Ke-style law enforcement officers

Chapter 52 Wish you good luck
The following day, the Chengnan Law Enforcement Office.

Milo received a new waist pouch and a re-sharpened Bowie knife.

On his second day on the job, he put on a full set of law enforcement officer gear, including the built-in shirt, vest, and tie.

The Criminal Investigation Department office was still empty, just like yesterday. Milo had not yet seen his colleagues who were out on fieldwork.

Old Theon didn't show up either. Milo greeted the people from the next department and then headed straight for Adam Village.

He had been thinking about his conversation with Emma the night before and realized that Emma's approach was the one that would actually work.

First of all, regardless of the Sherman family's titles, these matters involve top-level members of Parliament, and with Milo's current abilities, it's very difficult to influence them. Treating the Sherman family as a hostile entity would be too difficult; finding an opportunity to sabotage them from within is the only feasible approach.

Since the Sherman family itself is not a monolithic entity, it means that opportunities exist.

However, Milo currently has far too little information.

He needs to gather more intelligence.

At that moment, a code name popped into Milo's mind—crocodile.

Milo considered waiting until old Theon returned to find out more before setting off, because ultimately he didn't know if Crocodile could be trusted. After all, Adam Village was a gray area that helped the noble class make money, and asking the nobles' lackeys about the nobles' information sounded pretty absurd.

But Milo couldn't wait any longer. He didn't know where old Theon had gone, so he gritted his teeth and went to Adam Village again.

……

The familiar back room of the casino.

Crocodile sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, his face grim as he pointed to the empty casino lobby outside the door and said:
"That old codger Theon told me that after yesterday's show, no one in black would be showing up at my place for almost two months. And this is only the day after! How am I supposed to do business like this?"

"Is that so? He didn't mention this to me."

Milo sat on the sofa opposite the crocodile, toying with the cigar tongs from yesterday: "Business goes on as usual, I'm not here to arrest anyone."

"Then what are you doing all this way here? Do you want to play a few hands of cards too?"

“No, that’s not it. I don’t understand gambling.” Milo waved his hand. “Old Theon told me yesterday that you’re his friend here… so I thought maybe you’d be willing to do me a small favor.”

"You go first," the crocodile replied without hesitation, twirling his ring.

"I want to see someone."

"Who?"

Harrison Sherman.

Upon hearing the name Milo blurted out, a strange smile appeared on the crocodile's pockmarked face: "I thought you two were like oil and water."

“We do have some unpleasant past issues, but he’s on the inspection committee, and I’m an enforcement officer. In my job, he’s supposed to supervise me. So, to make things easier in the future, I want to ease the tension between us.” Milo lied without batting an eye, without making any strange gestures.

The crocodile lowered its head slightly and raised its eyelids, staring intently at Milo in this manner.

He blinked after a long while:
"I've heard about you. It was all over the news a while ago. A lot of people have heard about it. You cut off Dylan's son Cillian's thing, and what happened at the law enforcement office afterwards. Everyone knows about it... Milovarrokan, the top scorer in this year's law enforcement assessment. Are you sure you want to meet the Sherman family? To be honest, there are quite a few people in the law enforcement system watching you right now."

"Furthermore, my business here has little to do with the Sherman family. You've come to the wrong person by asking me to help you contact Harrison Sherman. I suggest you go directly to the Oversight Committee to see him; you might have a better chance of meeting him there."

……

Milo did not respond immediately.

He rested his chin on his hand, carefully considering what the crocodile was saying and his tone.

Seeing that Milo didn't react, the crocodile simply spoke directly:

“I know what you’re testing. Let me put it this way: I can tell you clearly that my business has nothing to do with the Sherman family. If you have any questions, just ask me. Normally, you have to pay to ask me for information, but old Theon is retiring in two years, and I’d like to find a new friend who works in the law enforcement agency. Is that enough sincerity? You should understand what I mean.”

"Is it that obvious? Fine, I won't pretend anymore." Milo shrugged.

"You should look in the mirror and see if there's even a hint of reconciliation with Harrison on your face," the crocodile said, biting into his cigar and grinning maliciously.

Milo chuckled awkwardly, as if his little trick had been exposed, and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Well, we still have to test it out, right? Otherwise, it would seem like I'm being disrespectful to the brothers you've set up in the rooms on the left and right."

Upon hearing this, the crocodile's expression froze.

……

"Hesitant." The crocodile nodded. "Is it that obvious?"

“You should look in the mirror too,” Milo said with a not-so-friendly smile, returning the words the crocodile had said earlier.

Before Milo could press further, the crocodile pondered for a moment before spilling everything: "Many people are watching you. I received a bounty for your life. It's not just me; everyone in Adam Village has received one."

"Just wondering, how much is my life worth?" Milo asked calmly. "20," the crocodile replied frankly. "But I heard that the bounty at the very top is 50, and by the time it reaches our village, it's reduced to less than half."

"It's gotten to the point where I'm tempted to offer myself up there." Milo knew without asking who was paying for his life.

“No one here would be stupid enough to take on this kind of business. If you messed with a law enforcement officer in Yaden Village, the other villagers would chop you up and send you to the law enforcement office to claim credit.” Crocodile touched his slightly balding head.

"Idiot?" Milo spread his hands, making no attempt to hide the sarcasm in his words.

"Say what you will, I did arrange for people, but I didn't touch you, that's a fact, isn't it? If you really wanted that 20 runes, I could do it right now, there's no need to argue with you here." The crocodile had an attitude of "a dead pig is not afraid of boiling water".

"Fine, it's a wasted trip."

Milo shook his head, stood up, and prepared to leave.

In his view, Crocodile is a pure "businessman," like a wolf drawn by the scent of "profit," pouncing wherever there is meat. Without an equivalent exchange of benefits, don't expect to get any intelligence from him.

"What's wrong? Are you sad?"

The crocodile remained seated on the sofa, its large, yellow teeth quite eye-catching as it grinned.

"Didn't I say I'm looking for new friends? After all, we have our own identities and roles. You didn't explain why you came in, so it's reasonable for me to have some people with me for protection. Tell me, what information do you want about the Sherman family? I can tell you everything I know. This is the first and only time I'll offer this free service. Don't miss out!"

Milo had only taken a couple of steps when he turned around, smiled, and said two words: "Scandal."

"The Sherman family has a long history of scandals, and the Day of the Dead incident is the hottest one right now. You should know more about it than I do," Crocodile joked, but when he noticed Milo's expression darken upon hearing about the Day of the Dead, he immediately changed his tune:

"About what happened that day, ah... have you ever thought about why, after you stabbed Dylan's own son Cillian, it was Cillian's uncle Harrison who, in a desperate act, rushed to the law enforcement office to bite people?"

Milo didn't immediately understand what the crocodile meant from his expression and tone: "Why? Is there a deep bond between uncle and nephew?"

"Think about it carefully."

The crocodile's amused smile deepened, becoming as lewd as could be.

Milo really didn't understand what he meant.

In Milo's view, only Harrison, the youngest son in the second generation of the Sherman family, held a position in the power structure. His older brother and sister were only responsible for the business operations of the family business. On Day of the Dead, Harrison's disruptive behavior at the law enforcement office as an inspector was not a problem in Milo's opinion.

Why is Harrison the one who appears, instead of Cillian's biological father, Dylan?

Milo had never really thought about this question.

……

"I can't say it outright."

The crocodile shook its head, puffing out smoke as it chewed on a cigar.

"Go for a stroll around the pleasure house after dark, and you should find the answer. That's all I can say."

"A pleasure house?"

Milo was even more confused now.

How can the things mentioned earlier be related to the pleasure house?
Isn't the pleasure house the place Yan has always wanted to go...?

……

"Is that all? Nothing else?"

Milo put his hands in his pockets, waiting for the crocodile to continue.

"Actually, there are many more scattered stories, but there's no evidence, so it's hard to say. Anyway, right now, Grace and Dylan are locked in a fierce battle within Sherman Corporation. As for whether Harrison has taken sides, nobody really knows... Hmm... By the way, there's something else you might be interested in."

"What is it?"

"Because of his children's infighting, Earl Edward should be returning to Nanwei City from the royal capital soon. He may be making a final decision on the succession to the title, and of course, part of the reason may also be that his grandson's tools of crime have been confiscated." The crocodile revealed a very important piece of information.

"any left?"

"That's basically it. If I had to say there's any other information... I can only give you a heads-up: of the three siblings in the second generation of the Sherman family, you should definitely not mess with the eldest daughter."

"That 'castor bean lady'?"

"Well, it seems you already know, so I won't say anything more."

The crocodile grinned.

"Although I don't know what you're planning, if you survive, I think we can become friends. Good luck."

(End of this chapter)