Hearing Ai Qing's response, the legal affairs commissioner laughed instead.
"I haven't heard that the Astronomical Society has any capable officers in Xinhai!" sneered the middle-aged man. "Don't just send any Tom, Dick, or Harry to deal with the situation and call it done. We want results."
"Tom, Dick, or Harry?"
Ai Qing's eyebrows raised. "If you consider a Sublimator to be just any Tom, Dick, or Harry, even after he killed an international criminal from Green Day and quelled The Purified People's unrest in Xinhai within a week of joining, then I can only say Wanli must be teeming with talent. Fifth Stage talents must be as plentiful as clouds there."
The legal affairs commissioner was taken aback for a moment, not expecting Ai Qing to have someone with such an impressive record under her command. Then he looked at the manager with suspicion. Was this woman trying to trap me?
The manager seemed to remember something, involuntarily wiped the sweat from his forehead, and quietly shook his head at the legal affairs commissioner, signaling him not to dwell on this issue.
"It seems you have doubts about his abilities? Quite normal, I suppose, since he's just a seventeen-year-old Little Brag."
Ai Qing's words seemed to intentionally expose weaknesses, which made the commissioner, who had been hesitant, suddenly look more stern. But then, he heard her say:
"But I have to say, even though that guy has a good temper, his methods are anything but... gentle."
As she spoke, Ai Qing reached into a compartment of her wheelchair and pulled out a thick stack of reports, placing them in front of the legal affairs commissioner.
That stack of death reports was a good two fingers thick.
Or rather, it was quite the record of achievements...
An appalling record of kills that even elite seeds cultivated by various Genealogies with abundant resources could hardly match. The top three reports were especially notable.
Aside from Red Gloves, Green Day's operative in the Current Circumstances, the reports notably included Wanli's former major clients: the Qi Wen father and son. Nearly the entire family was killed by that guy. This occurred within a mere week, all while he was supposedly still in prison undergoing interrogation.
Even now, the overpass mentioned in the damage report has yet to be repaired!
Ai Qing considerately asked, "If you really have any objections to his investigation, why don't you discuss it with him face-to-face? I'll call him over right now..."
"No need, no need!"
The legal affairs commissioner struggled to shift his gaze from those gruesome crime scene photos and squeezed out a smile with difficulty.
"Then it seems we at least have reached consensus on this matter."
Ai Qing nodded with satisfaction. "You said you wanted results. What a coincidence, so do I."
While saying this, her pen tapped on the record in front of her, revealing a polite, formulaic smile. "But before that, we need to clarify what needs to be clarified, right?"
So, the investigation continued.
.
.
In the evening, Huai Shi received a call from Ai Qing.
When he arrived anxiously, Ai Qing seemed to have been waiting for a while. She was sitting in the living room drinking tea, looking composed and at ease.
After Huai Shi entered, she glanced at him, signaled for him to sit down, and then lowered her head to drink her tea.
Her first words after putting down her teacup startled Huai Shi to his feet.
"Looks like it was quite a fruitful effort?"
"Uh... what did you say?"
Huai Shi's expression twitched. "I didn't catch that."
"Ah, then maybe I got it wrong."
Ai Qing pointed to the document on the table and pushed it towards him. Huai Shi picked it up and was completely baffled. "Operation authorization? What operation?"
"A few days ago, a serious robbery occurred in Xinhai. A suspected Roman Alchemist robbed the Wanli Group's vault and absconded with merchandise worth tens of millions..."
There was never that much!
Huai Shi almost blurted out, holding back with great effort and managed a strained smile. "That's outrageous, isn't it?"
"Indeed. That is why we in the Astronomical Society must thoroughly investigate."
Ai Qing glanced at him and said, "This task falls to you."
"Uh..." Huai Shi hesitated. "What if I can't catch him? Cough, cough, I mean, if I were the suspect, I'd surely hit and run, right? I can't possibly search everywhere, can I?"
"If you can't handle it, then you can't. Just report to headquarters and issue a reward; that'll be the end of it. There are countless unsolved cases like this every year. Since it's not a major one, we don't even have the manpower to assign to it."
Ai Qing calmly stated, "It's just that you'll be tagged as ineffective, and it will be another stain on your record."
"Leave it to me."
Huai Shi quickly pocketed the authorization document, his voice full of enthusiasm. "Fighting crime is the unshirkable duty of every Member of the Astronomical Association."
A stain? He couldn't care less about that. With a record like his, it was already thoroughly stained. He was even reprimanded after taking down Qi Wen last time. Besides, he wasn't even a formally registered employee and had no desire for promotion. Just coasting along under this guise was satisfaction enough for him.
"Having such confidence is good."
Ai Qing calmly lifted her teacup, giving him a look. "But when it comes to mutual trust, both you and I have a long way to go and much to learn..."
Huai Shi pretended not to hear.
"How about we start by helping each other?" Ai Qing suddenly suggested.
"Huh?"
"Do you have any plans for tonight?" asked Ai Qing. "Like with some enthusiastic junior, or maybe the daughter of Director Fu? Or some lady you've suddenly confessed to? I really don't want to disturb your romantic time."