Gabe was shocked.
"What?"
"I'm just joking. You don't go around asking a lady how old she is," Stella said.
'Lady my ass. Why I asked her of her age in the first place was because of the realm she was in. I thought Beatrice was a level-up monster but this is a level-up monster pro.'
'In the facility, when I was reading about power levels, I discovered that going with the average population's level up speed, one would have to cultivate for five hundred years before achieving a breakthrough into the demi-god realm. I guess the titles and prestige that these ancient households carry are not for display purposes only, they are the real deal. There are still some things I don't get though, I guess I have to wait for Cole, he will be more than willing to answer my questions after I save his ass, as these questions have to do with his family's power structure,' Gabe thought.
"So how will you go about rescuing Cole?" Gabe asked.
"It's tricky. If I go through the front door being like, where is my son? They can easily take him away through the back and I will be tried by the family, of false accusations against a member of the family," Stella said.
"So the operation has to be covert," Gabe said.
"Exactly"
"But if I send my men through the back door, and they are spotted, it would still go back to me accusing Gordon of kidnap and the family reprimanding me when no evidence of the deed is found," Stella said.
"So have you thought of solutions to the problems that might crop up?" Gabe asked.
"As a matter of fact, I have. A third party would have to get involved. These people would have to be like hardcore hitmen who when caught, would rather die than expose their employers. The second option which is not feasible at all in this limited time frame would be to recruit personnel with potential secretly, then train them and condition their minds, so that they would have absolute loyalty to you. If you tell them to die, they go ahead and die," Stella said.
'What the hell is wrong with this woman? The way she gives off that heroic aura while talking like someone whose morals are skewed creeps me out', Gabe thought.
"The first option is also not feasible too as it would take some time to connect and strike a deal with organizations who produce such people. My son needs to be rescued immediately," Stella said.
"I don't know why you're in such a hurry, because based on logic, Cole is not dying soon. He might be undergoing torture but I don't think your brother would kill him. Your family, the Almer household, is an ancient household. They have enough resources. Your father can easily find out what had happened if Cole should die. If I know this, then you know this, and if you know this, your brother also knows this as well. If he only tortures Cole, he can get away with it with just a slap on his wrist," Gabe said.
"I have made up my mind. I do not care about the consequences. My son has suffered a lot, and it is time I do right by him."
"If your family doesn't treat you well, are they really your family?"
"No, I won't let them hurt those who I care about again."
"I have to go back and prepare to rescue Cole," Stella said.
'Seems like I'll be the one to help Cole in the end. But honestly, I can't do this for free. I guess I have to play my cards right in this one,' Gabe thought.
"Ok, I'll also see what I can do. I have a friend who has a contact that fits the bill of the first criteria you thought of. They are just like machines. One of the directives that has been ingrained into them is to die than divulge any secrets and they have various ways to kill themselves. One can say they are more skilled in committing suicide than killing others. They offer hitman and bodyguard services. They also offer reconnaissance and extraction services," Gabe said.
"Why haven't I heard of an organization like this, and in what way are you linked to them?" Stella asked.
"Well, a friend of mine is their agent. He told me that whatever information about that organization was all that he could give out, even if he was tortured or hypnotized to give more information on the organization, I could not. According to him, the organization gets random people all over the world and fills in certain information that they want to advertise. This information comprises what they do, and how to reach them, and the random people gotten to share it are called criers," Gabe said.
"Hmmm! How can I reach him then?" Stella asked.
"Here is his number, no calls, just texts," Gabe said.
He then wrote the number on a piece of paper and gave it to Stella.
"How much do you want for this?" Stella asked.
"What are you saying?"
"As I've already said, Cole is my friend. I am not doing this for money or any favor," Gabe said.
"I don't know if you are clueless about the value of me owing you a favor, or you are really selfless, you have my eternal gratitude," Stella said.
She then bowed to Gabe, turned around, and left.
After this Gabe went round the whole house and compound, occasionally bending over and murmuring some sentences before moving on. The others were clueless as to what he was doing.
What he was doing was checking for any artifact or device that could be used to spy on them. His search was fruitful.
After identifying them, he went ahead to reconfigure them to give out whatever signal he wanted instead of what was really going on in the house.
Next, he hacked into the systems that were on the receiving end of whatever the devices in the house were sending out. It gave him a tough time but he managed to pull it off.
"So that is where it all goes too. It seems Stella respects Cole's privacy to not check whatever footage is been sent to her. It's time to tinker with the footage. Willow! We have work to do."