"Hans, I wasn't in Peilan City for long. I only taught David Body Technique and how to use the War Hammer. I didn't teach him anything else. But I told you David was a genius, and that he had excellent Electronic Warfare skills. You knew that, didn't you?" Gallen replied, then asked.
"Gallen, you've got to be mistaken. How could David know Electronic Warfare? His grades in every subject are terrible. How could he possibly have the skills to study Electronic Warfare?" Hans was genuinely shocked this time. He said in disbelief.
"Hans, you really need to learn more about your own son. David can find traps in the Security System and take control of it. That level of skill is enough to get him a decent job at any major software company." Gallen shook his head.
"Then is it really possible that David killed Mr. Steer?" Hans asked quietly.
"It doesn't matter either way. The lead involving Mr. Steer has gone cold, and finding out who was trying to target David will be even harder now." Gallen didn't really care whether David had killed anyone. As long as they couldn't prove it, there was no problem.
Hans had survived the deadly battlefield on War Star and returned with outstanding merits. He was no simple man. He had lost his ability to fight, but his judgment remained sharp.
In fact, ever since he discovered Amos was watching David, he had suspected Mr. Steer. Although Amos's death had cut off the direct evidence, only Mr. Steer could have given him orders.
Hans usually stayed out of affairs, but since this involved David and Mr. Steer, his wife's father, he had asked professionals from the Department of Justice to investigate.
Apart from Gallen, no one knew he was looking into the matter.
He had even discovered that there was a force behind Mr. Steer, one that had constantly helped him, allowing his hotel to grow rapidly and his influence to expand. But Hans couldn't uncover who that force was.
"I have good relations with the military. I'll make some inquiries about this. If the investigation really points to David, you may have to use your influence to get him out of here early," Hans asked, something he rarely did.
"Don't worry. That's a small matter. But I don't think David could have breached the military city defense system. Someone must have helped him," Gallen said with a smile.
He had spent about as much time with David as Myron had, but he understood David better than Myron did.
The murderous intent David carried showed that he wasn't the kind of person who could calmly sit by after someone came after him. That vengeful nature was exactly what a warrior needed.
As long as David didn't want to become an ordinary person, he would have to experience the battlefield. That murderous intent could protect him.
"Steer is dead?" Trainer Jeremy stared at the news on his Identity Bracelet, shock flickering in his eyes.
As soon as he saw that David had been standing near the Long-Range Sniper Cannon that had fired the shot that killed Mr. Steer, he was certain David was the culprit.
This strange, instinctive feeling was one of his abilities. The cultivation of his soul had given him this power.
Mr. Steer's sudden death had wrecked his plans in Peilan City, setting him back by at least several years.
A flash of white light passed over him. Then, without meaning to, he crushed the alloy cup in his hand into a lump of metal.
He seemed to realize he had lost control, and tossed the lump into a nearby trash can.
If anyone had been there, they would have seen how powerful Trainer Jeremy was. He had crushed an alloy cup into a lump of metal with his bare hands, without injuring them at all. This showed that he had immense strength and an incredibly tough body.
In this respect, he was quite different from ordinary Armored Warriors. Even without their armor, Armored Warriors were very strong, but their bodies were not much tougher than an ordinary person's.
What set Trainer Jeremy apart was the white light that had flashed over him. That brief burst of power must have come from some special technique.
"Steer is dead, but I still have to get that National Scholar title. I'll have to make new plans for everything!" Trainer Jeremy had regained his composure. He muttered to himself.
Mr. Steer's death shocked Peilan City, but with Hans, a National Scholar, among them, no one tried to seize Steer Hotel's assets.
It wasn't that the other businessmen didn't want those assets. They simply didn't think they were worth offending a National Scholar over.
As Mr. Steer's daughter, Bertha became the owner of Steer Hotel. Of course, this was also because Hans held a public office; Bertha was the only one who could take over the hotel.
Surprisingly, the entire hotel didn't fall into chaos after this huge and unexpected loss. The handover proceeded in an orderly fashion, and all operations continued as usual.
This was also thanks to Hans. Although Bertha had taken over Steer Hotel, everyone knew she was just a pampered young lady. She was beautiful and knew how to enjoy a comfortable life, but expecting her to manage the family hotel was asking too much.
So Hans was the only one who could truly manage it. The hotel staff were all delighted to have a National Scholar as its owner.
Hans usually didn't have much work. He could only help his wife manage Steer Hotel, while also looking for more professional managers.
Of course, Hans hadn't stepped in to handle the company's affairs for the sake of its profits. He wanted to find clues about the person behind it all.
But he hadn't expected David to have erased every lead long ago. Steer Hotel was as clean as a blank sheet of paper.
Hans had been worried that Mr. Steer's death might be linked to David, but the military's statement put all those fears to rest.
"Due to Sergeant Harold's negligence, a malfunction caused the city's defensive Long-Range Sniper Cannon to fire, resulting in the death of a civilian. The military deeply regrets this incident and will issue a fair ruling on Sergeant Harold."
The military's statement didn't explain what had happened, nor did it give any details about the ruling. It glossed over everything.
This was naturally related to Hans's position. The military had asked for his opinion beforehand, and since he had suspected David might be involved, he had wanted the matter handled quietly.
That suited the military, too. They didn't want the incident to become a major affair, and Lieutenant Eaton owed Hans a favor as well.
So in the statement, even someone as important as Mr. Steer was described merely as a civilian.
In just one day, the impact of Mr. Steer's death had largely faded. He probably never imagined that his death would have so little effect.
That evening, David received messages from Hans and Myron, both describing the outcome of the investigation into Mr. Steer's death.
The City Defense Brigade had requested that experts come inspect the city defense system. That might take three days.
But in its report, the City Defense Brigade's main theory was that Sergeant Harold had failed to disable the system and lock the entrance, allowing some tiny bugs to touch the Control Instrument and trigger the Long-Range Sniper Cannon.
As for why it had hit Mr. Steer so precisely from 4.6 kilometers away, they could only say he had been unlucky.
In particular, the surveillance equipment outside the control room hadn't detected anyone entering it. Sergeant Harold had also foolishly switched off the surveillance cameras inside the control room.
Of course, he wasn't the only one who had switched off the interior surveillance equipment. Many control rooms across the City Defense Brigade had their cameras switched off.
But because there was no surveillance footage, most of the blame was placed on Sergeant Harold.
At the same time, the City Defense Brigade carried out a sweeping overhaul. All the soldiers received additional training, and every stage of their operations was brought in line with the strictest military standards.
The Military Police also increased their patrols, and the entire City Defense Brigade began a strict crackdown on violations of military discipline.
The result was that the City Defense Brigade's combat readiness improved dramatically. At least for a while, no one would dare break the rules again.
Hans didn't mention his suspicions. Myron, however, noted in his message that the military's report hadn't mentioned that either of them had been there.
Lieutenant Eaton had also contacted Mayor Bernard about the matter and explained what had happened. This was partly because of Mayor Bernard's influence, and partly because Lieutenant Eaton owed Hans a favor.
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