Anom, along with Crystal and Luna, was on his way towards Gamus' house. Luna had already sent a servant to inform Gamus about Anom's arrival.
They walked through the silent corridor as the noises within the estate were beginning to subside.
The bright moon greeted them as they left the main mansion and arrived on the open field outside Gamus' house.
Passing through the garden, the trio arrived outside his door.
*Knock*
Anom had only knocked once when the gate opened. He was not startled to see no one behind the door as it was simple for Gamus to open it from a distance.
The trio entered the house and they saw Loreana already standing inside.
Gamus was not there as Anom guessed that he might still be taking care of their 'special guest' in another room.
"Mom!" Crystal ran forward and hugged Loreana, who smiled while hugging her back.
"Anom bullied me," complained Crystal, in a pouty tone.
"Oh? What did he do?" Loreana raised an eyebrow as she looked towards Anom while asking in a curious manner.
"He-" Being used to her mother's protective nature, Crystal had a habit of sharing every small detail with her. But as the words were about to leave her mouth, she stopped, tongue-tied.
Loreana looked at her, getting more curious, while Anom couldn't help but laugh.
"Yeah. I also want to know. How did I 'bully' you?" Anom asked while laughing.
Luna was no better as she tried to suppress her laughter and save her Miss from embarrassment, even if a little.
"You…Stupid!" Crystal couldn't come up with anything as it was impossible for her to tell her mother about the manner in which she was 'bullied'.
"You can come in now."
As everyone was having fun, Gamus' voice came from a closed room as he invited them to enter.
Anom was the first to step inside. He locked his eyes on the dimly lit room with no furniture besides a chair and table; a small bookshelf was placed in the corner. On the opposite wall was another door, which, unlike the other doors in the house, was made of metal.
"Quite clean for a torture room," Anom commented as he faced Gamus, who sat on the only chair in the room.
"…" Gamus was silent for a while before he spoke, "…this is my library."
"Uhh…" Anom scratched his cheek, "You should decorate this place some more."
As Loreana and the girls also entered, Gamus stood up and waved his hand. A formless force was released as Anom felt the room being cut off from the outside world.
But he knew it was just an illusion created by his senses, as Gamus had only activated a sound-isolating formation to prevent their voices from crossing the walls. Anom probed and realized that this one was better than any other formation he had examined before. Well, it was to be expected from the Old Head.
"So, did you enjoy being the gang leader for the day, kid?" Gamus seemed in no hurry to start with the results of his interrogation and asked Anom about his day.
"It was alright." Anom shrugged. "I had more fun after I came back than I had the whole day." Anom added with a smile. Gamus also smiled as he took it as a praise for his family's hospitality. But only Crystal, who was standing with a flushed face, realized the real meaning behind his words.
"So tell us what you found… I hope your gains were better than mine," said Anom.
Gamus shook his head as he spoke, "Although I found a lot if information, except a few, none of it was of any significance. After all, the gang is only a pawn for the Handler family. They are only useful for physical labor, even the gang leader was not privy to any of the strategic level matters."
Anom nodded. It was only natural for the Handler family to keep the information under control. He wasn't disappointed as he had already expected something like this to happen.
"Tell me what you found about the gang in detail… Also, the places where he used to meet with the Handler family, the way he contacted them and any other details." Anom asked about the things that he might need while posing as the Gang Leader.
Gamus nodded and told him all the information, whether big or small, that he had extracted from the real Gang Leader.
Anom listened carefully and arranged it along with the information he had gathered directly from the gang.
Seeing Anom raising his head towards him, Gamus shook his head, "That's about it." He then added, "The only thing that piqued my interest was something about a kidnapping taking place today… He didn't know the identity and as the Handler family had only told him about the target's location. In fact, the team dispatched for this mission might already be on their way."
Anom frowned as this was something he had no idea about. But it didn't matter as it would become clear after he went back to the gang.
Seeing everything finished at Gamus' end, Anom grabbed his storage bag, pulling out a square sheet and a notebook.
Everyone looked at the things in his hands curiously, as he raised the sheet. "You should recognize this, right?" he asked, while showing it closely to Gamus and Loreana.
The two looked at the sheet for a second before their eyes widened.
"This… Don't tell me…" Loreana muttered in disbelief.
"Yep. The blueprint of your family's estate." Anom affirmed. "I would considered it a version made through the observation of the spies, but the detailed description of all the hidden and restricted areas made me think otherwise."
Gamus was silent before he sighed, "I didn't expect that kid to be this foolish." Clearly, the kid he mentioned was Rudard.
Anom didn't find their reactions extreme as many of the secret paths within the estate were supposed to be used in cases of emergencies, like in case of being under attack. Given the current state of affairs, it was a possibility that could be realized anytime soon.
"There's also this." Anom's voice took Gamus out of his thoughts. He took the notebook from Anom's hand and flipped through it.
"What's this for?" Seeing nothing special being mentioned, Gamus asked.
Anom described the increased but unstable energy within the Gang Leader's body and his theory about the drug that he might have taken to achieve such results.
Gamus nodded as he had also felt the wired energy during the interrogation.
Suddenly, his eyes narrowed as his frown deepened.
"He also used the same thing?" Seeing Gamus' expression, Anom asked.
Gamus sighed and nodded. Indeed, he had felt the same thing inside Rudard's body, implying that the Handler family was distributing similar medicine to everyone that worked for them.
"It can't be that simple," Began Anom, "As we had discussed earlier, Rudard might be dealing directly with the Sorneo house. Getting contacted through the Handler family might only be a convenience as they reside within the same city… Taking this as the base, we can conclude that whatever this resource they are distributing is, should be coming from the Capital, the Sorneo House, that is."
Gamus mulled over his words and couldn't help but nod in agreement.
"We have to think of something quickly… Only two weeks are left before the wedding. With our escape routes compromised, the situation is anything but reassuring," Loreana remarked as she realized the gravity of the situation.
The talk about the wedding sounded unpleasant to Crystal's ears and she couldn't help but turn towards Anom.
"Why do you think we would have to run away? Have some faith in our little team here, will you?" Anom smiled as he tried to ease the tension.
"Having a final route for escape is always better than getting trapped due to negligence," Loreana argued.
But Anom shook his head, "It would only make a difference if we were powerful enough to hold the enemy till everyone evacuated. But given the current condition of this place, we would get butchered before even getting a chance to escape."
His words made Loreana frown while Crystal had the urge to smack his head. But though harsh, they had to agree that he was right. Their current strength was not enough to shelter them in case a conflict took place.
Just the idea of the Handler family having a continuous supply of the strengthening drug was enough to make them despair. One can only imagine the consequences of facing such a force.
"Hey, Hey. Enough with the long faces," Anom exclaimed. "We still have some time before anything is final… Besides, maybe you won't even need to make a move." Anom concluded as his gaze turned piercing.
Gamus' eyes lit up as he heard the confidence in Anom's tone. "What are you going to do?" He asked with interest.
Anom smiled.
"I'm giving them a visit."
Everyone beside Gamus had their eyes opened wide as Loreana commented, "Don't tell me you're going to infiltrate their estate? Don't even think about it! That's too reckless! We don't even know the extent of their current strength. You will only be courting death if you enter just like that. You should…" She continued rebuking Anom harshly but stopped as she felt the gaze of everyone.
Anom was looking at her with a smile while Gamus had his eyes closed and looked as if engrossed in meditation. Little Luna tilted her head as she tried to grasp the situation.
Only Crystal looked at her mother weirdly as she asked, "Aren't you worrying excessively, Mother? Anom only said about visiting, not about breaking in. He can use his identity as the Gang Leader to gain easy access." She looked at her mother suspiciously while even her usual 'mom' changed to 'mother'.
Loreana opened her mouth but couldn't think of a proper explanation. It was her mistake to jump to conclusions. It only happened because she worried about-
'This little rascal. He really knows how to mess with people.' Loreana rebuked inwardly as she shifted the blame of her unnecessary worries on the innocent Anom.
"I should get going," said Anom. "Some preparations might be required for tomorrow's visit." He finished while directing a smiling glance towards Loreana.
Giving everyone a nod, he left.
"We will see him off," Crystal said as she pulled Luna and followed behind Anom.
Only Loreana and Gamus were left. He turned towards Loreana and was about to say something…
"Don't!"
…and was stopped by Loreana.
Gamus shrugged as he also left the room.
Loreana closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Her eyes opened, with a new resolve shining inside.