Chapter 161 - 161 Things are moving

161 Things are moving

The day after the incident with the Gigantes the news was all about the rampage. There were many pictures and videos that the survivors posted on social media. It was then for the first time since the urban legend started a supposed real video of Fade appeared. Someone was able to record the time Fade killed a Gigantes single-handedly. It wasn’t a clear picture but a man in black had blasted a Gigantes’s head.

The video was shaky and the quality was terrible, the only reason you could call the other person Fade is that he was wearing all black.

Due to the quality of the video being so bad, of course, many said that the person who defeated the Gigantes was a member of the Elite Dragon Brigade, and not Fade.

The people were also clamoring about how the police and the military had reacted too slowly which caused a lot of destruction. The more verbose ones were, of course, the ordinary citizens who had no ability to defend themselves in the face of such disasters.

Finally, the worse part was the news regarding the casualties of the attack. There were many injured it was reported that about two hundred thirteen people were injured, and there were hundreds more still missing. The worst was the deaths, despite doing their best many died on that day.

It has been reported that over forty people have died, and they are still finding bodies here and there. Due to these deaths, many people began criticizing the government, but most of the criticism goes to the military, especially the Elite Dragon Brigade.

Despite this incident being technically outside the Elite Dragon Brigade’s responsibilities, they received extremely harsh criticism due to their fame. Hunting Gigantes is usually dealt with by a specialized hunting squad from the military but in emergencies, the responsibility goes to the nearest military base which in this case wasn’t the Elite Dragon Brigade.

The Elite Dragon Brigade technically only deals with martial artists but at the time the people in the nearest military base were busy due to a sudden attack and the same thing happened to the regional base of the Elite Dragon Brigade. Of course, the general population didn’t care for their reasons, all they know was that many people have died and the military had failed to protect them.

The only one receiving the least criticism was the police force. On the one hand, it was a good thing not to be criticized, but on the other hand, that means the people don’t really believe in the police force to be able to help them in times of crisis, which is why they didn’t really care as they had no expectations from the police.

.....

In the midst of the public outrage, many hidden hands began to move. The chaos began to stir those that were hidden before. The people were unaware that the Gigantes attack was the least of their worries.

The only thing the government could do at the moment was to apologize to the citizens and promise to compensate the families who were affected by the disaster. There were also many government officials that have been fired as a show. The officials that were fired weren’t too low ranked nor were they of a high rank, they were middle-level people, all of this was just to show the citizens that the government was kind of serious but not really.

During this time many backdoor deals have been going around. Changing ranks, disappearing people, mysterious deaths, so many things happening but only a few people noticed due to everyone being stuck on the Gigantes incident.

...

Five days after the Gigantes incident Captain Tang Ao and several high-ranking officers of the Elite Dragon Brigade had gathered in a secret location.

“Heh, I heard that you failed so badly Mr. Genius.” A man wearing the same military uniform as Tang Ao, covered by a jacket while smoking spoke with a smile on his face.

“That is correct, Captain Raymond.” Tang Ao answered without any fluctuation in his emotions. Seeing Tang Ao’s reaction Raymond clicked his tongue annoyed.

“Tsk, how boring.”

“Hahaha, it’s always fun to see you two together.” The youngest among the captains spoke with a lazy look on his face, this was Captain Mizuno Tatsuya.

“Tatsuya how about I show you what’s really fun.” Raymond cracked his knuckles glaring at Tatsuya.

“Oh, so scary, protect me Captain Hildr.” Tatsuya hid behind the only female officer around. A fierce gaze, with her blazing crimson hair and golden eyes, coupled with her intense aura made her feel like a wild beast. Still, despite that her beauty was undisputed in the military, this was Captain Hildr Evensen.

Hildr looked at Tatsuya and Raymond without saying a word, but it felt like she was going to attack. As the atmosphere was becoming intense somebody suddenly clapped his hands. The person who clapped was an elderly man standing among the powerful captains with a straight back and a proud demeanor. This man was Colonel Edmund Morgan, the highest-ranking officer in this secret meeting.

“Unfortunately, the General will not be able to come to this meeting. So for now, I will be the Commanding Officer for this meeting. Now tell me Captain Tang Ao why did you call for this secret meeting?”

“I have acquired intel about the traitor.”

The very moment those words came out of Tang Ao’s mouth the entire room became quiet as a silent powerful killing intent surged out from the Elite Dragon Brigade’s officers.

“You found the trail of that bastard.” Raymond grind his teeth as he spoke in a growl-like voice. Tang Ao responded by showing a picture to the group, it was the picture taken by Fade.

“Even though you can’t see his face clearly, his physique as well as the tattoo on his arm alongside that necklace, this can’t be anyone but that former colleague of ours, Carlo Lopez. The lady beside him is also a famous person, Yoshida Rin, a.k.a the Necromancer.”

“What the heck is going on in your place? First, there’s that guy Fade that just appeared out of nowhere, then there’s the attack on the twin stars, the appearance of an assassin from the dark rankings, then the Alchemist shows up, and now the traitor and the Necromancer appear all in the same city. I don’t know if you’re lucky or unlucky that all these bastards seem to be flocking towards you, Mr. Genius.” Raymond shrugged his shoulders and smiled.

“It would seem that the situation isn’t going well Leim City. There must be something bringing all these forces together. What did those people steal anyway?” Tatsuya chimed in while raising his hand.

“According to the report given to me, the item stolen was a stone tablet from the religious age. It was something no one was able to decipher, so we know nothing of their purpose.”

Listening to Tang Ao’s report old Edmund felt a headache.

“Alright, since the situation in Leim City is becoming more chaotic, I’ll send a few more soldiers as reinforcements. Also, the third company will be relocated to Leim City for the time being.” When Raymond heard Edmund’s command he stood up straight wanting to say something, but when he looked at Edmund he could not say a word.

“Is there something you want to say to me, Captain Raymond?”

“... No, Sir.”

“Then prepare yourself since you and your unit will be needed in Leim City.”

“Sir, who will be the Commanding Officer in Leim City?”

“Hmm... Seeing as it’s in Tang Ao’s jurisdiction in case of emergencies he will in charge.” Hearing Edmund’s answer, it took everything in Raymond’s power not to get angry, on the other hand, it was taking everything Tang Ao’s power not to snicker.