The team stiffened as the lackey's voice came through the laptop. After a few moments, another voice responded with annoyance:
"You motherfucker, no wonder I couldn't get in contact with you."
Mary's face twitched as she heard Sun's improper language. The Drug lord heaved a sigh of relief and then his lackey spoke in a relaxed tone:
"Anyways, I've been meaning to ask but... are you really sure about going to Paragonia tomorrow?"
Missio's eyes narrowed at the mention of the third nation under the banner of the Pangea Empire. However, he could not contemplate as Sun's voice resounded once again – heavier than before.
"Am I sure...? Yeah, I am. I want answers and... y'know, a family reunion doesn't sound too bad. I know I'll be leaving the syndicate in a bit of a tight spot since my dealing with Dick has been exposed. However, I just... I want to hear the truth straight from my parent's mouths..."
Krishna sighed heavily, an unease spreading through his heart as though there was something pressing upon it. Shaking his head, he crossed his arms and continued to listen to the call.
"I can understand ya, boss. I don't blame ya – none of the boys do. You've put in plenty of work for the syndicate and you've let us live a good life as well. Hell, I'd be on the streets still if you hadn't asked me to join. This world... there are limited opportunities in it and we... we folks don't make the cut."
Sun scoffed.
"You could've just become a waiter at the restaurant across the street, y'know."
His lackey laughed.
"I'm a greedy man, Sun. A waiter... that's too little money for me. I want all the riches in the world. I wanna be so rich that I don't have to worry about money ever again! Ha!"
Sun's chuckled echoed from the other side of the call. Then, after a few seconds of silence, the Drug lord said:
"You do whatever you want man... I'll miss ya and the rest of the guys as well. Take good care of the syndicate. I don't want my work to be thrown in the trash."
The team waited for the lackey's response. However, at that exact moment, Krishna grabbed the laptop and frantically typed away on the keyboard. After a minute, he heaved a sigh of relief and leaned back.
"That was close..."
Henry perked up.
"Did the AI detect us?"
Krishna nodded.
"Almost, maybe? I don't know, this thing doesn't have the necessary software for hacking so I just used a rough estimate as to how long it would take the AI to detect the excess data."
Henry's mouth hung open.
"Ah... so, anyway, this news is... interesting."
Missio nodded, tucking his hands into his pockets.
"Interesting it is. If he is heading to Paragonia tomorrow, then that explains why he hasn't done anything to throw us off his track. He's a bit cocky for assuming nobody will strike before his departure though."
"What if he can back that cockiness up?"
All turned to Mary who had just voiced her opinion. Raising her hand, she gestured at her teammates before saying in an even tone:
"All previous attempts of his arrest have failed and this one may be no different. My gut's telling me that he has something up his sleeve that's making him so confident as to not cover his tracks or try to flee earlier. If that's the case, then we have strike as soon as possible."
Missio held his chin and nodded.
"I can back up that feeling of yours, I have that too... the reports we read about him said that he has very abnormal strength – too much for an ordinary human. He may be a rogue Chaos incarnate but I doubt he could have hidden himself for so long without his orphanage noticing his awakening. It's rare for children to awaken after all."
Krishna shook his head.
"He could have awakened after leaving the orphanage or when joining the syndicate. I'd bet the latter because he couldn't have survived awakening as a mere teenager without medical support. The syndicate must have brought supplies and nursed him back to health in their own base. Otherwise, he'd be an adventurer."
Henry locked eyes with Missio.
"He's right. That's the only explanation. A rouge Chaos Incarnate though... that'll be hard to deal with. We don't know his attribute either."
Missio sighed, taking his hands out and clasping them. Sighing, he looked at the people surrounding him and stated in a solemn tone:
"It's decided then, we'll strike at midnight. Operation Drug Rush... is in full swing."
***
In the middle of the city, Eira stood in the rain with a raincoat wrapped around her delicate body. The drops of water fell upon her yet she kept on circling the block, always scanning for any suspicious individuals.
This was the plan she had come up with. Walk around the city, search for any suspicious individuals, walk up to them, make small talk and ask them some questions while pretending to be a tourist.
This had allowed her team to gather a good amount of information since they were circling the area where a lot of deals were 'supposed' to happen. The others teams gathered information in other places – some in bars, others in casinos and other shady places.
With that, they had figured out that Sun was in town and the syndicate was actively dealing. One Operator had gotten their hands on a bag of marijuana, compared it to the one found in Dick's former residence and had confirmed it was the same.
Now, they just had to wait...
At that moment, her phone suddenly rang. She calmly took it out of her pocket and her face brightened as she saw that Henry was calling her. Picking up the call, he pressed her phone against her ear and said in a wistful tone:
"Hey~, honey. Long time no see."
Henry replied almost immediately.
"Hi, babe. Yes, long time no see. Let's save the small talk for later, okay?"
Eira tilted her head.
"What happened?"
"We've discovered that Sun is preparing to leave for Paragonia tomorrow. So, we have to rush the ambush. Inform your team and meet up outside his apartment complex near midnight."
Eira blinked.
"Huh? Wait, what? He's going to Paragonia? What the..."
She froze on the sidewalk for a few moments, confused. However, she was snapped back to reality when lightning tore through the sky and thunder roared into her ear. Flinching, she drew a sharp breath and replied:
"Alright... We'll be ready."
That was all she could muster before Henry cut the call. Sighing, she tucked her phone back into her pockets and lifted her head, staring at the veil of dark clouds.
A few seconds later, she headed back to her hotel.