Chapter 471: 410. Chapter 404: The Wedding Gift

410. Chapter 404: The Wedding Gift

Mr. Chobaf didn't just own a large house; his bank was also a large house, even with a dedicated vault, and Lans actually wanted that.

"You… cough, speaking of Chobaf, what's going on with him?"

Lans said casually, "He might go bankrupt—he's trying to sell off his old assets to the bank, but the bank won't give him any inflated price."

"So perhaps we have a chance to get something from him."

When Morris heard the news, he was still astonished and moved, "For anyone who's lived here a long time, Chobaf's name is a brand!"

"I knew many people withdrew money from his bank, but I didn't know they were about to collapse!"

Only the bank's senior staff and Lans knew about Chobaf selling his collection; Morris, though well-connected and partnered with many, couldn't get this level of insider information.

"Someone else is running a bank run on him—what's this one for?"

Morris's expression turned slightly odd. "You don't know?"

Lans spread his hands in confusion. "What should I know?"

After observing for a moment, Morris decided Lans truly didn't know, so he revealed the reason: "Everyone heard about the plan to cut police fees, so many are withdrawing money to start small businesses."

"You know, the main reason shops used to fail was because gangs and police both took cuts—now we're not taking ours, and you're planning to lower another fee."

"Many operators can already foresee higher profits—soon, the Imperial District will see a wave of business activity!"

After listening, Lans nodded in strong agreement. "Indeed, this is connected to me—I never thought of that."

"But these very things prove we're right on this issue."

He ended the topic. "How's your recovery going lately?"

Morris shrugged. "Fine, but just fine—the doctor says I'll never fully return to how I was, but once my fracture heals, I'll still be able to walk."

He showed no sign of despair, though his condition was worse than he let on—multiple organs damaged, and even short-term improvement came at the cost of his lifespan.

The doctors said his life expectancy might be short, and he'd fall ill easily from now on.

Faced with this, Lans had no good solution.

Perhaps sensing Lans's thoughts, Morris comforted him voluntarily: "Don't think too much—I'm still alive, aren't I?"

Lans snapped back to himself and made a suggestion. "Do you have a girl you like?"

Morris didn't follow Lans's sudden shift—he took several seconds to react. "Why out of nowhere?"

Lans pulled out a cigarette, intending to offer one, but remembered Morris's lungs had two lobes removed, so he didn't hand it over. "Lisa and Ponda are getting married."

He exhaled a puff of smoke. Morris stared in disbelief, yet somehow felt it made perfect sense.

They'd known each other for months—everything possible had already happened; marriage seemed inevitable. "I didn't think they'd actually marry."

Lisa used to serve wealthy Bay Area patrons at Red Heels, and those patrons had extreme tastes—otherwise they wouldn't have ordered from Red Heels.

Strictly speaking, Lisa was half of their circle, so Morris didn't find it… particularly inappropriate—he just assumed it would take longer, or never happen.

Lans also found it unbelievable; he could only say Lisa had her own way with Ponda. "We can't show up at their wedding, but I plan to give them a gift…"

Ponda had been busy preparing for the wedding these past few days.

Marrying Lisa was a decision he'd weighed carefully—he truly loved Lisa—

Beautiful, fit, and bold in bed, she gave him thrills he'd never known before! 【143】 All of it intertwined like a demonic melody, filling him with terror—and yet he couldn't bring himself to let it go.

Sometimes he wondered why she knew so much—he'd asked a few times, and she always said, "I learned it all to please you," which moved him deeply!

Young, beautiful, attractive, and fully satisfying his desires, plus her dependence on him—Ponda couldn't find a single reason to break up or avoid marriage!

Just imagining another man enjoying what he'd once had made him unbearable.

After discussing for a while, they set the wedding date, and Lisa's family would come from out of town to attend.

His family had met Lisa too, and were very pleased—didn't think she was marrying above her station.

Plus, Lisa's period had been late lately—everything pointed to good news!

He was going to be a father!

Those who've never been fathers can't understand the emotional shift before fatherhood—and for Federals, who value family deeply, having a child meant becoming a true "man."

That sense of responsibility and mission left no room for retreat!

A new life stared at him; everything was moving toward a better future!

His office colleagues all knew his good news was coming; a joyful atmosphere surrounded him!

At three-thirty in the afternoon, he was handling work when his desk phone suddenly rang.

Without looking, he grabbed the receiver. "Hazardous Materials Bureau, Special Agent Ponda speaking."

"Can you fix radios?"

Ponda didn't react at first. "This is Hazardous Materials Bureau, not a repair shop…"

Then he froze—he remembered his agreement with Lans.

He glanced quickly around at his still-working colleagues—no one noticed him. "You have to go to the repair shop."

"What?"

"You don't know where?"

"You should call police or fire—okay, okay, I know a place—it's right…"

He gave an address, then hung up. His colleagues turned to look. "Wrong number?"

Ponda's heart was already racing. He nodded. "Yeah, wrong number. Maybe our phone number's similar—said he meant to dial repair."

He paused. "But it's settled now."

He casually complained about phones sometimes failing, or getting crossed lines, strangers suddenly joining calls, then resumed work.

Ponda's heart pounded violently. After a long while, he calmed down, gathered his things, and left early.

As an agent of his rank, he could arrive late or leave early with a valid reason.

What counted as valid? Investigation, case work, or contacting informants—all fine.

In truth, Hazardous Materials Bureau's internal rules weren't that strict—they didn't actually check what agents did after leaving the office.

Whether they truly investigated cases or just went home to sleep.

He drove around the city for a while, then arrived at their agreed location—a private club offering oral services.

Law enforcement officers visiting such clubs wasn't illegal or against any law—all services here were legally permitted.

At most, it risked his morality—but morality was just a moral issue, and this place was extremely discreet.

Soon he saw Lans; his expression shifted slightly upon seeing him again.

Lu Ka had been buried. Some in Hazardous Materials Investigation Bureau believed this incident was tied to Lans's family.

Though the police concluded it was "random robbery and murder," how could a Hazardous Materials agent be so easily robbed and killed?

Conspiracy theorists weren't just among the lower classes—they were common among the privileged too.

Some, having witnessed more inexplicable things, believed even more firmly than the masses that everything was a ruler's conspiracy!

Even Ponda suspected Lans's involvement, so he was now tense.

"Congratulations!" Lans opened with a remark that caught him off guard.

Ponda stared blankly for a long moment before forcing a smile. "Who?"

"Me?"

"Congratulations for what?"

Lans crossed his leg, tapping his toe. "Congratulations on your upcoming marriage!"

Ponda's expression changed slightly. "Thanks, but don't interfere in my life, and don't contact my family!"

His family—and pregnant Lisa—gave him courage to meet Lans's gaze.

Lans looked at him calmly, his eyes like stone—or a surface with not a ripple.

Nothing dramatic, yet still an indescribable pressure.

Finally, Ponda's gaze shifted slightly, avoiding Lans's.

Lans tilted his chin slightly upward. "I won't bother your family even if you don't say anything—as long as there are no misunderstandings between us."

"About your marriage, I'm deeply concerned—we're close partners—so I plan to give you a wedding gift."

"For you, for Lisa, and for your unborn child."

Ponda's lips tightened, turning pale. "Are you spying on me?"

Lans shook one finger. "No—more accurately, I'm protecting you and your family."

"Relax, Ponda—I want you and your family safe more than you do. Only then can we cooperate longer."

He paused. "Aren't you curious what I'm giving you?"

Ponda took a deep breath. He hated this feeling, but now he had to accept it.

He forced a smile. "What is it?"

Lans placed a card on the coffee table and pushed it over. "Two bar locations, and a warehouse with several thousand dollars' worth of liquor left inside."

"I believe these assets can fill the gap left by Lu Ka."

The name Lu Ka seemed to flip a switch in Ponda. After a slight tremor in his eyes, he whispered, "Lans… I want to ask—is Lu Ka…"

He lowered his head. Though he'd long suspected it, he was still nervous now.

Lans's tapping toe moved again. "If he didn't die, how could you rise?"

"Senior Agent Ponda?"

Hearing this, Ponda's heart was a storm of emotions.

First came overwhelming fear—because the death of a Senior Agent, unlike ordinary agents or contractors, carried a completely different weight!

It was like ancient noble wars—they could wage war freely, unafraid of defeat.

Because after losing, they could buy themselves back with money; defeat meant only losing wealth or some peasants.

They can keep acting out as long as they still have money.

But after a noble was refused ransom and killed, the nobles grew cautious toward war—they did not know if they would be the next to be refused.

Before the senior agent was killed, no one believed anyone would dare lay hands on an official of that rank—until this moment!

Even now, Ponda hoped more than anything that Officer Lukaer had died in a spontaneous robbery by a vagrant, not at the hands of Lans.

Because that would mean if he became a senior agent, he would be safe.

But now he knew that even if he became a senior agent, safety was not guaranteed.

Lans and his kind were insane, lawless—they were even said to have killed the police chief!

Without thinking of this, Ponda felt Jingang City must be a place forgotten by God; otherwise, how could so much evil grow unchecked here?

The more criminal cases he encountered in his work, the more powerless he felt.

"What?"

"Don't you like my gift?"

Ponda snapped back to himself. "No, no, I love… the gift you gave me."

Lans nodded. "You're very likely to become a senior agent. I don't need you to protect us. Do your job. Just let us know whenever you hear anything sensitive."

He picked up a briefcase from beside the sofa and placed it before Ponda. "Open it."

Ponda glanced at Lans, then opened the briefcase. Inside was cash.

"There's fifty thousand here. I can't make it to your wedding, so this is my additional gift."

Seeing so much money—even Ponda felt his heart sway.

He owed Lans exactly fifty thousand. He couldn't help but think too much.

"Once you're married and have children, you'll need money everywhere."

"Your child's education, Lisa's recovery—your parents will surely come to stay for a while. You can't keep them in a cheap hotel forever."

"Buy a bigger house, one that can fit your whole family. Or do whatever you want."

"Ponda, I know you still have some resistance toward me, but I hope you understand—we are each other's best friends!"

"Senior agent isn't your end point. Even director of Jingang City's Hazardous Materials Bureau shouldn't be your end point. You should go further!"

He put down his crossed leg, then stood. "Alright, I have to go. Enjoy your time before leaving—I've already paid."

"Wait twenty minutes before you leave. Otherwise, someone might use this to hassle you."

Ponda stood up, watching Lans leave, and let out a heavy sigh.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door, and they brought in a girl, her eyes covered and secured to a strange rack.

She wore no clothing except a pair of white athletic socks.

Lisa had been pregnant for some time; he had been afraid and avoided sex during this period.

Now, seeing this young girl, her pale skin, her covered eyes—a feeling he refused to admit but truly existed began churning inside him!

He lightly touched her body. The girl reacted sharply, as if electrocuted.

Where he touched, goosebumps rose visibly.

He swallowed hard, his breathing grew heavy. He walked to the rack, placed his hand on her, and slowly, gently, stroked her inch by inch—as if caressing a work of art!

That night, when he returned home, he held Lisa tightly. Guilt and shame churned inside him—he felt he was truly no good.

"What's wrong?" Lisa sensed a shift in his emotions.

Ponda could only suppress those churning feelings, yet the scenes from the afternoon kept flashing in his mind.

"Nothing. I just haven't seen you in a while. I missed you terribly."

Lisa couldn't help laughing. "You're acting like a child!"

She pulled Ponda to the living room sofa. On the coffee table lay several sketchbooks with wedding dresses and formal wear. "Take a look too…"

That night, sleep was impossible.

Officer Lukaer's death, the bar locations, the fifty thousand in cash now stored above the storage room ceiling, that young, fiery body, and Lisa beside him with the child in her womb…

All of it intertwined like a demonic melody, filling him with terror—and yet he couldn't bring himself to let it go.