Chapter 62 Klein's Invitation
“Dongdong——”
Angel knocked on the office door.
"Come in." Dunn's slightly muffled voice came through the door.
Angel opened the door and walked in. Dunn Smith was wearing a white shirt and a black vest. He was sitting in his armchair, writing something with his head down. His windbreaker and top hat, which he usually wore when going out, were hanging on the coat rack beside him.
When he heard the visitor coming in, he looked up, put down the pen in his hand, leaned back and stretched his body.
"Did you meet the Borgia and the others?"
He asked with a smile, as if he had everything under control.
"Well, after saying goodbye, Ms. Lolota also... invited me to visit Backlund when I'm free."
Angel thought of what Leonard had just said, and his tone was a little unnatural when he answered.
"Lolota is... a little, um, a little special. You don't have to worry too much about it." Noticing the other person's strange expression, Dunn pressed his finger to his forehead and explained with a wry smile, "But she's a reliable teammate. We will have frequent cooperative operations with the Backlund Diocese in the future. You'll get to know them. They are all trustworthy people in battle."
Captain, you don't have to emphasize "in battle"...
"Captain, what brings me to your office?"
In order to end this awkward topic for both parties, Angel quickly stated his purpose.
"Ahem—the following is what happened. During yesterday's mission, you were attacked by an armed man in the dock area. In self-defense, you returned fire with your legally carried revolver and accidentally killed him."
Dunn seemed to have just remembered why he had called Angel to the office. He picked up a document on the table, opened it, and spoke in the tone often used by the police.
"Yesterday, Frye handled the deceased's body and handed it over to the Tingen City police. After comparison, they confirmed that it was the 'Dockside Assassin' wanted last week for suspected human trafficking and attempted murder. Well, that's a code name, not a real name. The police are still investigating his identity, but their hopes are slim. There's been frequent personnel changes in the kingdom's upper echelons lately, and household registration management is somewhat chaotic. Old documents don't record appearances, and new ones are updated very slowly..."
"Sorry, I've gotten off topic. Anyway, the police have confirmed that the deceased is indeed the person on the wanted list. Therefore, the reward on the wanted list, a total of 100 pounds, should be available in a few days."
Dunn muttered as he opened the file bag and handed it to Angel. Angel took it and found that it was a standard certificate issued by the Tingen City Police. Apart from some words of commendation, the rest was consistent with what Dunn had just said.
Is this a bit... hasty?
Angel looked at the "Certificate of Innocence for Murder" in his hand, and a hint of surprise appeared on his face.
Madam Sharon, the Tuxedo Clown of the Secret Order, was killed after attacking the official Night Watchmen. Since there were many witnesses and personal experiences, there was nothing wrong with it.
But this "assassin" whose name is unknown even after his death, can almost be said to have been convicted, wanted and killed by Angel alone. He did not come into contact with other official personnel before and after. He was put on the police's wanted list just for snatching the account book from Angel in the warehouse of the Labor Mutual Aid Union. He then failed to attack Angel and died in her counterattack.
Of course, this guy was obviously a veteran assassin, and the blood on his hands was probably no less than that of Cole Granger. He deserved to die.
However, by using the identity of an official Beyonder, one can easily exploit loopholes in the system, label others as criminals, and then kill them to obtain a bounty.
"What's wrong?" Dunn asked curiously, noticing Angel's expression changing constantly. "You killed him all by yourself. According to the rules, half of the bounty will be kept as the team's public fund. If you need the remaining half urgently, you can go to Mrs. Orianna to withdraw it later."
"No, I just..." Angel hesitated for a moment, but still said what was in his mind.
After hearing her question, Dunn laughed.
He stood up and walked to the coat rack, rummaged in the inner pocket of his windbreaker, and took out an inspector's badge, the same one Angel received after he became an official night watchman.
"Look, this is our other public identity. The title of Inspector doesn't just exist in church documents; it's also on file with the police department. Half of your salary is paid by them, so of course you belong to them."
Dunn sat back in his chair and pinned the badge on the left breast of his vest, which slightly changed his demeanor and made him look more serious.
"This gives us the power to use the police system to track down and arrest criminals – although these powers are subject to various constraints. This warrant was only issued after an investigation confirmed that the labor union was indeed involved in human trafficking – but it does not mean that there are no limits or consequences."
"If it is later discovered that you lied about the wanted warrant for him and exploited the church and the police system to achieve your own personal goals, you will also be punished accordingly. The least serious punishment is demotion, and the most serious is handing over to the Holy Church for handling."
After explaining all this in one breath, Dunn rubbed his temples. Seeing Angel staring at him in a daze, he smiled and said, "You don't have to worry too much. The Beyonder items he left behind after his death prove that he was indeed a Beyonder. And since he was able to appear in that place and attack your Beyonder, killing him was a perfectly reasonable act of self-defense."
After listening to Captain Dunn's explanation, Angel finally understood the attitude of the church, or the official Beyonder organization, towards such incidents.
If she randomly killed an ordinary person on the street, or used the church or police system to deal with them, she would probably be in court the next day. But if she could kill an unofficial Beyonder, like the three who died at her hands, she would receive no harsh criticism, only praise.
"By the way, speaking of unofficial Beyonders, the true identity of that tuxedo clown..."
Angel thought of another Beyonder who died at his hands yesterday, the one suspected of being a Sequence 7 member of the Secret Order, and asked.
"Leonard accompanied the police on an investigation overnight last night. Using their rented carriage, they located a temporary base within Tingen City. However, they were cautious and quickly evacuated after their mission failed, so we weren't able to find any further valuable clues. I had Old Neil perform a divination, and the conclusion was the same as the previous one regarding the 'assassin': either there are too few clues, or the other party is capable of interfering with the divination."
Dunn shook his head and didn't have much expectation for the subsequent results.
As a secret organization established in the last century, this level of mobilization is only fitting for their status. If they were to follow the clues and capture the rest of their members just because one Beyonder died, that would be too unreliable. They simply couldn't survive for a thousand years...
As for divination, after Old Neil's failed divination experience with the "Assassin" last time, she had long lost hope.
But Klein, this "fortune teller", seems to have a very high success rate in divination... Could it be related to the name of his potion?
"Why not let Klein try?" Angel asked curiously, thinking of another teammate who could tell fortunes.
"Perhaps due to some previous experience, he was frightened when he saw the clown's corpse again yesterday. Forcing divination might cause him to lose control, so I didn't let him try it."
It turns out what Roxanne said was true... I shouldn't have doubted her expertise in gossip.
Angel apologized to Roshan in his heart and asked, "Some experiences, have you seen people die in a similar way before? Are they relatives or friends?"
"As for further details... you should ask him for them, but it's best not to do so in the next few days." Dunn seemed hesitant and ultimately did not continue the topic.
"Anyway, this was his first time personally witnessing the killing of an enemy up close. Even though he didn't do it himself, it's understandable that he's uneasy and having wild thoughts..."
When you put it that way, it seems like I, the one who did it myself, am inexplicably cold-blooded... Angel looked at Dunn, who was looking at her with a smile, as if there was something else behind his words.
"Well, actually... I didn't sleep well last night, and I didn't eat well either. I was worried about the revenge of the Secret Order, worried about... uh..."
Under Dunn's scrutinizing gaze, she could no longer continue her story.
“Dongdong——”
Just as the two of them looked at each other in silence, there was a knock on the door.
"Captain, Miss Roxanne said you were looking for me?"
It was Klein's voice.
The sudden appearance of the person in question dispelled the strange atmosphere between the two. Dunn raised the corners of his mouth and said to Angel with a smile, "Let's do this for now. Ask him to come in when you go out."
Seeing that the captain had ordered her to leave, she hurriedly left the room.
Standing outside the door was Klein, wearing a black jacket, ill-fitting pants, and holding a cane. Compared to the tuxedo he wore yesterday, this slightly worn-out suit made him look more reserved.
Thinking of himself who was also covered in mud and had a torn coat yesterday, Angel guessed that the other party had sent the suit to a tailor shop for repair.
Klein was stunned when he realized it was Angel who came out. He then gave a gentlemanly greeting, "Good morning, Miss Angel."
"Good morning, the captain is inside and he told you to go in directly." Angel also greeted him.
Klein seemed to have something else to say, but when he heard Dunn waiting for him in the room, he moved his lips, nodded silently, passed Angel, walked into the office, and closed the door behind him.
Angel didn't leave the corridor, but stood aside with his arms folded, waiting.
A few minutes later, Klein pushed the door open and walked out. Seeing Angel leaning against the wall, he raised his eyebrows, seeming a little surprised.
The two did not talk at the door of Captain Dunn's office, but walked to the other end of the corridor in tacit understanding. The sound of Mrs. Orianna's typewriter came from another closed office, effectively covering up other sounds outside the door. Miss Roxanne's soliloquy came from the reception room outside the partition. She seemed to be reading a newspaper.
"Do you have something to talk to me about?" Angel asked first.
Klein hesitated for a moment, then nodded as if he had made up his mind. "Yes, are you free on July 14th, this Saturday evening?"
"Saturday... the day after tomorrow? I should be free."
Because she doubted whether Klein could escape from 2-049's control on his own, Angel had been looking for an opportunity to talk to him alone for the past two days. When the other party took the initiative to invite her, she quickly agreed.
But Klein's next words were beyond her expectations.
"That's great. I've reserved a table at the Silver Crown Restaurant for 6pm on Saturday. Um, the one on Daffodil Street." Klein spoke very quickly, as if he would lose the courage to continue if he slowed down. "You know, my family just moved to Daffodil Street at the beginning of the month, and we've been looking for an opportunity to celebrate. They're all free on Saturday. You saved my life during the operation yesterday, and I think..."
He seemed to think he had expressed himself clearly enough and did not continue, but looked at Angel expectantly.
Under his gaze, Angel felt a little lost. She had thought Klein had invited her for a more "private" conversation, to voluntarily reveal his secrets. She was even prepared to listen to a carefully crafted lie.
Unexpectedly, I was invited to a family celebration.
With Klein's brother and sister present at the same time, there was no way we could discuss topics related to the occult...
Of course, it's also possible that he was using this opportunity to extend the invitation, hoping to find a private conversation after the celebration. After all, given my gender, a young man inviting me alone could easily be misinterpreted as having other intentions...
Angel thought about it, hesitating whether to accept the invitation. Seeing Klein's expectant expression, he couldn't help but nodded.
"Okay, I'll be there on time."
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