Ke-style law enforcement officers

Chapter 14 Sewer

"That's right. Our kitchen is small and can't store much food. We have to go and buy a batch every few days. I asked a boss I know at the slaughterhouse to regularly deliver some fresh meat here, and he also buys and delivers all the other fruits and vegetables for me."

“Many times he would just leave the cart and all in the kitchen when he delivered it, and I would take the cart back to him when I had time. That’s all.”

The fat boss had no idea what he had done wrong. Being stared at so intently by the two law enforcement officers, beads of sweat streamed down his forehead, and he could barely speak.

……

"That's not right. If it's as you say, then the person who delivered the ingredients to you should also have entry and exit records."

Milo quickly flipped through the notebook, but there were no special notes mentioning who was responsible for transporting the food supplies into the law enforcement office.

"Oh, that old fellow at the slaughterhouse, he can't read."

The chubby uncle shifted his waist and hips:
"I have a notebook in my pocket that records the accounts for every time I buy ingredients. At the end of the month, I hand in this account, and the people in the office will use the corresponding purchase time as the old guy's entry and exit record. That's right."

"What's the name of that old buddy you're talking about? Where does he live?" Rebecca's face began to show murderous intent.

"Uh, I don't know his full name, everyone calls him Old Robben, he's from the 20th parish... I don't really know where he lives..." The fat uncle was completely intimidated by Rebecca's look.

"Speak!" Rebecca slammed her fist on the table.

"Well... well, he lives in his own butcher shop, Old Luo's Butcher Shop, that's the name. Yes, yes, I swear to the law, whatever you two are investigating has absolutely nothing to do with me..."

Before the fat uncle could finish his sentence, Rebecca patted Milo on the shoulder:

"Let's go, arrest them."

……

"Huh? Hey! What about me?"

The fat uncle, locked in the small dark room, watched Rebecca and Milo's departing figures, feeling like crying but unable to shed a tear.

...

The office area of ​​the law enforcement office.

"Bang bang bang!"

Rebecca pounded on the glass window several times with her fists.

"All of you, keep up!"

In an instant, the law enforcement officers who had been drowsy from their night shift stood up abruptly, quickly tidied their equipment, and hurried to catch up with Rebecca.

Milo watched as the men in black trench coats menacingly hoisted their veils and walked out, thinking to himself that they looked more like gangsters than law enforcement officers.

Although he felt that the person he was now pursuing might not necessarily be the murderer, based on the clues he had so far, this old Robben was indeed the most suspicious.

Given Rebecca's temperament, Milo had absolutely no chance of persuading her to calm down and investigate further.

Since Rebecca was so eager to arrest people, Milo took the opportunity to observe everything inside the law enforcement office.

……

All the officers had their horses ready in the courtyard, and led by Rebecca, they set off immediately.

Milo, on the other hand, was at the very back of the line. He stood at the main entrance of the hall, memorizing the faces of every law enforcement officer who passed by him.

Even after all the law enforcement officers had left, he remained inside the law enforcement office and secretly returned to the second floor. He found a very secluded office and quietly watched every movement in the office compound through the window.

Milo found a pack of cigarettes on a desk in the dark office. Regardless of which law enforcement officer left it behind, he would borrow one.

It's true that you're trying to quit smoking, but you have to stop thinking about it. Once you smell that "smoky" aroma again, you'll never be able to shake the thought off your head.

He leaned against the window, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, frantically groping around with both hands, but couldn't find where he had hidden his matchbox.

"This woman is a real idiot. She only found a tiny bit of clue and she went to arrest people in such a big way. It would be a miracle if she could catch them."

Milo has said many times that the killer is likely still in the police station.

But Rebecca forgot what she said as soon as she turned her head.

However, her hurried departure with a large group of people was exactly what Milo wanted.

If the murderer was still patiently hiding inside the law enforcement office, his chance to leave came the moment Rebecca and the others left.

After Rebecca and the others left, the law enforcement office was silent.

Basically, only the gatekeeper and a few people in the law enforcement office lobby remained.

"Damn it... Where's my matchbox? Looks like I'll have to find someone else to be my matchbox besides my cigarette case?"

Milo searched for a long time but couldn't find it.

The cigarette had been in his mouth for a long time, and the mouthpiece was almost soaked with Milo's saliva.

Just then, a dark figure suddenly appeared in the field of vision visible through the window.

The shadowy figure was a tall, muscular man who crossed the courtyard of the law enforcement office.

The lighting in the law enforcement compound was very dim; the shadowy figure would be impossible to spot without careful observation.

Milo could only vaguely see the shadowy figure moving in the darkness for a short while before losing sight of it.

"It's finally here."

He didn't even bother to light a cigarette and rushed downstairs.

Milo realized halfway down the stairs... Hmm, can I beat him?
After all, with Rebecca, the top fighter, gone, Milo only has one stick left in his pocket, or rather two, but only the guard stick is actually usable in a fight.

The current situation did not allow Milo to hesitate for long, so he rushed straight into the courtyard.

However, the spot where he had previously visually sensed movement was now empty; rain was pattering on the broken bluestone floor, and there was no one around.

He stood in the rain, observing his surroundings for a long time, constantly wondering what the murderer's purpose was in suddenly coming here.
Milo ran to the gate and asked the staff on duty.

He feared the murderer had left through the main gate during the ten or so seconds he was downstairs. However, the security guard replied that no one had passed through the gate after Rebecca and the law enforcement officers left.

……

"Did I see it wrong?"

Milo wiped the rain off his face.

"That's not right... I can't be getting old and my eyesight is failing."

Rainwater soaked his coat, trickling down his collar and causing Milo to shiver involuntarily. He paced back and forth in the courtyard, his mind racing:
A person cannot simply disappear into thin air.

I saw someone standing in this spot with my own eyes. How did he leave? Did he go back into the building?

……

This sudden disappearance really left Milo a bit bewildered.

He has great faith in his eyes, but it is precisely because he trusts his eyes so much that he is so confused now.

Milo stared at the raindrops on the floor and muttered to himself:

"How could such a living person just vanish into thin air?"

He muttered to himself, then his eyes suddenly lit up.

"This water..."

He watched as the water on the ground converged towards the drain in the courtyard, and suddenly his mind cleared up.

"Damn, so that's what it is."

……

...

The two law enforcement officers on duty at the gate of the law enforcement office kept a close eye on Milo the whole time.

"Hey, do you think this guy is crazy? I've seen him standing there getting soaked in the rain for ages."

"Who is it? I don't recognize them. They seem to be someone the chief enforcer brought in."

"Is this some kind of idiot?"

"Wait a minute, what is he doing?"

"It looks like he's trying to pry open a manhole cover."

"Holy crap, they've even managed to steal manhole covers and end up at the law enforcement station?!"

"Damn it, stop right now!!!"

...

……

When the two drowsy night shift workers rushed to the "crime scene," Milo had already plunged headfirst into the sewer opening.

"Oh no, is he really an idiot? Why is he crawling through a manhole cover in the middle of the night?"

"Should we put the lid on?"

The two looked at each other.

Just then, Milo's hand and half a head suddenly popped out of the drain, startling the two law enforcement officers.

"Hey buddy, can you do me a favor and get me a kerosene lamp? It's too dark down here."

"What exactly do you want?" The two people on the ground were dumbfounded.

"Stop talking nonsense and bring me that light from your guard post. It's urgent! If you delay your chief's important business, you two are finished!"

Milo shouted so loudly that he intimidated the two of them.

……

Thus, Milo successfully obtained the prop—a kerosene lamp.

If all goes as expected, I also got a hidden title—the manhole cover thief, but that's a story for another time.

Upon entering the underground drainage system, Milo was immediately hit by an extremely pungent, putrid stench.

Fortunately, as a large-scale city, Nanwei City has relatively reasonable municipal infrastructure. The underground drainage network separates rainwater and sewage, and the drainage system that Milo enters is only used for rainwater discharge.

Otherwise, Milo would probably have been suffocated underground by some indescribable odor.

……

"No mistake, he came out through the sewer."

As soon as Milo came down the iron ladder, carrying a kerosene lamp, he spotted some fresh scratches on the inner wall of the underground drainage ditch.

Because it was raining heavily outside, the water in the underground drainage system was flowing very fast, and the water level was directly above Milo's lower body, so he had to be very careful with every step he took.

The light from the kerosene lamp was very weak underground, only illuminating a distance of about three or four meters at both ends of the drainage ditch; beyond that, it was pitch black.

This is for the best; without any lighting, the killer can't move very fast through the drainage system. Milo can't get too close; he can only follow from a distance.
Based on the scratches initially found on the inner wall, Milo determined the direction the killer was heading and then began to follow him.

In this completely enclosed environment, Milo proceeded with extreme caution.

Because if he encounters the murderer, he might not even have a chance to escape.

……

(End of this chapter)