Chapter 50: 50 The Great Case Triggered by Nineteen Copper Wheels

50 The Great Case Triggered by Nineteen Copper Wheels

“The tide has turned…”

Though this sounds a bit childish, Li Ang thought and thought again, and decided this phrase perfectly described the current state of Char Department Store.

When Char Department Store first started stirring things up, someone might have stopped it—after all, when the train hadn’t even started, all you needed to block it was a small wooden block on the tracks.

But now, with the uproar so great, more and more people have gained benefits, and even more are eagerly waiting for compensation—it’s like the train is already moving; at this point, not even a solid iron wall would stop it, and anyone who dared stand in its way would be crushed through!

Amidst his curiosity about old Char and idle chatter with the coachman, the steam carriage roared onward, arriving near the headquarters of Char Department Store.

Through the spotless glass, Li Ang saw the frantic crowds outside and the massive money box nearly overflowing, and couldn’t help but whistle inwardly—amazed at old Char’s grand gesture, yet reluctantly pulling out two silver wheels to hand to the coachman.

“Keep the change!”

“...”

Watching Li Ang calmly extend his hand after paying, the coachman could only grimace and click his tongue.

Holy hell, from departure point to here is twenty-two kilometers—twenty-two minus five plus two, this trip should’ve cost you nineteen copper wheels, and I’ve answered every question, shouted myself hoarse chatting with you the whole way—and you won’t even give a single copper wheel as tip?

I’ll just keep your money!

Sorry, tipping is a rich person’s bad habit; I’ve been poor for two lifetimes and haven’t fully escaped poverty—I’m not worthy of such extravagant spending.

Under the coachman’s disgusted glare, Li Ang took the single copper wheel as change, hugged the folder with dried blood on it, and stepped down from the carriage, both relieved and disappointed.

The driving force that pushed him to steal documents from the Waterworks Company and contact newspapers for exposure was to help those patients screaming in hospital corridors—he felt only by exposing this and making a huge scandal could those people get sufficient compensation for treatment.

But now, before he’d even succeeded in exposing it, those patients had already begun receiving compensation; with the burden lifted, Li Ang exhaled in relief, yet couldn’t help feeling the disappointment of swinging hard and missing entirely.

Hmm… maybe I should still go meet that “old Char.”

Recalling what he’d overheard outside the Waterworks Company meeting room, Li Ang stood by the street, pondered for a moment, then walked toward Char Department Store’s building.

Originally, from the arguments in the meeting room, the three noble families led by Lionheart Lyne seemed to have deliberately reduced filtration steps and dumped unprocessed sewage into the public reservoir to seize control of Char Department Store.

Though the patients are now receiving compensation, those three bastards haven’t been punished yet—and I happen to have the Waterworks Company’s operational records and several documents with approval stamps.

Though "punishing evil" ranks far lower in priority than "helping the desperate"—after all, the kingdom produces tons of messes every day, and I can't possibly handle them all—but…

I’ve come this far; I won’t let my twenty copper wheels go to waste!

…

“You’re saying the most important documents are missing?”

After hearing the detective agency’s report, the dark-skinned old man frowned, clenched his thickened knuckles—calloused from years of labor—and slammed them hard against the sturdy willow-wood desk, his expression sour:

“Don’t tell me merely bribing a few guards and archivists is all you did. The fees I’ve paid you these past days alone could’ve bought a county councilor. Are you even working for me properly?”

“This… Mr. Char, this situation is a bit unusual…”

Seeing their biggest client furious, the detective agency men changed expression instantly.

They hurried to explain:

“We truly gave it our all—we bribed two security squads, bought off several personal attendants from the Tower Shield family, and kidnapped family members of numerous Waterworks Company archivists.

While your wife was in back-to-back meetings for three days, diverting everyone’s attention, we seized the moment when the Waterworks Company was most lax and took full control of the archive room.

But just after we’d gathered a few documents and followed the archivists into the inner room to search for the rest, that damn security manager walked into the outer room.

For some cursed luck, there were nearly thirty files piled on the desk—he casually picked one up, and it just happened to be the two most important ones. Mr. Char, we truly…”

“Enough. I’m not interested in your story!”

Glancing at the detective’s miserable expression, old Char, eyes bloodshot, pinched his brow, his tone harsh:

“Your mistakes are yours to deal with—I need proof that those three old noble families, especially Lyne’s, deliberately violated regulations! If the documents are in the security manager’s hands, go get them back!”

“This…”

The detective pulled out a handkerchief, wiped sweat from his brow, bowed low:

“As soon as we realized the documents were gone, we followed him—but the security manager hadn’t held them long before a man who’d infiltrated the meeting room snatched them away: that cop who saved your wife.

After getting the documents, that little cop led us on a wild chase through the Waterworks Company—he must’ve set tripwires in hidden spots, sending our men crashing into walls, heads bleeding, several knocked unconscious…”

He paused, gesturing for a man beside him, bandaged around the head, to open his mouth and show the empty sockets where his front teeth had been. The detective sighed:

“Mr. Char, I know this sounds unbelievable, but look at his teeth—we truly chased him like our lives depended on it, but we just couldn’t catch him.

His physical strength is terrifying—he’s clearly undergone special training. After thoroughly mocking us and confirming no one could follow, he scaled six floors in under ten seconds.

Then he kicked out the air window and leapt out the sixth floor—he must’ve used a pre-attached slide rail. We chased him all the way, but never even saw his face…”

“Then find the people who saw him!”

Old Char pressed his throbbing temples and tapped the desk twice more, coldly.

“I’ve kept you all these years, spent countless coins hiring so many people—I need you to be useful when it matters!

Whether by money or other means, no matter who he is, find him! Get those documents back!”

“Yes, Mr. Char—we’re already working on it!”

Seeing the old man no longer intended to blame them, the detective agency men beamed with relief, nodding vigorously:

“He kept his face hidden under his hat brim. Only your daughter and the lucky security manager saw his full face.

But because your wife suddenly fell ill, your daughter was crying too… emotionally, so she didn’t see him clearly and can’t describe his features. We’ve shifted focus to the security manager—we’ve already found faint leads!

Mr. Char, rest assured: as long as those documents haven’t been destroyed, ‘Silver Hook’ guarantees we’ll retrieve them for you!”