[District 14121 Police Department]
It was already past office hours, and aside from the personnel on duty, the entire police station had emptied out.
Although the building remained brightly lit, this was merely to deter criminals. Inside, it was actually deserted.
However—
Inside a detective chief's office, a figure was still busy at work.
He hadn't gone home for several days.
Eating and sleeping in his office, all for the sake of investigating a single case.
The case of Zhou Xing's disappearance.
Olov flipped through various clues, continuing to sort through the case details.
He stared at the dense notes and information scrawled across the whiteboard, sinking into deep thought.
The whiteboard was covered with numerous clues—crime scene photos, family testimonies, and Zhou Xing's schedule on the day of his disappearance.
All of these clues pointed to the same central figure.
Qin Siyang.
At the very center of the board was a photo of Qin Siyang.
It was his profile picture from [Godslayer Camp].
Olov rubbed his temples.
He was convinced that this matter was undoubtedly related to Qin Siyang.
Zhou Xing's disappearance was a bizarre case.
And on the outskirts of the entire Safe Zone, the only uncertain variable was Qin Siyang.
Naturally, Olov made the connection.
So from the very beginning, he identified the culprit first—then traced the clues back to him.
Olov methodically reviewed the case once more.
'We've already discovered a pool of lifeless blood along the small path between Zhou Xing's home and the Education Bureau. After examination, the DNA perfectly matches the sample Zhou Xing left in the United Government archives. So, Zhou Xing is highly likely to be dead.'
'As for the motive behind his murder, only Qin Siyang himself would know.'
'But I don't need to determine his motive—just securing evidence is enough.'
'If I get the evidence, I'll have leverage over him. I can make him work for me…'
Olov shook his head, patting his own cheeks.
"Damn it, I haven't rested properly for too many days. My brain's already struggling to think straight—I keep going off track."
He heated some water, preparing to make himself a cup of coffee to stay awake.
Sitting quietly in his office chair, he waited for the water to boil.
Perhaps he was too exhausted—he actually dozed off.
However, as his head slipped from the chair's backrest, he jolted awake.
Rubbing his eyes, Olov saw that the water had already boiled, so he got up again.
While brewing his coffee, he also lit a cigar.
The scent of tobacco mixed with the aroma of coffee—it did help clear his mind.
Break time over, he resumed his deep dive into the case.
'To prove Zhou Xing's death, I must find his body.'
'First, I need to locate where Qin Siyang disposed of the corpse. If I were Qin Siyang, carrying such a large body—where would I dump it?'
'He wouldn't have passed through the main roads of the two nearby districts when discarding the body. At the time of Zhou Xing's disappearance, it was work hours—the streets were full of people. If he had been carrying a corpse, he would've stood out more than a nightclub model.'
Olov grabbed a red marker and circled the area around the bloodstain on the nearby district map.
In his mind, the body had to be hidden within this region.
'He definitely chose an unpopulated place.'
'And where would that be?'
Olov stared at the map pinned to the whiteboard, showing the area near the bloodstain.
"But I've already checked all the unmarked locations…"
Just as Olov was lost in his reasoning—
Szzz—
A faint buzzing, like the sound of a swarm of bees, suddenly rang out.
"Tch, what an interruption."
Olov sighed, reaching into the most inconspicuous pocket inside his coat and pulling out a key.
He walked over to his desk, unlocked a drawer, and beneath a pile of case files, he retrieved a small black cube.
With his thick fingers, he gave it a light push—one of its sliding panels dropped, revealing a tiny phone keypad and a screen no larger than a fingernail.
If someone didn't already know its structure, they wouldn't even recognize it as a phone.
Seeing the number "002" displayed on the minuscule screen, Olov raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Hello, it's me."
["007, are you doing well?"]
"Living like a lonely old man—what do you think?"
["…I apologize for that."]
"Cut the crap. If you're calling me on the black phone, you obviously have something to say. Spit it out."
["Alright, then I'll get straight to the point. We need you to stop investigating Qin Siyang."]
"Why? I'm just about to find his weakness. Give me two more days, and I'll have this wrapped up."
["It's too late. The kid got his hands on the Vine Core in District 7. Now, even if he killed the district governor, there'd be a line of people fighting to protect him."]
"What? He got the Vine Core? How the hell is that possible?"
["It was unexpected—but it's the truth."]
Olov narrowed his white brows, "Even if he has the Vine Core, that shouldn't affect my investigation."
["We still need you to let it go… for now."]
"…Who's after that Vine Core? Is it you, 002?"
["You know me. The Vine Core isn't something I need. It's 004 and 005 who want it. Plus, Li Tianming's charges were just dropped—he'll likely protect Qin Siyang too."]
["You know, Li Tianming isn't someone you mess with lightly. Back when he was under pressure, no one dared kill him. Now that he's unshackled, who knows what kind of mess he could stir up? We're doing this for your safety."]
"Li Tianming doesn't even know me—at least, not who I am now. Why should I care about him?"
["Still, everyone hopes you'll cooperate…"]
"So, once again, I have to be the one to sacrifice? 002, why is it always me?"
["…I apologize. But you have no solid proof linking Qin Siyang to [Crow's Core], whereas 004 already has a clear target and objective."]
"I told you—just give me two days, and I'll prove it!"
["There's no time. I'm arranging a transfer order as we speak. The police department will receive it tonight. You'll be reassigned to Sigma District as police chief next week. Start preparing."]
Olov frowned, "That soon?"
["Yes. A group of church radicals is stirring up trouble in Sigma District. They're about to come into contact with individuals connected to [Crow's Core], which 004 discovered."]
["We need to kill some people. And we need someone we trust as police chief to maintain order at the ground level. After considering all options, you're the only choice. You know the others—our ranks are too high to get involved in surface-level operations."]
Olov was silent for a moment, clenching his jaw.
After a while, he finally responded calmly, "I understand."
["007, you've made a lot of sacrifices over the years. Everyone sees that. I hope you're not angry—we'll find a way to compensate you. In the future, if you want to research [Crow's Core], we'll give you full support."]
"I've already felt your 'support'—it's very thorough."
["…This time, I truly apologize. But we can't ignore someone with a 90% likelihood of being connected to [Crow's Core], just to favor your uncertain lead."]
"I get it. I was just too slow in my investigation."
["That's that, then. Goodbye. Everything for humanity."]
"…Goodbye. Everything for humanity."
Olov hung up, sighing deeply.
Removing his scarf, he rubbed his neck, his expression tinged with helplessness.
Lighting another cigar, he gazed quietly at Qin Siyang's photo on the whiteboard, "…Everything for humanity, huh?"
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