"I need to find a reliable detective to protect me. Unfortunately, Talim told me that plenty of detectives have already been hired by other reporters lately-"
Mike walked down the street, holding a sheet of paper covered in writing, feeling rather troubled.
Recently, the Fried Company had assigned an interview task to the reporters working for them. The assignment required them to visit the East Borough. Journalism was a relatively respectable profession, and going to the East Borough was no simple matter for them.
Thieves, thugs, and gangs ran rampant in the East Borough. It was the most dangerous part of Backlund, and no reporter could risk venturing there alone. Anyone reckless enough to do so was bound to come to a bad end.
At best, they would be robbed of everything they carried. At worst, they would become a corpse in the Tussock River.
Mike was well informed. He knew that many of his colleagues had sought out private detectives to help them enter the East Borough, which meant that-he was now having trouble finding a reliable detective himself.
Of course, that difficulty would only last two or three days, but for a newspaper, whoever published the information gathered from their interviews first would capture a larger share of the market.
Although Mike was not a reporter who contributed to the Fried Company, his own newspaper's editor-in-chief had also assigned him to cover related news in the East Borough.
With the Fried Company looming over them, a giant that had risen abruptly over the past few months, Mike felt immense pressure. He could almost see his bonus slipping farther and farther away.
"Perhaps I could ask some of my other friends-by tomorrow at the latest. No, I have to find a reliable detective or bodyguard by tonight. If necessary,