Awakening [GxG]

2

Doctor Hubert Stein punched the brick wall. Clenching his bruised fist, he snarled at the useless army before him.

“What the hell am I paying you men for?” The rage pulsating within him wanted to set everyone ablaze in the compound. “You’re telling me a group of spear-wielding nobodies chased you out while you had guns. That’s what you’re telling me?”

How could these men be so useless?

“Sir, they were not spear-wielders,” one of the men protested. “They were like... demons. We couldn’t even touch them. We can’t--”

Stein struck the bulky man on the face, sending him toppling to the ground. “Stop trying to cover up your failures, you idiots.” He shook his hand vigorously at them. “Useless. You are all useless. I paid you good money to get me the bazwu and yet you failed me. Again. You are a bunch of useless fools.”

“Sir, if I may--”

“You may not.” Stein glared at the short mercenary.

“But sir, we--”

Stein fired a bullet right in the center of his head. The mercenary slumped to the cold hard floor in his own pool of blood. Stein’s furious gaze swept over the small army.

“I said you may not,” he growled, glaring at the dead man in disgust. “Anyone else has anything to say?”

Their faces were a mixture of shock and fear, no one daring to move or speak.

“Doctor Stein.” The voice came from behind.

Stein recognized John Clarke’s gentle voice. He turned to face him. “You’re here.”

Stein replaced his revolver on his belt holster. He buried his hands in the pockets of his khaki overcoat and sauntered towards the bespectacled man.

John glanced at the dead man. “Bad time?”

“No.” Stein shrugged. “Just dealing with failure. How could they be beaten by a group of spear-wielders?”

“Well, Doctor Stein, that’s because the WPU is not a group of spear-wielders.” John adjusted his spectacles. ” It’s Sharmandi’s finest warrior with top-of-the-line weapons. It doesn’t matter how many people you send there, the WPU will defend their home with their lives.”

“Then they will die trying.”

John smiled. “Or you will die trying.”

That made Stein halt. He respected John’s view for the most part since the English anthropologist had played a big role in helping him acquire bazwu from Dorben. But clearly, John didn’t know Stein at all. The younger man had no idea was Stein was capable of.

“And what makes you think that?” asked Stein.

“Sharmandi is not Dorben,” he said. “Unlike Dorben, Sharmandi cares about protecting its bazwu population.”

Stein raised a brow. “What are you talking about? Dorben gave me the permit to hunt in Kirriba Plains. Sharmandi can’t stop me from getting what’s mine.”

“Dorben gave you a permit?” John narrowed his eyes.

“Of course. I bought my way into Kirriba Plains. Those greedy idiots will sell their own children if you paid enough.” Stein chuckled in disdain.