New Colleagues, Explosion! (Two-in-One)

"Guys, this is the first meeting of our Sixth Reserve Team."

After Susan opened the meeting, she immediately showed a capable air completely different from before. "My name is Susan. You can call me team leader, big sister, or just call me by my name. Any of those are fine. Now, I need each of you to introduce yourselves."

After saying that, she glanced at Brian.

Brian wasn't some workplace newbie. He understood instantly, stood up, and said to everyone, "Hello, everyone. My name is Brian. I was originally a forensic assistant at the coroner's office. I specialize in body examination and scene investigation. In the upcoming assessment, I should be able to help out a little."

Clap clap clap~

Susan took the lead in applauding.

The other three followed suit.

The most enthusiastic among them was the strong man who had given Brian a bear hug earlier.

This guy clapped while smiling at Brian, looking extremely warm and approachable.

The second to introduce himself was the elderly Black man among the three.

He looked to be in his sixties, slightly short in stature. From the side of his ear down to his neck, there was a tattoo—a portrait of a woman, probably someone important to the old man.

What drew the most attention was the old man's outfit.

A pilot's leather jacket, a pair of bright blue jeans, and the shoes on his feet seemed to be a certain brand's signature high-top basketball sneakers.

Aside from that...

There was also a metal tag hanging on the Black old man's chest.

Brian recognized that tag.

Because it was the honor medal for the strongest champion in the game "Clash of Kings."

Clash of Kings was the game Brian's former colleague Tom had played.

It was a bit like Warcraft from his previous life, and counted as the most popular computer game of the moment, bar none.

Brian didn't think too much about it.

That tag was probably just a replica made by some game enthusiast.

In any case, he couldn't imagine that the annual strongest champion of a game with extremely high requirements for hand speed would be an old man in his sixties or seventies.

The old man stood up, coughed twice, then slowly said, "You can call me Old Harden. I'm an old cop who's been in the force for many years, though most of that time was in logistics. I know a little about everything, and I'm also familiar with some of the unspoken rules in the government and police departments."

Hearing this, Susan applauded with satisfaction. "Very good. I believe your experience will help us avoid a lot of unnecessary detours in the future."

Everyone also applauded cooperatively.

Next.

The one who stood up was the burly man who had warmly hugged Brian earlier.

"Guys, hello, everyone. My name is Ivan. I'm twenty-nine years old. Before coming here, I was a detective with the detective bureau. Also, I'm proficient in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and boxing. You can leave ordinary fugitive-hunting cases to me!"

Ivan was a large white man, nearly six-foot-three, with muscles bulging all over his body. His long blond hair hung loose, and combined with his slightly messy stubble, every part of him radiated an explosive masculine charm.

A guy like this, who looked like a tough man at first glance, really gave his teammates a sense of security.

Thinking that he might have to rely on Ivan to block bullets for him in the future, Brian immediately cast him a friendly look.

Old Harden, who was sitting beside Brian, widened his eyes instead.

He licked his dry, thick lips, his voice trembling slightly. "You're Ivan? Ivan from the Teddy detective duo?"

"The Teddy Duo?"

Susan, seated at the head of the conference table, asked in confusion.

Old Harden noticed Ivan, who was sitting opposite him, giving him a "friendly" look. Experienced and shrewd with age, he immediately answered vaguely, "They're a little famous. They're very good at solving cases."

Hearing this, Susan felt even more delighted.

She really did have a good eye!

She smiled as she looked at the last person. "I've read the files and know that you were colleagues with Ivan, so you're also a member of the Teddy Duo, then?"

The remaining white young man stood up and nodded. "Yes, Team Leader Susan. My name is Glenn, Glenn Michael. Ivan and I were colleagues before. I'm fairly average in close combat. Only my marksmanship is decent."

When he mentioned marksmanship.

This guy even emphasized his tone, showing a burst of confidence.

Brian silently sized Glenn up.

Glenn was about the same height as Old Harden, roughly five-foot-nine or so. He was white, with a lean build, proper features, and a righteous look on his face. He looked like a reliable person.

At that, Brian silently nodded.

It was obvious.

These colleagues this time all had real skills.

For all he knew.

He might be the only husky who had slipped into this group.

He had to work hard!

Introductions were over.

Susan then began the real business of the meeting. "You've all read the email, so you should know that we only temporarily have law-enforcement authority under the NW Department. In fact, for this round of NW assessments, there are six reserve teams in total. All six of our teams are unofficial teams."

"Does that mean there are official teams too?"

Brian asked curiously.

He thought of his forensic colleagues who had not appeared at Ace Base.

Susan nodded. "Yes. Those people are professional elites from various industries. They've replaced the Robbery and Murder Division—the major crimes unit—under the previous police detective bureau. As for us, if we complete the upcoming assessment, we'll also be promoted from reserve to official status, assigned an operational area, and given a formal office location."

When she mentioned replacing the "Robbery and Murder Division,"

she glanced at Ivan and Glenn in confusion.

Their files were genuinely outstanding.

She did not understand why two people this excellent had not received direct transfer notices, but had instead gone to Ace Base.

Maybe they had been so outstanding that their superiors had pushed them out.

Susan automatically found a fitting reason for them in her mind.

She was a magnanimous person, and believed that under her command in the future, the two of them would be able to put their talents to better use.

Suppressing her wandering thoughts, Susan continued, "The second round of assessment concerns whether we're made official.

"The contents of the assessment will be homicide cases assigned to us from above, so as for what the specific case will be, I don't know at the moment either.

"Now, if there's anything you want to know, you can ask me."

Brian was the first to raise his hand. "Team Leader Susan, I want to know, will Team Six only have the few of us from now on? Also, our office location can't possibly be at Ace Base, right? That place is too far."

Susan shook her head.

"We're only a framework right now.

"After we're made official, "we'll recruit other members, and the office location will also be arranged according to our assigned jurisdiction.

"It will have its own autopsy room, some relatively simple laboratories, and completely independent authority to handle cases.

"With only the five of us, we wouldn't be able to do all that."

Old Harden, who was off to the side, also raised his hand and asked, "The news I received said the new department was called the Criminal Experiment Team. Why is it now using the code name NW?"

"Criminal Experiment Team is just the name used for the outside world." A trace of hesitation flashed through Susan's eyes, but she still said, "NW's full name is Night Watchman."

"Night Watchman?"

Hearing this, Brian and the others all wore somewhat different expressions.

That name did not sound like any proper case-solving department at first glance!

Susan, however, was unwilling to explain further. "As for the specific meaning, after we complete the second round of assessment, you'll go to Ace Base for training and to sign the confidentiality documents. Then you'll naturally know."

Glenn of the Teddy Duo was a shrewd man.

He shrugged. "Let's get back to the point. I want to know, since our second-round assessment involves homicide cases, may we be issued pistols? Ivan and I have already turned in our service weapons."

"Of course." Susan nodded. "Firearms, bulletproof vests, badges, temporary credentials. You'll be able to get all of these after the meeting."

After they asked a few more questions, the meeting finally ended.

Because the second-round assessment task involved a real homicide case, that sort of thing might appear in the next moment, or nothing might happen for several days.

As it happened, there was nothing going on today.

At Susan's suggestion, after everyone collected their things, they drove together, following Old Harden to the place he had recommended, preparing to have a meal together.

The dining spot was a food truck on a certain commercial street.

Yes, it was that simple.

However, it was clear that this fast-food truck was extremely popular with customers. Even though it was past one in the afternoon, many people were still lining up, and as for the tables and chairs set out nearby, they were packed with customers.

The food truck did provide seat cushions and takeout service, though.

By comparison, business at the other food trucks and stalls nearby was much bleaker.

Old Harden introduced it to everyone. "See that handsome young guy busy at the food truck? His teacher was a chef at a five-star hotel, specifically in charge of specialty cuisine from China. This stuff is seriously expensive in restaurants, so even if people have to wait a long time, they don't mind."

Hearing that it was Chinese cuisine, everyone became interested.

Brian also curiously went up, and after receiving a seat cushion, glanced at the food the handsome young man was making.

Then he went numb.

"Yangzhou fried rice?"

Brian was speechless.

A bunch of foreigners had lined up this long just for a mouthful of Yangzhou fried rice?

Considering this was Team Six's first dinner together, he couldn't very well complain, so he took his cushion and prepared to head back.

But the instant he turned around, a man in a hood, head lowered, rushed out from the side and charged right past Brian, giving him a fright.

"In a hurry to get reincarnated or what?"

Brian cursed under his breath, then his nose suddenly twitched and his expression changed.

That smell!

He was all too familiar with it!

TATP—triacetone triperoxide!

It was a chemical that was not especially hard to obtain at present, and could be made into a high explosive by hand. It was one of the most favored and most commonly used ways for bad guys to get their hands on explosives!

But surely no one would dare launch some kind of terrorist attack in a busy downtown area, right?

Though he felt he might be being a little oversensitive, out of caution, Brian chased in the direction the man had vanished, while activating Scent Enhancement to lock onto the smell on him.

He had only chased five or six meters

when, in the next instant, there was a tremendous boom.

A huge burst of flame suddenly erupted from the direction of the food cart, carrying a shock wave as it blasted outward in all directions, sending the people in line flying like scraps of junk and smashing them heavily every which way.

"What number is this!"

Bzzzzzz—

Amid the intense ringing in his ears, Brian's whole body ached as he listened to the voice of his burly colleague Ivan, which seemed to come from somewhere far away, and said with difficulty, "Ivan, can you stop wiggling your fingers? I can't tell what number this is."

Hearing that, Ivan carefully lowered Brian's head and said to a worried-looking Susan, "It should be a mild concussion caused by the blast impact. Brian had already moved away from the food cart before it happened, so he didn't take the frontal force of the explosion. There shouldn't be any internal bleeding. A few days of rest should do it."

"That's good!" Susan looked at Old Harden. "You take Brian to the hospital first and get him a full checkup. Ivan, Glenn, secure the scene. We have to protect it before the precinct people arrive."

With that, Susan, who had already tied up her hair, rushed toward the screaming, wailing crowd and began providing basic treatment to those unlucky diners.

The next day, Brian opened his eyes groggily.

What entered his sight was the white ceiling overhead.

A gentle breeze, carrying a faint floral scent, drifted in from the left.

Brian turned his head and saw a arranged bouquet of fresh flowers. Behind the cabinet holding the flowers were some electronic instruments, and a blue curtain blocked the front of the small bed next door, though it could not block the snoring coming from that side.

"This is a hospital room?"

Brian withdrew his gaze, rubbed his still-stinging head, then checked his body, which had only a pair of briefs left on it, before finally letting out a breath of relief.

He probably wasn't injured.

Right now, he felt as if he had been on a bender all night and couldn't quite remember what had happened yesterday evening.

"I'll get up first and think about it after."

Brian took a deep breath, pulled off the electrode pads stuck to his body, lifted the blanket, swung his legs over the bed rail, flipped himself down, and stepped onto the cold floor, trying to steady himself.

A wave of dizziness surged up violently.

Brian felt as if he had become an out-of-control dumb goose. His body tilted uncontrollably, and he crashed heavily back onto the hospital bed.

The movement woke the burly man in the neighboring bed.

Ivan abruptly rolled to the other side, drew his pistol, and swept his gaze warily around the room.

Only when he saw Brian with his head down, his stomach propped on the rail, making his butt stick high in the air, did he burst into laughter. "Buddy, nice pose. Are you trying to get the attention of the little nurses here?"

Brian:

Damn it. Social death!

A moment later, Brian had finally put on his clothes. His face was dark as he looked at Ivan, who kept rubbing his fingers as if savoring the feel. "So, yesterday we went out to eat, ran into an explosion, and I got a mild concussion from the shock wave?"

Ivan noticed Brian's gaze, awkwardly hid his hand below the edge of the bed, and nodded. "Right. Your temporary memory loss and loss of limb coordination are common aftereffects of a concussion. But this kind of situation usually clears up on its own in one or two days."

"Are Susan and the others all right?"

"You're fine. Old Harden still brought you here. But the other people in line weren't so lucky. A lot of them were killed or injured. It even made the news."

As he spoke, Ivan stood up. "Brian, all right, get some proper rest. I have to go help out. Those bastards actually dumped this bombing case on our Sixth Squad as an assessment. They're clearly setting us up to take the blame! We're going to be busy after this."

Watching Ivan disappear through the ward doorway, Brian lay back down.

He still could not even walk steadily, so he could only pray these new teammates were reliable and capable.

Otherwise, if they failed the assessment, They would really be in trouble.