I, The Janitor! Chapter 204: Meeting? Usurpation! (Part 2) - Novel Cool

Chapter 204: Meeting? Usurpation! (Part 2)

Chapter 204: Meeting? Usurpation! (Part 2)

Oddly enough, why hasn't the meeting started yet?

The group inside the room had already prepared for the meeting, but after waiting for a while, they noticed that the leader, who was supposed to preside over the meeting, hadn't spoken a word. This prompted curious glances from the others.

Soon after, they realized that the leader, who had just been intimidatingly interrogating "Little Bavin," was now strangely staring at him in a daze.

His eyes, bloodshot from a sleepless night, revealed a mix of apprehension, confusion, panic, and bewilderment—a plethora of weak and chaotic emotions. Coupled with his slightly graying temples, he appeared...

Old.

Yes, old!

This bizarre thought popped into the minds of the bandits in the room, startling them.

Their leader, in reality, was not yet fifty years old. Although his face showed signs of aging, and his eyes often carried an inexplicable weariness, he was still in the prime of his life.

Among the bandits in the room, some resented his authoritarianism, questioned his decisions, and even plotted to overthrow him and take his place. But none of them truly believed he was old.

However, now...

"Leader?"

With a slightly rising tone at the end, the bandits' gazes shifted from the head of the long table to the lowest-seated "Little Bavin."

This young man, not yet twenty, had a slender build but stood tall. Even seated on a backless stool, his back remained straight, showing no signs of stooping.

He, too, seemed to have had a restless night, as his black hair was slightly disheveled, and his collar was even frosted. His eyes were bloodshot, but they remained lively and sharp, as if radiating his boundless energy.

Especially when he looked at the leader at the head of the table, his gaze was piercing, almost captivating, like a young predator that had spotted a weak prey with nowhere to run, ready to unleash its sharp claws...

Was this the "tiger" that Tig had mentioned? Indeed, it seemed so...

After witnessing this stark contrast, everyone in the room, except for little Fifi, who was sucking on a lollipop, had the same thought.

The leader... seemed to have truly aged.

...

Unaware that his "capturing desire" for middle-aged Joseph had been misinterpreted by the bandits as a grand ambition, Leon, eager for intelligence, couldn't help but frown slightly and urge again:

"Nathan, sir!"

"You've already wasted a lot of unnecessary time by questioning my identity and doubting my abilities. It's time to continue the meeting!"

Hearing the loud reminder from "Little Bavin," the middle-aged man trembled slightly. He finally broke free from the strange sense of loss, but when he met the gazes of the others, the topic he had prepared all night became unusually difficult to articulate.

"..."

I think I know what just "slipped away" from me...

Feeling this inexplicable sense of being dominated and sensing the bandits' strange stares, the middle-aged man finally understood what he had lost after the two rounds of bargaining.

It was the initiative to control the situation, the "voice" that came with being the leader, the "trust" earned as a leader, and even the "blind obedience" cultivated through past correct judgments! These were the very foundation of power!

'Although I'm not well-read, politics is essentially about getting more people to believe in you, trust your judgment, and follow your lead, thereby gathering enough strength to change the status quo.'

Recalling the words he had heard from "Little Bavin" the night before and considering the current scene, the middle-aged man felt a wave of powerlessness.

So... Little Bavin revealed those two flaws to me to make me doubt myself in front of everyone, leading to two consecutive wrong judgments, thus shaking my credibility and seizing some of the initiative?

Could it be that he had planned this even before entering the meeting room, aiming to seize the leader's position from me? Or perhaps... even the questions last night were a test of my abilities?

...

Filled with questions and an overwhelming sense of crisis, the middle-aged man had no choice but to take a deep breath and follow Leon's "instructions," beginning the meeting:

"Today... we need to decide on our actions for the next period, starting with Tig."

He took out several marked maps from his prepared materials and pushed them across the long table, staring intently at "Little Bavin" as he spoke without expression:

"Your task remains the same as before: to lead people in setting fires in Looser Arcade and the surrounding wealthy areas, but the intensity and scope must continue to expand!"

Setting fires in Looser Arcade?

After hearing the middle-aged Joseph's words, Lyon's eyebrows furrowed slightly, recalling the task the red-haired director had given him—to investigate the arsonist lurking in the Looser Arcade. (Chapter 116)

Indeed, the director had chosen the right target. If he hadn't gone to save people at the Rose Manor, he might have encountered the Anomaly Bearer among the rogues even earlier. But why have the rogues been setting fires for so long without causing a major blaze? Their goal probably isn't just to attack the wealthy district.

"Great! This is a good job!"

As Lyon frowned in thought, the Burned Man took the map, glanced at it, and then smiled coldly, baring his teeth.

"When I worked at the smelting plant, I almost got scalded to death by molten metal. Those bastards at the factory claimed they had no money to compensate me, but they had enough to live in such nice houses. I've long wanted to set a big fire!"

"Be mindful of your limits."

After glancing at Lyon, who didn't object, the middle-aged man turned to the Burned Man and reminded him with a furrowed brow:

"Your goal isn't to hurt people, but to cause widespread arson and create panic. We want to pressure the rich to put pressure on the Police Department, diverting the patrols in the Capital City, making it easier for the others to act!"

"I know, I know. It's just a matter of being a target, right?"

The Burned Man waved his hand impatiently. "I'm an expert at this. There won't be any mistakes. Just tell me the next one!"

"..."

There was no reasoning with this reckless man. The middle-aged man took a deep breath and proceeded to assign tasks to the rest of the rogues.

"Oliver, you'll continue handling the transactions, but this time, in addition to buying weapons from the Lyon Arsenal Company, you must gather intelligence on the locations of several military warehouses through these arms deals.

During the chaotic period of the military's power transition, we need to seize the opportunity to raid these warehouses and acquire some high-powered weapons and bombs..."

"Next, Lucy and Luke, your tasks have changed. Lucy, you'll infiltrate the 'Gear' Shipping Company and investigate the private ships that don't cater to regular passengers.

As for Luke, you'll need to sneak into the Dock Tower and gather information on the airship schedules to Corlok Kingdom. You'll also plant bombs on the tower's critical support beams with the help of our ex-military members."

"What?!?!"

After hearing the middle-aged man's task assignments, not only did Lyon's pupils shrink, but the rogues in the room also erupted in an uproar.

The pot-bellied Oliver stood up first, his expression filled with astonishment as he asked:

"Sir Nathan, are you asking us to attack the Dock Tower?"

"To be precise, we're targeting an airship bound for the Corlok Kingdom."

After correcting Oliver, the middle-aged man calmly explained:

"Destroying the Dock Tower is only a last resort. My true hope is to eliminate the Corlok Kingdom's scouts and retrieve the mineral records they hold regarding the various counties in the kingdom."

The Corlok Kingdom's scouts? Mineral records of the kingdom's counties?

"What's the point of getting those records?"

The short-statured Luke couldn't help but stand up as well, voicing his doubts:

"We can't make use of those records. The Corlok Kingdom is the Machinery Capital, the strongest nation in the Western World. The kingdom still owes them money from six years ago!

Even if we succeed in this attack, if we end up destroying the Dock Tower and killing those scouts, the entire kingdom will be under immense pressure from the Corlok Kingdom. They'll hunt us down relentlessly, even if we successfully assassinate the king. The consequences might be worse than we imagine!"

"I understand, but this must be done."

The middle-aged man spoke up in response to the rogues' doubts:

"I still can't explain the reason to you, but just like my countless correct judgments in those critical moments, if we don't do this, only worse outcomes await us and this kingdom."

"But..."

"There are no 'buts.'"

The middle-aged man knocked on the table, his eyes calm as he declared:

"You must have some guesses about my true abilities. Now, I can tell you directly that the ability to move between all the gates in the Capital City is just a part of my power. My true ability is..."

"Nothing."

Lyon stood up from his chair at the end of the long table and walked to the door of the meeting room. He reached out to touch the nameplate on the door frame without turning back as he replied:

"You talk, and I'll touch."

(End of Chapter)

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