Chapter 93 Elephant - Knowledge Known to Few

James's words made Daniel stop in his tracks for a sec. Then he smacked his forehead and said, "Dang, almost forgot! Let's grub first. After dinner, we can dive into the unboxing fun."

"These are the spoils of war, folks! Everyone who fought gets a piece!"

Donovan awkwardly dodged James's eyes, then pulled out a wallet and a watch from his pocket, placing them on the couch like a guilty kid.

These guys were all battle-tested, so the meal was pretty lively. But with the ladies around, they kept their chatter somewhat in check.

Once everyone got comfy with the dining vibe, Donovan tried to spice things up. Too bad this Italian dude only talked about soccer and food, which bored everyone to tears.

Halfway through the meal, Daniel noticed the vibe was kinda flat, so he threw out a topic, looking at Donovan, "You thought of a codename for yourself yet?

No matter how our Italy trip goes, you're one of us now.

You gotta come up with a nickname; you get why, right?"

Donovan paused, then said curiously, "Aren't nicknames usually given by others?

There's no such thing as a wrong nickname 'cause it's based on what others think of you."

Daniel, who was pretty savvy with social stuff, figured Donovan's old nickname must've sucked. Otherwise, he would've just tweaked it a bit instead of fishing for a new one from the crew.

Seeing Donovan's awkward look, Daniel grinned and asked, "What was your codename in the Shadow Ops Unit?"

Donovan squirmed in his seat and said, "My buddies used to call me 'door opener.' You know my thing; I'm the best at breaching."

Daniel could tell Donovan was full of it, but before he could say anything, the ever-annoying Calvin butted in, "Donovan's lying. I studied micro-expressions."

Calvin clasped his hands under his chin, staring at Donovan, "You don't want us to know your old nickname. You look fit and all, so if it was about your looks, you wouldn't care.

You keep chatting up the ladies and joining in on convos, so you're outgoing and cheerful. That's cool, so your nickname's not about your personality.

So what is it?"

Calvin kept his eyes locked on Donovan. When he saw Donovan getting a bit twitchy, he went on, "Nicknames come from all sorts of places, but aside from looks and personality, they're usually 'cause you did something dumb or have a physical quirk."

Seeing Donovan's eyes drop a bit, Calvin said, "It's a physical thing!

You look fit, and being in the Shadow Ops means no obvious physical issues, so what is it?"

As Calvin's gaze zeroed in on him, Donovan uncomfortably crossed his legs and raised his hand, "Alright, alright, my nickname's 'door opener.' Quit staring at me like that; there's nothing wrong with my body."

Daniel didn't wanna push it 'cause Donovan was clearly BS-ing, and pressing more would just make things awkward.

Kicking Calvin's chair leg hard, Daniel waved his hand and said, "Let's just eat."

Donovan wasn't exactly thrilled even though everyone dropped it. Fitting into a new crew ain't easy for anyone.

The boss being super nice to him made the others keep their distance, and that was a red flag.

There are ways to break the ice, but Donovan was in a rush to fit in 'cause James and Nis were tough nuts to crack, and they were the heart of the team.

James seemed to look down on him, and Nis was naturally icy. Except for Daniel, Natalie, and Ulysses, she was polite but rarely chatted outside of work.

In this awkward moment, Donovan didn't overthink it. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair and muttered something under his breath.

"What?" Daniel didn't catch it and instinctively asked.

Facing everyone's stares, Donovan helplessly spread his hands and said, "That's the nickname my buddies gave me."

Donovan shrugged, acting like he didn't care. "But just to be clear, my abilities are fine. I've checked, and it's enough for a guy."

Compared to the sympathetic looks on the guys' faces, the usually cold Nis had food coming out of her nose from laughing.

Daniel flicked a piece of food off his thigh and looked at the blushing Nis, saying, "We shouldn't laugh at him."

Kicking the loudly laughing Calvin, Daniel said disdainfully, "You might be complete, but is it useful?"

Not giving Calvin a chance to clap back, Daniel looked at the now-relaxed Donovan and said with a smile, "Don't worry, we're not the type to roast friends.

You should still come up with a nickname yourself."

Just as Donovan was about to nod, James chimed in, "Then let's call him 'elephant.' I think it fits."

Daniel didn't get it at first, but when Richard and Ulysses started grinning, he looked it up on his phone and then clapped and laughed, "Then it's settled, 'elephant.'"

Seeing James smile, Donovan spread his hands and said, "OK, I don't mind."

Not wanting to drag it out, Donovan was cool with the nickname. Not everyone knew what it meant, and having a catchy nickname was good enough when out and about.

He stood up, walked to the sofa, picked up the wallet and watch he had handed over, and said, "The wallet belongs to the guy Oakenshield introduced, and the watch is from someone in the Mori Family.

Besides cash, the wallet has a room card for the Sunrise Hotel and a safe key.

You said the guy Oakenshield introduced is a spy for the intelligence agency, so he must've left something useful in his place, which I think is valuable.

I've seen this watch before; it's a great piece, so I brought it back.

Take a look, and if anyone wants it, I can show them how to use it."