Jay wasn't disappointed. After all, Buck had limited abilities and a low rank, getting this much information was already his best effort.
With no one else to rely on at the moment, Jay couldn't really blame him.
"Give it to me. I'll have someone handle the rest. Just make sure there are no leaks."
"Don't worry, Boss Jay. You know how tight-lipped I am."
"That's exactly why I'm reminding you again."
"…"
A few days later, Colonel Hammond began receiving one piece of bad news after another.
Recently, several businesses in which he held a stake had been attacked by unidentified individuals.
No one had been seriously injured, but the losses weren't small.
Some shops were vandalized, others were completely burned to the ground.
Just the goods destroyed alone amounted to a significant financial hit.
And with the closures and the negative fallout, all things considered, it was practically a 10 billion-berry loss!
Enraged, Colonel Hammond smashed the crystal ashtray on his desk.
Then he immediately regretted it.
"Someone's targeting me on purpose."
Once he calmed down, Colonel Hammond quickly realized something was off.
But who could it be?
One by one, names and faces flashed through his mind.
He had too many enemies, too many people who wanted him dead.
As for who had both the guts and the power to come at him lately…
"It can only be those damn Mafia scum who should've been on the gallows."
"Is this a warning from the Capone family, or a final ultimatum from one of the others?"
"Why the hell do these damned Mafia clans insist on forcing me to pick a side? Wasn't our previous cooperation working just fine?"
Colonel Hammond immediately deployed personnel to investigate.
Because he was still hesitating, waiting to see where the wind would blow.
At the very least, he needed to know who was getting impatient, so he could sell himself at the best possible price.
Nighttime.
Fluwina Island, Xian Trading Company Headquarters.
"We'll be counting on you, Sergeant Marlon."
Hic "Don't worry, when I, Marlon, take action, even the sneakiest little thief is no problem at all!"
"Of course, of course! Fill Sergeant Marlon's glass!"
"Cheers! Everyone, raise your cups!"
And just as the marine personnel sent by Colonel Hammond were drinking themselves red-faced and glassy-eyed
A shadow silently slipped in.
Shing!
A flash of a blade, and a head rolled to the floor.
"AAAHH! MURDER!!!"
Amidst the chaos and screams, the hooded figure, Daz Bonez, slightly lifted his head.
Jay's words still echoed in his ears:
"Right now, I'm just a sergeant. Above me are staff sergeants, warrant officers, ensigns, lieutenants, captains, then majors. And above majors are lieutenant colonels, colonels, commodores, rear admirals… too many."
"If I follow the regular promotion track, I might not reach the top of the Marine even in ten years."
"Bonez, I don't have that kind of time. I need one, or a few, good partners to help me clear away everyone standing in my path."
Coming back to the present, Daz Bonez's expression remained as cold as ever.
Though what he was doing didn't seem much different than before, he knew, it was different now.
Back then, he killed for money.
Now, he killed for… the climb to the top.
Or more precisely, for the chance to witness one man reach the top of the world, and take him along to see the view from up there.
So… I'll be borrowing your lives.
Daz Bones instantly turned into a killing machine, slaughtering everyone in sight.
That very night, not a single person survived within the entire compound.
Such a brutal incident was reported to Colonel Hammond almost immediately.
After all, they were still waiting for his Marine men to collect the bodies.
Some of the dead were part of the investigation team he had sent out himself.
Colonel Hammond flew into a rage. "Those bastards!"
"Call in all the sergeants and officers!"
Before long, everyone had gathered, Jay among them.
Then they all listened as Colonel Hammond furiously described what had happened.
Of course, he made no mention of his private connections to those businesses. Every word out of his mouth was about justice and protecting the people's interests.
Ever since Jay had "opened the door to a new world" for him, Colonel Hammond's public speaking skills had been improving at lightning speed.
But when everyone below heard that an entire squad of Marine men had been killed, murmurs began to spread.
It was clear, this was a highly dangerous mission.
One wrong move, and you could easily end up dead.
And even though Colonel Hammond didn't say it directly, who here wasn't savvy enough to see through things? Everyone could tell there was something shady going on with those businesses.
If there were no personal gains involved, would Colonel Hammond be putting so much effort into resolving the situation?
"Justice"? "The people"? Yeah, right.
"So that's the situation. The killer actually dared to murder comrades from our 88th Marine Base, this is utterly deranged!"
"This is a direct provocation against our entire base! Absolutely intolerable!"
"So I need you all to lead by example. Go out there, find the culprit, and capture him."
"…Yes, sir…"
Jay and the others responded half-heartedly, sluggishly, like they were being forced to answer.
No one dared make eye contact with Colonel Hammond, each person praying this crap assignment wouldn't fall on them.
Seeing no volunteers, Colonel Hammond grew even more frustrated.
There was no way he was going to handle this personally.
He turned toward Jay and gave him a look, just like he had last time.
But this time, Jay didn't even glance at him. He kept his head down, staring at the floor like it held the secrets of the universe.
With no choice, Hammond had to call him out directly.
"Sergeant Jay, do you have any thoughts you'd like to share with everyone?"
"Sir, I have no thoughts at all. Last time, when I went after the Iron Hammer Pirates, I nearly lost my life. I still haven't fully recovered, so I think it's better to let someone else take this great opportunity."
Jay's tone was extremely polite, his attitude respectful, but it was far from the answer Hammond wanted.
Colonel Hammond knew this was the backlash from how greedily he acted last time.
But asking him to cough up what he had taken? Not a chance.
So, he had no choice but to call names one by one.
"Casas, you're a corporal. You should take the lead."
"With all due respect, sir, this is such a big deal, and the officers haven't said a word yet. What's a lowly corporal like me supposed to do? Lead the charge to surrender?"
The room erupted in laughter.
Usually, everyone gave Colonel Hammond face. But when it came to their own lives, sorry, not happening.
Even if there was retaliation later, it was still better than dying for someone else's gain.
The officers felt the same way.
They had paid good money for their promotions, not to be sent to die for Colonel Hammond's private affairs.