Enforcer Manual
Chapter 1168 - 975: Approaching_2

Chapter 1168: Chapter 975: Approaching_2

Peeping at a couple’s intimate moments is not something a person of integrity would do.

So he immediately cut off the communication, and withdrew the robot, as a man still adhering to gentlemanly etiquette, he ought to personally apologize to the couple.

But now obviously isn’t the right time, and he’s certain that Lu Xiang would not welcome his arrival.

More importantly, visiting now would greatly increase the chances of encountering more scenes not meant for his eyes, which would be detrimental to his future solo investigation work.

Supported by a bionic receptionist, Angle shakily settled back onto the sofa, his visage seeming to age by decades in an instant, a surge of guilt overwhelming him. The room looked just like one where a couple reunited after a long separation, and yet he had sent out the Bureau’s micro-robots, treating the two as suspected criminals.

Angle had always trusted his intuition. His natural sixth sense had helped him crack many of the Bureau’s most convoluted cases, but this time it was off the mark.

Despite having exchanged only a few words with the man claiming to be Song Lan, who had supposedly been transferred to work at the headquarters in The First Region, his intuition told him that this young man was no ordinary individual, and that he might be harboring secrets unknown to others.

It was under the guidance of this sixth sense that he had acted in a way unbecoming of a gentleman.

May the Deity forgive his indiscretion.

But...

Besides the strong sense of guilt, what was that persistent unease all about?

Angle was in for a sleepless night, deciding to numb himself with files, refocusing his attention on today’s villa district explosion case.

He told himself that finding and legally punishing the fugitive culprit, restoring peace to The First Region, was the way to atone for his sins.

For an Agent of the Special Case Investigation Bureau, staying up all night wasn’t a rare occurrence. He asked the receptionist to make two more cups of coffee and took out the anti-fatigue medication he carried with him, placing it on the table before re-opening the surveillance footage retrieved from the scene.

And so, he watched until the latter part of the night.

Angle was confident that the culprits had tampered with the villa district’s surveillance footage before they left, which suggested the presence of a highly skilled hacker among them. According to the villa security’s statement, no one else had entered the surveillance room during the crime.

"The attack this time is quite peculiar, isn’t it?"

The voice behind him gave him a start.

Perhaps due to his intense focus, Angle hadn’t noticed someone’s presence behind him.

The speaker was a tall and burly man, whose bionic arm, resting on the back of the sofa, gleamed with a silvery brilliance in the lobby light.

Angle recognized the arm as a Gorilla model, mass-produced by the Unified Military for use during the foreign war, able to effectively control the recoil from various firearms, a model that had since been discontinued.

This meant that the man before him was a war veteran.

Angle never liked to judge people by their appearance, but upon seeing the man for the first time, he felt an inexplicable strong aversion, convinced that the smile hanging on the man’s face was filled with hypocrisy.

He was certain that this was their first meeting.

The man smiled and extended his Gorilla-armed left hand, introducing himself cheerfully, "Benjamin Abell, a war veteran who participated in the foreign wars, now looking for something to do."

"The explosion in the villa district?"

Angle asked, "You mentioned that the attack this time was quite peculiar. I would like to hear the details."

"The Anti-Terror Squad and Unified Military both think it was an attack by Psychic Ability Users, but you must have noticed something different about this case, right? The key lies with the hacker. As far as I know, hackers and Psychic Ability Users don’t usually mix."

After shaking hands with Angle, Benjamin pointed to his own head, "Yes, I’m talking about the operating system. A hacker capable of hacking into Unified Military’s systems must have implanted high-end systems, which obviously doesn’t fit the identity of a Psychic Ability User."

Psychics and bionic enhancements were mutually exclusive, common knowledge to everyone.

The Institutes for Spiritual Energy had published numerous articles elaborating on the dangers of Psychics forcibly implanting enhancements, stating that the power of Psychics came from mental cognition, and that implanting an "auxiliary device" in their brain was the most foolish decision.

"This was an organized, premeditated murder. The explosion was a means to cover up evidence, to make as big a scene as possible, to lead others to associate it with other Psychic Ability User attacks."

Despite Angle’s poor initial impression of Benjamin, he had to admit that the other’s analysis was reasonable.

He then asked, "Did the company send you?"

"United Armament? Of course not, you should know we’ve long had a fallout with the company over trivial stuff like resettlement fees."

Benjamin waved his hand, "I’m now working only for myself. This trip to The First Region is to meet an important business partner. We have many projects urgently in need of sponsorship. However, fate wasn’t kind. Before I could get there, I saw the news about his... The project fell through, and the partner was killed. I can’t just let this grievance slide. Are you satisfied with this explanation?"

Angle nodded.

The victim of the explosion was an executive of United Armament, so it made sense that he knew Benjamin.

"Moreover, I’ve found some special information, the kind even the company doesn’t know."

Benjamin lowered his voice mysteriously.

Angle understood and asked, "What are the terms?"

Intelligence trading was almost a daily occurrence for them.

"Equipment from the Exceptional Cases Bureau, it can help me locate the person I’m looking for much faster."

"Deal. Now you can talk about your tip."

"Before the explosion, my business partner had transferred a large sum of money from his account. The company thinks he was coerced, but in reality, he moved the money voluntarily, aiming to invest."

"Invest?"

"The person who came to him claimed to be investigating an extremist international Psychic criminal organization and needed financial assistance. For some reason, my partner excitedly shared this information with me and hoped to facilitate our meeting for a long-term partnership."

So at least Benjamin could be sure that his unlucky partner hadn’t suspected the visitors before he was blown to bits.

This was also why United Armament’s security system hadn’t been triggered—the people in the villa realized something was wrong only when it was too late.

It was this piece of information that made Benjamin feel the whole affair was filled with strangeness.

Those people seemed to have known their plans and used that knowledge to gain trust as a bargaining chip.

However, in actuality, The Keeper’s concept was still in its infancy, and they hadn’t gotten around to officially forming the organization. Only a few core members knew about it.

Benjamin would bet that there would be no issue with his people; they were brothers who had been through life and death together on the battlefield.

So where did those uninvited guests get wind of their plans?

"The company also traced the funds, but you might be disappointed. That hacker was very skilled; the money was quickly transferred away and is now untraceable."

Angle said, "Whatever the reasons the deceased had for moving those funds, they can’t be traced anymore."

"Not necessarily, nothing in this world doesn’t leave a trace. Money can’t evaporate into thin air, neither can people."

Benjamin said, "As long as those three people are still in The First Region, they will surely leave a slipup. I’ve arranged people at all hotels and restaurants, including underground bars, and as for airports, hovertrain platforms, and long-distance train stations, I’ll leave it up to you, after all, it’s your forte."

"And after we find them?"

Angle pressed.

According to the Bureau’s procedure, he needed to bring back the culprits alive for trial, but he could tell that Benjamin didn’t seem to plan to do that.

"We each have our ways of solving problems, and by that time..."

Benjamin paused for a moment before continuing, "It’s just a matter of who acts faster."