Based solely on the situation at the scene, Swire could guess which power had intervened to restore everything in such a short time. To be able to clean the site so quickly, it had to be inextricably linked to the mastermind who ruled this place from the shadows: the Rat King.
"Beep... beep... beep..."
Swire dialed a number and paced back and forth alone in a deserted corner, waiting for the person on the other end to pick up.
"Hello? Why are you looking for me?"
When the call connected, a somewhat cold voice came through. Accompanied by the sound of rapid keyboard clicking, it seemed the owner of the voice was working overtime.
"It's been a while, Lin Yuxia. I'm calling to ask about something. Do you know if your father has any operations tonight in the slums, specifically on the road leading from xxxx toward xx district?"
The person on the other end paused for a moment; even the noisy typing stopped. Then, she spoke in a playful, teasing tone:
"And here I thought you were calling to ask me out shopping. You got my hopes up for nothing. That said, is it appropriate for a copper like you to be digging for intel from me? Do you expect me to sell out my own family and tell you cats what's going on?"
Even just hearing the voice, Swire could imagine the expression of that "dead rat" on the other end, laughing at her. But it was as she said—she was a cat... bah! She was a police officer of the L.G.D., yet here she was asking the mob for intelligence on their operations. If Yuxia actually gave it to her, wouldn't that be a rat inviting a cat into its nest?
"Shopping has to wait for a day off. Who has time while working? Just tell me what it'll take for you to talk!"
Swire clearly guessed that this "mouse" knew something and didn't plan to waste any more time. Name the price, and let's get on with it.
Lin Yuxia, sensing Swire's urgency, began humming a little tune without saying a word, making Swire feel like her fur was about to stand on end.
If you know something, just spit it out, lady! We're busy over here; consider it building up a good record for your eventual rehabilitation...
"A price, hmm... I haven't really thought of one yet. How about this? I'm going to Pacific Place this weekend. You pay for my entire shopping spree, how does that sound?"
Lin Yuxia sat on her bed with her legs crossed, swaying her slender tail, as she spoke to Swire. Pacific Place was arguably the most luxurious commercial plaza in Lungmen. The shops there were all top-tier continental brands; a day of spending there would be no small sum.
"That's easy! Just go and take whatever you want. Put the bill under my name. Now, just give me the intel, sister!"
Such an expense was trivial to Swire. she didn't even need to show her face to clear the tab, considering her family owned that shopping plaza. A shopping trip that could easily end in a five or six-figure bill was treated by the two of them as casually as going out for a bowl of noodles. Neither was the type to worry about such pocket change.
"Mm-hm~ Fine, I'll show some mercy and reveal our secrets to you cats."
Lin Yuxia looked at her fingernails with interest, quite satisfied with Swire's eventual submission. Swaying her crossed leg, she continued:
"A group of people did go there. I'm not sure exactly what they were doing, but I heard my father mention on the phone something about 'cleaning up unstable elements.' I assume you found absolutely nothing at the scene?"
Lin Yuxia knew her father's subordinates well. Since this matter had caught her father's attention, the people sent probably made sure even the dents in the road were leveled.
The image of Swire leading a team like a cat looking for a hidden mouse hole—only to have to ask the mouse where the house was—made Lin Yuxia's smile widen.
"I have no comment on that. Perhaps we found something important? After all, you left in such a hurry you might not have checked properly..."
Just as Swire prepared to act tough and hang up, Lin Yuxia's next words made it impossible to let go.
"I think I heard from the men below that there were two witnesses on the scene! However, one of them looked extremely capable in a fight, so there was no way to bring them back for questioning by force. Plus, since you lot arrived, they could only leave an address and head back..."
Lin Yuxia stopped there. Hearing this, Swire signaled some of her officers to start searching the surrounding area for where people might be hiding. If they had left not long ago, they couldn't have gone far. The sweepers' hurried departure was proof of that.
Because of the lack of control in the slums, if the L.G.D. didn't catch these "cleaners" in the act, they couldn't take them in for investigation without concrete evidence and known suspects. It was a necessary evil; the Rat King's men maintained order in the places the L.G.D. couldn't reach.
But witnesses were a different story. Finding a witness to assist in an investigation was far more convenient than squeezing intel out of the mob.
"What do you want in exchange for the identities of those two? Speak!" Swire asked urgently.
"You recently arrested a gang member named Sun Chuan, right? He's actually one of my father's enforcers."
"You want us to release him early? Impossible! Even I don't have the authority to do that!" Swire knew Sun Chuan; he hadn't done anything major, just a street brawl that required a few days in L.G.D. detention.
"No, quite the opposite. We want you to find a reason to keep him locked up for a few more months. The rest involves confidential matters, so I won't tell you."
Swire didn't know that Lin Yuxia was no longer in her room. She was sitting properly on a sofa, with her father, the Rat King, sitting beside her. This piece of news was provided at the Rat King's gesture—partly to give the L.G.D. a lead, and partly to handle some underworld business.
"By the way, my people said they saw a woman with platinum-blonde hair. They didn't recognize her. But the other one is different; they said it was a purple Cautus—that thief who treats your L.G.D. like her own home."
With that, Lin Yuxia hung up without waiting for an answer. Swire was left alone to process the intel.
A woman with platinum-blonde hair was too vague a description. But that Cautus? Swire knew her well! The Infected thief Hoshiguma knew! That kid practically lived at the L.G.D.!
It seemed she should have Hoshiguma come over and swap places with her. Hoshiguma would know exactly where that little rascal would hang out.
On the other side, Jeanne, who had already run a considerable distance, put Rope down. Rope sat there with a pale face, trying to recover her composure.
"I... oh my god! That... that was way too intense! I never thought I could experience that kind of speed! Jeanne, how about you take me for another run?"
Despite her ghastly complexion, Rope had no fear of Jeanne's high-speed movement; instead, she expressed a heartfelt love for the adrenaline. It turned out she was an extreme thrill-seeker!
Jeanne looked at her with a confused expression, wondering if the girl's brain had been scrambled by the G-force. This situation was definitely not normal.