[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-shadow-empire":3,"chapter-the-shadow-empire-the-shadow-empire-chapter-18":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},2267638,4428,"Chapter 18: The First Income","the-shadow-empire-chapter-18",18,"\u003Cp>The chips looked brand new, round and smooth, with the lowest denomination being twenty, and some fifty and one hundred as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blue didn’t quite know whether these counted as money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He told Ethan to watch Mr. White in the room, then took two chips downstairs to a phone booth and dialed the number left by Fordis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the sweet voice of the receptionist came through the receiver: “This is Lèzhù Financial Company. How may I assist you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice was pleasant, but Blue could picture her casually doing something else, saying these words in a way that defied all logic—aiming purely for contrast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s me, Blue. I need to speak with Mr. Cotty, or Fordis is fine too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl recognized Blue’s voice, and her sweet tone instantly changed: “Fordis! It’s for you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heavy footsteps approached quickly, and then his voice filled the receiver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What trouble are you in?” he asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the only reason he could think of for Blue calling—perhaps Mr. White wasn’t home, or flat-out refused to pay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d seen this kind of rookie before, and had personally trained two of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One was a guy who never intended to repay—he borrowed eight hundred from the company and shouted, “I’ll only pay you if a judge tells me to.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those two young men had no solution at all, and even asked him whether they should hand the matter over to the Legal Department—if the company even had one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he assumed Blue had run into the same problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But soon, he realized he was wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. White is willing to repay, but he only wants to pay in chips. I’m not sure if these chips are worth the amount.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He described the chips’ appearance and the small line of text on the back: “It says this chip comes from the Koda family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mentioning this, Blue almost laughed, because he thought of the slogan—“Capture beautiful moments.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After listening, Fordis gave him advice: “No problem at all. Koda family chips can be exchanged for cash at their counter, with no documentation required.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t help asking, “How did you get him to hand over the money?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The company had already sent someone to collect this debt, and clearly, they failed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they had succeeded, Blue wouldn’t have been sent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, the first collection attempt was never harsh—Blue was the second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I talked sense to him. Mr. White is a reasonable man, so he agreed to settle the debt.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do I need to give him a receipt or something?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Or hand him the contract?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Absolutely unnecessary, Blue. Bring back the chips and the contract. Someone else at the company will handle the rest. Your job is done—don’t steal others’ work.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll tell the boss this good news. Your efficiency is impressive—you might just surprise all of us!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hanging up, Blue returned upstairs and, in front of Mr. White, counted out three thousand five hundred in chips from the brown paper bag.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is what you owe the company. I’m taking it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The rest is yours. I only take what’s mine, and I despise rumor-mongers—you know exactly what I mean.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked at Mr. White sitting on the sofa. After a brief outburst, Mr. White had completely broken. He avoided eye contact and nodded, “Yes, I understand. I won’t say anything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good!” Blue handed the brown paper bag filled with three thousand five hundred in chips to Ethan. “Sorry for taking up your time. Have a pleasant day, Mr. White.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mr. White didn’t look happy at all—his day ahead was bound to be miserable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three left the apartment and drove straight toward the company.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the way, Elvin asked about everything that happened upstairs. The two buddies were ecstatic, and Ethan couldn’t stop talking—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...I just glared at them, and they immediately pulled their heads back like turtles retreating into their shells!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I thought someone would call the police or step in to stop us, but nothing happened at all!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blue, driving, picked up on Ethan’s remark: “This shows the Federals aren’t as strong as we imagined.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When you’re weak and give in to their harassment and tests, they push you back step by step.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But when you show you can hurt them and aren’t afraid of their threats, they’re no stronger than the weaklings we know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you have no reason to fear the Federals—they’re just like us, just like the cowards we know. You’re strong, they’re weak!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If your opponent doesn’t back down, it’s not because they’re not afraid—it’s because you’re not vicious enough. That’s all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These words sank into the ears of the four young men. To them, this was gospel truth—verified, undeniable gospel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The car arrived quickly at the company. Blue brought the four inside and told them to sit in the break room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But seeing the intimidating figures in the break room, they ultimately decided to stand in the hallway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the office, Blue placed the brown paper bag on Alberto’s desk and took out the chips to count them simply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took his work seriously—and with clear boundaries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could give Blue a hundred, but Blue couldn’t hand him only three thousand four hundred—that violated protocol!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Three thousand four hundred and fifty, three thousand five hundred—perfect!” The last fifty-chip fell onto the pile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked at Blue and nodded slightly. “The Mr. White I know isn’t a reasonable man. Tell me—how did you convince him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blue sat across from him, relaxed. “I started by talking about the Jinguang City sailing team. He’s also interested in baseball. Then we talked about cooking.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We found common interests, so conversation flowed easily. I asked him, ‘Where’s the money?’ He said, ‘In the flowerpot.’ That’s it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alberto burst into laughter. “I can picture it—he’ll never want to see you again!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused, then picked three fifty-chips from the pile and pushed them over. “This is yours.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alberto knew Mr. White had money—he had his own agent at the Koda family’s casino.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People who came to the company to borrow money would endlessly renegotiate interest rates, repayment terms, and how the company could recover losses if they defaulted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’d fight for every advantage and never make an impossible concession.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in the casino, gamblers blinded by red eyes didn’t care what price they’d pay later for the five hundred they took from you!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They only cared whether they had enough chips to sit back down at the table before the next hand began!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mr. White’s win—over four thousand, roughly equivalent to a common worker’s hundred-month salary—had reached the agent’s ears. Many at the casino were talking about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the company first sent someone to collect, they found Mr. White had no means to repay, so the matter dragged on until now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alberto firmly believed that with enough methods, he could always reclaim what didn’t belong to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he never expected it to go this smoothly—half a day, and the money was recovered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m looking forward to your next assignment, Blue,” he said, pausing. “We give others a five percent bonus—that’s the rule. You deserve it too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But this next job won’t be as easy as Mr. White’s.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alberto brought up the second “order.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Anderson runs a restaurant in the Bay Area. Last year, he ran into financial trouble and came to me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now he denies signing any contract, refuses to pay interest or return the principal, and has sued us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If we show up near him and harm him, he’ll sue us. Our lawyer says we’re very likely to lose.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So this job is different from Mr. White’s—you can’t use violence. Do you understand?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t harm him. Don’t even threaten him. Think of another way.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you handle this job, I’ll give you double the reward.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whatever amount you recover from him, I’ll give you ten percent!” To emphasize his intensity, Alberto held up both hands, gesturing widely.\u003C\u002Fp>",1316,"2026-06-19T21:10:27.799Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","b39b0694789d3ef6bcaaff8d46f776e4056da903d64975e144411ec82992015a","the-shadow-empire-chapter-19","the-shadow-empire-chapter-17",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-shadow-empire-cover.jpg"]