Trouble

Spandine. Louis recognized the name. More than twenty years later, he would be the father of Spandam, the chief of CP9. He was already a high-ranking government official who had once served as CP9's chief, a senior figure with direct access to the Five Elders.

Though he was an idiot.

Was Spandine already in charge of CP9?

Louis hesitated. The original story had given so little information about these supporting characters that it was impossible to tell. In any case, by the time of the Ohara Incident, more than five years from now, Spandine would indeed be CP9's chief. Whether that was already true five years earlier was still uncertain.

"Hey, what's the matter? Don't believe me?"

Spandine was incredibly vulgar, with none of the refinement one would expect from a high-ranking government official. He was more like some second- or third-rate pirate. "You little punk, are you doubting me?"

"No, not at all,"

Louis replied calmly. "The fact that you can come and go here without any hindrance is proof enough of your identity, Chief."

"Hahahaha, exactly!"

Spandine grinned and laughed smugly. Louis couldn't help thinking that if he officially joined CP9, having an idiot like him for a chief might be pretty great. It probably wouldn't be hard to keep him in line.

"Hey, kid, what's your name?"

Spandine asked curiously. "You look so young. How old are you?"

"Louis, Chief. My name is Louis,"

Louis answered. He wasn't particularly respectful, but Spandine didn't seem to notice at all. "I'll be thirteen next month."

"What?! Thirteen?!"

Spandine was stunned. "Are you a monster, kid? Thirteen years old, and you're already a trainee here?"

"Allow me to correct you, Chief,"

Louis said seriously. "I'm the best trainee."

"Oh?"

Spandine's eyes lit up. "Kid, show me around this training camp. It's my first time here."

First time?

Louis's thoughts stirred. It looked like he'd just been transferred to CP9. In other words, there was a good chance he'd been lying about being CP9's chief.

"Of course, Chief."

Louis nodded. Even if Spandine wasn't chief now, he surely would be someday. There was no harm in building a good relationship with him. The man's connections were unbelievable.

Night had fallen, but the entire training camp was still brightly lit. For the trainees gathered there, it was still early. Some even trained through the night. If they didn't want to be eliminated, they had to work themselves to the bone. Everyone knew that. Even Xiluo was rarely around when they were training on their own.

"Wow, it's huge! This place is enormous! The training grounds are much bigger than CP5's!"

Spandine gaped in amazement, showing none of a chief's dignity. From what he'd said, he'd been at CP5 before.

CP5?

Louis's thoughts stirred.

"Wow, b-beautiful!"

Spandine suddenly froze, drool streaming down like a waterfall. Louis had only ever read descriptions like that in over-the-top novels. This was his first time seeing it in real life. "She's gorgeous!"

Yerika emerged from the entrance of a training hall ahead, wiping sweat from her face with a towel.

"Chief, she's just a defeated opponent of mine."

Louis said evenly.

"Wow, a defeated opponent? Kid, you have no sense of romance! You can't call a beauty like that a defeated opponent. Well, you could, I guess—but in bed, heh heh heh."

Spandine leered. "You're only twelve. You don't know anything."

"Hey, you! How about becoming my woman?"

Spandine strode forward with shameless confidence, and his brazen words predictably enraged Yerika.

"Smack!"

As Spandine stared in terror, Yerika's punch came too fast for him to react—but Louis intercepted it.

Holding Yerika's fist, Louis said calmly, "Miss Yerika, please calm down. This is Mr. Spandine, the chief of CP9."

"..."

Yerika gave him a mocking smile and turned to leave.

"Whew, that woman!"

Still shaken, Spandine flew into a rage and grabbed Louis by the clothes. "Hey, Louis! You said she was your defeated opponent, right? Take her out! Take her out for me!"

"No, forget it. Don't take her out,"

Spandine said, his furious expression suddenly softening into a lovesick grin. "She looks beautiful even when she's so fierce!"

"Chief, if you're going to moon over someone, please pay attention to the situation,"

Louis remarked casually. "She's one of this year's top trainees too. She might end up in the CP9 you lead someday. It'd be a waste to throw her away, wouldn't it?"

"Uh..."

Spandine was taken aback.

"Besides, Chief, are you really interested in the women—the female agents—inside the CP series?"

Louis chuckled.

"Right, those trainees..."

Spandine seemed to understand. "But are we really just going to let her off?"

"Don't rush, Chief,"

Louis said with a knowing smile. "Once she officially joins CP9, won't she be at your mercy? If she doesn't make it into CP9, then there's no need to say anything. You won't even have to take revenge."

"Brilliant, brilliant! Louis, you really get it,"

Spandine said, nodding. "This training camp is still that bastard's turf, after all. Fine, I'll give that bitch some time!"

So Louis continued showing Spandine around the base until they ran into several men in black suits.

"Mr. Spandine, please don't wander off on your own,"

the lead man in the black suit said, not particularly politely. "You're causing us trouble."

"Hey, you bastard! Are you telling me what to do?"

Spandine shouted angrily.

"All right, Mr. Spandine, please come with us. We've already prepared the ship that leaves tomorrow morning, and you should get some rest now."

The man in the black suit didn't budge. He then added, "The beauty you requested has already been sent to your room."

"Oh!"

Spandine's angry face instantly turned into a lascivious grin. "Heh heh heh, you guys aren't so bad after all!"

They were obviously playing him for a fool.

Louis sighed.

"Sorry for the trouble, kid. See you again at CP9."

Spandine said goodbye to Louis impatiently.

"Chief,"

Louis stepped forward and leaned close to Spandine's ear, speaking softly. "I heard you say you used to work at CP5. I have a friend who just joined CP5, and I was hoping..."

He told Spandine about Dylan.

"No problem, that's easy,"

Spandine promised generously. "Leave it to me. Everyone at CP5 is one of my people!"

"Then, goodbye."

Louis smiled.

"Goodbye, goodbye."

Spandine waved impatiently and left with the men in black suits.

Before leaving, the lead man in the black suit gave Louis a long look. Louis sighed softly. This was trouble.

"Heh heh heh, looks like you've gotten yourself into a heap of trouble this time, Brother Louis."

Xiluo appeared from nowhere, his voice brimming with schadenfreude.

"What do you mean?"

Louis considered it, then asked in reply. He needed to understand the situation in detail.