Several SWAT vans closed in on the motel they stayed at, why were they required? There's this "high risk" arrests or assaults, which wasn't surprising due to the destruction discovered in the nearby desert. Somehow they traced right back to this particular motel which was, not a coincidence, the closest to that place in the desert. They hopped off armed to the teeth, and went in stealthily. "Everybody put your hands up!" This phrase and other can be heard in the far distance.
Unsurprisingly, news of the events that took place in the desert quickly spread, about how police is further investigating even though they don't have the slightest clue, how they think based off of the level of carnage and the vehicle remains it did resemble anything orchestrated by drug cartels.
News report in English: "The unidentified bodies were burnt beyond recognition, found in an open air pit. Almost all of fat tissues were set on fire, leaving only charred bones and fragments with residue of burnt flesh stuck to it. The suspect subjected the bodies to a crematorium like temperature where DNA identification is impossible. The firearms couldn't be traced due to serial numbers being filed off. The disposal of the bodies were clearly after a firefight, which was the hardest part of the investigation. The damages and wounds were unable to determine. Despite the destroyed human remains, rounds and bullet holes of all caliber can still be observed, along with twisted metal as a sign of explosions, and grenade fragments. Evidence further indicated that an abnormally large sandstorm had been in contact with the convoy, but the event definitely wasn't a case of pure natural disaster. For mysterious reasons, plasma was suspected to form which caused irreparable damages to the vehicles. How could a large convoy of armed mysterious personnels suddenly be killed in the desert? This is **** ******** reporting, we will update you as soon as we have the most recent information."
The news played on the radio when they were driving.
"Will they really know that it is a case of Esper abilities? I mean you want to draw and direct attention on AC don't you?" Asked Mugino.
"Oh yeah, they will." Answered John.
"By the way where we going?"
"Nevada, though you had enough of the desert huh." Answered the American.
"What, there's gonna be an Area 52 there?"
"No, Vegas. My associates run a casino, I mean not all of our income is legitimate right? It happens in our profession, that sometimes you just have to state how you turn billionaire overnight. Think about it, countless anonymous financial flows that it's a pain in the ass to trace. Sure, lots of taxes, but that's not the point. I have money, I just need to worry about running my organization."
"Ha! Money launderer. So you are mafia after all. Aren't you a research group?" Asked Mugino.
"Oh yeah, we are. But for me, I've played many identities over the course of my life. A legit business man, a scientist, an agency member, a caporegime, or the Devil himself. It's hard to keep up in many focal points, so I focus on the research, and my associates run other areas. We have had ties with some mafias, we are powerful, so powerful in fact that we rival the research groups in Academy City. Even government agencies backed us up even though we are illegitimate, underground, whatever. They realize the potential threats of Academy City, to keep them in order, they can't just rely on internal regulation. They need lots of dark side, clandestine groups.
"So you aren't officially tied with governments and agencies, but you are still supported."
"Basically. Now, you cannot rely solely on the conscience of people to run society smoothly, if one is out of order, the whole thing falls apart. Good or bad either way, there have to be several powerful figures that keep other powerful figures in line. What you rely on is the decision making skills of people, in terms of choosing which path they walk on. We all chose to do this, and agencies still turns a blind eye. But decisions, not only decisions to guide you, it's about power, and a clear mind to know where you are at. I know in this path something will happen and everyone working for me realizes this, they did it anyways."
"I guess that justifies our way of doing things then." Muttered Mugino.
"Alright, I will say no more sensitive information, not until we get to HQ."