[I was the one who handed over the profile.]

When I called Cromwell and asked, he said calmly.

[While I was at it, Bellis Inc.’s movements were strange, so I brought it up casually. It seems they were able to obtain the information quickly since they are a company that the military is keeping a close eye on.]

A vicious method of cutting their losses by implanting a bomb directly into a person.

Since this was on par with a suicide bombing, it wouldn’t be strange if the Public Security Bureau was monitoring them directly.

“If you had that information, couldn’t you have warned me directly?”

[I was planning to tell you as soon as I found out the details. Reina was just one step ahead.]

Cromwell let out a shallow sigh, as if he too was disappointed.

[Since she was arranging the request directly, she probably wanted to put you in her debt. Seeing as she got results so quickly, her skills are as good as ever, even though she’s gotten older.]

“Is she famous?”

[Hmm, you, being from another city, might not know. She’s a broker who specializes in a special field that only those in the know are aware of.]

“Tell me in detail.”

I adjusted my posture and pressed my ear closer to the phone.

[Reina, a former soldier, had a good reputation during her service, so she continued her connection with the military even after her discharge and became a broker. Since the military is famous for being closed off, it’s safe to say she’s the only broker who has the military as a client.]

“An irreplaceable person.”

If it was true, she was a bigger fish than I had imagined.

The military is a group with sufficient force and justification.

It meant that even if something happened, they would handle it themselves and rarely ask for outside help.

Therefore, no matter how difficult it was to receive a request from the city government, it couldn’t compare to the military.

If she was the only broker who arranged requests with the military, even a highly skilled contractor would have to yield to her.

That was probably why she went around with an escort unit.

Since her abilities were great, she was bound to be targeted by many.

“She can act as the absolute superior in any situation.”

[She doesn’t usually act that way. Like a soldier, she gives and takes precisely so that no one gains more or loses more. Of course, she does tend to give more missions to the contractors she considers her own people.]

Giving more opportunities to her own people was not something to be blamed.

As long as she didn’t take a cut in the middle, it was a fair and just act.

“So such a great broker came to find me directly?”

That’s why it was puzzling that she had come to find me directly, even putting me in her debt.

She would be busy taking care of her own people, so why me, who had no connection to her?

[Unfortunately, it seems she has a prior request and is short on cards to play. Reina’s standards are high, but a newcomer who has succeeded in two requests against the Mad House is worth taking a look at.]

I remembered how Cromwell had been reluctant to broker a request before.

He had said that if I kept quiet and waited, the real players would take an interest.

Now that the result was out, he wasn’t wrong.

[I know you just got back from a ruin exploration and want to rest, but this is a good opportunity. Don’t be offended that I handed over your profile without your permission.]

“……I understand the situation. I’ll contact you later.”

I hung up the phone and got out of the vehicle.

I had arrived at my destination early.

The reason Reina had left me alone in the vehicle was to give me time to find out the situation from Cromwell.

‘It is a tempting story.’

Brokering a request from the military.

For me, who was aiming for the high places of this city, it was an irresistible offer.

***

The location of Reina’s brokerage office was in District 5, a suburb one step away from the city center.

It was a place quite far from the usual location of offices at the edge of District 3.

This was because it was a place that had been converted from a huge warehouse.

Various firearms and ammunition were displayed on the walls, and the screens of CCTV cameras monitoring the surroundings were being broadcast on multiple monitors.

A standard-issue bulletproof helmet under the table was kicked by my foot.

Including the personal escort unit walking around, it felt more like a military facility than an office.

“You must have heard the situation from Cromwell.”

“At least you’re not a swindler.”

“If I were a swindler, all the other brokers would be criminals. I’m a conscientious broker.”

Reina took out a liquid cigarette from her breast pocket and smoked it.

Faint smoke rose, obscuring her stern expression.

“You, on the other hand, better not be a swindler. Seeing as you smashed the hunting dogs of Bellis Inc., it doesn’t seem like you’re all talk. Hey, bring it.”

At Reina’s nod, an escort took out a document from a drawer and placed it on the desk.

“I haven’t said I’ll take the request yet.”

“If you weren’t going to take it, you would have gone back.”

“Don’t you think of negotiating by pushing and pulling?”

“I’m the type who hates beating around the bush with troublesome chatter.”

She said it bluntly.

It was a high-handed attitude that said she had never engaged in a battle of wills and was not in a position to accept one.

It meant, ‘If you don’t want to do it, don’t.’

‘Is she always like this?’

She was extremely malicious in that she tempted with a luscious bait.

“It’s a request from the military’s Public Security Bureau.”

The Public Security Bureau, an institution that controls criminals within the city and maintains public order.

Strictly speaking, since it did not have its own military unit, it was not a place that could be called the military.

But how dirty was the public security of this city?

Petty crimes like theft or fistfights were not handled by the Public Security Bureau.

Terrorism prevention, gang suppression, and assassination of criminal organization leaders were the main tasks of the Public Security Bureau.

Since the stability of the city depended on it, the number and quality of its forces were comparable to the army.

“They say they’re going to stop the recent terrorism in District 5 and root out the leading organization. It’s a wide-ranging operation that includes not only District 5 but also District 6 if necessary. They’ve requested a helping hand.”

“……Terrorism in District 5, I think I’ve heard of it.”

It was a rumor I had heard from the gunsmith before the ruin exploration.

Was it true?

“It’s been going on for at least two or three months, so it’s not strange that rumors have spread. The Public Security Bureau has been trying to keep it as quiet as possible, but since they’ve neglected it for a considerable period, they probably couldn’t block all the rumors.”

“Right, if they’ve neglected it until now, why are they moving now? Unless the goal is to overthrow the city, the Public Security Bureau would usually remain silent.”

This was the outskirts of the city, not where the headquarters of famous corporations were located.

The land was small and the population was overflowing, so if it was just a commotion among the lower classes, the Public Security Bureau would even turn a blind eye.

According to their theory that I knew, stopping it was a waste of administrative power.

Reina’s one remaining eye widened in surprise at my question.

“You seem to be quite well-versed in the Public Security Bureau.”

“You can’t ignore them while doing this kind of work. Frankly, if you get caught, it’s all illegal.”

“Who cares about that in this dog-eat-dog world? Well, being knowledgeable is better than being ignorant.”

The way her lips twitched as she said that didn’t seem to give a bad impression.

“They let them have their little fireworks in the backyard, but it seems they crossed the line and a big spark flew. They said it was indiscriminate terrorism, but the Public Security Bureau didn’t know it would even involve a city councilor’s relative.”

“At that level, it would be hard to tell if it was a crime targeting the upper class or if it was just a coincidence.”

“That’s not what’s important. A city councilor’s relative was injured, so they’re just using that as a pretext to wipe them out.”

Indeed, they were terrorists who should have had their heads cut off by a gang or a corporation first.

The fact that such a person had stubbornly survived and been causing a commotion until now must have been annoying.

Reina flipped through the documents and pointed to a map cluttered with various markings.

“The Public Security Bureau initially considered it an individual’s criminal act. After investigation, it was determined that it was an organization made up of cells. It means that catching one or two at the scene is meaningless.”

“Is that why they’re short on manpower?”

“You got it right. They’re going to find the headquarters and wipe them out. At a countermeasure meeting hosted by the higher-ups, someone apparently said that if one or two isn’t enough, they should just catch dozens. If they catch them all and torture them, one of them will spill the beans about the headquarters.”

I clicked my tongue at the enormous scale.

Even a megacorp that boasted absolute power would not dare to attempt such an operation.

It was a method only possible for the city government, which had control over all the city’s administrative power.

Although it was crude, as long as they had enough capacity to carry out the operation, the probability of failure was slim.

“This is all the information I can give you. The detailed operation plan will be told to you by the Public Security Bureau, so go and listen to them directly.”

“……”

I didn’t answer and fiddled with the request form.

A cleanup operation on a scale where the Public Security Bureau was burning down the whole house to catch a flea.

When I heard it at the gunsmith’s, I had just let it pass, but it was surely something I knew.

‘There was a playthrough where I was active as a security officer of the Public Security Bureau.’

In terms of timing, it wasn’t an operation I had participated in directly.

Instead, I would have at least skimmed through the records.

Since I had poked around in all sorts of regions to find the optimal place for plants to grow and prosper.

To poke around in various parts of the city without arousing suspicion, I needed the pretext of re-investigating an unsolved case.

So I had skimmed through most of the operations that the Public Security Bureau had directly handled.

“Why, are you scared? Now you’re showing your rookie side. Don’t worry. You’re just support personnel anyway. They’ll lead the operation, so you just have to go and do as you’re told.”

The way she chuckled was clearly a joking tone.

It seemed my deliberation had gone on for too long while I was trying to recall.

“I just had something to think about.”

“Well, you fought against the Mad House, so that was probably more dangerous.”

I still couldn’t quite remember.

It didn’t matter.

‘If I listen to the Public Security Bureau’s story, the whole story will come back to me whether I like it or not.’

Even if it didn’t, it wasn’t a request I could refuse.

***

Honk!

District 5 was not the city center, but a suburb.

In Gellerg City, which was comparable in size to a country, this place was, to put it simply, close to a satellite city.

The population density was neither high nor low, and the population flow was moderately not deserted.

Therefore, it was a common sight to see more vehicles than people.

The sound of car horns honking from time to time was even endearing.

“Are you perhaps Allen?”

While I was waiting, watching the blinking traffic light.

Someone approached me and called my name.

“Looking at your face, it seems you are. The contractor, Allen.”

He didn’t even wait for my answer and did everything himself.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Taylor, from the Public Security Bureau.”

“I’m Allen.”

It was a polite greeting.

After making eye contact and shaking hands, I quickly sized him up.

‘A rookie?’

His hair was neatly cut, and even his clothes were clean.

In the Public Security Bureau, where the higher-ups were extremely lazy, being polite and well-dressed was proof that one hadn’t been tainted by society yet.

‘An appointment befitting the arrogant city government officials.’

They were the military, said to be the stiffest-necked in the city.

It wasn’t surprising that they, having asked for help themselves, would send a rookie to greet an outside resource.

“I was told you heard the general details from the broker, is that correct?”

“If you mean the background of why the Public Security Bureau is getting involved and what they’re going to do, then yes.”

“That’s a relief. It’ll make things easier. Then I’ll give you a simple briefing and tell you what you need to do.”

Taylor took out a vest and a hat from the bag he was holding in one hand and put them on.

The uniform of the Public Security Bureau.

It had been a while since I had settled in this city, but it felt like I was seeing it for the first time in a long time.

As expected of lazy people, it was an attire that ordinary people rarely saw.

“As of now, we plan to conduct inspections in District 5, and later expand to District 6.”

“What’s the deadline?”

“Indefinite. To be precise, until we find their headquarters from the organization members we catch through the inspections.”

“That’ll work well. If you were to conduct the inspections secretly, maybe, but wearing uniforms is just advertising the Public Security Bureau’s intervention. If they have any brains, they’ll lay low.”

And the higher-ups would know this.

They were just heavy-bottomed, not incompetent.

“Are you going to deploy security officers?”

“……! How did you know?”

“That’s how the Public Security Bureau works.”

Publicly, they put up inspections, and in the shadows, they deploy the elite.

It was a classic tactic of the Public Security Bureau that I had experienced directly several times.

“Then we can just kill time until the security officers get results.”

“No!”

“……?”

Taylor’s reaction was intense.

“The inspections will be conducted thoroughly. The security officers are the security officers, and the mission we’ve been given is also important.”

At his motivated attitude, I clicked my tongue inwardly.

As expected of a rookie.

Somehow, I felt that Taylor being assigned to me was not the intention of the higher-ups.

‘Was it a senior who was annoyed and passed the buck?’

That’s how organizations with a military culture are.

(End of Chapter)