Chapter 338: Shadows of Betrayal
"When I returned to the tavern, I couldn’t find anyone except Old 5," Alexander continued, his voice hardening. "The place was silent. The ledgers, keys, and records were laid out on the counter, but Agent 1, 2, and 3 were nowhere to be found. The situation reeked of a trap, so I started pressing him to tell me what the hell was going on."
Behind the reinforced glass, the silhouettes of the observers leaned forward slightly.
"That was the exact moment we were ambushed," Alexander explained. "But the ambush didn’t come from the outside. The so-called Old 5 turned out to be an impostor posing as him using an advanced transformation skill. When I cornered him, he started spewing nonsense—claiming he had sold the other squad members off as slaves heading toward the capital, and that he planned to steal my identity to cross over to this side. His words made no sense at all; he was cornered and ready to do anything to avoid exposure."
Ghost Blade narrowed his eyes tapping the metal table with his knuckle.
"An infiltrator with camouflage skills..." the old man muttered under his breath. "And what happened to him?"
"When he realized he was cornered with no way out, he triggered a suicide mechanism before I could extract any more information from him," Alexander answered with coldness. "I discovered the real Old 5 had been eliminated or captured long before my arrival. That guy had been operating under his face to leak TMC intelligence to a local enemy faction and dismantle the squad from within."
Ghost Blade flashed a icy smirk, leaning back into his chair while lacing his fingers together.
"Isn’t that just a bit too convenient?" Ghost Blade said, fixing a sharp gaze on him. "You arrive and your enemies vanish into thin air. Now you are in complete control of the border sector, and dead men tell no secrets... Tch. You’re good, kid. Way too good."
"But sir, I didn’t..." Alexander began, raising his hand slightly to protest.
"No need to deny it," the old man cut him off with a dismissive wave of his hand. "TMC is pragmatic when it comes to these matters. So whether you did it or not isn’t what truly matters. What actually matters is how much profit you can deliver to the company from here on out."
Ghost Blade slid out a couple of additional files from the black folder, scanning them with an air of boredom.
"Cross-referencing the information and setting everything else aside, we can inform you of something quite interesting," the old man continued. "Throughout this entire time, we never received a single credit or profit from your sector. The official logs submitted by your predecessors always claimed your zone was so utterly destitute that it managed to survive, using that as an excuse for failing to deliver any returns to the organization. I will be conducting a thorough investigation into that matter myself."
The old man slammed the folder shut the thud echoing across the table.
"For the time being, I will ask you to keep the current situation exactly as it is and say nothing to anyone," Ghost Blade commanded. "As for your companions, an official identity document will be issued to them shortly. Being from the other world isn’t particularly severe; there are many like them registered across Earth. We simply must ensure they don’t pose an active threat, and your Blood Contract will serve as the perfect guarantee before the board."
Behind the dark glass, the observers logged the final verdict into their terminals.
"Now then, since the contract is active and you are legally their owner, while they won’t face any trouble, you will be held solely responsible for everything they do, as they answer directly to your orders," the old man concluded, standing up and straightening his lapels. "As for the rest, everything appears to be in order. Welcome back, Alexander."
Alexander stood up, shook Ghost Blade’s hand with a firm gesture, and walked out of the reinforced room. He had far more pressing matters to attend to, such as securing the new status of his companions and planning his next moves.
The moment the door sealed shut behind him, the atmosphere inside the room shifted drastically. The old man turned toward the dark glass panel and, with solemnity, bowed his torso in a respectful reverent gesture. Beside him, two of the hooded observers immediately mimicked the motion, lowering their heads before the figure seated in the center.
"Maiden... give your verdict," Ghost Blade said, maintaining his posture.
The central figure slowly pulled back her hood, revealing a young woman with refined features and a cold gaze. Her pupils briefly flared with a golden gleam that faded within seconds.
"My skill [Eye of Truth] does not lie," the woman declared in a calm yet authoritative voice. "He spoke seventy percent truth. He calculatedly blended facts with lies."
"Seventy percent?" one of the observers to her left muttered, straightening up. "Which parts were false, Maiden? Did he lie to our faces regarding the treason at the border?"
"The part about Old 5 being an impostor utilizing advanced camouflage is completely true," the maiden explained, lacing her fingers across the table. "However, the story that the impostor committed suicide when cornered is a absolute lie. Alexander subdued the target and is keeping them alive somehow. Despite that... my skill also confirms that this entity no longer poses the slightest threat to TMC."
Ghost Blade raised his gaze, narrowing his eyes with fascination.
"Keeping an enemy infiltrator alive without them posing a risk?" the other observer chimed in. "That’s dangerous. He could be hiding an asset or playing both sides. Shouldn’t we detain him and interrogate him again?"
"Don’t be rash," the maiden cut in, silencing them with a simple wave of her hand. "The most relevant part of his statement concerns his subordinates. Everything he said regarding Agent 1, 2, and 3 is entirely true. Alexander did not kill them. The enemy faction captured them and sold them off as slaves heading toward the capital on the other side."