Chapter Thirty-Two: The Crux

"Hello, Lin? You're actually calling me? Are you finally ready to join the Bureau? You’re always welcome here, you know."

A mature, sophisticated female voice came through the phone the moment the call connected.

"Long time no see, Jiajia. As for joining, let’s skip that. But if you want to join my firm, I might consider it."

"Still just 'considering'? Your temperament really hasn't changed a bit. Tell me, what do you need help with? For the sake of our university days and our club friendship, I’ll agree to anything within my power." The tone on the other end was much livelier, a stark contrast to Lin Yilin’s.

Lin Yilin paused for a moment before saying, "I want to know the status of the Shenlai Firm’s operations regarding the remnants of the Canneton family."

"...Ah, as expected of you. Your information network is still as sharp as ever. Are you investigating this too? Though, their operation last night seems to have gone quite poorly."

"Yes, that’s why I want to see the specific details, so I can calibrate my own follow-up actions accordingly," Lin Yilin said, her tone remaining cool and detached.

"Hold on a second. I’m currently away on business, but I’ll go ask the person in charge for you."

"Alright, thank you for the trouble."

The call was temporarily hung up.

Zheng Fan asked curiously, "Who was that?"

"A classmate from university and a friend from our club. She joined the Bureau while we were still in school. She serves as an external consultant and acts as the liaison between the Bureau and various private firms."

"Is that all?" The tone of their conversation didn’t sound like it was that simple.

Would a small consultant really be able to just ask for inside information regarding a major firm’s operations?

"She’s just quite capable, that’s all. After all, she’s my friend."

"That is certainly convincing."

If she could be friends with Lin Yilin, Zheng Fan had no choice but to accept it.

She had also mentioned they were in the same club—that strange club that seemed to have been involved in all sorts of incidents. Could it be that the place was crawling with extraordinary people?

Taking advantage of the gap, Lin Yilin called Zheng Fan over to show him the data on her computer screen. "This is what I compiled last night regarding the Nameless Casino and several common operational hubs of the Canneton family in the Xixikoke district."

As she spoke, she drew a large 'X' over one of the locations with her mouse.

"This one was demolished last night."

"So many? Does losing one point not really affect them?" Zheng Fan asked.

"I wouldn’t say that. After all, it's not the location that matters, but the people. And any site established within a gated community is certainly significant," Lin Yilin corrected.

"With so many locations, how are we supposed to investigate them all?"

"Normally, we would just wait for them to make a move. Now that I know the locations, my intelligence network could monitor their activity. But after what Shenlai did, we have to be more proactive," Lin Yilin sighed.

It was easy to imagine that after the attack on the Canneton remnants, the intelligence they currently held might already be obsolete. They wouldn't be foolish enough to risk a direct confrontation with a major firm; they were likely already preparing to relocate, if they hadn't started moving already.

"Since the situation has been stirred up like this, we have no choice but to try to get ahead of Shenlai," Zheng Fan said. Judging by Shenlai’s style last night, they were ruthless and would never show mercy; if Linde were captured, he would surely be dead.

Lin Yilin checked her phone. Right on time, the ringtone sounded, and she answered instantly.

"Any news?"

"You scared me! Can you stop picking up the phone so precisely every time?" the voice on the other side complained.

"I just happened to be looking at it."

"That’s a little creepy... Anyway, I got the intel. I’m sending you a copy. Your usual email address hasn’t changed, right?"

"Yes, thank you, Jiajia."

"Don't mention it. When I get back to Xixikoke district, I’m coming to find you. Remember to treat me to a meal."

"You don't have much of an appetite anyway, so eat as much as you want. By the way, what are you doing on this business trip?"

"Nothing much. Just wrapping up the business regarding the total eradication of the Jacob family."

"Is there still no conclusion to that case?" Lin Yilin’s voice dropped slightly.

"The official conclusion we’re presenting is internal strife, but the actual situation points to some questionable traces. And they can be linked to some events from a long time ago." The voice on the other end became more serious. "It seems somewhat close to the possibility you mentioned before, Lin. Regardless, if there are any relevant findings, I’ll let you know."

"...Okay, thank you. Stay safe."

The call ended.

Lin Yilin sat in a daze for a moment until Zheng Fan brought her back to reality.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing. There’s something I want to investigate, but I don’t have a good entry point given my current status. I have to rely on Jiajia to help me. And it’s not certain that everything is as I suspect," Lin Yilin murmured, her voice barely audible.

"The Jacob family... that super-large gang that was wiped out a while ago?"

Lin Yilin nodded slightly.

"Well, that sounds like a lot of trouble," Zheng Fan said, looking out the window.

Putting her thoughts aside, Lin Yilin opened the intelligence report that had been sent to her email. Zheng Fan looked on beside her.

Regarding the Canneton family, which collapsed alongside the fall of the Jacob family, the Shenlai Firm in the Xixikoke district had been commissioned by the Metropolitan authorities to dedicate a portion of their strength to clearing out the remaining remnants.

Most of the remnants had scattered to the winds when disaster struck, and the initial cleanup went smoothly. However, after some time, most of the remaining members disappeared, and their tracks became extremely difficult to follow.

According to reliable intelligence, the remaining remnants had regrouped with alarming speed, restored their internal order, and launched a series of operations in an attempt to rebuild their strength and make a comeback.

After several skirmishes with these remnants, it was essentially confirmed that they had formed an alliance with a certain 'Hallucination.'

That Hallucination had evidently been cultivated to a significant degree. For this reason, the Shenlai Firm had increased the priority of their mission to purge the Canneton remnants. They stopped acting rashly and instead concentrated their forces for a decisive sweep.

This was the general summary of the Shenlai Firm's handling of the Canneton remnants. More specific operational records followed below.

Zheng Fan read a few lines and lost the desire to continue; he felt a growing aversion to reading—commonly known as "too long, didn't read."

After reading for a while, Lin Yilin began comparing the information from the Shenlai Firm with her own data. Zheng Fan pulled out his 'Singularity' to attend to his own business.

After a long while, Lin Yilin rose from her seat. "That’s about it... Hmm? What’s wrong, Mr. Hallucination?"

Seeing Zheng Fan frowning at his own palm, she asked.

Zheng Fan shook his hand and looked up. "Lin Yilin, you’re quite wealthy, aren't you?"

"Far above the average citizen in the Metropolis. High deposit balances, savings interest, and I manage my finances a bit when I have nothing better to do..." Lin Yilin answered directly, though she was confused.

"For a property-type Hallucination, does it have to touch 'physical cash' to exert its ability?" Zheng Fan asked.

"It can’t be generalized, but for most, yes. Because it’s easier for a Hallucination to accept the concept of an object when it invades reality."

"Does stolen money count as one's own?" Zheng Fan asked again.

"Stolen? Of course it counts. Money is money, regardless of its origin." Lin Yilin tilted her head, then her eyes widened. "Mr. Hallucination, could it be that you..."

"It’s nothing, just an experiment," Zheng Fan grinned, tucking his hands back into his pockets. He didn't elaborate, shifting back to the matter at hand. "What did you say? Are we moving out?"

"Yes. Comparing it with the Shenlai Firm’s intelligence, if Linde was indeed recruited as an elite, he shouldn't have been at the location they hit last night."

"How so?"

"Shenlai is more thorough when it comes to shallow intelligence, but there is a crucial operational hub they seem to have overlooked. I looked into that neglected site in detail and realized that I had overlooked it as well—it didn't have much record in my files. But looking at it now, something is wrong."

Lin Yilin opened her phone. "This site isn't in a gated community and doesn't accept those low-level cleaners; the people coming and going are suspected to be their 'elites.' Furthermore, Shenlai’s intelligence didn't manage to process several recent transactions in the underground black market that were suspected to be related to the Nameless Casino. I traced the sources and found that some important ones originated from this site. Moreover, the transaction volume flowing out of this point is significantly higher than the others."

"A key operational hub," Zheng Fan concluded.

Lin Yilin nodded and reached for the coat on the coat rack. "After their failure last night, Shenlai won't let it go, and they certainly won't give the Canneton remnants any more time to adjust. They’ll gather their strength and launch a full-scale sweep. They haven't noticed this site yet, but it’s only a matter of time. We need to speed up."

With that, she hurried out of the office.

Zheng Fan shrugged his shoulders and slowly followed after her.