The conference room we went up to with the two of them was huge, fitting the scale of the factory. The attendees barely filled about half of the large conference room, but because of their presence, the room felt full.
Hella and Waver went to one side and sat down. That must be the Drexier rcenary Corps. There were unfamiliar faces mixed in, probably new recruits.
The other side was filled with people ard with military gear such as bulletproof vests, like a special forces unit of the military. They must be Claire’s private soldiers to be deployed in this operation.
“……”
Their number was about half that of the Drexier rcenary Corps. I had already checked the number of Claire’s private soldiers with my own eyes during the negotiations between the cities. Probably only the executives were attending this eting.
The one who seed to be the leader among them crossed his arms and just turned his head to stare at .
‘I think I know why Waver said he ran away.’
A very disdainful look. The sight of them sitting opposite each other and having a battle of wills was a common sight in this industry. A behavior that risked their lives for competition rather than cooperation. It seed they would start a fight at any mont if they had a chance.
‘Let’s just watch the situation for now.’
The fact that unconditional cooperation towards a single goal is a dream-like story is sothing you learn after rolling in this industry for a little while. If you don’t expect anything, you won’t be disappointed.
As I sat in the seat of honor as if to show off, all eyes were on .
“You’re here.”
Milina was among them. She was not intimidated by the harsh atmosphere, and on the contrary, she had a cool deanor that was not inferior to them. It was a completely different appearance from the clumsy one she had shown . Well, she was Claire’s closest secretary. It was natural for her to show a professional appearance in public.
“With this, everyone has gathered. I am Milina, who is in charge of managent and supervision in this operation. Then, I will start the briefing now.”
Milina personally took the command tower of this mission. The fact that she had dispatched her closest aide revealed how much Claire valued this plan.
“From today, we will wipe out the forces that have a stake in the weapons factory in District 17 and take control of the industry.”
The stake structure of the weapons factory in District 17 was complicated. There was a factory manager who owned the factory, and an underworld organization supported them directly and indirectly. So organizations provided personnel for security, and so provided funds, and in that way, they claid a stake and shared the profits from the sales.
In other words, it was like a complicatedly tangled skein of thread. Their stake structures were so complicatedly intertwined that it was impossible to cleanly be hostile to just one of them. That characteristic united the inside and beca a breakwater that blocked the entry of external forces.
That’s why Sylvester did not consider compromise or conciliation when entering this board. The goal was to take control of the entire District 17.
“First, we will start by cutting off the flow of goods to District 17.”
“You an you’ll start by blocking any corner where external support might co in.”
“That’s right.”
The biggest obstacle that Sylvester had judged when planning this operation was not the inside of District 17, but the external checks. It was a judgnt to isolate District 17 before starting the work in earnest.
“The information is that these two organizations are dividing the managent of goods in District 17.”
As Milina touched the crystal ball connected to her laptop, the surface flashed, and a screen was reflected in the empty air.
“The Cherrypicker gang, a dium-sized organization with 150 mbers. They control the smuggling market in District 17 by moving the small gangs under their control.”
A red line stretched across the map of District 17. It was a visual representation of the area where the gang’s influence was projected.
“The number of direct mbers is small, but you should see it as a deception. The Cherrypickers are closer to a parent company with subsidiaries. If you calculate the subordinate organizations as one lump, the number reaches nearly 400.”
Dozens or hundreds. It’s a number that feels small when you just look at it as letters on a docunt. But if you had gathered them all in one place and looked at them, you wouldn’t have said that. 400 was by no ans a small number.
“And the other side is the Balban rcenary Corps.”
At the word ‘rcenary corps’, it was an irreversible flow for the gaze to turn to one side. Waver from the Drexier rcenary Corps raised his hand and asked in a slick tone.
“I haven’t really heard of that na in the industry, are they really a rcenary corps?”
“In reality, they are no different from a gang. They just call themselves a rcenary corps because they are active in guarding and escorting the transportation of goods in District 17.”
When you say rcenary corps, there is a perception that they are generally more skilled or reliable than contractors. Since there is a screening process. However, not all rcenary corps were that clean. I had experienced this in the request in District 16. Those guys who were attached to the underworld were also a rcenary corps if you called them a rcenary corps.
“The Balban rcenary Corps, unlike the Cherrypickers, is a small elite force. The level of each and every one of them is high, and especially their leader, Digger, is said to have inherited the bloodline of an ogre, although it is quite faint.”
If you say ogre, it’s a bloodline from the southern city of barbarism. It’s a rarer bloodline than the orcs from the sa city, but the image was the exact opposite. Unlike the orcs, who were called a warrior race, they were closer to rowdies who couldn’t control their temper.
Putting aside that disadvantage, they had an aptitude for physical work that was second to none. It could be said that he was perfect as the leader of a rcenary corps attached to the underworld.
“We will definitely destroy one of the two. We will leave the choice of which one to prioritize to you, Allen.”
Was this how they planned to center the plan around ? One side was a human wave tactic, and the other was a small elite force. The characteristics of each organization were clear. No matter which one was taken down first, there would be no big difference in the overall picture.
Just…
‘They’re being too cautious.’
At the sa ti as I thought that, a voice ca from the side of Claire’s private soldiers.
“How about we take care of both instead of choosing one?”
It was the leader of the private soldier group.
“We have reviewed it, but we have excluded it. It would be the best result if things went well, but the risk is high. Since blocking external support is the key to this plan, the company’s view is to take it one step at a ti rather than being greedy.”
“In other words, it’s a matter of being able to do it.”
Milina, Claire’s direct secretary. In Sylvester, there were very few people who could question her claims. However, they were not Sylvester’s rcenary unit, but Claire’s private soldiers. Since the hierarchy was different, they had the right to express their opinions like this.
Also, the reason he didn’t look at Milina while speaking was not because he was ignoring her.
‘In reality, it’s a statent directed at .’
He looked directly at as he opened his mouth. It was probably because he had noticed who the center of this eting was by looking at Milina’s reaction.
“I thought you would think so too.”
It was also a provocation disguised as a better opinion. I think I can do it, but can’t you? At the simple hidden aning, I let out a chuckle.
“You’ve just said what I wanted to say.”
“……”
“If the goal is to block external support, then destroying both is the best. Crushing only one side might just give them an excuse.”
They wouldn’t act under the na of Sylvester in the first operation. But it was uncertain how the surviving other side would take this. It was highly likely that they would try to solve it internally according to the rules of District 17, which had established its own ecosystem.
On the contrary, there was also the possibility that they would realize that it was not sothing they could handle on their own and would call in a counterasure from the outside. The companies that looked at Sylvester’s actions with displeasure would help them as if they had been waiting.
If you assu the worst-case scenario, it would be better if the passage for external support was only half, but worrying about failure while carrying out a request was a foolish act.
“Instead, we’ll have to strike quickly enough to take out both of their leaderships in a short period of ti. The key is not to give them a pretext and timing to interfere from the outside.”
“Then the distribution of personnel…”
That was not sothing to worry about.
“I and the Drexier rcenary Corps will take on the Cherrypickers, and the rest will take on the Balban rcenary Corps.”
In this kind of atmosphere, forcing cooperation by mixing the personnel equally would be counterproductive. The subtlety of human relationships was that one plus one could beco a minus, not two.
“You guys would prefer that too, wouldn’t you? Right?”
“……”
And I had to investigate the origin of the pendant while carrying out the request. A separate mission progress was what both sides wanted. The leader of the private soldier group nodded his head, and the conclusion was made.
***
“My na is Poldon Marx.”
“Allen.”
Poldon, the leader of the private soldier group, offered a handshake as he left the conference room.
“I’ve heard a lot about your achievents. They say you’re the hottest prospect in the industry, causing a stir with every move you make.”
The hand he shook was hard with calluses.
“You haven’t been a contractor for long, but you’ve made a connection with the Mage Tower, repelled the Mad House, and carried out requests from the city governnt and the Public Security Bureau. Although monsters often appear in the industry, it’s an unbelievable achievent.”
I had wondered why the guy who had been setting up an angle was suddenly praising . The real intention was at the end.
“Are you trying to hear from my own mouth whether the rumors are true or exaggerated?”
“It’s not cool to ask the person directly. You can just prove it in this request. Isn’t that how it is in that industry?”
I also knew how many fakes were rampant in this industry. Most of them were exaggerated packaging in collusion with a broker. Although my reputation had been hitting the ceiling recently, it was not wrong to doubt it.
“Well.”
Then was the reason Poldon had been weighing things in the conference room just because he was a cautious person and wanted to gauge ? If it was just a display of loyalty to his master, I could understand and let it go with a broad mind.
Of course, just by looking at his expression, I could tell that wasn’t it.
“What right do you have to evaluate ? Don’t beat around the bush with things like proof, just say you don’t like if you don’t like .”
“……”
“This matter has already been settled with your master. You’re not in a position to evaluate .”
In the first place, this was a guy I had seen during the negotiations between the cities. To ask to prove my skills now was just a nitpick.
‘I think I know roughly why he’s doing this.’
The reason he had maintained a tense atmosphere with the Drexier rcenary Corps at first, I could roughly guess. It wasn’t that he was trying to fight with them for the initiative of the operation, but he was having a battle of wills with the rcenary corps, the manpower I had brought in, as a way to check .
‘Was he bothered by the fact that I had the initiative of the operation?’
The war for the succession of Sylvester was practically coming to an end. A suitable reward was scheduled for Claire’s private soldiers, who had gone through thick and thin with her. Since they were a sword she could wield personally, apart from the company, she couldn’t treat them poorly.
But just looking at this request, Claire was treating better than them. An outsider who was just a contractor. That’s why he was setting up an angle like this, but…
‘It’s a very common-sense judgnt to plan the operation centered on in this request.’
It was unfortunate for them, but I had practically saved Claire from her downfall. From her perspective, who would be more reliable? Poldon, Claire’s aide, would know this better than anyone.
The reason he was trying to confront despite that was probably because of his emotions, not his reason. He wanted her to treat her direct subordinates better than a re contractor.
“It’s not the first or second ti I’ve been treated like this, and I’m not your superior, so I don’t want to tell you to fix your attitude.”
I didn’t want to say that they were wrong. I just hoped they wouldn’t get in the way.
“This request is as important to as it is to your master. Let’s not be petty with our pride out of a sense of competition. We’re professionals, right? Let’s act like professionals.”
Even a rotten fish is still a fish, so they would be better than the Python rcenary Corps, who had tried to troll. That was all I was hoping for.
(End of Chapter)
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