Chapter 447: Mind Reading and Family Reunion

After chatting for a while with regulars at Old Char's coffee stall, Leon, who had been just a hair's breadth away from becoming a billionaire's son-in-law, still hunched against the cold autumn wind and shuffled toward work.

All we can say is that the difficulty of adjusting from luxury to simplicity manifests not just in spirit, but even in the body.

In his original life, even in the bitterest winter when frost turned faces blue, Leon had often risen early to hunt for work—this autumn chill was nothing.

But after growing accustomed to that warm, sweet-scented little tent, merely failing to sit by the fire made him shiver all the way, breaking into a run until he reached the Cleaning Bureau's building, where he finally stopped, gasping.

"Not bad, not bad—full of energy~"

From the window of the first-floor director's office, the red-haired woman, holding a cup of hot water, pushed open the half-closed window, leaned her curvaceous upper body lightly on the sill, and smiled as she waved at Leon, her eyes crinkling with amusement:

"Little Leon~ How's the investigation into the Hydropower Company? Find any 'anomalies'?"

"..."

He knew she was teasing him—she wasn't asking if he'd found an anomaly object, but whether he'd gathered proof of the Hydropower Company's violations.

Yet thinking of the golden-haired middle-aged man from the Lyon family who had touched the Black Goat's heart, Leon's expression flickered slightly.

"Hm?"

The red-haired director, sharply noticing Leon's brief hesitation, slightly narrowed her smile and asked with surprise:

"So there really is an anomaly at the Hydropower Company?"

"..."

You figured it out... Though there is an anomaly there, it's not the one causing the mass illnesses—it's one of the Seven Goat Parts lost after the Black Goat's demise.

The Black Goat may be dead now, but it was once a great demon. And I'm just a rookie—will the Cleaning Bureau even let me keep two dangerous demonic anomalies at once?

"Hm???"

Catching Leon's hesitation again, the red-haired director not only dropped her smile, but unconsciously narrowed her eyes.

"You're hesitating about reporting it? So this anomaly is special—and useful to you? But if you report it, you might not get approval to keep it?"

Hmm... Let me think... The anomaly you found at the Hydropower Company—wasn't it one of the dead goat's missing parts?"

"..."

No... I haven't even said a word yet!

Watching the red-haired woman, who had deduced nearly the whole truth from two sub-second hesitations, Leon, who had been about to speak, fell silent for the third time.

This is insane... Could she have some kind of mind-reading anomaly?

"Don't worry—I don't have mind-reading."

Oh, so you don't have mind-reading? Then I can relax... hell no! You're hearing my thoughts right now, and you say you don't have mind-reading?!

Seeing Leon outside the window, clearly startled and brimming with suspicion, the red-haired director smiled faintly.

"I'm not lying—I really don't have mind-reading."

After placing the still-steaming cup on the windowsill, she cupped her cheeks with her hands and explained with a grin:

"I used to hunt down infected people hiding among ordinary folks—I got used to judging by expressions and behavior. And you? You wear your emotions on your face. I just happened to guess right a few times."

"..."

I believe you, bull.

Leon didn't believe a single word of the red-haired director's explanation.

He wasn't particularly calculating, but he rarely showed his emotions openly. The neighbors in Veteran's Alley always described him as quiet and reserved—how could she guess right so many times? She was definitely lying.

"Really—I'm not lying. Your expressions aren't many, but your eyes overflow with thoughts~"

Watching Leon, whose mind churned with thoughts yet still tried to keep his face blank, the red-haired director's lips curled as she pointed a finger toward his eyes. "For example, right now—your eyes show annoyance at being seen through, suspicion and caution about whether I really have mind-reading, relief and openness that you don't need to hide anything from me... and a tiny bit of lust."

Looking down at her slightly open collar from leaning forward, she covered the pale skin with her hand, then lazily stood up, stretched, and beckoned to Leon with a smile.

"Come to my office. Let's talk properly."

"..."

"So... the Black Goat's heart is in the Lyon family."

After a truly thorough conversation with Leon, hearing his findings at the Hydropower Company, the red-haired director nodded in sudden understanding, then immediately assigned him a new task.

"This kind of thing can't be left unchecked. You should try to infiltrate and investigate. As for the reason..."

She glanced at Leon's face, then brightened, smiling as she suggested:

"How about searching for family?"

"Searching for family?"

"Yes! You even share the Lyon surname—perfect excuse!"

Seeing Leon's surprise, the red-haired director smiled warmly:

"Just show up with your Cleaning Bureau credentials and claim you suspect you have Lyon blood. With your potential—assistant-level public service at sixteen or seventeen—even the famed Duke of Lionheart won't turn you away."

"But my hair isn't gold..."

"Oh, come on! Hair's easy—just dye it!"

"But I was planning to report them..."

"Report all you want! Find your family separately! No conflict!"

"..."

"If you really don't want to go, I can give you another task."

Seeing Leon still resisting, the red-haired director, delighted to find some amusement, suddenly grew stern. She pulled a stack of task files from her desk drawer and laid them out in a row with a flick.

"Baofali Forest has rained blood for two straight weeks—nearly a thousand animals have died of thirst near water sources."

"A five-meter-tall beast has appeared at Adolf's Manor, wrecking farmland and injuring multiple people."

"Numerous ships have sunk off the coast of Lyon County—likely attacked by a large seafaring tribe."

"A massive collapse has occurred in the Hunchen Valley coal field—tens of thousands of sand worms may have hollowed out the mountain."

"The only tasks you might still complete are these—pick one!"

"..."

Strange blood rain, a five-meter beast, underwater seafarers, sand worms that hollow mountains...

Leon sighed, then reluctantly chose:

"Fine... I'll go find my family..."

(End of Chapter)