[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-shadow-empire":3,"chapter-the-shadow-empire-the-shadow-empire-chapter-943":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},2268563,4428,"Chapter 943: Server 6661","the-shadow-empire-chapter-943",943,"\u003Cp>A person must know their place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Senator Cleveland said he had another “meeting,” he was telling Ambassador Cassia: you can hang up now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ambassador Cassia responded with equal decisiveness: “Understood. I won’t disturb you further.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hanging up, Senator Cleveland glanced at Tang Mu: “Tell Lans that this ambassador has some friend who controls the La Pa leader’s federal account—have Lans handle it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Mu stood up immediately: “Understood.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under current federal law, if an account remains inactive for a certain period, it becomes a “dormant account.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that point, the funds in the dormant account are transferred to a designated account; if the owner wishes to reclaim them, they need only apply to the bank and prove ownership of both the account and the funds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But most people who lose access to these accounts never reclaim the money—mainly because they never apply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the federation, over half the money in these anonymous accounts is illicit; otherwise, it wouldn’t be stored there in the first place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a result, once these accounts go dormant and the funds are moved, almost no one ever comes back to claim them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And where does the money end up?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, a large portion is reclaimed via “appeal requests”—though whether those appeals are genuinely filed by the original account holders or secretly extracted by insiders through technical means is another matter entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This rule was jointly drafted by the Federal Savings Bank, the Federal Banking Commission, and Congress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gomes didn’t realize that even if he didn’t mention it, the money would eventually end up in the federal government’s pockets—just distributed among many people, each receiving only a small share.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By providing these account details, he simply lets Cleveland and the others take a slightly larger cut. That’s all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Senator Cleveland nodded and walked off, saying as he went: “Next time, ask them what they want first—handle unimportant calls yourself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This granted him more authority; Tang Mu naturally didn’t refuse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, Tang Mu called Lans and explained what had happened: “The bank’s money will be handled by specialists—you just need the account details.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The senator wants you to check what this… guy wants. It’s not a small sum.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans agreed, though he already had some suspicions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He quickly called Ambassador Cassia: “I heard you have a friend with some accounts that need handling?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At those words, Ambassador Cassia’s face twisted into a bitter smile—he had no idea how to answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans didn’t press him, only waited in silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After about ten seconds, a sigh came through the receiver: “I can explain…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, no, Cassia—I’m not calling to hear your explanations. I want to know who needs help.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans’s tone carried absolute finality, leaving no room for negotiation; Cassia could only mutter curses under his breath and give Lans the answer he wanted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gomes. You know him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans chuckled lightly: “Yes, we know each other. We’re on good terms.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is he in the federation now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I heard he went back to La Pa?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ambassador Cassia looked awkward: “He just arrived these past few days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Have him come see me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans hung up. Cassia stared at the receiver, sighed again, then shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He quickly dialed Gomes and recounted everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Gomes listened, his mind filled with curses—he was irritated, even violent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I understand. I’ll go see him right away.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassia added: “Bring him some gifts. Say something nice—he’s not hard to deal with.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gomes was already distracted: “Hmm. I understand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was embarrassing—and Gomes was certain Lans was furious. Anyone would be furious in this situation—even himself!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s like someone you know used you to contact your brother-in-law Diego, and now plans to bypass you entirely and reach Diego directly—you’d be furious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You’d be furious. So what about Lans?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would he be even angrier?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d be angry, yes—but not that angry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When a person has experienced enough of something, their emotions remain steady when it happens again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like when you first acquired a valuable resource—just one plot twist could make you reward yourself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the next time you see it, you realize it’s just… ordinary. You look ahead, seeking higher-stakes content to raise the stakes toward your ultimate goal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A resource might be referenced two or three times before losing all value—it’s been “consumed,” “experienced.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans had encountered many similar situations in his life. He no longer reacted like a naive youth, thinking this was a slight to his face that demanded revenge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An adult’s time isn’t so simple—it’s not just love, hate, and emotion; there are far more complex things at play.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Gomes can continuously provide Lans with… value, they remain friends.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he can’t, then when his value is fully drained, that’s when Lans will say goodbye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Discussions about the Lans family grew more numerous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some said the Lans family was the federation’s least gang-like gang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They didn’t exploit or oppress ordinary people; instead, they considered the public’s interests—even though they did run criminal businesses, like smuggling alcohol.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But honestly, in the federation at this time, hardly anyone truly viewed bootlegging as a crime!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially locals—they didn’t see drinking a glass as wrong. Only recent immigrants to the federation still believed smuggling and trading alcohol was criminal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others believed this was just the Lans family’s tactic to whitewash their image—using it to win public favor and appear harmless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many supported this view. People are always complex in any era—some simply don’t understand them and oppose every positive claim about them, nothing more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But regardless, the Lans family was now asserting its influence, spreading from Lika Lai Province to farther regions—even many in Jinzhou had heard of and understood the Lans family’s affairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two days later, Gomes arrived in Jin Gang City with a large collection of local specialties and met Lans in his luxurious office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These are some gifts I brought from La Pa. I hope you like them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He opened several gift boxes himself—each exquisitely wrapped, filled with colorful gemstones that shimmered under the light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These had originally been meant for Senator Cleveland—but now he had to offer them to Lans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans glanced at them from afar, unimpressed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To ordinary people, a single gem might be worth hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were many here—possibly worth hundreds of thousands, even millions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was still just a few hundred thousand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cheapest copper lion whiskey brought Lans nearly ten yuan net profit per bottle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The expanding Lawrence Distillery produced roughly fifteen thousand bottles of copper lion whiskey daily—that’s one hundred fifty thousand yuan net profit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then came silver lion, gold lion, and other spirits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every day, these spirits brought Lans roughly four hundred to five hundred thousand yuan net profit—and his distillery kept expanding, with profits coming from other sources too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So this amount meant nothing to Lans now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gave a slight nod, signaling Gomes to pack it all away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gomes didn’t know if Lans had forgiven him—he looked tense. He repacked the gifts and handed them to Merro, who had them taken to an inner room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did Lans invite him to sit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When they told me you planned to bypass me and contact Congress directly, my first reaction wasn’t anger,” Lans said with a faint smile, as his opening line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gomes instantly grew tense: “I can explain, Mr. Lans!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans raised his hand to stop him: “No, no need to be nervous, Gomes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Everyone wants to become better. Everyone wants to improve. That’s not wrong!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Like my men—if they didn’t aspire to become captains or officers, there’d be something wrong with them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Only soldiers who want to become generals are truly good soldiers. So I understand your actions—you want to improve, to become better than you are now!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Lans’s measured words, Gomes exhaled: “I’m so glad you understand!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans smiled: “What… do you want?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your gifts, your sincerity to improve—what do you want from the federation, from us?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Money? Status? Power? Or something else?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans acted as if he didn’t care about Gomes’s actions—as if he truly didn’t mind!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gomes forced a smile: “I only want to serve you and Senator Cleveland better.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1354,"2026-06-19T21:10:31.886Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","499a461265e8e320133b3a735d6c08573eb38f9e085f7ff81bc436135b2af188","the-shadow-empire-chapter-944","the-shadow-empire-chapter-942",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-shadow-empire-cover.jpg"]