Ke-style law enforcement officers

Chapter 143 Collections from the Black Market

Jonathan's respectful attitude surprised old Kent.

Because he knew what kind of person Jonathan was, he could tell whether Jonathan's respectful attitude was genuine or just for show.

Especially Jonathan's attitude towards Milo...

……

"Come here."

Milo waved to Enid, who was sitting idly in the corner.

The latter immediately hopped and skipped over.

Jonathan led the way, and the four of them went around the courtyard and entered the hall that was somewhat familiar to Milo.

Here, he met the woman with whom he had once been able to "open his heart".

Grace Sherman – The Castor Lady.

This elegant and languid noblewoman was dressed today in a dignified purple gown, with a string of exquisite and dazzling diamond necklaces hanging around her snow-white swan neck. Between her slender fingers was a cigarette of a brand that Milo had never seen before, and her left arm supported the elbow of the hand holding the cigarette as she stood in the center of the hall.

When she saw Milo, she gave a meaningful smile, a smile that could charm any naive young man, full of allure.

So much so that Milo subconsciously recalled the wonderfully smooth skin on the other person's palm... cough cough.

"Finally, we won't have to meet while tied to a pillar."

Milo said something that left the Kent father and daughter completely baffled.

Grace simply responded with a playful smile, without offering a clear answer:

"I've sent people to the law enforcement office to invite you many times, and every time they say you're out on a mission. Are you deliberately avoiding me, Milo?"

She didn't even mention Milo's surname, choosing instead to address him by his first name in a more intimate way.

The familiar attitude between the two instantly confirmed old Kent's guess—this kid actually knew Ms. Castor, and was quite familiar with her!

But why?

How did an unknown young law enforcement officer come to know the current head of the Sherman family?

Just as old Kent was savoring the strange atmosphere before him, Grace's voice pulled him back to reality:

Why didn't you tell me sooner that Mr. Kent and Milo had such a relationship? If you had told me sooner, I wouldn't have found out so late that you had such a lovely daughter.

Grace took Enid's hand and praised her like an elder.

This left Enid completely bewildered—how did this conversation suddenly veer towards me?

However, who in Nanwei City hadn't heard of Lady Castor's name? Even a wildcat like Enid, who was fearless, immediately turned into a docile kitten in Grace's hands, trembling with fear and even stammering when she spoke.

……

So the current situation is roughly like this.

Grace was trying her best to befriend Milo;
Old Kent was pondering the relationship between Grace and Milo;
Milo was thinking about when he could take Enid to see the people from the Gus Association;

Enid, on the other hand, pitifully prayed that the female demon in front of her wouldn't crush her little hands.

……

The four people exchanged pleasantries and slowly walked into the inner hall.

This place displays many exquisite sculptures, ornaments, and paintings that Milo couldn't understand at all.

Old Kent truly lived up to his reputation as one of the top businessmen in Nanwei City. He could chat about each of the artworks on display, and occasionally, he could even crack a joke or two that would bring a smile to Ms. Castor's face.

Is this the refined entertainment of the aristocracy, appreciating art? Milo couldn't fit into this restrained atmosphere of negotiation. In his view, these were all pure pretentious behavior, after all, he had witnessed the entertainment that Sherman had engaged in at night.

It was clear that Enid was also suffering, but being of noble birth, she had the patience and adaptability to this atmosphere. She remained well-behaved throughout, mainly because Grace was holding her hand. Grace would occasionally tease the "young couple" in front of her, seemingly to amuse Enid, but actually to tease Milo.

However, Milo's skin was already impervious to all poisons, and he had already experienced even more humiliating situations. Mere verbal teasing had absolutely no effect.

Enid, on the other hand, blushed very well, looking just like a shy little girl. This made Milo sigh with admiration; all three of them were incredibly shrewd.

"Get along well, Milo. I treat him like a younger brother. Maybe you'll have the chance to call me aunt someday."

Grace affectionately patted Enid's head.

The latter stared in astonishment, mouth agape, speechless.

Her father was the same.

While the two were staring in disbelief, Milo quickly changed the subject to prevent the Sherman woman from continuing her nonsense.

He pointed to a somber painting hanging on the wall:
"Your taste is quite strong."

The painting on the wall is titled "Ghoul Eating," and it depicts a bald creature with pointed ears munching on an indescribable lump of flesh.

This is also the only painting in the inner hall that does not bear the artist's name, and it is also one of the few works by Old Kent that is beyond reproach.

The only certainty is that the painter's skill was so high that the four of them had a kind of illusion when facing his work, as if it were not a painting but a window on the wall, and that there was indeed a strange creature feeding on the other side of the wall, and they were witnessing the process through the window.

The eerie atmosphere emanating from the painting completely ruined the atmosphere of the conversation.

Even Enid's face stopped blushing; instead, her expression showed slight fear.

"I bought this on the black market. The artist's name seems to be... Richard Upton Pickman."

"I've never heard of this name before. He can't be from this country, can he? Is he from overseas? With such excellent painting skills, there's no way he could be unknown. This painting... is so realistic." Old Kent examined the painting on the wall, marveling at it.

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s because the subject matter is wrong,” Grace said with little interest. “In the last era, this kind of painting would have been considered blasphemous. The person who painted it would have been burned at the stake. Of course, for me, it’s just an investment piece. Let it gather dust here for a few years, and let the story of Pinkman start to circulate among the people. Maybe it will fetch a higher price on the black market then.”

“The black market is indeed a magical place.” Old Kent examined the painting and nodded in deep agreement.

But at that moment, Milo's voice came from behind.

"Did you take this picture on the black market?"

……

Milo stood in the middle of the inner hall, where some broken sculptures and old bottles and jars were displayed.

What he was pointing to was a clear glass jar filled with formalin, inside which was a bloodless human severed hand.

That alone wouldn't be enough to attract Milo's attention, after all, some rich people have such bizarre and perverse tastes.

What made Milo's expression solemn was a metal device fixed to the swollen, severed wrist.

This is an execution lock from the law enforcement system. It is a type of handcuff with an execution device. After the handcuff is fixed to a person's hand, it can be wound up to set the activation time. When the time is up, the built-in blade will pierce through the wrist and vertically cut the artery, causing the wearer to bleed to death.

Note that the blade was cut along the artery, and even if the execution lock was removed, there was no way to suture the wound.

This is a type of unorthodox weapon.

And this one in the glass jar in front of us...

Milo was very familiar with this execution lock.

He had worn this on his wrist for a short period of time a little over a month ago.

The execution lock was eventually put on the hand of the immortal monster by Milo in the abandoned patient shelter.

……

(End of this chapter)