CHAPTER 314: CHAPTER 314: THE DECENTRALISED NETWORK

"That is a wrong answer,"

Sela said flatly.

"You’re here because you four are a crew of rotten, lowlife, scum-like bastards who take advantage of innocent people."

At this, none of them could speak. Their mouths stayed shut, their throats dry. The leader could only nod stiffly, like a dolphin with a broken neck.

Wasn’t it all just words? Just curses? She could curse all she wanted—as long as she didn’t kill them, all was well and good.

Seeing that no one dared dispute her statement, Sela continued.

"Do you want to know why I didn’t end you yesterday?"

Sheesh. What a terrifying lady. Casually saying stuff like ending people. The leader thought bitterly to himself.

And though it was questionable whether a fragile noble lady like her could really kill four rugged men like them, for some strange, unspoken reason, they didn’t doubt her—not for a second.

Not when the quiet, unreadable figure of the boy beside her hadn’t even stirred since they arrived.

He hadn’t looked in their direction, hadn’t blinked at their conversation. As if their presence meant nothing. As if they were mere dust particles floating in a world far beneath his concern.

The unease in their chests only worsened.

Swallowing thickly, the man turned back to Sela.

"No, we do not know why your ethereal self has decided to grant us such grace as to—"

"Shut up."

"Yes ma’am."

The air soured into awkwardness. Sela leaned forward slightly, her tone sharpening.

"The reason I kept you alive is because I’m going to use you."

They blinked, startled.

"...Use us?"

"Yes,"

She replied.

"From now on, your job will be to capture lowlives like you and hand them over to the authorities."

Lugh closed his book.

Now he was interested.

"Huh?"

The men exploded all at once, etiquette forgotten. Panic twisted their voices into a single messy chorus.

"What do you—"

"Like the police?"

"What’s the point of all—"

"Shut up!"

This time, it was their leader who barked the command. The others went quiet immediately, noticing Sela’s growing displeasure.

He had to reel things back before she lost her patience completely. If she snapped, there would be no second chances.

Once calm returned, he cleared his throat and asked carefully.

"My lady... could it be that you intend to make us police officers?"

Sela answered plainly,

"The operations will be similar, but the core is different. A more apt term would be... vigilantes."

The man fought the urge to slap a hand across his face. What the hell was this crazy chick thinking?

She continued unfazed.

"Your duties will be to enforce law and order in places where official networks are lacking. That will eventually include the slums and the East Boroughs. But for now, we’ll begin from the areas you’re already familiar with. Where you usually conduct your operations."

"Bu—"

"Additionally,"

Dhe cut in before he could finish,

"You’ll also be in charge of nighttime security, as well as dismantling the institutions and gangs that prey on common civilians."

She paused briefly, then asked,

"Are there any other members of your gang, Rufus?"

’She remembered my name.’

Rufus blinked, startled, then quickly answered.

"Uh, yes. I’m actually just a part of the gang myself."

She tilted her head, narrowing her eyes.

"A part? You’re not the leader?"

"No ma’am. I mean yes—uh, I mean—"

She frowned.

He quickly clarified.

"I’m the leader of my own squad. There are several of us. Alongside some others in our wing, we operate within the channel. Targeting wealthy people and collecting ransoms."

Sela’s eyes slid to Lugh. The boy looked up and gave a small shake of his head.

"What was that?"

Rufus muttered under his breath, visibly shaken.

The other men had noticed the silent exchange as well, and the sweat forming on their backs began to spread.

There hadn’t been a single lie in what Rufus just said. So what was the problem?

Sela tapped her fingers slowly on the stone table in front of her. Her voice was calm.

"You have things like squads and wings... This must mean you’re quite advanced as an organisation. How interesting."

Rufus scratched the back of his head, trying not to look too proud—or too guilty.

"This should make things easier,"

Sela went on.

"I’ll need you to organise a meeting with your overall leader."

The words hit like a slap. The men froze.

Sela noticed the sudden shift in atmosphere and narrowed her eyes further. The tension thickened. After an awkward pause, Rufus finally spoke.

"Well, you see... the thing is, we don’t really know who the leader is."

She frowned.

"Explain."

Rufus inhaled deeply, mentally preparing himself.

"We only know our direct superior. And even if you go to him, there’s a high chance you won’t progress any further."

Her frown deepened. Lugh, however, leaned in slightly, now fully engaged.

"And why is that?"

He asked, his voice sharp with curiosity.

"Well..."

Rufus began, hesitating.

"From what I’ve heard, our gang uses something called a decentralised network system. It’s the reason we’ve been able to survive this long."

Now it was Lugh’s turn to frown.

Rufus continued, sensing their interest and choosing his words carefully.

"It’s a kind of system where we have many branches, and most people don’t know who’s calling the shots.

That way, even if any of us get caught, we can’t expose the bigger structure. They can just cut us off."

Sela murmured softly,

"Like a snake shedding its tail..."

Her mind raced.

Why would a simple gang implement something so sophisticated? She might’ve just stumbled onto something much larger than she’d expected.

She looked Rufus straight in the eye.

"Tell me more. Everything you know."

’What more do you want to know?!’

He screamed internally. But outwardly, he just sighed.

"Uhm... for instance, we only know of one person. He’s like our boss. He gives us our orders."

Sela asked sharply,

"And who is this person? What does he look like? Where does he stay?"

"Uh... we don’t know."

"You don’t know?"

Her tone was rising. Her patience thinning.

"Honest,"

He replied quickly.

"Our orders only come in through letters."

Then he paused, a memory flashing through his mind. Something that might just get him off the hook.

He said,

"Wait. I remember something. The—"