Chapter 34

The Dune Institute is an organization that specializes in developing drugs, and its owner is an Italian.

Rina greeted the receptionist, and less than ten minutes later, her secretary came downstairs to meet her.

She showed a very appreciative expression and said, "Ms. Natsume, the boss has always hoped to meet you."

Rina nodded politely.

When the elevator reached the twelfth floor, the secretary led her to a luxurious office with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the shimmering blue sea.

The secretary said, "Boss, the person has been brought."

Renault closed the file in his hand, his expression changing from gloomy to cheerful. "Thank you for your hard work."

Rina: "It's a pleasure to see you, Mr. Renault, despite your busy schedule."

“I am Natsume, it’s an honor to meet you.” Renault smiled. “I have been watching you all these years and hope that you can return to the scientific community.”

If a company has a genius from a top university, its research progress could potentially reach a new level.

He desperately wanted Natsume Rina to join them, even though she was a dangerous person.

After a brief handshake, Rina sat down on the leather sofa and accepted the tea offered by her secretary.

Renault sat down opposite him, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Ms. Natsume, I'll have someone show you around the company culture."

Lina chose to get straight to the point: "Mr. Renault, to be honest, I'm here to find someone."

Renault smiled helplessly and put the porcelain cup back down. "Is it Art?"

Rina: "It's him."

The air was still for a few seconds.

Reno shrugged, indicating that he didn't know and didn't care. "Unfortunately, he has already left, taking the research results with him. Just now, we sent people to search all the private documents in his residence, but we didn't find anything special."

Rina withdrew her gaze, a thought flashing through her hazy mind.

Yuriko didn't know his identity, but he must be a member of the Blue Whale organization.

Do these members not share their identities? Or is this person named Alt at a higher level within the organization?

Renault leaned forward slightly: "However, I can give you his information."

He snapped his fingers, and the secretary understood immediately, handing her the document that was sitting on the table.

Rina turned to a page, her expression changing slightly. "Thank you."

Ten minutes later, she left the research institute and got into her car parked on the side of the road.

Shimono Gen, wearing sunglasses and with one hand resting on the car window like a leisurely old man, stopped humming abruptly when Rina got in the car. "How was it?"

“I’ve seen him before, but I can’t remember him right now,” Rina handed him the documents and fastened her seatbelt. “Yuriko recommended me to come here, but he’s already run away.”

Shimono Gen stared at the photo on the resume. "Looks like an internal strife?"

The person in the photo has short blond hair, a high nose bridge, deep-set eyes, a well-defined jawline, and a strong facial contour, giving off a cold and profound feeling, but also a dangerous one.

Rina gave a soft "hmm" and adjusted to a more comfortable sitting position.

"I'll go to the factory later." Shimono Gen put away the documents. "I already know the factory's registration information, location, and detailed topographic map."

Back at the residence, the black sedan sped away.

Rina stood at the entrance of the courtyard and looked around.

After she returned from Haicheng Manor, someone started secretly following her.

He was highly vigilant and had excellent counter-surveillance skills; Shimono Gen didn't even notice his presence.

She stood outside the yard for a while, just as Mrs. Kasuga returned from the market with groceries. "Rina, what would you like for lunch today?"

Rina said absentmindedly, "Your cooking skills have always been reliable."

"That's wonderful," Mrs. Kasuga laughed a few times, then followed her gaze, frowned and thought for a moment, "Oh, I remember that. After you went abroad, there was a child hiding in that corner for about a month, just guarding it."

Rina: "Child?"

She walked into the narrow alley and remembered that bicycles used to pass through it, but now it had become a garbage dump.

"Yes, she was about twelve or thirteen years old. I saw her almost every night. She would stand there all alone in the dead of winter, without even a coat. At first, I thought she was a homeless orphan. Once, I even went up to her and asked her whose child she was. She said she was from this house." The house Mrs. Kasuga was referring to was Rina's house.

Rina: "Did you ask anything else?"

Mrs. Kasuga thought back carefully for a moment, "I remember asking him what his relationship was with the people in the house, but he didn't say anything and just kept staring at the house. When I called Kaori out, the child ran away."

Rina stood outside the alley and asked, "What did my sister say?"

"You seem a little unhappy." Mrs. Kasuga paused, her tone sounding somewhat worried. "After that, I never saw that child again."

Rina: "A very handsome boy with long hair?"

"Yes, he's quite pitiful; he has quite a few frostbite injuries," Mrs. Kasuga said. "Did he come to see you?"

Rina fell silent and said nothing more.

Many of the speculations have not been verified, but one thing is certain: she is the one with the memory problem.

This silence was definitely an understatement. Thinking of this, Mrs. Kasuga couldn't help but offer a few words of advice: "Perhaps we should look for him. There must be a reason why he's been staying here all this time. In those years, there were many cases of child abduction."

Rina sighed and returned home. Before she could even take off her shoes, she heard and saw a commotion coming from the living room.

A woman dressed in elegant attire sat on the sofa, holding a teacup. Her exquisite figure exuded the charm of a mature woman.

“You two sisters look so alike, I can’t tell you apart at all,” Mrs. Barkley said, looking her over.

Rina: "Damian, come out and greet the guests."

“I’m here to see you,” Mrs. Barkley said with a smile, placing the newspaper on the coffee table. “I had someone send you an invitation, but I didn’t think you would come, so I came to invite you in person.”

Mrs. Kasuga walked past her to the kitchen, and Rina said, "Mrs. Barkley, what do you need me for?"

Mary smiled and said, "Actually, I don't really like that title. My real name is Mary Mostan. You can call me Miss Mary."

Barkley is her late husband's surname.

Rina sat down opposite her. "Miss Mary, I don't have time to attend your birthday party."

“Detectives are always busy, I know. This is just an excuse to see you,” Mary said, her gaze falling on the newspaper on the coffee table. “I think you’ve already seen the article in it.”

Rina: "Just tell me directly."

“The employee just now said that the detective agency is no longer taking on cases related to murder, which makes me a little worried.” Mary paused. “But I still have to say, the pay is very generous, and I can pay a deposit first.”

Rina raised an eyebrow: "How much?"

Mary gave a confident smile: "Five thousand pounds, just a deposit."

Damian, leaning on the second-floor railing, suddenly said, "Rina, you'd better think about it."

Because of some compensation payments, they are almost unable to afford their electricity bills.

Rina did indeed think of her empty bank card. "Go ahead," she said.

Mary let out a slow breath. Despite the generous reward, she was still worried that Natsume Rina wouldn't take the case.

“I am the founder of Cradle House. Currently, it is just a charity that takes in homeless or homeless children. They are all pitiful people. The charity can provide them with food, clothing, shelter, and teach them some skills to survive in the future. However, I have been living in South America for many years and have not paid attention to it for many years. But just five days ago, a girl died there.”

Rina: "It wasn't reported in the newspapers."

The text only mentions the selfless dedication of Ms. Mary, the founder of Cradle House.

Mary: "The director said it was purely an accident, so they covered it up to avoid damaging the orphanage's reputation. But that reminds me of another girl who died in an accident two years ago. I'd like you to investigate whether that was really an accident?"

Rina asked, "How did you die?"

Mary said, "He fell into the lotus pond and drowned."

Rina: "The one from before?"

Mary took out the old news report and two photos of the deceased from her handbag: "The welfare home was holding a cultural performance. One of them was wearing a long dress and accidentally fell down the stairs. I was there at the time. The police also came later. It was treated as an accidental fall. One was sixteen years old and the other was fifteen."

She pointed to the blonde girl on the left who was playing the piano, "Her name is Bella, and the other one is Springgrass."

Another girl with short hair sat quietly outside the crowd, and seemed very afraid to communicate with people.

“Indeed, two accidents within two years are hard not to suspect,” Rina thought for a moment. “Is there anything else?”

“I don’t know. I went to the orphanage yesterday, but I was quickly called to dinner by the board of directors,” Mary bit her lip. “They knew I was coming, so they did a good job of making it look good.”

Rina asked, "Are there any suspects?"

Mary: "As for the welfare home, I've only dealt with the director and deputy director. They've been running this welfare home for almost twenty years, and I can't let them down or distrust me."

“A private investigation,” Rina nodded. “Pay a deposit first, then leave.”

Mary smiled slightly, took out a bank card from her handbag, and placed it on the table. "How do you plan to investigate?"

Rina poured herself a cup of coffee. "There's a job posting in the newspaper that's desperately looking for talent. I'm a qualified circuit repairman."

“It seems our Miss Natsume is quite the all-rounder,” Mary said. “I remember your university major was in pharmaceutical research.”

Rina: "Anything can happen with me."