Darkstone Code

"If we... find a way to make Horn shut up, would it somewhat help?"

In a room at the Duncan Clan estate, family members with certain power gathered together.

The issue they face now is definitely not just the problem of one person, but rather an issue that the entire family must confront together.

The first to propose his idea was a young man.

Though he is called young, he is actually in his thirties, yet in this room, he is still considered young.

His words attracted some people’s attention to him, Mr. Jeruno also looked at him, and no one interrupted his speech, which meant he could continue speaking.

"The most troublesome issue now is that Horn knows too much about us. If we eliminate Horn, wouldn’t it bring some things back under our control?"

This is indeed an option, albeit a stupid one.

Before Mr. Jeruno could speak, someone asked, "How do you plan to take out Horn under the joint protection of the FBI and the Military?"

"Assassination, or staged accident?"

"To be honest, either will bring very troublesome consequences. We can’t afford more problems!"

The interruption by a family member won the approval of many.

Everyone is already sufficiently troubled, so let’s not create any big commotions that escalate the problems!

If it were only the FBI guarding Horn, they’d carry out the plan anyway, since the FBI doesn’t pose a significant challenge for them.

Within the FBI, they have plenty of "friends", who can help keep the scale of events within an acceptable range.

But within the Military, they lack solid connections, and offending the Military would be a heavier blow to the already troubled Duncan Clan.

The young man who spoke first then asked, "Are we really going to do nothing?"

"Just sit back and let them slowly gather the evidence and clues that could be fatal to us and eventually send us to the gallows?"

The gentlemen in the room fell back into contemplation. If possible, they would prefer not to do this.

But it seemed as if no matter what they did, nothing could reverse the downward trend, making some people irritable and anxious, and emanating an aura of dejection.

Mr. Jeruno, who hadn’t spoken, sat behind the table, appearing not at all anxious, fiddling with his pen—a finely crafted, tens-of-thousands-worth fountain pen.

This pen’s material and workmanship might be worth only tens of thousands, but it added a zero to its original value because it once "killed" a famous star.

Approximately forty years ago, the famed opera Empress was found dead in the study, a pen inserted into her throat, and the backflow of blood causing asphyxiation was the real cause of her death.

Later the pen was auctioned by her family, passing through the hands of passionate fans multiple times, until eight years ago it was bought by Mr. Jeruno for fifty-two thousand, becoming one of his collections.

Actually, such things... or rather this pen is inherently a murder weapon and should not have been auctioned, but some rules weren’t so rigid back then.

At this moment, Mr. Jeruno was lightly stroking its surface, reminiscing in an instant the poignant moment when he inserted it into that woman’s throat!

Yes, failing in love, the young Mr. Jeruno killed his favorite actress with a pen, and the case was finally closed as a "suicide."

Members of the Duncan Clan never die of crime, only accidental death.

"What should we do now, Master Patriarch?"

Ultimately, the hope for solving the trouble was entrusted to Mr. Jeruno, and everyone’s focus shifted to him.

Mr. Jeruno put down the pen, looked around at the family members in the room, and slightly shook his head, "I’m very disappointed, actually, because I’ve realized that you, who the outside world calls the Federation’s elite, aren’t quite as talented as the rumors portray."

"Our ancestors, successive patriarchs, to my grandfather, my father, my uncles, all outstanding individuals."

"Under their leadership, the Duncan Clan gradually became the most formidable family in the Federation, and even successive Presidents showed them respect and awe."

"They passed this position to me, I haven’t performed well, but I’m striving to align myself with them, to become as excellent as them."

"But looking at you, I’m genuinely doubtful, when the family’s power is handed to one of you, what will become of this family?!"

Though his tone wasn’t intense, everyone could feel his strong dissatisfaction.

Some people awkwardly lowered their heads; they simply didn’t know what to do.

As the investigation deepened, some politicians, capitalists, or people from other backgrounds who stood by them seemed to be deliberately avoiding contact.

In such circumstances, they really have no good way to break through the current impasse.

Mr. Jeruno looked at them, sighed, "Don’t always think about how we defend; in my view, the only thing we must do now is think about how to attack!"

"Attack is the best defense, as long as our offensive is fierce enough, we can push the Federation Government and all malice against us into defensive states. At that moment, we hold the initiative!"

"None of the Federation Government officials are clean, what you need to do is find these matters and make them the key to our victory!"

At that moment, everyone in the room felt as if a big hand had cleared the fog, allowing them to clearly see the future!

Indeed, as long as our offensive surpasses the Federation Government’s, they will be forced into defensive mode...

Seeing these people seeming to grasp this point, Mr. Jeruno began to assign tasks.

"Those who betray the Duncan Clan shall not be spared, and we need to show others a consequence!"

"They can choose not to help us, but they cannot betray us, otherwise we will not tolerate their actions!"

"I heard they plan to transfer Horn to the Military’s territory for detention; I don’t want him alive until then. Deploy our ace team to handle this."

"As for the Military’s outrage?"

Mr. Jeruno chuckled, "If the Duncan Clan is doomed to fall, their anger or lack thereof is irrelevant, because by then, we’ll already be on the gallows."

"If the Duncan Clan can endure this crisis, we have plenty of ways to quell their anger!"

"Gentlemen, the Duncan Clan is facing an unprecedented crisis; we cannot rely on conventional thinking to cope with today’s situation, I need each of you to unite."

"Since none of you can come up with a good plan, you must follow my lead!"

"Who dares to drag us down at this moment, I won’t mind having that person disappear directly!"

Large families also have the troubles of large families, such as internal family conflicts, present in all families, including the Duncan Clan.

Usually, such competition brings positive effects, with talented members gradually emerging.

But in times of crisis, this internal struggle becomes maddening.

Mr. Jeruno’s words also tightened many hearts, the elderly man before them wasn’t nearly as "kind" or "affable" as he appears.

The following morning at nine o’clock, Lynch was at home having breakfast when he received a call from the Darkstone Security Corporation.

The call was from the Senior Soldier.

"Boss, the FBI just placed an order, hoping we could send some personnel to assist with a transfer operation."

"I feel there’s something suspicious about this, so I wanted to ask you."

Lynch was also somewhat surprised. He knew the FBI is a powerful law enforcement agency, capable of mobilizing numerous resources, with plenty of combat personnel and agents, making it unnecessary to seek assistance from Darkstone Security.

After listening to what the Senior Soldier had to say about the order, Lynch asked him not to agree immediately and proceeded to call Mr. Truman.

"The FBI just placed an order asking us to assist in transporting certain items, is there something they forgot to mention to me?"

Mr. Truman also paused, "Wait a moment, I’ll call and inquire."

About ten minutes later, the phone rang again, but it wasn’t Mr. Truman calling; it was Perseus.

"Mr. Lynch, I hope my sudden call didn’t surprise you..."

Honestly, Lynch was surprised, "Only a bit out of the blue!"

"It seems to have indeed surprised you; actually, the matter is quite complex..."

He then briefly explained to Lynch about Horn White and the significant role he plays in the actions against the Duncan Clan.

"We can’t overtly participate; you understand my point, yes?"

"Once the army enters the city, whatever we do could trigger a series of repercussions, so we need reliable people to help us complete the first stage."

"Which is to extract Horn White from the FBI Headquarters and send him out of the city; we’ll handle reception outside the city."

"If all goes well, the whole operation shouldn’t exceed two hours."

"Frankly, we simply don’t trust those at the FBI; many have previously accepted help or bribes from the Duncan Clan, do you get my meaning?"