It was a rented house belonging to this quiet block. It had two bedrooms, a living room, and a small kitchen. Inside this room, there was Gaston Hardy checking on the cuffs available. On the low-table there was a laptop playing a headline.

“The attack on Pastor Richardson has proven that there is more to this attack than obviously shaming this church. Councilor, what do you think?”

The newscaster said to the politician. Gregorio Romano, one of the critics of the Church of Thomas. He was a man who held suspicion towards the Church of Thomas.

The Church of Thomas was made and founded by Rubedo Andino during the post-end. It was said that after Rubedo Andino got himself rescued by the proto-breakers, he founded a sub-branch of the Church, dedicated to the Samaritan care of the individual and that of protection against the spawns of hell.

The difference was that the Church of Thomas was founded with an extra addition to their cause. The church of Thomas follows the hidden gospel of Thomas, and was said to sought its teachings.

They were a heretical sect. In its first few years there was constant criticism and protests against this church. Nonetheless, this church remained stalwart, protective, and so good that criticism of it died down within the past years.

Not to mention that it was said that they were fanatical about their teachings, help, and care for the common people. Gaston even wished that they were truly good, but evidence proved that they could be as nasty as the rest of the fanatics.

Gaston had been able to read their manifesto towards the Mutates, the deformed humans who after the war had become half-monsters to the eyes of the people.

They are mutants. Individuals that have grown extra arms or features that made them “subhuman’ in the eyes of the human race. They are a failure of the breaker evolution.

Of course, humanity had their bleeding hearts, the activists who would protect these monsters, shelter them, and try to cure them. It was the right thing to do. It was the right thing to do until they start cannibalizing their own selves and eating any meat that they set their eyes on.

It was an awful sight. Four hundred people died when they went berserk, and it took about three days before all the mutates were put down during that awful past.

One of the most violent participants of that tragedy was the followers of the Church of Thomas, condemning the mutants to ‘hell’ after they have cannibalized and butchered their people.

Inquisitions were old orders. But the end of the world brought them back to the light after they had killed those who had done evil to the world. The Church of Thomas was one of the groups who became part of this Inquisitional Order and was the most open among the orders that the Church established to combat all monsters.

The Church and Monsters were natural enemies. Their dogma truly believes that they are the spawns of Satan that were sent to the living world to test humanity.

Gaston found it understandable why many would go back to religion after witnessing these horrors. In these times, it was somewhat understandable, having a higher power to believe in, when giant beasts with rock-like scales roamed the land. The grotesque appearance of these monsters, coupled with the mutants who have failed their reasoning, made Orders a must-have.

Inquisitions belonged to the church. The Orders belonged to religious sects who have proclaimed the need for them. Some have both and the Church of Thomas was one of them.

They were a church that thrived in helping people, like good Samaritans, but they are also people who thrived by making use of their status, to sell contrabands and deal firearms for funding. They have been using their free pass to transport some of their goods and have been rather eager to earn more.

A little research did wonders and Gaston realized that the Church of Thomas was already organized to an extent. They were also smart enough to realize that Influence was keeping them afloat.

Most of their income is from arms dealings, but half of it was from social media with fifty thousand viewers every time they stream. Their viewers also pour money in, desperate and sad individuals who were using the church as their crutch, their light in the darkness to get through a time of evil.

First world countries have it good most of the time. They have great weapons, and a massive number of breakers to destroy the monsters, the biomass entities. While religious countries or at least have a massive population that believes in a religion were relying on these sects for their protection.

It was unfortunately the truth in these countries. They are reliant on Sects and the Government. Even if the Government exhausts themselves, they are also unable to truly cover the area then there’s a SPAWNING event happening. Which brings these rich and religious sects alongside Organized Crime and local gangs who got themselves an Elixir Capitalizing on the appearance of monsters to make wealth.

Gaston had unfortunately dealt with these kinds of people through the seven years of his career as a Freelancer. And even before he was a Freelancer, he had worked with Reginald to monitor and neutralize some of these Sects who are hoping to gain from the tragedy of the current world.

Not only that, they are gathering reputation from the common people. They are also earning a huge income pretending to be heroes to the common folk while hiding their dirt. At least the Church does work on making sure that their flock was well-fed and protected, unlike the criminal gangsters and organized mobs that take protection money from territories they control.

Gaston had no qualms about them. Even he himself had to realize that someone will just replace the leader of the Church of Thomas. The church will get weaker, but it will stay strong in the long run.

The goal of the operation itself was to make sure that this Rubedo Andino was brought down to power. His mistake was proclaiming himself as a holy man, undermining forces that he shouldn’t have undermined, and now he was a prime target.

As Gaston was about to play the next clip. A woman wearing a denim jacket and black washed jeans entered. She took her jacket off and placed it on the sofa, revealing her white camisole. Hild had tied her hair into a ponytail, carrying a plastic bag with a cup of ice cream.

“You sure are taking it easy.”

“I am rich. I got money to spend. And I’m about to earn more by being your handler for this mission.”

“How lucky.”

“It’s called genius and the benefits of reputation, Gaston.”

Gaston cracked his neck. He checked on his MF pistol and switched mode to non-lethal.

“Non-lethal shots aren’t your style, Gaston.”

“Yeah, but they still are useful enough.”

He switched to tool mode. A thin blade made of bioenergy formed on the transformed hilt. The MF-weapon pistol had three modes. Lethal, non-lethal, and tool mode.

“Sir Mortimer is a good client, giving us some freebies and gadgets. Though, I would have preferred if you got us extra cash instead.”

“You already removed most of the trackers anyway.”

“Be thankful that I know they work. Not that they weren’t expecting us to do it.”

She sat on the couch and started eating her ice cream. She crossed her legs and leaned forward.

“Well, you got Richardson, ruined some of their business. But no reaction whatsoever, other than some movements.”

“You got any news?”

“Not really. I do think they want to make a move, but currently our shaming event did quite a stir than predicted. Everyone here in Colledoro has heard of what you did. Some are angry, some are disillusioned, and some are delusional enough to think that this is simply an attack against the church.”

“It’s a church, everyone will have different opinions no matter what.”

“But it’s leaning on their side. Their forums, chat boards, and their group channels are even praising the sacrifice of poor Pastor Richardson, the man who had to dirty his hands to do people good.”

“Yeah, it’s not that effective when his crimes are selling people guns and protection against monsters. It’s not that effective, they are far more decent than they should, as a church, at least.”

Gaston nodded at Hild’s words. He had nothing against them personally, but it still needed to be done, knowing that their stance wasn't exactly favorable to his employers.

“Well, the good doesn’t exactly vanish. They still have a fresh respect and many of their followers are already hoping to get ‘justice’ for them. If anything, our actions seemed to have burned a fire in their hearts.”

Gaston wasn’t moving to the next target because he wanted them to be complacent. To lower their guards so he can move in and do the shaming, once again demonstrating that their holy powers aren’t so holy.

“Well, what about those who noticed?”

“There are. People aren’t exactly as uneducated as you hope they are, Gaston. They are smart enough to understand that what you are putting on your wrist affects Richardson’s holy-like aura.”

Gaston had seen the images that these forum-users and channels were making. How they were making combined images to point out and deduce his intentions are. He was not surprised by the combined intelligence of these people. From the start, the intention was for them to take notice of the cuffs that he was using.

“How are the investors?”

“They are quite curious. Quite eager for more tests to happen. Besides, we do have people from their Sect hoping to take advantage of this.”

“Guess it’s still about who controls who, even here.”

“It’s not that dramatic. Most wouldn’t think so deeply. They just accept the bribes, look the other way, and think nothing about it. The smarter ones do weigh their options, and then decide whose master they want to serve. Benefits and wealth are what makes people these days.”

Gaston leaned back.

“Paul, wasn't it?”

“Oh, the next target?”

“He’s that preschool teacher, isn’t he?”

Hild smiled thinly. There was this poisonous look on her face. That teasing and mocking face that she has been showing lately when she can.

“Aw, hesitating?”

“Might be.”

But Gaston didn’t play her game. He admitted instead. “Ruining someone decent is always bad for the soul. Then again, it’s still a job that needs to be done. Of course, I’d be grateful if you could do it for me.”

She frowned, clearly displeased.

“Not my job. Besides, I’m getting paid no matter what. Not that you needed the assistance in the first place.”

Gaston pulled on the slider of his pistol and holstered it on his thigh. He pressed the button on his heads-up display and ran the information he received from his employer.

“Looks like he’s teaching in the outskirts of the city. It’s quite isolated so I’d have to ask you to move some equipment for me. Will you do that at least?”

“I’ll have my contacts set a place for you to shame him. Of course, there’s a good chance that they are looking forward to your appearance, so they might bring their guns.”

There was a good chance that their members were going to voluntarily guard this man in hopes that Richardson’s shaming wouldn’t happen again.

Their unity was something else. Then again, all the good they have done, easily could triumph on whatever bad they did. Unfortunately, for Gaston, and the people he was targeting. It was simply a job that needed to be done.

It wasn’t personal, but it doesn’t mean Gaston was that heartless either. They were doing good and despite all of that. He was still going to shame them so that the people who hired him would give him what he wanted.

Hurting good people wasn’t good for the soul, but there was nothing easy and the world wasn’t so kind to just give him people that he’d actually feel no sympathy for if he'd shamed them..

It would have been too good to be true.