157 Not So Simple

Aida then began diving into all the paperwork left on the table. She despised anything that required work or was troublesome, but since she promised Rose she would help this base, she would see it through to the end. Rose had pulled Little White to a corner and they began studying along with Xiao Ai.

The next time Aida looked up from her work, it was already night time. She stretched her arms while yawning, bemoaning the horrible fate of a base leader. Looking over, she saw that the three children had fallen asleep on the side.

Smiling warmly, she pulled out a clean blanket from her bag and placed it over them while whispering, "I'm going out for a little bit, stay here and continue sleeping."

They nodded while rubbing their eyes before continuing to sleep. They were all emotionally exhausted from leaving the rest of the group and entering this hell of a base. None of them were able to sleep soundly the previous night out of concern that there would be another intruder.

As Aida left, she touched each of the windows and doors, leaving them charged so no one could just randomly charge in here without regretting their decision. After verifying that the location was secure, she stepped out and saw that there were a few people standing outside.

It was the tattooed guard along with a few other people from this afternoon. They had sat outside the door in case there was anything that she needed. Aida coldly asked the guard, "Why are you here? Didn't I tell you to go execute the orders I made?"

He stuttered while saying, "Y-y-yes, I am here to s-serve as your secretary, t-to disseminate orders and to help you gain familiarity with the base."

It seems the other leaders had bullied him and left him with this job. Aida frowned when she heard this but after some thought, this was indeed useful. He could help relay and execute everything that came to mind. She would "help" him slowly get acquainted with positions of power and eventually have him replace her.

Acquiescing, she nodded and said, "Good. You will follow me now. Your name is Lackey 1."

The tattooed guard named Lackey 1 bowed, clearly relieved that she wasn't angry, "What do ya wan…. Do you have any orders now?"

"Bring me to the kitchen." She secretly nodded as she heard Lackey 1 take her demands to heart and began rectifying his speech.

The rest of the night was filled with gasps of shock and horror. Screams could be heard throughout the base, causing people to wonder if the dead spirit of Gambling Gary had arisen to haunt them.

***

Meanwhile, Light and the others were headed to the Orange Base in the RV. Winter was finally coming to an end and the scenery on the way was beautiful. With the mountain as a backdrop and flowers preparing to bloom, it was truly a sight to take in.

Unfortunately, none of the people in the RV had any interest in appreciating the view. Instead, they all stayed quiet the entire trip, sad to have split up from Aida and the others. The twins and Ace took it particularly hard. Ace looked like he had lost his soul while the twins silently studied. Even the normally boisterous Rin chose to study quietly today.

With that dark cloud hanging over the RV, they eventually reached the Orange Base. As they approached, they could practically smell the thick scent of incense from a mile away.

The Orange Base was located at a temple. The cult that didn't trust the government had moved from the city to this secluded area to separate themselves from the rest of the world which they deemed dangerous. They had made an agreement with the monks within the temple and now shared the space. The monks were extremely passive and only represented a small 1% of the population of this base, so they had no representation.

The temple was in a secluded location with a forest of trees surrounding them on all sides. Since the animals had all disappeared, they had no difficulty with reaching the base. There were sounds of chanting and prayers occurring all across the base. Once they got closer, they saw the two trademark Buddha statues at the front of the temple.

During their drive here, Light and Lucifer had discussed for a long time before deciding that Lucifer would enter the base alone. The rest of them would stay in the RV until the negotiations were successful. The rationale behind this choice was that they would be perceived as a threat to the people of this base while Lucifer could literally become the poster boy for the rebellion against the government if he wanted to. He was one of the very few people that the government were actively trying to track down and bring in, which thereby legitimized Lucifer's existence as anti-government.

As Light parked the car, Lucifer stepped out and walked towards the entrance of the base. He looked extremely tiny and insignificant as compared to the sheer size of the grand gate and two Buddhas. Everyone watched on intently with their faces practically plastered against the windows as Lucifer walked towards the entrance with raised hands.

The giant gates slowly opened after some time and half a dozen men walked out. They patted Lucifer down cautiously before escorting him in. None of them appeared to be hostile towards Lucifer and there was even laughter.

Exhaling in relief, Light leaned back on his seat. Rin, who had been silent this entire time, finally spoke, "Now what?"

Light had a bitter smile on his face as he responded, "Now we wait."

He started the engine and prepared to drive away. Staying near the base could potentially cause the base to see them as a threat and lead to a fight, so he wanted to move away until they received a signal from Lucifer.

However, before he could drive off, a small device was thrown from the back window of the RV and green gas began to fill the entire area. Reacting quickly, Light shouted, "Quick, cover your noses."

Everyone immediately followed his orders and covered their noises, but the gas was too potent in the confined space of their RV and they fell one by one. Rin tried to escape into the shadows but he had already inhaled too much of the gas and wasn't able to escape. Light, who was furthest from the source, had enough time to react and cover his nose so he remained conscious the longest. Unfortunately, he still wasn't able to avoid the effects of the gas.

The last thing Light remembered before falling unconscious were a group of men in masks pulling them out of the van.

He thought 'It seems this base isn't as simple as we thought. Stay safe Lucifer' and then passed out.

***