https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-193-Exposure-and-the-Director-s-Doubts/12969826/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-195-Covert-Surveillance-and-Encounter/12969828/
Chapter 194: The Scent
Chapter 194: The Scent
"I think it's time we change our leader."
After glancing at the empty seat at the head of the table, a middle-aged man with a slightly plump build surveyed the crowd around the long table and chuckled.
"Although this organization was founded by His Excellency Nathan, and he gathered us, everything changes. From my personal perspective, His Excellency Nathan is no longer fit to lead us. What do you all think?"
"What do I think? I don't want to think about it!"
As the plump middle-aged man finished speaking, a bald woman playing with a slingshot hummed in dissatisfaction.
"The leader is always the leader. He saved my life, and he helped me gain my abilities. I don't care how others see me; I only recognize him!"
"That's normal, very normal."
Unsurprised by the bald woman's attitude, the plump middle-aged man nodded at her and chuckled in explanation.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to deny His Excellency Nathan's achievements. We've all benefited from his kindness, even those who want a new leader. But whether you like it or not, His Excellency Nathan has aged. These past two years, he's no longer the infallible strategist he once was; instead, he's been making blunders."
As he spoke, the plump man's smile faded slightly, replaced by a hint of sadness. His mood sank as he continued, "A few years ago, we were all doing well. But since the failed assassination of the prince at the beginning of the year, things have taken a turn for the worse. First, Samantha was captured, and the abnormality, Bandage, was taken by the Purification Bureau.
Then, Barton, who was undercover in the Secret Investigation Bureau, was trapped inside by a cleaner named Lyon Lane while covering Samantha's escape, and he never returned.
After that, His Excellency Nathan led a team to seek revenge, sending David to infiltrate the Marquis Coronation Ceremony to use the 'Moment of Heartbeat' to assassinate Lyon Lane. But he, too, fell into the hands of the Purification Bureau and is unlikely to return.
Compared to the past few years, after losing three companions, this once crowded table has become emptier."
"... "
Unlike before, after the plump middle-aged man finished speaking, the rogue gang members around the table fell silent, gazing at the three empty chairs. Even the bald woman, a staunch supporter of the leader, remained quiet at this moment.
"Admittedly, His Excellency Nathan has made significant contributions in the past, but haven't we also sacrificed a lot?"
After a brief pause, sensing a slight shift in the gang's attitude, the plump middle-aged man's expression changed again. Pointing at the old woman and the little girl across the table, he slammed his fist on the table in anger.
"Forget about others, but what about Lucy and Phoebe? What have they given up for us these past years? When they joined us, they were young and vibrant, but frequent use of their abilities has caused one of them to regress in age, with intelligence below that of a five or six-year-old, unable to even speak a coherent sentence.
And while Lucy is slightly better, she's now an old woman, physically weaker than someone in their seventies or eighties. Can we honestly say that they've contributed less than His Excellency Nathan?"
"Enough beating around the bush!"
As the crowd around the table remained silent, a man with severe burns on his body grew impatient.
"Oliver, why don't you just say it straight? You want to replace His Excellency Nathan and take over as the leader yourself!"
"I do have that intention."
Upon hearing the burned man's words, the plump middle-aged man's anger subsided, and he couldn't hide his delight. His expression turned excited as he said,
"Do you all remember our initial motivation for joining? It was to avenge those who forced us into a dead-end! To destroy this rotten kingdom! To prevent our tragedies from repeating!
It wasn't to cause random destruction, picking fights with the military, parliament, nobility, and business tycoons. And certainly not to provoke the troublesome Purification Bureau!
So, my friends, it's time for a change."
After saying these words, the plump middle-aged man's expression cycled through joy, sadness, anger, and back to joy. He stood up, beaming with a suggestion.
"I believe His Excellency Nathan is no longer the man he used to be, and he's no longer fit to lead us.
"We must act now while we still have the chance to make changes! If we continue to let Nathan do as he pleases, it'll be too late!"
"I agree!"
The stout middle-aged man had barely finished speaking when the burned man, who had just impatiently snapped at him, surprisingly raised his hand without hesitation, the first to show his support.
"I don't agree with Oliver becoming the leader, but I agree with replacing the current one."
Facing the surprised gazes of the rogue gang, the burned man licked his lips and narrowed his eyes, saying, "I don't care about changing or running out of time. I feel that Nathan is not suitable to be the leader, mainly because compared to when I first met him, he no longer has that scent."
"What nonsense are you spouting again?"
After glaring at the burned man, who seemed even more brainless than herself, the bald woman stood up, scolding with displeasure, "What scent are you talking about? You're talking nonsense!"
"Of course, there is!"
The burned man shot the bald woman a disdainful glance and scoffed, "You can't smell it because it's a scent only the strong can detect. It's the scent of strength, the belief that even if you're broken to the point of having every bone in your body shattered, you can still stand up and bite your opponent to death with your teeth!"
"That's why I joined. I was attracted by Nathan's scent, and I believed he could achieve what he said, so I was willing to follow him."
"But these past two years, after each major operation, he would retreat for a period, and when he returned, his scent would be weaker. After the Marquis Coronation Ceremony, his scent changed again. Now, he smells like a young fawn that was weaned too early, weak and foul!"
"..."
After listening to the burned man's somewhat confusing speech, the rogue gang members managed to understand his meaning. Even the bald woman put aside her anger and sat back down, biting her lip.
The "scent of strength" the burned man mentioned, described less "beastly," might be called confidence.
Compared to the past leader, who exuded confidence, Nathan now seemed to emanate a strange air of despondency.
Like the mythical giant who pushed a stone up a mountain, only to watch it roll back down into the valley, the current leader seemed to have lost the unwavering faith he once possessed...
Could it be... time for a new leader?
"...
"Suck..."
Just as the rogue gang fell into silence, a loud inhalation echoed within the room.
The man with the burned face, his nostrils like two dark pits, greedily inhaled the unchanged air, then stood up, narrowing his eyes as he looked outside.
"Tiger! There's a hunting tiger out there! What a delicious scent!"
(End of Chapter)
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