[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-shadow-empire":3,"chapter-the-shadow-empire-the-shadow-empire-chapter-101":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Shadow Empire",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2267721,4428,"Chapter 101","the-shadow-empire-chapter-101",101,"\u003Cp>The mayor still has two years left in office, and he wants to accumulate more political capital before leaving Jincheng City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As one of the engines of the Federation’s economic development, Jincheng City attracts immense attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as this attention persists, the achievements he leaves behind will be repeatedly cited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like all previous mayors who expanded the docks, people always keep bringing up the first and second mayors who expanded the docks, discussing how much they contributed to Jincheng City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So much so that even if some of them are already dead, their children still benefit from these political legacies and live well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wants these benefits too, but further dock expansion, while boosting economic returns, offers little political gain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Always be the first or second—never the third or beyond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he plans to push hard for urban expansion; Jincheng City’s permanent population is currently around 1.1 million, but the Federation rarely tracks this number, and even when they do, it’s often inaccurate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He intends to increase the city’s permanent population to over 1.5 million within two years, which requires expanding the urban boundary while creating more jobs for the new residents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, his supporters have been vigorously planning urban expansion, including the funds invested by Mr. Chobaf, all of which will go toward infrastructure for urban growth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Actually, the money is minimal, but it doesn’t matter—he’ll find ways to squeeze more out of this empire bastard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While pondering urban expansion and how to attract more permanent residents, the phone suddenly rang—it was the empire bastard calling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whenever Chobaf isn’t in front of him, he refers to him only as “the empire bastard,” never “Banker Mr. Chobaf.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is there anything I can do to assist our great banker?” he said the moment he picked up, his expression unchanged but his tone clearly shifting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Warm, cordial, flawless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I want to meet you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mayor checked his schedule. “Three-thirty this afternoon. You have ten minutes.” Then he hung up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After enduring the wait until three o’clock, Chobaf was already waiting outside the mayor’s office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half an hour later, the mayor’s secretary notified him he could enter, and only then did he see the mayor standing by the window, smoking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mayor strode forward with a smile, grabbing his arm. “You could’ve just said all this on the phone.” The meaning: Don’t fucking bother me unless it’s necessary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one knew what Chobaf felt inside, but it must’ve been complicated—he’d spent so much money and was still just an outsider.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sat on the sofa; the mayor didn’t even ask his secretary to bring him coffee. Ten minutes wasn’t enough time for coffee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Here’s the situation…” he explained, emphasizing that after his men arrived at the warehouse, the wine was gone—he’d been cheated by Arthur.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mayor listened, then stared at him with a strange expression. “Why didn’t you say anything at the time?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the time… Mr. Chobaf had gone to the warehouse with Arthur, inspected some of the wine, confirmed it was all fine, signed the contract, and released the payment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But problems arose during receipt—there was a heavy downpour that day, and within thirty to forty minutes, the entire warehouse of wine vanished!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Plus, he hadn’t yet joined the mayor’s camp and feared this was Arthur’s extortion tactic, so he reacted passively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once he reacted passively, he stayed passive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the mayor’s perspective, this was the behavior of someone terrified of extortion—if he’d reported it to police or exposed it immediately, it wouldn’t have been hard to handle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he still got extorted, at least showing a firm refusal to pay would’ve made Arthur dare not extort him so freely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just Arthur—others too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So what do you want to do now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mr. Chobaf’s teeth were grinding so hard he might’ve drawn blood. “I… I hope you’ll act as mediator and let me clear things up with them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mayor listened, thought for a moment. “Clarifying things isn’t hard—but you won’t get your money back.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Didn’t you already give him a mortgage loan…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Twenty-five thousand,” Mr. Chobaf added.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mayor nodded noncommittally. “Right now, this batch of wine might be worth forty-five to fifty thousand. Pay him the difference, consider it your purchase, and I’ll help you settle this—end of story.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mr. Chobaf stared at him, wide-eyed. “But I—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No buts, Joe. You have a contract, signatures—even if you sue, you’ll lose.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And you don’t think I can make them give up twenty thousand just by saying a few words, do you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t imagine I’m some grand savior—I can’t do that. Otherwise, I’d already be Federation President!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Think about it,” he said, shaking his head, then glancing at his watch. “I have another meeting soon, so…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a dismissal. Mr. Chobaf rose, dazed, said goodbye, and left the mayor’s office stiffly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mayor felt no real sympathy for Mr. Chobaf’s “troubles”—over the years, numerous foreign capitalists had collapsed or gone bankrupt in the Federation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some with far larger capital than Chobaf were ultimately driven to ruin; a minor banker getting extorted can only swallow it—what else can he do?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, he’d call Senator Williams to tell him to properly discipline his son and not scare off foreign investors—that wouldn’t serve his interests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But from the mayor’s own standpoint, his handling was perfectly reasonable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he demanded Arthur return the money to Chobaf without investigating where the wine went, that would be unreasonable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, this is only Chobaf’s side of the story—who knows if Arthur even moved the wine himself?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he eventually had to intervene, he’d wait until the critical moment, appearing as the savior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not now, with a phone call and a few words, expecting to solve this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mr. Chobaf returned to his villa like a walking corpse, sat on the sofa, and couldn’t understand it: after years of hard work, he’d finally saved some money, aiming to enter the Federation’s upper class.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now his fortune had shrunk rapidly—if it had shrunk but he’d succeeded in joining the upper class, fine, that’d be the cost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the money was gone, and he was still an outsider—he didn’t get it. Wasn’t the Federation supposed to be… fair and just?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why were the things happening to him so unfair?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His assistant stood beside him, deeply worried about Mr. Chobaf’s state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, even when facing extortion from Arthur or others, he’d always shown a spirit of resilience—but today’s events had shattered him completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sat on the sofa like a senile, penniless old man, staring blankly ahead, hair disheveled, unaware.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t until past seven in the evening that he came back to himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What time is it?” he asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The assistant hurriedly replied, “Seven eleven.” He was deeply concerned—Mr. Chobaf was old. “Would you like something to eat?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mr. Chobaf shook his head. “No. I can’t eat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned to his assistant. “If there’s someone who could solve this problem and minimize my losses—who do you think that person is?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Look among the empire people. I’ve lost all trust in Federation people.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They let me sit at the table not to share food with me—but to save a few steps when they carry me to it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Countless figures flashed through the assistant’s mind: successful empire people living in Jincheng City, but none who could match Mr. Chobaf’s stature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Other successful people were merely factory owners with assets of a few hundred thousand at most.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their wealth, social influence, and access to upper circles were all inferior to Chobaf’s—he couldn’t imagine anyone who could help him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But suddenly, one figure appeared in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing his expression change, Mr. Chobaf asked softly, “Who is that person?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Lans heard Mr. Chobaf wanted to meet him, he was curious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last Saturday at Saint Naye Cathedral, Chobaf had merely nodded to him—no conversation at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, out of the blue, he wanted to meet—why?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t figure it out, but he agreed anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since it was too late today and he had other matters, he scheduled it for the afternoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the morning, he’d go to the company and also visit Mr. White—he’d been contacted by Officer Breeden, who wanted to meet him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His information is still tied to Mr. White’s, so he couldn’t refuse this request.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lately, he’d felt more clearly than ever how much convenience a legal Federation identity brought him!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those holding power always first confirmed whether you were a Federation citizen before considering cooperation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he wouldn’t risk losing his current identity—he must be a native-born Federation citizen!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next morning, after handing the whistleblower list to Elvin, Lans left the company.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he arrived at Mr. White’s house, Mr. White was weeding in the yard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mr. White was puzzled when he saw the car stop, but when he saw Lans, his confusion turned to shock, then joy.\u003C\u002Fp>",1476,"2026-06-19T21:10:27.799Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","6923775ac6f24232b909c724c143d85241f8ee422ba185fa51973b413c4a1f82","the-shadow-empire-chapter-102","the-shadow-empire-chapter-100",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-shadow-empire-cover.jpg"]