Shadow Empire

Chapter 908 Fire
The entire Zhuolan is like a huge gambling table. Every force is a player at the table, except ordinary people.

Whether it is the ordinary people living here or the thugs who created this riot.

The moment they grab their first weapon and pull the trigger, they are thugs.

The progress of the game seemed to suddenly speed up, and the gentlemen at the table could not see the future of the game clearly, except for someone, or some people.

They are not only the dealers who deal the cards, but also the players at the gambling table and the referees who decide the winners and losers.

They rigged the game, and the outcome won't be surprising.

Lance still stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window with a glass of wine, overlooking the even more chaotic city.

From his current perspective, he could already see some refugees running on the street.

They used whatever they had in their hands to smash and destroy roadside shops, or pried open the doors of shops and rushed in.

Soon, they rushed out with some goods, and the whole city fell into disorder and chaos.

The police chief fled back to the police station and reorganized a group of people, but this time, they did not face the refugees entering the city directly. Instead, they disappeared from people's sight on the pretext of "protecting important urban facilities."

He had originally wanted to use this turmoil to gain more power, but now it seems that not only may he not get further opportunities, he may also lose his current job.

For Diego at this moment, the incompetence of the police chief has already put a solid noose around his neck.

His stupidity was not that he failed to control the refugees from entering the city, but that he fired shots and lost some weapons.

The refugees, who were originally not a threat, have become a threat.

While Lance was thinking about how the situation would develop next, Madore walked up to him and whispered, "Mr. Smith is here."

Mr. Smith is the leader of the visiting delegation arranged by the federal government, Mr. Albert.

"Let him in."

Soon Mr. Albert entered the room with a smile. He walked to Lance's side and stood slightly behind him, also looking down at the city where black smoke was rising.

As they watched, a burst of fire suddenly appeared on the street not far away, and then the house began to burn.

The house is only four stories high, a very common small building locally. The fire broke out on the second floor and the fire seemed to be quite big.

The two men just watched as sesame-sized people ran out of the house, but there were also some people asking for help behind the windows on the third and fourth floors.

The entire city was in a state of shutdown. There were only ten fire trucks in the city of Zhuolan, which were unable to handle so many fires.

Soon, people in the burning matchbox-sized house jumped down from the third and fourth floors. Some people went to the roof of the fourth floor and hid in the water tank.

Seeing this, Lance shook his head slightly, "What a tragedy!"

Lance's voice was suddenly heard in the quiet room, and the atmosphere seemed to become a little softer.

Mr. Albert agreed with a smile, "Even if you jump you'll break your legs, but at least you'll still be alive."

"But if you hide it in the water tank, it will just become a pot of soup."

Lance turned to look at him, "Would you like a drink?"

Mr. Albert hesitated, then said thank you, "Whiskey."

Madore poured him a glass of whiskey on the rocks and he thanked him again.

The air in Zhuolan is a bit humid. Although the weather is not hot, it gives people a feeling as if a thin film is covered on the surface of the body, making people feel stuffy.

This is also the reason why Diego keeps sweating even when the temperature is not high, of course it may be just one of the reasons.

"Mr. Lance, are we going to start contacting some of these people next?"

The purpose of Albert and Andy's visit to Lapa this time is to provide operating funds and supplies to these forces that are resisting the government in the name of "humanitarian aid."

This model was also proposed by Lance. If you want to give it, you can give it openly. It is not a bad thing.

Helping those in need reflects the noble qualities of the federal government and the federal people. Local governments that refuse to allow federal humanitarian agencies to help those people will become opponents in the international perspective.

Senator Cleveland appreciated the plan he proposed because it provided benefits without losing face.

Lance shook his head, "We'll have to wait a little longer."

"Wait a minute?" Mr. Albert took a sip of wine and his eyes returned to the chaotic city.

In his opinion, now is actually a very good time to contact these people.

Lance nodded, "Yes, wait a moment."

"Now they are too scattered, without purpose, and no one stands up to stop them."

"They are not even as good as the strikes and demonstrations promoted by the Federation of Labor and the trade unions. At least the working class still knows how to unite together."

"But look at these people, what they are doing."

Mr. Albert's eyes fell on the street below. They had no precise purpose at all. Logically speaking, the place they should go now was outside the Presidential Palace.

They gathered outside the Presidential Palace and used their large numbers to put pressure on the President to agree to some of their conditions.

This would certainly be the case in the federal context because there are labor federations and unions to organize them.

But here, these people themselves were participating in this kind of event for the first time.

The desire for destruction, the desire for greed, all kinds of desires were released. They were immersed in the abyss of desire that could never be filled, and completely forgot what they should do at this moment.

Therefore, they are just a group of scattered sand, which can not play any deterrent role at all and have no value.

"After their riot is suppressed, you can contact some of them."

"After experiencing a tragic failure, these people should understand that whether they want to advocate their own ideas to the government or want to overthrow this terrible society, they must be united, organized and disciplined."

“It’s the best time to invest in them, not now.”

After listening to this, Mr. Albert nodded in agreement. He always had a smile on his face and showed no other emotions. It was difficult to sense his inner thoughts through his appearance.

People like this are actually much more difficult to deal with than people like Andy who show their emotions directly on their faces.

"Mr. Lance, do you have any candidates?"

He shook the glass in his hand and said, "I heard that before we arrived, you held a seminar in the library and invited some people."

"I believe that these people you invited must be very special."

Lance did not deny it. "I'll have someone give you a list later. You might find it useful."

"These people... I call them 'sparks'. They are the first group of awakeners, and they are also the sparks that can ignite the entire Lapa!"

"As for whether some of these 'sparks' can survive their first test..."

Lance shook his head and took a sip of the wine. Then he smiled and spread his hands to look at Mr. Albert, "Who knows?"

The city has been destroyed to this extent. Both Lance and Mr. Albert know that what will follow is ruthless suppression by the Lapa government.

Among these people who continue to pour into the city, a considerable number may never go back.

But they don't feel any regret or pity. This is how the world develops.

Whether it is society or the people who make up society, they all play the role of "firewood" in this process, igniting themselves and promoting the progress of the world.

Only those who can break through the storm are qualified to access federal funds, resources, and everything.

This money did not come from the wind, but was accumulated bit by bit from taxpayers' money.

In the past, ordinary people in the federation might not be qualified to start with "our taxpayers' money", as the federal government did not want to collect taxes from the ordinary social classes at that time.

But now they are eligible, and even if their income is only a penny, they still have to file a tax return at the end of the year.

As a responsible young man, even if the federal government does not intend to be responsible for these taxpayers, he intends to be responsible for the taxpayers' money. The conversation between the two stopped here, and at this time they both saw a crowd of about two to three hundred people rushing towards the Lapa Hotel.

It is obvious that these people have begun to form a "gang". Their actions are not like those people Lance and others had seen before. They do not have a clear goal or purpose. They are purely loyal to their own desires.

And the destination of these people seems to be this hotel.

"There must be a lot of food in the Grand Lapa Hotel, and there are a lot of foreigners there!"

A strong-looking guy walked at the front of the team. He was also one of the "fire starters", a factory worker.

Not only highly educated people have the opportunity to become Sparks, anyone can become one, but they all need to have something special that is different from others.

To put it more mysteriously, Lance needs to see leadership talent in them, or the special qualities to become a leader.

Otherwise they cannot become the "spark".

The worker downstairs had a very unique temperament. Lance heard that he often represented the workers in negotiations with factory owners where he worked and was a very prestigious person.

So he got a chance, but no one knew whether this opportunity could produce a flame that dyed the sky red.

But from now on, the chances of him thriving have become a little smaller.

He chose the wrong place.

He chose the Lapa Grand Hotel, which is also the only hotel with foreign guests.

Lance actually didn't mind that some federal people died here. Instead, it could become an excuse for the federal government to put pressure on the Asian Alliance.

With the idea of ​​promoting bilateral people-to-people cultural, economic and trade exchanges, we sent some people to the Asian Union, but they suffered an accident.

You have to give an explanation, right?
The "statements" between countries and the "statements" between individuals are completely different.

But it doesn't mean he has completely lost his chance. As long as he doesn't do anything rash, he might be able to survive.

If this guy chooses a hellish start and can survive to the end, then his probability of winning in the end will increase to the maximum.

There are already many security guards guarding the entrance of the hotel. They are holding things like steel pipes in their hands, but no weapons.

The people of Lapa have always been docile. They seem to have accepted such a numb life and have no idea of ​​resisting.

It has always been like this. Except for a few gangs that may have weapons, people are generally safe.

Of course, the security captain and several deputy captains had weapons in their hands, but they would not use their guns until the last moment.

When the security guards saw a large group of people walking towards the hotel, they immediately reported the incident. More security guards came out to support from nine o'clock, including the captain and deputy captains of the security team.

A brave deputy captain took the initiative to walk towards the group of people, and the group stopped at the entrance of the hotel.

Behind them, there were more people following them. When these people realized that this group's destination was the Lapa Hotel, they seemed very excited.

As Lapa people, they certainly knew the uniqueness of this hotel and its luxury, and they wanted to get some of the benefits.

So it looks like a group of people, but there are many people following them.

"You can't enter here." The deputy captain of the security team raised his hand to stop them. "If you want money or food, I can arrange for someone to send some to you, but you can't enter here."

"There are many foreign guests resting inside. If you disturb or hurt them, it will be a huge trouble!"

"I hope you can understand."

The worker Huo Shan, chosen by Lance, walked out of the crowd. He was very strong, with an angular and resolute face and deep eyes. He gave people a good feeling and seemed like a positive character.

And he was very strong, with bulging muscles under the single garment he wore, full of explosive power.

Just standing in front of the deputy captain, he showed some smile on his face, "I heard that the Lapa Hotel does not welcome inferiors to enter, is that right?"

At this moment, he still remembered clearly what Lance said on the first day. He originally wanted to arrange accommodation and research discussions for them at the Lapa Hotel.

But he was rejected by the Lapa Hotel because they did not welcome inferior people.

Although Huo Zhan, a worker who was naturally labeled as an inferior person, was smiling, everyone could sense his unhappiness.

The deputy captain was a little speechless. It was difficult for him to explain the hotel's rule of refusing poor people to enter. He also felt scared when facing these low-class people who had turned into thugs.

He could clearly sense his inner thoughts from his face, so the worker Huo took a deep breath and asked, "Is that so?"

The deputy captain was almost broken by the questioning. He could only shake his head and say, "We welcome every guest."

The worker Huo Zhan showed a sneer on his face, "Very good, now we are going to spend money in the hotel."

He was about to move forward, but the deputy captain stopped him, "We don't receive guests now."

The worker Huo Zhan pushed his hand away and strode towards the hotel. People farther away all had smiles on their faces. This group of people ate meat and they drank soup.

The deputy captain wanted to say something but was immediately knocked to the ground by several people and became obedient.

Seeing this scene, the security guards at the hotel entrance suddenly became nervous. Faced with the approaching group of people, they could only keep retreating.

Until there is no place to retreat.

The captain knew that this group of people had to come in. Seeing them getting closer and closer, he had to make a decision -

Hit me hard, beat me to death, if you kill me, it’s my fault!
There was a hint of ruthlessness in his voice. As long as he was fine this time, he would definitely be promoted!
One security guard couldn't stand the oppressive atmosphere any more, so he rushed out waving a steel pipe, and the people around him followed him out.

Two torrents collided at the entrance of the hotel!
The shouting and cursing was louder than the sounds of fighting. There were many foreign tourists in the hotel lobby, accompanied by young and beautiful escorts. These people were not too scared when they saw this scene.

Some foreign tourists even smiled and took out their cameras to take pictures of the scene outside the hall.

They believe that security guards can protect their safety, or they believe that these people dare not harm them.

During this time, these foreigners here have felt something they have never felt before - privilege.

This is different from what they are in the Federation or in their other countries, where even if they have money, they are not part of the privileged class.

If they were really rich they would not appear here, so they are businessmen, just businessmen who are richer than ordinary people. Naturally, there is no collusion between officials and businessmen, and their limited wealth cannot provide them with any privileges.

But here, they felt it.

Whether it is the Lapa government, the local chamber of commerce, or all ordinary people, they all have a sense of awe and fear towards them.

Sometimes they clearly went too far, but with the help of the hotel manager or other similar people, and communication with the victims, everything will be fine in the end.

A foreigner forced himself on a girl who did not provide bed-mate service. The girl called the police, but the case was eventually dropped.

This is the delicious taste of privilege!

At this time, they still believed that those people outside the hotel would not dare to do anything to them!
The fight broke out fiercely. These security guards were not just for show. When they got mad, they really became low-class people.

Maybe it's because they are dealing with inferior people, who have no human rights in Lapa, so they can be so cruel.

The fight between the two sides was fierce, but it was obvious that the security guards were being defeated!

After all, they don't have the advantage in numbers.

In a fight or a gang fight, it's all about numbers.

Seeing that his men were about to collapse, the security captain pulled out his pistol and pulled the trigger at the lowest man closest to him.

Suddenly, the sharp sound of gunfire broke the silence in the hall. The foreigners began to feel uneasy and started thinking about leaving.

But it seems too late to leave now.

Worker Huo also took out his weapon and fired a shot at the security captain. The brief exchange of fire lasted less than twenty seconds.

The security team was completely defeated...

(End of this chapter)