Free Web NovelChapter 499: Tricky Situation
Blanc’s spy network was even better than Lade had thought. Only a few hours had passed, and the man had already found out about the incident in the Eldenveil.
The incident that only a small group of the Allen Guild members had witnessed.
The incident that the Allen Guild was surely trying to cover up and suppress any news from getting out, as it would have reflected badly on them.
And, most importantly, the incident that pretty much revolved around ’Lane Allen’. While most of the people probably wouldn’t be able to easily grasp what was going on, not without any insider information on the Allen family’s affairs, Blanc could easily figure it out, or at least guess the general idea behind it. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
"...Fuck."
Lane swore under his nose, leaning against the couch. Although he had expected that the Eldenveil’s incident would eventually come up - a member of the Allen Guild had died on duty, inside a ’safe’ dungeon. Even if the Allens tried to hide it, it would at least come up in some of the reports - he hadn’t expected it would be so quickly... And with so much detail. One of the secret organization’s spies must have been on the rescue team, because Blanc knew everything, from how the cage had been left open, to the diving gear issue and Lane Allen’s supposed injuries. Naturally, he had spotted multiple suspicious points in the event, and rushed to report it to his ’Boss’.
...And Lane didn’t quite know how to respond to that.
He sat motionlessly for what felt like forever, staring blankly at the ceiling, his mind completely empty. Until all of a sudden, he jumped onto his feet, then to his apartment through the balcony, only to return a few minutes later with a box in his hand.
Drinking in the morning wasn’t something he would typically do, but the situation called for it. As Lane couldn’t hope to compete with Blanc intellectually, he had to look for an inspiration elsewhere.
With a can of sweet cocktail in hand, Lane plopped down in front of his laptop again to give Blanc’s emails a closer look. He briefly scanned the reports to check if there were any errors, before moving on to Blanc’s conclusions. There were three main suspicions that the man had expressed: that ’Lane Allen’ was hiding his true rank, that his relationship with his family was strained, if not downright hostile, and that the incident had been planned by the Allens in order to test or eliminate him.
All of which were accurate. Just as the night before, Lane couldn’t help but get chills at the realization of just how formidable his subordinate’s deduction skills were.
What was the most important at the moment, though, was the last part, the one that Blanc was bugging Lane about, requesting immediate response: that is, how to use the situation. ’Lane Allen’ was at least an A-ranker, a rich one at that, with possible secret intel on the Allen Guild. Following the principle of ’the enemy of my enemy is my friend’, they could try to entice him to join the secret organization, as he had the potential to become a valuable member...
And in order to do that, Blanc wanted to use his ability to read ’Lane Allen’s’ mind first. To confirm whether he would be interested in their cause or whatever.
Lane’s eyes twitched as he fought the urge to smash his laptop.
Read his mind? Like hell he’d ever agree to something like that! The mere thought of it pissed him off. That was a clear invasion of his privacy. Sure, he might have done something similar (and worse) to others... But that was not the point.
He downed the drink in a few big gulps, immediately cracking another can open, as he fished his second phone from his spatial bag, dialing Blanc’s number. Since Blanc wanted an urgent response, Lane was going to discuss it with him directly. Perhaps this way, he would be able to feel out his thoughts and attitude better than he could from an email.
...Of course, it could work both ways, but it couldn’t be helped. At the moment, Lane didn’t have any better ideas.
Blanc answered almost instantly, as if he had been expecting it.
"Hello?"
The voice on the other end of the line sounded a bit tired. Blanc must have been awake for a long time. A few days, perhaps, as he had probably been busy making sure that everything was one hundred percent ready for the protest.
It was a good thing. Tired people tend to be less perceptive, and are more prone to making mistakes. Even Blanc ought to be less sharp when exhausted.
"I’ve read your reports." Lane got straight to the point.
"Yes, and?"
Lane tapped his fingers on the desk. Then, as if it wasn’t enough, he got up and started pacing around the living room. "I think you raise some excellent points. Your conclusions seem... plausible."
The words passed through his throat with difficulty. He hated to admit that Blanc was right when it was something related to his true identity... Still, he had to do at least this much. Completely rejecting such sound suspicions would have been way more suspicious.
"Of course." Blanc didn’t even try to pretend to be humble about it. "In that case, can we proceed with my suggestion?"
"About that... I don’t think it’s a good idea."
"Why?" All the tiredness seemed to have vanished from Blanc’s voice, as his tone turned alert and sharp. "If I’m right about Lane Allen’s relationship with the Allen family, he could be a great addition to the team. If not that, we might at least find a way to use him indirectly. Boss, don’t you think it’s at least worth confirming?"
Lane’s eyes twitched again.
Yes, it was. Or, it would have been.
If HE wasn’t ’Lane Allen’, that is.
He paused for a moment, quietly taking a deep breath to calm down. He couldn’t afford to sound irritated, as it could feed Blanc’s suspicions regarding his identity, if he had any. Only when he was sure that he would come across as calm and casual, did he say,
"What I mean is that I will handle it personally."
