The List

"Hey, boss, I've finished asking. The student doesn't know anything."

"Mmm, I used memory interrogation. Alright, understood!"

Outside the slums, Dirk and Duane stood on the roadside, reporting the situation to Greg on the other end of the phone.

Duane sighed in relief, his smile somewhat strained:"Since that's the case, then this student won't have anything to do with us from now on, right?"

Dirk's expression remained indifferent as he squinted at the sparsely lit slums. After a while, he said, "Is it difficult to make this person disappear?"

Duane's smile froze on his face. He looked at Dirk with some incomprehension: "Hasn't it been confirmed that he didn't take anything?"

Dirk didn't explain further, only calmly stating, "Ensure nothing is left to chance."

Duane's face turned from pale to green. Even though he was taking money from Greg to get things done, the fact that Dirk could discuss murder so casually in front of him without considering his opinion was unsettling.

"But not now, he just made the news, and he's been selected for the special training class at J City High School. It's too sensitive!"

After pondering for a moment, Dirk had his subordinates investigate Duke's information. The special training class was true, but with an Original Force value of only 90, it was merely the entrance level for the class. Awakening on Awakening Day with such a low value was practically impossible. Since he wouldn't become an awakened individual, once he graduated, J City High School would likely pay little attention to him. Duke nodded, accepting this proposal.

"After the matter is settled, I..." Duane hadn't finished his sentence when Dirk softly interjected, "Greg will talk to you."

Duane smiled contentedly and nodded. However, he seemed to suddenly remember something and lowered his voice, asking, "What exactly is Greg looking for? It wouldn't end up in the hands of the law enforcement team, would it?"

Duane knew Greg very well. He was a true big shot, with his hands in various kinds of industries, both legal and illegal, and connections in all aspects. That's why even though there were many rumors about him in the public, Duane disregarded them. Whatever Greg was urgently searching for must be far from simple.

"Don't ask what shouldn't be asked." Dirk's expression remained unchanged. After saying that, as if confirming Duke's home address again, he glanced at the slums and then turned and left.

"That guy is so damn arrogant." Duane muttered under his breath.

Duke searched for a long time but found nothing. In truth, if the item was at home, considering Monica's cleanliness habits and her regular cleaning, it would have been discovered long ago.

"No good."

  Although Dirk and Duane seemed to have left after finishing their questions, through Arnold's introduction and Dirk's attitude, Duke couldn't calm down at all.

"Monica, pack your things. We're leaving for a while." Although moving away might seem suspicious, the slums were too easy to be tracked in. Living within the city had surveillance cameras everywhere. Even sleeping under a bridge would be safer than staying here.

"Brother, are we in danger?" Monica was still wearing the new dress he bought for her, looking exceptionally cute. Her little face carried an innocent and worried expression.

Duke's heart softened, and he forced a smile. "We're just going to stay at school for a while. Once this passes, it'll be fine after I get into one of the top-tier war academies."

If Duke could get admitted to one of the four top war academies, that identity alone would be a lifesaver. Monica nodded lightly at his words and went to pack her belongings. 

Duke decided to search again. The bodies had melted away, so if that item wasn't on Duke or Monica, it might be somewhere along the route Monica took to the garbage dump. Taking advantage of the cover of night, Duke went out once more to search, but unfortunately, he found nothing.

When he returned home, Monica had already packed two suitcases and a few small packages. She held onto the large suitcase and had a backpack on, resembling a pitiable child about to set off on a journey.

"Brother, everything is ready." Monica smiled warmly, her soft and cool little hand holding onto Duke's. Looking at her in this state, Duke felt a pang of discomfort. Over the years, Monica hadn't enjoyed many good days, yet she never complained or threw tantrums. In times like these, she even managed to console his emotions first.

Just as they were about to leave the house, Duke suddenly looked towards the corner of the sofa. There, a bundle of coarse linen sheets was piled up. Those were the same sheets used to wrap the bodies that day. Duke stopped in his tracks and shook them open. A black card fell to the ground.

The siblings stared at the text on Duke's phone screen, lost in thought. Inside the card was a tiny memory card that couldn't be read by regular phones. Fortunately, Duke used an old-fashioned phone that happened to be compatible. The memory card contained only one spreadsheet, listing names and brief profiles.

"Basil, 69 years old, male, Level 1 Awakening Initial Stage, right leg shattered and fractured. Current residence, Building 3, Unit 205, JY District, JY Residential Area."

"Cuthbert, 72 years old, male..."

The spreadsheet listed a dozen names or so. The commonality among them was that they were all elderly awakened individuals, and they were either disabled or seriously ill. Apart from that, there was a note at the end of each entry, indicating whether they had declined or accepted.

"What does this mean?" Duke quickly copied the spreadsheet onto his phone for backup and then fell into deep thought. Elderly, disabled, or seriously ill awakened individuals. Although the information was distinctive, Duke still couldn't fathom what they represented.

"These two names seem somewhat familiar." Duke scanned through the list, finding two names: Frankie and Rick. He felt like he had come across these names somewhere before, but he was certain he had just glanced at them and couldn't recall where.

"How should I handle this..." Duke immediately dismissed the idea of taking the information to the police station. Even Deputy Director Duane had shown up. If he delivered it, he'd be walking right into the lion's den.

So, who else could he trust? As Duke was hesitating, his phone suddenly rang. The soft ringtone sounded somewhat piercing in the dim night.

  "Hello, Duke, right? It's Alexander. Did a guy named Greg send someone to look for you today?"

Alexander, the head of the law enforcement team. Duke's feelings toward him were rather complex. On one hand, he remembered how Alexander had fought fearlessly against the infected. The image was vivid in his mind, and Alexander had also given him a significant amount of money and raw stone. On the other hand, Duke knew that Alexander wasn't as carefree as he appeared. He was actually quite meticulous in his thinking.

Due to Monica's special identity, Duke wasn't particularly inclined to deal with him. However, now it seemed he didn't have much of a choice.