Chapter 13: Officer Bob

“David, you’re here. Sorry about the mess—come with me!” Officer Bob, sweating profusely, squeezed through the crowd and called out to David as soon as he spotted him.

David followed Officer Bob out of the conference room and into an office, where Bob poured a glass of water and set it before him.

“David, this is the compensation agreement. Take a look, and if there are no issues, just sign it,” Officer Bob said briskly, retrieving a prepared document from the cabinet and handing it over, clearly pressed for time.

David accepted the compensation agreement—it was a standard form, briefly outlining the circumstances of the case, but what caught his attention was the generous compensation: one hundred thousand credit points.

“Officer Bob, is this entire sum from the bounty on the wanted criminal?” David asked, surprised by the amount.

He knew that quite a few people had died in the incident. If even he, with only minor injuries, was eligible for such a sum, the total bounty must have been enormous.

“David, your father, Deputy Director Hans, works in the Justice System, so I’ll be frank with you. The wanted man, Albert, killed a member of the Dirk Consortium. The consortium put up a massive bounty for Albert, and it’s from this reward that the victims are being compensated,” Officer Bob explained quietly after glancing around.

He wouldn’t normally disclose such information, but he wanted to stay on good terms with David.

“Officer Bob, may I see the information on Albert?” David asked. He was curious whether Albert possessed the sniper talents of an armored fighter, and sensed that Officer Bob held him—or perhaps his father—in high regard, so he gave it a try.

“That’s no trouble at all.” Officer Bob was straightforward. He activated his identity wristband and transmitted a dossier to David.

“Thank you, Officer Bob.” David didn’t look at the file immediately but smiled and offered his thanks, then signed the compensation agreement.

A hundred thousand credits was no small sum. He had been strapped for cash lately, and this amount would allow him to buy more enhancement meat.

“Officer Bob, I’ll let you get back to work. I’ll be on my way.” Handing over the signed agreement, David could see how busy Bob was and took his leave.

As he left, cries and angry shouts echoed from the conference room. All David could do was sympathize.

Standing just inside the police station’s entrance, David hesitated, looking around instead of leaving right away.

Due to the influx of victims’ families, the hall was mostly empty except for a female officer at the reception desk, who paid him no attention, her eyes fixed on the conference room.

David’s shadow attendant slipped out the station doors and, through its eyes, he spotted the car that had been tailing him. The stalker hadn’t left and was still waiting.

—

Milo drove slowly around the block and parked at the police station’s entrance, choosing a spot.

He was contemplating how to report to his boss. Because of his carelessness, he hadn’t noticed David leaving home yesterday morning.

But it wasn’t entirely his fault—David’s routine was always predictable, and he never went out in the mornings during holidays. So Milo had no idea David was present at the scene of the major crime yesterday.

Now, however, David’s visit to the police station had him thinking.

Just then, his identity wristband vibrated. He glanced at the caller ID and hurried to answer.

“Hello, sir,” Milo said respectfully.

“Milo, what’s the situation?” his employer asked directly.

“Everything’s normal, sir!” Milo replied quickly.

“You’ve seen David?” The voice on the other end sounded disbelieving.

“Yes, sir, David just left home not long ago. I’ve been monitoring him,” Milo assured.

“Keep up the work,” the other person ordered after a brief pause.

“Yes, sir!” Milo responded. When the call ended, he muttered, “Keeping watch on a kid like this is a real nuisance.”

Still, he was pleased with himself for handling it well—his boss hadn’t caught on to his earlier neglect.

He was unaware that, at the moment he answered the call, David’s shadow attendant was hovering nearby, eavesdropping on the entire conversation.

Unlike Milo, David noticed the doubt in the voice of the man on the other end—doubt, he realized, that he was still alive.

Moreover, the voice sounded familiar, as if he’d heard it somewhere before.

He hadn’t had his memories back for long, so he couldn’t yet place the voice, but he was sure that next time he heard it, he’d be able to identify the man.

“David, why are you still here?” Officer Bob, having finished some paperwork and avoiding the chaos of the conference room for a break, spotted David standing in the hall and called out.

Hearing the voice, David withdrew his focus from the shadow attendant. If he hadn’t been leaning against the wall, he might not have been able to keep his balance. Upon hearing Officer Bob, he relinquished control of the shadow attendant.

There was little need for further control—the attendant couldn’t stray more than ten meters from him, and no one would notice its presence anyway.

“Officer Bob, I have a small favor to ask.” Sensing Bob’s eagerness to accommodate him—no doubt because of his father, Hans—David decided to take advantage.

“As long as it’s within my authority, there’s no problem,” Bob replied with a smile, careful to set limits in case David made an unreasonable request.

“Officer Bob, could you check who owns that car?” David pointed to the inconspicuous vehicle parked outside.

“No problem at all.” Bob glanced at the car and smiled.

He aimed his identity wristband at the vehicle and sent out a police scan pulse. This scan would not only identify the vehicle’s origin but also the identity of its occupant.

Officer Bob didn’t ask why David wanted this information; it was enough to do him a favor.

Although Hans, David’s father, held a nominal post, no one in Peran City underestimated a ‘national talent’ like him.

“Here’s all the information on the car and the current driver,” Bob said, transmitting a data packet to David’s wristband.

“Thank you so much. I’ll mention your help to my father,” David replied.

“David, if you ever need assistance, you can always reach out,” Bob said, satisfied with the outcome.

When David left the police station, he didn’t look at the surveillance car but got straight into his Gladstone Mark III and drove off.

The pursuit car waited until the Gladstone Mark III was a hundred meters away before starting up and following from a distance.

The shadow attendant, having received its orders, rejoined David. Maintaining a steady seventy kilometers per hour, the car made its way back to their residence on Lanka Street.