Chapter 105 : Sparks
The Public Security Bureau’s large-scale sweep ended successfully. Al-Raid’s headquarters was blown up, and even their last bastion, the front company, was turned to dust.
A week since then.
District 5 was still in turmoil. Loud sirens, widely spreading whistle sounds. The crossing horns and screams were now a part of daily life. It was the harm of an organization composed of cells. Even if the top brass and middle management were all thrown in jail, the grunts, unable to read the change in the tide, were running wild.
But it was a commotion that would subside in a month. If they had any brains, they would know that their organization was finished. Their animosity towards the city government would remain, but that was something unavoidable as long as one lived in this city. Without a focal point, it was a lament that would eventually be washed away with a drink.
“You said the leader of Al-Raid was there.”
Reina’s office in District 5. The atmosphere here was detached from the commotion of the area. Well, it was a place where security guards personally hired by the broker stood guard 24 hours a day. And that broker was deeply connected to the military, which was causing this commotion. It would be strange if it were chaotic.
“You must have had a hard time. Your face doesn’t seem to shine like it used to. I thought you were just showing off when you said you were resting instead of coming straight to the office.”
Reina said, twirling her liquid cigarette. It was an absurd thing to say.
“If I were trying to slack off when I should be asserting my share, it would mean I have no desire to make money. I’m not that rich.”
“Is that so? Are you a big spender? You’ve raised your name value with major requests so far, so you must have a considerable amount in your hands.”
“As you know, it’s hard to make money in this city, but there are a mountain of places to spend it, so it’s hard to save.”
Identity laundering, real estate purchases, periodic maintenance, supply purchases, and so on. And now, I had one mouth to feed, and more were scheduled to come soon. Fortunately, I had caught a break by snagging a corporate man, but I wasn’t well-off.
“Stop complaining. You’re not the type to build your career by clinging to money.”
“Is there a contractor who doesn’t cling to money?”
“When you’ve been around this long, you can roughly see it. There’s also the nice word, ‘insight’.”
Since she was close to Cromwell, she must have heard about me. Even if not, as a broker, she would have information coming in about the movements of contractors. But what was important was not Reina’s interest in me.
“Just be honest about what you want to say. You’re not trying to tell me to ditch Cromwell and stick with you, are you?”
No matter how much one might be shameless in the course of business, that was a move one could only try when one was in a somewhat desperate position. Reina was a more successful broker than Cromwell. As it was an industry where reputation was important, she wouldn’t abandon basic manners just because she coveted a single promising newcomer.
Reina gripped the liquid cigarette she had been idly fiddling with.
“Tsk, I guess it was obvious I was trying a trick I’ve never done in my life.”
“Let’s just say I’m quick on the uptake.”
“That’s a nice thing to say.”
Reina, who took it as a joking compliment, chuckled and continued.
“As you said, it’s not me, for one.”
“Then?”
“Where would the point of contact between us be? It’s the Public Security Bureau.”
“The Public Security Bureau…?”
This was another unexpected identity.
“The higher-ups praised you so much that their mouths went dry. At that level, they agreed that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to throw out a recruitment offer after seeing your disposition.”
“So they asked you to sound me out?”
“I got stuck with the hot potato and lost out. Thanks to that, I was embarrassingly called out on my trick.”
Was the exposure of the front company and the disposal of Al-Raid’s leader that impressive? Of course, I was proud that I had achieved good results in the request in my own way. In fact, if it weren’t for me, they wouldn’t have been able to stop the terrorism. But to expect the higher-ups to fairly evaluate my achievements was like saying fungi are plants. Fungi are treated as a separate category from plants. It was something that couldn’t happen.
Then perhaps.
“The security officer must have blabbered some nonsense.”
“You know well. You haven’t been with her for long, but you have a good eye for people.”
“She was a rather unique woman.”
Reina clicked her tongue as if she agreed.
‘She said she would make sure there was no gossip. Was this it?’
She was a character whose next move was hard to predict. To put it nicely, she was unpredictable, and to put it badly, she was a mess. It was similar in vein to Reina’s evaluation, who had even called her a glutton to her face.
“Since it’s a story that came from that security officer’s mouth, they probably won’t treat you properly.”
“This is so well-known it’s almost suspicious. Did something happen to you during this mission?”
“Just tell me quickly how they said they would treat me.”
“They said they would use you as Hazel’s aide. How about it, are you tempted?”
It wasn’t even worth considering.
“Tell them to get a babysitter instead.”
“I’ll be sure to tell them that.”
Reina slapped her knee and laughed. Traditionally, there was no easier way to close the distance of the heart than to gossip about others. It was the perfect timing to get to the main point.
“Forget the recruitment offer, if they think so highly of me, I’d appreciate it if they just settled the payment properly.”
“That won’t be difficult. The city government is strict, but they’re generous with their money. The Public Security Bureau is similar. I’ve already made adjustments so that your exceeded performance will be properly reflected. I’ll handle the work properly, if only for Cromwell’s sake, so don’t worry.”
To assert oneself against the absolute superiors, the city government and the Public Security Bureau. It was something only a broker of Reina’s caliber, who didn’t have to worry about getting on their bad side, could do. Her position in this city would probably not be threatened in the future. Apart from her loyalty to Cromwell, she was clearly a connection I needed to know.
“Is there anything new about the corporation that was sponsoring Al-Raid?”
Just as much as I was, the Public Security Bureau must have been desperate to dig up their identity. Since they were vicious enough to use necromancy to interrogate a corpse with only its head left, I thought they might have found out something separately.
Reina gave me a rather meaningful look in response to my question.
“That’s a behind-the-scenes story unrelated to the request. Your request ends here, so is there a need for you to know that much?”
“It’s personal curiosity.”
“Hmm. Well, it’s like a fly in the ointment, so you must have some lingering feelings. And you haven’t been in the business for long for your name value.”
Reina thought for a moment and then opened her lips again.
“It was thanks to you that we even got a clue, so I guess I can do you a service. The Public Security Bureau won’t like it, so don’t go blabbering about it anywhere and just let it go in one ear and out the other.”
After she had sent away even the bodyguards standing behind her, I listened intently.
“First of all, we’re still in the dark about the corporation. Not only is the office a mess, but they didn’t leave any traces in the first place. They’re meticulous bastards.”
“That’s how corporations work.”
Just like the public sector, private companies are also well-versed in cutting their losses. Since they had provided funds and supplies to a terrorist organization that stood against the city government, they must have been pathologically obsessed with not leaving any traces. In that sense, now that the physical evidence was gone, tracing it back was close to impossible.
I had talked to Jordan and obtained the clue of the spirit’s cocoon fragment, so I could get a feel for it. No matter how much it was the Public Security Bureau, it would be difficult for them to pinpoint the mastermind of this incident.
“The only thing we found out is that they used smugglers for Al-Raid’s support.”
“Smugglers?”
“They say they hid the source, just like laundering money through various paper companies and documents. The commission alone must have been astronomical, I wonder how much money they have rotting away.”
The scale of the smuggling market in this city is so large that even those in the industry can’t properly grasp it. If the purpose was to erase traces, there was no safer way than to go through smugglers. As she said, the commission was a problem, but… for a megacorp of that size, money was something they had rotting away. Compared to their usual investment scale, it was just a pittance.
“Thanks to that, only the smugglers are on the verge of having their feet on fire. Once this commotion subsides, the next target will be them.”
“They must feel like they’ve been hit by a stray spark.”
“They did something to displease the higher-ups, so they have to pay the price. The Public Security Bureau was just leaving them alone, not that they couldn’t touch them.”
The Public Security Bureau’s crackdown on smugglers. It was hard to rashly estimate what kind of impact that would have on this city.
‘If there’s a place that will be directly affected, it would be District 4.’
As its nickname, the lawless zone, suggests, the place where the smuggling industry is most active is District 4. And the one most deeply involved in the smuggling market there would, of course, be the Brotherhood.
Suddenly, the orc who was the branch manager of Branch 102, whom I had met there, came to mind.
‘He must have gained considerable influence by now, having absorbed the distribution line of Branch 85’s Malay Krektor.’
It wasn’t something to be dismissed as just the expansion of influence of a single branch. If my guess was correct, he was the rebel who would lead the internal conflict of the Brotherhood. He was one of the great figures who played the role of the starting point of this city’s grand storyline.
“There will be a lot of talk about that for a while. Requests will also pour in, so you’ll have to keep a close eye on it.”
Although it was smuggling, it was a matter that would shake up an entire industry. Given its scale, it wouldn’t collapse, but chaos was unavoidable. Fortunately, I was in a much more advantageous position than others. Since I had received the information first, I could make connections in advance.
“You seem to be a smart person, so if I tell you this much, you’ll know how to conduct yourself.”
“Are you saying I should give Cromwell a heads-up if I want something?”
“Yes, no matter how good money is, it’s not more precious than your life. When a knife is at your throat, you won’t have the leisure to weigh this and that. If you play your cards right, the items that the smugglers were holding onto like a sacred jar might even come out as a reward.”
The service for my personal curiosity had now connected to advice on my future actions. It was good information. And she knew the value of information well. It was a clear sign of favor that went beyond the scope of a service.
“I hope we have a chance to see each other again.”
Leaving a clear opening, I stood up, and Reina’s voice flowed through the thick cigarette smoke.
“I agree.”
***
“The Public Security Bureau has struck Al-Raid’s neck.”
An abandoned railway station. Two men stood facing each other in a place where human presence had ceased. Both men were dressed in neat suits. But their impressions were the complete opposite. One exuded elegance, while the other exuded a sinister foreboding. It was the difference in their innate genes and the environment they had grown up in. A professional agent of a megacorp and a big shot in the smuggling market. It was only natural that their impressions were at opposite poles.
“You were confident that you could shake the city government through them.”
“Yes, I conveyed my client’s claims as they were.”
“I know that you also agreed with it. Because I trusted that confidence, I bypassed the boss and cooperated with you on my own authority.”
The man gritted his teeth as if holding back his anger and forced out his voice.
“This is the result. If you have an excuse, make it.”
“It was bad luck.”
“Luck? Luck!”
Mana swirled from the tip of the man’s foot. A state where mana moves in sync with emotions. The rusty railway tracks were torn from the ground, and the railway signal dangled back and forth.
Alfonso sensed a threat to his life and raised his hand to stop the approaching bodyguards.
“Didn’t you also admit that the plan was working so far? The variable was that the Public Security Bureau had figured out the identity of the front company. I heard from my source that it wasn’t something they had intentionally aimed for, but had stumbled upon by chance. It was really just bad luck.”
“……”
At those words, the man calmed his anger. It wasn't that the man didn't know how things were going. He was just angry.
“My business has been ruined by the Public Security Bureau, and you’re trying to get away with the excuse that it was just bad luck?”
“It’s only natural for an investment to have risks. Let’s rather consider it a relief. If the boss had found out, would you have been able to keep your head?”
The man’s body trembled. The boss, his existence was fear. As he said, it might have been better in a way to be caught by the Public Security Bureau beforehand.
“……This is the end of our deal.”
But that fact could not change the man’s mind.
“It was still premature to stand against the city government. I will withdraw from this matter and watch from the sidelines.”
“I understand that avoiding the Public Security Bureau’s crackdown is the priority. My client also said they would respect whatever choice you make.”
Alfonso took off his sunglasses.
“And he asked me to tell you this.”
“What is it?”
The eyes hidden under the sunglasses were so thin that the pupils were not visible. His face was more significant when he took off his sunglasses than when he wore them.
“Remember what was at the end of that continent. Didn’t you see it with your own two eyes?”
“……!”
“My client will be more trustworthy than the city government, which is busy hiding it. Ah, by the way, this statement is my personal opinion.”
This reaction was even more intense than when the man had thought of the boss. His complexion turned deathly pale, and his eyes rolled back as if he were having an epileptic seizure. It was only after a long time that his hyperventilating body stabilized.
“……I will be going now.”
“Yes, I hope you choose wisely.”
The man’s body disappeared as if melting into the shadows. Alfonso also got into the vehicle under the protection of his bodyguards. A gust of wind erased the traces of the two men.
(End of Chapter)