112 ‘Hidden’ Assistants

As Error's words echoed inside the conference room, a thick and heavy silence paralyzed all of them.

Then:

"Is this true?"

Lu Shen's voice was very, very soft.

"Boss, of course! Who do you think I am? I already sent you the recorded file. I've also included the things that happened to Miss Hui after she flew to Shanghai. Boss, did you know that your ex-fiancée was acquainted with Liu Jun, that famous singer? They've been spending their days on Shanghai together!"

After saying his piece, Error looked at Lu Shen eagerly. Wasn't he clever? If he hadn't eavesdropped on Miss Hui, who knows when the boss will learn of this.

Those two old farts would certainly try to make this broken engagement all go hush-hush...ahh, maybe the boss will raise my salary! I've worked so hard these past few days that I missed watching the latest episode of my favorite anime...uwu, at least I got some good gossip out of it. Kurisu-chan, wait for me!

Error and the rest of the people inside the room were what one would call as Lu Shen's 'hidden' assistants. They did the odd jobs that couldn't exactly be considered as legal...things that would make the faint-hearted Assistant Yan sweat bullets just by imagining it.

Lu Shen's 'business trip' to Hong Kong wasn't actually related to the Lu Corporation, but a conference meeting with the spies he had scattered all over the country to find the identity of the culprit.

As Error and the rest of them waited for Lu Shen's response, the man leaned back on his chair and closed his eyes.

"Leave," he said simply.

Error opened his mouth to ask...but realized that all the people inside the room were very quiet on getting out of their chairs. A man had even flinched when he put down his pen on the table and it made a nearly inaudible 'clack' sound.

Uhhh...what's going on...

One of the women Error knew, alias Silver, gestured for him to follow her. Still confused, Error obediently did as she instructed and went out of the door. As soon as the door closed, all the people that had gotten out sank to their knees, their whole body shaking.

Only Error stood there, unable to understand why these people were acting like they had just nearly escaped death by the skin of their teeth.

"Don't ask," Silver whispered on his ear, tugging at his hand. "Not yet."

They piled up on the elevator, and only when they reached Silver's Rolls-Royce on the underground parking garage did Silver finally turn towards Error.

"You stupid otaku! Why did you spout so much useless crap?! That man could have ordered for all of us to be assassinated without blinking an eye!"

Error was offended by this accusation.

"What did I do? I saved all of your asses, okay! If I hadn't interrupted him at the right time..."

"Yes, we did owe you for that." Silver sighed.

It was not out of the lack of effort that they hadn't been able to grasp the culprit. It was because he was slimy like an eel, almost never leaving any traces behind.

They were all prodigies with each having their own unique skill, but they weren't omnipotent. They couldn't possibly conclude anything without hard evidence.

And if all the evidence were erased, then what the hell were they supposed to do? Give him hypotheses that they conjured out of thin air?

But Silver knew that the boss was also right for accusing them of their incompetence. They were being paid by the hour, and they were supposed to 'earn' them. Silver had endless offers from top companies all over the world, but the salary given to them by this businessman was something that even Silver had to wipe off her drool when thinking about.

"So why did you accuse me?" Error said unhappily. "Since you admit that you owe me one."

Silver shook her head. "You might not have sensed it. You always cage yourself in with your computer, so you don't have my instincts. I've been an undercover informant for many years, and I've developed a keen sense for danger. I'm sure the others felt it too."

That the situation just now had been very dangerous.

But this left Silver feeling confused. The boss' attitude only changed right after he heard Error saying that the engagement had been broken. Silver had never seen the boss so agitated. It felt surreal.

Could it be...because of his fiancée?