Shadow Empire

Chapter 909: Shattering more than just prejudice and stereotypes

Standing downstairs of the hotel, Ross looked up at this building with more than ten floors, which was one of the highest-rise buildings in the whole of Lapa. He felt a thrill in his heart that he couldn't even explain!
As he stood here as an inferior, and was about to set foot in this hotel, had its owner, its operator, and those managers ever thought about such a day?
He felt that every cell in his body was jumping for joy and rejoicing!

He is going to do something amazing today... No, not just one thing, but many things.

One of them is to break the labels and shackles imposed on them by this damn society!

A strong desire emanated from his body, wishing he could walk in right now and dirty the clean and tidy floor of the hotel with his muddy and dirty shoes!
Destruction is the most primitive desire of human beings. Like sexual desire, it is deeply written into genes and engraved in bones.

"Boss..." A young voice interrupted his wandering thoughts. He turned to look at the young man next to him and saw several pistols in his hands.

“What do we do with these things?”

There were several pistols in their group. Ross took out his own pistol, unloaded the magazine and took a look. There were only two bullets left in it.

Without much hesitation, he compared the models of the pistol in his hand with those of the other pistols. After confirming that they were of the same model, he asked someone to take out the bullets.

"You guys discuss how to deal with the pistols. Supply us with the bullets first. Once we find a place to restock the ammunition, you guys can refill them."

Some of his co-workers showed surprise on their faces; pistols were rare in Lapa because they were expensive.

A pistol like this would sell for at least seven or eight thousand paras on the black market, and a good one could even go for ten thousand!
Giving them pistols is equivalent to giving them a large sum of wealth. How can these people not be excited?
Even without bullets, this is a lot of money.

Before he knew it, Ross had won over these people.

Those who are assigned pistols will also unite closely around him and become his reliable subordinates.

Ross was like this when he was in the factory. He didn't actually do anything deliberately. He just did what he thought was right, and that convinced many people.

At this time, the injured were also carried in front of him. There were more than 20 people injured in total. Some of them were seriously injured. They lay on the ground and looked at him with each breath becoming shallower.

These people were shot, the bullets penetrated their chests and they were obviously dying.

Others had less serious injuries, having been shot or hit in non-vital areas by bullets.

He walked up to those "companions" who were about to die, squatted down, and looked into their eyes. The desire to survive was flowing in these people's eyes.

If they could still speak, they would have asked Ross to save them.

"I will take good care of your family."

They died in pain because death from trauma will ultimately be painful.

Because blood vessels ruptured, causing blood to fill their lungs, or causing blood loss and air intake in the abdominal cavity.

The former will die from suffocation. Death by suffocation is the most terrifying way to die because people will endure all the terror and pain and can feel themselves getting closer to death little by little, but they are powerless to do anything.

The latter was also in great pain, with ruptured internal organs and unbearable pain in the abdominal cavity.

It would be better if the internal organs ruptured directly, as the patient would soon go into hemorrhagic shock and no longer suffer from the pain.

If it hits the intestines or something, you will suffer in pain and then die.

Someone grabbed his clothes tightly, his eyes popped out as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he said nothing and ended his short and unhappy life.

There were also people whose eyes were wide open, as if they were about to vomit, their faces turned red and then purple, but they could not die for a while.

Seeing his painful appearance, Ross reached out and covered his mouth and nose.

The person whose mouth and nose he covered still wanted to struggle, but he was too injured to have any strength left and could only watch all this terrible thing happen before his eyes.

In less than a minute, the man died.

Ross slowly stood up. He lowered his head to look at his palms first, then looked at the people around him. "They died for us and for our cause. Not forgetting them and what they did is the greatest respect for ourselves!"

He paused for a moment, "Write down their names. We need to take good care of their families."

He looked at the other injured people, asked them if they could follow the group, and then waved towards the hotel.

A large group of people rushed into the hotel.

This was the first time in their lives that they had entered the Lapa Grand Hotel, and they had heard about things here before.

For example, the shopping mall on the second floor has all kinds of imported goods, but you need to use foreign currency to buy them, and they don’t accept Para.

This actually blocks the possibility for all ordinary people to come in and shop, because the National Bank of Lapa can never exchange any foreign currency.

For example, they heard that the restaurants on the fourth and fifth floors have the most delicious food in the world, and that they have the most famous chefs in Lapa who can make the best food.

They had heard so much about this place, but it was impossible for them to enter here, until today!
Ross stepped on the mirrored marble floor with his worn shoes covered in mud and dirt, and a smile quietly crept up the corners of his mouth, because the sadness of his companion's death was washed away at this moment.

He didn't know how to describe this feeling!

Others looked at the ground that reflected people's shadows like a mirror, and for a moment they didn't even know where to step. Some were afraid of dirtying or damaging the ground and didn't dare to come in.

Ross didn't care about all that. He strode into the lobby. Several front desk waitresses were trembling behind the counter, not daring to raise their heads.

There were also some foreign tourists who did not have time to escape and were standing in the corner of the hall with their companions with pale faces. Of course, there were also some people who tried to remain calm, thinking that these people would not do anything to them, and sat on the sofa.

Ross's gaze lingered briefly on these people, and then quickly found a guy who looked like a hotel staff.

After forcing the guy to reveal the functions of the hotel floors, he immediately led his men to the fourth floor of the hotel.

The fourth floor is the restaurant, and there is also a large storage room, which is said to store a large amount of food.

Ross assigned some tasks to his men in the stairwell. Some of them went to the fourth floor to find food. They were to take away as much edible food as they could.

Another group of people went to the second and third floors.

According to the hotel staff, there are quite a few shops on the second and third floors, including some jewelry stores.

Ross wasn't sure if he was Lance's smartest student, but he certainly wasn't the dumbest.

The knowledge he came into contact with during those seven days opened a new door for him and allowed him to enter a brand new world!
He knew that no matter what he did, he couldn't do without money!
Doing good things requires money, and you have to let people know that you have done good things.

Doing bad things also requires money, because bad things cannot be done by one person alone.

No matter what he does, he needs money, including what he wants to do.

He went up to the second floor in person. As soon as he entered, he and the people behind him were shocked by the dazzling array of goods there!

They had never seen so many imported goods before. The price of each product was marked in foreign currency. To them, each one was a sky-high price!
Soon Ross found the store he was looking for, a shop specializing in jewelry.

Several staff members were taking out jewelry from the cabinet, apparently intending to put it into the safe.

When they saw Ross and his group appear, several staff members moved faster.

Ross frowned and shouted, "Stop it!"

But no one listened to him, and the employees worked even faster.

This forced him to draw his pistol and pull the trigger.

Following a gunshot and the fall of a man, those people stood there with their hands raised, motionless, like toys that had suddenly lost their power.

He walked over with his men, untied the grain bags tied around his waist, and poured plates of jewels into them.

The people standing around him were all breathing heavily. The jewelry glowed brightly under the light, attracting their attention.

For the first time, money and wealth appeared before them in such a concrete form!
Things that they could never dream of getting before are now within their reach.

In just a few days, everyone's perception of the world and themselves has undergone tremendous changes!
This is awakening!

After Ross and his companions left the hall, those who were waiting to take advantage of the situation also rushed in. The people in the hall were still rejoicing that they had escaped a disaster, but they didn't know that the real disaster had just arrived!

"Take out everything you have on you!" A young man who looked to be about twenty-four or twenty-five years old waved a dagger at a foreigner.

His face was full of fierceness, and he was a little flustered, his eyes were a little erratic, and it was obvious that he was very nervous. "Don't play tricks!" He warned the foreigner in front of him, looking at the watch on his wrist, and added, "Take off your watch."

The foreigner he blackmailed took a look at the watch on his wrist and shook his head, "This is impossible. This is a gift from my... my mother!"

"I can't give it to you."

The young man looked at his position, his face was covered with sweat. He was alone and he was not sure if anyone else would come to snatch his target.

He took a step forward, reached out to grab the foreigner's arm, and tried to forcibly take his watch off.

But the foreigner's fierce struggle made it impossible for him to do this. Seeing that the attention of people around him was diverted here, he hardened his heart, stretched out the dagger in his hand, and stabbed the foreigner several times.

In just that instant, the foreigner stopped struggling. He looked at the young man in front of him in disbelief, and then let the other party try to take the watch off his wrist.

His eyes were focused on himself.

Bleeding began from all the wounds, and his white clothes were soaked with blood in a short time. He had no choice but to squat on the ground against the wall.

The young man used both hands, but still couldn't take the watch off his hand.

The young man didn't know how to open the chain buckle, he just pulled it hard.

Obviously, you can't pull the watch off.

The young man's actions attracted the attention of some people, and when they found that the young man was trying to snatch a watch, someone else came closer.

Watches are 100% luxury items in Lapa. Even a very ordinary watch can only be sold for 10 or 20 dollars in the Federation.

Lapa does not have such advanced technology and techniques, so they cannot produce it themselves and have to rely on imports.

The import quota is in Diego's hands. Even a Federal Sol watch that costs only a dozen dollars can be sold for tens of thousands of dollars here.

Too expensive?

You don’t have to buy it.

These things have never been prepared for the poor. At least one has to be middle class to be qualified to wear a watch.

Before, there were some people in Lapa who made money by reselling goods back and forth, but later a group of them were severely killed and these people were never seen again.

Here, you can do anything, but one thing is, don't touch the interests of the ruling group.

Otherwise they will get you.

If he could get this watch, it would mean that he would be able to live a good life for a long time.

The more impatient he became, the harder it was to take off the watch.

The foreigner was already dying. He kept begging and promised to give the watch to the other party, but the young man just kept trying to take the watch off.

Soon, a few more people came and said, "Give us the watch."

The young man glared at the foreigner fiercely, then stood up, slowly backed away, and left.

The four young men squatted down. They didn't know how to open the watch strap. The foreigner continued to beg them to find a doctor for him or send him to the hotel's medical room.

But these men were only concerned with searching his pockets and dealing with the watch, and didn't care about his injuries at all.

The entire first floor lobby was in complete chaos. The brief exchange of gunfire outside the hotel attracted more people's attention, and more refugees began to pour in.

They don't let go of anything, put everything in their pockets, and keep moving up.

They know that those who live here are either foreigners or rich people, and are all high-quality resources.

Word quickly spread that the Grand Hotel Lapa had been attacked and was being flooded with refugees.

This grand hotel is nominally a "private enterprise", but in reality it is the business of Diego and several ministers.

The privileged and middle classes of Lapa need such a place for consumption, which is equivalent to a comprehensive hotel combining business and residence.

There is an opera house, shops, a swimming pool, a small amusement park, and delicious restaurants with foreign chefs.

The profits here are considerable.

But now, it has "fallen".

When Diego thought about the wealth that belonged to him being plundered by refugees, his side became twisted with anger!

For the first time, he was so angry!
“When will the army enter the city?”

The butler glanced at his pocket watch. "Five more hours, sir."

The butler paused and said, "The diplomatic delegation from the Federation and Mr. Lance White are still in the hotel. Do we need to arrange some personnel to protect their safety?"

There are 500 soldiers at the Presidential Palace to protect its security, so there are definitely more than enough people.

When it comes to dealing with a mob that only has a few pistols, five hundred soldiers may not be able to suppress all of them, but if they just want to guard a location from being harassed, they can still do it.

Even if we reduce some staff, there is no problem.

Diego shook his head and gave a negative answer. "Lance's people look very difficult to deal with. Maybe they can deal with them without us having to do anything."

"Just take care of ourselves. Even if something happens to them, the Asian Alliance will support them. It's not our turn to worry about it."

The butler bowed slightly and did not continue discussing the issue.

He actually knew that his president was not fond of the federals and instead had some hidden hostility towards them.

Lance was reading quietly, a book about philosophy.

This is a book written by a Lapa person. The book states that "from the moment a person is born, he begins a 'cultivation'". The author compares life to a process in which one must spend the entire life practicing hard.

The book also mentions the concept of "reincarnation", but its understanding of "reincarnation" is not as concise and easy to understand as Lance's.

In this book, people have souls after they die.

Souls will be weighed.

If the weight meets the prescribed requirements, you will become a new person again.

If the requirements are not met, the soul will be judged, suffer pain and torment until all sins are redeemed, otherwise it will continue to suffer.

The ruling class always needs some means to fool the people, and religion and faith are undoubtedly the most useful and convenient ones.

Especially in areas like this where the level of education is generally low, there are too many things that people cannot explain or understand. Instead, it is obviously simpler and more convincing to attribute everything to "God's will."

He shook his head after reading for a while. He originally thought it was a book of some value, but after reading halfway, he could see its reshaping of values.

"What's going on down there?" He stood up and walked to the bookshelf, put the book back, and asked casually.

Mador's voice was heavy and muffled. "The tenth floor has been completely destroyed. Some federal soldiers have also been injured. We don't know the exact situation."

"Should we intervene now?"

Lance shook his head, "As long as it doesn't provoke us, don't worry about it."

He paused, "Do you know who led the group of people who came in earlier, and where are they?"

Mador shook his head. "I haven't contacted him yet. Do you need me to contact him?"

Lance thought about it for a moment and shook his head, "Never mind, we'll find out."

(End of this chapter)