Enforcer Manual
Chapter 156: Who is the Real King of Ideas_1

Chapter 156: Chapter 156: Who is the Real King of Ideas_1

Anyone with discernment would know that the plan from the meeting was only a preventive measure. Intensifying the search in crowded areas was akin to looking for a needle in a haystack. If this organization called the "Black Hand" was that easy to find, then they should have been arrested back when they were in the Neutral Country.

In fact, Lu Xiang was not satisfied with the outcome of the meeting, but she couldn’t think of a better solution at the moment.

Therefore, she hoped to hear the opinion of Song Lan, the king of creative ideas.

"There were many people in the meeting just now, and you might not have felt comfortable speaking up. Now, only the two of us are left in the conference room, so you can speak freely."

Lu Xiang could guess Song Lan’s tsikely concerns.

For psychological counseling and promotional issues, it could be argued that his approach was unorthodox, and his areas of expertise were different. But if he also started giving strategic advice on dealing with criminals, it might arouse the suspicion of other department heads.

Moreover, she had noticed that ever since the last meeting, where a vote was cast to make Song Lan the head of the Publicity Department, he had been mostly silent during meetings. Even the few times he spoke, his comments were mostly uninformative, like "I agree".

"Firstly, I find that anonymous letter very suspicious."

For a week’s vacation, Song Lan changed his usual lax attitude, "Judging from the content, it looks like he wants to help us, but not entirely leading us to find the members of the ’Black Hand’."

The email did not include any explicit information about the members of the "Black Hand", and they could not ascertain any information online that could confirm the five persons’ identities. Due to the existence of disguises, these five individuals appeared in different personas each time.

Presumably, this time was no different. Now, any passer-by they brushed past with could be one of these five individuals.

"So, the question is: why would someone send us an email such as this one?"

Setting aside obvious hoaxes, Song Lan thought the most probable motivation might be that the sender wanted to see if the law enforcers of the 17th Zone had the capability to apprehend these five individuals.

"It seems our reputation precedes us, and not just within the 17th Zone. Once Aureliano ascends to power, it won’t only be the major corporations in the 17th Zone that will be affected. Many long-standing arrangements ’outside’ will be disrupted. Likely, many people beyond the borders would want to see if the new mayor can keep his campaign promises and keep border trade under government control."

The sender of this email might be one of them.

The motive might not necessarily be kind-hearted, rather they were in dispute with some people who did not want Aureliano to ascend to power.

Even so, they left themselves a way out.

"Their identity is similar to that of an ’outside’ information peddler."

This style matched those in the Gold Diggers’ Bar. They appeared neutral and refused to take sides, but they always had a hand in the matter, always seeking personal gains. It’s possible that this information peddler could have also provided information detrimental to the "Black Hand".

"Therefore, we must assume they already have our information."

After all, the law enforcement department is not a covert operations team. It would not be difficult to obtain their information. Lu Xiang, Captain Doug, Chief Snick... since these five people were planning to operate in the 17th Zone, they must have made preparations.

This is why Song Lan believed the patrol team couldn’t find any leads.

The enemy is hidden, while they are exposed.

Perhaps the moment Captain Doug took people over there, the "Black Hand" could have been aware of it.

"So, how do you think we should respond next?"

"In my opinion, we should cut ties with Aureliano immediately."

Break ties with Aureliano...?

Lu Xiang was once again astounded. Song Lan’s suggestions continuously surpassed her expectations. Every time she asked for his opinion, Song Land would always come up with some novel solutions.

She realized that Song Lan’s way of thinking fundamentally differed from hers. Perhaps this was what her teachers in school referred to as "unorthodox thinking".

A way of thought that is inherently unique and could not be cultivated afterward.

However, "unorthodox thinking" might also be a double-edged sword, as it usually symbolized urgent decision-making, driven by a gambler’s spirit. Her teacher had mentioned that a truly outstanding team needed both "unorthodox" individuals and those who followed the right path to mutually support each other...

Wasn’t that exactly the situation they were in now?

Could this really be fate?

"Why are you blushing?"

In the middle of his explanation, Song Lan noticed Lu Xiang’s unusual reaction, causing him to pause and reflect.

He clearly hadn’t said anything that would have caused embarrassment.

"Ahem."

Lu Xiang cleared her throat, and in the blink of an eye, she was back to normal, "So, you’re suggesting we abandon protecting Aureliano and let the ’Black Hand’ assassinate him?"

"What we do is not important. The key is to make them believe that we have such an intention. Only in this way, could we find their vulnerabilities."

Song Lan said, "Director Lu, ask yourself, how difficult would it be to assassinate Aureliano without the intervention of the law enforcers?"

"...There would be no difficulty at all."

Regarding this, Captain Doug and Chief Snick had already reached a consensus in the meeting. The bodyguards Aureliano had appointed were mostly voluntary civilians. Apart from their enthusiastic commitment, they were grossly unqualified.

Many of them had only practiced a few times in a shooting range before being armed for duty.

This meant that professional assassins aren’t necessary to assassinate him. A few armed street thugs could easily take his life.

The major companies must have brought in professional assassins from ’outside’; taking into consideration these factors as well.

However, this was also one of the reasons why Aureliano was so popular with the citizens of the 17th Zone. His approachability made the people feel like he was one of them.

"Exactly," Song Lan continued, "Although their target is Aureliano, their attention should be on us for now. As soon as you meet him, they’ll know about it immediately. Therefore, if you have a big quarrel with him, and angrily leave in a huff, the assassins should also find out as soon as it happens.

"We can use this illusion to our advantage. Once you return, immediately order Captain Doug to halt patrols and bring all the special forces back. This will provide the illusion that we’ve had a falling out with Aureliano."

After all, Aureliano was currently just a strong candidate for the mayor, not the mayor himself.

He had no authority to command the law enforcers at this stage.

"And then, we wait for them to expose their weakness."

Song Lan regarded these five people as the best of the best, and therefore, his thought-out premise was that no matter what changes were made to the location or the time, the other side would be sure to find an opportunity for assassination.

In this aspect, Lu Xiang was not wrong, pulling out these five individuals was the only way to defuse the crisis.

"I understand."

Lu Xiang nodded, "But there’s one more problem."

"Hmm?"

"How should I storm off in a huff after a big quarrel?"

She asked seriously, "Should I push his face onto the table when it’s time?"