A rendezvous with one's beloved was always beautiful—and always fleeting. Jane Doe had her own work; after the undercover mission ended, she still needed to submit a formal operation report.
Although Ignis very much wanted to help, when the two of them were together, neither of them truly had the heart to work. Her brief vacation was about to end, and the report still hadn't a single word written.
No matter how deeply they understood one another or how much they yearned for more time together, they still had to part for now—at least until Jane Doe finished her report. Otherwise, this specially appointed criminology consultant of New Eridu Public Security would be out of a job.
With her abilities, even without Public Security, she could survive in New Eridu purely on her own merits—perhaps even live better than she ever did as an undercover agent. But she believed that working for Public Security kept her grounded, preventing her from slipping into a warped sense of justice.
A lingering embrace, a passionate farewell kiss—just like every couple deeply in love. Amidst the reluctance to part, Ignis's mood slowly sank.
Walking along the streets of the Vulcan Quarter, his expression was dark, brows tightly furrowed. Pedestrians instinctively avoided the ill-tempered giant, unwilling to invite trouble.
The Slaanesh incident remained unresolved, and the warmth of Jane Doe gradually faded from his arms. The hatred and anger he had only barely suppressed with her love over these days began to surge again.
Or perhaps they had never truly gone out—only been forced down for a short while.
Both Markus and Jane Doe had promised to try approaching the issue from other angles, helping search for cases related to disappearances and human trafficking. But that process still required time.
Which meant that even now, people were still being killed, drained of blood, their organs taken to produce that damned hallucinogenic drug.
His phone vibrated. The Salamander lit up the screen, expecting a call—only to find a flood of messages instead.
Multiple apps pushed notifications at once, making the phone's internal motor buzz nonstop.
"Major drug scandal rocks New Eridu's entertainment industry—numerous stars, directors, and producers implicated!"
"New Eridu celebrity downfall! Rising male idol admits severe addiction, claims life is meaningless without a fix!"
"Shocking! Top male star arrested on the street—Public Security strikes hard against drug distribution feeding addiction!"
Reading through the string of similar headlines, Ignis felt his mood lift slightly. It seemed the evidence Jane Doe had gathered at the auction had taken effect. Those who consumed "Fantasy" could dodge the first crackdown, but not the next.
He let out a breath. At least what he and Jane Doe had done had yielded some results. Arresting those willing to pay for the drug impacted the entire trafficking chain.
After all, people might engage in beheading for profit—but no one stays in a business that only loses money.
Scrolling further, he noticed that most of the arrests in the photos were carried out by members of the Criminal Investigation Special Response Team. Zhu Yuan, Seth Lowell, and Qingyi appeared at different scenes—it seemed they had been genuinely busy, moving quickly once the evidence was secured.
Naturally, he also saw that familiar name in the reports—Justin Bringer. Every outlet sang his praises, claiming his brilliant command and foresight, saying he had planted informants around these people long ago and was fully prepared for the arrests.
What a load of nonsense. If he truly had that capability, these people would've been caught long ago—why wait until now? Wasn't he just stealing his subordinates' credit to build momentum for his campaign to become Chief Commissioner of the Janus Quarter?
Watching this righteous-looking man give interviews, spouting grandiose platitudes, Ignis felt nothing but disgust. Beneath that facade of justice lay something terrifyingly hollow. He had few real achievements, surviving almost entirely on the blood and sweat of those under him.
And that was all.
Undercover agents like Jane Doe provided the leads and evidence. Public Security officers of the Criminal Investigation Special Response Team carried out the arrests. Yet the one basking in media attention and public praise was this man.
Ignis shook his head and closed the news. There was nothing worth seeing—hardly any real information about the cases or criminals, replaced instead by lengthy features on Bringer's past.
Hero who conquered Hollows. From drifter to officer—an arduous journey.
Enough already.
He was about to put his phone away when it vibrated again. Annoyed, he almost ignored it—until the ringtone started.
It was Markus.
Ignis immediately answered. A call from him meant important intelligence.
"Hello there, my dear friend. It's been a while since you came by to catch up," the black-market dealer said, tone as affected as ever.
"I've been busy. What is it? If it's nothing, I'm hanging up," Ignis replied flatly.
"Hey, hey, hey! You can't only contact me to say 'I need a favor' or 'I need your help.' We've cooperated a few times, but we're not in a superior-subordinate relationship, are we?"
"If there's nothing else, I really am hanging up."
"Alright, alright. Since you're my customer—and an important external ally," Markus relented. "Though it's not about human trafficking, I do have some other intel."
"One of my downstream contacts recently made a massive purchase. Large quantities of firearms and ammunition, razor wire, and even autonomous tactical mechs—with serial numbers and proper documentation. He used to be a small fry flipping a few guns and a few hundred rounds. This sudden volume is very strange."
"I sent people to watch him. Guess who he was trading with?"
Ignis felt a headache coming on. He had no patience for riddles right now.
"Just say it. I'm not in the mood for games."
Hearing the irritation in his voice, Markus clicked his tongue in mild dissatisfaction, then continued.
"A group of security personnel."
"Are you kidding me? Security buying weapons is normal," Ignis snapped. "Why are you bothering me with this now?"
But realization struck him almost immediately. Security teams had legitimate procurement channels. There were licensed companies for that. Even purchasing decommissioned security robots or autonomous tactical mechs was possible.
So why the black market? It was far more expensive there—unless they needed to exceed government-imposed quantity limits while still being able to produce documents during inspections.
Legally exceeding quotas… What were they planning?
"Wait. Security personnel? From where? How much did they buy?" Ignis's tone softened instantly.
"Oh? Now you know how to speak nicely?" Markus teased. Still, he didn't push it—at most, he'd just raise prices next time Ignis bought something.
"Saint Love Behavioral Correction School. Apparently, their security. As for how much—just the intel fee alone could buy you an apartment."
Hearing that name, Ignis's mind exploded.
"A school's security bought massive amounts of weapons and autonomous tactical mechs? What do they need that for?"
"Strange, right? That's why I sent Jaxcalibur to 'greet' my contact. Combined with other channels, we reconstructed the situation. Want to hear it?"
That damned blue pompadour was dangling the bait again.
"…Fine. I admit my attitude earlier wasn't great. Please tell me."
Ignis conceded quickly—after all, Vesmir Forson had entrusted him with finding information on Fischer Dragovich.
"Since you apologized sincerely—and as a valued long-term customer and friend—I'll be generous," Markus said, barely hiding his delight. This was the first time he'd ever scored a win against the giant.
"Saint Love Behavioral Correction School has a massive weapons shortfall. Rumor is that after relocating the campus, they've been moving students through a Hollow. They need heavy armament to ensure transport operations aren't disrupted by Ethereals."
"They're transferring students through a Hollow? In large numbers, enough to require extensive security?"
Ignis recalled his earlier conversation with Von Lycaon. The school had been using Hollows for student transfers, but moving people in bulk was hard to hide.
This was a breakthrough—he realized it instantly.
"Transporting and handing over weapons at that scale is difficult. Where did the transaction happen? I need to have a word with them."
"The deal's already done. Sorry. By the time I traced it, it was over. But with that order volume, they'll definitely need resupply—ammo and Fuel. Over-quota tactical mechs can't be supplied through official channels, and buying ammo and Fuel legally requires extensive documentation."
"And as the largest arms dealer in Gray Street's black market, I'll keep an eye on any large-scale weapons transactions," Markus said confidently. "Any suspicious movement, I'll let you know. See? I'm watching your request all the time."
"Thanks so much," Ignis said dryly, rolling his eyes. "By the way—any progress on Fantasy's new distribution routes or the human trafficking issue?"
"Honestly, those overlap little with my business. Drug dealers and traffickers only need a few guns for protection. Large-volume markets like mine rarely intersect with them. I'll have people watch my downstream contacts for any new info."
"So, no news."
"Correct."
Markus's blunt honesty hit Ignis hard. While Fischer's matter had seen some progress, the issue that truly tormented him—the drug Fantasy—remained untouched.
The nameless fire in his chest burned hotter, agitation making him want to punch something.
The prolonged silence made Markus uneasy. After calling out a few "hello?"s, he wisely hung up. The shrewd dealer clearly sensed the giant's emotions nearing eruption.
Ignis drew in a deep breath, forcing his mind to relax. He needed to free himself from this boundless anger to think calmly, to untangle the threads connecting these scattered clues.
Yet deep down, the damned Slaanesh cultists were still turning living people into drugs and selling them, ruining countless lives. Calm was hard to come by.
The giant kept reminding himself—calm down. Only by doing so could he peel back the layers and find the single thread tying everything together.
"Yield at once and you may yet retain a shred of dignity!" A familiar sharp shout snapped him back to reality.
Criminal Investigation unit 01NGVI—Qingyi—was swinging her three-section staff while chasing a group of low-key yet sweet-faced male idols. Don't be fooled by how frail they looked on screen; once they started sprinting, even Qingyi—at just 1.42 meters tall—couldn't catch them.
Of course, it was also possible she was deliberately letting them tire themselves out to reduce resistance.
"A-Cui, Inspector! Eugene!" she called out twice. A Public Security Bangboo and a black-backed police dog accelerated beside her.
Why did that Bangboo pull out a fake set of dentures and put it where its mouth should be—then use its sound array to play barking noises?
So Bangboo were replacing police dogs now?
Ignis felt a bit of that unique New Eridu shock, but the fleeing idol group was already closing in on him.
"Get out of the way, you ugly freak!" the leader shouted, even swinging a fist at the Salamander.
He was already in a foul mood—and someone just had to provoke him. Helping Public Security apprehend criminals counted as righteous action, right?
Holding back his strength as much as possible, he threw a single punch, sending the provocateur flying. Qingyi seamlessly caught the unlucky man midair.
The rest froze in shock, trying to change direction, but Eugene the police dog and the Bangboo Inspector A-Cui had already surrounded them.
Faced with gleaming teeth—one canine, one mechanical—they gave up resistance.
"Didn't expect to run into you here. Looks like you've recovered well," The Salamander greeted Qingyi.
"Thank you for your concern. Your assistance the other day was invaluable—today as well," the oversized Bangboo replied, cuffing the suspects and calling for backup. "The matter you entrusted—Zhu Yuan is working on it."
She was referring to Cerakos's citizenship. After learning Ignis had connections within Public Security, the Lamenter had promptly applied.
"Then I'll leave it in your care," Ignis said, managing a faint smile—though it wasn't much better than his earlier gloom.
Qingyi seemed about to say more when Ignis's phone rang again.
"What?" Ignis's expression twisted into fury, flames igniting in his eyes. "I'll be back immediately."
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, barely managing to rein in his expression.
"I have something urgent to handle. Goodbye."
He spoke quickly, already turning away without waiting for a reply.
"If you need assistance, contact us at once," Qingyi called after his rapidly departing figure.
===BREAK===
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