The rich tobacco flavor of the men's cigarette filled her lungs, stinging her mouth. Under the influence of nicotine, her tense emotions slowly relaxed. But smoking was harmful to health, and Daisy didn't want to get lung cancer. After exhaling a puff of smoke, she dropped the cigarette and stared straight at Dean. "You'd better keep everything you saw today a secret for me, or I swear I'll take you down with me!"

Dean raised his hands in surrender. "Don't be like that, Daisy. I'm the one who saved your life!"

"Get lost!" Daisy stood up, tiptoed, and leaned close to Dean's ear, her voice becoming unprecedentedly soft and alluring. "One thing at a time. As a token of gratitude..."

Ah, this... Dean's mind raced with possibilities upon hearing her suggestive words. Is she going to repay my life-saving deed with her body? This hardly seems like the right place for it.

While he was lost in his wild thoughts, hot breath escaped her soft, pink lips, grazing Dean's earlobe. Dean felt a gentle touch that vanished as quickly as it came. By the time he tried to savor the moment, Daisy had already returned to her seat, acting as if nothing had happened.

Dean touched his damp earlobe, slightly disappointed. "Is that it?"

"Shut up!" Daisy's cheeks flushed. She glared at Dean and quickly changed the subject. "Where's Harry? And how did you know Haver was still here?"

Seeing that Daisy didn't want to continue that topic, Dean had no choice but to follow her lead. "After receiving Haver's phone call, I had Harry contact his old flame at the precinct. She helped pull the surveillance footage covering the area from the interrogation room to the office. Now Harry is stationed outside with some men, just in case Haver has accomplices coming for him. All right, I'll take care of this. You head to the hospital and get your wounds treated. Besides, if any cases come up at the precinct now, they can notify me directly."

「Soon afterward.」

Harry arrived at the office with several patrol officers. Daisy was assisted by a female patrol officer and headed to the hospital for treatment. While everyone was dealing with the mess in the office, Dean pulled Harry aside. "Harry, do me a favor. Go to the hospital and keep an eye on Molly, Haver's wife. Remember, you don't need to get close; just observe her situation."

"No need to lie in wait?" Harry asked, confused. Molly might be attacked, yet Dean isn't letting him guard her. Is he giving up on the counterfeit money case?

"We don't need to worry about that anymore. This case could be risky, so I'm preparing to hand it over to the FBI. They'll definitely be interested in a case involving up to a ton of counterfeit money so convincing it could deceive even the experts."

Hearing there were risks, Harry visibly recoiled. "Although it's a shame, I think you're doing the right thing," he said immediately. "A police officer who can't protect themselves isn't a good one. There are always more cases, but you only have one life."

The moment Harry left, Dean picked up the office phone. He called Old Hunter, who had taken over Monet's position as the new captain of the Fourth Squad, to report the situation.

On the other end of the line, Old Hunter was comfortably reclining in the captain's office chair. As he listened to Dean recount the events, he rubbed his forehead, a hint of a headache creeping in. "Dean, why do I feel like every case you encounter is either bizarre or a major one?"

"It's all results, isn't it, Captain Hunter?" Dean emphasized the word "Captain."

"AHEM." Upon hearing Dean, this young man, now also addressing him as 'Captain,' Old Hunter instinctively straightened up, feeling a pleasant thrill as if every pore had opened. Indeed. No matter how gifted this kid is, he still has to call me 'Captain' respectfully. Can't let this young man look down on me!

Old Hunter deliberately coughed twice, adopting Monet's tone. "I understand. Send a report with the details to my email. As for the FBI, I'll contact them."

"Alright, Captain Hunter!"

「The old man wasn't slow to act.」

「The next morning.」

Agent Cheston En, an old acquaintance, arrived at the Central Precinct's morgue with his new partner. This was the third time Cheston En had interacted with Dean. The first time, there had been some unpleasantness between them. The second time, Cheston En had lost his partner and mentor, and had personally helped retrieve the body of his 'fallen' colleague. Each time, Cheston En's attitude towards Dean became more enthusiastic.

He eagerly introduced his new partner. "Detective Dean, this is my new partner, Senior Agent Asia. She's also the deputy director of the Los Angeles field office's operations team."

Wow! Dean looked at Cheston En, who seemed to be putting on airs with his new connection, and was somewhat surprised. This impetuous rookie seems to be climbing the ladder quite effectively, having managed to latch onto a deputy director.

Asia was a Black woman in her forties with an expressionless face. From the moment she arrived at the precinct, she wore a constipated look, giving off an unapproachable aura. She scrutinized Dean, then, without introducing herself, got straight to the point. "Detective Dean, I've read your report. The secret chamber in the abandoned factory has also been found by my colleagues from the operations team. Where is the crucial counterfeit printing plate?"

Dean was sure that Asia, as a deputy director, must be aware of his status as an FBI special consultant. But this clearly hadn't earned him any special treatment. She's a difficult woman to deal with.

Thinking this, Dean frowned slightly. "The report is quite clear. The suspect, Haver, was full of lies. He even kidnapped my colleague and was ultimately killed by me. The only people who might know anything now are his wife and son. You should focus your efforts on them."

"You needn't worry about that." Asia extended her hand towards Cheston En. Like a lackey, Cheston En retrieved a file from his briefcase. Dean noticed it was an autopsy report.

Asia tossed the autopsy report onto Haver's white-sheet-covered body, her eyes fixed on Dean. "Then how do you explain the injuries on Haver's body? His forehead suffered multiple heavy blows; it was completely caved in and shattered, resulting in severe intracranial trauma. His lower body was also heavily struck, and his face bore the mark of a slap. I have reason to suspect you subjected Haver to brutal interrogation. Then, after subduing him, you silenced him for some reason!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the already cold morgue became even more deathly silent.

Cheston En, standing behind Asia, was dumbfounded. This scene was all too familiar to him. Not long ago, his former partner, Ruth, had an unpleasant conversation with Dean. Shortly after, she died in the line of duty. He was the one who had collected her body. Cheston En hadn't expected this. Despite his earnest and repeated warnings, the female boss he'd worked so hard to ingratiate himself with—practically selling his charm—was still showing such blatant hostility towards Dean. Am I going to have to find a new patron to latch onto again?

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.