26 Information Exchange

Both Ace and Light who took the gun from Yukio had their guns trained on the three men, ready to shoot if they made a move.

Aida had not missed their exchange of glances earlier and knew these three were different than the trash she just killed. She was mildly curious why they were with this group and they had exhibited no hostility towards her, so she decided to temporarily leave them alive.

There was no response from the three. Chuckling with her signature glint, she waved Ace over and told him, "Hey Ace, here's target practice for you. I know you've never actually used the gun before."

Ace's eyes sparkled with anticipation. He seemed to think this would be a very fun game. The three men exchanged glances while shuddering. There was nothing more terrifying than a rookie with a gun, they would surely not have an easy death.

Simultaneously coming to a decision, they put their hands up and slowly lowered their guns. Then they kicked the guns over to Aida as a show of respect.

Standing back up with their arms still raised, one of them began to speak, "Lady, we mean you no harm. We were undercover agents in the police force before the virus spread trying to find evidence of corruption. After the virus spread, our leader secretly ordered us to stay hidden within the War Faction and keep track of their actions."

Raising an eyebrow, Aida asked, "Who is your leader?" She had an idea of who it was, but wanted confirmation.

Hesitating, the agent responded cautiously, "Unfortunately, we cannot tell you that."

"Sigh, how unfortunate," responded Aida casually while twirling her gun in a threatening manner.

"I can provide you with information and a word of caution though. The leader among the men you just killed, one of them is the son of an influential man in the government. While we do not know who, we have heard many rumors in the police force that he is the illegitimate son of someone powerful."

Aida laughed gently as she asked the agent, "And who would ever know we were the culprits once you are all dead?"

The agents paused as they realized they had become a liability. Without them alive, there would be no witnesses. "What if we were to provide you with more information?"

"It will have to be worth my while. For example, you can tell me who your leader is and I will spare you all."

"We can't do that," the 3 agents responded quickly, almost reflexively.

'Tch, it appears they were well trained and are loyal,' thought Aida disappointedly. 'May as well milk them for what they're worth.'

In reality, Aida didn't care if she was caught killing some man that was influential. It's not like they would have enough time to send the military after them in the middle of an apocalypse. (Or would they?)

"So what can you tell me?"

"Can you guarantee we will be let go if we tell you?" the agent asked cautiously.

"Eh~ depends on my mood,"

The agent contemplated for a bit and decided to inform her, "There will be a helicopter arriving to pick up some of us and the scientists in a few hours. However, there is limited space, so the people who get picked up will be prioritized."

Hearing this piece of information, she nodded. Waving her hand casually, she allowed the 3 agents to leave. She had a fair amount of respect towards agents and didn't mind giving a little more leeway to those who demonstrated loyalty.

Turning around to Ace, Light and the twins, she asked, "You heard the agents, a helicopter will be arriving soon to pick people up. Do any of you want to go?"

Ace thought about it, then asked Aida a counter question, "Master, do you want to go?"

Aida shook her head gently, "I have no plans to go, but I am willing to assist you to get onto the helicopter."

Aida had very few intentions to go directly back to civilization. Instead, she wanted to stay and study the Enraged and other infected. Living in an apocalyptic scenario feels like a dream come true for her. She no longer needs to pretend to be normal or socialize with people she didn't want to waste time with. She could even spend all her days watching anime, and no one could judge her. Most importantly, she would no longer be tied to that organization.

She brushed away her stray thoughts and refocused her attention on the people before her. She was curious what their decision would be. If they chose to leave, that was alright with her. They had not formed incredibly strong bonds, but she knew they would not be able to leak her secret now that they had her blood in their system. They also did not have any concrete details about her abilities to begin with. If they chose not to leave, then her judgement was correct and she would be able to trust them quite a bit more.

Ace responded immediately, "I will follow Master. If Master chooses to stay, then this servant will stay as well."

Aida nodded her head in response. She was somewhat surprised by Ace's response, but it was not wildly out of his expectations. After all, he was the man who decided to risk his life and delay going to the airport earlier, just so that he could come and warn her. Granted, he probably would not have survived if he were on his own, but at the time he didn't know how capable Aida was, so it required true selflessness.

In return for his kindness, she planned to train him into a true fighter so he could also comfortably survive in the apocalypse even if he is alone. Unknowingly, Aida had come to accept Ace a little more.

Turning to Light and his two brothers, she asked, "What about you three?"