[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-shadow-empire":3,"chapter-the-shadow-empire-the-shadow-empire-chapter-983":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},2268603,4428,"Chapter 983: Degeneration, the Broken Elevator, and the End","the-shadow-empire-chapter-983",983,"\u003Cp>Ross’s people are highly action-oriented.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Faced with jewels, wealth, and even food, it was hard for them not to act.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, this wasn’t working in a factory for a boss—every jewel they stuffed into their bags would eventually end up partly in their own hands!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They stuffed the jewels into sacks with a hundredfold, a thousandfold more enthusiasm than when they were working.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ross noticed some people secretly hoarding jewels for themselves; he noted them down but didn’t confront them immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had never attended much school—only learned to read and write.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Lans’s “course” taught him many principles, one of which was: before achieving final victory, minimize internal conflict as much as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t fully understand what “internal conflict” meant—it probably referred to this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, all visible jewels in the jewelry store were packed into sacks, and those who had gone upstairs for food rushed back down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each of them carried a sack stuffed with food—if it was wheat or wheat flour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then each sack weighed thirty-five pounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There looked to be hundreds of pounds of food here—enough to last them for a while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some people from nearby shops had followed them, looting goods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One man beside Ross muttered bitterly, “Should we drive them away?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These are our things!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ross glanced at him. “They’re not ours, and they’re not theirs—whomever grabs it, owns it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man, though reluctant, fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ross, who had led them from afar to Zhuolan and now secured them so much wealth and food, had become their undisputed “leader.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They trusted Ross and were willing to follow his orders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Once everyone’s here, we leave,” he said, turning to lead them out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, someone spoke up: “I just heard they said there are many foreigners upstairs—they’ve got a lot of valuable things.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lots of cash, watches, and other stuff.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lapar National Bank had no business ties with the Federal Bank, so no transfers or remittances existed, and exchange rates were unstable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone wanting to invest in Lapar had to bring real gold and silver—they had to come with money, not bank checks or promissory notes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s why Lans had smuggled a container of currency here—he needed cash for his investments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These were high-value items; some eyes immediately turned to Ross.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ross frowned. “You want to go upstairs?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man looked at him calmly. “Everyone’s heading up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His words stirred others—after all, until today, they were just ordinary people starving beyond endurance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If not for desperation—coming to Zhuolan seeking help, seeking a chance to survive—and then accidentally clashing with law enforcers, they might never have been here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ross turned and looked at the people still frenziedly looting goods, shaking his head slightly at their madness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t link us with those vile creatures. Remember—we’re not thieves. We’re not doing this for money or anything else.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’re only doing this to survive!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Until we’re forced to harm others to survive, crush that thought. I don’t want any of us to become monsters!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some thought he spoke well; others secretly sneered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’d already shot and killed people—now pretend it was all out of necessity?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it was truly necessity, why come in at all?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They didn’t understand Ross, just as Ross didn’t truly understand them—but now, this small group had strong cohesion, and the men around him held weapons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He made his decision; no one dared speak further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long ago, he’d felt a fleeting impulse to go upstairs, to see if Lans was there, to sit before him and talk about their current situations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would’ve been such an interesting scene!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t even imagine how interesting it would be!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like Perode and the old teacher, Ross didn’t trust Lans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A foreigner suddenly arrives in your country, gathers you and others, teaches you how to overthrow the current regime, and then chaos erupts—would you think this man is trustworthy?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No. Anyone with normal intelligence and emotional sense wouldn’t consider him a good person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ross felt the same—he didn’t think Lans was a good person, even though Lans had helped him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He answered Ross’s frustrations about the current society and taught him how to guide the nation toward normalcy, but Ross still disliked Lans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To Ross, Lans was a destroyer, an ambitious man—everything he did served his own or the Federal government’s selfish desires, not the people’s true interests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the people of Lapar might gain some benefits, that wasn’t their real goal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had imagined appearing before Lans as a victor, telling him he had taken the first step toward success!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in the end, he abandoned the idea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t sure if Lans’s attitude toward him would remain the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He realized now wasn’t the right time to meet Lans—he should wait for a better opportunity, a better moment, to appear before him as a victor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he would have the standing to stand equal to Lans—and he wanted to see what expression Lans would wear then!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, deep inside, he still felt a little fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t sure that if he went up and met Lans, he’d survive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans might let him go—or he might kill him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this, he glanced again at the people around him. “We’ve already exceeded our plan. We must leave.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The city’s in chaos—the army might intervene.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, those who had been indifferent now looked surprised, then grim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, no one objected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group hurried away; the others sighed in relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as this large, armed group stayed, they couldn’t feel safe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that Ross and his men were gone, these people began looting even more wildly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many began boarding elevators to floors above the sixth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Floors above the sixth were mostly occupied by foreigners—wealthy ones, where a single watch meant a lifetime’s worth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they could get a camera or two, they could live comfortably for the rest of their lives!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People had forgotten why they came to Zhuolan—to beg the government for food, to fill their stomachs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The desire to fill their stomachs had mutated—become more complex, more destructive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Doors were smashed open; foreigners screamed and surrendered everything they carried.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some girls were dragged into rooms, called “vain sluts” as they were abused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only mercy was that these people hadn’t yet been consumed by a lust for killing—they’d done many terrible things, but hadn’t yet slaughtered en masse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps now, but if left unchecked, in just a few days, mere submission would no longer satisfy them—only taking a life would bring them pleasure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turning killing into a way to seek joy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Duoer glanced at the elevator rising steadily, gestured to his men, and stepped into the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boss, the elevator is moving.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans looked up, set down his book, and walked out of the study.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a soft “ding,” the elevator doors slowly opened—inside, faces twisted with madness burst out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The luxurious room and decor meant they didn’t notice the men standing there—or their raised weapons. These refugees had fully descended into madness; they were no longer “people.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were monsters wearing human skins, driven by desire!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In their eyes, the people before them didn’t exist—they held weapons capable of slicing through fragile throats or arteries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked at them with mild disappointment—his ideal “students” hadn’t arrived. Watching them charge toward him, he calmly shook his head. “Shoot.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, a storm of bullets halted the charging refugees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man in front took multiple rounds and collapsed heavily—his head lay less than a meter from Lans’s toes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The continuous roar of submachine guns snapped the desire-driven mob back to reality—they screamed, begged, but couldn’t escape death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the end of a single volley, everyone who exited the elevator lay dead on the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans tilted his chin slightly, watching a survivor inside the elevator—his body trembling, bloodied hands frantically pressing the buttons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the closing doors, blocked by corpses lying between the elevator shaft and car, reopened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood still streamed from his head—he couldn’t be called lucky or unlucky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the silent room, only the “click-click” of his button-pounding echoed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans pulled a pistol from Ma Duoer’s holster, stepping carefully where no bodies lay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It has to be said that once camel hair carpets soak up blood, they create a suction force on your shoe sole when you lift your foot, making it hard to raise your foot easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was unpleasant—it slowed movement and made the floor slippery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Lans approach, the man in the elevator wept—he knew if he just moved the corpse blocking the doors, he could close them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he dared not!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He feared any sudden motion would bring a hail of bullets—he could only beg God to hear his prayer and let the elevator descend without closing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Lans drew nearer, his trembling worsened—from tapping buttons with fingers, he now slammed them with his entire palm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, he couldn’t make it work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The doors slowly closed, the corpse beneath was squeezed—and the doors reopened. He was utterly hopeless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He fell to his knees, clutching his head, sobbing desperately, “Spare me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans looked down at him and raised the pistol in his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bang!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bang bang!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The large-caliber pistol—Ma Duoer preferred large-caliber weapons, unlike Hailam, who favored more ammunition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The large-caliber bullet not only shattered the skull of the last survivor in the elevator, but also left a deep crater in the elevator floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced around, then fired additional shots at those who might still be alive or pretending to be dead; soon, the entire top floor fell utterly silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The people resting in the side hall, hearing the gunfire end, emerged from it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they saw Lans standing amid the corpses in his white suit, his pant legs splattered with glaring blood, both Albert and Andy, after their shock, averted their eyes from Lans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Andy’s arrogance and pride vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Roger was the first to react; he stepped forward several paces. “Boss, are you hurt?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was genuinely concerned—and he used the word “boss.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of the time he called Lans by name, or addressed him as “Chairman” (Chairman of the Imperial Chamber of Commerce), but saying “boss” now was meant to signal their closeness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans shook his head, walked back outside the pile of corpses, and tossed the pistol carelessly to Ma Duoer. “These minor players can’t hurt me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced down at his pant legs. “Too bad—I just changed my clothes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, his face broke into his usual easygoing smile. “Clean up the other side. These trash have turned this place into a mess!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His smile, set against the sea of corpses behind him, made nearly everyone lower their heads, afraid to meet his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chaos in the city continued unabated; the rioters seemed to have forgotten their original purpose—just to avoid starving—and began wildly smashing, looting, and burning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every person carried bags filled with stolen goods, yet they still didn’t stop—they kept smashing, looting, and burning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Intense gunfire erupted repeatedly across the city; clearly, these people had once again touched something they shouldn’t have.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t the Federation, not another civilized nation, not even the Jede Republic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ruling elite and privileged class showed no mercy when killing their own people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The city’s situation changed rapidly; by evening, the riot had spread throughout the entire city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Si, Pedro, and other less foolish individuals had already gathered supplies and withdrawn from the city entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They knew well: now that Zhuolan, as the capital, had become this way, the military would intervene soon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans had also mentioned this in his “classroom”: once a protest turned into a riot, the violent apparatus would immediately step in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The police were useless, but Lapa still had its army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At six-thirty, the army finally arrived; following the Presidential Palace’s orders, they blocked roads and arrested rioters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone who resisted was shot on the spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gunfire erupted everywhere; the city’s order seemed to improve instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What puzzled these soldiers was that several vehicles had been following them the whole way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strange vehicles, clearly not made in their own country.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, they sent someone to investigate; in Lapa, only members of the ruling elite or recent foreigners drove such odd vehicles—and neither group was worth provoking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once they learned these people were from the Federation, they consulted the Grand President and left them alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the car, Lans asked, “What do you think of their army?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Duoer was a “deserter,” but he had once been an Imperial soldier—and a high-ranking officer at that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He deserted only because he grew tired of the nobles’ tricks and the idiotic rebel forces, unwilling to let himself and his brothers die in another meaningless war.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t leave out of fear of battle or death—he simply refused to die without purpose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was their first close look at Lapa’s soldiers; after watching for a while, Ma Duoer couldn’t help laughing. “They’re worse than militia trained for three months!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Lans was satisfied. “So our people must be stronger.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Duoer didn’t deny it. “Under identical equipment, we’re definitely stronger. If we had superior weapons, we could crush them completely.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans nodded. “If you trained the Lapa soldiers, how long would it take them to match ours?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Duoer thought for a moment. “To make them roughly equal? Not long—no more than a month.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But to make them truly formidable? More than three months—and plenty of ammunition to build their shooting experience.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Marksmanship isn’t innate—it’s always forged by bullets.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans fully agreed. “You’re right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At eight-thirty at night, the chaos finally ended; apart from occasional sporadic gunfire, the entire city was now completely safe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This unrest didn’t solve the problem of the thousands of refugees outside the city starving—it only deepened the divide between the people of Zhuolan and those beyond its walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Diego was furious; in the afternoon, someone had even attacked the Presidential Palace, repelled only by his Liushou  troops—this filled him with deep humiliation!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those commoners actually dared to challenge him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t understand how they dared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That night, in a rage, he convened an emergency presidential meeting to discuss how to handle the aftermath…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2351,"2026-06-19T21:10:31.886Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","d28bc777781a2bbd42e87134e6f8c03eb914b7e630788a74f14ded7e331f2efd","the-shadow-empire-chapter-984","the-shadow-empire-chapter-982",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-shadow-empire-cover.jpg"]