Chapter 49: Intelligence

Cain and Levi follow Vina to a large building less than ten minutes from City Hall. Two guards were at the entrance but moved away once they saw the woman and allowed the trio to enter.

On the outside, the armory resembled a little one-story building, but once they entered, Cain understood that it was an underground facility with many sublevels.

The trio took the elevator and went down one floor. As soon as the gates opened, Cain and Levi saw a corridor with large shelves containing all sorts of boxes. Each of them was tightly closed, and the only designation was a barcode, making it hard for anyone to know what was inside.

Vina was about to speak when a loud and cold voice interrupted her.

“Leave!”

Cain did not even bother to turn to the woman as he shouted that order. He and Levi then walked to the place where the murder took place.

A flash of rage appeared on Vina’s face as she stared at the duo’s back. As Mayor Clacius’ assistant, she enjoyed quite a bit of power in the city, yet Cain treated her as an annoyance.

.....

However, no matter how angry she was, the woman did not dare to defy them. Even if she did not count their background, she was just a Level 1 Essence Wave Warrior, and either could kill her. She returned to the elevator and left the duo alone.

Cain’s eyes narrowed as he saw the woman leave. Of course, they were not alone as several cameras were on the walls. He was sure that the fat mayor saw every movement they made.

Unfortunately for them, Cain already had a way to handle that. If they were outside, it would have been more complicated, but since they were inside, Apex could use the [Basic Hacking] tool to trick the cameras, showing made-up footage.

“We can speak freely for the time being. I have hacked the cameras, and we will be fine if we don’t move too much.”

Levi was slightly surprised to hear that, but it all made sense. Like in the Old World, there were hackers in the Godslayer Humankind Empire.

“So that is how you learn that information about Jarken County. Well done. Since time is short, let’s research the place and see if we find any clues.”

“There is no need for that. We will find nothing visible to the naked eye. That fat asshole might seem incompetent on the outside, but he sure is crafty. He definitely erased all visual evidence and tracks.”

Levi’s eyes narrowed when he heard that. He would have to be a fool not to see that Clacius was trying to hide something, but people always make mistakes and might find something if they look carefully.

Cain knew that Levi would be doubtful of his analysis, so he proceeded to explain things.

“This is not the first time they do this sort of thing. Rouk City can be considered a warehouse for the Lightning Imperial Fort, so it is not odd that many materials are stored here.

No matter what type of organization, one can always expect some level of corruption. Some losses from time to time would not raise suspicion as long the culprit hides their tracks and is not too brazen.

Clacius is in the perfect position to do that, and since there have not been incidents reported in the past, it is easy to see that he knew to hide them. Of course, the lack of reports could also mean that no one stole anything, but there is no way that greedy ball of grease would not do it.”

Surprise appeared in Levi’s eyes as he heard all that. He trusted his intelligence and was confident he could arrive at that conclusion given enough time, but never as fast as Cain did.

“Then this time was different because...”

“The folder with the investigation Clacius sent us is mostly useless. Video surveillance did not capture anything, and the witness reports are full of contradictions.

The only helpful thing is the information about the victim. He was a man named Mark Junson, a Level 1 Wave Warrior. According to the schedule, a woman named Karen Finner should have guarded this level that night, but she conveniently reported being sick at the last minute.

Therefore no one should have been here, but a human error put Mark Junson on guard duty at this level that night.

The higher-ups could turn a blind eye to some goods gone missing, but not the death of a guard. That incident forced Clacius to report the theft and homicide. Had he not done it, he could have lost his position as mayor.”

The surprise in Levi’s eyes only grew stronger. Although the Godslayer Humankind worshiped brute strength above everything, intelligence was still worthy of respect and admiration.

“I must admit that I am impressed. You have a tremendous scheming mind. It makes me wonder just what kind of background you have.” Levi smiled. He was curious but was smart enough not to ask about it. Everybody had their secrets, and he was not the exception.

When Cain heard that compliment, an odd smile appeared on his face. Although his father taught him a lot, none of it was related to investigations and the like. Those skills were related to his state as a Reincarnator.

‘I wonder just who I was in my past life?’ That was a question Cain had been pondering from the moment Apex revealed the truth about his dreams.

Still, Cain did not lose too much time on unnecessary thoughts and focused again.

“Anyway, Mark Junson was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Investigating him or his acquaintances would be useless.”

Cain’s voice could sound cold and detached as he spoke about the victim, but he did not find it odd. Why would he be sad about the death of someone he had never met?

“Since the fatso handled all visual evidence and tempered everything else, what do we do now?”

Levi did not have a problem handing Cain the lead in this part of the mission. If the other party excelled in something, why get in the way?

Of course, not everybody thought that way and was capable of such maturity. Many would rather do a mediocre job and take all the glory than share the spotlight.

Cain’s helmet vanished, showing his face just before his Wave Cloak manifested. He pushed his focus to its peak and used Wave Focus.

Levi saw how Cain’s Astral Wave began concentrating around the nose. Even if his wisdom did not reach that of the Reincarnator, he was still smart enough to understand what was happening.

‘Visual evidence is easy to handle, but particles in the air that form a scent are harder to erase.’

After almost a minute and having used a great amount of his Astral Wave, Cain opened his eyes, and a sharp light appeared in them.

“I found it.”