Time to fan the flames

Unlike the turbulent undercurrents within the Destiny Organization, the Wetting Conglomerate's Alt Branch was an oasis of harmony.

Having distinguished herself during the attack, Miss Esnie naturally received a commendation from the company.

Inside the top-floor office of the Wetting Conglomerate.

The black-haired girl in a straight-cut trench coat looked a little ill at ease.

Jonas looked at the girl before him and said with a smile:

"You're here. Have a seat."

At his words, the girl named Esnie sat down across from Jonas, took a deep breath, and asked:

"What did you want to see me about, Mr. Jonas?"

"Thanks to you, Miss Esnie, we were able to keep our losses within acceptable limits during the last attack on the Alt Branch."

Jonas passed a teacup to Esnie and asked:

"Is there anything you'd like?"

Esnie had not expected Jonas to summon her for something like this. She froze for a moment, then shook her head and said:

"I was only doing my duty. Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Jonas."

"That's a shame."

As he spoke, Jonas glanced at the collar around the girl's neck. Seemingly noticing his gaze, she reddened around the ears.

Jonas looked away and spoke as though something had just occurred to him:

"Ah, right. Miss Celine's condition has improved with the treatment she's received lately. When you have time, I'll arrange for you to see her."

At this, Esnie could no longer stay seated. She rose to her feet, looked at Jonas, and asked:

"Really?"

"Of course."

There was a hint of amusement in Jonas's eyes, but he took no offense at Esnie's reaction.

As if realizing she had lost her composure, Esnie awkwardly raised her hands a little. Seeing that he did not mind, she relaxed again and said:

"Thank you so much."

"I told you, I won't mistreat any loyal employee."

Jonas smiled. Seemingly noticing Esnie's evasive gaze, he said:

"Besides, Miss Esnie, you haven't broken the promise between us."

The girl had never taken the collar off since putting it on. That alone spoke volumes.

And as an incentive, he naturally needed to offer an appropriate reward.

Esnie's cheeks warmed at his words. She understood his implication perfectly, yet another thought could not help stirring deep inside her.

Perhaps the decision I made back then wasn't so bad after all.

But she quickly shook her head, pushing the thought away.

Jonas waved a hand, looked Esnie in the eyes, and said:

"All right. I'll let you know later."

Relieved, Esnie lingered no longer. She said goodbye, then turned and left.

Once the girl had left, Jonas returned his attention to his communications interface.

The information on Aungus Ian had been compiled into a file and placed in his personal inbox.

Things should have progressed far enough over at the Destiny Organization by now...

He thought for a moment, then found the Federal Tax Bureau's contact details in his communications interface.

Next, he sent over the file of information he had compiled on Aungus Ian.

It was time to fan the flames.

Enlis District.

Amau Sueko had returned, but she had brought a considerable problem back with her.

It was a short video, only a little over ten seconds long, yet it captured the entire sequence of Amau Sueko shooting Ian Strala dead.

The impact of this video far exceeded what the Destiny Organization's leadership had anticipated.

The effort to rescue Amau Sueko had resulted in the annihilation of the Fourth Task Force.

That incident had already sparked considerable conflict within the organization. In the end, only Aungus's forceful stance had silenced the voices of discontent.

This latest incident was like a fuse, igniting all the resentment that had built up in people's hearts.

In just one night, demands for the Destiny Organization's leadership to thoroughly investigate Amau Sueko drowned out every other voice.

It left Aungus, who firmly believed this was the Wetting Conglomerate's scheme to sow discord, scrambling to contain the fallout.

Judging solely by the contents of the video, Amau Sueko had undoubtedly shot and killed her comrade, Ian Strala.

Aungus did not believe Amau Sueko would betray the Destiny Organization.

But faced with all this evidence, even if he wanted to shield Amau Sueko, he could find no reasonable excuse to appease the organization's other members.

He dared not publicly claim that the Wetting Conglomerate had fabricated the video through some means. After all, if its authenticity was proven, it would undoubtedly establish Amau Sueko's guilt.

What was more, Amau Sueko was still unconscious, making it even harder to learn what had actually happened.

Aungus could vaguely sense the powerful hand stirring things up behind the scenes, but he was utterly powerless to do anything about it.

And just as Aungus was struggling with this trouble, a commotion came from outside the Earlkes Bar.

It only worsened the already-irritated Aungus's headache. He stood up and opened the door, but just as he was about to speak, the man before him made him freeze in place.

"Mr. Aungus, correct?"

The Federal Tax Bureau investigator, dressed in a suit and holding an electronic recorder, addressed Aungus.

"We've discovered that you've received substantial funds in violation of regulations. We'll need you to cooperate with our investigation."