https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-359-Daily-Life-and-Practical-Matters/12970052/
Chapter 360: The Unspoken
Chapter 360: The Unspoken
"It is a little excessive..."
Glancing at Lyon's mountainous pile of plates, the female officer nodded silently, then, while eating from Lyon's plate, leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "Lyon, the Secret Investigation Bureau has concluded their investigation into that recent incident that caused quite a stir. It was definitely the work of the radical faction!"
Lyon's heart skipped a beat. "You mean the incident with Marquis Golden Falcon jumping into the lake?"
"Even earlier!"
Lyon's mind raced, and he tentatively asked, "Are you referring to..."
"Of course, the Dock Tower arson! Haven't you read the papers?"
"..."
"You really haven't read them!" She exclaimed incredulously, giving Lyon a sidelong glance. "Even though our work is different, you're still part of the Police Department. You should at least subscribe to the Police Bulletin, if not the other newspapers."
"..."
It wasn't a matter of not reading the papers; the truth was that Lyon had set fire to the Dock Tower himself, and the artificial intelligence inside the airship was now gathering dust in his Mirror World.
Moreover, Lyon was indirectly involved in this incident; the fake IDs and uniforms he had used to breach the security perimeter were all obtained from the Police Department's unregistered inventory.
"Never mind, it's fine if you didn't read it," she said, unaware of her own involvement in the Dock Tower attack. She shook her head, deciding to get him a subscription to the Police Bulletin from now on. Her expression grew somber as she continued, "Regarding the Dock Tower, you only need to know that it was burned down, and a very precious special airship was lost in the process.
The Kingdom of Corlock was furious when they heard the news. They sent an official communication through their ambassador, demanding results within two months. They insisted on finding the missing core components of the airship, even if they couldn't identify the perpetrators."
"So, this case landed on your desk?"
"What else could it be?"
She scooped up a large spoonful of rice pudding and ate it, her frustration evident. "Who else would they ask to find criminals and search for missing items if not us, the Police Department? Should we ask the Ministry of Finance's bureaucrats instead?"
"Lyon, did you know that after the Corlock ambassador's formal note, threatening to cut off some economic ties if there were no results within a month, the upper echelons of the Capital City panicked.
The Princess, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Defense, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Minister of Finance—they've all been putting pressure on us these past few days. Except for the Princess, who offered some help, the rest have been nothing but stern. The Minister of Security's hair has turned gray from all the stress..."
"Eat up, don't let your food get cold!"
"Oh!"
Lyon speared a piece of cod fritter and chewed thoughtfully, his brow furrowed. "I guess that explains why there are fewer people coming to eat here, and those who do look as tired as you, like they haven't slept well in days. Have they all been deployed?"
"Of course!"
She stole a piece of apple pie from Lyon's plate and continued, "Especially us at the Secret Investigation Bureau, since we've been handling the radical faction, we've been getting the most flak. The new director has been summoned by the Minister of Security daily, and after being chewed out, they come back to scold us... Look over there!"
She gestured with her fork, and Lyon followed her gaze to a police officer with darker circles under his eyes than Isa. He hunched over his plate of mashed potatoes, his spoon moving mechanically, his head bobbing slightly.
Speaking honestly, watching his chicken-pecking-rice-eating style, Lyon was very skeptical as to whether he even knew where the spoon was, feeling that he might shove the spoon into his own nose at any moment.
"He's from our Field Unit's shift yesterday. He just finished his patrol this morning and still has a meeting to attend after eating..."
After a sympathetic glance at the exhausted colleague, the female police officer looked at her with pity and said, "He's on the third round of patrols, which is much easier. We, who were on the first round, went without sleep for over 70 hours, covering half the Capital City. After returning, I felt like I was going to die..."
I can't believe it! Those radicals are insane! Why not use that time to take out the Minister of Finance? Even a surprise attack on the Royal Palace would be fine! Why target the Dock Tower?
To be honest, I'd rather they go back to their old ways and continue trying to assassinate my father than endure this kind of overtime... Over 70 hours! I don't even know how I managed to get through it back then!"
"..."
Oh no... I'm sorry, I didn't realize there would be such consequences when I attacked the Dock Tower...
"That... Isa..."
Watching the female police officer chew on fish bones with a resentful expression, ready to curse the "radicals" at any moment, Li, the mastermind behind the Dock Tower incident and the cause of overtime for the entire Police Department, couldn't help but feel a little guilty.
"You haven't told me what you need my help with yet."
"Oh, right, I almost forgot..."
After unladylike spitting out the fish bones, the female police officer lifted her head and looked at Lyon with hopeful eyes.
"In your Purification Bureau, is there anything or anyone particularly good at finding people? Or... someone who's especially good at finding things?
Even though there's still more than a month until the deadline for the Corlock Kingdom's notification, I'll be going on the fourth round of patrols tomorrow. If we still can't find it, I might have to go through eight or nine rounds or even more... Woe is me..."
After swallowing a mouthful of stewed beef, whether it was from the heat or the future two months of foreseeable hellish overtime, the female police officer begged with teary eyes, "Please, Lyon, help me, won't you? Even if you can't find the Dock Tower attacker, just finding the item the Corlock Kingdom lost would be fine! If this continues, I'm afraid I won't be able to hold on much longer..."
"..."
I want to help you, but the problem is that the Dock Tower attacker is sitting right in front of you, eating, and the item the Corlock Kingdom wants is in my cufflink... I can't exactly turn myself in to you, can I?
"Sorry, I don't think I can help with this..."
After apologizing to Isa in his mind, knowing that her investigation would yield no results, Lyon tentatively suggested, "How about this: I'll ask our Director for a note, saying there's a special situation and I need assistance with the investigation. Then you can take the note and request some time off. You can go to my office and catch a few hours of rest."
(End of Chapter)
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