hotmtlnovel Chapter 19 Half a Month
Chapter 19 Half a Month
"Smith, shall we find somewhere to talk?"
In the corridor, Agent Smith, who had just finished a meeting, walked briskly, as if he was in a hurry to escape this place.
As his partner and mentor, Luo Qiu was naturally very concerned about this.
During this time, he didn't want Smith to do anything out of line. This was also for the sake of his future.
So, after following the other person to a corner, and seeing that there was no one around, Luo Qiu called out to him.
"You can tell me anything first. What, don't you trust me?"
Upon hearing this, Smith finally stopped in his tracks.
Is Luo Qiu worthy of his trust? He might not be a perfect score, but he'd be at least 80. Within the Investigation Bureau, no one commands such high trust. If he needs to confide in someone, Luo Qiu is the right person to go to.
So Smith followed Luo Qiu to a corner downstairs from the Bureau of Investigation headquarters.
With walls on two sides and trees all around, this is a place to talk.
"Senior, I don't understand why Clyde's excellent suggestion couldn't be approved. Does it mean that just because this case is considered special, we can avoid putting in the effort to investigate it?"
"Well said. So what do you want to do?"
"I...I don't know, I just feel that the Bureau of Investigation shouldn't be like this."
"...Smith, you came from an academy, you probably don't know the real situation in Fog City, do you?"
"City has a population of over eight million. The Investigation Bureau has about 17,000 staff members, with 14,000 in its branches and 3,000 in its headquarters. But among these 3,000, there are many different types of staff, such as those responsible for news and those responsible for military breakthroughs. The ones who actually do our job are ten groups with a total of 160 people."
"One hundred and sixty against eight million, that's reality."
"Of course, I'm not trying to say what the reality will be like, but on one hand, there are 100,000 people whose safety needs to be protected, and on the other hand, there are cases with only a 10% chance of being solved..."
"Senior, I understand." Smith lowered his head helplessly.
"No, you don't understand. What I mean is, when you encounter another 'special case,' it's best if you can solve it. That way, it will carry more weight when compared to other things next time... Of course, let's leave it at that this time."
"What, you lack confidence in solving this 'special case'?"
"Senior, I understand... I will do my best."
"Okay, keep it up."
Luo Qiu patted Smith on the shoulder again, with a "I believe in you" look on his face.
Encouraged by this, Smith, his face flushed, quickly left. Of course, this time he was blushing because he was in a state of excitement.
After Smith left, Luo Qiu stood there for two minutes reviewing the conversation to make sure there were no oversights before leaving.
……
In late March in Chongqing, most media outlets began reporting on one particular issue.
Alicia arrives in Nottingville, just 580 kilometers from the Fog City – March 20th, The Star
[Alicia's transit through Brexton prompts fans to line up for three kilometers overnight to welcome her - The Morning Bell]
Alicia is about to arrive in the Foggy City!
Alicia Isabella, 24, became a sensation throughout the Federation in just two years after her debut. Her voice is clear yet magnetic, earning her the nickname "the voice of a nightingale" from music critics. However, what truly made her a phenomenon was the album "Midnight Rose," released during the holidays a few years ago.
Within three months of its release, sales exceeded 600,000 copies, and some newspapers reported that sales have now surpassed 700,000 copies.
The purpose of this concert is to leverage the record's popularity to elevate Alicia's status in the industry and help the record sell over a million copies.
Early April is the start date of the Chongqing Concert.
On the last day of March, Alicia was to arrive in the foggy city.
So, early that morning, thousands of Alicia's fans gathered outside the train station.
"Alicia! Alicia!"
"Miss Isabella!"
Even before the person in question arrived, the atmosphere in front of the station plaza was already electric. Some people held up support signs and waved them high, while others held up related posters.
The fervent atmosphere of idol worship was on full display.
On the second floor of the station, in a corridor separated by a glass curtain wall, Smith held up binoculars and dutifully watched the crowd from a distance of more than 100 meters.
"The group coming from the left is a local fan group from Chongqing, about three hundred people... I didn't see any suspicious faces."
"There are a lot of people who have come from other places on the right, and the number of them gathered is quite large. Can our colleagues help them disperse? Otherwise, we may need to send more people."
"Wait, there's someone over there trying to squeeze into the middle... Senior?"
Due to his lack of experience, Smith soon found himself indecisive, at which point he instinctively looked to his side.
Luo Qiu was also present for today's mission.
Unlike Smith, Luo Qiu leaned against the railing with a relaxed air, reading a newspaper.
Upon hearing the summons, Luo Qiu turned around, glanced calmly in the direction Smith was pointing, and then said without hesitation:
"Don't worry about it, he's just a reporter. He's probably a newbie at some newspaper who missed the deadline."
"reporter?"
Upon hearing this explanation, Smith raised his binoculars again and aimed them at the man.
After some effort, he finally squeezed to the front, then took out a card from his clothes and hung it around his neck, and took out a camera from his bag.
The other person was indeed a reporter.
Upon seeing this result, Smith was not relieved, but rather surprised.
"Senior, how did you tell he was a reporter at a glance? We're at least 150 meters away, how could you see him clearly?"
"Of course I can't see clearly, but I know that no bad person would willingly put themselves in the middle of a crowd."
Luo Qiu curled her lip and gave her explanation with disdain.
Smith was immediately convinced by this explanation. Thinking to himself that his senior's experience was indeed invaluable, he began to shift his focus to the back of the crowd.
What he didn't know was that Luo Qiu's pupils underwent a fleeting change when he looked away.
The changes happened in a short time and very quickly, and Luo Qiu's act of reading the newspaper also concealed these changes.
However, Luo Qiu was indeed reading the newspaper.
On the evening of the 28th of this month, near the dock warehouse in the eastern district of Chongqing, night watchman Maurice Old Hawke claimed to have seen "a long-legged kerosene lamp." He described the lamp as being entirely rusty...
These are some interesting tidbits published in the corner of the newspaper.
For the past two weeks, he has been following these reports.
Generally, newspapers publish these kinds of anecdotes for two reasons: to fill up the content and to attract readers with sensational or exciting stories. Therefore, most of these stories are false or exaggerated, and some are even fabricated.
However, judging from the changes in the interesting stories published over the past two weeks, Luo Qiu could still find some clues.
Some of his guesses have probably come true.
For the past two weeks, the Investigation Bureau has clearly not encountered any more "special cases." Everything has calmed down, except that they need to frequently conduct covert observation and screening of certain visitors from out of town.
Of course, the more this was the case, the more vigilant Luo Qiu became.
……