Chương 399: Chapter 381 - Interlude 38.2

2

"Everyone ready?" Tim called out softly as he finished pulling on his gloves. Looking over the small cave they had gathered in, he took in the team he had been assigned. On one side stood Dan, Clarissa, Katie, and Isabella, looking supremely lethal while casually chatting. Behind them, on the other side of the cave, was his own personal team. Well, part of it. With how large the guild and company had grown, his own department had over a thousand members with varying levels of access and trust.

Some were given generic tasks to test them, or because he already knew they were there to spy on the company. Others because he wanted to know what they were good at. Others were instantly inducted into the more secretive aspects of his department. With appropriate supervision, of course. Spying on other guilds. Spying on NPC organizations. Trying to see what the merchant coalitions were up to. Hell, he even had people in real life keeping an eye on certain people.

With the popularity of the game, one could never be careful enough. Tim couldn't really say what he felt about the situation. Honestly, the entire chain of events, from refusing that damn demon's offer, running away, coincidentally running into Sam, then being recruited by him, which in turn led to him being put in charge of the company's security, with Lucy and occasionally Sam checking in to make sure everything was alright... Otherwise, he was given free rein to do whatever he wanted. It was heaven.

He could implement all the security processes and mechanics he had been dreaming about for years, only to have his superiors refuse them due to a lack of talent or, more likely, the costs. With Lucy and Sam, he didn't even have to justify anything. They simply signed the invoices and told him good job. Granted, he was aware that this kind of behavior would last exactly until he fucked up or started playing around with money. But why would he? Why ruin something this perfect?

Where else would he be able to do the same things without at least three different levels of management breathing down his neck? No. Tim had found the holy grail of jobs, and he knew it. Hell, even the few people who actually knew where he worked in real life agreed that he had the perfect job.

Most of them were jealous, always trying to figure out a way to needle information out of him, but since he had left his old job and signed on with the company Lucy and Sam had built, those attempts had become fewer and farther between. Arguably, at the same time, the number of probes from other organizations had increased. Embarrassingly, it took him almost a month to figure out that many of the new people moving onto his floor were there to keep an eye on him. At first, he thought nothing of it.

It was a freshly renovated floor, so it made sense that plenty of people would move in at the same time he did. It wasn't until Liz came over for dinner that she pointed out there were an awful lot of beautiful women who just happened to stop and chat with him in the corridor. A bit of an egg on his face, really. Still, he made a bunch of new friends. Some of them even joined Chrysalis and AFK permanently. One of them was even in the squad he had selected for this operation.

Giving her a small wave, which she returned enthusiastically, he listened as the rest of the people voiced their assent to his question.

"Ready!"

"Let's go!"

"Murder! Murder! Murder!"

"Can't wait!" Tim ignored Katie with well-practiced ease and motioned for everyone to gather. The two groups approached him. On one side stood the best team the guild could offer, sans Sam, with more firepower than some mid-sized guilds. On the other was his handpicked team, a mix of women and men, all ready to sink their daggers into the enemy's back. He made a motion with his hand and activated one of the magi-tech artifacts that was allowed to leave the laboratory before being revealed to the public.

A small bracelet on his wrist lit up with blue light as it projected a flat plane of the same blue light in front of him. Then the plane began to bulge as a three-dimensional map of their target coalesced before the two teams. An excellent device crafted by Liz. He was rather proud of her. Tim spent a moment reminiscing about her before banishing her beautiful visage from his mind for the time being and focusing on the task Sam had given him.

Honestly, every time the other man gave Tim some kind of job, Tim gave thanks to whatever deity was listening that he was working for Sam and not against him. Watching the video of him infiltrating Roserun had taught him that no matter what fancy or complicated process he implemented, there was always someone much smarter. Or brazen, like Sam…

"Alright, people," he began.

"Some of you know why we are here, and some of you don't." He cast a glance at the maniacally grinning Katie before returning his attention to the map.

"So, just to make sure we're all on the same page, here's the deal." His own team watched silently, already used to how he approached ops like these. The map rotated as the city of Stonegrave gained definition and color, with a collection of differently colored dots appearing throughout it and around its outskirts.

"While our illustrious leader distracts the world, we are to infiltrate the city of Stonegrave, kill all important NPCs, loot it to the ground, and then burn it down." There were nods all around. However, he noticed a few wide-eyed looks among his team, while Sam's team treated the whole thing as a routine outing. Tim continued.

"In the first phase, we are going to break into two teams." He motioned toward Katie and her team, then toward his own.

"One is going to be the distraction, and the other is going to do the looting." The map shifted, showing several underground routes scattered throughout the city.

"In the second phase, the two teams are going to meet at the designated point and enter the tunnels beneath the city for a bit more looting and burning," he explained to the people arrayed around him.

"A bit basic, but let's not mess with what works…" He paused for a moment.

"Any questions?" Everyone shook their heads, visibly excited for what lay ahead.

"Excellent," Tim nodded.

"Now, here are the assignments..." While Dan led his team away through a route he had scouted a week ago, Tim watched as his team prepared. With everyone assigned into teams of four, they slowly began to drift apart as they warmed up or stretched. One leader, one medic, or someone who had powerful healing spells, one magic user, and one more person depending on what the leader thought the team needed.

Some took demolition experts, while others went with the tried-and-true method of getting someone who enjoyed stabbing people with sharp things. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Behind him, all six teams spread out, with all twenty-four people looking ready to act. Tim would be traveling alone, acting as a free-floating agent ready to assist any of the teams, or, in case something went pear-shaped, ready to intervene.

Originally, he wanted to do what Sam did. Just waltz in, place a few Sunbursts, and leave. But Sam convinced him to do it this way. His argument was that the more they did it, the more chances their enemies had to figure out counters. It was much better for it to remain a mysterious threat than become something the enemy could take into account... Still, Liz did give him some lesser explosives, named Twinkle Stars. Just in case he needed them…

He stepped onto the small rocky outcropping and took in the bustling city of Stonegrave, his eyes immediately spotting the not-so-hidden defensive infrastructure surrounding the city. They were well placed, but to someone like him they were especially obvious.

"Ready?" he asked as he pulled on his hood, covering everything, while goggles automatically slid over his eyes as his magi-tech suit engaged.""""Yes, sir."""" He smiled. This was going to be fun. He raised his hand and pointed toward the city. He kind of pitied them...

"Go." For a moment, he watched as twenty-four streaks scattered into the environment, only able to follow them due to his higher level and skills, before he jumped slightly in place, letting his shoulders loosen, then launched himself forward.

"Well, that was excellently edited…"

"I mean, yes. But that's not the problem."

"What exactly is the problem?"

"The problem is that they were allowed to do this? Why didn't the system stop it? Why didn't we ban them?" He took a sip of his coffee and looked at the suit on the other side of the table. Next to the man, freshly printed in whatever factory they made those generic C-level assholes, were several assistants staring at him with stone-cold faces, holding tablets and other devices.

He had been enjoying his morning ritual of cursing the Fucker one hundred times when he was dragged into this pointless meeting that shouldn't even have been an email. The man opposite him was some new guy from the marketing department who had been laterally promoted – read: his daddy was too important to fire him – into the development side and decided he needed to make his mark on the company.

"Because," he began slowly, while inwardly marveling at the fact that he was actually protecting the Fucker, "they didn't do anything against the rules. They used in-game items, skills, and abilities mixed with... ugh... ingenuity to achieve what they have achieved. As much as it pains me to admit, there was at no point any sign of cheating or behavior against the rules." Boy, did it hurt to say that. The suit on the other side of the table just snarled.

"They destroyed the game's image! It's a fantasy world! There is no place in it for that kind of thing!" he almost yelled while waving aggressively at the screen, where a frozen image of Solar placing one of the Sunburst devices on the ground was displayed.

"We need to step in before those plebeians ruin our game!"

'Our? Dear, oh dear, a bit egotistical, aren't you?' he thought, but outwardly just took another sip.

"I don't know what you want me to do..." he commented, hoping that would be enough. He longed for his ergonomic chair and screens filled with data. The man smirked.

"That's why they pay me to think and you to do what I tell you." He raised an eyebrow. He didn't think the man before him had ever had an original thought. Unaware of his thoughts – Thank god! – the other man continued.

"I want you and your little team to go into the files and delete his character. I don't want him to disturb the market. I don't want him anywhere in the game. Understand?" He let out a sigh.

"That would be highly unethical, morally wrong, not to mention very illegal." Granted, he really wanted to do it, but he knew unless he personally caught the Fucker red-handed with ironclad evidence of how he managed to accomplish the multitude of bullshit he had become famous for, he would never know rest. This was between the two of them. And nothing would stop him. Not some factory-fresh second-gen heir who thought the sun shone out of his asshole.

"Who the fuck cares? We are Future Unknown. As of this moment, we decide what is legal!" the man declared proudly, with the air of someone who regularly told women to smile more.

"And..." he began slowly, taking a measured sip of his cup, wishing real life had actual endless cups of coffee.

"What if I don't do that?" Several assistants nailed him with cold looks, and the man in the middle sent him a dark grin. Honestly, he looked like he needed to shit.

"I'm sure there is someone in your department who is willing to step up and take your place if you refuse," he stated, the implied threat clear. He eyed the man, taking another calming sip to prevent himself from slamming the man's head into the ceiling, before nodding.

"That's me told, I suppose," he said while standing up.

"Don't worry... boss... it will be taken care of soon." The man crossed his arms in front of him in a way that made him suspect it was practiced in front of a mirror and smirked.

"I'm glad you saw reason. I would have hated to fire you..." He didn't have the heart to tell him that, technically, he was way above him on the organization chart. His poor soul probably wouldn't be able to take that. Instead, he nodded and walked toward the door.

"Got it!" He opened the door and stepped outside, closing it behind him, hearing laughter erupt from the room. Shaking his head, he walked a few steps until he reached a small projection device and leaned against the wall next to it. Selene instantly materialized. He took another sip.

"How is it going?"

"ETA sixty seconds," she declared cheerfully as she also turned toward the door he had just exited.

"They looked very excited." He grunted, taking another sip of his drink. For the aforementioned sixty seconds, they stood there in companionable silence before the sound of boots slapping against the ground reached his ears. Within seconds, several serious-looking people dressed in full black, looking like they ate bolts and nuts for breakfast, without milk, rounded the corner and practically exploded into the meeting room he had just left.

There was some grunting, a few sounds of people crying out in pain, and within a few seconds, the same man who had sat there smugly threatening to fire him was led out with his assistants in tow. Tears streaked down his face, his hands were held behind his back, and he was escorted by men and women who looked like they could break him just by breathing too hard if he even moved wrong.

"This is a mistake! Do you know who I am? I'm going to have your jobs for this!" he shouted hysterically until his wildly moving eyes spotted him. He raised his cup in salute while Selene curtsied beside him. Just to add a bit of salt to the wound, he even smirked. The man's eyes widened, and he began frothing at the mouth. Ignoring the incoherent yells, he pushed himself away from the wall and turned around. Selene's projection walked beside him.

"What's next, boss?" she asked with a grin.

"The same thing we do every day, Selene," he declared, punctuating it with a sip of his coffee.

"Try to figure out how the Fucker is cheating?" she asked with a fond smile.

"Yes!" he exclaimed.

"I feel like we are close!"

"Just like we were yesterday, and the day before that?"

"Yes, just like… hey!" Selene giggled as the two of them ambled down the corridor, while the sad yells of a man who was hopelessly out of his element vanished into the void. Oliver felt like a fucking loser, covered head to toe by a cloak to prevent anyone from spotting the effects of the cursed skill he had gained. No matter how powerful it was, it was still annoying to deal with. But at least he had bought some illusion skill books and was on his way to being able to cover them up.

However, for now, he had to use a much more mundane way to hide his shame. He had tried the new skills on some monsters out in the wild, and they were very effective. Combined with his halberd skills, they synergized very well. A few hours of practice and he was practically dancing between monsters and explosions. But now he had to move on. Preferably as far away from Roserun and whatever the Blood Army was planning as retaliation.

Oliver had a feeling that if they found out what had happened to him, he would receive several offers he wouldn't be able to refuse. So he was heading further south, out of Blood Army territory, hopefully finding people who didn't really care what happened to Roserun. Thankfully, the video Solar put out didn't show Oliver's face, but he knew there were other ways to identify him. He was walking through a city he didn't even know the name of, as he didn't plan to stay long, when he saw something.

Oliver kept to the side of the street, keeping himself out of the way of the crowd and close to the walls of the buildings lining the street. When he walked past a small alleyway, he saw a fleeting image of a man running by, his skin cracked and crisscrossed with yellow and black light. The same light he had become intimately familiar with in the recent past. For a moment, he hesitated.

After all, the last time he entered an alleyway similar to this, he had unleashed unfathomable devastation while almost fully ruining his own life. But he also knew that the game never gave things that were completely bad. There was always a chance to correct things. Oliver really, really hoped that he was right, and this was the game's way of showing him a way out. Taking a deep breath, he anxiously glanced around before hesitantly taking a step. Then another. And another.

Finally, he found himself running forward, following hopes and dreams, and what he thought were footsteps he could hear. Occasionally, he could see a flash of yellow or black light vanishing around a corner. Oliver didn't know how long he ran, but soon he had left behind the crowded street and was hopelessly lost in the labyrinthine backstreets of the city. However, he also finally saw the person with the cracked skin run through a wooden door, which closed behind them. Breathing a little heavily, he grinned.

His previous fear forgotten, he strode forward and slammed the door open. Inside, he was met with a room decorated with rugs hanging on the walls and beanbag chairs arranged around low tables. It was lit by dim lanterns, bathing the entire scene in yellow light. As he looked around curiously, one hand grabbing his weapon, he was greeted by a low chuckle. Oliver's head snapped toward the sound, seeing a person sitting on a beanbag chair where he would have sworn nobody had been when he entered.

The person was completely bald, with ashen skin cracking with yellow and black light, long ears, and a grin on their face.

"Welcome, young one..." they rasped in a voice that made it impossible to determine their gender. The door slammed shut behind him, and Oliver felt a shiver run down his spine. The being in front of him continued, the grin growing bigger and bigger.

"One more cursed one... the mistakes of mortals and gods... Come join me... we have much to talk about..." Oliver watched as the being indicated the beanbag chair in front of them, then swallowed and stepped forward. Hopefully, this creepy whatever-it-was could help him. If not… He could just explode them. That usually worked…