Darkstone Code
Chapter 199 - 0197 Beasts in the Midnight

Chapter 199: 0197 Beasts in the Midnight

"The warehouse was robbed?"

Noel appeared very surprised; he was completely unaware of this incident.

Lynch sent Noel a glass of juice, poured some wine for himself, and said, "It’s quite normal. Many people can hardly make a living anymore; they don’t care if their actions are legal."

"In the morning, the administrator of the warehouse told me that they found a broken ventilation duct near the warehouse we rented. We lost about a few hundred bucks worth of stuff, and that’s not a good sign."

As Lynch spoke, his expression remained ordinary, and his tone showed no change, as if it were a casual conversation.

"This time, they succeeded, and if we don’t stop them, there will be a next time."

"If they succeed again next time and we still can’t stop them, their desires will escalate. So, we need to find them before they cause more destructive actions."

Lynch raised his wine glass and clinked it with Noel, who had just come to his senses. As he brought the wine to his lips, he said, "You need to keep an eye on these things for me and then find them."

Originally, Lynch was thinking of asking the neighborhood driver Jack, someone with roots, who wouldn’t run away, but after some thought, he gave up on that idea.

Just now, when he left the City Hall building, the eyes of the people in the square looking at him made him feel in danger. These people were no longer ordinary protesters; they were turning into rioters.

What’s more frightening is that both the Progressive Party and the Conservative Party are silently dealing with this issue and intend to push it into a more terrifying abyss, then destroy it and rebuild it on its ruins!

Impeaching the President might not succeed, but impeaching a dictatorial tyrant causing social unrest would be a sure hit.

In the coming months, the Federation might experience its darkest moments, and he needed to be prepared.

Noel and the other kids ran around the streets every day, distributing leaflets or collecting information from various shops. They had access to things covering the entire city, and their information was particularly well-informed.

More importantly, Lynch trusted these people, and this confidence came from his "master" status. Without him, these people would live in poverty. Only if he lived comfortably could these people enjoy life.

Noel, after hearing everything, looked indignant. Honestly, Lynch treated them better than their pimps, even better than those in the welfare home.

Not only did he give them a very luxurious mansion to live in, where each person had their own room, but he also provided them with adult salaries, without any deductions.

In the past, when they worked under the pimps, they barely made a hundred to two hundred bucks a year for themselves, while also facing the risk of being discovered, and the pimps would randomly pick a few to beat whenever they drank.

But here, everything was like in a dream. Whether it was Noel or the others, they didn’t want their current life to change even a bit.

"I understand, sir. If I find those people, what should I do?"

From Noel’s face, Lynch sensed a murderous intent, with his eyes glinting a certain cold, chilling light, and the syllables squeezed out from his throat, reminiscent of that early morning.

Lynch’s expression remained calm. He placed his wine glass back on the table and adjusted Noel’s less obedient collar, "We are all civilized people. Let others handle the fighting and killing. You have to understand, Noel."

"Personally killing someone is not a sign of courage and wisdom; it only entangles you in trouble. You have to learn to leverage your strengths."

"The police, some gang members, including judges and prisoners, each can do it better than you and are less likely to get you into trouble."

He withdrew his hand, "Find them, then tell me who they are, and I’ll take care of the rest."

Noel nodded in agreement and quickly left. In less than half an hour, dozens of kids began using their "professional skills" to inquire about these matters.

Later, an unexpected call came to Lynch; it was from his mother.

This was an inevitable issue, as people cannot be born out of thin air. The greatness of life lies in the process of creating life and the result of that creation, and Lynch is one of the great miracles.

Since he graduated from high school, he hadn’t contacted his family anymore. On one hand, the culture of Bail Federal was like this—after graduating high school, if kids didn’t plan to inherit the family business, they would move out and live independently, if they had family businesses at all.

Moreover, his parents were strongly opposed to Lynch’s decision at the time, which was him working while seeking educational opportunities with Catherine. They believed starting work immediately was the right choice—ordinary people shouldn’t have dreams, they should live pragmatically.

Young people can never understand the words of those without much education or high degrees; they only believe in themselves until they realize some things can’t be learned from books or classes.

Due to these two matters, they had seldom been in contact, and along with the busy life and work, their relationship quickly faded.

There was once a survey about "whether parents should be considered family members," which shocked the entire society. In most ordinary families that have already started their own careers and have children, they generally believe parents are family but not family members because they don’t live together.

This is the most real social phenomenon. People were shocked at first, thinking it marked a coldness in blood ties and affection. But after the habitual shock passed, they gradually realized this is the most common lifestyle.

After children become adults and leave the family to start their own lives and families, parents gradually leave their lives. They are family but not family members. This is the norm in Bail Federal.

It’s the same for Lynch, and when he has children in the future, after they become independent, he too will become family outside the household.

It sounds somewhat tragic and bleak, but it’s true for everyone.

The call was from his mother. The woman seemed better at easing the awkwardness that had long ceased to exist between the father and son.

"Your father lost his job. We heard that you’ve been doing well out there lately..."

The voice came with some flattery, no longer able to feel the dominance and pressure these two elders once left in Lynch’s memory.

Lynch walked over to the sofa with the phone, sat down, and poured some wine. "Yes, I’m doing well now." He occupied this body, enjoying its vitality and youth, and was willing to assume some responsibilities.

Having gains necessitates paying. Gains without contribution are forever unreliable.

Upon hearing Lynch say this, the woman sighed with relief. "Maybe you can help your father. He goes out to attend some gatherings every day, and comes back later and later. I’m afraid something might happen to him."

Lynch’s father is not yet fifty, in his prime. This is also an important reason why it’s difficult for them to live together; a home needs just one leader, not two.

Those gatherings outside aren’t discussing legitimate matters. Most are discussing how to get more wages from the boss. As for not working, that has nothing to do with them.

Or they are mobilizing. After all, if one person makes a mistake, he could be singled out, but if many people err together, they deserve sympathy and forgiveness.

Lynch’s mother felt her husband might become one of those reported on TV shows if it continued like this, so she called Lynch behind her husband’s back.

Sipping wine, Lynch’s unfamiliar memories were slowly awakened. His father once wanted him to drop out of middle school and go straight to work.

Those were the peak days of the Federation’s economic development, as long as one was willing to work, just bending down could earn money.

Compared to schooling, working early to support the household was obviously more realistic, but Lynch refused, and for this he was beaten.

Fortunately, the Federation had basic education-related laws. He finished middle school and again refused to follow his father’s arranged job, which triggered the cold war lasting over two years.

Thinking of this, he smirked a bit. "I’ll come back to see you tomorrow and discuss these things."

Through the phone, Lynch could feel the woman’s emotions greatly eased at once. "Thank God, that’s wonderful. When will you come?"

Just as she spoke, suddenly some noisy chants covered the communication between the two. His mother made the call from a public telephone booth. In ordinary households like theirs, they couldn’t afford a private phone but could afford the booth one.

After waiting for more than a minute, as the wave of sound passed, Lynch mentioned a time, during dinner, and advised the woman to return home quickly as dusk had set in and outside was increasingly unsafe.

After hanging up the phone, Lynch sat on the sofa looking at the black sky outside the French window. The direction of the city center also became dark, many streets’ neon lights no longer flashed. At this time, the Federation was more dark than ever before.

Later at around two in the morning, Lynch was awakened by a phone call again. The caller was the community service company, asking if Lynch was safe and his room had not been invaded, which made Lynch a bit more awake.

"What happened?", he asked.

The voice on the phone was somewhat heavy. "Just now, a group of rioters attacked Hengtong Bank and even used guns. They were repelled by the on-duty guards, with some escaping towards our direction."

"But please rest assured, Mr. Lynch, all our security guards have started patrolling. You can see them through the window at any time. Also, very sorry for disturbing your rest..."

After hanging up, Lynch went to the window; indeed, there were quite a few guards patrolling the community streets nonstop, which eased his mind.

He thought some security measures should be increased.

=

The company employs workers with legitimate gun permits and allows them to carry guns to work. It does not require reporting to the Ministry of Defense. If a company uses company-related gun permits, it must report to local security agencies and the Ministry of Defense for approval, which allows guards to carry guns after approval, but the nature will differ. The former remains protective, while the latter is considered private armed forces and subject to monitoring and control.

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