[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-shadow-empire":3,"chapter-the-shadow-empire-the-shadow-empire-chapter-24":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},2267644,4428,"Chapter 24: The Mutual Witnessing of Growth Is Life","the-shadow-empire-chapter-24",24,"\u003Cp>“Uncle Burton, I heard you bought this apartment yourself, not rented it, is that right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans glanced at the water glass on the table, with no intention of drinking; Mr. Burton kept waiting for him to take a sip, so he could prove his point with, “See? I told you—the tap water here has no odd taste, it’s even sweet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had to change the subject, and the moment he spoke, it would be one Mr. Burton couldn’t ignore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mr. Burton’s lips twitched involuntarily upward; the facial muscles he’d tried to keep serious finally gave way into an unsteady smile, and even his hope for Lans’s approval on the tap water’s slight sweetness was forgotten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did Gerald tell you all this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That shows you two are truly close friends!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took a deep breath, feeling as if he’d been caught and had no choice but to admit it: “Yes, that’s right—I bought this apartment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You might not know what I went through when I first arrived, but no matter what, I’ve grown alongside this city, and it has given me its finest gift.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I bought a home, got married, then divorced; I have insurance, a work card—I don’t have to worry about the Emperor’s soldiers dragging me out of bed at midnight, handing me a gun that won’t fire, and ordering me to die for the royal family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The only thing I need to do is work hard, and I’ll receive my reward!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t help laughing a few more times as he spoke: “I’m not boasting, Lans—this is the Federal Dream. It’s entered my life, and I hope you can become someone like me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hard work, perseverance, endurance—this society will repay you with everything. If it hasn’t yet, it’s just delayed. No matter how late, it will come. This is the Federation!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pay, and you’ll be repaid!” His face wore the earnest, sacred expression of a preacher swindling country farmers—Lans felt a wave of nausea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re truly an extraordinary man!” Lans praised him insincerely, and Mr. Burton laughed even louder, unrestrained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He loved sharing his greatest successes, everything he desperately wanted to show off—and now, he had succeeded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You can do the same—buy a house here, build your own life, and obtain your immigration status.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If only you’re willing to work hard and stay grounded!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused, wiping away the white foam of saliva from the corner of his mouth from talking too much: “I haven’t asked—what do you do for work, Lans?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gave Lans a clear gesture of appraisal—eyes sweeping him from head to toe, as if to say, “I’m sizing you up,” and “I can tell your clothes are nice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans kept his polite smile: “I work for some locals—not the traditional kind of jobs. I handle tricky matters for them, and they pay me in return.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The previously rich smile on Mr. Burton’s face suddenly dimmed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most hardworking workers who willingly submitted to capitalist exploitation disliked the kind of things Lans described.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It meant instability, risk—nothing like the life he wanted to live.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The atmosphere grew stiff all at once. It wasn’t Mr. Burton’s fault—most ordinary people avoided any connection with gang affairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s good,” he replied vaguely, now eager for Lans to leave; he made a large show of glancing at the clock hanging above the bedroom door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans acted as if he hadn’t noticed: “I’ve only been here a short time—I don’t know much about Jincheng.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uncle Burton, you’ve lived here a long time—you must know this place well. Could you tell me about the lives of the Empire people here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mr. Burton hesitated, but considering Lans might have joined a gang, he ultimately couldn’t refuse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“About thirty thousand Empire people in Jincheng have obtained identity cards; the rest are… illegal immigrants.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Those of us who’ve gotten identity cards all gather at the Saint Naye Cathedral on weekends.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve heard others have different meeting places, but I’ve never joined them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought for a moment: “Since you’re good friends with Gerald, I’ll give you a piece of advice—stay away from the Kamir Gang.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Lans pressed him about the “Kamir Gang,” Mr. Burton fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He then said it was getting late—he had work to do—and Lans rose to take his leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he hadn’t seen Little Red Riding Hood, he now had at least some understanding of the Empire people living here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Mr. Burton’s mention of the Kamir Gang, Lans didn’t know what they did—but he already had a suspicion:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fatal wound you receive is often delivered by the person you least expect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People are always cautious and alert toward enemies—but when facing their own, they lower their guard, and that’s when the knife goes into the heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, the weekend was just one day away—plenty of time for Mr. Anderson to think hard about whether to settle his debt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the afternoon, Lans went to the company. He told Aierwen  he had nothing to do with selling Mr. Cotti, but he still needed to inform the man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time at the company, everyone greeted him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Capable people are welcomed and valued everywhere—even the cute front desk girl painting her toenails looked up and waved “Hi!” to Lans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fordis wasn’t there—he was out working. Lans went straight to Mr. Cotti’s office; he was on the phone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To avoid being annoying, Lans didn’t enter the office. He waited at the door until Mr. Cotti called him in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sorry, the call took longer than expected—it’s near month-end.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second quarter was ending, the third was coming—this was when companies scrambled to borrow money to make their balance sheets look good and fool investors and shareholders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was also a busy season for financial firms and banks, with most loans being overnight, three-day, five-day, or week-long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Interest rates were high: just now, Alberto had finalized a one-week short-term loan—he paid out two hundred thousand, and in a week, the borrower would repay him two hundred fifteen thousand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed like low interest—only fifteen thousand—but in reality, it was a substantial sum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The company had excellent credit and sufficient collateral; they signed formal loan contracts with legal enforceability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, Alberto now hoped the borrower wouldn’t repay—or couldn’t repay—so he could legally seize their assets through judicial channels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was in excellent spirits!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sit down. Anderson called me—you did an excellent job.” He opened the cigarette pack, turned it around, and offered Lans one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“On the phone, he cursed worse than the filthiest whore I’ve ever heard—I’m a bit angry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m considering whether to actually recover the money, or just take some satisfying revenge, Lans—what’s your take?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Closing his first deal and getting Anderson to call him himself had fully demonstrated Lans’s personal ability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alberto wanted to know: if he were Lans, how would he choose?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans didn’t hesitate: “No one turns down money. If I were you, Mr. Cotti, I’d take back what’s mine—and then make sure to get my revenge.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alberto clapped his hands, thoroughly pleased: “You’re right—I won’t turn down money…” He paused, thinking. “Do you have any follow-up ideas?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans didn’t hide his thoughts: “Mr. Anderson cares deeply about his restaurant—I plan to keep targeting the restaurant.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1198,"2026-06-19T21:10:27.799Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","05f2205f079c274cef01b2941f38e0eb79fad01687b3d7b60b03ecd23c8f28f2","the-shadow-empire-chapter-25","the-shadow-empire-chapter-23",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-shadow-empire-cover.jpg"]