Darkstone Code-Chapter 801 - 799: Federation Bombshell
Leaving Lynch’s villa and returning home, the Senior Soldier removed the heavy gear and sat heavily on the sofa.
He thought for a moment, then stood up again and grabbed a bottle of beer from the kitchen.
A bit cold, but just right for him.
Bulletproof vest, handgun, spare magazine, these things are so heavy, only taking them off can make a person feel relaxed.
Maybe he made some noise, his wife opened the door, came out from the bedroom, and stood by the railing on the second floor, watching him.
Their eyes met for a moment, and the Senior Soldier’s wife came downstairs and sat beside him.
"You seem a bit off," as a couple, although the Senior Soldier often wasn’t home, his wife knew him well enough.
She immediately noticed his mood wasn’t right; he typically wouldn’t drink beer as soon as he came back, which could affect his sleep quality and make him uncomfortable the next morning.
Only when the next day was a day off would he relax a bit with some alcohol, and tomorrow clearly wasn’t a day off, indicating that something was bothering him.
He held his wife’s hand, raised the bottle, put it down quickly, and after swallowing the beer, sighed and said, "I can transition to an administrative role."
As soon as he finished speaking, his wife’s eyes widened with a face full of surprise!
No one hopes their closest person is engaged in dangerous work all day, even though Lynch pays very well.
Moreover, they have a child, so she always hoped he could transition to an administrative job, although staying in an office all day might feel... less manly, but at least there’s no need to face dangers that could come from anywhere at any moment.
"Did you agree?" his wife grasped his hand and asked again, "Did you agree?"
He hadn’t made a complete decision; he could choose not to write that list or remove himself from it.
Frontline security personnel often look down on those in management, similar to how military personnel view Ministry of Defense civilians as not true soldiers; this hierarchy exists within Darkstone Security too.
They don’t scorn the nature of the work, but don’t underestimate its value.
Administrative work isn’t for everyone, although it sometimes sounds simple.
A hand accustomed to holding a gun now must handle a pen and typewriter, dealing with office politics, and though he fights bravely at the front, he’s suddenly a bit timid.
His wife, knowing he’s still hesitant, immediately went upstairs and brought their child down.
The baby was small, just slightly waking upon being picked up, but seeing familiar faces, he quickly fell back asleep.
"Look at us..." she spoke to him while sitting beside him.
He didn’t immediately look at them, instead, he raised the bottle again to avoid confronting the issue directly, saying lightly, "Don’t fuss..."
"This isn’t fussing, you need to know, every time you go to work, I fear sleepless nights, especially during trips to Nagariel and Gafura."
"We both know Lynch has many friends, but he also has many enemies, and I don’t want someone to wake me one day with money saying, ’Your husband died protecting Mr. Lynch.’ That’s not what I want!"
"There wasn’t an opportunity before; I don’t blame you since Mr. Lynch gave us such comfortable living conditions. But now there’s a chance, you shouldn’t pass it up."
"Besides, it’s Mr. Lynch’s idea, isn’t it?"
After a moment of eye contact, he felt himself close to persuasion.
As he hesitated, his wife suddenly said, "I’m pregnant."
He was somewhat stunned, "When did this happen?"
His wife fiercely hugged him, "Now!"
...
In the end, he made the decision to transition from frontline security personnel to a clerical role, with some reduction in salary but not much change otherwise.
Perhaps in the Federation Government, civilian soldiers have higher status and pay than frontline soldiers given the rarity of highly educated soldiers, but in Lynch’s company, whoever faces more danger earns more.
Like the colonels, now fighting in the mountainous regions of the Amelia Region, their monthly salaries are three to five times those of the Darkstone Security management, perhaps even more.
Sit in an office all day, read newspapers, drink coffee, flirt with secretaries, expecting high pay with Ministry of Defense background?
No way!
If you want a high salary, go to the front lines, go to the most dangerous places, and ensure the salary will be surprisingly high.
This method, which seems a bit unreasonable and unruly, won Lynch the deep affection of those front-line security personnel. Every front-line security person feels that their boss understands them.
The next day, the Senior Soldier privately contacted some old employees and finally confirmed a list for Lynch.
After receiving the list, he glanced at it. He recognized most of the names on it. After he pulled out a pen and signed his own name, those people on the Senior Soldier’s list completely left their front-line positions.
The first batch of security personnel had been with Lynch for almost three years. They had also aged from their twenties to their late twenties or even thirties. It was time to take a step back.
The management of Darkstone Security underwent some minor changes, and this information quickly came to the attention of the Ministry of Defense.
However, seeing that the people entering the management were the first batch of veterans who followed Lynch, after a brief investigation into the background of these individuals, the Ministry of Defense did not interfere with some of Lynch’s actions.
As long as the Ministry of Defense and the Military can maintain some influence over Darkstone Security, not necessarily holding control but at least knowing some of the core work, it’s acceptable.
Lynch never considered kicking the Ministry of Defense and the Military out of Darkstone Security. A private armed company with thousands of people is a source of disaster in any country.
Only with the Ministry of Defense and the Military involved, even having their interests in it, can Darkstone Security continue to sustain itself.
The departure of the Senior Soldier turned Lynch’s personal security advisor into a young woman, thirty-one years old, who had a brief marriage but ended it quickly, with no children.
This woman called Austin had achieved the rank of Captain by the time she retired, and women have more advantages in rank promotion compared to men.
She had a good figure, light brown hair, and delicate facial features, a bit like a mixed-race. Just seeing this person, Lynch thought of the term "custom-made".
Damn, does the whole world think I like this type?
He was a bit confused. The Emperor of Gafura was like this, sending Jenia to his side, and now the Ministry of Defense also, through Darkstone Security’s internal management, recommended such a woman to Lynch.
Alright, they guessed right.
Lynch looked at the personal resume in his hand, glancing at Austin standing about five meters away from him.
The photo and the person didn’t differ much. The lips were quite strikingly full.
"It says here you’ve participated in several military operations?", Lynch casually asked.
Austin loudly said, "Yes, sir, I have participated in seven battles dissolving gangs and three armed escorts against border smugglers."
Lynch whistled; Captain Astin’s resume was more impressive than he imagined. "Why isn’t it written here?"
The personal resume was quite... simple. Such experiences should have been placed in the most conspicuous position.
"Sir, these were all secret operations, and the gangs and smugglers we fought have not been completely eradicated. To protect the safety of the soldiers, these records won’t be shown in the resume you hold!"
Lynch nodded, "You can speak less loudly...", he paused, "and where exactly does such... trouble occur, I thought the Federation looked very peaceful."
Captain Austin then provided Lynch with a location, the northwest.
The Federation to the north is not the Arctic, but another country, comparable in size to the Federation but not as wealthy.
This country is embroiled in a long-lasting chaos, with the military and government seizing power from each other. If a regime can last three to five years, it’s already considered long-lived.
Most of the time, these regimes change every two to three years, sometimes even failing to form an effectively unified government, with each region ruled by local military governments.
It’s a country filled with chaos and danger, yet it surprisingly produces various Kleve tobacco leaves, top-quality Dragon Blood Wood, and some poisonous mushrooms.
The locals often smuggle these goods into the Federation in exchange for firearms and weapons, then return to their country to fight.
Some gangs on the border have close interactions with these people, and along with the geographical influences, some gangs inside the Federation’s borders have swollen uncontrollably.
To combat these gangs and smuggling activities, the Federation often deploys troops to launch devastating strikes against these gangs.
However, the effect is not very good. As long as there is profit and a market, people will take the risk of execution to cross the boundaries of law and ethics.
From time to time, some gangs disappear, while others emerge. It’s a lawless place.
After hearing this, Lynch found it a bit unbelievable. He wasn’t too aware of the situation there before. If Austin had not mentioned it, he wouldn’t even consider it a turbulent country.
Up to now, he hasn’t seen any detailed introduction about neighboring countries in newspapers or television, leading him to think it’s just an ordinary country, economically supported by Kleve, that’s all.
