So... was I deceived by him?
After listening to the old investigator's summary, the young female investigator stood there, stunned. It took a while for her to come to her senses, and then, with a look of indignation, she took out the investigation report and tore it into pieces!
A hand, with skin yellowed and loose, covered with age spots, gently waved, and miraculously, the torn paper flew back together, reassembling into a complete investigation report, as neat and intact as before, with no sign of having been torn.
The old investigator took the report from the female investigator's hand and curved his crescent-shaped eyes into a welcoming smile as he teased,
"Eisha, didn't you think highly of him before? What happened? Planning to rewrite the investigation report now?"
"I... thank you for your guidance!"
The female investigator, whose face looked a bit troubled, took a deep breath and then respectfully bowed to the old investigator.
"This time, I didn't think it through. Without your reminder, I might have been fooled by him. I am still too naive and have much to learn from you."
"Hehe, these are not things that can be learned."
The old investigator shook his head, his eyes curving with a gentle smile.
"Strictly speaking, all the judgments I just made are without any evidence; they are just empty conjectures. The way I judged that something was wrong with him wasn't based on concrete logic but rather on a feeling that was closer to the subconscious.
To do a good job in our investigation department, we have to be like bank tellers, constantly in contact with more 'real money.' If a person has handled real money all their life, when they come across counterfeit money occasionally, they may not need to discover anything specifically; they will instinctively feel that the money in their hand is different from the real thing.
Our investigation work is similar. This subconscious sense of disharmony cannot be learned; it can only be gradually mastered through enough contact with people."
"I understand, Senior Camus!"
"Hehe, as long as you understand. I'll keep this investigation report here. After I finish writing the investigation results later, I'll attach it to the back of my report and submit them together."
Hearing that he was actually planning to submit her investigation report too, the female investigator couldn't help but ask anxiously,
"But my investigation had mistakes. How can it be submitted?"
"Indeed, there were mistakes, but the fact that such an experienced investigator like you made mistakes is excellent evidence in itself."
The old investigator smiled at this, waving to a steam carriage on the roadside as he explained,
"As you just said, not everything can be reflected in the data.
My investigation was based on a 'something's wrong' intuition after contacting this person, with no evidence to speak of. But your investigation was purely logical, with evidence supporting every judgment; its credibility was higher than my investigation.
Only by submitting your flawed investigation and comparing it with my results can those responsible for review take notice and understand what's wrong with this newcomer from the Virgin Branch... Eisha, you won't blame me for making you lose face, will you?"
"Not at all... After all, I did make a mistake, and it's only right for you to report it."
"Hehe, as long as you don't blame me... Hmm... Since the investigation is over and we generally agree, let's end it here together; your car is here."
The female investigator was slightly stunned when she heard this, then hesitantly asked,
"Aren't you planning to return to headquarters with me?"
"I won't be returning now."
After sending her off in a luxurious two-seater steam carriage, the old investigator smiled and said goodbye,
"I have an old friend around here, someone I seldom meet. Before this mission, I had agreed to meet him here to catch up, so I won't be returning with you this time."
"Alright, then take care."
After waving goodbye to the female investigator, as her carriage drove away, the old investigator did not wait for the so-called old friend, but instead, he waved again and summoned another empty steam carriage.
After looking up and down at the old investigator's attire, which seemed finely tailored, the coachman, thinking he might be a big customer, couldn't help but smile and, as the old investigator boarded, politely asked,
"Not sure, just wander ahead for a bit."
As he heard the words that sounded as cold as shards of ice, the coachman shivered suddenly, then couldn't help but sneak a glance at his passenger in the rearview mirror.
His eyes were narrow and long, with eyebrows and mouth corners slightly drooping, giving him a look as if he were about to cry even without any expression.
*This old man looks so gloomy... Oh well, as long as he can pay the fare* ~
"Director, that old investigator was quite nice."
After recounting the inquiry process and the two investigation reports seen through Young Ha, Leon curiously asked,
"He hardly asked any difficult questions, and even in his soul, there was no malice towards me and you. Why did you warn me to be careful of him?"
"If I have to give a reason... it's probably a kind of intuition."
The Red-haired Director rubbed his temples upon hearing that, blinking with his fox-like eyes and looking perplexed,
"I can't really explain this feeling, but it's like when a case of twelve bottles of Margaux's dry red wine has a second-label wine mixed in secretly.
*Even if the taste may not differ much, even if the grape vines are just separated by a river, after drinking a lot, you'd instinctively feel the acidity is slightly off, and the alcohol would feel stronger.*
*And he is like that mixed-in bottle of wine, where no matter how you savor, something doesn't feel right, especially when he heard your call for help and came preparing to wake me up. At that moment, I almost instinctively felt that I mustn't let this person get too close to me.*"
After sharing his feelings, the Red-haired Director unwillingly asked,
"Leon, after observing his soul, did you really not find anything abnormal?"
"Really, nothing. His soul was entirely normal."
The Red-haired Director furrowed his brow,
*"The soul is the core of a person, and there should be no way to fake it. Maybe there's something about him that poses a threat to me, which is why I instinctively resisted getting close to him...
Hmm... But you still need to be careful; there is a subtle sense of disharmony about him, and it's best not to have any contact with him."*
"Alright, I'll remember that."
Nodding slightly, and taking the Red-haired Director's advice to heart, Leon spoke up,
"Director, the ceremony for the title conferral is tomorrow, but I still have some official business to finish. If it's alright with you, I'm heading back to the office first."
"Go ahead, go ahead, and stop using the formal 'you' for me; it sounds exhausting... Oh, by the way."
When saying this, the Red-haired Director seemed to remember something, and looked down to rummage through a drawer, pulling out a photograph tied with a strand of hair.
"Here you go, your stuff."