Chapter 14: 14 Hideout

As the two young boys walked around the abandoned train station, Conor couldn’t help but asked a question that was on his mind.

“How did you know to look here?” 

Looking over, Adam hesitated for a second before opening his mouth. 

“There were two suspicious people coming out of here.” 

“They could have gone for a smoke,” Conor suggested casually but Adam shook his head.

“Both of them had an identical tattoo of a bloody cleaver on their arm. It’s the trait of the gang I’m looking for, the Silent Butchers.”

“Hm.”

He hasn’t heard of that name before. Conor got to know of a couple of gangs operating in the area but the name he heard was unfamiliar to him. They probably formed recently in the two years since he was adopted.

“What are they like?”

“The Silent Butchers are a small but very cruel gang. They are known as an elite group that handles illegal business of the highest level. If they are betrayed or clients fail to pay back their debts, they cut off their limbs before discarding the body without leaving any evidence.”

“You know quite a lot about them, don’t you? Despite not coming from around here?” Conor laughed.

“I did some research.”

“Still, you’re sure you want to go after them. They sound like quite the target.” He questioned seriously, making Adam shake his head slightly.

“I have to. There is no better time than now.” The blonde-haired boy said while Conor glanced at him from the corner of his eye. 

Then, he continued looking forward as he silently muttered. “I guess that is the case for me too.”

The abandoned train station had a total of two railway tracks. Everything was above ground while only the path connecting both tracks with each other was tunneled underneath. In its prime, the place would have looked fairly decent but now, it was merely a shadow of its former self. 

Thorny vines and long fawn grass sprung up from every corner while the cement was cracked everywhere. There were half-open wooden huts on both train platforms that seemed to be on the verge of collapse. 

“What exactly are you looking for, Conor?” 

Adam observed the train station for some time but it didn’t seem like anything special. Apart from some eerie graffiti and dried bubblegum plastered to the ground, it was nothing but a deserted facility.

“There are two types of gangs, you know? Loose gangs that form out of the desire to gain authority and gangs that are involved with illegal business. The former is relatively harmless but the latter can be associated with organized crime. I guess the Silent Butchers you’re talking about is the latter.”

“... Okay, you’re right but what does it have to do with this train station.”

Noticing his impatience, Conor clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“You said it yourself, didn’t you? You saw two of their members come out of here.”

“Right.”

“Local gangs all have a pattern, no matter what they deal with. Their main lair is extremely difficult to find and might even change on a regular basis. To keep secrecy while maintaining efficiency, they use several hideouts in the area to act as a cover.”

At that statement, Adam looked at Conor in realization.

“So you say this might be one of their hideouts?”

“Probably.” 

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When Conor affirmed Adam’s question, the latter looked at him strangely. In his previous life, he was just a normal college student who liked to read stories and studied hard. Similarly, in the twelve years he lived as Adam, he also grew up leisurely without coming in contact with gangs and criminals. 

Yet, this snotty 12 years old brat knew information like it was common sense. He did say he used to live in the slums but what exactly did he go through during that time? 

Conor naturally knew what the other was thinking without saying it out loud.

Before entering the orphanage, Conor survived for some time living on the dangerous streets of the slums. He scavenged food from trash bins and homeless communities while trying to avoid being pulled into violent gang fights and criminal behavior.

During that time, he learned how to spot the hideouts and places where they kept their dirty secrets. A useful skill that came in handy right now.

“This place looks good,” Conor said as they stopped in front of a rusty metal door. There was a red sign in the middle with the words ‘Maintenance Room’ printed on it. 

Adam, though, remained skeptical.

“Here?”

They entered the tunnel connecting the first track with the second. The ground was covered with wet leaves and rain puddles while the lamps on the ceiling missed the bulbs. 

“Yes, this room should contain the pipes and safety box for the electrical system that is used to supply the train station. Now it’s shut down. The perfect place where nobody would ever look.”

“I guess so.”

Applying a small amount of inner force to his foot, Conor kicked the small lock on the door, breaking it apart. Then, he opened the door, revealing a room that was covered in darkness.

“I got this,” Adam said as he pulled out his phone. He turned on the flashlight, illuminating parts of the small concrete room.

There were some dusty boxes placed near the wall with the assumed safety box hanging right beside it. Reddish-brown pipes snaked along the ceiling, moving down at the corners into the ground. 

All in all, it was plain and ordinary.

“Adam, look at this,” Conor said, making Adam turn his head. What fell into his eyes was Conor pushing the boxes away from the wall, revealing a second door that was covered before.

“This is where the real hideout is.” The black-haired boy grinned.

Meanwhile, Adam was impressed. That guy was actually right.

Although he had his doubts, there was still a slight sliver of trust he put in Conor’s words due to his sheer confidence. And it turns out, that his assumption was correct. 

The second room was much larger than the first one and even had a light switch. After they turned it on, what they saw was something similar to a clubroom. An old couch circled a flat wooden table in the middle of the room. 

Knives and pouches filled with white powder were sprinkled on a desk in the corner of the room while stacks of cash were neatly organized at the side. Countless bullet holes filled the wall on the left while the one on the right was covered with posters.

“Unbelievable, to think a place like this exists in this old tunnel,” Adam muttered as he flipped through some newspapers that lay on the ground.

Conor's voice rang out throughout the room, drawing his attention.

Moving over, he approached Conor who looked up at the board hanging above the desk at the wall. Many small notes were pinned together, some only having a few words and others containing entire reports.

Yet, one specific note caught Conor’s eye.

“Look at this…”

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