Chapter 108: The Struggles of a Director
Chapter 108: The Struggles of a Director
What? Little Leon has already been taken away?
As he listened to the gentle woman in front of him relay the situation, the red-haired director's fox-like eyes narrowed instinctively, and he asked with a less-than-pleased expression, "How could it be so fast? For a case of this magnitude, shouldn't they usually investigate for at least a few weeks first?"
"I also find it a bit strange."
Armed with the red-haired director's order, Emma frowned when she went to collect the prisoner but found the cell empty. "Although leaving the death row is a good thing, the person who took Leon away must have a special identity. No matter how I asked, they wouldn't tell me."
"This one is not hard to guess."
After narrowing his eyes in thought, the red-haired director, who was familiar with the situation in the capital, spoke up, "The Duke of Lionheart is the Deputy Speaker of the Upper House. Although the Lionheart family has declined significantly in the past few decades, they are still recognized as a prestigious old noble family. So, this case is indeed quite troublesome.
Only the Speaker of the Upper House, the Prime Minister, and the Princess, who represents the King's will, could interfere with a case of this level and take someone away before the investigation is complete, besides us."
At this point, the red-haired director glanced at Emma and, seeing her expression, continued, "Due to the coup six years ago, the Speaker's seat in the Upper House is temporarily vacant. The Prime Minister's side couldn't have reacted this quickly, so the only one who could have taken Leon away is the Princess."
"I see."
Hearing this, Emma nodded slightly, then calmly said, "If the Princess took him away, then Leon's safety should be guaranteed... Do I need to go there and bring him back?"
"No need. The less we interfere in normal society, the stronger the suppression effect of Guardian Palace will be, and the intensity of anomalies within its range will be lower.
Moreover, if the Princess took him away, it might be the best outcome. As long as the Princess can convince the Prime Minister and the Chamber of Commerce, Leon can come back on his own. But if things go wrong, he might be locked up for ten days or even half a month."
After declining Emma's request, the red-haired director sighed as he looked at her calm eyes, which were as tranquil as a mirror lake.
"Emma, six years ago, I didn't agree to help with that favor. Are you..."
"Director, let's not talk about the past."
Interrupting the red-haired director, Emma lowered her eyes slightly and said calmly, "I was young and foolish back then. I didn't understand your difficulties, and it was already hard enough for you to withstand the pressure and take me in. I shouldn't have made such an excessive request."
"..."
"But you still didn't give up, did you?"
Looking at her good friend who was avoiding his gaze, the red-haired director rubbed his temples and said with exhaustion in his eyes, "At your level, you shouldn't need to practice with firearms anymore. But in the past two years, you've been specifically training in sniping and even made a promise with Little Leon, allowing him to use the Black Sheep's soul vision to assist you once..."
"This shouldn't violate the bureau's rules, right?"
Interrupting the red-haired director again, Emma spoke calmly, "I won't use any anomalies, and Leon won't know anything either. Everything will have nothing to do with the bureau.
Even after my revenge, I don't plan to escape. I'll turn myself in immediately. Isn't a life for a life fair enough?"
"Yes, of course..."
Looking at her eyes, which were ten times more resolute than a rock, the red-haired director knew he had no chance of convincing her. With a sigh, he nodded in resignation and said, holding onto a glimmer of hope, "What about your daughter? Is she prepared for this?"
Hearing the director's words, Emma paused for a moment before changing the subject, "There are already nine hundred and ninety-seven people with the surname Alman buried under the red cedar tree in front of my house. Two more won't make a difference."
Noticing the fleeting hesitation in her eyes, the red-haired director quickly spoke up, "But can't you wait a little longer?"
"I've already waited six years..."
"Since you've waited for six years, why not wait a little longer? It won't take long, just one more month."
Gently holding Emma's arm to keep her from leaving, the red-haired director spoke softly, "Think about your daughter. Her birthday is coming up soon. I won't stop you from seeking revenge, but why not wait one more month and celebrate her last birthday before you go? Please, just think about it."
"..."
"I... I'll think about it..."
"Then take your time, but remember to let me know once you've made a decision."
Letting go of Emma's arm, the red-haired director watched her leave his office with a wistful gaze. He leaned back in his seat, wishing he could just fall into a drunken stupor.
First, there was the new recruit he had high hopes for, whom he had praised in front of the Taurus Director, but who had now caused a huge mess, possibly getting entangled in the Lane family's internal strife and even being mistaken for the murderer of a slaughtered noble family.
Then there was his good friend, who, after enduring six years of patience, was finally ready to abandon everything to avenge her clan, who had been betrayed and executed during the coup.
On top of these two matters, he also had to keep an eye on the nobles colluding with the Vine Scale Sect, guard against the True God behind the Red-brick Road Hospital incident, warn and handle the clearly overstepping Vine Scale Sect, investigate several unusual situations that had recently occurred in the capital, and initiate an investigation into the Aquarius Director...
"Sigh!!!"
With a heavy sigh, the red-haired director, feeling overwhelmed, picked up a bottle and took a big gulp of tea. He then grabbed a discarded file, listed the issues he needed to address on the back, and began to ponder deeply.
The situation with Little Leon was urgent, but since the Princess had sentenced him to death, there was no need to worry about him for the time being. All she needed to do was prepare for the bureau's follow-up investigation.
Emma's situation was even more pressing, but she had no good solution for the time being. She could only rely on her daughter's birthday to buy some time, one day at a time, and figure out a plan later.
As for the rest... The investigation into the Aquarius Director required time to confirm, and the few unusual occurrences in the capital could be handled by other cleaners. The True God behind the Red-brick Road Hospital had been quiet all this time.
After the Scale Gold Sect's incident, they were concerned about retaliation and had gone into hiding, almost completely ceasing all activities, making it impossible to find them. Even the nobles who colluded with the Scale Gold Sect had...
...
"Knock knock knock."
Just as she was staring at the checklist on her desk, pondering where to start, the office door suddenly echoed with knocks.
"Come in."
In response to the red-haired director's permission, the door opened, and a short, dark-skinned man with a kind face and bloodshot eyes entered, carrying a bag.
"Who are you?"
The short, old man didn't immediately answer the red-haired director's puzzled inquiry. Instead, he placed the cloth bag on her desk and then spoke, "I'm the owner of Char's Department Store. This is the capital branch of the Clean-up Bureau, isn't it?"
After briefly introducing himself, Old Char opened the cloth bag, took out four locked metal boxes, and placed them on the desk one by one.
"Inside these four boxes is an object you call an 'anomaly.' When faced with an unsolvable problem, it will answer a question and help me solve an issue if I meet its conditions."
An anomaly delivered right to their doorstep? The red-haired director covered the checklist on her desk with one hand to prevent the other party from seeing it. She nodded and narrowed her eyes, saying, "This is indeed the Clean-up Bureau, and we do handle anomalies. However, we usually don't accept commissions, and our very existence is kept confidential."
"So, could you tell me how you found out about us and why you're giving us this anomaly?"
It seemed she had found the right person.
Upon hearing the red-haired director's words, Old Char, looking haggard, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He pointed at the boxes on the desk and said excitedly, "It told me this!"
"A few days ago, my daughter was kidnapped, and she hasn't returned yet. So, I asked it a question, and it said that if I brought it here and gave it to you, you could save my daughter!"
Kidnapped daughter? Upon hearing the keyword, the red-haired director's eyebrows lifted slightly, recalling the information gathered by Jerry's rat friends and Leon's report on the Saint's Descent Event.
Lionheart Lein, Rose Marzeni, and Tower Shield York.
These three noble families had joined forces to target Char's Department Store but ended up being backed into a corner first. The Saint they had brought in for chaos was cleaned up by Leon, so they kidnapped the only daughter of Char's Department Store's owner...
"I'll do it!"
After agreeing to Old Char's request, the red-haired director picked up the four small boxes and placed them in her drawer. She glanced at the relieved old man before her and said with difficulty, "Although we can save your daughter, I'm afraid you'll have to wait for a while. I'm sorry..."
Wait for a while? Hearing the red-haired director's words, Old Char's previously relaxed expression tightened, and he hurriedly asked, "Why do we have to wait? Can't you bring her back as soon as possible?"
"We could have."
The red-haired director sighed, half-truthfully and half-falsely, and then said with a complicated expression, "But we have a shortage of people skilled in finding people, and the person best suited for this task encountered a small problem a few days ago."
She made a 'little bit' gesture with her thumb and index finger and then said with a 'helpless' expression, "He got involved in the Lane incident and was even framed as the culprit of the Lane Blood Night. The Princess wants to protect him, but many of the Members of Parliament are backed by the Commercial Federation's great merchants, so there's been no resolution from the Prime Minister's side..."
"Tell me his name!"
Although tormented by his daughter Emma's kidnapping, Old Char, with his years of experience in the business world, immediately understood the red-haired director's implication. He promised, "I'm the vice president of the Commercial Federation. As long as you can guarantee my daughter's safety, I can get your person out within two days at most!"
(End of Chapter)
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