After asking everywhere, Mike had an idea of what was happening.

  He got most of the information from the kids and also from the slums.

  To summarize it all, it was something like,

  Some "important" people entered and left the city.

  Most of those people, or probably none of them were registered in the legal registry of the city.

  And lastly, some of those people, even while helping the city from months ago, were not Aether citizens.

  Or at least, they were not from Aether.

  Mike was surprised to find that some kids were disappearing recently, so he guessed it was mostly the doing of some criminal.

  Anthon was known for kidnapping young people with a high potential of becoming an ability user.

  Most terrorist organizations worked that way.

  Kidnapping young ones, training them, and forcing them to work for the organization.

  Using them as a meat shield for the organization.

  Anton Makarevich was one of those people.

  The main reason he was wanted was because of that.

  But still, he found no clue of the person he was looking for.

  For him, it looked like the criminals were not staying in the city.

  The jungle, even if it used to be the main yard for criminals and terrorists, has been mostly devoid of those big groups in recent years.

  Especially taking in mind the current infestation of creatures.

  Mike finished his work of interrogation by the afternoon, he went to a restaurant to eat something by that time and prepared to leave the city.

  Since entry and leaving the cities in the area were restricted, the citizens could only leave by only two ways.

  Leaving by air, with a plane.

  That was the safest way, but also the most expensive.

  The second was through periodical transport.

  That way was the most dangerous, it was made to transport people between cities while guarded by the army,

  But there was a problem with it.

  The main issue was not the danger but the time it left the cities, twice a week.

  And all the people wanting to leave were just too much, probably.

  Of course, it was easy for him to leave in there with the military using his Blacklist Hunter identity.

  But anyway, the next transport would leave the city by tomorrow.

  He had no time for it.

  And military personnel were not planning any leave when he asked.

  So for him, there were only two ways aside from waiting for the next transport.

  First, use the illegal transport he found out about earlier.

  Second, leave the same way he arrived here.

  By doing the second way, he could search the possible bases around the jungle.

  It was his plan before, but looking at how the criminals were allowed to get into the city so easily,

  It was useless to search in the jungle, especially after seeing the speed of the supernatural creatures in the jungle.

  "Those wolf-like creatures were faster than Joshua"

  He was sure he could win against one, against two was possible too.

  But those creatures moved in packs.

  And contrary to the news, the creatures were more than just one pack.

  Why would the city give half of the information? Collaborating with criminals, probably.

  But it matters very little to Mike. Dealing with the creatures was not his work, it was only to capture the criminals... or kill them.

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  So, an hour later, he got some food for the travel and went to the slums again.

  He had to find the people in charge of the illegal transport.

  For doing it the illegal way, he even covered his military clothes.

  Going around with the cape was somehow suspicious, but since he was in the slums, it was nothing strange.

  After asking around, he reached a casino at the border of the slums.

  And since casinos were illegal in Aether, it was clearly an illegal casino.

  He went directly talking with the ones selling the tickets for the illegal transport.

  The conversation was quick.

  All they wanted was money, Mike was used to dealing with that.

  He just paid for it and had to wait until night to leave.

  "If people can travel from city to city around the jungle in Aether, then is no mystery that I can't find the ones I am looking for"

  It was easy to leave the city, so why would not be easy for the criminals to leave too?

  After all, those were no normal criminals, most of them worked for big organizations, like Anthon Makarevich worked for The Chaos Minds.

  Before night arrived, he was outside the casino like some people waiting for the transport to get them out, When sadly,

  A muscle man came from inside to talk to them.

  It looked like a worker in the casino, judging his clothing.

  Probably a security guard.

  "Excuse me, friends. But is it too much trouble to get away from the entrance if you are not playing in there?" He signaled at the casino.

  It looked like the casino didn't accept people wandering in front of them.

  "Ok, no problem, but we need to wait for the transport here at night" Said one of the people waiting.

  "Guys at night is when the casino gets most the people, I can't allow it" Answered the worker.

  Some people left the place already even before the man talked with them, it looked like they knew what was about to happen.

  Mike was curious, but not that curious, so he decided to leave at once.

  But before he could leave the area the man spoke again.

  "Wait there, man. If you want to wait in line here for later, what about playing a game or two in the casino? You know, nobody will kick a client out, I am not forcing you, but the rules here are strict anyway"

  After giving the people the message, the worker left, and so the ones waiting left where the others were waiting earlier.

  Of course, Mike got the message earlier.

  The ones in charge of the casino were the ones in charge of the transport.

  "This city is weird already, lucky that the slums are the same as the rest of Aether"

  The night in the city was dangerous, if the military caught you outside after 19:00 you are fucked.

  But in the slums, there was no date or time to do anything.

  "Is it mandatory to play a game there, right?" Asked a woman.

  She asked the ones leaving the place earlier.

  "Depends on your luck, but I recommend you to do so" Answered another woman.

  "Don't talk bullshit, is possible. I did it last time, you get in, ask some things around, and leave like you already played a game, they will not notice it" Said a young man.

  Mike took in mind their words, he could play a game or two, and it was no problem for him anyway.

  He already understood that some things are more expensive than it seems at first look.

  But he wanted speed, to leave quick, not to save money.

  And the corps gave him some little money for expenses when leaving for a mission.

  Blacklist Hunter mercenaries were the costliest for any mercenary corps for different reasons, the most nurtured ones too.

  When night arrived, one of the elder men gave some more little information.

  "Younger people should also be aware of the boss in there, sometimes he comes to play in his own casino, and forces others to place bets too"

  Some people went into the place at night, directly to play a game and leave.

  It looked like the time was now.

  So Mike did the same.

  But as the earlier words were a prophecy...

  "You, you too, and the Young girl there, the boss calls for you three" Said one of the workers, the one from earlier.

  He signaled to three people,

  One of them the guys that said he didn't play before, the problem was.

  "Why?" Asked Mike.

  He was one of the three called.

  "I dunno, but you cannot reject"

  "Liar! If I lose time, I will arrest you and your boss... If I can" He decided to not arrest them if possible.

  This casino was under Crane, the big boss he had seen before in prison.

  Thomas Crane was not just a big boss in prison, but also in Aether.

  In a private room, there were a few people enjoying their time in the casino while the door opened.

  The three arrived in the room and were received with eyes, eyes showing pity or laughter for them.

  "Ah~ the two invitees arrived, come, come here and take a sit" Said a fat man while saw them coming.

  Judging by the respectful look of the others towards that man, he was clearly the boss here.

  "Two?" Asked Mike in his mind.

  "Hehehe, the young girl and the military or mercenary there, I mean" Said the man and looked at the muscular worker "Tommy, take care of the troublemaker there, shall you?"

  The man was talking about the young guy who said about not playing in the casino last time.

  Mike didn't even have a need to listen to the guy's complaints or begging.

  "Such display of authority in front of us means: 'no objections allowed here'... or something like that?"

  He was chosen to play with the boss.

  And by what he heard earlier... they knew he was a mercenary.