Chapter 164

The mercenaries had neither defensive coats nor any experience dealing with firearms. It should have been simple enough to escape from them using the pistol alone. Then why had Ratt been caught so easily?

Of course, he would not be able to escape the Surveillances pursuit forever, but he would have been able to hide himself for the time being. Isaac considered that Ratt had let himself be caught on purpose in fear of Surveillance, but it was nonsensical to think that Ratt would even consider such a thing. Information about Central was far beyond the reaches of his status. Then again, his knowledge of firearms in itself should have been impossible.

While Isaac was deep in thought, Soland ran over to him.

No! Was I late?

What happened to the meeting?

It is finished. Did you kill Ratt?

He committed suicide. Why?

We found a witness. A homeless man whod been hiding in the alleyways during the crisis testified to us. According to his account, Mr. Kalden and Ratt were in an argument. When Mr. Kalden shook off Ratts grip and turned around, Ratt pulled something strange from his pocket, creating a thundering noise. Mr. Kalden collapsed onto the ground afterwards.

Why did he say that now after all this time?

Ratt noticed the homeless man and chased after him as well. The homeless man escaped, but he didnt know which city official to tell and remained in hiding. For all he knew, Ratt was also an officer within the city.

That explains why that b.a.s.t.a.r.d tried to escape this moment.

Rivelia commented and Isaac nodded in agreement.

Thats right. Who knows when the witness would have testified.

Though this answered a few of his questions, new ones sprouted in its place. There was no reason for Ratt to waste time getting caught by the mercenaries when he knew he could have been found out at any moment with a witness still at large. He should have done everything in his power to escape, knowing that hed be a dead man once the testimony was released. Yet he was arrested with such ease.

Wow. Never thought someone like him would cause such a headache.

Isaac kicked Ratts body in frustration when Lanburton appeared.

Um

Why are you here now?

That is

Lanburton continued to mumble to himself, eluded by a complete sentence. Isaac sighed.

Alright. Lets see how far this goes. What could there be thatd p.i.s.s me off even more?

Isaac sarcastically asked. Lanburton, his head buried in between his shoulders, squeaked out a sentence.

We lost contact with the airs.h.i.+p that was transporting Anton. We believe its been shot down.

Yeah. That was a good joke. So what are you trying to say?

The Directorate of Surveillance is deploying a search party as we speak.

Lanburton swore to himself that hed have Reisha take his place in this conundrum as Isaac let out a deep sigh.

And Im still supposed to believe in Surveillance after all this? Why dont you just be honest and tell me what your plan is so I can just stop thinking and do as Im told. Dont you think this will benefit both partys sanity?

The Directorate of Surveillance

Yeah yeah. I understand you guys are just completely incompetent.

Lanburton frowned at Isaacs insult, but he could only keep his silence. The more he spoke, the more apparent Surveillances failings would be.

In the middle of night, John ran desperately through the forest. Heavy rain hindered his sight. The c.u.mbersome baggage and rifle had been thrown away long ago.

Suddenly, his body swayed sideways, likely from a slippery rock. Losing his balance, John was thrown onto the ground. He moaned in painand then he realised he couldnt feel the rain anymore. He opened his eyes wide and raised his head.

A sudden flash of blinding light forced Johns eyes shut. When he carefully opened his eyes again, he found himself surrounded. Rain didnt fall here, as if repelled by an invisible wall. The orb of light that had blinded him before now emitted a soothing light, giving detail to everything within its range.

Ha Ha

Possessed by fear, John began to deny the reality in front of him.

This must be a dream. No way animals can walk on two feet like people. People wearing medieval armour cant fly in the air either. Hands cant shoot fireb.a.l.l.s or lightning like in fantasy movies. And theyd most definitely not hunt us. This is a drea

What the? I got all nervous hearing they were Navy Seals, but they werent much.

Isaac muttered as he watched the white man before him. His dogged escape had exhausted the pursuing North Bears, who had also been carrying Isaac on their backs. In true fas.h.i.+on, he had refused to move a muscle.

Please help me! I am a U.S. Navy! I will surrender!

Isaac scratched his head, his first time hearing English in a long time.

H, h.e.l.lo?

John was noticeably relieved when his opposition spoke back in English. Isaac, whod never exchanged words with a foreigner in his life, rummaged through his memories of mandated education for English phrases.

Eh What is your name?

My name is John Smith! U.S Navy Lieutenant.

Eh, so um

Isaac tried to say something before he gave up and sighed. It was impossible for him to remember English when he was beginning to forget Korean in the first place.

How can a person like me speak English? Hey, John!

John gave an awkward smile to Isaac, and Isaac returned with a smile of his own.

Yankee go home.

There was silence. Even though the barrier repelled all rain and wind, it felt as if a gust had pa.s.sed by.

I dont like the way you guys are looking at me.

It seemed that Isaac was not yet immune to embarra.s.sment, as he looked back at those around him with a menacing glare. Everyone turned their heads elsewhere when Rivelia walked over.

Hes the last one.

What about Anton?

We found his corpse in the debris. His body was disfigured beyond recognition.

Isaac frowned at Rivelias report, grabbing for a cigarette.

It feels like something crucial is happening, but were missing the core of it.

Flying on the Emperors airs.h.i.+p at full speed, they arrived at the crash site and cooperated with the Directorate of Surveillance in investigating the area. They soon found the tracks of the Expeditionary Forces.

Strangely, the Expeditionary Forces seemed unprepared for Centrals pursuit. The ambush threw them into chaos, and they scattered in all directions.

Id love to ask why they were just standing around in the crash site among other things, but I cant even talk to them Anyone here know how to speak English?

Isaac asked, and everyones gaze naturally fell on Rivelia, who was looking far off into the distance.

Wow, Id like to be in the position to say something, but Im not. I cant believe Im feeling bad for knowing English in another world. I guess English really is global.

Isaac groaned and Rivelia coughed dryly of second-hand embarra.s.sment before speaking.

We will transport him to the headquarters for now.

So whos going to take them and Anton once you bring them to headquarters?

Dark Royale will most likely carry out the interrogation.

I have to admitfrom experiencethat what they do feels like s.h.i.+t, but its b.l.o.o.d.y effective.

The Dark Royale was a rogue department that prioritised the ends over the means and was thus shunned by other parts of Central. For a result, theyd even contract demons and train turncoats.

The same method Isaac had fallen victim to was leaps and bounds more effective than torture and blackmail when it came to interrogation. A captives sanity was the least of their concerns.

And when the extraction process was over, the victims were left in a vegetative state. They would recycle this body in dissections and medical experiments to the disgust of other Central agents.

That must mean that Anton held information from me just to screw me over

The information must have been important, seeing that an airs.h.i.+p on a clandestine mission was shot down. Seeing how their special forceswhich were thought to have escaped long agowere still out and about, Isaac could a.s.sume that the information was regarding the Expeditionary Forces. But other than that, Isaac didnt have a single hint as to what it could be about.

A soldier, especially a special forces soldier, cost a fortune to train. But what bit of information could be worth a renowned Navy Seal shooting down the airs.h.i.+p, knowing that Central would give chase?

And how did they triangulate the airs.h.i.+ps location, especially since it had been operating under a communications blackout? So far, Isaac had found Kaldens killer and figured out that Expeditionary Forces had caused this using an alliance with a demon and a traitor within Central.

But doubt lingered in the corner of Isaacs mind, insisting that this wasnt the end. His head itched; there was still something, something hidden beneath what was already revealed to him.

I heard that you can still extract information from a dead man, right?

From what Ive heard, it is only possible if the brain is intact. But Antons head was completely crushed when the airs.h.i.+p crashed.

So thats done and dusted?

Yes. But we might find new clues from our interrogations of the Expeditionary Forces.

Then well wait until we get new information. Get ready to withdraw.

John, who had been watching the elves approach him at Isaacs order, suddenly collapsed onto the ground. The elves quickly checked on John in a panic and shouted to Isaac.

Hes dead!

Why is everyone around me dropping dead all of a sudden?

We received reports from other teams who were transporting their captives.

Are they dead too?

Yes.

Then they all died at the same time.

Isaac walked over to Johns corpse. Johns pupils seemed to draft throughout the whites, and blood trickled from his nose.

Ive seen this in a movie before. They shove a small bomb in their nostrils and detonate it, I think. Every captive is a liabilitythey arent going to leave any for us..

This is the first time this has happened.

Rivelia replied with a frown. Central had captured many soldiers in their history of frequent clashes with the Expeditionary Forces. But this was the first time they were denied prisoners.

Things are becoming more interesting.

Isaac pondered as he peered through the observation window made using the membrane of a dragons eyes, watching the city. He could tell something had started, but he didnt know who moved first.

Who was planning to use the combat gear in the warehouses? How did Ratt figure out how to use firearms? What demon did Anton contract? Who was Centrals traitor? Was Central really innocent from this event? And most importantly, how could he use this situation for his own plan?

This was much more stimulating than what hed expected. a.s.sa.s.sination aside, to think theyd blow up his warehouses and mines. Having fired off with such a magnificent start, Isaac found it difficult to keep a straight face.

Now that everyones starting to put their plans into action, I should move accordingly with them.

Though he lacked the information, it wasnt such a big deal. In fact, he could consider that the foundations for his plan had been laid. Now, theyd provided him with an excuse to act in any way he wished.