[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-shadow-empire":3,"chapter-the-shadow-empire-the-shadow-empire-chapter-990":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},2268610,4428,"Chapter 990: Don","the-shadow-empire-chapter-990",990,"\u003Cp>The crowd around him stirred slightly, and more people drifted closer; Pedro knew this wasn’t the place to talk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Andy, please come with me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They walked to a more central part of the camp, where some shacks stood—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though they lived outdoors, they weren’t truly sleeping under the open sky; they had built their own shacks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These shacks weren’t just for rain protection—more importantly, they kept out insects and small animals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Winter’s cold wasn’t yet enough to make cold-blooded creatures hibernate, like snakes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the drop in temperature did slow their activity; during the day, the sun warmed them and kept their body heat up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At night, they sought out warm spots from all around to spend the night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometimes people would wake up in the morning to find a snake—or some other animal—coiled on their chest or beside them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After entering Pedro’s own tent, he invited Andy to sit. “I’m sorry—the conditions here are crude. I can’t even offer you a cup of coffee.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Andy shook his head, saying he didn’t care, and refused to sit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To him, it was too dirty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Andy wouldn’t sit, Pedro didn’t feel right sitting either—he couldn’t very well sit while his guest stood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked uncertain how to handle the situation, but Andy spoke up, bypassing the question of sitting altogether.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you want to tell me?” Andy asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pedro glanced around, then spread his hands—halfway through, he let them drop with a slap. “What I care about is what you want from me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Andy crossed his arms, feet slightly apart—a posture of supreme arrogance. “I said it already: we want nothing. We merely saw you suffering a human rights disaster, which meets our organization’s aid criteria.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So we will provide you with international aid—funds, supplies, and if necessary, we’ll have influential people speak out for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He watched Pedro’s eyes remain tense; after a brief pause, he added, “If you insist on knowing what we demand in return, then I believe the best payment is to carry on with your current course.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Help the people following you—give them the life they want, fulfill your dreams—that’s the greatest reward!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was subtle, but Pedro heard it clearly: this “Mr. Andy” wanted him to keep fighting the Lapa government—to overthrow the current regime!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans’s face surfaced unbidden in his mind; he asked with a faint smile, “Do you know Mr. Lans White?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Andy’s eyes flickered twice. Though he’d been startled by Lans last time, he still didn’t believe Lans could handle what they were doing now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fighting, he admitted—Lans could do that well. But supporting armed rebels against their own government? That wasn’t something you solved with mere violence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, he didn’t deny it. “I know Mr. Lans White. What of it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pedro shook his head. “Nothing. Your words just reminded me of him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Andy quickly understood what he meant. He frowned slightly. “Let’s not talk about him. Tell me about yourself, Pedro.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How do you feel about our offer?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pedro thought for a long while. “I’m not even sure if I should accept it. A month ago, I was just a high school teacher.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But now, a month later, you’re pointing me down a path I never imagined—and telling me my road lies here!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He laughed at himself. “Even if the end of this road is nearly everyone’s dream.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Andy walked to the tent flap, pulled it aside, and everything outside came into view.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This isn’t living with dignity, Pedro.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Living with dignity means having enough to eat, clothes to wear—not like the people here now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even wolves or lions wouldn’t be interested in them!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re not the only candidate. You know that. I don’t have time for your reflections or epiphanies.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So what’s your answer now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pedro followed his gaze. The emaciated, skin-and-bone figures lay motionless on the ground like mummies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unless you saw their chests rise and fall occasionally, you’d think they were already dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To live is simple. To live with dignity is hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pedro pondered long—just as Andy was about to lose patience—he nodded. “I join your plan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Andy’s face softened slightly. He handed Pedro something—a map, with a red circle drawn on it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Collect your food here the day after tomorrow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a railway supply station—used to refill trains with coal or water. Such small stations were common across Yalan. Pedro didn’t think much of it; he agreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Andy left quickly—he disliked the place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mess was minor; it was the stench in the air that bothered him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pedro had ordered a deep pit dug around the camp. All human waste was dumped into it, then covered with trash or grass to seal it completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was composting—once the output was removed, they piled more on top.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A massive human waste pit inevitably spread odor everywhere. Add to that some people—especially the elderly—who lay down right after eating, their bodily functions having deteriorated so badly they’d begun losing bladder and bowel control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So it stank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Andy left, Pedro summoned his inner circle and repeated everything Andy had said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Federation will give us cash, medicine, and food.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All we have to do is keep fighting the government.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This core group included several villagers, schoolteachers, and parents from middle-class families.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pedro held no prejudice against these middle-class people. In this country, Lapa, becoming middle-class required more than personal ability—it needed connections.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that was precisely what he and the others lacked. So he needed a “bridge.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lately, besides his regular work, Pedro had been reading history books—studying how regimes in other nations had collapsed and changed hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wondered whether anyone in that photo—the “students”—had the capacity to pull this off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t noticed before, but now that he was paying attention, he realized:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In world history, nearly every “founding emperor” had been nobility—or part of the privileged class tied to nobility!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There had never been a true pauper, someone from the lowest social stratum, who became a ruler—except in the Federation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d read many articles about the Federation’s electoral system, which featured inspiring stories of ordinary workers rising to become president.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Federation citizens, they might be skeptical—even though some presidents had indeed held ordinary jobs and backgrounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But who knew if it was really true?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, for those who saw the Federation as their spiritual homeland, it was damn true!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In any country, any tribe, the new ruler was never someone from the lowest class.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the lowest class held no real wealth and lacked the ability to mobilize social resources.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without these two key factors, how could anyone claim to change the world?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he needed a bridge—a link to the privileged class. His group wouldn’t be only the poor; it would include the rich, the privileged, even politicians!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After explaining his idea to them, the first to stand in support were the parents of students.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the teachers. Finally, the common people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They weren’t particularly interested in rebellion. What they cared about now was when they’d get enough to eat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet even this simple wish—to fill their stomachs—was now nearly impossible to achieve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So don’t blame them for wanting to overthrow this rotten rule.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pedro told his confidants the meeting location and ordered them to prepare containers for carrying the food.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, they had to get enough food—enough so they wouldn’t have to rack their brains over meals for a while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just Pedro had received promises; others like Luo Si and those who’d joined the action and been forced into opposition against Diego’s government also gained the chance to trade with the Federation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two days passed quickly—in the blink of an eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At five in the morning, the train conductor woke from sleep at a small station.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After washing up his child, he roused everyone else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a brief flurry of activity, the crew confirmed the warehouse was full of coal and the boiler was seven or eight parts full of water; the train began to slowly pull away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It carried food aid destined for Lapa—a deal between the Jiede Republic and the Lapa government, and Diego.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a period of heating, the steam engine boiled, and the train, propelled by its power, began to slowly leave the station.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The conductor stood on his dedicated platform outside the train, gazing at today’s bright, clear sky—his mood as sunny as the weather.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1396,"2026-06-19T21:10:31.886Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","cfaa8533c7acbf9734076681892ca3e9455c6a6963bb87d48eade6e898784350","the-shadow-empire-chapter-991","the-shadow-empire-chapter-989",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-shadow-empire-cover.jpg"]