District 42-Chapter 285: Too late part 4

The captain began to talk about the operation once he made sure that everyone understood what he meant to say.

That mission appeared all of a sudden, and the Ridires, of course, threw it on his lap. When they didn’t want to solve something bothersome, they would always delegate the task to the guards. That’s why the captain was so pissed off that day, more than usual.

’The last thing that those bastards made by themselves was to pursue Javir and his group, nothing more. After the born of the Frelsi, we are having to deal with everything all alone again. Since it’s not a plan of that organization, they interpret it as if it has nothing to do with them.’

After clicking his tongue, he stared at the guards and began his explanation once and for all.

"As you may know, we are dealing constantly with drug dealing and the formation of organizations that may oppose the Royal Family just like the Frelsi did. To shorten it, there is a criminal group that is causing troubles in the midwest region. We don’t know if they have any connection with the Frelsis, but most likely they don’t have any. Until now, they were always focusing on getting money and sell their products, which is something that those rebels wouldn’t do, usually."

In the wall behind him was a huge map of District 42. He had a laser pen in his hand and use it to point to a specific area of the midwest region.

"These kinds of criminal organizations generally act always in the same way. They will choose a zone to do what they want, then expand it from time to time. They will always act in a triangular perimeter. As you can see, they have a wide action zone here."

Canute and Ari exchanged worried glances. Since the start of the explanation, they weren’t finding it any good.

It has been a while since Ari didn’t come back to his house. After all, he needed to stay at the guard’s dorm. As more responsibilities gathered on his shoulders and people began to trust him with all sorts of tasks, he got busier, which made him stop visiting them too often.

Because of his brief and rare visits, he couldn’t even notice that something was wrong exactly around the area that he lived before. His house was on the center of that perimeter that the group was acting.

The captain saw the worried expression of those two and gulped. He didn’t want that they noticed what was the real matter until they began the operation. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"Well, things aren’t chaotic there yet. The criminals are still acting in the shadows. And they don’t represent any threat to the Royal Family and the Castle, so they might be just a bunch of greedy mercenaries or something. The fact is: we need to stop them because the citizens are noticing their actions and getting pissed off. Midwest region isn’t as good as the north, but they have an average quality life and low crime rate, so they get bothered by it."

How the captain resumed the situation wasn’t something usual for him to do. Ari felt deep inside that something was wrong. His heart was beating too fast, he wondered why that anxiety was increasing so much.

’Maybe it’s because it is my first real operation? Or am I unconfident that I will be able to draw the superior’s attention by doing a good job and become a Ridire? I don’t know at all, but my sweat is cold, and the hair on my neck stood on end.’

Canute realized the reactions of his friend. He could tell by just a glance that he wasn’t 100% ok. The young guard wanted to talk with Ari to know what was going on, but he decided not to pursue the matter while the captain was explaining.

’Ari never gets annoyed over an order. He is a good subordinate. We needed to deal with criminals plenty of times as well. He has enough experience to be ok with this situation. I guess that he is just worried that something is happening with his family...’

The captain continued his speech, managing the guards to make them understand how the operation would work.

The plan was quite simple. They just needed to get in position and invade that perimeter while searching for traces of the criminals. The guards had the localization of some of their main hiding places, some of their personal houses, and how many of them were gathered there. But this information would just be delivered when they were preparing to start the operation.

"Invade, annihilate, clean the trash, then leave without a word. That’s how we will act. Understood, scums!?"

""YES!""

After their strong response, the captain told them to go rest until that night. At 8 pm, they would gather again to start everything.

...

Sounds of shots and screams could be heard through the midwest region of District 42. It was already eight and fifteen o’clock at night. It had been fifteen minutes that the operation had started.

That perimeter was all evacuated in secret, so normal citizens weren’t there to make the guards need to worry about their safety.

Once the criminals realized what was going on there, they began to retaliate. However, their zone was thoroughly invaded and sieged. They wouldn’t be able to run away, so fightback was the only thing that they could do.

Ari and Canute were taking a cover behind a house. Their faces had blood spit on them, also as their clothes, and they were sweating buckets. The darkness of the night was now lessened by several constructions burning around, which also increased the heat.

The guards were using all means to annihilate the criminals, even the cruelest ones.

"Ari. Your objective now is to go to 38th street, house number 574. The next criminals will be around there. The one you will deal with is dangerous. He targetted 5 of us already."

"Understood!" Ari answered in the communicator after shooting against the criminals that he and Canute were exchanging fire.

"Canute! I need to go to another place, can you hold on here?"

"Go already! This way you stop to disturb my highlighting!"

Ari nodded and circled the house, going to another street that connected to the 38th.

His sweat was still cold, and he felt that his performance in that operation wasn’t going well since the start. He was willing to do his best that day, but it seemed that he would have a hard time. The young guard remained all his break until that night trying to lessen that anxiety, but it just increased even more.

’I think that it may be just a bad day? Or is it a bad omen?’

He looked intently at the rifle he was holding. They just let them use that high-caliber weapon on special occasions. Ari was excited at first, but it wasn’t enough to make him more pumped up.

He crossed the last street, facing 38° street and looking intently at the numbers written in plates in front of the houses. Ari held his gun tightly and gave silent and slow steps, always walking near something that he could use as a cover.

He heard a sound coming in front, then aimed his gun there, narrowing his eyes.

Ari counted the houses one by one until he got to house number 574.

’The sound is coming from there...’ He waited patiently until someone rushed out of the house.

Skilfully he shot on the enemy, striking him in the thigh, which made him fall on the asphalt.

The young guard ran toward that man, still aiming his gun, then stopped a few meters away from him.

That vision made him widen his eyes in disbelief.

He slowly reached his communicator.

"It’s Ari. Reporting the mission to target the enemy at 38th street. There is still a citizen here."

"No, Ari. There is just the enemy. The area was thoroughly analyzed by drones." Someone answered.

"Yes, there is. My father..." He looked into the eyes of the man that raised him and prompted him to pursue his dreams, always taking care of Ari and his little brother. "My father is still in this zone."

"You know what to do, Ari. That’s your mission. Give a better report once you are done."

Ari looked at his father’s body top to bottom. He wanted that it was an illusion, a lie.

"Why?" He muttered. "Why you? Is it because of the necessity of money? Why go to the bad side?"

"Because I would do anything to keep your brother healthy and well-fed, with quality life and education."

"I wasn’t giving enough money, I know. But I was near to become a Ridire and..."

"You are too late, Ari. I know about your good intentions, but you are too late. Your brother needs help now, not later. And I am responsible for him."

Ari’s eyes got filled with tears. His hands were trembling while he held the weapon in his hands.

"This mission will make you become a Ridire, right? Then, don’t hesitate. If you promise me that your brother will be alive, then do what needs to be done." The man smiled with his eyes to his son, sitting on the ground.

Ari adjusted the aim of the gun, those tears finally running down his face.

"Daddy... Forgive me."