The King's Mandate: Anomalous System

"As I just said, they are all over the country and keeping an eye on us. If we kill one of their men, they harm our families. And no one would want that," The officer said in a serious tone.

"This is… so cruel."

"Reality is always cruel. And this is nothing but a glimpse of the world we live in"

"I had no idea."

"Even the boys we caught, they will be freed soon with no charge."

"Wh..at?" Frances' eyes widened as he stood up and smashed her fist on the table, "No way! You have to do something!"

"We will try our best."

"No! You have to do something!"

The officer took a deep breath and sighed as he said, "I have high ups, and they have their high ups too. We need to follow the orders we get from them. If we don't, we get into a problem."

"..."

"All of them are greedy for money and power."

"I can't… accept this."

"There is nothing I can do--"

Ring~! Ring~!

The officer's phone rang.

"Excuse me."

Frances nodded.

The officer answered the call.

"Yes. Yes? Hmm. Yes. Yes? Okay. Hmm. Alright. Yes"

He hung to the call with a sigh.

"Miss, I want you to stay calm and listen carefully."

Frances nodded.

"Your boyfriend, he died a while ago."

"..."

"His body is currently being patched up, and they have already informed his parents."

"I… see."

"I know I asked you to stay calm, but you are awfully calm."

"I don't know how to react with all that stuff you just said a while ago."

"I had no intention to scare you, nor I am asking you to be scared of them. You are not at fault; please leave your life to the fullest."

"How am I supposed to live now?"

"Life gives many reasons to live, and you just have to find the right one."

"Say, officer. All officers have guns, right?"

"Yeah, they do."

"Do you have one too?"

"You can assume that"

"Can you show your gun to me?"

"Sure" The officer took out his gun and put it on the table.

Frances immediately picked it up and aimed it at her head.

The officer let out a short sigh and said, "That was very smart of you."

"I want to die."

"Yes, suicide is the best option to run away from everything."

"..."

"If you want to run away, then go ahead and shoot yourself."

"..."

"What's wrong? Go ahead a shoot." He raised his hands and said, "I won't stop you."

"I am serious here."

"I am also being serious here."

Frances moved her finger to the trigger.

She closed her eyes and pressed the trigger. But nothing happened.

She opened her eyes and looked at the gun, and then she looked at the officer.

Frances put down the gun on the table and said, "That was very smart of you."

The officer grabbed the gun and said, "Nope."

He then showed her the bullets and said, "You were just lucky."

"...!"

"I always leave one slot empty. In case I need to judge someone, or just test their luck."

He raised the gun and said, "And you are in luck."

"I lost the most important person to me today and had the most horrible experience of my life. How can you call me lucky after all that?"

"Maybe our perspectives are different."

"You are very terrible at comforting"

"I am not trying to comfort you; I am just being honest."

"Can you pass me your gun again?"

"Not happening."

"..."

"Remember what I said earlier?"

"You said too many things. What are you referring to?"

"Like gives many reasons to live, and you just have to find the right one."

"I have no reason to live."

"Hmm. Okay, let me ask you one thing."

"I am not in the mood."

"You said a boy who helped you, right?"

Frances nodded.

"Do you know the boy?"

She shook her head and said, "I don't, but he was wearing the uniform of the first-year."

"Have you thanked him for saving you chastity?"

Her eyes widened as she opened her mouth and said, "I… didn't. I just ran away from there."

"Then how about you start a new life by thanking him?"

"…"

"You surely don't want to die before thanking someone, right?"

"What do I do after thanking him?"

"Maybe… return his favor somehow?"

"Like?"

"I don't know."

"..."

The officer grunted and said, "Look, you are still a young girl… about eighteen years old?"

Frances nodded.

"You have a long life waiting ahead of you."

"But I don't have the will to--"

"Leave all that in the past. Just worry about the bright future that awaits you."

"Who knows? Maybe I will be kidnaped by those boys again and get raped all my life?"

"Or maybe someone will be there to save you from that? Someone who will make you happy."

"Or maybe he will meet the same end as Jorge."

"Man, your thinking is so negative. Be positive, girl."

"The world itself is negative, so why do I need to be positive."

"That's why you need to be positive. Life is full of spice. You will cry, you will laugh, you will experience all feelings. It's never the last day for anyone, but leave every day as it's your last one."

Frances picked up the glass and drank some sips before getting up.

After getting up, she bowed down to the officer and said, "Thanks for your time."

"It was my pleasure."

"Umm… may I have your name?"

"You can call me Mister G."

"What kind of name is that?"

"Well, that's not my real name."

"Can you tell me your real name?"

He stared at her for a while and muttered, "I guess it's fine."

"Sorry?"

"My name is G'san."

"That's… also a weird name."

'You don't say"

"Alright, I will come again tomorrow after Jorge's cremation."

"No need to come tomorrow."

"I will come every day until those boys get punished."

"You won't find me here even if you come tomorrow."

"Is tomorrow your day off?"

"No"

"You are getting transferred?"

"Nothing like that."

"Then…?"

"I don't belong here. In fact, this is my first time coming here to the head office."

"....?" Frances gave him a confused look.

"Remember I said we get orders from higher-ups? And the higher-ups get orders from their higher-ups?"

Frances nodded in reply.

G'san stood up and said, "I am the higher-ups of those high-ups."

"I… see. So you are one of them?"

"You are not wrong, but that's not quite true either" He walked out and passed Frances, saying, "But this case somehow got me emotional."

He cracked his fingers and said, "You don't have to worry about those boys. If I get a chance, I will kill them myself."

"...!"

Frances turned around, but there was no one there. She was standing in an empty room.

She took some deep breaths and left the headquarters.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

A taxi stopped near a large villa.

Joey got out of the taxi and ran towards the gate.

Dozens of men were standing at the gate.

As soon as they saw Joey, they made the distance between them.

They opened the gate and said, "Welcome back! Young master!"

"Stop calling me that. I am no young master."

He walked a few steps and asked, "Is mom still here?"

"She hasn't left yet."

Joey started running and jumped through everything that came in his way.

As soon as he opened the main door, hundreds of men's attention turned at the door.

As soon as they saw it was Joey, they started whispering with each other.

Joey walked up the stairs and glared at the crowd as he said, "I can hear you all, doofuses."

After walking upstairs, he was walking through the hallway.

"Joey!" someone called out to him.

Joey totally ignored the voice and kept walking.

"Joey! You son of a--! How dare you ignore me!"

He turned around, saying, "What is it, dad?"

"Don't call me dad! Call me Boss!"

He had long hair. Some were black and some were white. The same with his beard.

"What is it? I am in a hurry. Mom is waiting for me."

"What? Your mom is here?!"

Joey clenched the straps of his bags as he muttered, "He didn't even know that"

He turned around and said, "I am going, bye."

"Wait! I want to have an important talk with you afterward."

"Is it about the same useless topic again? How many times do I have to tell you that I have no intention of taking the leadership of our gang."

"Don't call it useless! And you have to be the leader of the gang! Riku has disappointed me."

"Believe me, dad. There has been no better leader than Riku bro in the entire history of our gang."

We are losing our power! It's all because he married the leader of the--"

"I don't want to hear it. Please come to the topic."

"Tch!" He clicked his tongue and said, "What had I have done to deserve this type of children."

"You know what you have done."

"Joey, you don't understand! We mafia are meant to rule this country."

"Yeah, yeah."

"And that Riku! He made a pact with the government!"

"I don't see anything wrong with it."

"Everything is wrong with it! The government wants to take the leadership of our gang from Riku and rule our gang too."

"Why… do you think so?"

"I know it! You don't know anything about this country."

"Well, duh. I am only sixteen."

"Listen, Joey,"

"I am listening. Please end this quickly. If mom gets angry, I will blame it all on you."

"Don't you dare do that!"

"So finish it quickly."

He cleared his throat and said, "Listen Joey, the rightful owner of this country is Edens."