Chapter 90: Big Shots

Being in the Veltran military had given 586 access to more information than what was available to the public, and Alfred Symer was someone who didn’t need any introductions.

If that madman was working for D.X…

586 had always heard stories of secret criminal organizations since his childhood, but he treated them as mere stories.

After all, in the presence of so many powerhouses, how could a mere organization control the entire world?

But now he had other thoughts about those stories.

Maybe… such things really exist.

The horde had now been nearly subdued, with some monsters fleeing from the scene.

The soldiers didn’t hunt them, as they had to treat their injuries.

The monsters found in Azuna weren’t the normal ones. Each monster here was in a league of its own.

And the horde that had been eliminated consisted mainly of monsters in the silver rank.

So defeating them could be considered a pretty big deal, but from the expressions on the soldiers’ faces, no one could say so.

Everyone was busy, either drinking potions or tending to their injuries.

For the last three days, such battles had become a regular occurrence for these soldiers.

“That was pretty late.”

Everyone turned their attention toward a man who stood tall, with a coat draped over his shoulders.

This was the captain of the current team, No. 400.

His gaze was currently fixed in a particular direction, to which everyone turned their heads, only to find hundreds of people approaching them.

“Finally!”

“These bastards should be the ones doing all the work now. Lazy slackers!”

“Yeah.”

The reinforcements had finally arrived.

“You guys have been pretty roughed up.”

The captain leading the reinforcements was the first one to speak.

Though the soldiers were cursing the newcomers, when the captain approached close enough, all of them went quiet.

No one dared to utter a single word, just nodding their heads in acknowledgment.

These soldiers might have been criminals, but that didn’t mean they were foolish!

All of them knew how the leadership in an organization worked, and destabilizing the hierarchy was frowned upon in all parts of the world, irrespective of the race.

As the captain approached the wounded soldiers to inspect the damages sustained, his black robe fluttered in the wind, giving the soldiers a chance to see the shirt beneath.

Silence.

Though seeing around three hundred men, along with an equal number of miners, everyone knew that the man leading the reinforcements would be a strong one.

But this…

“There were some complications at the base, so the forces were stretched thin. Also, I had to arrange for new miners to join us. You didn’t think that these hundred would be enough?”

The captain, No. 200 spoke up.

His voice was calm but commanding.

The hierarchy in D.X. was simple, with the lower the number you have, the higher your rank in the organization.

The ranks below 200 kept changing depending upon the strength and overall capabilities of the individuals.

But numbers from 200 and above were given only to the core personnel of D.X…

The ones who knew the inner workings of the organization and were included in most of the major decisions.

These were also the most loyal soldiers in D.X., and leaving aside their individual strength, each of them commanded major influence in the world.

They could be called the big shots of the underworld, who now worked for D.X.

No. 400 just shook his head.

“Finding the location is proving difficult. The monster hordes make us deviate from our original path, and that increases the time required to search for our actual location.”

No. 200 thought for a moment before turning to look at the sky.

“Let’s just take things slow for now! There’s no need to rush.”

All the other soldiers had relieved expressions on their faces. Though everyone was alive, the continuous battles had taken a toll on their minds and bodies.

No. 200 knew that even if they now had more forces, they were still outnumbered compared to the monsters in the forest.

So being more tactical in the fights was the best option for now.

Though he himself was a Gold 4 ranker, he knew his limits.

“I hope the boss doesn’t bite me.”

***

“Make sure all the funds are delivered on time.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And what about the mining expedition? Have they recovered the mana stones?”

“About that… new reinforcements have now reached the forest, but fighting monsters while mapping the area at the same time is proving difficult. So—”

“Wait for a few days, and if there are no results, send more men. Those mana stones are important, so treat the expedition with enough attention.”

Interrupting the soldier, Julien relayed his instructions.

He was currently in a high-tech room, with monitors covering the entire place.

Calling it a room would be an understatement, as it was more of a large hall.

This was the main base of D.X., which could also be called its HQ.

Receiving Kael’s orders through the letter, Julien had begun mobilizing the forces.

As many of the soldiers were engaged in missions in their own territories, it took quite a while to gather a force strong enough to venture into the wilderness of Azuna.

And then there was that matter with the miners.

Julien had to carefully pick those whose disappearance wouldn’t cause much problem in the long term, as so many people disappearing from the world out of nowhere was bound to raise some suspicions.

To make those miners work with their utmost efficiency, Julien had also promised additional care for their children, who were currently under the care of institutions owned by D.X.

But in reality, these children were nothing more than hostages.

If any of the miners tried to quit their job, then these little humans would serve as a perfect reminder for them to make their efforts count.

Still, it wasn’t like any of those miners could run away from a place like the Great Forest of Azuna without having sufficient individual power to survive against the monsters that populate those lands.

Then Julien had to take care of the guilds and banks that were trying to… bully the institutions under Syma.

Sigh.

His job never seemed to end…

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