Darkstone Code
Chapter 238 - 0236 What did you do to my sheep?

Chapter 238: 0236 What did you do to my sheep?

The room’s stifling atmosphere depressed Vera; she only now realized that some issues were much more troublesome than she had imagined.

However, she was unwilling to step forward and do anything at this moment. Although her relationship with Gap had grown distant because of Gap’s betrayal, they were still married, and legally, she had to bear partial responsibility.

Even a small part of the responsibility was enough for her to keep secrets, especially for the sake of the children!

In the Bail Federal, there are many deep-rooted societal problems; they simply aren’t reported normally.

But being unreported doesn’t mean they don’t exist; the most severe is the issue of school bullying.

Especially for children with "blemishes," they are particularly prone to bullying by other kids, with even teachers turning a blind eye to such behavior.

Among these "blemishes," having a criminal father currently serving time ranks first.

This means a child lacks male protection, and in this male-dominated society, such a situation signals to everyone that bullying the child or even his mother won’t bring significant trouble.

There won’t be a rough man rushing into the school waving a baseball bat for revenge, nor would there be a suited gentleman with a lawyer taking both students and the school to court.

Adding to it, people’s persistent absurd misconception that crime is an inheritable trait exacerbates the situation.

Even teachers carry these biased views; they are indifferent. Not all teachers are saints; most are ordinary people, not so different from those along the roadside.

For the children, at least at this stage, Vera won’t consider revealing these secrets.

Vera quickly got up to say goodbye, and Lynch did not urge her to stay. Of course, keeping her wouldn’t be suitable; he promptly refocused on his unfinished work.

Meanwhile, at a farmhouse on the city outskirts, the shivering Gap curled up in a sheep pen. It must be said that a bizarre knight novel he read in school saved him.

As January approached, Sabin City’s temperature had dropped to freezing point. If without proper warmth measures, sleeping outdoors would mean never waking up again.

The book he read said the protagonist squeezed into a flock of sheep during the cold winter, thus escaping danger. At that time, he mocked such stories. How could there be such foolish people in the world—just wear more clothes if afraid of cold!

Until today, he realized the fool wasn’t the book but him, having no similar experiences.

Holding a sheep, Gap felt unprecedented warmth. Never before did he yearn for a warm environment more than now, yet he was actually very confused.

He didn’t know where such overwhelming courage to escape came from, but now that he did, he had no clue what to do.

Report to the police?

Perhaps a good idea, but as an audit accountant, he knew what he had done; once disclosed, even if people said the instigator wasn’t him, he would still bear serious charges and lose his CPA title.

In the future, no formal company would likely employ someone with a history of serious criminal behavior and no qualifications as an accountant.

Maybe the gangs don’t care about these, but that’s a path he doesn’t want to choose.

Talk to Mr. Neo?

He fled from Neo’s side, even scratching a guard’s face with spectacles shards. If he just wanted to talk to Mr. Neo, why hide for so long?

Moreover...he had a vague feeling if Mr. Neo found him this time, he might truly disappear, which made him even more unable to seek out Neo.

So what should he do?

Go back as if nothing ever happened?

But would the police or Mr. Neo be willing to believe nothing happened?

Everything had changed, no longer like before. For the first time, a sense of powerlessness and loss of control surged in Gap’s heart—a feeling he had never experienced.

He felt fearful, anxious, his heart racing, and a headache ensued.

In confusion, his consciousness began slowing, slipping into a half-asleep state, quickly dozing off in warmth.

At that very moment, a few young men holding sticks approached the sheep pen.

Leading them was a rural girl dressed in burlap, appearing to be about seventeen or eighteen, with flaxen hair braided in two pigtails hanging at her waist.

Her head wrapped in a square handkerchief, wearing a somewhat dirty heavy skirt; the freckles and dust can’t mask the lively gleam in her eyes.

This is just a very ordinary country girl, seen everywhere.

Beside her is her younger brother, along with children from nearby farms. These children are natural social butterflies; they always manage to become friends with people across long distances.

This time they gathered here because the country girl recently discovered something shameful—she suspected someone was molesting her family’s sheep.

She found it difficult to share her thoughts with her parents or other adults, communicating only with her peers.

In fact, forming some kind of interspecies relationship with sheep or cows in Bail Federal or even the entire world is not considered unacceptable, especially in the pasture areas of poorer countries. This has almost become a pastime for children herding sheep and cows.

A bit of colorful joy amid a gray world as eerily silent as a graveyard.

The country girl was aware of these things, but she could not accept that someone was doing this to her household’s sheep. So she gathered her peers, planning to catch this scoundrel who insulted the sheep.

"It sounds like everything is quiet now..." The country girl peeked into the sheepfold, which was very quiet in the late hours.

At the outskirts of the flock, suddenly a few long-horned rams opened their eyes, and after observing the country girl and her friends for a while, their rectangular pupils closed again.

The weather was too cold, and the country girl and her friends quietly searched for the scoundrel under the moonlight. Before long, they stumbled upon a scene so disgusting to them.

A shirtless man was actually sleeping while embracing a sheep, causing them to imagine even more terrifying things. Enraged, the country girl lifted her stick high!

With a dull thud, Gap, who was dreaming, suddenly found the world turned dark, and his soul was knocked out of his body by some tremendous force, drifting in endless darkness.

Quickly, a sharp pain woke him up, but his muddled mind couldn’t grasp what had happened and was met with a beating!

Piercing screams traveled a great distance, so much so that later a legend spread around here: every deep winter night, spirits appear in this place.

If one accidentally encounters them, they will be devoured, becoming their food!

This story was later included in "Seventy-Two Wondrous Tales," becoming a horror tale of Sabin City.

Of course, that’s all in the future, but for now?

Only one poor man awakened from sleep only to be beaten unconscious again!

Neo’s private bodyguards were already turning the place upside down, searching along both sides of the highway several times over but failing to find any trace.

Gap seemed to vanish into the vast wilderness suddenly, and unfavorable news also came from the police station.

The girl reporting to the police wasn’t accusing Gap alone; she also reported his direct supervisor, the department manager, and two board members.

There were actually others involved. In the sexual dominance games of corporate culture, the position of those being dominated might be even lower than that of some private entity. Sharing has become mainstream.

Not only did Gap share this girl with others; others shared their girls with Gap. It’s a peculiar "corporate culture" that, though people may shyly deny it, doesn’t cease to exist due to denial.

Currently, Gap’s direct superior is also arrested. When both local police and the FBI receive instructions from local leaders, their approach becomes wilder.

Gap’s slightly plump superior soon couldn’t withstand their methods. He fell in the bathroom four times and was beaten multiple times in the holding cell for "provoking" fellow detainees before he gave up resisting.

He confessed what he knew, of course realizing that confessing early could be beneficial, at least offloading some responsibility.

The investigation team reaffirmed Gap’s importance and issued a new warrant, and meanwhile, they began to initiate an investigation centered on the girl. This further delayed Ristone’s transfer time significantly.

They must resolve these problems, at least to clarify that these cases have no direct connection to the company itself, in order to free themselves. However, achieving this is difficult.

Everything seemingly develops unfavorably for the Ristone Group, even causing Neo to sense a subtle change in attitudes from the Conservative State’s governor next door, increasing his agitation.

Yet, none of this can be swiftly concluded. It’s unlike what he initially told others about leaving anytime – in truth, he simply couldn’t walk away.

Starting from tampering with reports years ago, his fate has been tightly bound with the Ristone Group.

As long as the group exists, so does he.

Should the group cease to exist, he has no reason to exist either!

Gradually, he feels like he is being forced to the edge of a cliff.