Spy Watch

After hearing what Henry said, Jack Reacher said with a strange expression, "You're just telling me about murdering the Ardens, and then planning to silence them?"

Henry said nonchalantly, "I told you, once I walk out this door, I won't admit to anything. There's already a bunch of guys who claim to have seen me kill the Ardens and turn them to ashes and are about to end up in a mental hospital."

"Because if these people don't go to mental hospitals, they'll face charges like defamation, perjury, obstruction of justice, and malicious prosecution for making false accusations. Why would I care about one more person?"

"Moreover, the most important thing in murder is to have the victim's body or any scientifically verifiable evidence. In today's situation, even if I confess to the prosecutor, I can still get an acquittal."

"Unless you're planning to amend the law to make killing Vampires and leaving no trace of their body a felony of murder, think about the consequences of doing so."

"You might as well just give prosecutors and judges the power to designate whoever is the murderer. That would save you the trouble of defining Vampires in law, who are Vampires, and who aren't."

Jack Reacher frowned and asked, "Are there really Vampires?"

Henry laughed. "So that's what you're concerned about. Then just pretend it didn't happen. Anyway, I can't provide any evidence that I killed two Vampires."

"All you need to know is that James Arden and Lilith Arden no longer exist in this world. Legally, they are missing."

"Besides—" Henry glanced at Jack Reacher.

Even if I had that idea, unless I acted on it immediately, this period of time would be enough for you to find a way to protect yourself.

"So doing this makes no sense. I just think that the more clues we have, the more helpful it is in deducing the truth and getting closer to the final truth."

Since you want to know and have asked, then I will answer. That's all.

Jack Reacher further questioned, "But you also said that this intelligence isn't guaranteed to be true."

"At least what I've experienced can't be faked, right? I'm telling you the truth."

Even so, you only described your actions, not your motives.

Henry raised his hands in surrender. "Hey, buddy, you said you didn't want to get involved in my private affairs, and only wanted to investigate what your superiors assigned you to do, right?"

"Howard Stark's case is what you should be focusing on; everything else is unimportant. Besides, if you knew what those two Vampires did, would you still think I did something wrong?"

Jack Reacher said seriously, "I'll find out and judge for myself regarding this matter. You don't need to argue from a vigilante's perspective that you did nothing wrong."

Henry shrugged and didn't reply. Faced with this somewhat heated exchange, one can only say that everyone has their own values, and not everyone can agree with one's actions and thoughts.

That's good. Anyway, Henry doesn't think those timid people can find anything out about Howard Stark.

"You said I can print the documents?" Jack Reacher asked, no longer focusing on the person in front of him.

"Yes, What If...? you feel it's necessary. But before that, I must state that if some information is leaked, they will not only trace the source of the leak, but they will also not let go of anyone who has seen it. You should be prepared."

"I know." Even after saying he knew, Jack Reacher still made a copy of all the documents.

However, it seemed he wasn't ignoring the warning, but rather had other plans. Henry, not wanting to interfere too much, pretended not to know.

Jack Reacher added, "Mr. Stark's secretary also mentioned that you could provide assistance with the investigation."

Without much thought, Henry got up, took three rolls of money and a homemade vintage mechanical watch from the safe, and placed them on the table in front of Jack Reacher.

"We have operating funds and life-saving measures. What If...? you need firearms or equipment, just tell me your request and I can try to provide them. Or if you prefer to take the money and find a trustworthy source to get what you need, I have no objection."

"If you don't have enough money, you can ask again. Anyway, you don't need to submit expense reports or pay for everything here. With that sucker Tony Stark backing you up, it won't be so easy for you to squander his entire fortune."

Jack Reacher picked up the seemingly ordinary vintage watch and examined it from both sides. "Is this a life-saving measure?"

Henry explained, "The watch movement uses a tourbillon, which, although not visible to the naked eye, ensures it won't be inaccurate like Rolex, requiring daily timekeeping. It's also water-resistant to 50 meters underwater."

"In addition to telling time, it is also a transmitter, allowing people to track the watch's movements and even record its location."

However, the signal is not a common one, and most people wouldn't be able to detect it.

"Press the knob next to the dial lightly. You'll hear a clicking sound in the first stage, indicating that it can continuously send out a distress signal. Pressing it to the second stage will activate the destruction function, with a ten-second grace period and no warning sound."

"Due to its size, the explosive power is not great. But believe me, when a watch self-destructs, you definitely don't want it on your wrist or in contact with your body."

"To deactivate either of these functions, simply press the knob further to reset it, which will disable the distress signal or the self-destruct mechanism. This watch is provided for your use. After the mission is complete, you can choose to return it to me or keep it."

Holding the watch in his hand, Jack Reacher said, "The fact that you're entrusting me with something like this means that this investigation might involve situations where this watch will be used. Is that the gist?"

Henry didn't explain directly, but instead said, "Assuming Mr. Howard Stark's car accident wasn't an accident, you don't think it's something some street thug could do. Think about the circles he's in; who could possibly take him down?"

Upon hearing this, Jack Reacher didn't think twice and immediately put the watch on his left wrist. He then asked, "How long will it take for the support troops to reach my location?"

"Three seconds, shorter than the time it takes to self-destruct. As long as you have the chance to press the SOS button, you won't die. Of course, if you want to keep the watch after this investigation is completed, you'll have one chance to call for help. Whether there's a second chance depends on the situation."

Jack Reacher's eyes widened. "What If...? you have someone like that at your disposal," he asked, "Why not just send that person to do the investigation?"

"My friend isn't good at it," Henry laughed. "Besides, when fighting inside a building, isn't it better to have someone skilled in Closed Quarters Battle (CQB) than to just bombard the building with tanks?"

Henry meant to say that it's unnecessary to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut, but Jack Reacher replied, "In the absence of hostages, using tanks is the best offensive tactic."

"With tanks readily available, the commander ordered soldiers into complex terrain, exposing them to potential enemy traps. Does this incompetence even need further criticism?"

Henry was speechless.

Everyone's forgotten that this is the U.S. military. They're not using a sledgehammer to crack a nut; they could wield a dragon-slaying sword, if they had the means.