Fate Online: Shadow

"Yeah, why?" Michael knew that Malone is referring to the groups of War Angel, Black Skull, and War Temple.

"These three keeps in other in check, right? They are preventing a lot of troublesome things like crime and whatnot from happening in the city, especially in their territories"

"And the one that keeps them in check are us, the police, and calling them "militias", ehhh...you know what I mean. So as I was saying earlier, they are the ones who prevent a lot of troublesome things in the streets, you know, illegal things. After all, no one among them wants the police snooping around their territories, especially now that they have a legal company running behind them"

"So...what are you trying to say?" Michael said, a little bit annoyed at Malone’s long-drawn explanation.

Officer Malone sighed, a little bit irritated from getting interrupted.

"Look... this thing only stays between us, okay?" Malone whispered.

"Okay" Michael looked suspiciously at Malone.

Malone once more looked around, then he acted like he was questioning Michael when another police officer came passing by in front of them, and when that other officer is gone.

"This is just something I heard...but publicly, Central City is part of Northern Rica Principality, but in truth, the city and including its surrounding areas are already considered as an autonomous region, under Mine Tech. Industries"

"Okay, I’m out of here. Let’s go grab some drinks some other time, yeah?"

"Wait...what!?"

Malone whispered, then he quickly ran off after saying that.

Michael was shocked by that last information and wanted to stop Malone and ask more about it, but the man in question was already long gone by then.

Michael never knew about this information since he had lived overseas almost all of his life in his past timeline, and at the same time, he was also angry at Officer Malone.

’F*cking jerk didn’t tell me why I was an as*hole for killing Steve!’

’And he’s too much of a blabbermouth for a police officer’

Michael then put a thoughtful look with a hand on his chin, as he processed the information that Officer Malone told him.

’An autonomous region huh?’

’Mine Tech. Industries must be really powerful that they could exert almost full control of the second biggest city in the country’

’But I’m more interested why Malone said that the three gangs keeps each other in check and doesn’t cause trouble when its a clear fact that Black Skull loves causing trouble’

Michael stopped his thought when he realized something.

’Ohh, now that I think about it, the only troubles happening around the city are neighbors fighting, robbers robbing people in the street or some small skirmishes between the gangs, but there’s ever no mention of murder, kidnapping or other similar degrees of crimes in the news’

’Thinking about it, the last murder case that happened in the city was three years ago, and the last one was just over a week ago, which is my own doing’

A lot of thoughts are swimming through Michael’s head right now. In fact, Michael knows that it’s impossible to keep a city in check this big like Central City, so he concluded that there might be a hidden organization that’s keeping and cleaning the dirt of the city.

’Whoever they are, they aren’t my problem anymore’

’Unless of course, they come after me’

Michael smiled as a cold glint flashed through his eyes.

*****

"Were you okay over there? Did they force you to say anything?" Michael quickly stood up from his seat and walked towards Amanda when he saw her getting out of the interrogation room.

"I’m fine, they just asked me about the fight that happened between us and Steve’s group before" Amanda smiled and replied.

"Ohh"’ Michael could only utter those words.

"Mr. Grey?"

Michael was about to open his mouth and say something when an officer suddenly called out to him.

"Anyway, do you want to have an early dinner with me after this, or maybe we can go to the park?" Michael waved to the officer and then turned to Amanda.

"Sure thing," Amanda thought for a couple of seconds before she gave him an answer which made Michael smile.

"Okay, let me finish this first" Michael as he quickly followed after the officer to the direction of the interrogation room.

Amanda looked at his back and gave a huge sigh of relief.

"Phew, that was nerve-wracking being inside there" Amanda muttered as she took a seat and started reading some magazine as she waited for Michael to finish.

"You done?"

"Yeah"

"That was fast"

"Well, I don’t really know Steve that much except that day when we got into a fight with him"

A few minutes later, Michael came out and he quickly led Amanda outside and headed towards somewhere else

Meanwhile.

"Who’s next?" an old man around mid-fifties, and wearing a decorated police uniform asked the young detective beside him.

"That’s all, sir" the detective nervously replied.

"Give me that!"

The old man looked at him, then snatched the folder from the detective’s hands and started browsing through the files of the people that could be a suspect to the murder case.

The officers inside the darkly lit room nervously waited for the old man.

"This...he was the last one, right?"

"Yes sir"

Then the old man suddenly stopped before Michael’s profile and pointed at his photo.

"Him....look into him"

"But sir, the man, and the victim can only be considered strangers, except for that one time that they had a confrontation with each other" the detective tried to reason with the old man.

"What’s your name?" the old man asked.

"Arthur Morgan, sir" the detective called Arthur answered.

The old man smiled and said as he patted Arthur’s shoulder, "Sometimes, the most inconspicuous things are the ones that hold the clue to the answer"

"Do you get what I’m trying to say, Detective Morgan?"

"Yes, sir!"

The old man smiled, "Now, investigate the young man. I want every information about the man by tomorrow, you got it?"

"Yes sir!"

Then the old man left, which made the other’s breath a sigh of relief upon his departure.