Chapter 65: Project Dremis’s Site
After having a chat with Mercy and telling Damien that he now worked for him, Klaus left the place.
Erick had promised to call him about Ryan in a few hours.
"Guess he stopped hiding that he is the syndicate head at the end of the conversation," Klaus mumbled as he took a taxi to his next destination.
A few minutes later, the taxi came to a halt before the tall building of Terra Real Estate Group, and Klaus stepped out of it after paying the fare.
He smiled faintly beneath the mask and walked toward the black sports car standing near the entrance.
As he neared, his gaze landed on a familiar face, and he asked, "Did they praise you for catching four leakers in a single day?"
Clyde Rodgers, who was reading through a file on his phone, put it away and looked at the masked man.
"Mr. Maker."
Klaus placed a hand on his chin and said, "It seems like you don’t want me here."
Clyde stared at him in silence for a few moments and then shook his head. "Not at all, I am just wondering how you knew the names because none of them knew about you."
His eyes sharpened at the end.
The mischievous mood around Klaus vanished, and he asked in a heavy voice, "Are you unhappy with what you have achieved?"
Clyde frowned. "Of course not."
Klaus stepped closer and hissed, "Then why are you trying to lose all of it?"
Clyde fell silent as he understood the underlying meaning behind his words.
Mr. Maker had given him the information so he could climb the power ladder of the TREG, not to snoop around him. He had made a dire mistake by mentioning that, but he wasn’t the one to back down.
He was Clyde Rodgers, a general manager of TREG. How could he lower his head like a dog?
His brows furrowed. He pulled the door leading to the driver’s side and said, "I only did it cause I don’t want to work for someone I don’t know anything about."
Klaus didn’t buy his bullshit for even a moment. He was certain that Clyde was looking for something that would allow him to get the names without having to do what Klaus wanted.
Clyde shifted in the driver’s seat, and Klaus stared down at him.
"How deeply did you research the people you wag your tail to?"
"What?"
Klaus placed his hand on the door and leaned forward as he asked, "TREG and the people who run it. How much do you know about them?"
Clyde looked away and muttered, "Knowing their competence is enough."
Klaus chuckled, though his eyes were without humor.
"Are you calling me incompetent?"
Clyde’s face darkened as he finally understood his mistake. He kept his eyes on the front and said, "That’s not what I meant."
"What did you mean then?"
Clyde fell silent.
Klaus waited for him to speak, and after a minute of silence, he added, "Didn’t you join this place to reach higher? To earn more, to become more powerful? Now that you have the way, why are you holding onto that meaningless pride?"
"I want to obtain those heights by my own abilities. Not by getting piggybacked by someone else."
’How stupid is this guy?’
"Is that so?" Klaus tilted his head. "I wouldn’t have offered you to join me if you didn’t have the ability. But... ability means nothing if your ego becomes a hindrance."
Clyde clutched the steering wheel and mumbled somberly, "I apologise, Mr. Maker."
"Make sure never to step beyond your limit ever again," Klaus muttered as he walked over to the other side and pulled open the door.
He shifted into the seat beside the driver and closed the door. "Let’s go."
Clyde nodded, and the sleek black sports car roared to life before it left the premises like a bullet.
The car weaved through the traffic and made its way toward the site chosen for Project Dremis.
Because of the vision that TREG had, the project had to be scaled down to a small city and near a place that was already greatly influenced by them.
In the end, they decided upon the small rural city about six hours away from the Golden City.
As they neared the site, the afternoon went by and evening fell, painting the world in its shades.
"We are about to reach it," Clyde said, and Klaus nodded.
A few minutes later, the rural city came into view, though now it looked more like an abandoned city as TREG had moved everyone to homes in Golden City.
Suddenly, Klaus’s phone rang, and he pulled it out of his pocket.
"Hello."
Klaus’s brows furrowed, and he asked, "Are you standing near him?"
He rubbed his forehead. "Are you trying to scare him?"
"Haah..." he sighed and said, "Have someone who looks like me drop him at the entrance of the police station. Make sure he appears in the camera and doesn’t get caught by the police."
’Stupid motherfucker,’ Klaus remarked inwardly and cut the call.
"What was that about...?" Clyde questioned.
Klaus turned his gaze to him and frowned. "You are doing it again."
Clyde knit his brows together and mumbled, "I am just curious."
The car slowed down, and he added, "Anyways, we are at the site now."
Klaus nodded and looked around. He could see that many of the previous buildings had been demolished or were being demolished right now.
Construction workers were doing their respective tasks while the overseers were checking on them.
"Where do you want to go?" Clyde asked.
Klaus pointed his finger at the ground and answered, "Underground."
Clyde looked at him with a tired expression. "There’s no underground drainage in this city."
Klaus grinned behind the mask. "I didn’t mean that either."