Chapter 552: Investigation Under a Cloud (Part Two)

This is... telling me to be careful of him?

After receiving the reminder from the red-haired director, Hearing Li Ang's expression immediately turned solemn.

Unlike last night's "drunk limited edition," the director had now sobered up and returned to her normal state, and the director at times like this was quite reliable.

So if she told him to be careful of this old investigator, there must be a reason! Even the deliberate "stirring up trouble" just now was most likely calculated, and her reminder absolutely could not be ignored!

"Oh, Mr. Hearing Li Ang."

Unaware that he had been "tagged," and after waiting a few seconds without Hearing Li Ang taking the initiative to chat, the old investigator turned his head back and asked in a mild tone:

"I've looked at your file—you've been on the job for over a month now, haven't you? Are you settling in well at the Maiden Branch?"

"Settling in quite well."

After secretly switching out the 【Elite Performer】 badge, Hearing Li Ang suppressed the wariness in his eyes, smiled, and answered:

"Although there aren't many people in the bureau, and the work is rather dangerous, both the director and my seniors have been very good to me. Everyone in the bureau is a good person."

"..."

Everyone in the bureau... is a good person?

Upon hearing Hearing Li Ang's words, the old investigator's mouth twitched slightly.

Other investigators might not be too clear on the situation at the Maiden Cleanup Bureau, but he, who had come to investigate quite a bit over the past few years, knew very well that although the people at the Maiden Branch of the Cleanup Bureau weren't exactly great villains, they weren't really "good people" either.

There was no need to mention Bloody Princess, who could steel herself to annihilate an entire country and slaughter over a hundred million people—even the two Level-1 Disaster Handlers, the Cursed Dice Gambler Tom and the Coffin Executioner Emma, were also frequent visitors to the investigation department.

The former had clearly violated countless rules but was extremely careful in his actions, so the bureau could never catch any evidence; the latter's methods were excessively ruthless and cruel—the scenes left after completing cleanup missions were even more horrifying than those ravaged by anomalous objects, and despite repeated warnings, she stubbornly refused to change.

The remaining ones—Tape Man Harry, Sewer Emperor Jerry, Silver Demon Pioni, Plague Pharmacist Senior Amien—none of these Level-2s were easy to deal with either. In those large joint operations involving multiple branches, they were all universally despised, and basically no one wanted to have anything to do with them.

To be honest, the biggest reason these guys had been able to stay at the Maiden Cleanup Bureau for several years was probably not Bloody Princess's personal charisma, but rather that other branches simply didn't want to take them in—leave the Maiden Bureau and they'd have nowhere to go.

And someone who could get along so happily with this bunch, and even sincerely believe they were all good people...

Looking at the handsome-faced, gently smiling Hearing Li Ang, who aside from being a bit on the thin side looked every bit like an ordinary kingdom civil servant, the elderly investigator couldn't help but take a deep breath, then secretly sensed the aura on Hearing Li Ang's body.

Blazing demonic flames... As expected, anyone who could get along with this bunch couldn't possibly be normal.

Feeling the aura behind him, no different from that of an ordinary demon—indeed even more ferocious and dark—the elderly investigator couldn't help but sigh inwardly, and had already begun pondering a nickname for this new employee of the Maiden Bureau.

This person had an extremely high affinity with demon-type anomalous objects, looked clean-cut and scholarly, just like the cultured types at university, and had even proposed a method of measuring anomalous objects called the Hearing Li Ang Value, seemingly quite adept at research...

How about... calling him the Demon Scholar!

Unaware that the old investigator was secretly giving him a nickname, Hearing Li Ang followed him into his office, first invited the two investigators to sit on the sofa, then brought over a chair and sat opposite them, and quite cooperatively took the initiative to speak:

"You two, you can go ahead and ask your questions."

"Then I'll begin."

At this point, the female investigator had already gotten her emotions under control. Although her expression was still icy, she was no longer in the previous confrontational attitude. She took out a stack of documents, flipped through them, and then said in a strictly businesslike manner:

"First question: do you have any personal grudge against the people of the Bobby Laien family, especially Bobby Bobby Laien, who controls the Heart of Ambition?"

"This... I'm not sure if it counts..."

Hearing the question, Hearing Li Ang hesitated for a moment, but still answered truthfully:

"Before I joined the Cleanup Bureau, my younger sister contracted a lung disease due to toxic fumes leaking from an alchemy factory. Because she couldn't get the compensation she was owed, she almost died in the hospital. That alchemy factory was a property under Bobby Laien Military Industries, and the person in the Ministry of Roads responsible for the compensation case was also related to the Bobby Laien family by marriage—essentially a member of the Bobby Laien family.

Although they're only a branch of the Bobby Laien family, if we're counting it that way, then I do indeed have some grudge against the Bobby Laien family."

"..."

Upon hearing Hearing Li Ang's candid answer, the female investigator couldn't help but be slightly stunned. She then lowered her head to look at the file in her hands, and bit her lip with some reluctance.

Everything Hearing Li Ang had said was exactly what she had worked hard to dig up today.

Based on the surface situation, he had no substantive connection with the Bobby Laien family before the Bobby Laien Blood Night, so to avoid suspicion, he would most likely directly deny having any grudge against them.

When the time came, she would only need to bring up these things to puncture his "lies" and "cover-ups," and then in the subsequent questioning, she could raise more "reasonable" doubts about his answers.

But she hadn't expected him to simply admit it outright, frankly stating that he might have a grudge against the Bobby Laien family. And the Bobby Laien family's operations were spread so wide that living in the capital meant inevitably crossing paths with them; moreover, the ones who had a grudge against him were only branch family members, which was far from enough to constitute a motive for launching the Bobby Laien Blood Night.

The things she had painstakingly investigated had, in the face of his voluntary candor, become a pile of useless waste paper, able to serve at most as some minor corroboration...

Damn it, how could there be someone facing an investigation who doesn't shake off suspicion but actively draws it onto himself?

After biting her lip in some annoyance, the female investigator swiftly stuffed the documents in her hands underneath, then said coldly:

"Next question: after the Bobby Laien Blood Night, were you able to benefit from it?"

"Yes."

Hearing Li Ang sighed and said:

"I lacked the ability and failed to stop Bobby Bobby Laien's atrocities. On the night of the Bobby Laien Blood Night, I was nearly killed by him several times and was quite seriously injured.

However, it seems I'm a member of the Bobby Laien family. All the heirs ahead of me in the succession line were crippled by Bobby Bobby Laien, so while I was recuperating, I was dragged over and forcibly arranged to be the new Duke. The succession ceremony is this Tuesday."

Upon hearing Hearing Li Ang's words, the female investigator couldn't help but perk up, and said with a cold smile, pulling at the corner of her mouth:

"So you're essentially admitting that you're the biggest beneficiary after the Bobby Laien Blood Night incident, aren't you!"

"No."

Hearing Li Ang shook his head and said:

"I don't have the slightest interest in this title. Neither the wealth it represents nor the power behind it means anything to me.

At the succession ceremony, I will propose to donate all the family assets to the royal family through a marriage alliance, thereby forcing them to have someone else inherit the title.

The succession ceremony happens to be tomorrow—if you don't believe it, you can wait one more day and see whether I actually do it."

"..."

Damn it... he was even willing to give up the entire estate of a ducal family?

Seeing that Hearing Li Ang's expression didn't seem feigned, and that he truly seemed prepared to do so, the female investigator's lips were nearly bitten through. After closing her eyes and sensing the demonic aura all over Hearing Li Ang, she clenched her fist tightly and finally couldn't help but mock:

"Heh, sounds like quite a saint... but if you want nothing, how do you explain this aura, even more evil than a demon's?"

(End of this chapter)