Chapter 239: Master Is in Love

It was as if time had frozen.

Three fully-armed men stood rooted to the spot, dumbfounded.

Not far ahead of them.

A man and a woman.

One on top of the other.

The position was… rather suggestive.

The looks on the three men’s faces were complicated.

It seemed they had arrived at a bad time.

The air was thick with palpable awkwardness.

Suddenly, Aiden Morgan wiped his riot-control goggles and exclaimed, “I think my goggles are fogged up…”

Silas Morgan immediately chimed in, “Mine too. Why is it so dusty?”

Beta Morgan glanced left and right at the two sly foxes, silently regretting the sound he had just let slip.

He quickly tried to recover. “Holy shit, I think the shock gave me astigmatism…”

Their acting couldn’t have been more fake, yet they delivered their lines with such earnestness.

If Dean Morgan were here, he would have definitely given these three “Best Actors” a thumbs-up.

Truly remarkable members of the Morgan Family!

Alvin Morgan slowly got up, patted Aurora Sinclair’s leg, and coughed lightly a few times.

Only then did the three men sneak another peek through their goggles. Seeing that the pair had separated, they acted as if everything was normal and greeted them.

“Sir, are you two all right?”

Alvin Morgan coughed a few more times, then held up Aurora Sinclair’s hand and said awkwardly, “Aurora’s hand is injured.”

Beta Morgan quickly fumbled for some medicine, his heart pounding in panic.

’What the hell is going on?’

’The boss pinned the young lady under him?’

’Did he just give in to his baser instincts?’

Alvin Morgan glanced at Beta Morgan’s trembling hands, took the medicine from him, and said flatly, “Aiden Morgan, add Parkinson’s to his insurance coverage.”

“…”

***

The number of injured people by the lake grew.

The Black Wolf Mercenaries gave the injured from the Eastern Highlands some basic treatment before taking them to the nearest Black Wolves encampment.

“I have to get out! My Ahm and my sister are still waiting for me…”

Arthur had been clamoring to leave the infirmary ever since he woke up. This was already his third attempt.

He hadn’t been home in five or six days. His Ahm and sister were probably worried sick.

“Hang on, kid,” Aiden Morgan, who had been watching him from the side, suddenly spoke up.

Arthur’s heart tightened. The man before him was supposedly the leader of the Black Wolf Mercenary Corps.

“I don’t have any money…” he replied nervously.

Aiden Morgan looked him over with an amused expression. His small, dark, and scrawny frame was a clear sign of long-term malnutrition.

“I don’t want your money. Want to join the Black Wolves?”

Arthur’s head shot up, his face a mask of disbelief. “Really?”

He had tried to sign up with a Mercenary Corps before, but they had all rejected him for being too small and skinny.

“If you want to join the Black Wolves, sign this application form.” Aiden Morgan picked up a piece of paper and handed it to him.

“Room and board are covered. Pay is a cut based on the mission’s Level.”

Hearing this, Arthur’s eyes lit up. He asked cautiously, “Can my Ahm and my sister come live here too?”

“Yes.”

A rare smile touched Aiden Morgan’s serious face.

’The boss said that back at the abandoned mining area, Aurora Sinclair’s Combat Power was zero and he had fewer than twenty bullets on him. If this kid had sold their location to the black market, he could have earned a huge sum of money, even more than the reward for the bullets he was given. But he didn’t. That alone proves he has the qualities to become an excellent mercenary.’

Arthur was so happy the tip of his nose turned red. Tears welled up in his eyes as he excitedly stared at the application form, not picking up a pen for a long time.

“Just sign here. You’ll be assigned quarters.”

“I… I… can’t write my name…” Arthur’s face flushed crimson.

Children from the slums didn’t have the opportunity for an education.

His Ahm was illiterate, but she was kind-hearted and had helped many homeless beggars. One of them had some education and taught him many survival skills.

One of those skills was languages; he ended up learning three or four of them. But later, the beggar fell ill and died, so he never had the chance to learn how to write.

“Then just use your thumbprint.”

Aiden Morgan then read the contents of the form to him one more time before letting Arthur press his thumbprint on it.

***

Meanwhile, Alvin Morgan was feeding Aurora Sinclair. This time, she had injured her right hand.

Standing in the corner, Beta Morgan did his best to make himself invisible, sneaking glances at the two from time to time.

’Aurora Sinclair’s face was expressionless, but the way she looked at the boss seemed different from before.’

’He couldn’t quite describe it, but there was just… something more there.’

’And don’t even get him started on his boss. He looked so smug, his gaze practically dripping with affection. The only thing missing was the four words “The boss is in love” written across his face.’

’Holy shit! When did this happen?’

’Did something… unspeakable… happen over the past few days?’

’I’ll have to ask that kid Arthur about it later.’

“KSSSH…”

The sound of a walkie-talkie crackled.

A clear male voice came from the walkie-talkie on Alvin Morgan.

“Boss, I joined the Black Wolves!”

Alvin Morgan pressed the talk button. “Congratulations.”

“Boss, I’m going to pick up my Ahm and my sister now. Do you still want your mercenary uniforms?”

Alvin Morgan asked Aurora Sinclair, “Want to go back and take another look?”

’He dearly missed the few days they had spent together in the abandoned mining area. Back then, she belonged to him and him alone.’

***

「In the vehicle.」

Arthur was ecstatic, gazing out the window and imagining how proud his Ahm and sister would be when he saw them.

“Boss, thank you so much. The Corps Leader said you were the one who recommended me to the Black Wolves.”

Alvin Morgan smiled and said lightly, “You’re a good fit.”

“Boss, I asked the Corps Leader to transfer me to your squad, but he didn’t agree. He said I still need to learn and get more experience…” Arthur replied, quite disappointed.

“Study hard, and you can join me later.”

Sitting next to him, Beta Morgan almost choked, casting a complicated look at the nonchalant figure in front of him.

’His boss’s bullshitting skills were reaching a whole new level.’

Following Arthur’s directions, the vehicle arrived at a few tattered tents pitched at the base of a mine.

Beta Morgan looked at his boss in shock. ’They lived here for those few days?’

’If those professors back at the lab saw this, they’d probably cry their eyes out.’

But Arthur happily shouted toward the tents, “Ahm, Mia, I’m back!”

But the tents remained quiet.

Mia, who would usually come running out at the sound of his voice, didn’t make a peep.

The smile on Arthur’s face froze. He sprinted toward the tents, only to find a barely breathing Ahm inside one of them.

She lay collapsed by the bed, filthy and reeking of a foul odor, as if she had been neglected for a long time.

“Ahm… Wake up…” Arthur cried out.

But the old woman’s breathing was so faint it was almost nonexistent.

Arthur turned and shouted, “Boss… Please, I’m begging you, save my Ahm…”

Alvin Morgan glanced at Beta Morgan.

He immediately grabbed the medical kit from the back of the vehicle and ran over.

The inside of the tent was a mess, exuding waves of a nauseating stench.

Beta Morgan almost gagged from the smell. He immediately held his breath and knelt to examine the old woman.

“She’s still breathing. Let’s get her outside first…”

The old woman’s body was very light, a clear sign of long-term starvation and severe malnutrition.

Beta Morgan hooked her up to a bag of glucose and gave her a nutrient injection.

After half an hour of treatment, Arthur’s Ahm finally regained consciousness. Her voice was weak. “You’re… back… that’s good… Mia… went… to find… you…”

Arthur froze, clutching the old woman’s hand as he asked anxiously, “When did she leave?”

“The day… after… you left…”

***

Afterward, Arthur led them straight to a few of his usual haunts to search for her, but no one had seen her.

Alvin Morgan glanced at the boy, who was crying ceaselessly with self-blame, and said flatly, “The slums…”

Arthur was instantly reminded of what had happened in the slums before and scrambled in that direction.

’Mia grew up here. She would definitely come here to find him.’

This time, because members of the Black Wolf Mercenary Corps were present, some of the slum dwellers kept a low profile, not daring to show themselves.

Arthur ran with practiced familiarity to the place where he used to live.

There, he saw his former neighbor roasting a mine rat outside his tent.

In the slums, this was considered a luxury food, costing three Maso Coins each.

Arthur clenched his fists, his face ashen, and strode over.

“Sam, where did you get that mine rat?”

The boy roasting the meat froze. Upon seeing Arthur and the mercenaries behind him, he turned to run but was quickly intercepted.

Terrified, Sam fell to his knees, trembling.

Arthur raised his gun, pressed it to Sam’s head, and asked sharply, “Was my sister here…”

“I… I don’t know.”

“You don’t know? Believe it or not, I’ll sell your sister to the black mines in the Eastern District right now. The men there love blonde girls like her…” Arthur straightened up and started viciously toward the tent.

“Don’t… Arthur… We’re friends… Arthur…” Sam’s face went pale with fright. He lunged forward and hugged Arthur’s legs.

“I’ll ask you one last time, where is Mia?” Arthur suddenly fired a shot right next to him.

The massive gunshot scared off the onlookers from the slums.

Sam was so terrified he wet his pants.

He sobbed and begged for mercy. “Please, don’t kill me… Mia was taken away by the blacksmith’s men…”

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