Mysterious: The Innate Sacred Body of Destiny

Chapter 403 The Security Captain and Lorne's Plan

"The sewer system in the East District really needs a complete overhaul —"

"It's so dirty, so messy, it's practically a maze—"

In the dark and damp sewers, Lorne endured the nauseating stench while trying to recall the map in his mind and using the "Master Key" ability to navigate the intricate network of underground pipes.

The sewage underfoot was murky and turbid, and every now and then you could see dead rats or even more disgusting things floating by.

"Hazel and her teacher are really something, they used to be able to move around in this kind of environment so easily—" Lorne silently complained to himself.

"However, the sewers in Queens are definitely much better—at least there's regular cleaning and maintenance there."

Due to the sudden appearance of someone, Lorne had to be cautious. Although he was confident in his perception, he still chose to use a safer method when making unusual trips in order to avoid being monitored.

"This should be it—"

After walking for about twenty minutes, Lorne stopped in front of a rusty ladder. He climbed up the ladder, reached out and braced himself against the heavy manhole cover, carefully pushed it open a crack, and peered out.

The noisy voices of people, the sound of carriage wheels —

Lorne pushed open the manhole cover and crawled out.

What comes into view is a street that is not wide but is fairly clean.

"Lucky Guy Bar—ha, not a bad name." Lorne sighed helplessly, looking at the sign in the distance.

Unfortunately, I'm looking for a "brave person," not a "lucky one."

Looking at the antique-looking brass key in his hand, Lorne frowned slightly.

"The side effect is getting lost—it seems the route in my head and the path I'm actually walking on aren't necessarily the same thing—hiss—"

"At times like this, we can only rely on the mysticism."

As he spoke, he took a coin out of his pocket and tossed it gently into the air.

"Left—or right—"

Using this clumsy method of tossing coins for divination while adjusting his route, Lorne finally managed to reach the area directly beneath the Brave Ones' Bar.

Because it was daytime, the bar wasn't crowded, except for a few drunkards sleeping on the tables. Using the "Master Key's" ability to pass through walls, Lorne easily slipped into the second floor.

He had barely stood still when he sensed a familiar spiritual fluctuation.

"Why are you here?" Sharon's cool voice came from behind.

"Should we still use this method?"

"Something unexpected happened, it would have been better if you were here—" Lorne turned around, took off his disguise mask, and spoke the truth.

He looked up at the closed door behind Sharon: "Is there a room available? We need to talk."

"Follow me—"

Sharon didn't ask any further questions and led Lorne to the innermost room at the end of the second-floor corridor.

Pushing open the door, Marich, who was busy playing cards with a few zombies, was somewhat bewildered when he saw Lorne, who suddenly appeared and smelled strongly of the sewers.

Lorne didn't explain. Instead, he walked straight to him, glanced down at the cards in his hand, and then pointed at the expressionless zombies opposite him, mercilessly criticizing, "Your cards aren't good. If these guys weren't zombies, you'd definitely lose—"

Maric lowered his head and continued fiddling with the cards in his hands, ignoring him.

"What exactly happened?"

Sharon's figure slowly emerged from mid-air. Her face was as delicate as a doll's, her small black hat was soft, and her gothic court dress was elaborate—this familiar outfit, despite being that of a "vengeful spirit," inexplicably gave Lorne a sense of peace.

He sat down on the sofa, dusted himself off, and said slowly, "I've been targeted by a witch."

Witch? !

The moment the word was heard, the room fell into a brief and eerie silence.

Marich put down his cards and looked Lorne up and down with a hint of surprise. He noticed that Lorne looked healthy and energetic, not like someone who had indulged in excessive sexual activity. Then, he secretly glanced at Sharon, who was silent and had a slightly narrowed gaze.

The atmosphere suddenly turned somewhat cold.

"What kind of expression is that—" Looking at Marich's strange expression, Lorne's lips twitched. "Let me make this clear first, I didn't do anything indecent."

"So, what exactly happened?" Sharon floated to Lorne's side, her tone still cold.

She had previously helped Lorne drive away a witch who had broken into the villa, so she was naturally sensitive to this topic.

"Did the witch cult send witches to tempt you?"

Temptation—intimidation is more like it—Lorne thought to himself.

"Really?" Sharon's voice came again, seemingly very insistent on this answer.

Lorne looked up at Sharon, whose expression remained normal, but whose spiritual aura seemed slightly unstable.

He suddenly had an urge to nod, but his spiritual intuition stopped him from doing so.

"There was no temptation, only a test."

Testing —

Upon hearing this, Sharon didn't make any extra movements, simply nodding slightly, the chill emanating from her seeming to dissipate somewhat. Marich, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief and picked up the playing cards again.

"Is this an attempt to win over James Scott?" Marich asked as he shuffled the cards.

"It could also be for Lorne, Disenke"—" Lorne sighed helplessly.

"Well?"

This left Marich somewhat bewildered. James Scott was the Duke's favorite, whom he had saved, so wanting to win him over was understandable, but how did he get involved with Lorne?

"Could it be that they've discovered your true identity—" Sharon's eyes narrowed slightly, and her tone became serious.

"I tend to think she hasn't discovered it yet, but only has suspicions. Mainly because the witch who came this time is someone I know—"

"acquaintance?"

"To be precise, they were my enemies from my days adventuring at sea—"

Lorne briefly recounted his experiences at sea. Of course, he only gave a general overview, omitting any details.

"They wanted to keep the treasure for themselves, so they targeted you—"

"Believing in witches is a mistake in itself."

After listening quietly to Lorne's story, Sharon gave a fair and objective comment.

"Yes, I was so naive back then—" Lorne shook his head with a wry smile, "I thought she was like the captain, so—"

well--"

"captain--"

Sharon's eyes flickered slightly when she heard the word from Lorne again.

"Why didn't she kill you right away? Could there be another reason—" Marich suddenly interjected, his eyes somewhat strange. "You said you saved her several times, could it be that she actually has feelings for you—"

Before Maric could voice one of his bold guesses, he felt two pairs of eyes fixed on him at the same time.

"Ahem." Marich coughed twice, wisely shutting his mouth and abruptly changing the subject: "You came to see us just for this?"

"More or less—I might need your help if necessary." Lorne nodded.

"James Scott is fine, but if anyone starts secretly investigating Lorne Disenk—keep an eye on it for me."

"Keep an eye on Ian for me. After all, I supplied quite a few of his weapons."

"no problem."

Neither Sharon nor Marich objected.

"Do you need me to come with you?" Sharon asked, "just like before."

"Like before, close protection?" Lorne pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

"Scott still needs to show up. It's too risky for you to come with me directly, and you'll easily attract the attention of various forces—"

He turned to look at Marich: "Actually, I came here today for another reason. I want to hire Marich to work for me."

"The butler again?" Marich frowned slightly, instinctively wanting to refuse.

"No, no." Lorne waved his hand and gave a meaningful smile.

"It's the security captain."

"Huh?!" Marich was stunned, and almost dropped the cards in his hand.

"I'm planning to start a security company and I need someone trustworthy and capable to keep things in order. After thinking it over, I think you're the most suitable person—" Lorne explained.

"I'm severely understaffed right now. In an emergency like this, where a witch comes knocking on my door, I simply can't protect my factory and my employees—"

"Most of the security personnel are tough guys, and you need someone who is strong enough and has tough enough methods to keep them in check."

"But I can't devote too much energy to the daily management of the security company. After thinking it over, it would be much more convenient for you to be their leader."

"Just take on the part-time job and keep an eye on them for me—it won't take up too much of your time."

Seeing that Marich was still hesitant, Lorne pressed on: "You don't need to worry about your identity. With James Scott's church connections, even if your Temperance faction identity is exposed..."

Lu, I can also protect you through my connections.

"We can even, to some extent, utilize the power of the church to help you deal with those persecutors who are hunting you down."

"Furthermore, with this working relationship, it will be much easier for us to meet in the future. After all, Lorne Disenke can't be here for the time being—"

"You will receive a share of the company's future profits and shares. This is a legitimate income."

"this--"

Lorne's tone was full of sincerity, and the terms were indeed tempting. Moreover, having cooperated so many times, Marich knew Lorne's character well; he was truly good to his friends.

Most importantly, Sharon seemed to have been somewhat angry ever since she refused the other party's invitation to become her butler.

If I refuse again this time, it would seem a bit heartless.

Marich pondered for a moment, then looked up at Sharon.

He saw that she was also staring at him quietly with those light blue eyes. Although she didn't say anything, her meaning was already very clear.

So he sighed and nodded slightly: "Alright, I promise you."

"Very good----"

Seeing Marich nod, Lorne nodded slightly.

"Actually, I have an even further idea. This idea might allow us to truly gain a foothold in Backlund, especially in the East District, and even gain greater influence and—a sense of security."

"Thoughts?" Marich and Sharon both looked at him.

Lorne didn't explain immediately, but instead suddenly asked another unrelated question: "The 'Wraith' Steve, who was killed back then, did you deal with the corruption in his remaining characteristics?"

"No," Sharon said, shaking her head.

"Besides the pollution from the true Creator, there seems to be another, more hidden pollution entangled within—"

Yes, and Mr. "Door" too —

Lorne silently added in his mind. "The True Creator" is a notorious evil god, and Mr. "The Door" is also an existence above ordinary angels. Being "targeted" by these two powerful figures at the same time, Steve's death can be considered quite "heroic" in a way.

"After the financial crisis, a bunch of gangs, big and small, emerged in the Eastern District."

Lorne changed the subject: "Recently, they've also been frequently spotted near my factories —"

"Although they don't dare to extort money from the gun factory yet, they have targeted some of the supporting processing plants and nearby workers, and have started to collect protection money and harass the workers' families."

"Those factories have successfully started operating, and the workers have spare money, naturally making them easy targets for gangsters."

"I plan to use the name of my security company to wipe out all the gangs around here and take over their territory."

"And then take the opportunity to absorb other gangs."

"Isn't this a bit too risky?" Marich frowned and raised an objection.

"Leaving aside the gangs connected to clandestine organizations, many seemingly insignificant small gangs also have some kind of cooperative relationship with the police in their neighborhoods, regularly paying tribute in exchange for tacit approval."

"That's right, you're absolutely right." Lorne didn't deny it.

"This is the inevitable result of the kingdom's dysfunctional grassroots management, creating a power vacuum at the grassroots level. Gangs have effectively occupied a portion of the ecological niche that originally belonged to the government, forcing the higher-ups to rely on them to some extent to control and manage the lower levels—"

"Therefore, it is very difficult to completely eradicate the gangs in the Eastern District."

"After all, rather than expending a lot of manpower and resources to directly participate in the chaotic and dirty grassroots management, it's better to control a few people who listen to..."

It's more convenient and less troublesome to talk to a gang leader.

"However, this is a special time," Lorne said, changing the subject.

"After the Kapin incident, the three major churches seemed to have developed a strong interest in the gangs in the East District and carried out a certain degree of investigation and purge."

"After the incident involving Duke Negan, the upper echelons fell into a certain degree of chaos and a power vacuum. Backlund's police system was also affected and is undergoing internal restructuring."

"These upheavals naturally had repercussions on the gangs as well. They were vying for the profits vacated by the church's crackdown, or trying to 're-align' themselves with the new police chief—"

"Indeed, the fighting between gangs in the East District has become more intense and bloody than ever before," Marich said, nodding as he recalled recent intelligence.

"But, is there any necessary connection between this and what you're about to do?"

Lorne continued, "Kapin's matter is related to some high-ranking officials. They definitely have some shady dealings they want to hide from the church."

"Now that the church is starting to focus on the East District, the infighting among gangs is making the East District even more chaotic, which is not good for those who want to maintain the status quo or cover up secrets."

"If there is someone with sufficient strength and legitimate reasons, who can speak on both sides, has a clean background, and is capable..."

Someone stepped forward and took over, bringing the chaos under control. I think all parties will be happy to accept this outcome, or at least they will wait and see.

Lorne let out a long sigh and leaned back on the sofa: "I've done some research these past two days—"

"Under the pretext of maintaining security around the factory, I have privately spoken with high-ranking officials in the police department and a church bishop—"

And to some extent, I shared my ideas.

"They all seemed to have shown some interest in my plan—some even hinted that they could provide some assistance—"

"I'm a commoner hero who rose to prominence thanks to official promotion and support," meaning I inherently possess official attributes. Furthermore, because my relationships with both the Church of the Night and the Church of the Storm are quite complex—I don't completely belong to either side, yet I have some connections with both—this actually becomes a plus in the eyes of the authorities.

"It seems that the Church of Night and Storm doesn't object to me, as someone who's practically one of them, taking control of the situation—and moreover, I plan to develop a deeper business partnership with the Church of Machinery—"

As he spoke, Lorne himself became somewhat embarrassed. He felt that his "three-surname servant"—no, "shrewd and cunning" double-dealing had gone a bit too far.

"Cracking down on gangs is a huge political achievement, and neither party will refuse if the determination is truly made."

"What exactly are your plans?" Sharon asked calmly.

"Manpower is necessary. Through my connections with the military, I can recruit a group of veterans—and I can also hire some capable wild extraordinary individuals or bounty hunters through bounty programs—"

"Of course, there will definitely be spies from various factions mixed in, so I need someone I can absolutely trust to help me identify and manage them."

"Ian can come too. I have high hopes for that kid. He's smart, knows the rules, and would definitely be a great manager."

"As for the specific form of cooperation—because the East District is chaotic and there's a severe shortage of police officers, outsourcing is necessary." Giving some security work to qualified companies is reasonable.

"This can be considered as giving the security company a semi-official status."

"Moreover, outsourcing is inherently designed to create scapegoats. If problems arise, it makes it easy for them to disclaim responsibility. In a way, I'm voluntarily handing them leverage and weaknesses to reassure them."

"Of course, there are definitely many complicated interests and distribution issues involved, such as tributes from different regions, but that's the general structure."

What are your thoughts?

"This—this topic is moving a little too fast, isn't it?" Marich was a little taken aback.

Lorne originally came seeking help because she was being targeted by a witch, but as they talked, the conversation suddenly turned into...

They established a security company, which then transformed into a plan to clean up gangs and take over the East District.

With this kind of leap in thinking, you're the one from the Rose School, aren't you? You're a natural madman.

"Whether it's Capin or Duke Negan, both of these major events are related to you," Sharon said calmly after listening to Lorne's account, getting straight to the point.

"But the financial crisis has nothing to do with me —" Lorne shrugged.

"As for the other two incidents, although I was involved in both, they were truly accidents, as you all know—"

"Originally, I just wanted to work in the security department, but I found out that such a great opportunity was right in front of me—"

"Opportunities are fleeting. Moreover, if I can establish a certain level of influence in the Eastern District and have my own territory, I will be safer. With the tacit approval of the authorities and the church, and with my own power, the witch certainly wouldn't dare to do anything to me at this critical juncture."

"If you're willing to help, in addition to company shares and profit sharing, I can give you a fully usable 'Wraith' trait," Lorne said sincerely, offering his last bargaining chip.

"As for risks—everything has risks!"

"But I assure you, if anything goes wrong, I will do everything I can to ensure that you are not implicated."

"Actually, you didn't need to set such an ambitious goal from the start." Sharon's tone revealed a hint of barely perceptible worry. Lorne, despite usually preferring stability, always seemed to enjoy taking extremely risky ventures.

thing.

Whether it's the Cappin Villa or the rescue of Duke Negan, it's all the same.

"A regular security company that only protects your own property can already solve many problems."

"Yeah—actually, an ordinary security company would be fine, but I just couldn't resist giving it a try—" Lorne forced a smile.

"I'm still an officially recognized hero, and I have a certain level of popularity to protect me. Even if I fail, no one wants things to look too bad."

"And," he glanced at Maric's attire and joked, "Maric would be perfect as the 'Godfather' of the East End."

"I—" Maric's expression stiffened slightly as he said this.

The group discussed the details of the matter further. Marich agreed to establish a security company, but he said he needed to reconsider the massive plan to clean up the gangs and take over their territories, as it involved the "Temperance" faction's code of conduct.

Sharon was somewhat reluctant for Lorne to carry out such a risky and complicated plan, but she did not explicitly object.

Before leaving, Marich suddenly asked curiously, "By the way, I wanted to ask, what are you planning to call your security company? Scott Security?"

"hiss----"

Lorne was taken aback.

"I've thought about a lot of things these past few days, but I just couldn't think about this—"

The security company must cover all the properties under my name.

Arms, medicine, and the future of food and transportation—

If possible, I'd like to be the mastermind behind everything, and preferably, my name shouldn't be mentioned.

After a moment of thought, a name came to Lorne's mind.

"Let's call it—'Protective Umbrella'."

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