"You're already talking about payment so soon. It seems you're very confident about this commission."
Eye of Wisdom chuckled, then continued:
"That's a good thing. What we lack most right now is confidence. Many of the detectives who received the threat letters have already become pessimistic and despairing. Most of them may not be Beyonders, but after spending so long in the detective world, they know something about supernatural powers. To them, a Beyonder's revenge is a terrifying thing."
"So they haven't gone to the Police Station and tried to accept protection from official Beyonders? Is maintaining their independence and protecting their privacy more important than their lives?"
Angel asked curiously.
"Of course they reported it to the police. They even tried banding together and moving in together to deter the person behind this. But the official Beyonders—well, I mean the Machinery Hivemind—haven't contacted them. They're only watching and protecting them in secret."
"In secret... using them as bait?"
"Exactly. The threat letter from the person behind this mentioned that he would take revenge on November 30 and kill all the detectives, but he definitely won't keep to that date, because that would be walking straight into a trap." Eye of Wisdom stroked his faint white beard and analyzed the other party like a detective. "He'll most likely launch his attack early. The date in the threat letter is merely a smokescreen. It may even be deliberate misdirection."
"So the official Beyonders reached a similar conclusion? That's why they didn't directly contact the detectives, instead hiding in the shadows and arresting him once he appears?"
"Heh, that's the biggest problem. The Machinery Hivemind's primary goal is to capture that Desire Apostle and put an end to this entire serial murder case once and for all. But the detectives who were