Classless Ascension

Black squad? Harboring a criminal? Be dealt with as accomplices?

As soon as they heard that, everyone in the room panicked, well except Josh. Still, he was surprised by their efficiency. They probably had followed the camera trails all the way here.

That was something to be careful of in modern society. Murder always left a trail, given a bribe big enough could always get rid of it. Now, how should he deal with this exactly?

"Josh! What did you do?! What happened?! This is serious! The Black Squad is in charge of law enforcement for all Climber-related crimes! Did you really kill Lenny?!"

"Kill? We entered the Tower together and he did die, as for the specifics I don't know. Anyway, see you guys later." Waving them goodbye Josh went to open the door calmly. In front of him appeared a fully geared squad wearing matching equipment. Custom-made blacksmith equipment maybe?

Josh couldn't see their faces as they were wearing complete helmets, ones that seemed to combine modern design with a dark glass visor to old-school sturdy plating. That didn't stop him from greeting them.

"Hello, gentlemen, what brings you here?"

"Open up or- Ah... Follow us for interrogation!"

Smiling, Josh simply complied. They did not restrict him in any way, merely escorting him and watching him closely. This was an odd treatment for a criminal, meaning they probably weren't able to prove his involvement in the murder just yet.

Josh figured that even if they didn't know the specifics, they would at least act if only to prove that they had taken action. That was a very real part of politics. Too often, the funding of an organization would depend more on how well it was perceived rather than its actual utility. Of course, there were exceptions. Some projects required secrecy after all.

Josh knew he would be fine no matter what. Simply because on a fundamental level all worlds were bound to function in a similar manner. With a solid enough background, anything was possible. In a lawful society, the best of lawyers could be hired and as long as there was no clear evidence everything would be fine. On the opposite spectrum, a society where strength dominated was even easier.

Josh was counting on <Draconic>'s backing. Getting him out of this was definitely easy for them. From their reaction, he would figure out how far they were willing to go for him. If they showed any reluctance, he would not rely on them too much in the future.

Of course, Josh could have easily just killed Lenny before he even initiated the teleportation. He could have just gone out of the Tower as if nothing had happened and hoped that no one would notice.

Still, not only was that not his style, but both options had risks anyway. Josh would rather use this as an opportunity for information gathering.

If Draconic truly helped him without reservation, he would somewhat trust them. Not unconditionally of course, but without getting paranoiac about it either. He would keep his ears and eyes open to judge them. If he failed his assessment, he would simply pay the price of his mistake. As simple a that.

Josh sent a short guild message just to keep them updated.

-Josh MF Malum: Btw guys, I'm getting taken for interrogation by some guys called the Black Squad, you guys heard of these dudes? The way they dress is kinda cool ngl.

-Lily of the Frontline: Oh no! This is bad! What happened?!?!

- Lucas the Lancer: Kasha, now them?! How are you so good at pissing people off?! Even law enforcement is against you now?!

-Friendly Terry: Meh, he'll be fine…maybe. I guess we can tell the Dragon when he comes back.

The reactions were diverse as usual, but the important thing was that someone knew where he was at least, well besides Dale.

The guards brought him all the way to sector A that was dead in the center of Metropolis C, nearby the Tower.

On the way there they kept glancing at him until one of them couldn't contain himself anymore: "How are you not freaking out right now?! My worst nightmare always was the Black Squad and that didn't change even now that I joined!" Judging by his voice he was relatively young.

"Hehe, then you did well by joining them. Why am I not nervous? Well, maybe because I'm innocent? Maybe because I've lived through worse? Maybe I'm a cyborg incapable of human emotions? There could be many reasons really. What do you think?"

"I think that you are insane! Seriously!" A few chuckled at this interaction with their leader reminding them to remain quiet.

In any case, they didn't seem too worried about Josh running away. He couldn't help but wonder how strong they individually were. Perhaps their confidence was based on the prestige of their organization? Josh still remembered that guy with the axe that got scared when the group had been mentioned that one time.

In any case, Josh didn't intend to make a move against them. He was but an ordinary innocent Climber, yep.

They stopped in front of a big rectangular modern-looking building with a shiny dark metal exterior. <Black Squad Headquarters Metropolis C> was the plaque at the entrance. There were a few soldiers acting as a lookout but not that many and they seemed pretty relaxed overall. On the contrary, there was another building relatively nearby that seemed to look similar but with turrets and robots defending the perimeter, some seemingly looking inside.

A guard noticed Josh's curiosity. "That's the <Black Keep>. You don't want to go there for sure. If you need to be held somewhere you better wish it is <The Pen> instead."

"What's the difference exactly?"

"The latter is for "animals" and is all about disciplining them so they can become worthy of being humans once more. The former is for true criminals. Once you enter, you either stay there forever or come out a slave haha."

That sure was harsh. Still, they were probably using the same magical contract Lenny had tried enslaving Josh with. But there was one key point to note. Lenny had tried to intimidate him into signing but hadn't physically forced him. Perhaps there was a restriction on the contracts? Josh felt like they wouldn't be able to force one upon him.

Josh was then led to a small well-lit room where he was tied to a small table while sitting on a small chair, both metallic. Everything was too small for comfort. He couldn't help but chuckle that no matter the world, an interrogation room was an interrogation room. Fun fact, his UW didn't seem to work in there.

Josh had to wait for a while. Either they were lacking manpower, or they were trying to make him more nervous. Josh figured out that the people here all knew and feared the Black Squad. The silence and wait would only exacerbate that fear. Then the interrogator would likely come in and either try to be his friend offering him protection if he cooperated or the complete opposite.

Josh simply laid his head on the table and started napping. The interrogator that soon entered the room did so confidently and powerfully…only to get stunned when seeing Josh. He was peacefully slumbering without so much as a trace of worry. A small smile even adorned his sleeping face. The man couldn't help but double-check the file in his hand.

"Wake up!" He shouted.

Josh slowly rose up. "Is it morning? I'm kinda hungry. Will there be breakfast provided?"

The man seemed middle-aged, but looking in shape, with a touch of grey hair. He looked pretty normal, not scary in the least. Well, maybe that was from Josh's standards. He was very loud, however.

"You! Do you know where you are?!"

"Eh, <Black Squad Headquarters Metropolis C>? Also, why exactly did you guys feel the need to mention the city? Isn't that one a given? I mean…just looking at the ads everywhere one can easily know. Then there is a quick search on one's UW. It is also possible to ask any passerby. I mean…seriously?"

"Is this a joke to you! You are going to the Black Keep for murder and that's your reaction? Let's see how smug you can be! We know everything there is to know about the case. How do you think we were able to pinpoint your location so fast?! I even have a whole damn folder about you already. Now, you can either cooperate for a reduced sentence or, pardon the expression, be royally fucked. Which will it be?"

Josh simply chuckled to himself. This guy was clearly a beginner. Okay so while both of his approaches were proven tactics, they were so damn off! The classic "we know it all" tactic was simply bullshit in this case. It was a proven fact that technology didn't work in the Tower at all. The guy knew it all? Please!

Then there was the "file and dossier approach" that was even worse. Josh simply looked at the said folder and it instantly screwed everything up. The file was way too big. He had barely been here for less than a month. Yet, the so-called dossier was bulging.

These two methods were better suited to situations with long incarceration, simply to give the time to gather proper data. What they knew was clearly from cameras and stuff like that. It was a whole big steaming pile of overweight mammoth bullshit! You know, really exaggerated.

There had not been enough time for profiling or anything of the sort. Hell, Josh was convinced the man had found out he was Classless and had assumed the rest. He probably didn't know at all about Draconic either.

Seeing the serious expression of the man, Josh couldn't help but laugh. This was so damn ridiculous.

"You can still laugh? We already know that you ambushed the victim in the Tower. We also know you killed him with a Rank E Spider Leg. We know about your recent interactions with the <Familia> guild too. Anything you want to add?"

Wow. This was actually more detailed than Josh expected. They probably had a facial recognition software or something in the Metropolis to search everywhere he had been recently.

Perhaps UW direct tracking? Naw, that couldn't be. Simply because lots of powerful people used it. Also Draconic probably wouldn't commit such a rookie mistake as using compromised equipment.

Then there was the murder weapon. That one was probably guesswork too. They probably looked at the type of weapon based on the body. Then figured that the sword was probably that specific one as it seemed to drop right where Lenny was progression-wise in the Tower.

Still, once again, the interrogator guy had fucked up. Why would Josh need to ambush someone that was way weaker than him? He was clearly using the little information he had to create the most likely scenario. Yeah…no comment.

This could have potentially worked against someone less experienced? The man was probably thinking this was a classic betrayal scenario that originated from greed or something. The stress of being here, the seemingly omniscient interrogator, the overall fear would usually create heavy pressure on the target.

Then, if Josh confessed to the crime, it would be all over. Just his presence on the crime scene and testimony would likely be plenty to screw him over. Josh was in a situation where he could pretty much cooperate with the man for a reduced sentence as he had promised or remain silent for no sentence at all. The better choice was obvious.

Josh clearly remembered that fall guy on Earth. The man wasn't even on the crime scene and had been convicted for the murder anyway. They had added his digital imprints to one of the murder weapons if anyone was wondering.

Josh finally opened his mouth again. A shadow of a smile could be seen in the man's eyes thinking Josh was finally cracking but he was bound to be disappointed.

"Right, how does it work here? Do I get food, drinks, a phone call maybe, what about entertainment?" Of course, Josh needed none of these, he was just playing.

"Do you think this is a vacation center?! This is the goddamn Black Squad Headquarters you dipshit!"

"Sooo…is that a no on the entertainment? How about a web novel? Or even a show? I'm not picky either. Actually, as long as it has killer robots in it it's fine! Like seriously, how the Hell does adding killer robots make everything better?! Everything I'm telling you!"

Not entertaining Josh anymore the man simply left, stamping his feet in the process. Well, that only confirmed that they were not allowed to beat suspects. Oh well, it couldn't be helped.

Now, would he come back for round 2? Or perhaps was he gone to get back up? Josh couldn't wait! He had finally figured it out. There was in fact entertainment provided! Well, that probably wasn't the man's initial goal but Josh would be satisfied either way.