Immortal In A Death Game-Chapter 158: The Request
"So, how fast does this thing actually go, man?"
"The manual said it could go 160, but it wasn’t built for that."
Half an hour later, the three were now outside the Leak. Beatrice was talking to someone in her ear, while Harvey was riding on Adam’s motorcycle.
"160...? Sheesh." Harvey patted the handle. "You know, I also used to ride. I had a cruiser back then."
"You don’t have one now?"
"Someone stole it when I was summoned in my first Game."
"...Oh. Sorry."
"Eh, it was a piece of shit, anyway."
"Why not buy a new one?"
"I... probably actually could, now that I’m thinking about it. Saw you trailing behind us, and I thought, wouldn’t it be fucking cool if I rode through the Leak?"
"...Right."
"But man. What the fuck’s your deal...? When I saw your file earlier, and noticed your ability was listed as just regeneration, I thought, ’The fuck. How is this guy the same tier as us?!’. And then, fuck... what you did was hardcore, man."
"Thanks."
"What do you—Oh?!" Harvey quickly got off Adam’s bike as soon as he saw Beatrice finish her call. "So... what did they say?"
"HQ says we can rest," Beatrice announced.
"Yes!" Harvey pumped his fist toward Beatrice, "Time to sleep!"
"Indeed." And Beatrice met his fist with her own.
Adam watched their celebration, and then a thought suddenly crept into his mind.
"How many Leaks do you clear in a day?" he asked.
"No idea. At least five?" Harvey said. "You’d be surprised how many pop up. Plus there’s all the ones guilds won’t touch because there’s no profit."
"Hmm..."
Stop it, Adam.
Adam thought about the Administrator summoning a Leak right in front of him. Would... it happen again if he stayed in one place and did nothing?
These gods were dangerous, and from what he’d been witnessing from them, they were all watching him like perverts. They wanted entertainment from him—and if he wasn’t entertaining, they would make him.
Adam sighed, and then pulled out a business card from one of the bags on his bike.
Beatrice noticed it immediately. "Did you meet the boss?"
"Who...?" Adam looked at the card, then at their expressions. "You mean... the doctor with muscles?"
"Yup. That’s the boss," Harvey joined in, leaning a look at the card. "Field Director of the RLRD."
"RLRD...?"
Adam looked at the card fully this time, and true enough—
Gordon Affleck. Field Director, RLRD.
"Rapid Leak Response Division," Beatrice explained. "Sub-group of the LCRU. Leak Containment and Rescue Unit. Are you... perhaps thinking of joining?"
"Woah. Really?" Harvey perked up. "You should join our team! We already work well together."
Adam... is thinking about it. The advantages were obvious. He wouldn’t need to hunt for Leaks. And unlike Beatrice and Harvey, he actually gets something else from this endless job—Status Points.
And most importantly, he’d be helping people who need it.
The only downside was working for the government. But then again, if one part of the government was hunting him... how would they actually react if he was working on the other side of their coin?
He was sure they were already riled up from what he did—maybe it was time to confuse them more.
"Even though our income isn’t as high as private guilds," Harvey said, "we have benefits. Free housing, state-of-the-art gym for Heroes, full medical coverage. Although... would you even need that?" 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂
Adam shrugged. If he could help people, there was no reason to hesitate at all.
"Are the terms... negotiable?"
Harvey looked confused. "What terms?"
Adam glanced at his motorcycle, then back at them.
***
"We can grant your request."
A day later, Adam sat across from Gordon Affleck in a proper office—and he’d only sat down for less than a minute before Gordon approved his request.
"I thought I wouldn’t see you again," Gordon said. "What changed your mind?"
"Harvey and Beatrice." Adam sighed. "I saw how tired they were... and thought maybe they could use some help. I thought we’d save more lives too if they weren’t so overworked."
"Huh..." Gordon smiled. "It’s rare to see someone survive the Games and come out not jaded by violence."
"Everyone would do the same."
"If that were true, all the Heroes would join the IBAA to help people." He stood up, extending his hand. "Welcome to the IBAA. I’ll introduce you to the others."
Adam, however, didn’t take the hand just yet. "I have another request."
"Another one...?" Gordon’s eyes narrowed.
"Even if I’m far away, if I can get to a portal first, you should always call me."
"Hm..." Gordon rubbed his chin. "That shouldn’t be a problem, especially because of your first request. Consider it done."
And finally, Adam shook his hand.
"Come, I’ll introduce you to the others." Gordon stepped out of the office, only for him to see Beatrice and Harvey waiting outside, leaning against the wall.
"Ah! Good timing," Gordon lightly clapped his hand. "Take Mr. Smith here and introduce him to the others. I’ll just finish something, and I’ll join you if I can."
"No problem, Boss!" Harvey saluted Gordon, but Gordon only laughed and waved him off before returning to his office.
"Man, let’s go. Let’s go!" Harvey bounced on his feet, gesturing to Adam to follow him and Beatrice. "We already told the others about you."
"Do not be too excited, Adam." Beatrice sighed, shaking her head as she walked. "Most of them are as weird as Harvey."
"The fuck...? I’m not weird."
"You are literally called Snake’s Fist."
"How is that even my fault?! And why are you even going for my name...? Don’t you know how unfair that is?!"
Adam watched the two, and he couldn’t help but clutch his chest—or rather, the thing that was already missing there, the pouch of ashes.
He’d promised Grace that he would find people who would... accept him. Was it possible... to find that here?
Don’t delude yourself, Adam. This is temporary, until you find the strength to do it all alone. It—
"Oh, right. Man. You didn’t answer my question back then." Harvey slowed down and walked beside him. "What... exactly did you request?"
"Nothing that grand." Adam shrugged.
"A fast helicopter, and one large enough to store my bike."
