After spending the night on the bench, I felt dizzy.
It felt like there was a ball of cotton stuffed in my throat and it was extremely uncomfortable. I quickly walked into the police station and immediately bumped into Bronn who was about to go out.
He hesitated to speak, and finally just patted me on the shoulder and left.
The police station was very lively, and although I attracted the attention of some police officers, they didn't seem to intend to stop me.
I still couldn't find Manda, so I had to push open the door of Brooke's office.
"Good morning, Director."
Looking at Brooke who looked tired, I secretly felt happy.
"Where is that person? Where has he gone?"
"She left long ago, but why are you still here?"
"Eh?"
She left a long time ago?
Didn't you even say hello?
"She seems to be going to East Fourteenth Street. Didn't she tell you? I thought you had already seen her."
"Uh, I was abandoned?"
"...You lost track of her, right? You're obviously a detective."
"I didn't expect the director to be in a joking mood right now."
I raised my eyebrows.
"Shouldn't you have a sad look on your face all day long?"
"Haha, I'm not that rigid."
His smile looked a little helpless.
"Besides, this is just my job."
It is no exaggeration to say that Brooke seemed to have suddenly become a different person.
I wanted to speak but stopped.
Although I really wanted to know what he had gone through, it would be better to wait until the right time to talk about it.
"Stop being stunned and leave quickly."
Brooke is urging me.
"The police station is not a place where you can stay for long."
"Okay...since the director has given you the order, I can run away with peace of mind."
Seeing that Brooke had nothing else to explain to me, I decisively accepted his suggestion.
After all, I don't want to stay here anymore.
"I would be very happy if you could really get away with it."
"oh?"
"You should understand what I mean."
I was about to walk out of the office and stopped.
"I have to admit that you have done a lot of things that even I can't accomplish, but you are just an extremely ordinary guy with no prominent life experience or amazing wealth-"
"No, no, no...I am not an extremely ordinary guy, Director."
After some hesitation, I decided to remind the other party a little.
"You can say that I am dispensable in various aspects, but you cannot classify me as an ordinary person. Although I often feel that I have nothing outstanding, being dispensable and non-existent are two different things.
, the difference is obvious... just like me and a real ordinary person."
...
I walked out of the police station smoothly.
The moment I saw the sun in the distance, a long-lost sense of freedom quickly covered my body. I had looked forward to this moment countless times, but when it actually arrived, I just felt confused.
Because this freedom was so short-lived, I knew I would soon give it up and rejoin the seemingly endless struggle.
But until then, I am still free.
So I have to enjoy myself for the time being, or at least do something that can show that I am a free person.
It would be great if it didn't cost any money...
With this thought in mind, I put my hand into my pocket and found only fourteen Weibon coins as expected.
Limited freedom is trapped by even more limited funds.
pretty.
I took out a Webben and flicked it up with my thumb, ready to guess whether to drink a glass of bad beer or find a place to sleep by guessing its pros and cons.
"Ding--"
Weiben fell while spinning.
I raised my head and was about to catch it, but was knocked back by a strong man who suddenly appeared.
"Ding-pah-! Ding-!"
When Weiben fell to the ground, it happened to attract a group of children who ran over from nowhere. One of them kicked it into a ditch nearby, and then they ran away playfully.
So I freely reduced the price to 13D.
...
In the end, I neither went to drink nor found a suitable place to rest. After all, I was homeless.
But I soon met Miss Belle and other members of the "White Prison" again.
To be precise, they forcibly dragged me into an underground casino.
There were no customers in the casino. The garbage on the floor and scattered tables and chairs showed that business was quite good last night. It was obvious that this place was under the jurisdiction of the "White Lao".
It stands to reason that the story of "White Prison" has come to an end, and I have no reason to be entangled with them anymore, but it backfired, which made me somewhat unable to guess the other party's intentions.
"who's that person?"
Fortunately, Miss Bellinger is not a person who likes to sell things.
"It would be better to ask her directly about this kind of thing."
"We think so too. But in order to prevent her from lying, we need to get some information from you first for comparison."
"I'm afraid I'm going to disappoint you. I know nothing about her."
Completely ignoring the suspicious looks from around me, I picked up the chair that had fallen aside and sat down slowly.
"But one thing I can be sure of is that she is full of lies. In addition, she killed the friend I always wanted to save, and also told me a lot of remarks that I couldn't understand... If you can
When you see her, you might as well make her suffer a little."
"Oh? It seems that she is not your new helper."
"You underestimate me, Miss Belle."
I sighed as if I was giving up on myself.
"Is she comparable to the entire 'White Prison'?"
Alas, but what if this is really the case?
...
The "White Prisoners" let me go without giving me too much trouble. They must have realized that I couldn't play any role now.
They couldn't tell me anything about the snow, and of course I didn't want to bring it up. Additional inquiries would only add to my disappointment.
With nowhere to go, I finally returned to the hotel.
Then as expected, I saw the special inspector in the room.
She was unhurt.
Did she avoid the entanglement of the "white prison"?
"I met people from the 'White Prison'."
"They didn't teach you a lesson. I clearly emphasized it to them."
I mumbled like I was breaking a jar.
"Unlucky for me, I overestimated the gangster's courage."
"No, at first, they did plan to take action."
"oh?"
Could it be that she can easily deal with even the most vicious gangsters?
"Fortunately, I surrendered before they took action and avoided any physical pain."
"......what is this?"
Will she surrender?
It's strange. Although I don't know her true strength, her usual tough attitude should be relied upon. Furthermore, she doesn't look like someone who would make the slightest compromise.
"Do you think this is not in line with my style?"
"I don't know your style at all, and I'm not even interested. But how could they let you go so easily? Just because you surrendered to them?"
Although she guessed my idea, I still expressed my rejection immediately.
"Stop thinking so wildly. I didn't offend them. Why did they have to beat me up?"
The special inspector lit up a cigarette, his eyes seemed to be filled with a little disdain.
"Besides, I need to cooperate with them."
"Tsk tsk, are the officials of the empire also keen on colluding with gangs?"
"Short-sighted. In order to achieve your goal as quickly as possible, you must choose efficient methods."
As expected, the special inspector's face turned a bit ugly.
"You'd better change your free-spoken habit as soon as possible. Provoking me will only do you harm but no good."
"Why should I communicate calmly with my enemy?"
"Hmph, if you really wanted revenge, you wouldn't ask such a stupid question."
"You don't need me to do it myself. The dozens of cigarettes you smoke every day will kill you sooner or later."
"Hey - thanks for the concern from you damn drunkard!"
Oh, it pissed her off.
"..."
"...Aren't you curious about the content of my cooperation with 'White Lao'?"
However, she regained her composure very quickly.
"That's all. Anyway, you have to know sooner or later. After all, I have assigned you a task - you must carry it out. This is a rare opportunity to make meritorious deeds."
"...Say it."
"Right now, the Traveler Alliance is having private negotiations with the Lord of Fulvos, and it is estimated that they have reached a preliminary solution. Having said that, they still have to follow the prescribed procedures, so they will do it at the end of winter.
One day public negotiations began at Earls Court."
"This matter has been published in the newspapers a long time ago."
"Oh? You actually have the habit of reading newspapers... However, in front of the public, they will probably only put on a warm smile, hug like a close friend, and talk about some innocuous topics in a serious manner."
The special inspector pressed the cigarette butt hard on the small wooden table beside him, and raised the corners of his mouth slightly, as if he was very satisfied with the sarcasm he had just made.
But her tone did not contain too much dissatisfaction, but instead contained a hint of praise.
"After they finish their performance and the people disperse, they will enter the Earl's Palace and discuss the really important issues in Conference Room 2. By then, no one present will be redundant, and the lord's crony, Vito, can help
We blend in."
"Vito again...that guy is so reliable. Wait, 'we'? Why do I have to go too? Isn't this a self-inflicted trap? I can't trust that Mr. Vito unconditionally.
.”
"Don't worry, nearly half of the 186 people participating in the negotiations have already contacted me. In addition, the corresponding identity information has been forged long ago. These preparations are enough to keep you, me and the gang safe and sound.
Step into the conference room."
"Huh? The gang...the so-called cooperation...is audacious."
It was then that I finally understood what the Special Ombudsman's "cooperation" meant.
"Are you crazy? You actually brought the gang to the Earl's Palace? What if the situation gets out of control? Who knows what trouble the gang will cause?"
"The more chaotic the better, no matter what, the negotiations cannot proceed smoothly."
"..."
Listening to the other party's unabashed words, I just felt unbelievable and even suspected that she was joking.
"Are negotiations harmful to the empire?"
"..."
This time it was her turn to be silent.
"Are you an official of the empire?"
"What do you think?"
"...Sigh... Now that things have happened, even if you say you are a Shenxingguan, I won't be surprised."
I suddenly let out such a sigh.
"Why? Have you seen Shen Xingguan?"
"I just know a little bit about it. But this is the first time I've heard of the position of special scout."
"oh?"
Belin chuckled lightly.
"Then if I really do as you wish and confess that I am a Shenxingguan, will it be easier for you to accept it?"