Darkstone Code-Chapter 982 - 980: Unexpected Situation

Sure, here is the translated text:

People who can stay by Lynch’s side must be checked by the Security Committee, and Lynch himself also needs to investigate.

The maid’s boyfriend is a young man from the same place as her, in his twenties, working in a local factory.

Their dream is to buy a house in a big city and then live a happy life. Honestly, from the moment this dream was born, their happiness became unlikely.

Living in a big city is not easy. Besides the pressure of living expenses, the cost of living and consumption levels are high in big cities. Even without high expenditures, monthly bills can be overwhelming.

Apart from these, a bigger issue comes from the temptation of the big city.

When someone sees others enjoying a lavish lifestyle without much effort, the mindset becomes unbalanced, and they may eventually become something they never wanted to be.

Strip clubs never lack strippers, why?

Because ordinary waitresses are always waiting to become one of them!

They serve guests and provide legitimate services, like delivering drinks to VIP tables. Working a month may not earn as much as what a stripper makes in one night.

"They just undress and dance on stage!"

Such comparisons are hard to adjust to. Once the mind slips, it persuades itself.

"It’s just undressing; no one does anything to you. Just one night allows for a 29-day vacation..."

"It’s just entering a private room; there’s no difference inside and outside..."

"It’s just a one-night romance with a guest; even the law can’t say I’m wrong..."

The slippery slope of thought is like a mudslide; once it starts, it can’t be stopped.

The maid is like this, wanting to stay in the big city, with nothing special about her, she has to use other ways to stay here.

She can no longer stand living in that countryside, with the smell of cow dung everywhere and some silly and rustic neighbors.

She loves the flashy life here, living in a free villa and enjoying an exquisite life.

She loves the expensive coffee and various delicacies here, things she can’t afford but can enjoy...

There are small changes in the future, but she doesn’t care much.

Regarding her choice, the maid doesn’t think she’s depraved. After all, work is work, and life is life.

She’s a girl who loves work as much as she loves life, is that wrong?

Of course, she has a dream, to earn some money, and with her boyfriend, have their own family in Bupen, gradually becoming genuine city people.

To achieve this, one must work hard!

The young man is indeed lucky to find such a good girlfriend; he must have saved the world in his previous life.

Lynch watched the maid change into a relatively conservative long dress and leave, blessing her boyfriend.

He overlooked the entire Bupen. The villa in Half Mountain has this advantage, making residents feel like the world’s rulers at any time, as if they can seize the whole world with an outstretched hand.

Suddenly, the phone in the room rang. Austin picked up the phone and walked over, something the maid should’ve done, but she had left.

"Don’t touch me with your filthy hands!" Austin said, placing the phone on the table, looking at Lynch’s hands with disdain.

Lynch shrugged, "I washed them."

Austin couldn’t help but complain, "You must not have done a good job. Lord, why would I work for you?"

She couldn’t stand Lynch’s somewhat unsightly lifestyle. Her words were just complaints. As a female warrior, she believed in her abilities more than any feminist.

Lynch sat nonchalantly on the recliner; you can’t make everyone agree with you, it’s no big deal.

"It’s me..."

"Looks like you’re still in Bupen."

"Yes, I haven’t had much to do lately. Anything I can help with?"

The caller was Mr. Truman. With the Ministry of International Affairs’ workload increasing, and responsibilities weighing heavier, many of the President’s duties were handed over to Mr. Truman.

Some outside believe the President is a fool, as "he has to hand the most basic tasks to others while he only goes hunting!"

In fact, the President has only hunted twice lately, both in national parks.

Sometimes the Federation’s laws are strange, telling people the importance of protecting natural animals on one hand, while allowing people to pay a fee to hunt animals on the other, it’s very disconcerting.

However, no one seems to mind. Hunting and natural environments are too remote for the poor, while for the rich, money is never an issue.

After criticism, the President didn’t retaliate, only smiled and admitted to his hobby without apologizing, viewing weekend hunting as a personal matter not to be overly scrutinized.

With the growing workload of the Ministry of International Affairs, Mr. Truman’s authority also increases. The President trusts him, and no one can change that.

"If you’re free, it would be best to reach the Ministry of Defense within twenty minutes; we have a meeting."

Lynch paused while listening, "Do I have to go too?"

As he spoke, he stood up, dragging the phone towards the hall. "I didn’t know I could participate in such meetings. What’s it about?"

"It’s hard to explain over the phone, we’ll talk when you get here!"

"Alright..." Lynch hung up the phone, placing it somewhere casually, then glanced back at Austin standing in the yard, "You should prepare the car, we’re leaving."

Austin rolled her eyes going towards the garage, "On such a hot day, where are you off to?"

"The Ministry of Defense!"

Thirty minutes later, Lynch’s car arrived at the Ministry of Defense. After leaving the Half Mountain Villa District, it was traffic jam after traffic jam. This is Bupen, not that damned Southern Beach; the hotter it gets, the more people come here, what are they thinking.

Thankfully, others were also delayed. By the time Lynch reached the Ministry of Defense, others were still en route, allowing him time to sit down for a nice chat with Mr. Truman.

"What actually requires someone like me, a civilian, to participate?" As soon as they sat, they started smoking, both enjoying black supremes.

These things are hard for some to obtain, but Lynch can easily prepare them.

"The General was assassinated, Sanchez was injured, Isabella is missing..."

Three short sentences were enough for Lynch to immediately understand why everyone around looked concerned. Sanchez and Isabella were crucial pieces they had cultivated in Mariluo.

Especially Isabella. According to the Ministry of Defense’s plan, she would gradually take over the General’s military power, becoming an independent but connected warlord with Sanchez.

This way, while their scale wouldn’t need to be too large, they’d have the strength of major warlords. General small powers wouldn’t provoke them, allowing good development.

Perhaps in two or three years, they could hold a significant position in Mariluo’s situation.

But no one expected, just the day before yesterday, a combat squad raided the General’s base, someone let them in, and they killed the General almost without obstruction.

Isabella, who should’ve played a role, disappeared, while Sanchez was also targeted for assassination but survived, the attempt unsuccessful.

His years of experience on frontlines helped him escape death; two bullets hit his chest, one after the other, and Federation’s medical personnel successfully rescued him.

He survived but needs recovery.

Within just two days, all the important pawns the Federation had buried were destroyed, raising reasonable doubts whether sensitive information had been leaked.

This strike seemed to specifically target the General and his family, aiming to eradicate them entirely.

Whether at the Security Committee, the Ministry of Defense, or the Military Intelligence Bureau... there was no involvement from the Department of Homeland Security; their reach doesn’t extend that far.

These organizations are mobilized, considering subsequent issues.

The General’s death led to his force’s collapse, making the battle situation more ambiguous and uncertain.

The opposing party they were fighting against also didn’t expect the General’s death and has begun annexing his forces.

But other major warlords obviously don’t want them to do this, planning armed interventions to jointly divide the General’s remnants.

In any case, Mariluo is utterly chaotic due to the General’s sudden death. Large-scale wars that had been suppressed for years are showing signs of resurgence, with massive refugees heading to Mariluo and Federation’s borders, causing significant border pressure.

No one knows where the situation might head, and that’s the scariest part.

This emergency meeting is convened to discuss solutions, at least finding some coping strategies.

After Mr. Truman finished explaining, Lynch tilted his head and asked skeptically, "Did you arrange the assassination of the General?"

"I always feel only you could do something like this..."

Eliminating the target and having the target’s children inherit the assets, isn’t this a classic Security Committee tactic?

Mr. Truman shook his head, "I don’t know why you’d think that, but it definitely wasn’t us. We never interfere in other countries’ domestic affairs!"

"Then what’s the point of having me at the meeting?" Lynch asked, posing a question he had wanted to ask all along since he sees himself as just a merchant and doesn’t believe he can impact anything.

Mr. Truman remained silent for a moment, "You’re much more important than you realize!"