[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-shadow-empire":3,"chapter-the-shadow-empire-the-shadow-empire-chapter-50":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},2267670,4428,"Chapter 50: No Worries Left Behind","the-shadow-empire-chapter-50",50,"\u003Cp>Mr. Johnny, I’m the new patrol officer for this district; you can call me Clark. I’ll be responsible for patrolling and maintaining order in this neighborhood from now on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I just heard you’ve run into some trouble…” He glanced at Johnny in his wheelchair, then at the casts on his body, removed his hat, and sat down on a nearby chair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They say they’ve caught the killer, but your money’s gone. I asked the officer handling the case—you can prepare to hire a lawyer and sue them for compensation for your… various losses.” He glanced at Johnny’s arm and barely held back a laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Johnny had already become a joke on this street. The case spread fast; people like him—stingy and cruel—were rare, so everyone saw it as a bloody joke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a joke, but a bloody one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t really want to face Officer Clark, but he forced himself to respond, “Thank you for coming to inform me. It’s good news, but as you can see, I can’t afford a lawyer right now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the way, I’d like to ask—will they hire a lawyer?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After multiple amendments to the Federal Constitution, parties have the right to hire a lawyer to defend themselves or assert their rights, and the Federal Judiciary supports this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it clearly doesn’t help the poor, since most of them can’t afford lawyers—so today’s Federal Judiciary is merely a toy for the rich.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ordinary people lack legal knowledge and have no advantage against professional lawyers; even when they’re victims, they often end up in prison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hiring a criminal lawyer in the Federation isn’t cheap—even if this case is a guaranteed win without defense, the other side will demand at least a hundred dollars, with no upper limit, and the judge’s awarded compensation to Johnny will be skimmed by at least fifteen percent, up to thirty percent, as “service fees.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Johnny couldn’t afford a lawyer, and he hoped the other side couldn’t either—so he wouldn’t have to spend extra money, yet still get some compensation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Officer Clark shook his head. “I don’t know much about this. It’s a Criminal Investigations case—I have no authority to interfere.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused. “There’s another thing I wanted to mention, besides this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Before John left…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he could finish, Johnny interrupted: “I already paid. I paid six months in advance. John probably didn’t mention it to you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clark’s smile vanished visibly. He stared at Johnny, his eyes cold. “That’s between you and John. He doesn’t handle this area anymore.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m different from John. Everyone knows he was greedy. So each month, you only need to pay me fifty dollars.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Monthly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the only option left. Before leaving, John had bled dry every merchant on this street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Clark arrived, he learned the situation and spent half an hour cursing John with his partner—but they still had to find a way to collect the money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After discussing it, they decided the only viable method was to lower the amount and collect monthly—this stood a better chance of success.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>John was indeed a greedy dog. His protection fees were much higher than other districts, but that came with his brutal methods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clark didn’t want a terrible nickname. In the end, they agreed: shops with booming business pay fifty dollars a month; average ones pay thirty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What about those making less than thirty dollars a month in profit?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’d force those unable to pay to leave, letting the shop go to someone capable and willing to run a business.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a newly appointed officer, where you start collecting and whether you succeed matters crucially—it determines whether Clark and his partner can rule this street with absolute authority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he fails to collect from Johnny, collecting from others will become harder—they’ll resist him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only by breaking Johnny—the most profitable and most difficult target—will the others submit and pay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He cursed John, the bastard who messed everything up and left them in a bind, and he cursed Johnny too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You’re crippled, yet still blind to reality—he won’t give you a good face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clark took a deep breath. “Johnny, you know there are many eyes watching us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t make me look bad, and I won’t make things hard for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s just fifty dollars.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They stared at each other for a moment. Johnny clenched his lips, silently cursing both John and Clark a hundred times over—every filthy word he knew, as if it eased his pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the officer’s gaze grow colder, more unyielding, Johnny grew furious, his voice turning hoarse. “I hope you’re not like John—just full of big talk.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Officer Clark’s face broke into a smile. “You’ll see how well I maintain safety here!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Johnny gathered every coin from his cash box—it was still a few dollars short. But Clark didn’t care; they were all loose change.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He grabbed the stack, gripping it tightly in his hand. \"You still owe me five dollars—I'll count that as a gesture of concern for your injury. Hope you recover soon—I'm looking forward to eating bread you bake yourself.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Johnny, you’re a smart man. I’m glad you didn’t make me look bad. I won’t make things hard for you either. Any problems, call the radio—they’ll find me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the bakery, Officer Clark adjusted his belt. His partner pulled out a cotton-and-linen sack from the car window, and Clark dumped all the money into it, right in front of the shopkeepers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shopkeepers gathered at their doors, watching. They cursed Johnny, blaming him for not standing up to pressure, then began preparing cash. These bloodsucking bastards—they deserved to burn in hell!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the afternoon, another bad news arrived: the court notified him of the trial date and revealed that the other side had hired a defense lawyer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he didn’t hire a lawyer, he’d likely lose ground in what should’ve been a guaranteed win.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, Johnny had some savings—around seven or eight hundred dollars. He withdrew some cash, visited an ordinary law office, paid twenty dollars for a consultation, and received a satisfying answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lawyer told him the case had no disputed facts: his apprentice had planned a home invasion, assault, and robbery. As the sole victim, even if the other side’s lawyer was Gold Harbor City’s top attorney,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>they couldn’t turn him from victim to perpetrator. The only thing the other side could do was try to shorten the youths’ sentences and minimize fines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lawyer even told Johnny he might get more compensation—because from a professional legal standpoint, paying for the victim’s forgiveness was the simplest, most effective way to reduce sentencing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, Johnny might make a small fortune.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Johnny repeatedly asked if he needed a lawyer. Each time, the lawyer replied: “You have absolutely no need to waste money here—unless you want to push for more compensation. But forgive me for being blunt: that might cost you more.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because there might be a second trial—or more. Your legal fees would skyrocket. You understand what I mean.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lawyer’s confident tone put Johnny, who had little education, completely at ease. After thanking him, Johnny left the law office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also felt a pang of regret for wasting twenty dollars—he never intended to hire a lawyer. The consultation was unnecessary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bakery’s evening business remained wildly busy. It must be said: Johnny wasn’t just a baker—he was a baker who understood people’s needs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He always made his bread more filling and longer-lasting, which was his secret to profit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He worked until past six, when the peak rush finally passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the bakery was nearly empty and closing, he had his daughter wheel him to the display window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the street darken outside, while the distant city glowed in colorful lights, he felt a strange, unspoken thought stir within him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t know how long he sat there—until his daughter came to wipe the table and asked him to move—when he noticed a small card on the table:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wanli Financial Services Consulting: Solving Your Financial Worries”\u003C\u002Fp>",1330,"2026-06-19T21:10:27.799Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","ef30bac3d05576bcc9e6105d6ffe2860e5011b10e1b35ec38b3693e80072227d","the-shadow-empire-chapter-51","the-shadow-empire-chapter-49",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-shadow-empire-cover.jpg"]