章 84: Finding The Mole
Carl looked at Nacht, his expression grave. "You're right; this mission was unlike anything we've taken on before. But there were factors at play that made it impossible to resist."
He leaned in closer, lowering his voice. "First, the Villains Support Agency made it clear that they wanted us to go after Silver Strike. It wasn't just a mission; it was a directive. I couldn't ignore that."
Nacht raised an eyebrow. "So you're saying this was a mission assigned by higher-ups of the VSA?"
Carl nodded. "Exactly. It came from the top. They believed that taking down Silver Strike would be a significant blow to the Hero Association and would send a message to heroes everywhere."
'Sorry, but I don't plan on letting anyone know about my connection with Golden Strike, plus, what I'm saying isn't wrong either.' Carl thought before he stared at Nacht who had a solemn expression.
Carl was not planning on telling a single person about how in the past, about 20 years ago, the father of Silver Strike, Golden Strike, had killed his own father, the A-grade villain, 'Anum'.
"But it was a trap," Nacht pointed out. "The Hero Association knew we were coming."
Carl sighed. "Yes, and that's where things get complicated. The information we had about Silver Strike's location was precise. It was as if someone on the inside had leaked it to us. I suspect that there's a mole within the villain underground, and they wanted us to walk into that trap."
Nacht's eyes widened. "A mole? That's a serious accusation."
"I know it is, but it's the only explanation that makes sense. The Hero Association had no reason to know we were coming unless someone tipped them off. And it had to be someone with enough influence to make sure we took the bait."
Nacht leaned back, processing the information. "So, not only were we set up, but there's a traitor among us as well. This just keeps getting better."
Carl nodded grimly. "It's a dangerous situation, Nacht. We need to be cautious moving forward. Our enemies are not just heroes; they're also within our own ranks."
Nacht exhaled heavily. "We should inform Rex and Luna about this. They have a right to know."
Carl agreed, and they called Rex and Luna over to share the unsettling information. The group now faced not only external threats but internal ones as well.
Rex and Luna were visibly concerned when they heard about the possible mole within the villain underground. "This changes everything," Rex said, his voice filled with frustration.
"We can't trust anyone right now," Luna added. "Our network of allies and contacts may have been compromised."
Blorg, who had been listening to the conversation, chimed in. "We'll need to be extra cautious and selective about who we involve in our plans from now on. The fewer people who know our objectives, the better."
Nacht nodded in agreement. "Our first priority should be to uncover the identity of the mole. If we can root them out, we'll be in a better position to strategize."
"Our villain identities have probably already been exposed to the HA, probably even before the attack took place."
Carl knew that identifying the mole would not be easy. It would require a careful and discreet investigation, and they couldn't afford to tip their hand to potential enemies within the villain underground.
"We need to gather information," Carl said. "We should start by discreetly questioning our contacts and allies, see if anyone has been acting suspiciously or has ties to the Hero Association."
Rex took out his communicator and started sending messages to their trusted contacts, asking subtle questions about recent activities and affiliations. Luna, with her ability to sense emotions, would also be on the lookout for any signs of guilt or deception.
As they initiated their covert investigation, they couldn't help but wonder about the motivations of the mole. Why would someone within the villain underground betray their own kind to the Hero Association? What was their endgame?
Hours passed as they worked to gather information, but it was slow going. The villain underground was a complex network of individuals with their own agendas, and trust was a rare commodity.
In the meantime, news of the battle and the damage caused by the diversion continued to dominate the media. The Hero Association was being praised for its heroism in the face of villainous attacks, and Silver Strike was hailed as a selfless savior.
"It's infuriating," Rex muttered as he read the news reports. "They're painting us as the villains, but they conveniently forget that they set the trap for us."
Luna shared his frustration. "The Hero Association has a powerful PR machine. They know how to spin the narrative in their favor, not to mention, we are the villains, we did kill hundreds in order to make a diversion, and none of us feel any regret."
"Those bastards can rot in hell for all I care," Nacht said with a sneer before looking at the news.
Carl glanced at them before sighing and taking his communicator.
"I'm going to make a call, I might have a way to find the mole quickly."
The others glanced at Carl and nodded at him as he went to a different room. Looking at the communicator in his hand, he sighed before calling a number.
"Hi babe, the mission didn't go as well as planned?"
"I'm pretty sure you know exactly how it went, Carla," Carl said as he sat down on a sofa and sighed.
"There's a mole, the mission was nothing but a trap for whatever team attacks, Silver Strike made it seem like they had deliberately let the VSA find out about his meeting, but I highly doubt it, after all, the mission stated that the info came from a very good source, not to mention that there were only 4 more A-grade heroes present nearby."
"If I was Silver Strike, or a higher-up of the HA, I would have definitely placed at least 1 S-grade hero nearby in case a more powerful villain showed up."
"Your thoughts are correct, there really is a mole in the organization, so, what are you planning on doing, do you need me to get you guys back home?"
"No, we can manage that ourselves, I just want the mole, I want to know who betrayed the agency and set us up, can you do that for me?"
"Oh baby, you know I'll do anything for you, let me call you back in about 5 minutes, and we'll talk about where you want to meet the mole."
Carl ended the call with Carla, feeling a mix of relief and anxiety. Carla had always been a valuable asset in gathering information and had her own network of informants and contacts within the villain underground. If anyone could help them identify the mole, it was her.
Returning to the group, Carl explained the situation. "I've contacted a friend. She has a lead on the mole within the villain underground. She's going to get in touch with us in a few minutes to arrange a meeting."
As they waited for Carla's call, tensions remained high. The uncertainty of not knowing who they could trust weighed heavily on them. The revelation that there was a mole among them had created a rift of suspicion.
Finally, Carl's communicator buzzed with an incoming call. It was Carla. He answered and put her on speaker so the entire group could hear.
"Hey babe," Carla said with a hint of playfulness, "I got the man you were looking for, where do you want to meet him?"
"So quickly?!" Nacht and the others asked with shocked expressions while Carl merely glanced at them.
"We can't move right now, we have no idea if the HA is looking for us still, going out right now would be very dangerous for us," Carl told Carla who sighed.
"Babe, I can easily fix that problem, just tell me where you guys want to meet the mole and interrogate him and I'll make sure we all meet there in the next two minutes."
Carl showed a slightly difficult expression on his face. On one hand, he wanted to see the mole and interrogate him, learning of why the mole had done what he had done and what he had told the HA about them, on the other hand, he didn't want to rely on Carla for everything.
"Listen, you guys already managed to get away from a trap set by the HA and are about to lose them completely, you would only need to spend a day or two in that safe house and that would be that, so just let me help you out," Carla told Carl who nodded.
"Just find any place where we won't be heard or found, we'll be fine with any such place."
"Alright, I'll meet you guys soon."
"A 'friend, huh?" Blorg asked Carl with a smirk as the call ended.
"What was that?" Nacht asked Carl who sighed.
"Would you believe me if I said proudness?"
"A villain handler being proud, well that's a first," Rex said from the side with a slight chuckle.
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