stared at Lance, his mind wandering aimlessly.

About twenty minutes later, Lance put down his pen, rubbed his wrist, and only when he looked up to close the files and folders did he notice Pedro standing by the door.

A slightly puzzled look flashed across his eyes, then he seemed to realize something, "Sorry, I was so engrossed in my work that I didn't notice you were here."

"Please take a seat."

He gestured for Pedro to sit opposite him, saying, "Take off his handcuffs. Don't worry, he won't hurt me."

Pedro stood there silently as the soldiers unlocked his handcuffs, then slowly walked to sit down opposite Lance.

"How about it?"

Have you been sleeping well these past two days?

Pedro, who already had countless questions in mind to answer Lance's opening remarks, paused for a moment, then chuckled twice, "Not bad, it's very clean and tidy inside, and there's food every day."

“If it weren’t for the lack of freedom there, I think that would be the ultimate form of life that humanity longs for.”

"There is no pressure, no work requirements, food is available every day, and I can do my own thing."

Lance nodded noncommittally, "Not for long, because they'll have new work to do."

Pedro didn't know what it was, but he didn't want to ask. "Can I ask you a question?"

Lance nodded and said, "Of course, we're friends."

The word "friend" wasn't harsh, but it gave Pedro more to think about and reflect upon. After pondering for a moment, he asked, "Would you rule Lapa?"

Lance shook his head. "I won't. It will become a state of the Federation."

At this moment, Lance also made no attempt to hide the changes that would occur here in the future.

Pedro felt uncomfortable, though he had expected it: "You've never considered whether the people living here are willing to accept this outcome."

After listening to his words, Lance did not reprimand him or anything else, but calmly and composedly discussed the matter with him.

“You, Diego, and everyone else, they don’t really understand what people want.”

"They just want a stable life, a job that can support themselves and their families, and if possible, some savings."

"Being able to eat my fill every day, wear thick clothes when the weather gets cold, and perhaps eat some meat, whether it's pork, beef, or lamb."

"Fish can also work."

"Life can be ordinary, it can be uneventful, but it must be stable."

Pedro kept shaking his head, "We can do it too."

Lance took out his cigarette case, gave Pedro one, and then lit one for himself. "What you mean by 'can do it' is that it can be done at the expense of the vast majority of people."

"Sixty to seventy percent of the population is unemployed and has to find ways to support themselves. Two out of every three Lapa people have to struggle to provide food for themselves and their families every day."

"Most Lapa people are in a state of hunger 365 days a year."

"But look at our development, almost everyone can support themselves, as long as they are willing to work." "People may not live with great dignity, but at least they can eat their fill and stay warm."

"A 15-cent fried chicken can provide a family with a hearty dinner, but here, you can't do that."

“Being ruled by the Federation is not a tragedy, Pedro. For the individuals being ruled, it is actually a good thing.”

“They will have more job opportunities, a more stable life, and dignity.”

"They don't need to risk their lives jumping into sewers to clear silt with their bare hands, nor do they need to search for sellable garbage in rivers full of feces and animal carcasses."

"There is no need to go in groups to search through the garbage dumps of the rich for the food scraps that the rich have left over, and then take them back to heat up and feed their families."

“Once the Federation takes control of this place, they will only need to work to get what they could never have in their dreams.”

“Rejecting federal rule is a sign of selfishness, not patriotism.”

"Patriotism should be based on the premise that everyone can have a better life. If you throw them into hell in order to maintain what you consider independence, then you can only be an enemy of the people, a demon."

Pedro listened to these words with a strange expression. "You didn't mention these things when you held the seminar with us before."

Lance couldn't help but laugh when this was mentioned, "Because this part isn't in your script, it doesn't belong to you."

Pedro sighed, "So we've been left behind by the times."

His tone was full of emotion and regret, but Lance had a different opinion: "There's nothing wrong with saying that, but I think it's a bit one-sided."

"You have done it, and you will become part of the history of this country. Future generations of children will be able to read your names in history books when they receive free compulsory education in the classroom."

“Pedro, you should know that this is an achievement that many people cannot accomplish in their entire lives, yet you accomplished it so easily!”

"And your work is not meaningless; your work will help the Federation better integrate with the people of Lapa."

“Those who are rebellious, defiant, and disobedient have been almost completely eliminated. Once the remaining ones are cleared out, Lapa will be reborn.”

"All of this is thanks to the better completion of your work. You are also the creators of this new era, although your reputation in history may not be very good."

Pedro shook his head indifferently. "I don't really care about these things, to be honest."

"I just hope... if you can really make the people here live a good life as you say, then maybe everything you've done is right."

Lance smiled, not answering his question, but instead asking, "Do you still have any unfulfilled dreams?"

"You mean your last wish?"

Lance chuckled twice, ignoring the somewhat aggressive reply. "You can understand it that way too, after all, we've had a very pleasant working relationship lately."

"Whether as your friend or your mentor, if I can fulfill your last wishes, then I will."

Pedro thought for a moment, "Actually, I don't have too many regrets. Just like you said, I did what I was supposed to do."

As he spoke, he suddenly seemed to remember something, "Back then, I also asked Diego what his last wish was, and how similar it is to this moment?"

“You don’t know, I lived here for a while, and every time I saw a mirror, the person reflected in the mirror wasn’t me, but Diego.”

“He would always say to me in the mirror that he was waiting for me, or say something I couldn’t understand.”

Lance was somewhat surprised when he first heard him mention this. "It sounds a bit horrifying, so... what is your wish?"

Pedro was about to say that he had no last wishes, but for some reason, he looked at the high back of the chair behind Lance and said, "I... want to sit in your chair."

"Diego's chair, the presidential throne!"

Lance was somewhat surprised, but also felt it made sense. "Haven't you guys ridden in one before?"

He stood up as he spoke, "You can sit, but don't mess with the documents on my desk."

After he finished speaking, he walked to the side and gestured for Pedro to come and sit down.

Pedro's body trembled slightly as he stood up, supporting himself on the table. "I'm a little nervous."

Lance responded with a smile, walked to the chair, placed his hands on the edge of the table, took a deep breath, and slowly sat down.

Diego is a president who knows how to enjoy life. This chair is very expensive. Sitting in it is like sitting in... he doesn't know how to describe it. The feeling of being deeply immersed in it is not like sitting in a chair at all, but more like sitting in someone's arms, being tightly wrapped, comfortable, and full of a sense of security.

He was somewhat obsessed with this feeling. He patted the armrest with both hands, squinted his eyes slightly, and seemed to be fantasizing about something.

About half a minute later, he opened his eyes, which were full of regret, and then stood up.

"Want to try it a little longer?" Lance asked. "How does it feel?"

Pedro offered to sit at the table, saying, "It's very comfortable; it's the most comfortable chair I've ever sat in."

"But in the end, it's just a chair and doesn't represent anything."

"Yes, it's just a chair. It has no other attributes besides being comfortable and aesthetically pleasing."

“It may seem different to you, but not because it has any special properties, but because of the person sitting in this chair.”

Lance sat down again. "When Diego sat here, it was the presidential throne. In many people's eyes, this office, this desk, and this chair represented the highest power in the entire country."

"But in reality, they are just ordinary furniture."

"If a person gains respect from others because of something, that respect will never be as lasting or genuine as the respect they earn through their own efforts!"

Pedro nodded and sighed. "Yes, you're right." He paused. "How much time do I have left?"

Lance glanced at his watch, which displayed a calendar. "A few days."

Pedro couldn't help but laugh. "I never imagined it would be like this in my entire life."

"But...you're right, it was at least exciting enough."

Goodbye, Lance.

Lance nodded slightly. "Goodbye, Pedro."

(End of this chapter)