Officer Bob

"David, you're here. Sorry, it's such a mess. Come with me!" Officer Bob spotted David, then pushed through the crowd, sweating profusely, and called out to him.

David followed Officer Bob out of the conference room and into an office. Officer Bob poured a glass of water and set it in front of him.

"David, this is the compensation agreement. Take a look, and if everything's in order, sign it." Officer Bob seemed very busy. He took the document he'd prepared earlier straight from a cabinet, handed it to David, and explained.

David took the agreement. It was a standard compensation form that briefly explained the circumstances. The compensation itself was substantial: one hundred thousand Credit Points.

"Officer Bob, does this hundred thousand Credit Points all come from the bounty on that wanted criminal?" David asked in surprise and confusion at the amount.

After all, quite a few people had died. If even he, despite only suffering minor injuries, could receive one hundred thousand Credit Points in compensation, then how large must the bounty have been!

"David, your father, Deputy Director Hans, is part of the justice system too, so I won't keep this from you. Among those killed by the wanted criminal named Abbott was a member of the Deke Consortium. The Deke Consortium put up a huge bounty for Abbott, and this time, that bounty is being used to compensate the victims." Officer Bob glanced around before explaining in a low voice.

He wouldn't have shared this kind of information with David if he hadn't wanted to build a good relationship with him.

"Officer Bob, could I see the information on Abbott?" David wanted to know whether the wanted criminal Abbott was an Armored Warrior with Sniping Talent. He could tell Officer Bob thought highly of him—or perhaps of his father—so he decided to ask.

"That's no problem." Officer Bob was straightforward. As he spoke, he activated his Identity Bracelet and sent David a file.

"Thank you, Officer Bob." David didn't look at the file right away. He smiled and thanked Officer Bob, then signed the compensation agreement.

One hundred thousand Credit Points was a lot. He'd been terribly short on money lately, and it would let him buy more Fortified Meat.

"Officer Bob, you're busy, so I'll be going." David handed the signed agreement to Officer Bob. He could see that the officer had plenty to do, so he took his leave.

As he left, David could still hear bursts of crying and angry shouts. All he could do was feel sorry for them.

Standing just inside the Police Station entrance, David hesitated. Rather than leave immediately, he looked around.

With so many victims' families at the Police Station, the lobby was mostly empty. Only a female officer was at the reception desk, and she wasn't paying attention to him. Her gaze remained fixed on the conference room.

David controlled the Shadow Servant and sent it through the Police Station's entrance. From its perspective, he saw the car that had been following him. It seemed the person tailing him hadn't left and was waiting for him there.

Mailuo drove around the block at an unhurried pace, then returned to the entrance of the Police Station and pulled into a parking spot.

He was trying to figure out how to report to his boss. Because he'd been careless, he hadn't noticed David leaving home yesterday morning.

That wasn't entirely his fault. David's routine was always regular; during school breaks, he never went out in the morning. So Mailuo hadn't known that David had been at the scene of that major crime yesterday morning.

But David had gone to the Police Station today, and that had given Mailuo plenty to think about.

Just then, his Identity Bracelet rang. He checked the caller and quickly answered.

"Hello, boss," Mailuo said respectfully.

"Mailuo, how's it going?" the person on the other end asked directly.

"Everything's normal, boss," Mailuo replied at once.

"You saw David?" the person asked in disbelief.

"Yes, boss. David just left in a car, and I've been keeping an eye on him the whole time," Mailuo answered confidently.

"Keep doing your job," the person ordered after a brief pause.

"Yes, boss." Mailuo waited for the call to end, then muttered in complaint, "What a pain, having to keep an eye on a little kid like that!"

But he was soon pleased with how he'd handled things. His boss hadn't realized he'd been slacking off.

He had no idea that when he answered his Identity Bracelet, David's Shadow Servant had been floating beside him, letting David hear their entire conversation.

Unlike Mailuo, David had heard the other person's confusion. To him, it sounded like the person couldn't believe he was still alive.

At the same time, the voice sounded familiar, as if David had heard it somewhere before.

He hadn't had his memories back for long, so he couldn't immediately recall who the voice belonged to. But he was sure that if he heard it again, he would recognize the person.

"David, why haven't you left yet?" Officer Bob had taken care of some paperwork. Instead of returning to the chaotic conference room, he'd decided to get some fresh air in the lobby. Seeing David standing there, motionless, he couldn't help asking.

At the sound of Officer Bob's voice, David pulled his strange connection with the Shadow Servant back. If he hadn't been leaning against the wall, he wouldn't have been able to keep his balance. After hearing Officer Bob, he had no choice but to stop controlling the Shadow Servant.

Still, he didn't need to do much to direct it. The Shadow Servant couldn't stray more than ten meters from him, and no one else could see it anyway.

"Officer Bob, I'd like to ask you for a small favor." David's mind stirred. He could tell Officer Bob was trying to ingratiate himself with him—or rather, with his father, Hans—so he decided to make use of that.

"As long as it's within my authority, there's no problem." Afraid David might ask for something unreasonable, Officer Bob smiled and made clear what he could help with.

"Officer Bob, could you find out who owns that car's license plate?" David pointed to the inconspicuous car parked outside the Police Station.

"No problem." Officer Bob glanced at the parked car and smiled.

He aimed the Identity Bracelet on his arm at the car and sent out a police scanning wave. It could scan not only the car's history but also the identity of the person inside.

Officer Bob didn't ask David why he wanted to do this. As far as he was concerned, he just needed to do him a favor.

Although David's father, Hans, held an honorary position, no one in Peilan City would look down on a National Scholar like him.

"Here's all the information on the car and the person driving it." Officer Bob sent a package of information to David's Identity Bracelet.

"Thank you very much for your help. I'll tell my father how much you've helped me," David said gratefully.

"David, if you need help, you can contact me." Officer Bob had gotten the result he wanted, so he smiled as he replied.

When David left the Police Station, he didn't look at the car that had been following him. He went straight to his own Gladstone Type III Car and drove back the way he'd come.

A hundred meters after the Gladstone Type III Car pulled away, the car following it started up and trailed it from a distance.

The Shadow Servant had already returned to David's side on its own, following his earlier instructions. The car maintained a steady speed of seventy kilometers per hour as it drove back to his home on Lanka Street.