[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-shadow-empire":3,"chapter-the-shadow-empire-the-shadow-empire-chapter-919":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},2268539,4428,"Chapter 919: Self-Paid 66619","the-shadow-empire-chapter-919",919,"\u003Cp>Sirens wailed endlessly from police cars, and the once chaotic port area fell silent in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Police were everywhere, arresting rioters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Actually, “arresting” wasn’t quite right—it was more like driving them off; police cars were dispersing the striking workers, preventing them from regrouping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reporters stared in stunned silence at the sudden outbreak of violence and the abrupt scattering of the protest, knowing clearly that “power” had intervened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A mysterious force had destroyed everything here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the injured on the ground—some cuffed, others with broken legs or arms, or unconscious—reporters frantically snapped photos, ecstatic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They could have done something—helped those lying critically wounded—but now they only cared about gathering usable material for their news.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My leg’s broken!” a worker in his forties sat on the ground, pale and desperate, seeking help—but passing police didn’t even glance at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, his pain hadn’t been this intense, but as time passed, the agony in his leg grew worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around him were others like him, or lying face-down; he tried calling out to the police, but they just stood there watching him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A reporter hurried over—he thought he’d come to help—but quickly realized he’d been naive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reporter stood right in front of him, snapping photos nonstop, capturing his agonized expression!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He cursed, “Get the fuck away, you son of a bitch!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had no effect—the reporter kept shooting, and many others nearby suffered the same fate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those reporters were cold, bloodless machines, devoid of any human compassion!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fuck!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m dying! Someone, please, help me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A man in his forties began sobbing uncontrollably, tormented by excruciating pain and terror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After what felt like an eternity, the sound of an ambulance arrived—he finally exhaled in relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon he was placed on a stretcher and loaded into the ambulance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were already two people inside; he was the third.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, the doctors prioritized those with the most severe injuries, loading them first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This worker’s leg was bent at an unnatural angle, swollen and discolored purple-blue—so he was chosen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After getting on the ambulance, perhaps during the stretcher transfer or from the jolting ride, his broken leg was jolted again—intensifying the pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He screamed in unbearable agony—he swore this hurt more than death itself!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have a special painkiller here—one injection costs only three yuan and fifty fen, refundable. Want one?” the doctor asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The worker nodded frantically, “I need it, I need it so bad—give me one right now!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The doctor told the nurse to bring a form, “Before I give you the painkiller, I need to register you—it’ll be quick.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your name?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Og…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where do you live?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I live…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your own house?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a fleeting moment, Og’s mind cleared—he froze—but at that instant, the ambulance hit a pothole and lurched violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who’ve never broken a bone can’t understand how, in a jolt, the broken part feels weightless—then slams down with crushing force!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That crushing sensation obliterated Og’s thoughts in an instant: “Yes, yes, my own house!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just give me the damn painkiller!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The doctor smiled, injected the prepped painkiller—within thirty seconds, Og exhaled deeply, his whole body relaxing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d never realized how comfortable it could feel to simply… not hurt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything causing his pain was suppressed; the unprecedented relief made him nearly fall asleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing he stopped screaming, the doctor smiled and withdrew the needle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These custom stainless-steel needles were expensive—they had to be reused; the syringes were glass too, sterilized and recycled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ambulance soon arrived at the hospital; Og received full medical care—he got an X-ray, several surgeons analyzed it, and eventually he signed away his consent, confusedly approving the surgery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he woke, it was past eight at night; he stirred from unconsciousness to find his wife and daughter, eyes swollen from crying, sitting beside his bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing him awake, the mother and daughter lit up with relief; his daughter rushed out to call the doctor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Og looked at his wife and daughter, flooded with endless guilt—he really shouldn’t have come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What did this have to do with him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The union?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The labor federation?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every year he paid extra dues just to keep his membership recognized—he gained no real benefit from them, only lost more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After enduring such torment, he felt he’d grown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sorry,” he croaked, voice dry and sore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His wife’s eyes filled with tears again; she cupped his hand in both of hers, “It’s over.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her gaze shifted to his leg, braced and casted, “How do you feel now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Og lifted his head slightly to look at his injured leg, “I feel great!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t lying—he felt no pain at all. Had painkillers become this powerful?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His wife smiled, about to speak, when his daughter entered with the doctor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The doctor approached the bed, checked the surgical site for leakage or bleeding, listened to his heart and lungs, asked a few questions, confirmed he had no fever, then left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Og lay still, staring at the ceiling, “It’s all like a dream.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He still remembered how he’d waved his arms in the crowd, screaming with a furious face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then someone swung a club as thick as an arm, smashing his shin—he lost balance instantly and fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They beat him a few more times with sticks and steel pipes before leaving him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those people… were terrifying!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did they catch the ones who beat me?” he asked his wife, turning his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She nodded, “They caught them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Og’s expression shifted slightly, “Were they Lans’s men?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His wife shook her head, “Some refugees. I don’t know the details, but there was a clash—many refugees were arrested.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Refugees?” Og’s face showed surprise, then turned to contempt, “They’re still Lans’s people—he’s too cunning!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The surgery drained his strength; after eating a little at night, he fell into a drowsy sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as his wife was about to go home to gather things, the doctor found her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Madam, you owe the hospital nine hundred yuan. Further treatment will cost another three to four hundred.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You need to figure out how to pay this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman stared at the doctor in panic—she’d never handled such a sum in her life, disbelief etched on her face, “This money… shouldn’t be paid by…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She froze, unsure who should pay—she only instinctively felt it shouldn’t be them!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The doctor watched her, unable to say more, and waited for Og to wake to discuss it: “I’ll speak with your husband, but prepare yourselves—this is a large sum.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Og’s wife returned home burdened with worry, packed some clothes, then came back to the ward to stay the night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their daughter went home—she had school tomorrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At midnight, Og jolted awake from searing pain—this wasn’t a private room with one bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a regular ward: one large room with nearly twenty beds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Og screamed from pain, others with light sleep woke up; their curses mixed with his cries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon doctors and nurses arrived, checked his wound, confirmed the surgery remained successful, and said, “Pain is inevitable—after the painkiller wears off, everyone hurts.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You must learn to endure and overcome it. In two or three days, the pain will lessen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Og was drenched in sweat, “I can’t take it, doctor—give me another shot!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pain of a broken bone was unbearable—especially since both bones in his shin were shattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The doctor didn’t mind—he just had to state one thing: “Mr. Og, nearly all effective painkillers are addictive. I must warn you before administering.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Also, you must pay for any additional painkillers yourself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Og nodded frantically, “Fine, I accept!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The doctor nodded; soon the nurse brought the painkiller, and he injected it into Og.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seconds later, Og’s eyeballs trembled, then rolled back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After over ten seconds, he came back to himself—so blissful!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The doctor confirmed he was fine and left; the ward fell quiet again, but some awakened patients couldn’t sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone was chatting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His wife watched her husband anxiously, hesitated, then asked, “Darling, the doctor asked me today—who will pay for your treatment?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We already owe the hospital over nine hundred yuan…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1336,"2026-06-19T21:10:31.886Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","d195c4f3ec32fbcfb02fa5cc3a9c442b934672a6a65831a511b7c33220b9e6e3","the-shadow-empire-chapter-920","the-shadow-empire-chapter-918",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-shadow-empire-cover.jpg"]