Ke-style law enforcement officers

Chapter 79 The Town of Icam

"Well----"

After finishing the three servings of grilled meat, Rebecca loosened her belt by two notches, let out a five-second burp to expel excess gas from her digestive system, finished her juice in one gulp, and got up to leave.

Two minutes later, she returned to the dining table, shaking her wet hands.

The table had already been cleaned by the waiter.

Rebecca skillfully adjusted her collar and cuffs, put her mask back on, and returned to her usual cold and indifferent state.

"What were you two saying you were going to talk about?"

"Come on, look at this."

Nero pulled a folded document from his leather coat.

"This is the autopsy report from back then. I kept it myself. Just flip through the photos inside. It's about... Karl."

Milo took the documents and opened them.

There are three blurry black and white photos inside, taken from three different angles, showing a corpse lying on an operating table.

The corpse was completely unrecognizable, with not an inch of intact skin visible. Large areas of rot and decay, along with some grotesque fungi that could trigger trypophobia, covered the flesh and blood. Even some of the exposed bones were covered in mold.

“When we found him, he was already like this. I suppressed the matter and didn’t report it. The doctor who performed the autopsy went insane the following month and committed suicide by shooting himself. I didn’t give you the autopsy report directly at first, but you mentioned fungi in that phone call, so whether it’s a coincidence or not, I’d like to hear your opinion.”

“My thoughts… I want to hear the whole story. I want to know where you sent him to infiltrate, what his purpose was, and what the Solomon Gang’s connection is to this.” Milo handed the photo to Rebecca beside him, clearly stating all the questions in his mind.

“You can say whatever you want, but I’ll say it again: although you’ve blocked the undercover route, I still hope you’ll handle this case. As for why, you should know why. Also, regarding the Sherman family, you were able to handle an aristocratic family, so handling this case shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Just investigate openly and honestly as a law enforcement officer. If you agree, I will disclose all the information.” Nero took a deep drag on his cigar.

“Last time you also said you would tell me everything…” Milo pouted.

"That's because I was afraid you wouldn't be able to accept this content right away," Nero said, shrugging.

As they chatted idly, Rebecca pushed back her chair, stood up, put down the photo in her hand, and gave a strange look:

"You guys chat first, I'm going to wash my hands."

"Didn't you just come back after washing your hands?" Milo muttered.

"I know."

Rebecca ran quickly toward the restroom without looking back.

As she turned around, Milo felt like he could almost hear the sound of food refluxing from her throat...

……

Milo put away the gruesome photos, folded the documents again, and solemnly said:
"Now I want to hear everything, if this is something I have to do."

“This isn’t a registered case, so I can’t order anyone in the law enforcement system to investigate it as an inspector. The only people I can directly call upon right now are you and Rebecca. Go to the area under the guise of carrying out an inspection tour, and you two will have full authority over the investigation. What do you think?” Nero stated his arrangements.

"What's the goal?" Milo muttered.

"The source of those fungi."

……

...

Five minutes later, Rebecca returned to her original position.

She didn't seem to have any obvious abnormalities, but her slightly moist eyes and the fact that her belt was buckled back indicated that she had vomited up almost everything she could.

Now she finally understood why Nero and Milo were so unmoved by the roast meat drizzled with mushroom sauce.

……

“I’ve already briefed Rebecca on the basic situation. The only thing she doesn’t know is the contents of the autopsy report. I can repeat the key information again.”

Nero glanced at Rebecca, nodded, and continued:

"Over the years, the Solomon gang has been infiltrating and controlling various key industries of the Empire, including the smelting industry chain, overseas trade, and some shady dealings. This includes many unethical research projects. The place where Karl was sent undercover was a remote town called Icom in the deep south. After the war, copper mines were discovered in that town, and it was quickly targeted by the rapidly rising Solomon gang. Since then, they have been carrying out large-scale development and mining..."

"...The law enforcement system has been investigating all of the Solomon gang's business activities without ever stopping. However, what they are involved in is not only illegal transactions, but also numerous unethical scientific research activities. After the Great Plague, the most sensitive and concerning issue for the higher-ups is virus research. According to reliable intelligence, the Solomon has set up a huge underground research institute in the town of Icom, where they are studying things that were dug up from underground during copper mining. To date, the law enforcement system has not obtained any direct clues or evidence."

"Isn't that autopsy report evidence?" Milo frowned.

He didn't understand why Nero always seemed to be hiding something when he did things. Whether facing the public, nobles, or superiors and subordinates, he always created the impression that he was detached from the situation, calling it a legitimate use of the rules... "You mean, I should just hand this over directly?" Nero looked at Milo seriously.

"Is this a terrible idea?" Milo asked.

“Then let me ask you a question: what is the name of the largest and most cutting-edge group of scientific researchers in this land right now?” Nero asked Milo.

“The Church,” Milo answered without hesitation.

“The law enforcement system plays a role of checks and balances among these many forces,” Nero nodded slightly.

After hearing this, Milo remained silent for a short while, seemingly lost in thought.

He then glanced at Rebecca and asked Nero:
"When we get to Icam, will we find an entire town full of dead people?"

“In the third year after the Great Plague ended, there were no clear records of new local residents in the town of Icom. The people living there now are copper miners’ families who migrated from outside.” Nero waved his hand, indicating that things were not as terrible as Milo imagined.

“No backup, right?” Milo tapped the folded autopsy report lying flat on the table with his finger.

“I don’t expect you to search the entire town of Icam thoroughly. Just take a quick look around. Like I told you before, we’re dealing with the entire Solomon Gang. It might take months or even years without any results. As long as you two can find any clues, this operation will be a success. I don’t want two more graves to appear on the outskirts of the city,” Nero stated clearly.

Milo nodded slowly: "That means no."

"What are you afraid of?" Rebecca glanced at Milo.

Milo frankly stated, "I'm afraid of dying."

“It’s right to be afraid of death.” Nero agreed. “To be honest, some of the eerie rumors about the town of Icom have existed since the last century. It was only after the Solomon Gang got involved that the town came into the sights of the law enforcement system. Of course, I don’t expect the two of you to be able to uncover the secrets of such a long period of time on your own. My superiors don’t have such expectations either. This is just a preliminary investigation. You will stay there for four or five days, and then return when the time is up.”

“Actually, I’m very curious,” Milo suddenly said.
"As far as I know, the town of Ikham and the city of Nanwei are hundreds of kilometers apart. Even if an investigation were to be conducted, it should be the responsibility of the local law enforcement system there. Why was it handed over to you..."

Milo's words had a hidden meaning.

And Nero was the same:

“I thought you’d never heard of Ikham.”

Milo raised an eyebrow and shrugged naturally: "I've done my homework."

That's the only way to put it.

He read all this information from Karl's undead perspective.

"How many people know about our operation?" Milo asked the question that concerned him most.

“There will be many.” Nero was very frank: “Because this is a law enforcement patrol that is in the open. You two are going to the local law enforcement department to carry out official business in the name of the law enforcement office. I have already made arrangements, and the colleagues in the town will cooperate with your actions.”

"Don't worry, I'll protect you." Rebecca seemed to have already made up her mind, so she was a little impatient with Milo's endless questions.

“Then I thank you in advance.” Milo didn’t care about Rebecca’s sarcasm.

“You’ve booked a train for tomorrow night. Remember to arrive at Innsmouth station early. I’ve heard there are some restaurants in town with pretty good food, especially seafood. You might want to try them before you leave,” Nero said.

I haven't had much of an appetite lately.

Milo shook his head.

Rebecca agreed.

……

Just as the three people, who had little appetite, were about to pay the bill and leave, Milo suddenly remembered something and said to Nero:
"I have a request."

“You used—a request.” Nero smiled slightly.

“Yes, it’s a request.” Milo nodded. “I don’t want anyone to harass my family during this time.”

“Didn’t you already take care of that castor bean lady from the Sherman family… In short, you can rest assured about this. If anything happens to your family, then the scythe of judgment has failed its executor.” Nero meant to guarantee the safety of the Milo family in the name of the law enforcement system.

"..."

Milo nodded, without saying anything more.

Nero had said something similar before, that as long as Milo put on the black trench coat, the Sherman family wouldn't dare to easily lay a hand on him. But Grace had already slapped him hard on the face several times over on that point, so Milo couldn't rely on someone like Nero for absolute assurance.

(End of this chapter)