Chapter 609: Exploiting a Bug
In Wayne’s own opinion, for the Detective Agency, Tiriel throwing that list over before his succession was actually a double-edged sword.
Looking at it negatively, this was a life-or-death ‘either-or’ question. Either they submit their ‘pledge of allegiance’ and officially become Tiriel’s private enforcers, or they choose to resist and immediately be reclassified from ‘pawns who could be discarded at any time’ to ‘potential enemies’.
But looking at it positively, it could also be seen as an interview qualification granted by Tiriel to the Detective Agency, at least indicating that the Detective Agency was not yet ‘particularly an eyesore’ in Tiriel’s mind, and at least had a chance to ‘perform well’ and strive to ‘maintain the status quo’.
Wayne chose to exploit a bug. Since the list was not short, and the names on it currently looked like other people’s enforcers, the Detective Agency could be selective, submitting assignments periodically to maintain Tiriel’s patience, but also preventing being discarded once their usefulness was over, like a rabbit killed after the hounds are gone, or a bird put away after the bow is broken.
On this basis, the new task of investigating the Dock Area was like an extra credit question. Although Tiriel seemed to have arranged it casually at the time and didn’t appear to care much about it himself, the Detective Agency found it necessary to seize the opportunity to earn some points.
This was similar to how Wayne had recently begun to consider donating things to the academy. His usual grades were already precarious, and he knowingly intended not to change, so in order to graduate on time, he had to make up for it elsewhere.
And the current situation in the Dock Area seemed to have great potential for ‘extra points’.
After the Wise Sage’s warning, not only was Lina busy with the intelligence team, but Inessa also stopped helping Willie collect evidence to prosecute criminals these past two days. Instead, she pulled people and took Connal to the Dock Area, indicating a high level of concern.
Coupled with Merlin’s reaction, the potential risk of this matter was probably not small.
If the Detective Agency could timely clarify the situation and unexpectedly present a ‘big dish’ to Tiriel, the Detective Agency’s existence would appear very valuable—at that time, Tiriel probably wouldn’t care too much about Wayne’s minor ‘borderline’ operations.
So, after everyone arrived, Wayne reported the situation Merlin had investigated and also stated his response strategy:
“Restaurants and workshops should try to maintain daily operations. Willie, you guys should temporarily continue at your pace, cooperating with the prosecutor to prosecute gang members, but when necessary, we will recall all personnel.”
“The remaining people will focus on investigating the Dock Area. The intelligence team will continue to gather intelligence secretly, while others and the sales team can conduct open investigations using their identity as health investigation specialists. We must avoid potential accidents.”
After all, it was a general meeting, so Wayne’s opening remarks sounded quite grand.
However, he didn’t hide his true intentions and soon revealed them:
“No matter how this matter ultimately turns out, since the Sailor Gang has repeatedly acted against the sales team, we must take the opportunity to clear them out. The Ireland Violent Group managing the problematic dock is also likely to be problematic, and we should clear them out too if necessary.”
“Moreover, taking advantage of the plague investigation, the Cathedral and City Hall will also provide us with certain conveniences. Before the matter is concluded, I hope everyone can compile a list of all gangs in the Dock Area, specifying the number of people, names, and preferably their addresses.”
Inessa showed a slight hint of doubt, “Leaving aside the workshops and Willie’s side, we have even fewer people… The personnel from the Cathedral involved in the investigation also don’t sound like many. Is it a bit too rash to deal with a potential conspiracy that could lead to a plague outbreak this way?”
Wayne actually understood Inessa’s meaning; she probably wanted to eliminate hidden dangers as quickly as possible, directly dealing with problems as they were discovered.
But some burdens still needed to be shared, so he explained, “Currently, it seems this matter is quite deeply hidden. The quality of the investigation might be more important than the quantity, and more people aren't necessarily better. We need to first confirm the situation; the subsequent specific handling can be left to the Cathedral.”
In short, Wayne wanted to ‘actively perform’ and ‘preserve strength’, while also doing some private work.
Discovering the ‘bomb’ in advance would be a credit, and anything that could be handled would be dealt with incidentally, but if they encountered something truly extraordinary, then timely notification for evacuation and calling for reinforcements would be enough. There was no need to personally risk defusing it—earning points also required considering cost-effectiveness, not being greedy for small scraps.
Lina, that vixen, obviously understood this little scheme very well. “The Cathedral only sent a few people, so we’d best control the number of personnel and act flexibly to avoid accidental losses. As for the gang list… if we can conduct door-to-door investigations, it shouldn’t be a big problem.”
With the general tone set, they then continued to report on the current investigation findings. Due to different specific focuses, the information collected by the various groups in the Detective Agency also varied.
Lina was concerned about ‘where the danger actually is’. She followed the direction, inquiring about abnormal situations, covering a wide area but not delving deep. Inessa, on the other hand, did the opposite, pursuing anything she felt was amiss:
“I went to the scene in the Dock Area today and separately tracked and examined the victims’ bodies. They were mostly killed by blunt force trauma to the back, with no obvious signs of struggle or fighting. The cause of death was too consistent. I don’t think it’s likely to be a natural accident.”
Wayne and Lina had also been to the scene and agreed with Inessa’s judgment.
However, Wayne was curious about another point at this time: “You’ve seen all the victims’ bodies, and you didn’t find any influence of extraordinary power?”
Inessa shook her head, “Even considering the abnormal rats you just mentioned, there were no obvious bite marks on those bodies, and it doesn’t seem like an acute plague death. Also, I’ve initially found out the last movements of two of the deceased before their deaths. Their housemates said they might have found a well-paying job the night before, acting mysteriously but appearing somewhat excited.”
“If that’s the case, then it should just be a coincidence, right?” Lina wasn’t very interested in that dock accident. “I’m not saying it’s ‘normal’, but rather that it probably has nothing to do with the Sage’s warning.”
Inessa disagreed with this statement, “Over a dozen people died. Even if it’s just an ordinary case, I think it’s necessary to bring the culprits to justice.”
“We can let Willie and his team investigate it slowly,” Lina’s mind worked quickly. “Compared to the mad rats caught by the Cathedral and the Sage’s warning, the investigation of ordinary homicides definitely has to be prioritized lower.”
Inessa thought for a moment and agreed with this point. “Indeed.”
This was all the information they had investigated so far. The basis for judging many things was also a consensus within the Detective Agency, with no major disputes.
They quickly finished discussing everything, and then Lina became curious, looking at Wayne: “Since there’s nothing special, why did you specifically call everyone here tonight?”
Wayne hadn’t answered yet when Doug, who had been watching the window, heard an owl hoot. He immediately stood up, “The Sir said when he returned that Merlin from the Cathedral would be meeting with the partners tonight. His carriage should be outside the wall now. I’ll go out to greet him.”
Lina had a confused expression, “What’s going on?”
