Sitting on the cabinet to the side, Tilan's legs swung gently, giving off a relaxed vibe. Across from her, Gen and Suoga had argued for a bit before finally shutting their mouths. Gen wasn't one for aningless disputes, but Suoga's actions might spiral the situation out of control, forcing him to correct Suoga's thinking.
"Alright, talking further won't help. Let's rest for now, and tomorrow I'll make so proper suggestions to the young lady." Gen stopped Suoga, who wanted to continue, and Lan, watching from the side, let out a sigh, nodded, and expressed her agreent.
The conversation among the three ended for now, shifting the focus to Tilan.
"So this is Miss Zi Jin, correct?" Gen had heard about Tilan earlier through the ssage Suoga had sent in the afternoon.
"Hello," he greeted. Although he opposed Suoga's reckless behavior, he maintained the necessary respect toward Tilan.
"Hello, Mr. Gen." Tilan stepped down from the cabinet and greeted him politely.
The combination of her actions and youthful appearance gave off an undeniably adorable impression, even to soone like Gen who had served as a Black rcenary; his tone inevitably softened.
"Sorry if I embarrassed myself. Have a seat first; I'll explain the current situation to you. It might end up disappointing you."
He motioned for Tilan to sit down, while Lan fetched two drinks from the fridge—so kind of tea-like cola—and handed them over.
Suoga had gone off to shower at this point. Lan leaned against the wall nearby, listening as Gen began to describe their current situation to Tilan.
"... In short, due to the unique power of the 'Connector,' Miss Alanna founded this rather loose organization, gathering more mbers gradually."
"But, unfortunately, a special incident occurred not long ago. Our organization was targeted by another more enigmatic and unpredictable group. They used powerful intelligence and infiltration tactics to both coerce and entice many of our mbers into betraying us. It was only after a fierce struggle that we managed to escape the scene. Since then, we've been hiding here, trying to regroup."
"What kind of organization is the opponent?" Tilan asked curiously.
"I don't know. None of us know. Even most of those who were turned against us don't seem to understand. Based on what we've gathered these past few days, they were suddenly subdued by the enemy in various scenarios, then pressured and bribed into signing allegiance agreents."
"I see..." Tilan tilted her head in thought.
"An allegiance agreent?" Her first encounter with such betrayal left her puzzled. She couldn't understand what purpose the agreent served—did illegal organizations use these to settle lawsuits?
Upon hearing her question, Gen uncapped his drink, took a sip, and leaned back on the sofa.
"This practice is rare but not unheard of."
"Sure, an illegal organization wouldn't use such agreents in court, but the contract can serve as proof that you're part of the illegal organization. If the organization gets caught, during the trial, this agreent would be solid evidence of your involvent, making it hard for you to claim ignorance."
"So even illegal organizations depend on Federal law for deterrence and governance?" Tilan was taken aback.
"Heh, that's just one of their thods. But admittedly, it works well on regular people. Once you're wanted by the Federation, figuring out how to survive becos unimaginable for most. People who've lived in civilized cities for too long have no concept of the world outside of it," he said, shaking his head.
"Could you elaborate, Mr. Gen?" Tilan's curiosity deepened; such knowledge wasn't sothing taught in schools.
"I used to deal with situations like these. Let's just say I've had so experience with gray-area business, which exposed to a few insider truths." Gen took so ti to decide what he could safely share with Tilan.
Though he didn't believe she was an undercover agent, he wasn't about to recklessly expose any incriminating information about himself.
"To begin with, today's nations aren't confined to a single planet like they were thousands of years ago. Surveillance is everywhere."
"The Milky Way is vast, and although the Federation controls most habitable stars and has established nurous checkpoints, there are still plenty of places it can't reach or monitor closely."
"For instance, abandoned planets, desolate star systems far from major trade routes, sparsely populated areas on habitable worlds, and so on."
"Imagine a region on a habitable planet spanning tens of thousands of kiloters, with you being the only inhabitant—no powered devices or equipnt in sight. Who's going to oversee what you do there?"
"Places far removed from civilized societies are beyond the imagination of modern urban dwellers. The people living there might never have entered the Federation's jurisdiction, nor even realize that the Fifth Epoch ended ages ago."
"No laws, no constraints—such places easily beco hideouts for countless wanted fugitives."
"That's all I can share; I'm not entirely sure about the specifics myself, as I've never truly ventured into those zones." Gen smiled, making Tilan suspect he was withholding so truths, though without any malice.
"Thank you for sharing this with ."
"Phew, I can't deal with how polite you are. Just like soone fresh out of an Ivory Tower," Gen remarked, tossing his empty drink can with precise aim into the trash can across the room.
"I'm going to rest now; it's getting late. If you find yourself bored, you can sleep for a while. Let's discuss more tomorrow." With that, he picked up his clothes and left.
After Gen's departure, only Tilan and Lan remained in the garage. Lan, now realizing the situation, seed sowhat uneasy—clearly not soone skilled in social interactions.
"Uh, it's pretty late. Do you want to head back?" he tried asking.
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