Host, Please Be Honest! What Exactly Are You?



~Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

Elric's fingers drummed in a steady rhythm.

Everyone had their heads lowered, uncountable thoughts racing through their minds.

And in a corner were several police officers tasked with protecting Elric, as well as intercepting any phone calls that might be of importance.

Typically, Elric didn't like working with police officers when dealing with matters.

But seeing as this problem had turned into a national one, his safety and the opportunity to get any vital information was too important for them to miss. 

You must know that any news from Elric will also help the other kidnapped idols. 

It wasn't just Elric who had police tailing and watching over him. 

The parents of those idols also had people beside them. 

"Mr. Elric. We are obliged to report this matter to our superiors." One of the officers stated. 

Anything related to the case, be it useful or not, must reach their superior's ears. 

Hmmmm... 

Elric slowly lifted his head. "As you wish."

The more, the better. 

This way, even if his people fail to protect him, others would do the work for him, no?

Elric slowly rose to his feet, wearing his coat and preparing to head out. 

As planned, he had to meet them at the rendezvous point close to the gravesite first. 

And because the so-called caller might be a threat, they must clear out all civilians around, including bloggers and news reporters. 

The mysterious caller said he was innocent. But until he can receive confirmation, why should he drop his guard?

Hmph!

Unless he gets confirmation, then forget it!

RING~

Speak of the devil. 

Everyone else froze in their tracks, with several others rushing back to their seats and placing their headphones on. 

They clicked several bottoms and gave Elric the go-ahead. 

Elric took deep breaths, seeing the unidentifiable caller iD. 

He calmly picked up his phone and listened attentively. And soon, his eyes widened only briefly. 

"Wiggins... Are you sure you can vouch for him?"

[On my life, Elric. You've heard of the renowned digging machine, Old Gia from the east, haven't you?]

Elric nodded slightly. Of course he heard of him. And he had also seen him twice from a distance too.

.

Old Gia...

Elric didn't know him personally, but the man's character was well-known to many.

He was lethal but straightforward, hated cutting corners, and didn't like tricks or foul play.

He knew a lot about Old Gia because, as a powerful person, when traveling worldwide, one must know the list of people to not anger.

He has visited many countries in the past. So how could he not know the powerful people living in those regions? 

As they say, Ignorance was a crime that could lead to more catastrophes. 

When on someone's turf, you must always be vigilant, even if he is stinking rich.

Of course, he would never go looking for trouble. But he also wasn't one to sit back when bullied.

Alright.

Elric's eyes flickered. "Wiggins... Since you're confident, then I'll trust you this once. And... Thank you."

[Anytime. You're my good brother. So how can I let our little lady stay lost? I am her godfather, after all, no?]

"Hmmm.... I'll be seeing you soon."

~Tut.

The Call disconnected, and several people let out collective sighs. 

Elric's men knew who Wiggins was. 

In the military, who didn't know this man? He was particularly famous within the northern military Fort. 

Elric trusted him mightily. He met Wiggins when they were both teens. And since then, they've stayed close. 

Elric was grateful, thinking Wiggins pulled out all his cards to invite specialists to handle the matter. 

He swore that once he reunited with his daughter, he would give Wiggins a big gift. 

Hey... That 11th-century antique in his most prized collection will have to go out.

Every time Wiggins visited his private collection room, the bastard:s eyes always landed on it.

Like that, Elric was ready to pour his gratitude out for Wiggins, not knowing the mysterious guests had reached out to help on their own. 

Lucky Wiggins had won a treasure for nothing. 

(^∆^)

.

Elric was in a slightly better mood, listening to Wiggins' confirmation. 

Now, he couldn't wait to meet up with these strangers from the east. 

The police officers were about to report matters when their superiors reached out to them first. 

In the end, the officers nodded tactfully, silently following behind Elric. 

This matter keeps getting weirder and weirder. 

How does the mysterious person know the idols are still alive on the gravesite? 

They have searched with high-end military technologies and haven't even sensed a single living person around those parts. 

No scans, no heat rays, nothing at all had sensed the missing people. 

Of course, they also had the entire ground space checked to see if there were tunnels running underneath.

Who knows if there was a dummy tombstone there that revealed a hidden passageway? 

Well, at least that's what many thought after exhausting all possibilities. 

In the end, the crime scene was too clean. But yet, these people far out in the east claimed that the idols were still alive and kicking on the gravesite.

So does anyone think it's normal? Or could they have spotted some unbelievable clue while watching the many live broadcast videos? 

Augh~

Questions, questions... So many questions.

But who to ask? 

~Pap! 

Elric's vehicle doors were shut, and just like that, the group rushed out to the rendezvous point. 

It's been 2 hours since the mysterious man's call.

And they were to meet the man and his group in another 2 and a half hours. 

Of course, from his home to the rendezvous point would take at least 1 hour and 30 minutes.

But with the traffic alone, leaving the city and parking his vehicle close enough to the rendezvous point will take 2 hours and ten minutes. 

And then, he has to walk on foot for an additional 10~15 minutes. 

So in the end, he might only have a few minutes to spare before the meet-up time. 

.

Tick-Tock. Tick-Tock. 

Time flowed like stream water. 

Elric was given 4 and a half hours after the phone call to prepare. But he wasn't the only one doing so. 

The police were on the scene, readying the site by stopping people from trespassing. 

Now, no one can even make it close to the gravesite or even the river those idols crossed. 

Military personnel also descended on the scene, to a heads up from Old Gia's side. 

As expected, influential people know powerful people. 

Though old Gia didn't talk much, this tone and heaviness told Wiggins the danger might be terrible. 

The only thing he got was that the matter was beyond the higher military urgency level available. 

So what did he do? He quickly contacted 2 of his military 'rivals,' telling them about the matter. He more or less knew what their schedules were like and knew they would be available.

They were his rivals, the good sorts, who constantly competed with him, especially when it came to seeing whose division was better. 

Hey... A little rivalry was enough to stimulate the many soldiers underneath them. 

In times like this, Wiggins felt he should call for the best in taking down this deadly threat.

But he also didn't want too many people around, lest they alerted the enemy, who might be hiding somewhere in watch. 

If they came in overwhelming numbers, they might push the enemy group to a desperate corner. 

And by then, their hostages/idols might be in danger. 

Tricky... Tricky. 

Wiggins quickly contacted his son, who, in turn, agreed to go on the mission. 

Sure enough, a tiger must birth another tiger. 

His son had made him proud too. And 

Though he admitted that Old Gia's children were indeed more talented, his son wasn't all too far behind too.

At least here in the country of Vardos, acetal people had already seen his son's vibrant potential. 

His son has made a man for himself over the years and is now a Company commander, overseeing 250 people who go by the name the Red Scorpions. 

His company consisted of 4 platoons, which were all strong too. 

.

Back to the matter at hand, his 23-year-old son and 5 others from his son's group will team with himself and 9 others. 

As for his old rivals, they didn't want to miss this matter, feeling it might be a heavy one, especially since it concerned a now national problem. 

So each of them was coming with 15 people too. 

The police commissioner and a few superiors from public defense would also be sending in 20 people, some cops, and some FBI. 

Already, many people were waiting to meet the mysterious guests alongside Elric. 

When the call came in, it was already late afternoon. 

And in a blink of an eye, the hours had turned, and the day slowly faded to darkness. 

9:48 PM.

Everyone heard a familiar yet unfamiliar sound approaching above.

Whoop. Whoop. Whoop!~

A stream of choppers was fast approaching.

Was it them?