Darkstone Code

Chapter 1083 - 1081: The Rise of a Homeless Man

The undercover investigator from the Anti-Organized Crime Investigation Bureau wrapped his heavily smelly clothes around him, quietly arriving at the place designated by the labor company.

This location is the Warehouse District on the outskirts of Sabin City. The other side said they would conduct training here for a period before sending them off to work.

If someone is found to be unsuitable for their work during this time, these people will take a trivial amount of money and walk from a bright avenue to a narrow, dim path.

These were their exact words.

The group leader of the Investigation Bureau believes the Green brothers may be involved in human trafficking, so the undercover investigator must ascertain their scale, the target of transactions, times, locations, and methods.

For this, he would go undercover.

However, he needn’t worry too much about his safety; his colleagues would be observing the situation here at all times, ready to rescue him and others if necessary.

But... he couldn’t quite stand these clothes; he exchanged twenty bucks and a damned homeless person’s clothes to get them, finding some bugs falling from them as he patted the clothes.

Lice and other things, making him feel utterly grossed out.

That damned bastard!

He thought, while cursing the group leader and other colleagues.

Soon he arrived at the place and was brought into a warehouse by some people. Upon entering, he immediately realized the group leader’s suspicion might be correct.

Various homeless people gathered here, both men and women, such marginalized groups showed very little attention and concern from society.

In a city, if a group of homeless suddenly disappears, no one would think it’s odd.

They have no residences, most have no family, no jobs, no fixed living areas, and they face various dangers.

Should some persons go missing one day, whether they’re dead or just gone, no one would report them, let alone spend money trying to find them, never!

And this just makes them the finest "resources".

Since joining this organized crime investigation work, the undercover agent has seen many dark results of society. Despite most homeless being middle-aged, seemingly no one would trade them.

In fact, on an international scale, there are many in demand, mostly from some mines, factories, people who don’t see them as human!

These people would be treated as slaves, even livestock, given not-so-good food, showing no concern for their health conditions.

Even if someone dies, to those people, the death cost is vastly cheaper than offering them medical care.

These individuals appear ceaselessly as consumables in places untouched by sunlight, then vanish!

The undercover agent was arranged to sit on a small separate chair, someone came to ask him if he could read and write.

Damn, though Federation’s education costs are high, everyone can afford elementary school fees, he nodded and then received a writing pad, a pen, and some paper.

More and more people gathered in the room, roughly three to four hundred, or even more?

The undercover investigator couldn’t gauge exactly how many people here, only guess a rough estimate; perhaps the actual number might be much greater, but perhaps less, he didn’t know.

He couldn’t stand on the chair for a look; that would catch everyone’s attention. Watching those holding sticks by the walls, he felt it best not to do that!

When the crowd seemed ample or perhaps when time had arrived, suddenly from a second-floor platform provided for the Administrator’s living and working, someone appeared.

The person there seemed... somewhat like a social elite, an inexplicable arrogance on his face, disdainfully scanning everyone in the warehouse.

Then...

He uttered a sentence.

"You worthless trash!"

In no time some homeless stood up, though homeless they were, they were also free Federation people.

Pursuing freedom is inscribed in tenets, etched into the deep soul of Federation people as an eternal desire!

No one can make them forsake their love and pursuit of freedom!

Some stood up, pointing at the person above, yelling profanities, don’t expect homeless to be all good; some have significant criminal histories.

Soon, these individuals fell quiet under the suppression of sticks.

The person on the second-floor platform had a lamp above, bright enough for people in any warehouse corner to clearly see him.

He raised his hand again, pointing at the homeless in the room, speaking in a most unbearable tone, "You!"

"This bunch of trash!"

This time no one stood up to cause a scene, but many eyes carried hostility.

The man sneered, "See, now you don’t even have the courage to resist, so I say you’re trash, don’t be upset!"

"Maybe after calming, you’ll ponder why I say this."

"Simply, see how you appear now!", his voice seemed to contain something that filled everyone with power.

But this power is not motivation, not courage, but the desire to punch him!

If given the chance, who wouldn’t want to lie in a thousand-square-meter mansion and live a prosperous life?

Is it that they don’t want to?

No, it’s that they can’t, they’re just a group of homeless people!

The man paced back and forth under the light, "Look at you, you have intact hands, intact feet, your bodies are not much worse than others."

"Why can others have a happy life, while you can only live like a maggot, in the garbage heap of the city?"

"My child once complained to me, he told me..."

"Dad, did those people poop their pants, why do they smell so bad?"

The voice, pinched to sound like a child’s, pierced the hearts of the homeless.

They all remained silent, even the undercover investigator felt these people were too much, were they trying to destroy the dignity of the homeless?

So they could better enslave them?

Perhaps because he was also wearing smelly clothes, there was a sense of identification, he was angry, helpless, and could only glare at the man on the platform.

Yet the person at that moment didn’t care at all about being stared at by those homeless people below, he wore a smile with some indefinable emotion.

"You know, I was once just like you..."

With just one sentence, the tense atmosphere instantly dissolved, and the confusion on the faces of the homeless became the most beautiful ’scenery’ at the moment.

They didn’t understand why one of their own would betray the group?

Perhaps, inside they were no longer angry, that space was taken by confusion, maybe even... yearning?

The man on the platform looked at them, slightly shaking his head as he spoke, "But now we are not the same, I can stand here pointing at your noses, telling you that you are a bunch of losers, and none of you can refute me."

"Because I succeeded, and you failed."

"I know you want change too, but society’s prejudice has left you no opportunity and no courage to change anything."

"But it doesn’t matter, now the opportunity has come!"

"The door is over there..."

As he spoke, the previously closed door banged open, and the light from outside shone into the warehouse, tearing through the dimness inside.

The snow outside reflected the sunlight, giving a false impression of brightness outside, but no one stood up.

Even though outside no one was insulting them, no one was pointing their noses saying they’re garbage, they’re losers, even then they didn’t want to go out.

"It seems no one wants to leave here, that’s good, it means you all have the intention and courage to change your current life, you are true warriors!"

"From now on, as long as you can strictly follow our requirements and complete the training tasks, by the end of the training, you can bid farewell to your past selves."

"Because you will welcome a brand-new life, your future will be filled with brightness, and none of this is bestowed upon you, it is what you strive for yourselves!"

"With your hands, with your perseverance, you can prove to anyone who ever looked down on you, that you can do better and be more successful than them!"

"I look forward to one day when you are cruising around this city in a luxury car and meet that person who once gave you twenty-five cents while also cursing you and making you upset for a week."

"Right in front of him, or it might be her, throw twenty-five dollars, two hundred and fifty dollars in their face, and say this..."

"I fucking thank you for your help!"

The atmosphere in the warehouse changed again, the homeless were filled with drive, including the undercover investigator, who felt full of energy at that moment.

His body stood up involuntarily, then applauded, and more homeless people stood up to applaud the person on the platform who called them ’losers’!

They seemed to really ’see’ the bright future, saw everything he talked about happening!

As long as you work hard, you can make a change.

Isn’t it just such an opportunity that they’ve been lacking?

An opportunity!

Some even shed tears of excitement!

The man on the platform smiled and nodded repeatedly, "Very good, very good, this is wonderful, you made me see your determination, this is great!"

"Please remember, other than yourselves, there’s no one who can make this world give up on you!"

"We are not marginalized people, we’re not pitiful wretches needing people’s pity, we’re not losers!"

"Change starts from this moment, maybe some of you will quit during this process, but I hope after going through this, at least something would be brought into your life!"