There was a long silence in the study room, and neither spoke a word, even after Slater’s explanation. According to Slater, the training only took a few months, but it was enough to turn him into a soldier. Even Slater himself was unsure how he made it; perhaps it was his desperation or just the situation they were all in. Either way, he managed to beco the person they wanted him to be.
"Mint is one of the targets," Slater continued under his breath, clasping his hands together with his arms resting on his legs. "In my previous life, Mint would climb the ranks, becoming more involved in politics, with the president backing her. What I’m saying is, she’s becoming a bigger threat to many—not just in the treacherous ga of politics, but also to those who weren’t directly involved in it."
He paused and sighed. "However, even though they wanted her out of the picture, I’m not sure of the real reason. They just told to do what they wanted in exchange for... Penny’s freedom."
Deep lines appeared on Penny’s forehead as she held her breath. Slater was the harshest of her brothers. Even though Atlas was the one she was angriest with, she only felt that way because Atlas was the last brother she had seen. However, in a different setting, Slater deserved to be at the top of her list. Hence, she didn’t expect that those people would manage to turn him into soone no one would expect him to be, especially for her.
"I didn’t like Penny much in our previous life, and I admit that," he added, his tone full of remorse as he glanced at her. "I didn’t like her because I didn’t think there was anything to like, but... that’s also why I felt so desperate. After First Brother slowly uncovered that she was probably innocent and seeing him try to get help as much as he could, I knew I had to do sothing too."
He then shifted his gaze to Hugo. "Especially when I know Second Brother died doing the sa thing."
Slater revealed that, during Atlas’s investigation, he found out that Hugo’s death wasn’t what they were told. In fact, Hugo wasn’t supposed to be implicated in what happened to their family because the military code protected him.
Even with a cri as significant as their sister’s "alleged" one, it wasn’t Hugo who committed it. Hence, public opinion didn’t affect his position much. However, because Hugo didn’t believe the allegations, he tried to uncover the truth and prove his sister’s innocence. Sadly, that action led to his untily death—murder, if Slater was being precise.
"So, when I woke up again and had all these mories, I went to find Mint," Slater revealed, having finished recounting his story from his previous life and how he earned the skills to join Holand Security. "It’s a different part of any governnt agency, focusing on policing internal affairs and terrorism, but I was certain those sa people wanted sothing in Holand Security. Moreover, Penny’s case beca harder to open or touch because of all the powerful people who were bribed to make sure she stayed in prison and died there."
"So, I applied to the special unit Holand Security was secretly forming," he continued. "This special unit is mostly made up of civilians—ordinary people who had no initial military training. Just regular people, as you can imagine. Initially, I didn’t understand this either because many capable agents could have done the job better. I only realized Mint’s reason for this."
"Mint—she might seem that way, but she’s actually very good at what she does. She doesn’t trust many people, so she chose regular nobodies. People already below rock bottom—drowned in debt, those with numbered days, or simply had no reason to live," he added in the sa solemn tone. "She chose perfect candidates for her team, trained them, and then made them agents. The job isn’t as dangerous as one would think, but just enough for the organization to spread its networks through different ans and have eyes in various fields."
After all, no one would suspect a regular chanic working for one of the governnt’s biggest organizations, a pharmacist at a small clinic... or a superstar. Each of them had different roles that supported each other.
"We get to keep our regular lives and stay off the radar of whoever is watching or has access to confidential files," he clarified. "Mint and the President of Anteca, who approved this special unit, are the only people who know the full list. So, it’s safe to say that our identities were safe. Although I knew one or two people in it since I interact with them occasionally, I don’t know the complete list. That’s how tight and confidential it was."
In hindsight, this already explained why Mint beca a threat to many.
"I, for one, had to report what goes on behind the scenes of the entertainnt industry. After all, behind the glitz and glamor and the fa, a lot happens out of sight. I’m lucky I didn’t have to go through what others did because of First Brother and Dad—the perks of being a Bennet. And Jas and his agency were also good to their artists. But not everyone had it as easy."
Slater paused and studied their expressions. He didn’t want to discuss the details of the entertainnt industry, as it was unrelated to their dilemma. But he ntioned it to clarify how he maintained his celebrity status and his other job as a Holand Security agent.
"I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before," he said with a sigh. "I didn’t want to worry anyone, and we weren’t allowed to disclose this information."
He took another long pause and sighed again. "It’s also how I found out about the drug Stephen Bennet was given."
"So, all this ti... you knew about our deal with Stephen Bennet?" Atlas asked after a long silence, his eyes narrowed. "And he’s the first person to know?"
Slater pressed his mouth into a thin line and nodded. "Initially, I didn’t think much of it until the drug results ca back to . It was the drug one of the agents was investigating in the underground market. It’s a dangerous drug that could pose a national threat, so I had to keep Stephen Bennet in the loop."
Another mont of silence fell as they processed all of this. They had expected this conversation to be shocking, but they didn’t anticipate just how shocking it would be.
Surely, Slater was not the person they thought he was. Or rather, he wasn’t just the whimsical brother they had once known—there was much more to him.
If Charles heard about this, he would surely choke on his own breath.
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