Yes.
There was one more place.
Even...
If the things in that place were useless too, Lake had another plan. However, that plan might expose his identity.
Hopefully, it won't come to that.
Thinking this, Lake said as much to Sloan, then asked Joe, "Where are the guards from the security room?"
"Special Operations Team is watching them."
"Mm."
Lake nodded. "Have Jack bring those guards over. We're going somewhere together."
Seeing that Lake remained completely unhurried despite the time drawing near, Joe's anxiety eased somewhat. After answering, he waved to an officer beside him and told him to notify Special Operations Team Captain Jack to bring the guards over.
Soon.
Lake led everyone into a large room.
The room was spacious and empty.
Only a huge mechanical loom was operating inside.
The Fate Loom.
Lake waved to Joe beside him. When Joe blinked, Lake leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Tell our men to prepare for a gunfight."
Joe's eyes widened slightly as he looked at Lake.
Lake nodded faintly.
Joe hesitated for a moment before nodding. He turned and brushed past Fire Fox and the others as he walked out.
The next second.
Lake pointed at the loom before ordering the officers in the room, "Tear it down!"
The officers had not even nodded yet.
Sloan immediately could not sit still. "Wait!"
Lake turned to look at him. "What is it, Mr. Sloan? Are you nervous?"
Sloan said expressionlessly, "Detective Edwin, this loom has been passed down since medieval times. It is the most important asset of our textile factory."
Lake shrugged. "So?"
Sloan said in a low voice, "If it is damaged, I'm afraid even Detective Edwin won't be able to afford the compensation."
Lake waved to the two officers who were about to move. Then, before Sloan could relax, he smiled and said, "You're right. But I want to take the gamble. After all, if I find no evidence and leave just like this, I imagine someone with Mr. Sloan's influence could make things very difficult for me. So, as far as I'm concerned, there's no difference."
Sloan said, "Our factory has always supported the NYPD's operations. Detective Edwin was deceived by someone, and I understand."
The implication was obvious.
Enough was enough.
If Lake left now, Sloan was saying that he would let bygones be bygones.
The reason Sloan was so nervous was simple.
The Fate Loom was not merely an important asset of the textile factory, nor merely an important asset of Sloan's. Most importantly, it was the foundation of The Assistance's existence.
Without the Fate Loom, The Assistance would cease to exist.
Sloan had founded The Assistance by claiming that the names appearing on the Fate Loom were God's guidance. He gathered a group of like-minded assassins and, through years of brainwashing, told them that their actions were righteous and that they were God's agents on earth.
But...
That was not the truth.
Carlos was one of The Assistance's top assassins and had always firmly believed this. He killed one person to save the majority, until one day, Carlos discovered the truth about the Fate Loom.
Rather than God's guidance, the Fate Loom was more accurately Sloan's guidance.
Carlos exploded in fury.
But Sloan did not want the other assassins to learn the truth. Instead, he explained Carlos's betrayal by claiming that Carlos's name had appeared on the Fate Loom, so that the other assassins would hunt Carlos down.
Now that Lake was about to move against the Fate Loom, Sloan had only one possible choice left.
He had to act.
The reason was simple.
If the Fate Loom was dismantled, The Assistance would lose its reason for existing. In the story Sloan had written for the Fate Loom, it was the only one of its kind in the world. Once destroyed, it would be gone. And once the loom was gone, Sloan would have no way to continue impersonating God and writing the names of his sinners.
Lake had also written Sloan's fate for him.
There was only one path before Sloan. He absolutely had to protect the Fate Loom. To Sloan, the loom was his land—the land he relied on to survive.
Preserve the people and lose the land, and you lose both people and land.
Preserve the land and lose the people, and both people and land survive.
However...
As an African American, Lake probably did not understand such things. But Sloan should understand the importance the Fate Loom held for him.
Lake raised a hand to stop the two officers.
It was not because he had changed his mind. He was waiting for Joe's prepared voice to come through his earpiece.
But when Sloan saw this, he assumed that Lake intended to give up, and he secretly breathed a long sigh of relief.
Lake's gaze passed over Sloan before landing on Fire Fox, one of the only two beautiful female assassins who had come with the Butcher and the Apothecary.
Fire Fox, with her mesmerizing eyes, stared at Lake with a gaze that seemed capable of speaking.
Just then.
Joe's voice came through Lake's earpiece.
Outside, Joe looked at the black sedan that had suddenly appeared and said, "Lake, I've given the orders. And... the mayor is here!"
Lake hummed in acknowledgment. Then he looked at Sloan, tilted his head, and said, "Factory Director Sloan, I think I'll decline your suggestion. I've decided to take the gamble."
As he spoke.
Lake raised his right hand high.
Sloan's eyes widened. "Detective Edwin, you dare!"
Just as Lake had guessed, Sloan was determined to protect the Fate Loom. It was his primary money-making machine. As for the money earned by the textile factory outside, after paying the workers' wages, every cent left was distributed as political donations.
Lake chuckled. "Mr. Sloan, are you threatening me? Or does this loom really contain something you don't want anyone to see?"
Sloan's expression shifted unpredictably.
Just then.
A middle-aged man in a suit and glasses walked in from outside.
He was New York's current mayor—or rather, the mayor who had one month left before stepping down. The World Trade Center attack last month had indeed been the work of terrorists, but the public did not care. Who told him to be the current mayor? As a result, his approval rating had fallen so low that no bookmaker believed he could win reelection. Some had not even opened betting.
"Mr. Mayor!"
When Sloan saw the mayor enter, he seemed to see his savior. He walked over and shook the mayor's hand.
The mayor looked at Lake. "Detective Edwin."
Lake said, "Mr. Mayor!"
The mayor stood beside Sloan expressionlessly and looked at Lake. "During this search, did you find any evidence linking the textile factory to some kind of assassin organization?"
Lake nodded and pointed at the Fate Loom. "The evidence is inside."
Sloan looked at the mayor and once again introduced the history of the Fate Loom. Then he told the mayor about Lake's savage conduct during the search.
The mayor's expression darkened slightly. "Detective Edwin, I think you can end the investigation."
Lake chuckled and waved directly to the two officers. Then he looked at the mayor. "Mr. Mayor, I have evidence to prove it. If there's nothing inside this loom, I'm willing to accept any investigation and punishment."
After saying this.
Lake looked straight at the two officers. "Tear it down!"
The two officers immediately responded.
Sloan's pupils shrank violently.
Before you continue