Chapter 117 - Introduction To Walter
Chapter 117 – Introduction To Walter
After dinner, Del went back to his room. Anna had been waiting inside of the room since the meeting with Linda and Walter began. She didn't want to come, mainly due to her lack of understanding about the situation and her tendency to follow Del's decision at the end of the day. Del hung the jacket of his suit in the hotel room and turned on the air conditioner.
"How did it go?" Anna asked. She was replacing her bandages for the day.
"Well," Del sat down on the bed. He was both confused and surprised. The deal was good, but how would he explain it to Anna? No matter how he would sugarcoat it, it was still a delay for the revenge. "It was a good deal, but we are put under a leash."
"Leash?"
"We are binded for two years under a trainer named Walter."
Anna's reaction was different from what he had previously expected. Judging from what happened around a week ago or so, Del would expect Anna to protest that he would stop her scheme of killing Eric. Still, if Anna agreed, it would be way easier. Del wouldn't protest about that in any way.
"I guess that's the risk of working with a big company, I guess?" Anna shrugged, accepting the compromises that Del had made.
"Yeah, compromises and compromises. Anyway, there's a copy of the contract inside of my tablet. I photographed it before we left, I think you might want to see it first," Del said.
Anna retrieved the tablet, "Ok."
Anna read the whole contract using the tablet. Del waited until Anna finished reading the contract. From his observation, Anna wasn't exactly unsatisfied or satisfied. She was somewhere in between.
The eye expression suggested that she did not understand what the contract was all about. It was the same as Del's expression when he initially read the contract. She would probably follow the same route as Del when she read the contract with meant she would be more focused on the consequences of the termination of the contract itself.
"Termination, huh?"
Del's guess was correct. Anna jumped all the tricky sections and read the clauses that contained the consequences of terminating the contract.
"Yeah, it doesn't look too bad, does it?" Del asked.
"Yeah, it doesn't. However, do you think we are really able to put enough funds in case we want to terminate the contract between the company and us?" Anna said.
"We won't break the contract. Just read the amenities, Anna."
Her eyes looked brighter as she read the amenities. A house, a guarantee of a better life, and a promise of better education were convincing enough for Anna. Anna gave the tablet in satisfaction. "I see where you're going. I agree with whatever you want to do, Del. I don't think that going against you will end up well for me."
Del agreed with her statement. The nuke that Anna wanted to send to Elbanian territory was too much for just an act of mere revenge. Eric was just Eric. They didn't need too many people to die because of an act of sheer vengeance. It was just inhumane and against basic morality.
Truth be told, though, Del wasn't sure whether he had any morality left. Sure, he helped people, but he also killed people. Everything was based on money for him, and Del never regretted doing it. He did all to make sure that he could live for another day and eat for another day.
"I agree with you. Anyway, where can I meet this Walter?" Anna asked.
"Walter is still on the dining room. We left sooner than Linda. However, I think Linda and him are going to the lounge for a drink, do you want to come there?" Del asked.
"Sure, I think meeting our mentor would be a great introduction. Introduction is the key of all interaction," Anna said.
"Let's go then."
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The lounge was a place to drink. However, they couldn't find Linda. There was only one person there, and that person was none other than Walter. Walter himself was sitting on the barstool with something that looked like a bottle of whiskey and a shot glass.
Del wanted to find Linda first. The place seemed nice enough for an executive, so there would be no reason for Linda not to come here. Everyone in that room seemed to be an executive, so this lounge was a place for them. Those men in suits were drinking while handing a piece of the file left and right.
Since he couldn't find Linda, Del decided to approach Walter and ask where Linda was. Del walked to the bar and sat down right next to Walter. Walter took notice of him. He pushed the glass and the bottle of alcohol away from Del.
"Kid, what are you doing in here? This is an adult zone, you shouldn't be in here," Walter said.
"Sorry, but I don't see an 18+ sign around here. It means that I can enter whenever I want, right?" Del asked.
"Alright, you have a point. What do you want? Don't tell me you want an alcohol," Walter said.
Del shook his head. Anna sat down right beside Walter. She introduced herself to Walter, "Walter, my name is Anna, I'm Del's sister, nice to meet you."
Walter was surprised. That bald guy gave a strong gaze to Anna, especially since her face was really out of the ordinary. There was no way that a normal person would wear bandages all the time. He once thought that Anna was just a girl who wore a bandage for concealment, but Walter understood why after seeing her.
"So, you are Anna, the wounded girl?" Walter asked.
"Wounded girl? When did I have that nickname?" Anna asked back.
"I read your files. So, you're the one that is very reckless, huh? Sorry for you loss, by the way. I can't imagine if my loved ones are also burnt alive by some random kingdom just because of something," Walter replied.
"Don't feel too bad about it, Walter, it's not really your fault."
They got along surprisingly well, maybe because Anna kept herself friendly or maybe because Anna was a woman. Well, Del couldn't care less. If they got along, it would be way easier for him to condition both of them. Walter could be a great mentor. After all, the person had very impressive records in special operations.
"So, Walter, if you don't mind, can you tell us about your past experience?" Del wanted to dig more about Walter.
"Sure, I don't think I should keep it as a secret to both of you. Long story short, I was part of the special forces in Ilbistirum Federal Government. My task was to comemmence illegitimate operation that Ilbistitrum wanted me to do. To be honest, the reason why I quitted was because the amount of comrades. Those incompetent generals never listen to intelligence agencies so they are always caught with their pants down," Walter ranted.
"Is it that bad?" Del asked.
"You damn right it is." Walter poured the alcohol into his shot glass, and he drank it. "The accident that kill thousands of people? That's because of our failure in intercepting the package that contained the bomb. We fall for the decoy for fuck sake," Walter ranted more.
The accident kept bothering Del's mind. First, Alina mentioned it to him, but it didn't get too much attention due to Del's lack of awareness about the information. After it, Del found a document about the accident itself, but it didn't describe any meaningful information about the thing that killed so many people itself. Cassandra didn't want to talk about it. And now, Walter spoke about the accident caused by a bomb.
"Bomb? Can you tell me more about it?" Del asked.
"Yeah, the bomb that killed thousands of people and poisoned more. That thing is a weapon that no one should ever use. Too many innocent people die just because the imperial wanted to send a message to us." Walter gulped down another shot of hard alcohol.
"It's not your fault, Walter. This is the higher-ups' fault. You don't know anything, neither does your unit. They only know what they must do to get their job done and you know it. The lack of awareness that the general had was on them, not you. You were just another soldier, right?" Anna asked.
Walter just nodded. Del became concerned. The bomb seemed to be very dangerous, but what kind of bomb could be fitted in a box and kill thousands of people. The worst possibility wouldn't be possible. This world wasn't advanced enough to produce that thing. His best guess, for now, was that the bomb was a chemical bomb or a magical one. There was no other explanation.
This accident. Del wanted to investigate it more. It could be something that threatened his safety and his sister safety. This bomb could be a danger that was beyond their ability to intervene. Maybe, in the future, the stake would be way higher. Everything would be crucial.. One wrong decision, and someone would die.