Shrouded Seascape

James looked down at the documents on his clipboard with a stern expression. His subordinates sitting around the rectangular table in front of him seemed apprehensive as they stared at him.

It didn't take James long to adapt to his new position as the Chief of Hope Island's Police Department. He had been the Minister of Agriculture for over three years, so he had some experience managing people, and he quickly adapted to his new role.

After a while, James' gaze landed on the woman sitting next to him. The woman sporting a cold expression had a bed of red hair covering her right eye and a huge chunk of her face. The red scorpion tattoo on her neck was particularly eye-catching.

"District 3's clearance rate for this quarter is a bit too low. Aliya, I want you to pay more attention to your district's clearance rate. You and your people are responsible for handling special cases, so Hope Island will eventually get in trouble if you don't handle your cases properly," James said. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

A look of disdain suffused Aliya's face hidden behind her red hair. She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms in front of her chest before saying, "Chief, there's just no way around it. You know our line of work is dangerous, right?

"I lost a lot of people during the recent ritualistic killings case. I really don't have enough people to work with at the moment."

"If you don't have enough people, then just recruit people. The docks are filled with new arrivals every day," James retorted.

"Ha, you want me to recruit those children who have probably never touched a gun throughout their lives? No thank you," Aliya replied.

James slammed the clipboard on the table and asked, "What do you want, then? The issue regarding your clearance rate cannot be avoided. It has to be resolved by the next quarter."

"Of course, I'm not trying to avoid my responsibilities here. The solution I can offer is simple. Give me the keys to our prisons. I've got my eyes on quite a few experts there," Aliya replied.

"They're vicious criminals, and you want to recruit them? No way! How could those criminals just hop onto the light?" James exclaimed, his volume rising by a notch.

"Chief, I hope you haven't forgotten that Chief Dipp had pulled me out of prison to work here." Aliya pointed out.

"And that's exactly why District 3 has gone astray! It's because of you and your unscrupulous methods of resolving cases!" James retorted.

"Does the process really matter so long as there are results? If you think that I haven't been doing a decent job, then fine! Fire me! Fire me right now and replace me with someone else. Chief Dipp is no longer here, and I have been thinking of quitting, anyway!" Aliya shouted.

The argument grew more and more heated; violence almost broke out between the two. Of course, the other officers hurriedly dissuaded Aliya from doing something drastic, so the worst-case scenario was avoided.

Eventually, James was left all alone in the conference room. His arms were crossed in front of his chest, and he looked extremely annoyed. It seemed that the saying about how the subordinates would imitate their leaders' traits was true.

The people whom Dipp had recruited were as difficult to manage as him.

Unfortunately, James was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He couldn't quite fire her, as she was the only one capable of controlling the rabble of District 3. To replace her, he couldn't do it outright. It had to be a slow transition.

The rumors between Aliya and Dipp also gave James a throbbing headache.

"That brat Dipp really left a huge mess for me to deal with..." James muttered to himself before closing his eyes and massaging his temples. The issue before him was difficult to resolve, but it had to be resolved at all costs.

The Captain had handed these people to him for him to manage, and he had no plans of letting Charles down.

Just as James was busy motivating himself, his assistant walked into the conference room with a document in hand.

"Chief, our police station in the harbor area caught three fugitives."

"Why are you even telling me about such a minor issue? Just deal with them according to our laws here," James replied.

"But their identities are special, Chief. They're ship designers that the Governor brought back from the Albion Isles. I decided to tell you because I don't think we can handle them recklessly," the assistant replied.

James took off his hat and scratched his bristly hair before asking, "Where's the Governor?"

"He's at the docks; he's there to inspect the progress on the Narwhale's remodification," the assistant replied.

James reached out to take the document from his assistant.

"I'm going there, then," he said. Regardless of whether the three fugitives would turn out to be important to Charles or not, it didn't matter to James. He had decided to go to the docks to clear his mind.

This was one of the perks of holding the highest position in an organization; one would have the privilege to work at their own hours.

James opened the black doors of the police station and got into his car. His assistant hopped onto the driver's seat before driving toward the docks. James' knitted brows slowly relaxed as he examined the scenery around him.

His job was stressful and difficult as he had to deal with annoying matters day in and day out, but he would always feel gratified whenever he thought that his job was hugely responsible for the island's peace. James even dared to say that Hope Island was the most peaceful island throughout the Subterranean Seascape.

An impactful precedent had to be set the moment an island was founded. During the lawmaking process, Charles had decreed that those who had violated the law would be punished, including himself.

Quite a few people had objected, but the objections quickly vanished under Charles' authoritarian rule. Those who couldn't accept Charles' governance had decided to leave, but Hope Island had never run out of new arrivals. After all, it promised conditions that were way better than on any other island in the Subterranean Seascape.

The harsh laws of Hope Island were the reason behind the island's peace.

Just then, the car suddenly came to a halt. The door next to James was pulled open, and a familiar figure squeezed himself into the car.

"Move your butt and let me in. Stop staring at me," Laesto tapped James' leather shoes with his prosthetic leg.

James moved to the side, allowing Laesto to take a seat.

The moment Laesto settled down, he shamelessly turned to the driver and said, "Take me home, and hurry up."

The driver cast a look of uncertainty at James in the rearview mirror. James nodded at the driver, and the driver finally started the car once more.

"Mr. Laesto, you look quite disheveled. I think you should wash up once you get home. Wash your clothes, too," James leaned away from Laesto upon getting a whiff of the latter's smell.

Laesto put down his tin flask and cast a contemptuous gaze at James. "What now? Are you my father? Why are you lecturing me?"

A look of helplessness suffused James' face. Laesto's temper had gotten even worse since he returned from the Albion Isles.

"Where are you even going, big guy?" Laesto asked after taking another swig of the liquid in his tin flask.

"I'm going to the docks. Captain's there, and I have something to discuss with him," James replied.

"Working here on the island must be easier than working on the ship, no?" Laesto asked.

"Honestly, I prefer working on the ship than on the island. Anyway, Mr. Laesto, what have you been up to these days?" James asked.

"What else can I do apart from drinking and waiting for my demise? I've already picked out my grave. I like peace and quiet, so don't bother holding a memorial service for me once I die," Laesto replied.

The way Laesto had spoken with gusto almost made James say, "You don't look like someone who's dying at all," but in the end, he held back and decided to go silent.

The silence in the car didn't last long as James shattered it by asking, "Mr. Laesto, just what happened on the Albion Isles? There are all kinds of speculations in the newspapers, but those are just rumors.

"The Albion Isles is completely inaccessible at the moment, so no one knows what happened."

"How would I know?" Laesto replied, "You should just ask Charles. I asked that brat casually when I was treating him, but he didn't answer me. He even looked like he didn't want to talk about it."

Hearing that, James no longer asked any questions. Since the Captain was unwilling to discuss it, it wasn't his place to ask. Of course, the Albion Isles were expansive, so someone would eventually find out what had transpired.

In other words, James just had to wait for the news to spread by then.

Just then, the car came to a screeching halt, leaving a black trail on the ground.

They had arrived at their destination.