When he descended to the underground level of this building, Jonathan walked toward what would be his office to finish some pending paperwork so that everything would be completed.
What surprised him was that Doug was already there, along with Thomas, who had been transferred to receive his intensive training.
At noon, there were around two hundred people seated in an auditorium inside the base of the Order, which was located within this art museum.
Each and every one of them held a thick contract in their hands along with a pen.
These people wore clothing of the same color: a black T-shirt with a series of sharp-edged words reading "The Order," black pants, and black boots.
However, there was one thing they all had in common: all of them belonged to different branches of the military and had been selected for this new job after fulfilling their duty.
Looking at their faces, it seemed they did not understand what the new command group that would serve the Order was going to do.
Click!
The sudden opening of the door drew everyone's attention to the front. Doug, dressed in an entirely black suit like many of the security personnel above, walked toward the podium under the gaze of everyone present.
The symbols on the pin on his suit were the syllables TAOL, which basically stood for: The Order.
Doug, who had a slightly muscular build and a cold expression on his face, looked at everyone in the conference room and said, "As I said before, once you read the contract and are satisfied with its contents, you will receive all the benefits stipulated in the many pages you were given. Once someone breaches the contract, the punishment will be worse than a peaceful death."
Hearing the man's words spoken so naturally, everyone fell silent.
In truth, all of them had problems at home, and the contract in their hands would ensure a good future even if they died—something that could very well happen.
In this era, it is very difficult to own a house without having to take out a loan from a bank. The requirements to get a job and the difficulty of being selected nowadays are impossible for many.
For that reason, all—or at least the vast majority—had been soldiers, and after reaching a desperate point, they received this new job opportunity, something they wanted to accept without thinking too much.
No one was forced or deceived into coming to this place. Each and every one of them had been rigorously selected, not only for their financial situation, but for their excellent skills and prior experience in the military.
Then, only a few seconds after Doug opened his mouth at the podium, they began signing the contract one after another. Once someone started, the rest quickly followed.
"Good." After everyone had signed, Doug clapped with a proud smile. "You should all be proud—you will be the future of humanity!"
"Excuse me." At that moment, one person raised his hand and asked, "Why were we gathered here? Is the Order's team part of the government?"
"You're not entirely wrong, young man." The man at the podium looked at him and said, "My name is Doug, but from now on you will call me sir. Let the Guardian help you with your doubts."
When Doug said these words, he pointed with his hand toward the door on the right.
Tap-tap! Tap-tap!
Hearing that series of footsteps, everyone's eyes turned in the direction Doug had pointed.
At that moment, they saw Jonathan, dressed in a black suit, with the most striking detail being the purple cross on his chest, slowly enter the room and walk toward Doug with a slight smile. "A pleasure to meet you. My name is Jonathan ShadowBane."
When Jonathan approached the microphone, Doug took a step back and gave a salute with a slight bow before standing silently at his side.
Seeing that the so-called Guardian had entered and was greeted with such respect by Doug, everyone looked at one another in confusion. However, Jonathan did not care and began his speech.
"I know most of you are confused. Why were you suddenly selected for a new, unique special operations group that operates in the shadows? Seeing that you have all signed your contracts, I can tell you that there are creatures, climatic events, and even things as simple as diseases in this world that are caused by certain dark entities."
Under everyone's gaze, Jonathan showed a completely new expression. "Elimination Command against dark entities, or rather, Agents of the Light. This is the job for which you were selected, and from now on you will belong to the Order."
"The Order is not a simple force that fights against evil. We are the guardians of life, and we watch over the gate of hell. You will be field agents who assist Exorcist Priests who require support, and your sole job is to kill. You will be the agents who eliminate those threats that are not permitted to the human eye, the first line of defense long before the entire world fights against dark entities."
"Of course, I know many of you are not here to save humanity, but for the money and all the benefits that come with signing the contract. But there is something I can assure you: every single word written in that contract will never change, and once there is a task to control a dark entity, each and every one of you will receive a special bonus as a reward according to your achievements in the incursion." Jonathan looked at everyone—men and women alike—and closed his eyes slightly.
"This is the Order's special unit in this city, and I am the Guardian Bishop who will be in charge of all of you. You will be stationed at this secret base for a long time, and our base will mainly eliminate dark entities within this city."
"So, those of you who do not have family in the city can relocate your relatives here, and the Association will provide assistance in securing a suitable place to live, or, if you wish, in purchasing real estate in the city. Also, any medical expenses for both you and your family will be fully covered by the Association."
After saying these words, Jonathan added, "As for the rest of the benefits written in the contract, there is no need to mention them."
"Incredible…" Upon hearing Jonathan's words, regardless of gender, they looked at one another with astonished eyes and inevitably believed this was some kind of joke.
Now, many of them no longer cared what this was about or what they would have to eliminate. The extra benefits Jonathan mentioned left them with no doubts. Many urgently needed the money, and others desperately needed a good hospital for personal reasons.
As for Jonathan, he fell silent and reorganized his thoughts.
He found that all the new recruits for the newly created Association were very talented. Even if their eyes were truly set on money, he was certain they would be good soldiers for the Order.
"Indeed, the contract made by the Association caused many to choose to accept without thinking too much. To have soldiers willing to fight in hell, the best way is to offer them enough money and good insurance for their families," Jonathan thought as he sighed bitterly.
"Well, we need men, and you need money…" Jonathan was not pained by dragging all these people into the darkness. He also had a job, and he would do everything to carry it out perfectly.
As for the combat effectiveness of this group, Jonathan had a sheet listing the teams assigned according to their skills and combat effectiveness.
However, very few were capable of leading a team properly.
Thinking about this, Jonathan looked toward Doug, who was his right-hand man. Because Doug had a goal of revenge, Jonathan would use that to his advantage, and Doug's benefit would be receiving the Association's help in achieving that revenge.
Without Doug, Jonathan would not be so sure that this group would prosper.