Chapter 141 - News And Gossips
Chapter 141 – News And Gossips
News, or rather, gossips. Those were spreading quickly. What kind of gossips though? Well, the kind that Del expected, but he really didn't expect to blow up that big. Hell, one or two people from the combat-class started coming to him, giving him an appreciation. Yup, disruptiing a prostitution ring would make him famous.
"Dude, you should enter the SD."
"No thanks, I'd rather stick with TMV."
"With Mira and her goons? Dude, you'll be missing a lot of stuff."
"I won't. Anna's still with you all."
"Fine, still, our door remains open."
And, he left the classroom. Adam was still looking at him in confusion. Mainly because he expected Del to be an ordinary transfer student, but nope, the reality was far from that. Del had created a name for himself, mainly because of TMV. Well, he needed to postpone some of his plan then, he needed to make sure that the news died down.
Right now, everyone would have their eyes on him, not really something that he wanted. Especiall when Del was planning to assassinate a member of the government council. His positive reputation might be able to give him an alibi, but he needed to play safe. One wrong move, and it would be fatal.
For example, what if Van Bosch decided to raid their house in the name of criminal activity? What if Van Bosch planted a bomb in Lumbart Academy just for the sake of killing them both. The possibbilites were endless here. He would do anything to make sure that Del and Anna disappear if they act too harshly.
As a matter of fact, Aveline's order to take down the trafficking ring would further worsen the situation. It was like putting salt on top of an open wound. It was like putting a bright yellow paint on their head. They just had to wait for someone to take the bounty on their head and call it a day.
"Del, what the hell? It was not even a month, and you have taken up the spotlight. Damn, dude, you're cool."
"Thanks, Adam."
"Why don't you come to visit my room sometimes, after all, we're friends. I might be able to give you something or serve you something."
"Your dorm?"
"Yup, my dorm. Do you want to visit me sometimes?"
"Sure, I'd love to visit. Still, wouldn't you feel disturbed by my presence, Adam?"
"Not at all, man. In fact, I'd love if you visit."
Hmm, one opportunity arose here. Investigating Adam room should be easier than investigating the other targets. One, Adam was his closest friend, he was like a brother to him, and vice versa. Maybe snooping around his personal stuff wouldn't be as hazardous as snooping around Aveline's personal stuff.
Maybe he could do some reasonings if he got caught snooping around Adam's personal belongings. As long as he didn't hurt him, it wouldn't be too serious. Well, let's just see what Del could do.
"I will drop by tomorrow, alright? I have some things to do with TMV after school."
"Sure, no problem. Just don't forget to visit, alright?"
"Yeah. Now shut up, the teacher is coming."
The teacher was approaching from the hallway. The footstep became louder and louder. The first subject was math. Luckily, the teacher was fun, not really the type that would force Del to understand something in just five minutes, but not the type that would give him any leverage either.
==============
After school, as usual, TMV was waiting for him to report for duty. He reported the yesterday accident and Daniel praised him, saying that he would be a perfect addition with Mira. Joshua was proud of it as well, knowing that one of the TMV in Lumbart was more than capable in combat.
The senior staffs of TMV, Del included due to special circumstances, were having a briefing. The briefing was for deciding add-on rules during volunteering to prevent unexpected circumstances like what had happened previously.
Del was there as an advisor. He would be the advisor for last-resort action. He would be the one planning what to do if circumstances like that happened again due to someone disobeying the rules. In that regards, Del agreed to participate in the briefing.
"So, Moore, what do you think of yesterday? Anything that you can share with us?"
"Thanks, Doc, now, as you all may know, the one that kidnapped one of juniors yesterday is one of the trafficking rings operating in the slums. As far as my assessment goes, these people are most likely to be ex-military. They weren't bad, but weren't good enough to be working as a contractor."
"How did you manage to survive the slaughter? I reckon that there were more than ten people inside of the building, right?"
"I had no idea, doc. I didn't count. They were armed with rifles and SMGs. They were funded by someone, but I had no idea. To break through them, I used heavy armor to repel the bullets and heavier weapon, a machine gun of big caliber."
"I see," Joshua nodded, understanding what Del meant. If not for his equipment, he would have died, "Basically, it's because of your equipment instead of your skill?"
"I don't like if you put it bluntly like that, but yes, I think so. Without the tool, I doubt I'd be able to pull that off, I'm not going to lie."
"We might need more security than we previously expected, Doc."
"I agree, can we borrow some of the students from the combat-class, though? I think using a random student would result in more damage than advantages."
"I agree," Daniel replied.
Del nodded. He then suggested someone, "Can we use my sister? She is a former contractor, just like me and Mira. She might be able to provide an adequate security when we do our volunteering activity."
"It sounds sensible. Well, if that's the case, tell your sister later then, I will tell her teacher," Joshua said.
After briefing about the contingency plan, they started thinking for the prevention plan. The basic rule was improved. One of the add-on rules was to be accompanied at all times when volunteering to prevent any unwanted accidents.
They volunteering students must also bring their rifles all the time to scare off any low-level criminals. Del agreed with that suggestion on a condition that TMV knew the risk of being attacked by high-level criminal organization.
Well, it was not like it was the first time that TMV was attacked out of nowhere. Most of the time, TMV was attacked for its drugs. Yeah, TMV was providing painkillers that could be manufactured into one of the most poisonous substances that anyone could get in the black market. It was one of the reasons why medicines were handled either by Joshua or by the seniors.
"That should be all, I guess?" Daniel commented on several new rules that had been created.
"I think that should be enough. I can vouch for Del's opinion as a member of the security."
"One more thing, though. What if we suddenly piss someone off during our volunteering activity?"
"What do you mean?" Del asked Daniel.
"Well, slums are more complicated than a mere poor area. The slum is territory to different criminal organizations. We always need their permission, of course, by giving tributes, or we will get attacked, again."
"Wait, so the reason why TMV can't do it routinely is because of that?"
"Yeah, what do you think? I meant, we are pretty much backed by the government, but they were useless for the most part with the exception of providing funds for us. They didn't solve the criminal problem, they didn't solve the health issues, and so on," Daniel commented.
If they had known that the background of that situation was because of one of the council members in the government was actually one of the prominent members in the trafficking ring, they wouldn't be that surprised. Still, it was better if they didn't know about that.
It would put them under unnecessary dangers that were certainly far from their caliber. Del would handle it by himself alongside with Anna. There would be no need for TMV to pay tribute anymore and Del would help improve the quality of life of the people in the slum.
"Ah, the government isn't that competent, that's kind of unexpected," Del lied. So far, the only government institutions which hadn't shed too much negative lights were the intelligence agencies, but there were really keeping their secrets behind of a locked door. Working with Salve Group was the key, but would it unlock the door, though?
"Unexpected? Ah, yeah, I forgot that you're not from around here. Well, they're not the best people around, but they're the lesser kind of evil in comparison to the Imperial Government. They're just worst."
"I see," Del nodded.
"That's all for today. Thank you for coming, I'll see you all soon next week. Have a nice weekend," Joshua closed the meeting. Everyone left the TMV building.