Hearing Seth's words, the junior officer at the front desk nodded. Rank-wise, Seth—now part of the Criminal Investigation Special Task Force—outranked her by quite a bit.
With a superior's approval and everything by the book, she had no reason to object.
"Come on, Zane. At this time of day... our senior's probably in the office sipping tea."
Seth led Zane into the Public Security Bureau, his large, fluffy tail swaying behind him.
Tsk... Now that he thought about it, there were all kinds of tails: cat tails, wolf tails, lynx tails, mouse tails, even shark tails... A whole collection.
"Hey, Zane—how's Hare's House doing? I remember you're part of that group too, right?"
Seth turned back with a curious look. Last night's overly enthusiastic robot had left him more than a little tired.
"They're probably busy suing Vision Industry. What, the Public Security Bureau hasn't caught wind of it?"
Zane glanced into one of the offices, where police officers were at work, then turned back to Seth.
"The media's all over it—wouldn't the Bureau be too?"
"The Bureau is keeping an eye on it, yeah, but this case is way above my pay grade. Even if I get involved, it's just minor stuff. I can't handle anything major."
Seth sighed, visibly frustrated. Even his bouncy little ears drooped slightly.
"Chief Zhu Yuan is working so hard to bring justice to those people, standing up to a corrupt mega-corp… and here I am, barely able to help."
Zane was about to offer some words of comfort when Seth suddenly perked up, changing the subject with renewed energy.
"But one day, I'll grow into an excellent security officer! I'll carry out justice, punish evil, and defend the innocent!"
Hearing that, Zane swallowed his words. Clearly, Seth didn't need encouragement—he was plenty fired up.
A hot-blooded idiot through and through.
"Oh right, Zane—do you know the 'Fire Picker'? That guy who's all over the internet right now? I ran into him yesterday in the Dead End Hollows during the operation."
As he spoke, Seth recalled the scene and gave a little shudder.
Back then, he had no idea who the "Fire Picker" really was—definitely didn't know this guy could solo the Defense Force.
If things had gone even a little worse... his senior Qingyi and Chief Zhu Yuan might've been holding a memorial for him right now.
"Yeah, I've heard of him. So? What happened between you two?"
Seeing that Seth wanted to vent, Zane played along and asked.
"Oh man, let me tell you…"
...
Moments later, inside the Criminal Investigation Special Task Force office.
"Hm?"
Qingyi paused mid-pour as the sound of approaching footsteps reached her.
Someone coming at this hour…?
Zhu Yuan was off resting, so it was probably Seth handling some casework related to Vision Industry, but...
It might also be Zane.
A hint of anticipation flickered in Qingyi's eyes.
Then Seth's voice rang from outside the door.
"I was seriously pissed off at the time…"
Qingyi sighed softly, turned back, and went to stir the tea—just as another voice cut in.
"Oh? Is that so? Sounds like you really don't like him."
Her eyes lit up. She looked up again to see Seth pushing the door open, with Zane stepping in behind him.
Knew it. No way Zane would stand her up.
And right on time, too.
"Yeah! If you ask me, that 'Fire Picker' is a reckless, lawless Ethereal—just doing whatever he wants because he's strong!"
"I'll admit he beat me fair and square, but then he stole my badge! That's just low—it was humiliating..."
Seth was deep into the story, getting worked up as he berated the "Fire Picker." Meanwhile, Qingyi glanced at Zane, who was smiling and greeting her with a slight nod.
Her face darkened.
Seth... are you trying to win yourself a martyr's plaque at the Bureau or what?
"Zane, back me up—am I right or not?!"
Seth turned to Zane, hoping he'd agree. In his mind, someone as righteous as Zane had to be on the same page.
"Ahem, Seth—I've got an assignment for you."
Seth froze. Seeing how serious Qingyi looked, he immediately stood at attention.
"Yes, Senior!"
"Yesterday morning, the Task Force received a new case. Fourteenth Street is under reconstruction, but a 'ferocious beast' has been roaming the area and disrupting progress. We've been asked to intervene."
"But it's a tricky one—even Zhu Yuan couldn't come up with a solution. After giving it some thought, I realized… you're the most suitable person for the job."
"So Seth, I'm entrusting this mission to you!"
"For the people of Fourteenth Street—for their return to a normal, peaceful life."
"Seth, you're the only one who can take this on!"
Qingyi delivered her lines with all the passion of a national speech. Seth, inspired by her resolve, practically burned with determination.
"Senior, I swear I'll complete the mission!"
"No matter how tough it gets—I'll overcome it all!"
He didn't understand why the mission had come out of nowhere, or why something Zhu Yuan couldn't handle was suddenly his responsibility...
But he believed in his senior. If she said he could do it, then he could.
"All right, all right—keep it down. People will think we're hazing the newbies."
Qingyi waved off the drama as her expression returned to normal.
"You can grab the case file from the archives yourself. It's in Section C-6. Good luck."
"Got it, Senior!"
With his mission assigned, Seth completely forgot about the "Fire Picker." He said goodbye to Zane and left with purpose.
Zane watched him go, then turned his gaze to Qingyi, now calmly sitting and cleaning up her teacups. He blinked.
Something felt off.
A wild beast on Fourteenth Street...?
What, did something escape from a zoo?
"Senior, if even Zhu Yuan couldn't handle it, isn't it dangerous to send Seth alone?"
Zane knew Zhu Yuan's capabilities—among the people he'd worked with, she was top-tier. If she was stumped...
Could Seth really pull this off?
"If the Task Force is really short on people, I can help. As your disciple... that wouldn't break any rules, would it?"