[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-shadow-empire":3,"chapter-the-shadow-empire-the-shadow-empire-chapter-39":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},2267659,4428,"Chapter 39","the-shadow-empire-chapter-39",39,"\u003Cp>“Do you have time…” Lans returned the signed form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Patricia glanced at his signature and whispered, “I’m not sure… this feels too fast. We’ve only met once, and now we’re going on a date…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans smiled softly, “I meant I’d like to learn more about the registration process…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Patricia instantly grew awkward; in matters of romance, the one who speaks first always becomes the more vulnerable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before she could respond, Lans skillfully eased her discomfort, holding her gaze, “And I also want to use this chance to get closer to you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Patricia looked at him, covering her face, her fondness for the young man deepening further, “Saturday morning…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After setting the time and location, Lans left the City Business Services Bureau.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bureau was now packed with people seeking services, even the entrance crowded; he stood at the door, lowered his head, lit a cigarette, then lifted his gaze to the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He exhaled all the good and bad from his chest, mixed with the smoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The little boat of dreams had set sail—the future had arrived!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unaware, a reporter had just captured this moment and planned to use it in tomorrow’s Business section of *Today Jingang*, even naming it already—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>*The Young Entrepreneur and the City’s Future*, using the contrast between individual and city to showcase the city’s vibrant energy (see end image).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was one of the City Hall’s requirements—they wanted to highlight the city’s youthful pulse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To draw more eyes to it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans may have noticed someone taking photos, or perhaps simply sensed it—he glanced over. The reporter immediately felt embarrassed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He walked over with his camera, “Hello, sir, I’m a reporter for *Today Jingang*. Just now… the scene was too powerful. I may use your photo in tomorrow’s paper.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you allow it, I can pay you… two coins?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans declined, “Free of charge, friend. I’ll even thank you for doing this!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused, then added, “Do you have any other interviews lined up? Perhaps we could talk.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reporter’s eyes lit up—nothing beat interviewing the subject of your own photo. He pulled out pen and paper at once, “Are you here to register your company today?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What made you decide to register your company in Jingang City?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans thought carefully, “Jingang isn’t the only city in the Federation with strong commercial potential, but it has a group of efficient, incorruptible officials. They’ve boldly yet prudently installed a powerful engine for our economic growth, keeping us racing on the fast track of development.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s foreseeable that, through the efforts of our administrators and all of us, Jingang won’t just lead the Federation—it could lead the world. I believe this firmly!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I cannot allow myself to miss this opportunity—it may be the most important one of my life…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The interview ended quickly. The reporter stared at his notebook filled with material, unable to contain his emotion—he reached out and gripped Lans’s hand tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Perfectly said, Lans. These words don’t need editing—they can go straight into the paper. Which university did you graduate from?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his mind, someone who spoke with such depth\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>couldn’t possibly be a child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans smiled, “I never attended university.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reporter found it hard to believe, “I can’t accept that, but regardless—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans, I’ll use your material…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So I want to thank you. You saved me time, and this article will be outstanding.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the reporter’s enthusiasm, Lans considered, “Then buy me a cup of coffee. We haven’t properly introduced ourselves yet—I’m Lans White.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He extended his hand. The reporter quickly capped his pen, then offered his right hand to clasp Lans’s firmly, “George Smith, reporter for *Today Jingang*.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They sat on the sidewalk. George ordered two cups of thirty-nine-cent coffee and a pastry stand—total under one and a half coins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, this was already high-end for the café; most patrons drank only ten- or twenty-cent coffee, and never ordered pastries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you a native of Jingang?” George sipped his coffee and asked, “Your accent…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans nodded, “Yes, but something happened.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As a child, after an accident, I was sold to another state. I was only a few years old—they made me work.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Later, as I grew older, they locked me in a small workshop with people from all over the world. You know—anyone will labor if paid.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s why my accent is complicated. Many notice it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>George nodded, agreeing, “A nightmare. Then what?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Recently, my so-called adoptive father passed away. I left there, wandered searching for my family, and they told me someone matched.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I met… sorry, I find it hard to say the word—I met Mr. and Mrs. White. We look remarkably alike.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I and... I'm sorry, it's hard for me to say that term—I met Mr. and Mrs. White, and we do look very much alike.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>George stared in awe, “Unbelievable. No wonder you speak with such depth—life taught you everything!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lans, I must say, meeting you is an honor. May I include your story in the article?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s an inspiring tale, and you know—it fits perfectly what some politicians want to see. It’ll make your path easier.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>George was completely won over by Lans’s speech and his extraordinary life—he wanted to flesh out Lans’s image.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans naturally didn’t refuse. The Federation was a vast stage of fame and fortune—name and profit were all that mattered here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t like recalling the people or events of the past, but at least my adoptive father never left me disabled or dead. And I don’t want my past to haunt me or my family…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>George nodded vigorously, “I understand. I’ll use pseudonyms for others—places, times. Don’t worry—I’m a seasoned reporter, I can handle it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After providing more material, they exchanged contact details and parted. George told Lans to watch tomorrow’s paper—he’d write it carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meeting George was a pleasant surprise. In this era of underdeveloped—even barren—information technology, newspapers were the main way people learned about the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Magazines were too expensive; wage earners had almost no spending power for them. Television offered more content, but most wage earners watched it only through shop windows on the street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Radio was another option, but limited by broadcast times and equipment—people couldn’t carry radios everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But newspapers? Five cents each—usable on the way to work, on buses or subways, even while relieving yourself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And they had extra value: wiping your backside, wrapping things, etc.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Expanding his media connections was part of his plan—and it went smoother than expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Look closely: reporters were everywhere. As the most vital information channel of this era, it was far closer to ordinary people’s lives than anyone imagined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next morning, the Director of the City Business Services Bureau brought a box of donuts to his office. No sooner had he sat down than the phone rang, “This is…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Mayor, I haven’t seen today’s paper yet…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next morning, the director of the City Commercial Administration arrived at his office carrying a box of donuts; no sooner had he sat down than the phone rang, \"This is...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, I understand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He frowned in confusion, picked up the phone, and ordered his assistant to bring today’s *Today Jingang*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Opening the Business section, the front page showed the entrance of the City Business Services Bureau, packed with people, heads bowed or chatting with neighbors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in this crowded composition, one figure stood out—out of place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A young man, standing at the door, cigarette in hand, gazing skyward. The photo carried a strange, lingering feeling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if reminding people: sometimes, we should lift our eyes. The image’s language radiated positivity, leaving a deep impression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned to the article itself. The long text first described Jingang City’s thriving economy, comparing data from last quarter, last year, and the past five and ten years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Growth in city commerce, economic expansion, number of registered businesses, tax increases…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simple numbers, yet profoundly convincing. Then the reporter interviewed the man in the photo. The interviewee spoke as if the city’s progress was everyone’s collective effort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Director sensed something else—this man was different. He didn’t flatter bureaucrats, and he said it was everyone’s effort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet every sentence placed officials before “we,” clearly establishing hierarchy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Subtly yet unmistakably, it conveyed that the city’s development was fundamentally the work of the bureaucratic elite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, the article detailed the interviewee’s background—legendary in its own right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After reading the entire piece, the Director felt spiritually elevated—he could almost hear the city’s powerful heartbeat pounding in his ears!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sat thinking, then summoned his Deputy Director, flipped the newspaper page to the top, and pointed at Lans, “Was this our person? Our arranged story?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Deputy Director stared at the unfamiliar young man, bewildered, “We didn’t arrange any interview or report. This must have been their own initiative. Could it be…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Director pursed his lips, “The Mayor read this article. He believes it perfectly matches Jingang City’s image—and effectively shifts attention from recent events.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But since it wasn’t our doing, leave it be. Have someone check his application—prioritize its review…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the Deputy Director left, the Director stared at Lans’s youthful face, certain they would cross paths again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The director pursed his lips, “The mayor read this report and believes it perfectly aligns with our Jincheng City’s image, and also serves well to divert attention from recent events.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But since he’s not one of ours, we don’t need to bother—have someone check into it and prioritize reviewing his application…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the deputy director left, the director looked at Lans’s youthful face and couldn’t shake the feeling that they would surely cross paths again.\u003C\u002Fp>",1596,"2026-06-19T21:10:27.799Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","66fdeac3ace5db61c16b3737f64f929dcae42e598af94e5ff58149c4c7b923fb","the-shadow-empire-chapter-40","the-shadow-empire-chapter-38",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-shadow-empire-cover.jpg"]