Chapter 6. 81%
“Tomorrow, articles about the Major will be published in Global Times, Daily Guardian, and Weekly Earth. The Daily Guardian will also include criticism of former Lieutenant General Logan, who continues to run a guild with support from the Japanese government despite committing misconduct, and the Defense Force’s upper ranks’ treatment of whistleblowers.”
“Hmm.”
Lucas checked the documents while listening to Caleb’s report. It was a statement summarizing the interrogation of the villains who caused the terrorist attack.
“Thomas is doing a good job.”
Flipping through the pages, Lucas quickly read the statement while conversing with Caleb. The day after the terrorist incident, he had contacted Thomas and instructed him to create favorable public opinion about Iberis. And, while at it, to attack Livio and the Defense Force leadership.
Thomas acted swiftly upon receiving Lucas’s contact. News outlets under his influence simultaneously reported on Iberis. Every article praised his achievements.
Thomas, who had long lived as the head of the Blake family on behalf of Lucas and was experienced in many ways, didn’t stop there. He went a step further by proposing print and online banner advertisements to newspapers he wasn’t usually associated with, requesting follow-up articles.
Journalists, sensing money, touched on the ‘Livio Logan Scandal’ as Thomas intended. They reported on Iberis, a righteous whistleblower, facing retaliatory personnel measures and not receiving proper support from headquarters.
In contrast, they revealed that Livio, the scandal’s subject, was thriving as the head of the Mars Guild. Many people criticized the Defense Force and Mars Guild for this reversal of roles between perpetrator and victim. Even countries with lingering resentment towards the Defense Force from past incidents joined in and added their voices.
Even within the military, criticism was growing, led by reform-minded soldiers. It was Winfried’s handiwork.
“It seems I made the right choice in entrusting this to Thomas. He has reason to be confident. When did he become so close with the media…?”
“It’s a foundation for when you return to your true self later, sir. I’m glad my brother’s hard work has paid off.”
Caleb spoke as if it were nothing special. As he said, Blake Pharmaceutical and Medical Equipment Company had maintained friendly relationships with several newspapers for a long time. It was an action taken for the day when Lucas would return to being ‘Lucas Lowell Blake’ from ‘Luke Illum’ after avenging his parents.
Thomas believed that when the culprit behind the Blake family tragedy was caught and the truth revealed, Lucas couldn’t completely avoid criticism. Although it was to avenge his parents, the fact that he had deceived people for about 10 years couldn’t be denied.
So Thomas paid special attention to managing media outlets to ensure that Lucas would receive less criticism and have far more supporters when the truth came out. It was to ensure public opinion wouldn’t be a problem whenever the truth was revealed.
Caleb was slightly dissatisfied that the media outlets his brother had painstakingly managed for years were being used for Iberis instead of Lucas. Although he respected Iberis as a superior and sympathized with his story, blood was thicker than water. He didn’t want to use things prepared for Lucas for other purposes.
“Contact Thomas and tell him to gradually reduce articles about the Major and focus on attacking the Defense Force and Livio Logan.”
“… You want to do more from here?”
“We must. If you’ve drawn the sword, you should cut something, right? The Defense Force is still turning a blind eye and deaf ear despite the public uproar.”
Lucas clicked his tongue in disapproval. The Defense Force had maintained a non-responsive stance when the Livio Logan scandal surfaced and interview requests from reporters flooded in.
It would be best for them to pretend ignorance, given that conservative figures who had sided with him at the time still occupied half of the leadership.
Naturally, Lucas had no intention of leaving things as they were. The old foxes of the Defense Force had to pay the price for hurting Iberis and driving him to the periphery.
“They seem to expect things to quiet down on their own like last time as time passes… but we can’t let that happen.”
His golden eyes, darker than usual, shone sharply. Come to think of it, Iberis receiving a terminal diagnosis was also because the military leadership didn’t provide proper support.
If they had somehow found a suitable guide before his body became irreversibly damaged, assigned him to a mission area with less work and easier tasks than N-Zone, or even supplied him with top-grade sedatives and purifiers without restraint, he wouldn’t have become terminally ill in the first place.
For this reason, Lucas disliked the Defense Force as much as Livio. Honestly, he wanted to leave the military with Iberis right away. It was frustrating that he couldn’t do so because there was still work to be done within the Defense Force.
“If the media continues to shape public opinion, they’ll eventually have to bow their heads. Let’s pressure the Defense Force from our side when the timing is right.”
“By our side… you mean Blake Pharmaceutical?”
“Yes. There’s a clause in the contract with Defense Force partner companies that allows for termination if either party commits a disgraceful act or becomes embroiled in controversy, right? I’m thinking of using that to demand the Defense Force issue a statement about this incident… what do you think?”
“It doesn’t sound bad. The Defense Force, with its tight finances, can’t afford to miss the opportunity to receive our pharmaceutical products at a low cost.”
“Exactly. The conservatives might not, but the reformists and neutrals won’t sit still. I should contact Lieutenant General Bismarck again.”
Having decided on how to pressure the Defense Force leadership, Lucas put down the statement he was holding.
“We can leave public opinion management to Thomas and Lieutenant General Bismarck as we’ve been doing… The problem is the villains. I’ve read the statement, but there’s nothing useful. What’s going on?”
“I’m sorry.”
Caleb lowered his head with a dark expression at Lucas’s rebuke. He was currently in charge of interrogating the villains who attacked Iberis to uncover their backers.
“It’s certain there’s a mastermind, but tracking them down isn’t easy. The villains know surprisingly little… And the whereabouts of those who escaped capture at that time are also unclear.”
“Hmm, is it difficult to find traces even if we assume that Guild Master Logan was the one who ordered the Major’s assassination?”
“Yes. It seems they used several intermediaries and errand runners to avoid direct contact with the villains and conceal their identity. The intermediaries we identified were found dead yesterday and today, and the building housing the errand service burned down completely.”
“I guess they’re cutting loose ends since the assassination failed.”
“Seems so. And the military investigation bureau keeps sending requests to hand over the terrorists… I’m not sure how long we can keep them.”
Caleb scratched the back of his head while watching Lucas’s reaction. Normally, crimes related to the Defense Force were under the jurisdiction of the military investigation bureau. Even for terrorist victims, it was forbidden for units other than the investigation bureau to privately interrogate criminals.
In this case, due to the urgent arrest at the scene and suspicions of insider collusion with the villains, the N-0 unit was exceptionally granted investigative authority. However, the investigation bureau would clearly feel their territory had been encroached upon. This was evident from their continuous requests for custody transfer since last week.
“Ask Lieutenant General Bismarck to mediate with the investigation bureau.”
“Mediate?”
“We do need their help to track down the mastermind. It’s right to shift towards joint investigation with them at this point.”
“But…”
“Of course, we can’t hand them over easily. There’s a high possibility that former Lieutenant General Logan has his pawns there too.”
Just how far do his connections reach? Lucas clicked his tongue in displeasure. He was almost certain that Livio was behind this incident. All the information gathered and visible circumstances pointed to him.
The problem was the lack of decisive evidence to implicate Livio. He was so slippery, like a loach, both in the past and now, making it difficult to catch his tail. He was always meticulous, but he became even more cautious after the scandal three years ago caught him off guard.
“For now, just send a few small fries who really don’t know anything to the investigation bureau. That should keep them quiet for a few days.”
“Understood.”
“The important ones are those with information. We just need to keep those guys from the investigation bureau. What about the heads of the villain organizations?”
“They were quite defiant at first, but now they’re behaving.”
“Any suspicious ones? Anyone who seems to be hiding something?”
“There are a few suspicious individuals. We’ve been intensively questioning them daily, but they’re not opening their mouths at all.”
“Hmm.”
Lucas hummed lowly while checking his wristwatch. Soon, Iberis would come to receive guidance from him.
“…About 40 minutes left? It’s a bit tight.”
Lucas muttered to himself, estimating the time left. After a moment of contemplation, he stood up, seemingly having made a decision. It seemed okay to go for a short while.
“Guide me to the one you think knows something. Is there anyone who might talk with a little push?”
“Two come to mind… Are you going to interrogate them yourself?”
“I need to check if they really don’t know anything or if they’re waiting for the right moment to make a deal. Since you couldn’t get anything out of them, it seems like the former, but you never know.”
“I’m sorry. It’s because of my inadequacy…”
“No, it’s not. Anyway, let’s go. We need to finish before the Major arrives.”
Lucas, who had taken off his gown and hung it on the coat rack, patted Caleb’s shoulder as if telling him to lead the way. The two quickly headed to the basement where the heads of the villain organizations were being held.
