Build an ancient-level power in the nightmare world

As Riley stared at the faint smile on Reuben's face, his expression grew even more serious.

He knew Ruben wasn't joking.

This lawyer is really capable of suing the entire Rom police system.

If an administrative lawsuit is actually filed, regardless of the final outcome, he, as the head of the serious crimes unit, will get into a lot of trouble.

Just as Riley was caught in a dilemma, the young man following Hayes suddenly stepped forward and spoke.

His voice was low and emotionless. His gaze fell on Officer Riley as he said calmly:

"Officer Riley, I am Elliott Windsor, the private investigator commissioned by the Duke to investigate this case."

"We will not interfere with the police investigation. But similarly, we hope the police will not interfere with our investigation."

Officer Riley was furious when he heard this.

He abruptly turned to look at Elliott, his sharp gaze sweeping over the young man from head to toe. He had no recollection of this private detective.

The police department does cooperate with some private investigators, but they always contact these investigators proactively to assist in the investigation. No investigator has ever dared to speak to him, the head of the serious crimes unit, like this.

Riley rebuked him coldly:

"Private investigator? This is a formal criminal investigation scene by the police. It's not your place to interfere."

Riley's eyes were unfriendly as he warned, "You'd better not get involved here until our police investigation is over."

Elliott's expression remained unchanged; he merely raised his eyes slightly, his tone still calm, yet carrying a chilling coldness:

"Officer Riley, the Duke just wants to know who dared to cause this kind of trouble at his daughter's party. The police are investigating yours, we're investigating ours, and we won't interfere with each other."

"Of course, I also hope that your police won't make a mess of the scene and destroy crucial clues. After all, not every clue is something your police can spot."

The sarcasm in those words was almost palpable.

Officer Riley was trembling with anger, his hand already on his sidearm, about to explode, when Attorney Ruben immediately stepped forward, smiling as he tried to smooth things over:

"Officer Riley, Mr. Elliott was a bit blunt, please don't take it to heart."

"The Duke simply wants to find out the truth as soon as possible and give all the frightened guests an explanation, which is the same as the police's goal."

"How about this: we'll have all the guests leave their detailed contact information and addresses, ensuring they're available whenever needed and will cooperate with the police's follow-up investigation."

"Please let everyone leave first. After all, it's not a good idea to keep so many people here."

Attorney Ruben's words gave Officer Riley a way out.

Officer Riley gave Hayes a displeased look, then glanced around at the disgruntled guests.

He knew in his heart that if he continued to withhold the money, it would only make the matter more difficult to resolve.

After a few seconds of silence, Riley finally gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice to the officer beside him:

"Check the information with everyone one by one again, and after confirming that everything is correct... let them leave."

"Oh, right, everyone needs to have a full-body photo and a close-up of their face."

"Yes, team leader," the officer replied immediately.

At the same time, one of the officers quickly stepped forward and whispered in Riley's ear, "Team leader, with so many people, and each person needs to have two photos taken, we might not have enough film we brought this time."

Upon hearing this, a hint of helplessness flashed in Riley's eyes.

Film cameras have only been around for a little over a decade. Film is expensive, and developing it is even more costly. Photographs are only used to preserve important evidence that is difficult to preserve.

If we use so much film at once, the logistics department will probably call us again.

He glanced at the crowd and ordered again, "Then take a group photo of everyone. Each person's personal information and the group photo should be matched with a number."

"Yes, team leader," the officer replied immediately.

The guests present breathed a sigh of relief, and smiles finally appeared on their faces as they stepped forward to register their information.

As long as we can leave quickly, taking a picture is no big deal.

Some people at the scene even began to straighten their clothes, and they once again put on their aristocratic airs.

Because everyone wanted to leave as soon as possible, they all stepped forward to register their information, which inevitably made the scene a bit chaotic.

Suddenly, the roar of a car engine came from outside the villa gate again.

A black sedan slowly pulled up in front of the gate. The door opened, and two men in black uniforms strode in.

It was Ethan and Raymond, members of the third torchbearer team who had arrived.

The two men entered through the gate, their eyes quickly scanning the scene before finally settling on Officer Riley, and then they walked towards him.

Ethan pulled a black identification booklet from his inside pocket, walked up to Officer Riley, opened the booklet, and flashed it at him.

He quickly put his ID away, lowered his voice, and spoke in a volume only the two of them could hear:

"Officer Riley, Imperial Special Affairs Bureau, Rom City Branch. We've taken over this case."

The moment Officer Riley saw the black badge, his pupils contracted sharply, and the anger and dissatisfaction on his face vanished instantly, leaving only a solemn expression.

As someone who had personally experienced the system reform and had worked in the public security and police system for nearly twenty years, he certainly knew what this Special Affairs Administration Bureau was.

Strictly speaking, the other party and the police belong to the same system, but their permissions are completely different.

That was a special agency of the empire that handled major incidents related to national security. It was said that the people in this unit all had some special abilities.

For any case handled by this agency, the police must unconditionally transfer all materials, fully cooperate, and refrain from any interference.

……

The noise at the scene continued, and Ethan and Raymond did not interfere with Officer Riley's decision, agreeing to take photos of the guests for record-keeping and then let them leave.

The group photo has been taken.

The guests only glanced at the two men in black who had suddenly appeared a few times before continuing to cooperate with the police officers to verify information.

For most guests, getting out of here as quickly as possible is the most important thing.

Attorney Ruben merely glanced meaningfully at the two men in black who had suddenly appeared, seemingly without any intention of investigating, and continued to speak quietly with Constance.

Detective Elliott leaned against a pillar in the porch, his cold gaze sweeping over everyone present. When his gaze fell on the two men next to Officer Riley, he paused for a couple of seconds.

The police, top lawyers from leading law firms, mysterious private investigators, and then two men in black who suddenly appear with unknown identities, but whose identities are not simple, judging from Officer Riley's reaction.

Chris, who was standing aside and silently watching everything that was happening, couldn't help but feel a sense of seriousness in his eyes.

This seemingly accidental loss of control of the carriage was clearly far more complicated than he had imagined.