[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-shadow-empire":3,"chapter-the-shadow-empire-the-shadow-empire-chapter-56":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},2267676,4428,"Chapter 56","the-shadow-empire-chapter-56",56,"\u003Cp>One thousand five hundred dollars is a lot of money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For people of this era.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Lans returned after stepping away for a moment and placed a brown paper bag on the table, Kent’s face broke into an unrestrained smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He rubbed his hands together, reaching for the bag with a sleazy gesture, but Lans suddenly pressed his hand down on it and stared at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked confused, then angry, but quickly read something in Lans’s eyes: “Make them stand up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kent spoke, and one of his thugs kicked Enio in the shoulder, sending him sprawling forward, though he quickly rose with help from the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They walked silently to stand behind Lans, and Lans released his grip on the bag.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re a man of principle, Lans—I’m sure we’ll become good friends!” He laughed heartily; anyone who gave him fifteen hundred dollars was welcome as a friend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After picking up the bag, he didn’t look inside immediately. Instead, he opened the flap and inhaled deeply through his nose, then sighed in ecstasy: “The smell of money!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After savoring it for several seconds, he flipped the bag upside down and poured all the cash onto the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All were ten-dollar bills, ten bills per roll, bound with rubber bands—fifteen rolls total.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hugged them with both arms to keep them from falling, looking utterly ridiculous!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He randomly unrolled one, counted it, and nodded in satisfaction. After putting the money back, he glanced around, then fixed his gaze on Lans, his expression turning dismissive, even arrogant: “So… you can all get the hell out. Next time you do something wrong, don’t get caught. This fifteen hundred? Consider it a lesson for your friends.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans stood with a faint smile, straightening his clothes: “I hope you sleep well, Kent.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kent didn’t care about the threat hidden in his words: “I sleep like a log. Drop and out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans nodded without comment, gave him one last look, and left with Enio and the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching them go, Kent wiped the smile from his face: “Pack up. We’re moving. This place is hot.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His trusted thug thought it unnecessary: “The business here is good, boss.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kent picked his nose, then handed the bag to his accountant: “Business is good, but problems have arisen. We can’t stay.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not afraid of trouble—but that doesn’t mean I like it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ve stayed here long enough. Time to move. Tonight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He smeared the booger onto his thug’s shirt and stared at him: “Leave now. Any problem?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thug shook his head: “You’re the boss.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t afraid of Lans, nor of Lans reporting him to the Koda family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The local precinct had been fully compromised—he’d met with both the precinct captain and his assistant last month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several patrol officers were on his payroll. For a few dozen dollars a month, they became blind and deaf—and even called him ahead when trouble loomed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every month, a modest but substantial sum of cash arrived, and they turned a blind eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d dealt with the Koda family before: just pay up, apologize. His brother was a senior officer in the Camil Gang and had connections higher up. This wasn’t easy—but it wasn’t impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What truly troubled him was that solving this would cost him a lot of money and favors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worse—his brother would kill him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Kent’s order, everyone began packing. They had a truck to carry everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mainly gambling tables and equipment—everything else was cheap and easily replaceable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For people who moved often, they had a full system in place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other side, as soon as Enio stepped onto the street after leaving the casino, he muttered an apology.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans turned, grabbed the back of Enio’s neck with his palm, pressed his forehead to Enio’s, his expression deadly serious: “Don’t apologize to me, Enio.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The others were startled—they truly were. When Lans pulled out fifteen hundred dollars, they knew they’d messed up badly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>None of them knew what to say. Fear was slowly devouring them from within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enio forced himself to stand tall, gritting his teeth: “I’ll pay you back, Lans.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How?” Lans gripped Enio’s head and rubbed hard. “Three dollars a month? For decades?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s a funny joke. You made me laugh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He let go, then turned to the others: “I told Aierwen  and Yisen  before—if someone slaps you, and you don’t smash back, next time they’ll step on your face… or shit on your head.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’ll know you’re a coward. No matter what you do, you won’t fight back.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you don’t want that fate, remember: blood for blood, tooth for tooth!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shame is washed only in blood. Hatred is quelled only by destruction. What you’re doing now—standing here trembling like a quail, apologizing to me—isn’t what you should be doing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What you must do is take back that fifteen hundred—plus interest!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They broke your arms, turned you into this mess—so you repay them double.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He exhaled slowly: “Kent and his crew will move soon—maybe even in the next two days. Watch them. Find out where they’re going, where they sleep, where they rest.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can you do it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enio’s face hardened with ruthlessness: “I swear I can.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans slapped his cheek, then handed him two hundred dollars: “See a doctor, change your clothes, and keep your eyes on these bastards.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Anyone know how to ride a bike?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A young man raised his hand: “I do, Lans.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>▲TtkΛn▲￠o\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans pointed at him: “Good. Get a bike nearby. If they drive off, follow—but don’t get spotted.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Guys, I don’t care what you think—whether you still want revenge or not.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But here, this isn’t over.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No one hits you, takes my money, and walks away to live easy. No one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Call me the moment you find anything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After giving a few final instructions, Lans drove off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is fifteen hundred dollars a lot?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, it is—but earning it back won’t take long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some say the most profitable businesses in the world are written in the criminal code—and they’re not wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back at the company, Aierwen  rushed over immediately: “I heard Mo Lisi came. Did something happen?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans briefly explained. Aierwen ’s face darkened with rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d grown more confident lately—partly from money, partly because their group had become cohesive, united as one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So even when trouble struck, they held one belief: Lans will avenge us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that confidence, they no longer feared problems—they faced them head-on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you planning?” he asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans sat behind his desk—he had his own office. Since it was a company, it had to look like one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lit a cigarette, exhaled twice, then said: “That money wasn’t free. He’ll pay a heavy price.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aierwen  clenched his lips: “What do you need us to do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Focus on your own tasks. I’ll notify you when action starts.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the afternoon, Yisen  returned from outside, his face glowing with excitement: “Lans, guess who I saw?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans asked absently: “Who?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Those kids who beat us up at the harbor—I saw them!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the hottest part of the day, so everyone out on “business” had returned. When they heard Yisen  had found the kids who’d pounded them, they couldn’t sit still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans, already boiling with rage, felt a destructive urge rise—Kent the bastard could wait two more days. Right now, he’d collect interest from those kids.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had Meiluo  pull all the baseball bats from the warehouse and pack them into a large travel bag.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The others rode in the car—he drove. And he realized: the company needed more people who could drive.\u003C\u002Fp>",1254,"2026-06-19T21:10:27.799Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","d0806d3c1783ed7b844a8f973cba1848465b727cb11e8094db1a66ec232a2ffb","the-shadow-empire-chapter-57","the-shadow-empire-chapter-55",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-shadow-empire-cover.jpg"]