Parallel Vol. 6

Chapter 23: It's a Trap!

James' final words hung like a heavy cloud over the trainees' heads. Suzuki's stunt made it obvious the importance of money for each mission. It did not take a genius to realize that having more money gave a team more options for approaching each mission. For example, without the contributions gathered for Jade's hacking daemon, the last mission would have been a hundred times exponentially more difficult. Furthermore, it appeared that going forward, most missions would not be joint like the last one, so donations would not always make sense.

'Did he plan this?' Within moments, a few hostile gazes filled with mistrust turned toward Suzuki. It made sense. What were the odds that Suzuki took this gamble without expecting some remuneration? With this bonus, the Crazy Heads would soar faster than anyone else!

This was not a joke. James' invasion reveal dropped a massive amount of pressure on the youth. Although James did not say it out loud, they suspected that their performance in the missions played an enormous role in how they could arm themselves in reality when the time came. With their lives suddenly on the line, the mood in the hall swiftly took a turn for the worse.

"Suzuki, you—"

"Here's what I made in this mission," Suzuki interrupted the first person to speak, using his phone to project his prize screen, including James' last bonus: ¥675,000,000. Several trainees swallowed hard when they saw the impossibly large sum. What the hell was Suzuki doing? Gloating?

Suzuki did not leave them guessing long. He flicked the screen, revealing his Genaco profile, manoeuvred to his bank account, and then to everyone's shock, transferred everything, leaving only one million yen. Once he finished, Ayumi, Kimuri, Natsu, Kaido, and Chimei's brows furrowed when their phones vibrated in unison.

Ayumi, already guessing Suzuki's intention, shook her head as she pulled out her phone. Sure enough, she sighed when she saw the expected notification. Without hesitating, she projected her screen, revealing the group account used to gather the funds for Jade's daemon.

Balance: ¥475,000,000 Everyone's eyes twitched when they saw the numerous zeroes. The throwaway account should have been empty. Only one person could have sent the funds in there.

Everyone present looked at Suzuki, stunned and confused. Their eyes all held the same question: why?

Faced with questioning gazes, Suzuki glanced at Ayumi's screen and said, "James set a trap – the same trap the aliens set for Earth's leaders. When one person possibly gains more benefits than the rest, there's a big chance the poorer will try to drag down the richer to their level rather than seek to elevate themselves. It's a tale as old as humanity itself."

"Crabs in a bucket," murmured Kimuri with a sigh.

"Exactly. James and his alien buddies are betting on humans fighting each other for benefits to the extent that we forget our main objective: protecting those we care about." Suzuki took a deep breath. "Honestly, all this talk about an alien invasion is beyond me. I don't care that much about Earth or its people to risk my life. But—" He paused, looked at Jade, Ayumi, Taiga, Saeko and Taki, then said, "—there are a few people I don't want to die living on Earth. So, I'll do whatever I can to ensure we win this challenge. As to who becomes an immortal or gains some epic title, that's for others to figure out."

Suzuki's gaze, carrying a hard determination, swept across the room. "This is a small sacrifice in comparison. Going forward, I'll donate fifty per cent of my victory prizes to the joint account. As mission planners, Ayumi and the team leaders can go through all available missions and use the joint account to provide support wherever needed. I won't ask you to donate the same as me, but add whatever you can to the war chest. No matter what, one of our teams will receive the 'best' team award. Instead of destroying ourselves in pursuit of that, I suggest we combine our efforts to make sure everyone successfully completes their missions. But that's just me."