A Contract Set In Stone

"Advance!" Ch'en shouted, drawing her blade as the other LGD officers charged towards the Reunion members.

"We better get paid for this," I mumbled as I aimed out the window of an abandoned building, eliminating any Reunion crossbowmen I saw.

"Mhm. And that should be the last one," Jinwoo hummed as he holstered his pistol.

"The roof? Yes. The ground? Nope. I see another hoard approaching." I said as I readied my gun against the window.

"I wonder what made so many people join Reunion. For all we know, we might be the baddies here." Jinwoo said with concern as he unholstered his pistol again.

"Whatever it is, we only need the LGD's approval to open a business. Don't get too caught up with morals; it's not like we're killing them with our rubber bullets," I muttered as I shot bursts out the window.

Although apathetic, this felt like the right choice. Were thoughts subconsciously affected by my lost memories? Perhaps, but now isn't the time to challenge my lack of pathos.

"Madame Ch'en!" My daydream was interrupted when Amiya screamed at Ch'en. Within a split second, I saw an arrow headed for Ch'en get deflected by a tall green-haired woman wielding a Beyblade. Wait, what's Beyblade?

The green-haired woman and Ch'en talked for a bit before she rushed at the Reunion soldiers with several more LGD officers.

"Damn, about time the so-called vanguard arrived," I said with relief as I watched a massacre ensue.

With the arrival of the green-haired woman, the rest of the Reunion members were easily wiped out. They were outpowered due to air support provided by Rhode Island and us.

"It should be over now. Let's get down from here; it reeks." I told Jinwoo as I headed for the door.

When me and Jinwoo made our way back, we saw Zhongli and Rimuru happily chatting with the other LGD members. They're already fitting in.

"With this, we should be cleared of suspicion," I muttered to myself with satisfaction. Perhaps I should join them-

"Sankta, there you are." As I was about to head toward Rimuru and Zhongli, an intimidating voice called from my back.

"My name's Clukay," I said as I turned around and signalled Jinwoo to go ahead.

"Clukay, huh? Nice to meet you; I'm Hoshiguma." The green-haired woman, Hoshiguma, introduced herself.

"Likewise. However, before we proceed, I would like to request something." I said as I was reminded of my purpose here. Surely they'll accept, considering how much we've supported them.

"What is it?" Ch'en asked with a raised eyebrow.

"A contract. We would like a contract." I firmly stated.

"Did someone say contract?" Before Ch'en could utter another word, Zhongli appeared right behind me.

"How-" Ch'en also had her eyes wide open at the sudden appearance of Zhongli, but the latter only shook his head and said, "Don't worry about that, how about we discuss this contract first?"

"Contract?" Amiya, who also appeared out of nowhere with the Dokutah, asked. Where were these people coming from, Zhongli's pocket dimension?!

"Ahem, yes. We would like to receive some... compensation along with a permit to open a business in Lungmen." I composed myself and said before anyone else could jumpscare me again.

"Do I need to remind you that you are an infected? An infected with suspicion to have ties with Reunion in the eyes of the LGD at that." Ch'en frowned.

"I think we can trust them for now. After all, they could've easily betrayed us considering their power, thank you for your support earlier. Though, being an infected, you will have a hard time running a business." Hoshiguma added. Again with the term infected, what kind of disease do I have? I need to research this later.

"No problem," I replied as I rubbed my chin.

"You seem confused." The Dokutah walked up next to me and said. This guy can read minds, I swear.

"It's nothing," I replied, trying to maintain a poker face.

"On behalf of Rhode Island, I can offer you an employment contract for this mission. Though Doctor Kal'tsit might get mad at me, I'm sure your help would prove to be instrumental." Amiya offered. Such a kind girl. However, our goal is unfortunately not just money.

"Thank you for your offer, Amiya. Unfortunately, we still need to go through the LGD in order to purchase land and open a business in Lungmen." I replied as I turned my attention to Ch'en. Everyone present also followed my sight towards her.

Another moment of silence ensued. This one was especially awkward due to how long it was. This was almost like a staring contest. Thankfully, after what felt like years, Ch'en released a sigh.

"I'd rather not waste time. We still need to retrieve Misha as quickly as possible. I'll do what I can if you agree to help out the LGD. Let's go now." Ch'en sternly said before walking away with Hoshiguma.

"We shall all bear witness to this verbal contract," Zhongli said as he sipped some herbal tea. I didn't question it anymore.

"Clukay, our offer still stands. We'd love to have you guys as operators at Rhode Island. Especially you Clukay; we'll help you with your Oripathy." Amiya said with a smile before heading off towards the office ladies with the Dokutah.

Oripathy, a new word. Is this related to my infection? Well, with every moment, I'm getting closer to finding out what that is. If only this place had some damn signal so I can search it up.

"Thank you, Amiya. We'll consider it." I replied with a smile.

"Let's go. That green-haired girl gave me these papers before she left. We'll be with a company called Penguin Logistics tomorrow morning." Zhongli said as he handed me the stack of papers.

"This was unexpectedly easy. After this ordeal is over… I wonder what'll come next." I muttered with worry. This won't simply end with a single death game. I could sense that there'll be more trouble from the system in the future. If only escape was as easy as this quest.

"What a pain." I sighed.

"Another sigh. You should smile some more," Zhongli said as he patted my head and walked away.

"Smile more, huh," I murmured as I stared at the setting sun on the horizon. It was beautiful, but nothing phenomenal. Yet, why do I feel stuck staring at it?

"I guess I'll enjoy this for a little. There should be time before we set off." I said to myself as I took a seat on the concrete walkway nearby.