Darkstone Code-Chapter 931 - 929: Secret Infiltration

This was a very special dinner.

A group of senior naval officers and generals stood together singing the navy’s anthem, then they astonishingly took off their uniforms and went boating on the lake.

After playing with the water for a while, everyone returned to the shore, did a bit of tidying up, then changed back into their freshly ironed uniforms, and began to enjoy dinner.

The only one among them who wasn’t in the military was Lynch.

During dinner, they didn’t discuss anything special; the meal was quiet and swift, only after eating did the atmosphere lighten from its slightly solemn mood.

Lynch wasn’t sure whether this was some sort of military custom, but he assumed it was.

"This is our chief steward!", after dinner, the lieutenant general, Lynch, and a major general walked aside to chat, while others spontaneously avoided the area.

The "chief steward" introduced by the lieutenant general looked like he was in his late forties, his temples slightly graying, but he appeared very spirited and not overweight.

According to the lieutenant general’s introduction, this chief steward was responsible for the navy’s logistics on the East Coast.

This also included the placement work for some retired warships, which fell under logistics responsibilities.

Though called retirement, many warships were still in service. But since the new expansion plan and budget for new warships were approved, all the navy wanted to drive the new ones. So, what about those currently in service?

They had to be retired, but it’s quite a pity to do so. Those in the best condition were converted into training ships for regular training usage.

Yet, some would still remain.

Warships and civilian cargo ships still differ greatly, requiring certain modifications.

But warships, even after modifications, often leave many traces. To ordinary people, these traces might not seem anything, but in the eyes of military experts, they could use these traces to deduce some critical parameters.

Thus, even when warships retire, they rarely have the chance to enter civilian realms, more often used as target ships in training.

Doing so is indeed somewhat of a waste.

But Lynch is a trustworthy person. With some disguise and modification, some retired warships might as well be converted into transport ships. Plus, there are military transport ships that also need retiring.

Externally, they would declare that these ships had been sunk in training, but in reality, they continue their purpose at other places, which counts as a rebirth.

Money?

Of course, buying things requires money.

Lynch shook hands with the logistics major general, and after a brief conversation and understanding Lynch’s needs, they rescheduled a time.

This was the lieutenant general’s party, and they didn’t intend to turn this into a scene of business negotiation.

Until after eight o’clock at night, Lynch left the lieutenant general’s estate and returned home.

Upon entering the community gate, Lynch noticed two homeless individuals by the roadside, with the security guards negotiating with them.

As one of Bupen’s famous affluent areas, Half Mountain Villa District has always been known across the Federation for its high-class community environment, so how could it tolerate the presence of two homeless individuals?

Of course, Lynch just took a glance and then withdrew his gaze; the security guards of the community service company would handle everything properly. They ought to justify their monthly salaries.

This isn’t Lynch looking down on the homeless or poor, he’s never thought or acted in such a way, but rather the Federation’s homeless aren’t worthy of sympathy.

The Federation indeed has abundant experience and measures in dealing with homeless issues, such as shelters where they offer free food and accommodation, funded by municipal finances, requiring not a single penny from the homeless.

As long as they register, if unwilling to return home, or have no home to return to, shelters would still arrange work for them, though mostly heavy physical labor.

Already living as homeless, they shouldn’t concern about whether accommodation is beautiful, food ample, or work easy.

In other words, the Federation has a complete flow to transform the homeless into the low-level workers in society, yet the homeless refuse aid from society and the Federation Government. They astonishingly don’t want to contribute their cheap labor to society and the capitalists; these people are truly rotten.

They prefer lying on the streets, begging for some spare change from passing pedestrians to make ends meet, leading lives muddled and aimless, unwilling to strive for change.

Hence, these people are not worthy of sympathy at all.

Recently, the Federation even released a movie featuring a homeless individual’s transformation into a life winner; despite the actors’ excellent performances and outstanding script, the homeless remained unmoved, continuing their idling ways, becoming the city’s trash.

Among these two homeless individuals was Sanchez.

From his appearance, he had none of his previous demeanor. Coupled with the Federation people not having a deep impression of him, it’s hard to recognize him immediately, allowing him to safely approach here.

Even earlier, he sneaked into the Half Mountain Villa District.

This benefited from the "Federation people’s absurd trust in others having morals and virtues," in simpler terms, all Federation citizens hoped others would abide by laws, being a Five-Star Good Citizen.

But actually, this isn’t achievable.

In Mariluo, Sanchez’s yard not only had high walls with barbed hooks but also electric grids atop the walls.

He would often hang people on the wall, waiting for them to slowly die.

But in the Federation, that short fence you can step over with a tiptoe can’t really be called a "wall," yet Federations foolishly believe it can serve as protection, isolating against bad people’s intrusion.

That’s so damn amazing.

During the day when Lynch was not around, he wandered around the area with a tool person.

As dusk set in, he had to get closer to the gate; if he’s too far, he simply couldn’t tell if Lynch had returned.

Just now, he saw Lynch sitting in the car; Lynch had returned.

"Listen, here are two dollars; I don’t care what you do, just don’t show up here while I’m on duty, understand?"

The security guard pulled out his nightstick from his waist, "Don’t force me to act, okay?"

"Take the money and get lost!"

If residents complain, at worst he’d get reprimanded by his boss; at best, docked wages or even bonuses. He wouldn’t allow that to happen.

Sanchez quickly left with another tool person he met along the way.

The two met in the afternoon.

At that time, Sanchez was looking for an opportunity to enter the Half Mountain Villa District, and as he passed by the villa district’s side street, this guy spotted him.

The tool person was rummaging through the villa district’s garbage with other vagrants.

Every year, the villa district’s trash piles up at the side street garbage station waiting for garbage trucks to take it away; before that, vagrants quickly sift through the garbage.

Top-tier rich communities produce very curious household waste, just about everything can be found here.

The most common are coins, all small denominations; together they can add up to about dozens of dollars per day.

Then there are various inconspicuous small accessories, these seemingly valueless things can often sell for tens or sometimes hundreds of dollars in antique stores.

There are also edibles, many ingredients or cooked foods are carefully packed in bags and discarded in the trash pile. This is one of the main targets for vagrants.

As for gold items, some gemstones might appear occasionally but are not frequent; all in all, this has evolved into an industry.

There used to be more people, every day dozens of vagrants would gather here awaiting the daily disposal of household trash.

A noble lady passing by expressed unease at the large group of vagrants, and the community service company began expelling them, yet some would still sneak in.

The tool person followed Sanchez when he saw him, saying Sanchez looked like someone up to no good, definitely trying to steal from the community.

Which happened to be exactly what the tool person wanted to do.

Picking up things from the trash is enough for his daily needs; if he could steal something, maybe this month he wouldn’t have to worry about food and shelter.

Sanchez, having his "secret" discovered, took the tool person along, needing someone to divert the attention of those special agents.

During the day, when he slipped in, he found traces of special agents; he needed a helper.

At this moment, the tool person bent down, picked up four coins from the ground under Sanchez’s tugging, and left grumbling.

He may be a tool person vagrant, but he has his own dignity.

The two bypassed the main street and arrived at the garbage station from the side street.

The garbage station has a side door; the wall around the side door is not high, easy enough to climb over.

Inside the wall is also the garbage station; as the weather gets hotter, it’s filthy here, and no one would stay here, relatively safe.

After entering the villa district, Sanchez purposefully led the tool person towards a direction opposite to where Lynch lived, they found a villa without lights.

The two easily sneaked in, and found a spare key under the doormat outside the door.

"You go to the second floor, I’ll stay on the first floor, or you stay on the first floor, I’ll go to the second floor," Sanchez said at the doorway, looking at the tool person.

"You think I’ll fall for that?" the tool person was dismissive of Sanchez’s suggestion to divide the floors, "No, I won’t fall for that, I’m going to the second floor."

"The TV shows say that those damn rich people set their closets in their bedrooms and also their safes; I’ll take the second floor, you take the first."

Sanchez nodded, groping his way into the room, while the tool person groped his way upstairs.

After about three minutes, Sanchez quietly came to the kitchen, turned the stove fire to the smallest, and draped a blanket over it.

After doing this, he quickly left and headed towards Lynch’s villa; after about five or six minutes, the fully ignited blanket triggered the smoke alarm, alerting the community service company...