《The Manifest》Chapter 28
Advertisement
Mr. Smith was in his office, working the phones and doing his best to gather the information he needed to make a presentation to Mr. Carlson as soon as he could. Turns out Carlson wasn't very patient today as he came strolling into the office and whipped the door open and closed rather harshly behind him. Smith could tell by the look on his boss' face that things were going for bad to worse too fast for them to keep track of. Carlson took a moment to settle down and then took a seat across from Smith's desk.
"I just got chewed out from above." Carlson informed him. "They're not happy about this and I can't blame them one bit. What information do you have so far?"
Smith took a deep breathe and then broke the news, "Everyone who was on the third floor was murdered before the fire started. All shot before the fire was deliberately set. I have no evidence, but I had to ponder a guess I would suspect the mob."
"Organized Crime?" Carlson asked, as he was eager to hear more about this interesting theory. "What makes you jump to that kind of conclusion?"
"The money," Smith replied, trying his best to sell this theory, "It could have been hush money that they could have tried to use to shut them up from something they discovered. The police even suspect Edgar Willis because they think he tried to screw Tuck out of his equal share."
"Do you really believe that?" Carlson asked.
"Not really," Smith honestly answered, "This was clearly a multi-man hit. You would need at least half a dozen people to pull of this operation quickly and quietly enough to the point where no one else noticed they were even there. This was professional, from start to finish. They really pissed someone off out there to the point where they were willing to kill to take care of the problem."
Advertisement
"And the fact that Edgar shot at our people?" Carlson asked, still concerned about that fact.
"Well," Smith said, trying to air some confidence. "The police have their suspicions, so it's fair to say that Edgar has his own suspects as well. I doubt he'll tell anything to the police. Even if he does, I doubt they'll give him the time of day either, especially after the way Ms. Johnson was treated when she tried to tell the same story. I think we hit a lucky break. This could take care of the problem for us."
"I don't call over a dozen dead people and an agent being fired at lucky!" Carlson snapped as he stood up, "We need to find out who really did this and fast, because the last thing we want Willis to do is add vengeance to the list of reasons why he should look for us and Mrs. Johnson."
"I'll make it my top priority." Smith said, as he could tell how serious his boss was taking the situation. "Do you plan to relocate Mrs. Johnson?"
"Not yet," Carlson said, "I doubt Willis has had any time to start his search so her location is probably safe for the moment. Even if he managed to dig something up, there's a good chance it went up in smoke with his office. Without a location to work out of, it might be weeks before he picks up this case again. We'll move her to a new location after things settle down."
"That sounds wise," Smith concurred, "No need to expose her if we don't have to."
"Are you sure this is all the information you have right now?" Carlson added, desperate to have as much as possible for his supervisors.
Advertisement
"I swear this is all I got," Smith insisted. "I'm sorry I didn't have more for you but I'll have a full report ready for you and your superiors by the end of the day."
"You haven't had much time to work with." Carlson said, easing up a bit on him, "I look forward to reading your completed report."
Smith watched as the old man walked out of his office. As he sat back down, Smith let out a huge sigh as if the weight of the world seemed to be weighing on his shoulders. He sat back and looked at his report, it was the best he could come up with on such short notice but would be enough to get the big boys off his back for now.
Smith was sure he would be rid of both of those pests after the events of the previous night, but it turns out some of them managed to make it out alive. Willis also managed to take Ms. Johnson off the street before his people could get to her. Futile efforts, Smith thought to himself as he flipped open his phone. He sent out a text to a friend of his in the field. He told him to contact the men at the station to find out if Willis was still being held by the police. Hopefully the detective would be there long enough for him to pay a little visit.
Advertisement
- In Serial6 Chapters
Kobold in Exile
Accused of offending the dragons, branded a heretic and condemned by his people, Toktok is on the run from his homeland. Cut off from the support of his tribe, this kobold must rely on his own skills to survive in a foreign land where he is vermin. But he's no fish out of water, as he has patrolled the surface of his tribe's territory for years, hunting, scouting, and laying traps for enemies, and he holds a mystical connection to the land around him. He also has the company of a tamed land raptor that owes its loyalty to him, not to his tribe or to the dragons. However, with no other kobolds to watch his back and provide support in a fight, he will have to learn the hard way whether all of this will be enough to keep him alive in a land home to warriors and adventurers who would kill him just as soon as seeing him.
8 64 - In Serial11 Chapters
Firechaser
Ragnar Haram, an infamous hacker and escaped prisoner, has been living off the grid for years when a single mistake sends him to a virtual prison he cannot escape. Every step forwards leads to a worse situation until the AI governing the world he is in reaches out and offers him an escape; and more it offers answers to the question that got him into prison in the first place, "What happened to his sister?". Join our hero as he has to keep a band of criminals together to escape a fantasy world and expose the system that trapped them there to begin with.
8 200 - In Serial15 Chapters
Dip$h!+s in Space
An eccentric comedy novel (that thinks it's a TV show) about space, and the Dipsh!+s that end up stranded in it. This hyper-self-aware comedy of stupid proportions, centers around Captain William T Lawg (no relation) and his adventures as a guy who managed to afford a refitted soft-top ice-cream truck, in space. Explore the universe with his trusty crew of valiant randos. Marley, the tech-bro, stoner spacebunny, who just wants to get away from his home world and the bullies it harbors. Duffy, the plump and sassy female mechanic, who has had every job in existence totaling far more years than possible. Roy, the frigging fabulous, flamboyant android, and former spy…or possibly current spy. (dun dun, daaaa!) And lastly, but certainly leastly, that other chick the captain keeps trying to bang. Ride with the crew of the notorious Tast-E-Chill, to a world of wonder that a lot of other space travelers have already been before, but probably not Lawg, so it's still exciting. This satirical joke on itself and every sci-fi trope ever to exist, will be sure to either thrill you or disappoint you, because COMEDY…IS…SUBJECTIVE! With a crew of 3-10 and an IQ of also probably 3-10, The captain putters along to uncharted lands, where history, loot, drama, innuendos of the sexual verity, and various Technicolor hoes shall surely be waiting, usually with some form of trap. Each season brings new and interesting crewmen, like: Menace: the adorable genderless frog-child-thing with the heart of gold and the dialogue vocabulary of a slightly trained parrot. Greg: the 8 foot tall, ancient, thermonuclear, semi-retired alien overlord who just wants to prove he still has a purpose…and also to rule the galaxy. Izzy: a 3rd generation, age-reversed reboot, accidental clone of her own mother/sister/older self, who happens to be Greg's daughter-in-law…and much, much more. Prepare yourself for shallow adventure, moderately-to high offensive dialogue, and overwhelmingly childish scenarios. Tag along as the crew battles, fierce enemies, lack of food and survival tape, and occasionally their own incompetence. Teen Romance, current politics, subtlety, dignity, this sucker has none of those, and it darn well knows it. Raise the sails and grab the rails as a bunch of dipsh!+s find themselves...IN SPACE. (Roll dramatic tapering credits, to royalty free trumpet music)
8 131 - In Serial27 Chapters
Naruto World Isekai: A new Flower Blooms in a Different World
Julia Amber Rose. Cheerleader, Vegetarian, Feminist advocate, Medical student, and not so secret anime nerd. Which is why when she woke up in a typical Isekai situation in one of the most popular anime of the generation, it should've been a dream come true! Sadly reality was often disappointing, even in a different world. Especially when she finds out that not only did she not come with any cheat powers, but her "setting" has been locked as a no-name orphan after the Kyuubi attack! What? You mean this isn't going to be a harem power fantasy?! I want a refund! Give me back my hopes and dreams damnit! Can a girl survive in the harsh world of ninjas, giant chakra beasts, and alien Gods without any help, only by relying on her vast knowledge of anime and foreknowledge the poorly planned plot of Naruto? She didn't know, but she sure as hell wasn't looking forward to dying and finding out if she'd get another chance!
8 227 - In Serial12 Chapters
Beyond the Bridge
There are many worlds, many multiverses, and you can move between them via the Federation's Bridge network - magical gateways to other worlds. The world dubbed "C'thon" by its inhabitants - or Gamma-Theta-Nu-649, if you ask the Federation's bureaucracy - was deserted when the Federation found it. The "civilized" races had all died out centuries prior, and the wilderness had grown downright feral in their absence. Now, the lonely Federation outpost of Bridgetown is under constant threat from the hungry wildlife, malicious fey, territorial goblins, and wandering undead that surround it. The town's distance from the Federation's centers of power means that it gets precious few of the resources that it needs to stay safe and afloat. Enter the Guild of Adventurers, a plucky and disparate crew who do the Federation's dirty work in exchange for coin. One team, the first of many, crosses the Bridge to C'thon looking for fame, fortune, and (if they're lucky) the answer to a newly-discovered Prophecy. They'll get much more than they bargained for, although first they need to avoid being eaten by the local wildlife. Updates weekly on Wednesday. Chapters will be as long as they need to be for them to work, which means they can vary. If anything drops below 2500 words, I'll post an extra chapter if I have one ready. [PS: This is not a litRPG, but I do borrow heavily from TTRPGs for inspiration, and the general setting and storyline is from a TTRPG campaign I'm running.] [PPS: This is my first attempt at writing long-form fiction. I'm not trying to make a great piece of literature or have a multi-novel overarching plot, but hopefully it'll still be a fun story - let me know what you think in the comments.] [PPPS: Cover image is from a free-download wallpaper by Tyler Edlin; I do not own it, and will take it down immediately if requested.]
8 138 - In Serial66 Chapters
(MTL)I am the ex-wife of the cannon fodder in the chronology [80]
https://m.shubaow.net/247/247501/Author: HeduCategory: Rebirth through timeRelease time: 2022-05-12Latest: Chapter 66rebirthfinished237,000When Li Yulan realized that the world she lived in was a book, she was being dragged to a black clinic for an abortion. According to the original plot, at this moment, she should have just learned the news of her husband's death, and was about to abandon her biological son and abort the child in her womb, so that she could remarry immediately. Then ten minutes later, she would die on the cold operating table due to a miscarriage operation. After that, her son will be sold into the valley and turned into a villain with many evils. And her cousin would marry her husband, Gu Shen, who didn't die but made a lot of money. Gu Shen went all the way until he became the richest man in the country, and his cousin became the richest man's wife that everyone envied. Li Yulan: ? ? ? Is she being ghosted? Otherwise, how could you do such a stupid thing! Li Yulan immediately covered her stomach, pushed away her cousin who tried her best to persuade her to abort and remarry, and hurried home to hug her villain son tightly. No matter what the plot is or not, as long as she has her own children, her cheap husband and cousin will go wherever they fall in love with it! Gu Shen worked hard outside for half a year, and almost lost his life. He finally made a lot of money and went home with a large bag and a small bag to see his wife and son. Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered the door, he met his wife's defensive gaze. Li Yulan: "Let's get a divorce, but the child has to be mine!" Gu Shen: "???" Who can tell him what happened! Content label: Farming Wenshuang Wen Shuang Wen Shi Wen counterattack Search keywords: Protagonist: Li Yulan; Gu Shen ┃ Supporting role: Dabao Xiaobao ┃ Others:
8 128

