RB Chapter 77 Black Diamond Invitation
"Why would I be needed?" Eric asked. He was truly puzzled.
'Shouldn't that group have fallen when those ten died?'
"I have been ordered to take you, you are making my job difficult!" The man's brows wrinkled in worry.
'He might be telling the truth.' Eric decided to open the door.
"So...where would you be taking me?" He asked.
"The headquarters are outside the city."
"Sorry pal but there is a blockade specifically for us to not exit the city." Eric said.
'Is he a conman?" Eric started getting truly worried.
"Such a simple thing isn't enough to prevent is from going. The higher ups have already agreed."
Eric had shock register on his face. If what the man said was true, then the Black Diamond Group(BDG) wasn't simple!
Eric removed his device from his pockets and called Chloe as he followed the man.
"What? If you are asking me to buy you something, that's an absolute no! Come down and get it yourself!" That was the first thing he heard when he brought the smartphone to his ears. That brought a smile to his lips before he once again adorned a serious expression.
"I am going somewhere for a bit. I don't know how many days but its outside the city."
"Whaaaaaaa?" The shouting caused him to pull the phone away from his ear.
"How are you going to get out? Nononono...that's not important. What's important is that you have to take me with you!"
"I can't. I am also being taken myself. I don't think they can take you too...can you?" He asked the man who was walking in front.
"No! My orders are only to fetch you!" He refused with a shake of his head.
"You heard the man."
"Really! Can't you please take me? I will do anything!"
"Oy! Don't degrade yourself!" Eric shouted when the man turned around and gave him a strange look.
"Okay, but you have to tell me everything when you come back!"
"Yes I will!" Eric said before cutting off communications.
"That woman is a handful, ain't she?" Eric joked to ease the man's weird expression.
They entered a black limosine and the man had held the door for him.
He hadn't tried to be polite as that was the man's duty. The man went into the driver's seat and the car made its way towards the west.
Eric took in the changes in the city as the car drove past buildings. The Masanyalaze headquarters was the first to enter his view. The damages caused by the battle a few months ago were glaring. Yellow tape was around it and the police wasn't allowing anyone in. He sighed as he looked at it. Its current state meant that the era was over and a new one had started.
Many people were pointing fingers but he could see that many looked more happier than when the ten clans were in power.
'The era needed to change, but did it have to be this cruel?' The image of Lisa's face crossed his mind but he hurriedly shook it away as he didn't want to get depressed.
Many people were dressed in warrior gab, something which had been rare a few months ago.
When they reached the Mpologoma clan's headquarters, he was shocked by the damage to the building.
'Who was strong enough to wreck such havoc? Leo? If it was him then he's too strong!' He thought. For now, the general public didn't know that Leo had died. Elder Muti had released a statement saying that he simply managed to flee outside the city with major injuries.
The respect that the man had built up was too immense. If they declared his death, they would have a riot on their hands!
The car went off the ring road. It looked like they were going to exit through the western gate.
When they reached the gate, Eric's heart sped up. He was worried that the man didn't have a way for them to go out safely. He was even considering getting out of the car and running back.
The green beam passed through them but it didn't turn red causing him to breathe out a sigh of relief.
"It looks like what you said about convincing the city's higher ups was true."
'This group isn't simple!' He thought.
When they went out into the wilderness, he didn't find anything particularly worthwhile so he shifted his attention back to taking in the car's interior.
He was shocked by what he saw! A mini fridge! Everything was made for comfort! A holographic screen was even in the middle with that new channel that Chloe had been watching!
'Wow! This surpasses that of the ten clans! But this car shouldn't be suited for the wilderness, right?' He wondered.
'It doesn't matter.' He leaned back and closed his eyes to rest. Even though he had never gone outside towards the western direction, it was the same to him, ruins everywhere.
He drifted off to sleep before he was awakened when his upper body started leaning in front causing him to almost fall off his chair.
"What?" He became vigilant upon waking up. He looked outside only to catch sight of a concrete wall on both sides of the car. At some point they had entered a tunnel and it was sloping downwards. That was what had caused a shift in his center of gravity.
When the car drove out of the tunnel, he was shocked! A sprawling metropolis entered his eyes! This city looked to be even more advanced than Kampala city!
It was occupying a hollow cavern and he couldn't see the other side due to the constructions in the way. Holographic billboards were floating in the air playing advertisements. Most of the people in this city were well dressed, even those casually walking on the streets! They gave off an air of riches.
"What is this city? I have never heard of it!" He asked, shock thick in his voice.
"It is one of the many underground cities in this continent. It was constructed by the Black Diamond Group." The man answered smugly as if all this was his.
"Are you telling me that the ten clans had this much financial power tucked away?"
"What do you mean? This isn't owned by the ten clans but the Black Diamond Group!"
"Huh!? Wasn't the Black Diamond Group started by the ten clans?" Eric asked.
"Of course not! The Black Diamond Group is a super corporation and its CEO and main headquarters are in the Super city of Cairo!"
"What? Then Baguma lied?" Eric almost stood up from his seat.
"He probably told you that they were the owners, right? That is one of the ways the middle level executives lie to others in order not to intimidate them." The man solved his doubts.
'This corporation is terrifying' Eric shivered.
"Who is the head, the CEO?" He asked.
"That's a secret. Only the high level executives know."
"Then is there a high level executive here?" Eric probed.
"There was, Mr. Leo Mpologoma. But after his death, this branch doesn't have one. I heard some people saying that the group was considering the current leader of the city, but for some reason he has been removed from consideration."
"Then what am I doing here?" Eric asked.
"Even I don't know."
Eric saw that the guy wasn't going to give out any useful information, opting to leave the conversation there.
"Oh! What's the name of this city?" He jolted as he had forgotten the most important thing.
"Its called 72."
"Huh!?" Eric doubted his ears.
"You didn't hear wrong. All the underground cities don't have names, but numbers. Though some locals can give it aliases."
'If this city has the designation of 72, then there must be 71 other cities in front of that number, not to mention the ones surpassing it!'
--------
The car stopped at a certain building. Eric speculated that this was the center of the city. The journey from the tunnel entrance to the city had taken a little bit under one hour.
When Eric alighted, his empty right sleeve was too noticeable causing all the people to take extra looks at it.
"So...what do I do here?" Eric turned around and walked towards the driver's seat to ask.
"Enter and ride the elevator to the highest level. Best of luck to you. If you are chosen, I will be your designated driver. If you aren't..." He drove away after saying his piece.
Eric scratched his head after he left. He felt nervous.
'This is the first time that I have travelled in a bustling place without Baguma, Elec or Lisa. I feel like everything is strange.' He thought to himself and made his way towards the entrance. There was no door, instead there was an opaque light screen and he saw multiple people walking in and out of it.
He was about to wonder how they didn't knock into each other only for it to become transparent in his eyes after a light beam scanned him.
'Wow! So advanced!' He praised.