Exclusive Investigator

Lin Aida.

The Asian blind girl he had rescued during the Vought Department Store incident.

Azu quickly remembered her, answered the call, and headed for the elevator.

Lin Aida's voice came through the phone. "Is this Mr. John?"

Azu stepped into the elevator, pressed the button for his floor, and smiled. "It is."

Lin Aida let out a breath. "That's great. You didn't delete me."

Azu found that strange. Why would I delete you?

Then Lin Aida said, "Um, Mr. John."

"Thank you for taking me out of the department store a few days ago. I heard that Homelander and some monster had a huge fight in the parking lot afterward. It was really terrifying."

Azu deliberately asked, "Is Homelander terrifying?"

"No."

Lin Aida hurriedly said, "I just thought that if you hadn't taken me away, I might have been caught up in Homelander's fight with that monster."

"I'm just an ordinary person. If I got caught up in it, I definitely would have died horribly."

"So whenever I thought about it afterward, I felt scared."

Azu gave an "Mm," then heard the girl chuckle. "That's exactly why I'm so grateful to you. Could you give me a chance to treat you to a meal?"

"Today?" Azu asked casually as he stepped out of the elevator and arrived at the Criminal Analysis Department.

Lin Aida said over the phone, "Yes, tonight. There's a Chinese restaurant at the end of my street that tastes really good. I thought you might be interested in trying Chinese food?"

Azu said blandly, "It sounds good, but I'm sorry, Miss Lin. I'm a little busy today."

At the time, he had hidden the fact that he was Homelander. Partly because he found it amusing, and partly because Lin Aida, an Asian, gave him a sense of familiarity.

That was why he had played a little game with Lin Aida.

But that did not mean he would go out of his way to see her, especially when there were so many things he needed to do and could do now.

To him, Lin Aida was just a passerby.

He neither disliked her nor intended to get close to her.

Lin Aida sounded somewhat disappointed. "Is that so? Then sorry for bothering you."

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

After hearing that "goodbye" from the receiver, Lin Aida put down her phone. She sighed softly and mocked herself. "What are you thinking, Xiao Lin? Who would care about a blind girl like you?"

She placed her phone on the table, where there was a figurine.

It was a superhero wearing a mask and a red-and-blue battle suit, one hand raised as it sprayed strands of web.

Inside Seven Tower.

Azu entered the Analysis Division. It was Sunday, and apart from the people on duty, everyone else was on vacation.

The Analysis Division was quiet. Only one computer glowed in the depths of the hall.

A pretty girl sat there, wearing glasses, her hair tied in a ponytail, earbuds in as she listened to music.

She had kicked off her shoes, exposing legs painted with nail polish, which she had propped up on the desk.

With her eyes closed, she bobbed her head while tossing almond chocolates into her mouth.

Azu walked over to her side, but the girl did not notice. He smiled and gently removed her earbuds.

"Jack, I told you not to disturb me when I'm listening to music." The girl rose indignantly, only to turn around and see Homelander in his Blue battle suit.

Azu gave her a polite smile and waved. "Good afternoon, Annika."

"G-good afternoon, Homelander." Annika fumbled awkwardly. Noticing that she was barefoot, she hurried to put on her shoes, but lost her balance and sent her head straight toward the desk.

As the edge of the desk loomed larger and larger before her eyes, Annika cried out in fright. But the next second, she stopped.

Like lifting a chick, Azu grabbed her clothes from behind and gently set her down in the chair.

"Thank you, thank you."

Annika slapped her forehead and pulled out an almond chocolate. "Would you like one? I think they're pretty good."

Azu glanced at it and smiled. "No, thank you."

"I remember that a few days ago, I asked your Analysis Division to investigate two people. They were the violent criminals the robbers demanded be released during the Vought Department Store hostage incident. They're being held at Luxe Island Prison."

"I want to know how the investigation is going."

Annika said, "Oh," and immediately pulled over her chair, practically lying across the desk.

Then all ten of her fingers flew across the keyboard as she said, "We consulted Police Headquarters about those two and obtained information on one of them."

"Rune Kate."

A man soon appeared on the computer screen.

He had thick brows, large eyes, a flat nose, and a thin mustache.

The left side of his neck was tattooed with densely packed scriptures, though it was impossible to tell which religion they belonged to.

Annika continued, "Rune Kate committed several major crimes. The worst was four years ago, when he detonated a bomb and leveled a commercial hall, killing over a thousand people."

"Because of that, he was sentenced to life imprisonment and is currently serving his term at Luxe Island Prison."

"Look into his past. If you find anything, come straight to me." Azu patted her shoulder.

Annika nodded.

Azu added, "Also, Nathan, A-Train's brother."

"Help me find out where he got that Battle Armor."

Annika looked up at Azu. "So I'm your exclusive investigator now?"

Azu paused, finding the girl rather interesting. He smiled. "That's a good suggestion. I'll let the Analysis Division know. From now on, you'll only be responsible to me."

"That's great."

Then Annika asked quietly, "Can my salary go up a little too?"

Azu nodded. "It can go up a little. Starting today, your salary will double. Is that okay?"

"That's more than okay."

Annika's eyes lit up. "Leave these two matters to me. I'll have an answer for you by Monday."

"Very good."

"Then it's settled."

Azu pressed her shoulder in encouragement.

*

*

*

A small town not far from the city.

Silver Tree Town.

The town was bustling that afternoon, especially the little square in its center.

A huge tent had already been set up there. There would be a Circus performance that night, and clowns in ridiculous makeup were handing out balloons to the town's children.

Because there were so many clowns, no one paid much attention when one wearing a yellow wig, white face paint, and a red nose walked through town carrying a suitcase.

The clown carried the suitcase to the top of a clock tower, the highest point in the entire town.

He took out a magician's handkerchief, but instead of using it for a trick, he tested the wind direction with it.

Seeing the handkerchief drift toward the center of town, the Joker nodded in satisfaction.

"Hey, what are you doing up there? Get down here!" the clock tower's caretaker called from below.

The Joker gave a bow, revealing a comical smile. "Sorry, sir."

"I'm setting up the fireworks for tonight's performance. I'll come down right away."

The caretaker relaxed. "Oh, fireworks. Then be careful."

He headed toward his little cabin. "Wonderful. I haven't seen a fireworks display in a long time."

"I hope tonight's fireworks are spectacular enough."