Chapter 446

“Mel! Why so late!” Arthur grumbled, as he watched the woman walk out of the Tower. The pair of guards who opened the door were vaguely familiar to Arthur, and the way their eyes locked onto him told him that Mel’s arrival would not take long before it was reported to others.

Mel snorted, waving a tired hand as she stomped forward with her spear beside her. Her eyes drifted over to Manager Kong and the other attendant beside Arthur, a frown growing. It disappeared, briefly, when she saw Yao Jing and Jan hovering in the background, but then saw how Arthur’s eyes drifted to the side. She turned a little to, realising that there were a couple of groups of men hovering around, arms crossed and watching.

More than a few whispered words followed her too, pointed fingers and staring parents hoping against hope that she was their child. Most looked away, a few angry or furious before they turned away. An older woman was the first to break, moved towards Mel, asking questions, asking if she had seen her daughter. That opened the flood gates, one after the other swarming her as they began to shout questions.

“Shit!” Arthur said. “This didn’t happen with me…”

“With me, got lah,” Yao Jing said.

“It’s normal,” Manager Kong said. “We just made sure they didn’t, not with you.”

“Ah… Can you?” he jerked his head to where Mel’s progress had stopped.

“Can.” She gestured to the attendant beside her who moved ahead, gesturing for the police to come. One after the other, they came and pushed, allowing Mel a chance to move ahead. She looked harried, drawn, her face paler than ever.

The moment Mel reached Arthur, she blurted out. “We have to do something about that!”

“About what?” Arthur said, uncertain exactly what she wanted.

“Them!” Mel said, softly. “They’re staying there, hoping. Wishing. If they knew-”

“That they’re dead? They’re stuck?” Yao Jing shook his head. “It’s not worth it.”

“What if they were your children?”

“Then I’d consider them dead if they didn’t come out in time.”

“Mo gam gok,” Mel said, looking away from Yao Jing at Arthur.

“It’s not a bad idea, but…” He turned to stare at Manager Kong, “why hasn’t the government done that? Seems like you could debrief people, use the IC photos we had for others to check.”

“You know how many people are in there now?” Manager Kong said. “You know how long it’d take to go through all those photos?”

“Ah…. Right.” He imagined flipping through a table, over and over again, looking at old photos and grimaced. How many faces would he remember, how many would he care to remember for that matter? He could see why someone, tired and irritated after coming out of the Tower, a little shell-shocked by everything that happened might not be too willing.

Still…

“Maybe if we paid people…” He grimaced but made a note of it. If they started something on the inside, carried out information as they emerged, it would help. No reason the government could not do that, but he could see from the look the Manager was giving him that it was a non-starter. He turned to Mel, waved a hand downwards. “We’ll look into it.”

“Good.” She turned to the crowd who were still hanging around, looking at them hopefully, heartbreak and hope and barely hidden grief on their faces before turning away, unable to continue watching them. “We should…”

“Go.” Manager Kong said firmly. “You have a lot to talk about.”

“Yeah.” Arthur said, gesturing for them to get into the car. Mel was pensive in the vehicle as the pair sat in the back while Yao Jing drove them, only waking up after some prodding to give an address for the man to punch into the phone.

Arthur let her stew in her thoughts for some time, knowing how disconcerting travel from out of the Tower to the real world could be. The air smelled different, dustier and dirtier, the world felt thinner, less substantial as the constant pressure of Tower energy was missing. Sight and sound were amplified, the constant drumbeat of feet, hearts and vehicles pressing upon one, as garish lights and colourful clothing assaulted their senses.

"So what did she mean we have a lot to talk about?" Mel said, eventually. She shifted in her seat uncomfortably before asking Yao Jing to raise the air conditioning again. 

"So, funny thing that." He grimaced wryly. "You know how we talked about how everyone would want a piece of the Clan?"

"It's happening?"

"Government and all," he sighed. "I talked to Casey and Rick. They want me to set up a corporation that they can buy into. Take percentage stakes in."

"How much?" Mel asked.

"Ten to fifteen percent. The Chin's have said they'll beat anything Rick has to offer," noting how Mel's head was nodding, he continued. "Problem is, once we have a corporation, I think the the triads and other gangs are going to try their hand too."

"Even if the government is watching?" Mel said, surprised.

"They already sent people to my tsifu's school. I think..." he trailed off.

"What? You have an idea what they're up to?"

"I think they're worried about being driven out by us," Arthur said, eventually. "Our conflicts, their strength. If there's no need for them, if we grow big enough and they're not part of us..."

"They become smaller again." Mel nodded slowly, considering the question. The triads and the other gangs had become a facet of Tower life in Malaysia, a given because they could - and were used to - operating in gray regions. The government had not wanted to try to push control where they had no oversight, leaving the Tower wide open to exploitation. But slowly, they had begun pushing more bumi and scholars through, people they could control.

It would not be long before they decided they needed even more control. At least in the Beginner Tower, which was where many of the triads made money. At least in Malaysia. Outside, there was still smuggling, still exploitation rackets, some places like Hong Kong were even worse in terms of control. But other cities, other Towers had less control because guilds and governments went out of the way to stamp it out.

"You might be right. If they become legitimate through us, if whichever group gets an agreement with us, or makes us work for them, they'd be set."

"At least till I died," Arthur said, wryly. 

"Yeah."

That was problematical for him too, since he needed to climb, but it was possible they'd try to slow his climbing too. Not something he wanted to consider or deal with. 

"We also need to deal with where we're going next." 

"Already?"

“Yeah lah.”

“Don’t I get a break at all?” Mel complained.

“Of course you do,” Arthur replied. “But I wanted you to know what’s happening. And that I need my Vice Clan Head. Vice Chief? Deputy?” He paused, considered. “Deputy.”

He returned the smile she sent him, though really. It wasn’t as though she hadn’t known she was his second in command.

Right?