Chapter 26: One Set in Public, Another Set in Private

"Who's the big shot?"

"I don't know."

Feeling the hard object on the back of his head again, the man in black was on the verge of tears in his urgency. "I really don't know. The boss didn't say anything. These aren't things I should know. I only earn a little each month. I don't have the qualifications to know so much."

With reasonable grounds, Wayne couldn't refute. He threatened a few more times, but seeing that he couldn't extract any information, he knocked the other person unconscious with a few bangs from his pistol.

It was his first time knocking someone out, and he couldn't control the force well. He hoped the person would be okay.

Wayne kicked awake another man in black and repeated the process, following the same procedure as before. The information he obtained was basically similar.

A big shot had their eyes on him. They wielded immense power in London, not necessarily controlling everything, but definitely someone to kowtow to in both legal and illegal circles.

In other words, not only did the underworld have him in their sights, but even the police did.

Wayne furrowed his brow. This sudden blow was just too much!

According to the testimonies of the two men in black, this kind of big shot wasn't someone you could offend just because you wanted to. They were in a different league altogether, and he didn't have the qualifications to offend them. He couldn't even find a way to approach them.

"Could it be because of the previous pet shelter incident? The big shot is a shareholder, and when I was boosting traffic, I accidentally exposed something to the newspaper. Are they planning to retaliate against me?"

Wayne thought it over, and it seemed like the only possibility. In this society filled with material desires, young people who were kind and righteous always seemed to encounter suppression from various forces.

Of course, there was another possibility: he was being made to pay for the sins of his predecessor.

Maybe his predecessor had offended the big shot, perhaps by sleeping with the big shot's wife, mistress, girlfriend, or someone dear to them. His predecessor had fled, leaving him to shoulder the burden.

"Darn it, why did they have to leave in such a hurry? A little warning would have been nice!"

Looking at the two unconscious men in black, Wayne sighed inwardly. It was tricky. He had planned for a sleazy growth, but suddenly attracting such big trouble...

The key was he didn't know why he had gotten into such trouble in the first place. He didn't even know where to start unraveling the mystery.

Using violence to counter violence was out of the question. The snowball would only get bigger and bigger, which didn't align with his current strategic goal of sleazy growth. This was a matter for the underworld. He could only find someone to intervene and try to settle things amicably.

"Sleeping with your wife was my bad, but trust me, she was calling out your name the whole time!"

Wayne nodded, feeling like it made sense. Resorting to violence was too extreme. Since that big shot had the position they had today, they must understand the importance of harmony.

But first, the person intervening for him couldn't have a low status.

"Who should I find..."

Veronica's figure appeared in Wayne's mind. Miss Veronica was a local in London, and her family was wealthy. Her father's social status was probably not far from the big shot's.

It could work!

Wayne silently gave himself a thumbs-up. A new problem arose: why would Veronica's father stick his neck out for him? Why would he owe a favor to a wild boar who's been coveting his precious daughter?

Putting himself in the other person's shoes, Wayne realized this path wouldn't work. But apart from Veronica's father, he couldn't think of anyone else.

Dick?

Don't be ridiculous, the gay wouldn't survive from laughter!

After a moment of contemplation, Wayne put away his pistols and returned to Strength and Faith Fitness Center with his birdcage and handbag.

He couldn't reach Veronica for the time being, so he had to relay the message through Lily, hoping Veronica would come to the detective agency to meet him as soon as possible.

If Veronica's father was unwilling to step in, it was okay. Helping was a favor, not helping was expected. If he could find out why he had offended the big shot, he would be very grateful.

...

At the gym.

The trainers were very wary of Wayne's sudden departure and return. They didn't directly kick him out, but they remained silent, focusing on their weightlifting, their eyes fixed on Wayne.

The head trainer, Dick, stepped forward and lifted the curtain of the birdcage, staring at the snowy owl for a while before sneering at Wayne repeatedly.

Wayne felt uncomfortable all over. Dick's attitude toward him before was indifferent, with warnings and threats, but obviously, he hadn't taken him seriously.

Now it was different. It was genuine vigilance and fear from the bottom of his heart!

Lily appeared in time and brought Wayne to her office. After some inquiries, she said, "Both the underworld and the law enforcement are investigating you. Tell me, did you commit some heinous crime? Are you the real culprit behind the missing girls?"

"Don't be ridiculous. I used to tremble even walking alone at night. How could I have the ability to do that?" Wayne rolled his eyes.

"Hiss, you actually don't deny having such thoughts!" Lily widened her eyes, covering her chest with her hands, deforming her clothes.

"Yeah, I had thoughts. When I have the ability, the first thing I'll do is tie you up and lock you in the basement of the detective agency!"

Wayne snorted unkindly, asking Lily to stop blabbering and quickly help contact Veronica. He didn't want to waste too much energy on this matter. He was eagerly waiting to learn magic!

Lily tilted her head. "Actually, Dick... forget it, let's find Veronica. Her father has connections. As long as Veronica is willing to speak up, the trouble can be resolved quickly."

"That would be great."

"It's a bit troublesome, though. Veronica and her father have a very poor relationship..."

Lily dialed Veronica's number, but no one answered. It was common not to reach someone by phone these days when they only had a landline, so she sent a message through an owl, asking Veronica to come to the detective agency to meet Wayne as soon as possible.

Wayne thanked her again and took a taxi to the detective agency on Bailey Street in the East District.

He got taken for a ride again!

Money makes the world go round, and gold is the man's backbone.

Damn taxi drivers drained Wayne's last bit of courage and kidney energy, solidifying the potato's pivotal position on Wayne's dining table. This made Wayne very unhappy, but nowadays, there was no navigation, and he knew the driver wasn't honest, but he couldn't do anything about it.

Taxi driver: "This is an honest price. I didn't take a longer route. If you're not happy, buy your own car. Gas prices will bankrupt you!"

Wayne arrived at the detective agency's doorstep, feeling something was amiss as soon as he touched the doorknob. There was someone inside. The skill of picking the lock was very proficient, as if they had a spare key to the detective agency.

Sniffing the air, a mixture of hair conditioner, milk fragrance, chocolate, and the unique fragrance of a young girl penetrated his senses, and Wayne relaxed.

It wasn't a stranger; it was Veronica. She indeed had a spare key.

"You came pretty quickly. I was indeed taken for a ride."

Veronica was sitting in front of her desk, updating her diary. Hearing Wayne's voice, she didn't even look up. "According to Lily, you've offended someone powerful, and they've sent people to investigate you."

"Not just investigate. I just encountered two members of the Black Serpent Society, a local gang in the East District. They followed me all the way to the North District. If I hadn't been cautious enough, I would have been captured by them." Wayne tried to garner sympathy from Veronica by exaggerating his plight.

The effect was mediocre; Veronica was amused by her diary.

Diaries were like this. Who writes diaries nowadays? Who could write their innermost thoughts in a diary? Would the things written in there truly be innermost thoughts?

Utter rubbish!

Therefore, diaries were only for fooling strangers. For Veronica, who knew Wayne inside out, the diary was nothing more than a collection of jokes.

Helpless, Wayne took out two pistols, indicating that it was really dangerous at the time. His fists were still swollen, and they still hurt now.

"Is it that serious?!"

Veronica saw the two pistols, surprised. "The gangsters from the East District are willing to break into the North District to capture you, and they brought guns. This isn't their style. Who exactly did you offend?"

"I don't know; that's why I came to ask for your help."

Wayne shrugged, bluntly expressing his intentions. "I heard your father is very powerful and knows many big shots, so I wanted to ask for your help to find out what I've done wrong."

Veronica furrowed her brows sharply, then said after a while, "Alright, but you owe me a favor. From now on, no matter what I ask of you, you have to agree unconditionally."

Wayne nodded, putting down his handbag and birdcage. Veronica went out to find a telephone booth, dialing her home number.

A red telephone booth, with dim yellow lights flickering in the mist.

She dialed one number, then another, and another.

There was no way around it; her father was like this. One set in public, another set in private. There were several sets in the suburbs. If she didn't dial a few times, she couldn't reach him.

After a few tries, Veronica contacted her father, Austen Lando.

Her voice was cold, as if she were talking to a stranger. Wayne stood outside the telephone booth, noticing Veronica's increasingly unpleasant expression, and couldn't help shaking his head.

Every family had their own difficulties. Lily was having a hard time, and so was Veronica.

He didn't know what was up with Christ. He would ask her when they had one-on-one tutoring sessions in a few days. If she was also a sad person, he didn't mind lending his warm and broad shoulders for her to lean on for a night.

"I'm fine, thank you for your concern."

A few minutes later, Veronica hung up the phone and walked out of the telephone booth with a sullen face.

Wayne followed behind her, saying nothing. Although, at this moment, he felt like his strategy for wooing her was too lame.

Veronica walked into the office, picked up the diary, and started flipping through it. Soon, she burst into laughter, and her irritable mood improved a bit. She said to Wayne, "I asked, and indeed, you've offended a very powerful person."

"Who is it?" Wayne couldn't wait to ask.

"Mr. Lando didn't say. He said you don't need to know the identity of the other party because whether you know it or not won't change the other party's intentions. If it's revealed, they will investigate you, and you'll definitely end up in a cement-filled barrel at the bottom of the river."

Saying this, Veronica's face also showed some confusion. As far as she knew, her incompetent father held a significant position in London, raising many MPs to act as lapdogs. Even he wasn't willing to disclose the identity of the big shot...

Did Wayne offend the Queen?

Impossible, he didn't have that kind of ability!

"Well then..."

"Mr. Lando said he would handle this matter, but at the same time, you owe him a favor. In the future, if there's an opportunity, he will come to you to repay the favor."

"No problem."

Wayne readily agreed. It didn't matter if he owed Mr. Lando several favors. When they became family, he wouldn't have to repay them.

Freeloading felt great!

"Mr. Lando is really powerful!"

"Heh, it's just a few dirty bucks. His heart has turned black for the sake of making money."

"May I ask, what does Mr. Lando do for a living?"

"He runs a bank."

"..."