[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-shadow-empire":3,"chapter-the-shadow-empire-the-shadow-empire-chapter-112":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},2267732,4428,"Chapter 112","the-shadow-empire-chapter-112",112,"\u003Cp>Many people are like this, especially girls—they always search in their contradictions for what they lack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Young girls wish to appear more mature, but mature women long for a touch of youthfulness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Patricia, she was already youthful and full of energy, so she felt a little envious of her cousin’s poise and charm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all… men are always drawn to charm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans glanced at Barbara and said firmly, “Of course, Barbara is beautiful and mature, with a unique elegance only mature women possess.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Patricia’s expression instantly turned sad, but Lans wouldn’t let that look last long, “But there are many beautiful people—Barbara, or others, even those big stars.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I only looked around here for a moment and saw many beautiful girls.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yet you, are only one!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He cupped her face, “I’ve said it before: the world can have many beautiful, sexy, any kind of women—but Patricia, there’s only one, the one and only!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Patricia, who had been feeling down, suddenly broke into an uncontrollable smile—she didn’t want to smile, because it was too immodest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she couldn’t help it—Lans was just too good with words!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your words make me blush!” she whispered to Lans, her tone clear: she was in excellent spirits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Young people’s conversations always revolve around fashion, movies, trends—nothing deep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be honest, Lans wasn’t very good at joining their topics—he hadn’t watched movies or anything like that in a long time—but he still tried his best to engage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps because of the luxury car worth two villas, everyone showed him warmth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Money, in every class and age group across the Federation, is universally effective!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But surprisingly, one of Patricia’s cousins actually knew Lans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You run a Labor Service Office, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cousin’s name was Jack—a very ordinary name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, but I don’t know how you found out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Patricia explained beside him, “Jack works at the docks.” She looked at Jack, “What exactly is your job again?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jack said easily, “I inspect incoming cargo—you know, holding a checklist, randomly opening a container to check for undeclared items.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s a boring job, but since I often interact with dockworkers, I know you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They all say you want to monopolize illegal immigration work at the docks—is that true?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Jack worked for customs and had connections with all kinds of people at the docks, he’d heard Lans’s name more than once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, it was because of the illegal immigrant workers—they were completely different now from what they used to be, you could call them organized, disciplined, and scaled workers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Plus, someone helps the dock office manage these illegal immigrants, and the dock authorities strongly support Lans and what he’s doing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, some of these illegal immigrants would do bad things—steal things, then vanish, no one could find them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or do other bad things, sometimes even slack off at work—after all, they earned only a few dollars a month for backbreaking labor—but now that’s changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their discipline improved, which reduced many headaches for the dock office, but it also meant these immigrants were harder to bully—they started sticking together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The events of just these past two days had spread like wildfire; Jack even leaned close to Lans and whispered, “Did Hammer really run away?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans shrugged, “Who knows?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All I know is I can’t find him—he cost me a fortune.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flawless answer, yet somehow revealing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jack knew this was a sensitive topic and quickly moved on, “Maybe I’ll need your help again someday—I can come straight to you without going through her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans pulled out a business card and handed it over, “Of course, anytime.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They soon parted; Patricia was curious, “Who’s Hammer?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans recounted what had happened; Patricia didn’t look shocked, just surprised, “Some people are just hopelessly stupid!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re absolutely right!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from Jack, almost no one else had any overlap with Lans’s sphere—but nearly all of this family worked in government or corporations, with zero working-class members.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back in the Empire, people always said the Federation was a fair and just nation—no corruption, no fraud, no… unpleasant things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if you truly delve into the heart of this country, as a Federation citizen, you’ll find it places even greater emphasis on “bloodline” than other nations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When all the guests had arrived, the banquet officially began; Barbara appeared beside her father, standing before the cake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First came a touching father-daughter speech, then came the cake-cutting and gift-giving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cake was delicious—and certainly expensive, given its size and height, enough for everyone to have a portion and still have leftovers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The atmosphere gradually relaxed; people began presenting gifts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Men and women stood to one side, while their children handed out presents; the first to give Barbara a gift was her older brother, now thirty-seven, a member of the Social Party, working in a government office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gave Barbara a pair of elegant, sparkling earrings that drew everyone’s eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Barbara immediately put them on and expressed her delight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then gifts were given in order of age.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Patricia had taken out a necklace she loved, but Lans stopped her—it was his first time attending her family’s social event, and he wouldn’t let her bear the cost of the gift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the way here, they’d picked out a gemstone brooch worth about a hundred and fifty credits—a lark design paired with blue-green stones, stunningly beautiful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Patricia presented the gift to Barbara, the latter showed genuine surprise and delight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two girls embraced and kissed cheeks; Barbara kept thanking her, saying she adored the brooch, and even hugged Lans briefly—purely out of politeness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the siblings and guests varied greatly in age, the gifts came in many forms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The most valuable was Lans’s brooch; others gave necklaces and earrings; the cheaper ones were handmade crafts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet you couldn’t say these were cheap—material value didn’t reflect emotional worth; everyone was happy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>About half an hour later, the group of “adults” finally began arguing over political differences.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Patricia smirked beside him, “William refused to come because of this—every year they argue, and no one ever convinces the other.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was common—even a three-person household could hold three different political views: one supporting the Social Party, another the Free Party, another the Federation Party.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, this year’s election, due to behind-the-scenes deals, lacked its usual intensity; otherwise, someone might’ve already stormed out cursing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then again, though the President secured reelection through a series of underhanded tactics, those very tactics had cost him much public support.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Lans realized: the next election in four years might bring an unexpected outcome!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Federation citizens may be foolish and easily manipulated, but they hate looking in the mirror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now the President had placed a mirror before the voters, reflecting their own ugliness—no wonder their anger was palpable!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You can use my stupidity, but don’t tell me I’m an idiot!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s a Federation citizen!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young people around Lans seemed unfazed by the scene; a few even ate more, and Lu Ka told Lans their father was losing the argument—unless something changed, he’d be leaving soon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, minutes later, shouts calling their names erupted from the other side; the young men quickly bid farewell to siblings and friends, smiling awkwardly as they hurried out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The parents of those who remained stood like proud roosters who’d won a fight, scanning for their next opponent!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’re a waste of Federation political resources—they should all be in Congress, that’s where they truly belong!” Lans joked, earning nods of agreement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After declining the invitation to dinner, Lans and Patricia drove off together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the way back, Patricia felt a little embarrassed, “I hope today didn’t shock you—you know, having a big family is always like this…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans grew curious, “What did your grandfather or great-grandfather do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Patricia answered without hesitation, “Farm owner.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans whistled—core Free Party supporters!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost all large farm owners were staunch Free Party backers, and only large farm owners could afford so many children and such an expansive family network.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, in the past, having more children meant more free labor for the farm—nearly every older-generation farm owner had at least three or four kids.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some even had over a dozen!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After two or three generations of reproduction, they became vast family systems.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they returned to Patricia’s home, William was still on a business trip and hadn’t come back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mrs. Lawrence hadn’t returned either; only the two young people were home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though they hadn’t crossed the line, they’d done many things that shattered Patricia’s previous understanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as things were about to reach their natural climax, the sound of a car engine came from downstairs—Mrs. Lawrence had returned.\u003C\u002Fp>",1435,"2026-06-19T21:10:27.799Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","f43c007b5ea81d81a46aa24428caad9062e065c15bbf6ceadf9d04456fa0927a","the-shadow-empire-chapter-113","the-shadow-empire-chapter-111",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-shadow-empire-cover.jpg"]