"How did it go?"
"Did you find any useful clues?"
Leo Vargas didn't look up when he heard the question. "Nothing useful. The deceased, Damian Flint, was a member of the Triads and somewhat well-known around here."
"He was killed around eleven last night at the corner of the street nearby. His body was then dragged here and dumped. As for the cause of death, his neck was snapped. According to the nearby residents, he spoke with the killer, but they couldn't make out what they said."
"Four more bodies belonging to his companions were found two streets away. Each was killed by a single shot from a high-powered firearm."
Hearing the "specialist's" explanation, a handsome young man in a Loen Kingdom police uniform asked curiously, "Wouldn't the wound in his chest have been more fatal? He had a hole that big blown in him, yet the main cause of death was the killer snapping his neck. What kind of grudge did they have? Do you think he might've been a Beyonder? Otherwise, how could he have had the strength to run after being injured like that?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Leo Vargas looked up and curiously studied the unfamiliar young policeman.
The old policeman beside them explained, "Leo, this is Brandon Harrow, our new recruit. It's only natural you don't know him."
"Alright, Brandon. He definitely isn't one of those Beyonders you're talking about. Go help out over there. I'll call you if we need anything."
At the old policeman's urging, Brandon Harrow had no choice but to leave reluctantly and join the other officers in their investigation.
After watching him go, the old policeman explained, "He's someone the higher-ups forced on us. The first thing he did after joining was look for a way to meet a Beyonder, but his family has also put in a word that he isn't to get involved with that sort of thing."
"I really don't know why these young masters are so eager to become Beyonders. Wouldn't they be better off staying home and behaving themselves?"
"You've seen the cause of death. It's certainly strange by our standards, so I asked someone from the Special Affairs Department to come take a look. Are you willing to take the case?"
"I think he was a Beyonder, and he was killed by another Beyonder."
When the old policeman finished speaking, Leo Vargas nodded. "You're right. He was a Beyonder. Although it's been seven hours since his death and his Spirituality has dissipated, there's no denying that this corpse is different from an ordinary person's."
"Once you've finished compiling the case file, send it straight to me. I'll report it to the Storm Church. If there have been any similar cases recently, have them transferred to us as well."
The old policeman rubbed his thick beard and thought for a moment. "I heard something similar happened in the Dock District recently. But you know my authority only lets me check records for the streets around here. You'll have to go to headquarters to pull those files yourself. I'll have someone prepare a report on this case for you."
Leo Vargas nodded slightly. "Got it. Tell me, is your police department ever going to adopt a different management system? Every time I handle a case outside this district, I have to run between several offices. If you're not tired of it, I am."
The old policeman lowered his head at the complaint. "Can't be helped. Each district is now divided into dozens of subdistricts. One office might manage several nearby subdistricts, or several that are far apart. We hate the hassle too, but that's how they've arranged things. There's nothing we can do."
Hearing his explanation, Leo Vargas cursed. "Those idiots with the brains of curly-haired baboons—couldn't they come up with a better system? If things carry on like this, it'll take a week just to gather all the information."
"Based on what you just told me, I now have to go to the East District police station, then police headquarters, then the Dock District police station. After I've gathered the information, I'll also have to visit the firearms investigation department and check whether any high-powered weapons have gone missing lately."
"This is such a headache. Sometimes I wish they'd all stand in front of me so I could give them a good beating."
Hearing how clearly fed up Leo Vargas was, the old policeman smiled and nodded. "You might never get to fulfill that wish. You'd be better off praying to the God of Storms for someone to come up with a more efficient management system and get rid of all those useless officials. At least that's more likely."
"Getting every official involved to stand in front of you is a bit unrealistic. I've been on the job for over twenty years, and there are still some of my superiors I've never even met."
After saying this, the old policeman patted Leo Vargas on the shoulder. "Come on. Now that we've confirmed a Beyonder was responsible, the rest is up to you."
Leo Vargas turned to leave, but the old policeman grabbed him. "I came out so early to help with your investigation. Shouldn't you treat me to a meal to show your appreciation?"
When his sleeve was grabbed, Leo Vargas instinctively tried to shake off the old officer's hand. He tried and found the grip unyielding, then said helplessly, "Dean, why are you like this? Every time I run into you, you make me buy you a meal. Your weekly pay, with all your allowances, must be three pounds and ten soli by now. You're hardly short of money."
At a breakfast shop on Iron Cross Street in the East District.
"Ah... There's nothing like a bowl of hot soup first thing in the morning."
Leo Vargas watched the old policeman wipe his mouth with a paper napkin after finishing his meal, then said, "Dean, why are you so stingy? With your income, you might not be able to feast on meat every day, but you can certainly afford meat soup every day."
The old policeman, Dean, didn't answer Leo Vargas. Instead, he asked, "How will the Storm Church handle this case?"
Hearing Dean's question, Leo Vargas lost interest. "What else can we do? Once it's reported to the Church, a dedicated team will investigate and resolve the matter."
"What, you don't want us to investigate this?"
Seeing the obvious curiosity behind the question, Dean shook his head. "If this hadn't involved a Beyonder, we would've labeled it a gang dispute and closed the case already."
"I've worked in the East District for over sixteen years. I know someone dies here almost every day. But as a policeman, what I'd most like to see is for the people dying every day to be gang members."
Sensing that Dean's words carried an unspoken meaning, Leo Vargas smacked his lips. "There's nothing we can do about that. Maybe only a god could manage it. As for this case, don't worry too much about it. The Church isn't a charity. If an ordinary Commoner is killed, we'll usually take over the case directly. If it's a gang member, it depends on whether a team is free and willing to take it on."