"Yes. They are quite resourceful." Anom nodded before finally saying, "Resourceful enough to not get destroyed after offending every other major family in the capital."
"Wha—What?" Selvo asked, as he didn't quite understand.
He did hear his words; he just wasn't able to comprehend them.
Anom explained, using gang leader Nedar's gruff voice, "I don't know how true it is. But given that the girl was drugged, she probably wasn't lying." He paused for a moment before finally saying, "From what I managed to gather from her words, it seems that the Sorneo house is in some kind of trouble; severe trouble."
As Selvo's expression fluctuated, Anom went on.
"They have somehow messed with almost all the other forces in the capital at the same time," he said. "And now all the forces are onto them; they are monitoring the Sorneo house closely to find a chink to be used to their advantage."
Selvo was somewhat apprehensive now. But he still questioned, "But they're still fine, right?" Finding his words somewhat comforting, he also asked, "And even if that is the case, what does it have to do with us?"
"Think about it yourself," Anom continued. "When was the last time a member of a great family came here, to this city? And now, all of a sudden, another great family member shows up; that too just after they have made a deal with your family."
"Isn't that too coincidental?" he asked.
Selvo froze. His mouth fell open as he tried to speak but couldn't form any words.
"I have to tell Father!" He suddenly turned on his feet as he dashed towards the door to leave.
But before he could go far, a hand tightly clamped on his shoulder and dragged him back to his position.
Pushing the frantic guy back into his chair, Anom asked angrily, "Are you stupid, Selvo?" Of course, he was just acting. In actuality, he was quite pleased, as this was the effect he wanted to see.
"Can't you see the graveness of this matter?" he asked again. "I haven't called you here so you can mess with my plan, understand?"
Taking a breath as if to calm himself, he spoke to Selvo, who had turned silent, saying, "Listen to me first." His tone then turned milder as he said, "I know what you're agitated about. But what good will it do to tell your father about it? Even he can't do anything. After all, the deal has already been made; the Sorneo house won't just let you turn back on it."
"Then what should we do?" Selvo asked weakly.
"First and foremost," Anom said solemnly, "we can't let anyone else know about it."
"You hear me?" he asked.
"Not even my father?"
"I said no one!" Anom raised his voice before sighing. He then spoke in a consoling manner, "What good would it do? It'll only make your father restless, and he might even make some mistakes due to the anxiety. And believe me, you can't afford to mess with a great family."
He paused before saying, "That's why I called you here to cooperate with me with. In your own capacity, you can create a chance of survival for yourself and your family."
Selvo began to listen attentively to his words as Anom continued speaking. "Not just that; it is even possible for you to override the restrictions set by this deal."
"What restrictions?"
"Restriction to form more connections, of course." Anom explained, "Your current connection with them restricts you from engaging with any other force. And given the blunder you just created, you also have to take care not to get under their radar. No matter which side learns of this mess first, you and your family are done for."
With his brows furrowed, Selvo said, "Let's go with your plan then." He then asked in hesitation, "Can it really work, though? I mean, what will I do after gaining that girl's friendship?"
"You don't need to worry about that." Anom laughed. "I'll tell you everything you need to do your part. Just help me make some preparations." Telling him all at once wouldn't be of any use. Besides, some of the aspects of his plan were still not clear. He was going to work on them after he left this place; only then will he be fully confident in his scheme.
Selvo nodded. "Tell me what you need from me."
"Oh, nothing much. You just have to prepare a place and some men to state a scenario for kidnapping." He stated. "That's where you'll go to save the damsel in distress." He also explained a few points of importance.
"Can't we do it here?" Selvo looked at him in confusion. "Isn't this the best place to do that? And that girl is already here; we can do it right now."
"No." But Anom refused.
He said seriously, "The reward issued by the Lance family is very tempting." Anom explained, "My men are quite weak on that front. So you'll have to arrange for that." He then asked, "We don't want the Lance family involved now, do we?"
Anom lied. The actual reason was that he suspected the presence of a spy in the gang. The Kino Handler most likely planted it. He didn't want to risk his involvement, as he wouldn't be as easy to fool as his son. Besides, this would also allow Selvo to feel more involved in the situation.
Seeing his attitude, Selvo also turned solemn. He said assuredly, "I understand."
"Alright, you can go now." Anom walked forward.
He then reminded him again, "But remember, bring only trustworthy people, as we don't want your father to know right now."
"Your father is too conservative." He pursed his lips, but it wasn't visible through his mask. "He's not wrong, but he hasn't prepared himself for the great risk this matter carries. But you… You are different. No one will pay any attention to you. But we will take advantage of that fact to grab a chance right under their noses."
Patting Selvo's shoulder, he continued, "You can imagine how proud your father will be when we tell him after we settle everything." He chuckled. "I can already imagine him praising himself for raising a son like you."
Selvo's expression was now a lot more relaxed. Visualizing the scenario that Anom had narrated made his blood boil with excitement.
"Let's do this!" Clenching his fists, he exclaimed. "I'll show father that I'm his best son." His eyes glowed with anticipation as he came to like the feeling of doing something on his own.
Maybe it would really have been a turning point in his life, given that he has not met the person currently standing in front of him.
"You have brothers?" Anom asked, genuinely surprised. He hasn't heard anything about that yet.
"Ah, no." Selvo realized that he had mistakenly revealed his thoughts. "I was just saying that I'll make my father proud by being a good son." His speculation about his father having other children was only that. He didn't want anyone else to know about it.
"Oh." Although doubtful, Anom nodded.
"I'll be leaving then." Selvo decided to leave, as he also wanted the matter at hand to be over soon.
"Remember to come here at the same time tomorrow." Anom reminded him again. "And only recruit people you trust; try not to cause too much commotion lest you alert your father."
"You don't have to worry about it." Selvo suddenly turned smug as he said with a smile, "If there's something I'm good at, then it's my ability to do things behind my father's back." His words really made Anom wonder what Kino Handler's reaction would have been had he heard his son's words.
Ignoring these thoughts, Anom nodded to Selvo, who nodded back and turned to the door.
"Oh, and remember to dress up properly, and don't forget to take a bath."
Selvo, who had reached the door, turned his head with his brows raised. He frowned and nodded his head solemnly before finally leaving.
Just a minute after he left, the intermediary came back. "Is there anything you'd like to order, leader?" he asked after greeting Anom respectfully.
Anom wanted to refuse, but then he suddenly thought of something as he said, "Hm. Come in."
The man immediately complied and even closed the door behind him after he'd entered.
Anom then pointed his chin towards a wooden cabinet in the room and ordered the man, "Open it."
The man instinctively reacted and obeyed the order. But as he walked towards the cabinet, confusion appeared in his eyes.
Thankfully for him, it didn't last for long as a sudden force assaulted him from behind. Before his thoughts could continue to form, darkness engulfed his consciousness as he fell to the ground with a thud.
"This guy was especially chummy with the Handler family; best get rid of him." Anom muttered as he looked at the unconscious man.
He mused for a moment before deciding to contact the vice leader through the communication disk.
"Boss?" A voice with a weird tone was heard. "Do you need something?"
"Hmm," Anom replied. "Send two people over." He then added, "Oh, and make them carry a big box too."
"Hmph! I knew you were doing something fun by yourself," the voice suddenly complained.
Anom was confused. "What do you mean?"
"Did you forget that I live next door?" The voice said, "Don't think I didn't hear the sounds just now."
What the heck! Anom exclaimed inwardly. What the hell is this disk installed for if the guy's just next door?
As he was confused, the voice continued asking, "Hmph. You killed someone again, right? Was it another spy?" The voice turned even weirder as it complained in a coy tone, "You're such a brute. Didn't I tell you to call me if something like that popped up?"
Anom shuddered as he suddenly realized the reason for this arrangement.
"Ahem." He calmed himself before speaking, "Would you please hurry up? I have to leave."
"Where are you going, boss?" The voice instantly asked, "Can I come?"
"No!" Anom almost shouted before he said, "I mean, no need." He explained, "I'm just going to deal with something and will return tomorrow."
"Fine." The vice leader said this in a pouty tone, making Anom creep out.
As the communication ended, Anom sighed and straightened his thoughts before walking back to the fallen guy. He found a bed sheet in the cabinet before using it to cover the guy completely.
As he was done with his work, a knock was heard again.
As he permitted the entry, two guys carrying a coffin like box entered. Coincidentally, they were the same ones from the previous time.
Anom didn't explain anything and just gestured for them to do their work.
The two guys walked over, clearly nervous. Last time, they only carried the box and didn't know about its content, despite their guesses. But seeing the body now made them feel a bit weak in the knees. But they still had to follow the orders. So they could only prepare themselves before getting to work.
"Same place," Anom said as he saw them finishing the "packaging."
The two replied respectfully before they carried the box out.
"Phew~"
Anom breathed out in relief. "First part completed."
He then looked towards the window before muttering, "Next is to leave the city."
==ඞඞඞඞ==
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