“Edward?” A portly black police officer raised an eyebrow in befuddlement as he looked at the man standing in front of his table. “Didn’t you go to take a holiday?”
A friendly smile appeared on Edward’s face as he replied, “What can I say? I guess I’m a workaholic.”
“Don’t make me laugh!” The police officer didn’t know whether to be angry or amused by Edward’s reply. He pushed a form toward Edward and said, “Anyway, you came back at just the right time. Our police station is always short-staffed, and I’m gonna be honest, if you had taken a break of more than a week, I would’ve transferred you to a rural police station right away. Now get back to work!”
Edward accepted the form, which was a report that he had to complete after returning from holiday, and he was just about to leave the office when a thought suddenly occurred to him. He turned back to face the black police officer and asked, “Chief Miles, why are we so short-staffed right now?”
Before Miles had a chance to reply, Edward continued, “Many of the people I went to the police academy with have been transferred to the east to police stations in Washington DC and Philadelphia, and I’ve been unable to get through to them through phone calls. Is there a major case being investigated there?”
“Even if there is, it’s not something you can get involved in!” Chief Miles harrumphed. “Edward, let me tell you this: if you had taken your job more seriously and worried about stuff like this 10 years ago, you wouldn’t still be just an ordinary police officer right now!”
Edward shrugged nonchalantly in response before leaving the office.
As soon as he turned to depart, a grim look appeared on his face.
It seemed that this Chief Miles was also unaware of what was happening in the east, which indicated that the city of Philadelphia wasn’t truly in lockdown yet. This was Usonia, after all, and it was far too difficult to truly place a city in strict lockdown unless it was an authoritarian nation.
If the current president dared to place Philadelphia under lockdown, then there was no way they would receive support from the east. In addition to that, the opposition party would pounce on him like sharks and tear him to shreds.
The setup in Usonian police stations was much the same as that of other nations, consisting of several desks placed together to form a large work area. On the desks were placed computers, files, and Usonian flags, and the eagle emblem that traditionally symbolized the Usonian police force was hanging on the wall. Edward made his way over to his own desk, then poured himself a cup of coffee before smiling at the black woman seated across from him.
“Are you flirting with me?” The woman was very well-built, and she smiled as she asked in a joking manner, “Since when did you stop being a celibatarian?”
In Usonia, being a police officer wasn’t considered to be a very good job, so the salary was relatively high. After all, it was a lot more dangerous for police officers in a nation where guns were so commonplace.
Not many Caucasians chose this occupation, and it was instead a way for black people to truly integrate themselves into Usonian society, so the majority of police officers in Usonia were black.
“You’re misunderstanding me,” Edward replied with a smile, then leaned forward slightly as he said in a low voice, “Help me track someone down, Jenny.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know the name, but his father was once a mover for the First Usonian Bank a very long time ago.”
An unimpressed look appeared on Jenny’s face. “Is that supposed to be a joke, Mr. Edward?”
“No,” Edward replied with a serious expression. “I suspect that he was involved in a murder.”
A serious look finally appeared on Jenny’s face upon hearing this, and she quickly type something on her keyboard. After a while, she turned to Edward with a bemused expression. “According to what I could find, 1985 was when the First Usonian Bank officially moved to Philadelphia. You’re saying you want to investigate a suspected murder from several decades ago? Firstly, this case is already past its statute of limitations. The limitation period for murders and homicides is 20 years, and it’s well past that already. On top of that, this case isn’t even under our jurisdiction.”
Edwar’ds brows furrowed slighlty upon hearing this. “Why is that? If it’s a murder that took place in this city, then it should be overseen by our police department, and I have the right to pursue the truth! It’s our duty as Usonian police officers!”
“I don’t disagree with that, of course,” Jenny said as she continued to type on her keyboard. “But what you have to understand is that the Usonian police force is split up into several departments. First, there’s the Department of Homeland Security, then there’s the Federal Police and the Department of Justice, which includes police departments like ours.”
A beeping sound rang out from Edward’s computer, alerting him to the fact that Jenny had just sent him a screen capture through their internal communication software.
Just a single glance told him all that he needed to know. This case had already been transferred to the Department of Justice, and it was taken on by the Federal Bureau of Investigationunder the Department of Justice, commonly referred to as the FBI.
As expected, the FBI knew some of the truth behind this case and was prohibiting normal police officers from getting involved.
Seeing his slightly furrowed brows, Jenny raised an eyebrow and asked, “Don’t tell me you want to open a case and investigate it on your own!”
Edward didn’t reply.
Jenny heaved a long sigh. “Edward, you’re not a young man anymore. The people who started in the police force at the same time as you have all been promoted up the ranks! Can you stop wasting your life? Even if your request to open an independent case is approved, you won’t receive any help in the investigation, and the FBI won’t allow you to overstep your authority. Even if you succeed, the limitation period has already passed, and the culprit won’t be punished. Perhaps an exception would be made if this were an extremely heinous criminal such as a serial killer or child killer, but choosing to pursue this now is nothing more than a complete waste of time!”
“I just want to give justice to the victim’s living family members,” Edward said as he rose to his feet.
Jenny gave a resigned shrug in response and didn’t speak any further on the matter.
There was simply no getting through to some people.
……………………………………………………
“Come in,” Chief Miles said in a casual manner as he set his coffee cup aside.
The door was opened, and Edward made his way into the room before placing a stack of files onto the desk. “I want to apply to launch an independent investigation.”
Miles almost spat out his coffee upon hearing this. For the second time in a day, he felt as if Edward had become a completely different person.
Are you fucking crazy? You’re just asking to be fired now!
He repressed his anger and picked up the files before taking a look. After a long while, he set the files back down onto the table and said, “I don’t think you’re an idiot. This case has already passed its 20-year limitation period, and in addition to that, you need an excuse if you want to open an independent case. Tell me why you suspect there’s something in this case left to be unearthed, and don’t give me a stupid answer like ‘because the FBI got involved.”
Edward replied in a serious voice, “I just so happened to see some footage of the victim at the time of his death. It was a home video, and it was filmed right before the day he disappeared. I swear that there’s something suspicious about the circumstances of his death, and I have the right to apply for an independent investigation.”
On this occasion, Miles didn’t immediately turn him down.
After a full three minutes of silence, he suddenly said, “Our police station won’t be able to provide you with much assistance.”
Edward was rather taken aback to hear this, but he nodded in response. “I’m aware of that. All I need is our police station’s GPS system and database, as well as a car and a document approving of my independent investigation.”
The room fell silent again.
Miles picked up his cup and took a sip of coffee, then heaved a faint sigh as he looked straight into Edward’s eyes. “Edward, I’m going to be frank here. You’re a strange man and you’re not very well-liked, but I have to issue you a warning here. Have you thought about why the FBI took over this case? Have you considered the dangers involved?”
Edward nodded firmly in response. “I have.”
“And you’re still determined to tackle this case?”
“That’s right,” Edward replied with unwavering determination. “This is my duty.”
Their eyes met, and several seconds later, Miles nodded in response. “Alright, this is your choice. Go and find Ellie, she’ll give you the things you need.”
Edward extended a salute toward Miles, then departed from the room.
The door was closed, and Miles continued to sip on his coffee. After 10 minutes, he finally heaved a long sigh, then carefully pulled a phone out of his inner breast pocket.
This was an old Nokia phone. Back in 2014, Nokia had handed over all of its phone operations to Microsoft, which meant that Nokia phone models prior to 2014 were unsupported and wouldn’t be able to receive any signal. However, Miles still opened the phone before calling a number.
10 seconds later, he said in a reverent voice, “Greetings, Your Excellency. I’m calling to inform you that someone really is investigating that case regarding the worker from the moving company… Yes, it’s one of my subordinates. I tried to dissuade him, but it was to no avail. I subtly warned him against taking on this case on two occasions, but he ignored my warnings… Alright, should I tell him to go straight to Philadelphia?… Understood. I hope your subordinates will be able to take care of him. If he comes back alive, he may shed light on this matter to the general public… Of course, I didn’t tell him anything… I’ve revered and worshipped you ever since you saved my daughter’s life. I don’t know if you’re a demon or an angel, all I know is that I’m indebted to you forever… Alright, I’ll send his information to you right away.”
After ending the phone call, Miles sat silently in front of his desk, running his hand over his bald scalp while staring intently at the door of his office, as if he could see Edward through the door.
“I tried to tell you, but you wouldn’t listen, so don’t blame me…”
……………………………………………………
The car drove smoothly out of Los Angeles and continued on toward the west.
Unlike Cathay, Usonia had quite a low population density, and there was farmland and stretches of wilderness devoid of human presence everywhere. Countless mountains, valleys, palm trees, and all types of plants made up the scenery along the way, and it was often the case that one could drive for several hours without even encountering a petrol station.
Edward was driving at night, and in the darkness, the highway appeared particularly eerie.
The car was a Ford sedan given to him by the police station, and on the passenger’s seat sat a paper bag, which contained detailed information regarding the worker who had passed away.
His name was Ricky Conn, and he had passed away from a cerebral hemorrhage in 1986. His son’s name was Matthew Conn, and Matthew was currently residing beside the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms State Park in room number 312 on the third floor of 137th apartment on 23rd Street. Matthew was 39 years old, and a copy of his passport identification page had been enclosed in the paper bag.
According to the data provided, Matthew had no addiction nor an official job, working odd jobs here and there for survival. He had never married, and his life was completely mundane and unremarkable. However, Qin Ye knew that the most extraordinary things were often concealed behind mundane-looking facades.
As he was driving, he would spot a truck occasionally on the highway. It had already been half a day since he left Los Angeles, and his plan was to travel straight to Phoenix, which was a drive of 601 kilometers. After that, he was going to take a plane in Phoenix. He had no time to make a trip across the entirety of Usonia.
His plan was to drive through the night, then take the flight that was scheduled at 12 PM the next day. Right as he took a turn, a truck came driving toward him from the opposite lane.
This wasn’t a remarkable sight by any means, and Edward cast a bored glance at the truck driver through the two windscreens. The driver had clearly already been driving for a very long time and was currently frantically drinking from a can of coffee.
This was a very common sight on Usonian highways.
Right as the two cars were about to pass by one another, the truck driver shook the empty coffee can in a frustrated manner, then swore out loud to himself.
The two vehicles passed by one another in the night, and there was nothing special at all about this interaction, which had taken place countless times on all of the highways across Usonia.
Right at this moment, the truck driver tossed the coffee can out of his window with furrowed brows. Edward strongly detested rude and uncouth individuals like this, and he shook his head in disapproval, but his expression then abruptly stiffened.
The coffee can had landed on the roof of his car, but it had done so with only a single clang.
The issue was that there was no sound of the can rolling around.
It was as if a magnet had been tossed onto the roof of his car rather than a coffee can.
In the next instant, a burst of urgent beeping rang out, and all of the fine hairs all over Edward’s entire body immediately stood up on end!
This was a magnetic time bomb!
There was no time to think, and Edward kicked open the car door before jumping out without any hesitation, paying no heed to the fact that he was still on the highway!
BOOM!!!
