"Sir, you've been with us for so long. If there's anything important, you can sit down and talk." Isaac gestured to the seat opposite him.
After moving to the doorway, Isaac had Li Jiehao sit on his side against the wall. This was partly to leave room for the other party to talk, and partly to prevent the man from suddenly attacking Li Jiehao.
The man was silent for a moment, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Isaac and Li Jiehao, before glancing at the black dog by the table.
Having already been exposed, there was no point in pretending to be stupid any longer. He simply walked to the table, sat down opposite Isaac, and positioned himself with half of his body turned to the door, ready to get up and leave at any moment.
The man stared at Isaac for a few seconds. "I know you're from the Joint Investigation Bureau."
"Didn't you just say ' the Joint Investigation Bureau is investigating'?"
The man choked for a moment. After all, that sentence was just a temporary excuse to force the waiter to cooperate. Now that Isaac brought it up, it seemed that his words were incoherent.
Isaac's question wasn't meant to be sarcastic; after all, he wasn't sure if the other person was actually from the Joint Investigation Bureau.
The man cleared his throat, not dwelling on the matter. "Although you are from the Joint Investigation Bureau, the Joint Investigation Bureau can't necessarily guarantee your safety. You'd better stay out of the Cult's affairs."
The only thing that comes to Isaac's mind right now is Cult Ghoul Cult.
The question is, who exactly is this Cult monitoring? Is it Li Jiehao, or himself, or both?
If the target is Li Jiehao, it means the Cult knows about his "ring retrieval" operation last night, and may even have been keeping a close eye on Jacob Hamil for a long time. If the target is Isaac, it may be related to the previous clothing store incident, or... it could be more complicated.
" The Cult?" Isaac feigned ignorance. " Cult Cult you referring to? The Joint Investigation Bureau has quite a few Cult to investigate. If you don't specify, how am I supposed to know which ones to leave out?"
"Don't play dumb. You know perfectly well what you did last night," the man sneered.
Li Jiehao's eyes darted away, but Isaac didn't respond, his expression remaining unchanged.
The man, sensing his threat had worked, leaned forward. "That ring is not something you should touch. Hand it over, and the Cult can pretend nothing happened. Otherwise, you Joint Investigation Bureau know what happened to Handel Baker."
"It seems the Ghoul Cult is responsible for Handel Baker's death?"
"Ghouls? Hmph, don't use such ignorant terms to refer to us. You short-lived creatures cannot comprehend the vision of the immortals."
Li Jiehao, who was standing nearby, couldn't hold back any longer. "You've even started short-lived cultivation? Are you a cultivator or Frieren?"
The man glanced at Li Jiehao but didn't respond, seemingly disdainful, but in reality, he had no idea what cultivating immortality or Frieren meant.
"You murdered citizens in Vista and threatened Joint Investigation Bureau agents not to interfere. You seem quite confident," Isaac said.
The man raised his chin, as if he had seized the initiative. " The Cult's hidden strength isn't due to a lack of capability, but rather its commitment to a greater cause."
"A greater cause?"
"When the Cult's great undertaking is accomplished, you will witness it. For now, you only need to understand that if you insist on opposing the Cult, it wouldn't be surprising Joint Investigation Bureau agents went missing or died unexpectedly." The man paused. "Of course, if you're willing to cooperate, then hand over that ring."
Isaac sifted through the information revealed by the other party. Their attitude was tough, but they didn't take direct action, which seemed more like a test of strength. This meant that they were currently positioned as "objects that need to be warned," rather than "targets that must be eliminated."
"Well, perhaps I can keep fishing..." Isaac made up his mind and said, "Even if I wanted to give you the ring, it's not in my possession."
"But as Joint Investigation Bureau, you know where that ring is, right?"
"It's in the Joint Investigation Bureau's evidence room. If you want it, go get it yourself."
The man stared at Isaac, trying to determine the truth of his words, but Isaac remained calm, letting him scrutinize him.
"No matter where the ring is, bring it out," the man said. "If you truly do this, as I just said, the Cult will consider accepting you and granting you longevity and foresight."
Li Jiehao listened in stunned silence. This person's rhetoric sounded like a pyramid scheme: first threats, then empty promises and offers.
Isaac didn't directly refute this empty promise, "Judging from your tone, you seem certain I'll obediently cooperate."
The man chuckled, "I know what you're thinking. You think you can use the ring as bait to set a trap and lure us out, or just take me down now and bring me back to the Joint Investigation Bureau for interrogation."
"But do you think I'm one of those fools you can easily manipulate? I possess Great Arts, a level of understanding beyond the comprehension of mortals like you. If it really came down to a fight, the two of you plus this dog would be no match for me. Besides, there are many people in the Cult stronger than me. If things really come to a head, you'll be the ones who suffer."
The term "Great Arts " was one that Isaac had seen several times in the Joint Investigation Bureau files. It was used to refer to extraordinary powers that could be learned and mastered. Similar terms included secret arts, mystical knowledge, and hidden knowledge.
However, the official term " Great Arts " is rarely used to refer to this kind of power. Instead, many illegal organizations prefer to use this term to attract new members, since it sounds very grand and is more likely to arouse the aspirations of ordinary people.
The person in front of me was clearly a beneficiary of this rhetoric, speaking of the " Great Arts " with undisguised pride, as if he had already joined the ranks of beings at a higher level.
Isaac didn't directly expose the man's bluff, but instead said, "Since you're so confident, why don't you just go to the Joint Investigation Bureau and steal the ring, or sneak in and steal it? Why do you have to use an Joint Investigation Bureau agent like me?"
"And as far as I know, that ring was deliberately released into the market by your Cult, wasn't it?"
The man remained silent for a few seconds, his expression shifting between light and shadow, before finally letting out a cold snort, " The Cult's foresight is beyond your comprehension. The ring will inevitably return to the Cult; that's beyond question. Your cooperation or not only depends on whether you gain the Cult's favor, but the Cult's grand plan will not be altered by your cooperation."
After saying that, he stood up and said, "I've said what I needed to say. You'd better take care of yourself."
"Wait, you can't leave," Isaac said.
The man paused, wary. "What, you want to make a move?"
"You still haven't told me where I'm supposed to meet with you if I actually manage to get the ring. I can't exactly be carrying around the streets looking for you with the ring in my hand."