[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-shadow-empire":3,"chapter-the-shadow-empire-the-shadow-empire-chapter-964":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},2268584,4428,"Chapter 964: Activate 6664","the-shadow-empire-chapter-964",964,"\u003Cp>“Mr. Lans!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Delighted to meet you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the dock, a forty-something member of the House of Representatives walked forward with a broad smile—an act of equal standing, even slightly humble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After reaching Lans’s side and shaking the hand he extended, he gave it two additional pumps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You can’t say House members are useless; the Speaker and several senior members have served in the House for a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But no matter what, their influence and political status will never match that of Senators in the Senate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Federation has a very clear “trait”: nearly all elected Presidents who take the oath of office come from the Senate; only a few rise from state governorships.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No President has ever emerged from the House of Representatives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Add to that the fact that House members serve only two-year terms; aside from a tiny few who remain long-term, most leave after two years and vanish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once they leave the House and lose their title, their status can’t be compared to that of governors or secretaries of state—some aren’t even as powerful as a mayor!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The best post-House path for them is the state legislature or a local mayoral post—but even that isn’t easy to secure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their glory lasts only two or four years; once it’s over, life becomes far less comfortable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans, though merely a crime boss, has been closely watched as he transforms his enterprise—he’s unlike those old-school gangsters who thought lying passively on the chopping block counted as redemption.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He might become the first to succeed in such a transformation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps this House member will one day work with Lans professionally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he had no reason to act arrogant—this kind of attitude has zero effect on men like Lans and only makes him look cheap. He didn’t do it; he was warm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Senator Cleveland and the others are waiting for you—please follow me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans didn’t insist on using his own motorcade; he’d seen the car the House member had brought—it was Senator Cleveland’s personal vehicle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the dock in New Jin City to Senator Cleveland’s estate wasn’t far—it took thirty-five minutes, mostly due to light traffic; otherwise, it could’ve been faster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Computer Guy Lans handed his coat and felt hat to the maid waiting by the door to take them, then followed the House member into the building.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t the main hall or the primary structure—it was a smaller building beside it, only two stories tall, with a spacious foyer upon entry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A corridor encircled the upper floor along the walls, so if an important figure spoke here, and the first floor couldn’t hold everyone, guests could move upstairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There weren’t many people inside; when they saw Lans arrive, Senator Cleveland stood, and the other Senators slowly rose after him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Senator Cleveland looked delighted—he waited for Lans to approach and shake his hand, then turned and wrapped an arm around Lans’s elbow. “You all know him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone chimed in loudly, nodding. “Yes, Mr. Lans White—I don’t know if you recognize him, but I certainly do!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans smiled warmly at the speaker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Senator Cleveland laughed. “That’s right—this is Lans.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The young, astonishing Lans—the architect of the Awakening Plan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He patted Lans’s shoulder, gesturing for him to sit beside him; everyone then resumed their seats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We were just discussing your professional achievements—how was your time in Lapa?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Senator Cleveland seated Lans beside him purely because the Awakening Plan had exceptional feasibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It required no invasion, no public condemnation, yet promised vast tracts of land and abundant untapped resources—all of them showed interest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When a person’s value reaches a certain level, people selectively ignore their background.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though Lans was, in their eyes, a lowly crime boss, right now they treated him as Senator Cleveland’s friend—a strategist offering a viable plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans appeared relaxed, unbothered by the wealth and status of the men in the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d faced execution—he could handle this small gathering?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After sitting, Lans casually crossed his leg, arms wrapped around his knee. “Fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“While observing Lapa, I found their situation matches our expectations: grossly unequal distribution of social resources, extreme wealth disparity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Most crucially, many cannot feed themselves through local agriculture—yet until last year, they were still exporting grain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Though the export volume was small, it shows the local regime doesn’t care about ordinary people’s survival.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Senator Cleveland nodded. “Our intelligence operatives embedded in other nations gave us the same answer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Including the Jede Republic—they’re always short on food. Jede imports grain, but other nations are glad just to stop exporting.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This aligns closely with the prerequisites you outlined in the Awakening Plan—can we begin execution?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone here had read the Awakening Plan—they were stunned that a gangster like Lans had conceived it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Speaker of the House, after reading it, called Lans “a force equivalent to an entire army!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans gave a slight nod. “I believe we can.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Senator Cleveland nodded approvingly, looking around. “Then let’s begin execution as planned.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around him, these respectable gentlemen showed varying degrees of excitement—some faces twisted with delight!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The deepest pleasure of the powerful lies in controlling others’ fates—that is the core of power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The greatest joy for these Senators comes from their work: crafting federal laws and rules. A handful of raised hands can decide the futures of tens of thousands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This pleasure doesn’t strike the body like an orgasm, but works continuously on the spirit, on the soul!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, Lans gave them an even stronger climax—they will decide the fates of eleven nations, simply because those nations rejected the Senate’s “generosity”: military occupation and annexation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thought of all of Yalan descending into hell made these civilized, polite, refined gentlemen’s eyes gleam with demonic fire!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Awesome!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unutterably awesome!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps they’ll soon need young girls to violently release this inner euphoria through carnal means!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today, they are terrifyingly strong!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans drafted the entire plan; these gentlemen here are the ones filling in the details—they must feel some sense of participation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When, in the future, they stand on Yalan’s soil to read the “Voluntary Joining the Federation Declaration,” they’ll have earned credit—not just claimed a position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They discussed the next steps for hours.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after confirming every critical step did the discussion end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans spoke little—he’d done enough. If the plan succeeded and Yalan was annexed, he’d be the Federation’s greatest hero.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His honors wouldn’t be lacking, so he had no need to compete with these gentlemen for the remaining glory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was the strategist who drafted the plan; the others here were merely its tactical implementers. No matter how brilliant their tactics, they could never overshadow the glory and gains brought by a successful strategy!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the discussion ended, Senator Cleveland saw everyone out; only Lans, Tang Mu, and his chief advisor remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Senator Cleveland, after hours of talk, was tired—but his spirit was electric.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How do you plan to handle the spiritual leaders?” He lit a cigarette.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since it’s “Awakening,” there must be a few leaders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the adults, they only need the concept of “spiritual leaders”—they don’t care who they are, because their subordinates will find them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I originally favored Ambassador Cassia, but then I realized—he lives in poverty in Lapa, yet he’s still part of the privileged class; the common people can’t see themselves in him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gomez won’t work either—he’s a classic wealthy privileged class member, directly responsible for exploiting and oppressing the lower classes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“People can’t see him as one of their own—we need to find people from the social bottom.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lapa’s population isn’t highly educated, but they still respect those with culture—like schoolteachers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They know how to impart knowledge, and naturally, how to spread their ideas to more people.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Making them the first Awakened would be a good choice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve also been observing other roles recently.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Senator Cleveland nodded approvingly. “Good. Harvest season is coming—before the Holy Harvest Festival, we’ll launch the entire plan…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Senator Cleveland invited Lans to relax—but Lans declined. Not out of unwavering loyalty, but because he knew to restrain his desires.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the Senator had invited him along, he wouldn’t have minded—it’s a way to strengthen ties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But clearly, he wasn’t yet on that level with the Senator. Or perhaps the Senator had unusual tastes—he’d need to work harder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1370,"2026-06-19T21:10:31.886Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","18cdf483c664f802cc670a2ee9abe8a15b294186901bb78b046526d1832be752","the-shadow-empire-chapter-965","the-shadow-empire-chapter-963",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-shadow-empire-cover.jpg"]