“So, the takeaway from this morning is... an unexpected discovery of an ability user...

　　“Although, in my opinion, it’s not a particularly impressive ability, she herself seems quite troubled by it.

　　“Heh... I suppose ‘Miss Dessert’ is also here for him.”

Chapter 5: Refutation

　　November 27th, 9:10 AM, Logan Carter’s residence.

　　As a local of Linyi, Logan Carter naturally had a home here—or rather... once had a home.

　　A place is called a home because of the presence of family, but Logan Carter no longer has any family in this world, so now, this is just a “residence.”

　　Beep—beep—

　　When the doorbell rang, Logan Carter happened to be lifting dumbbells in the living room.

　　He put down the equipment, walked to the door in a few steps, looked outside through the peephole, and then opened the door.

　　“We meet again, Detective Carter.” Standing outside was Scram, smiling and dressed in a suit.

　　“Good morning, Lieutenant.” Logan Carter’s attitude was still as indifferent as ever, so calm that no emotion could be discerned.

　　Since Logan Carter had already agreed yesterday to assist Scram’s investigation at any time, the two barely exchanged any small talk; after greeting each other, they got straight to the point and set off together.

　　Twenty minutes later, they drove to the Sunshine Youth Behavior Correction Center in the suburbs.

　　At this moment, the entrance to the building was already cordoned off with yellow tape, and police officers were stationed along the walls on all sides; across the street from the main gate, several news vans with parking tickets were parked, and dozens of reporters and photographers from various media outlets, like a group of illegal workers squatting by the roadside, silently waited in the cold wind for work that might come at any moment.

　　The arrival of Scram and Logan Carter naturally excited the reporters, but their rush forward was blocked by a human wall formed by the police.

　　“Please stop. Are you involved in the case?”

　　“May I ask who you are? Which department are you from?”

　　“Could you share your thoughts on this case?”

　　Even though they were blocked, the reporters still stood on tiptoe, stretched out wireless microphones, and shouted questions; the photographers, too, raised their cameras, flashes going off in bursts.

　　However, both Scram and Logan Carter were used to such scenes and remained unfazed, treating the reporters as if they were invisible, and walked straight into the crime scene.

　　“In a sense, your unexpected involvement this time has at least saved one person.” On the short path to the main entrance, Scram suddenly said to Logan Carter in a conversational tone.

　　“Who?” As Logan Carter asked, he was already pondering the answer.

　　“Heh...” Scram chuckled, “Of course, Officer Bolton.”

　　Logan Carter immediately understood what he meant.

　　The night before last, if Logan Carter, as the “inspector,” hadn’t commandeered Officer Bolton’s motorcycle and gun, rushed to the scene, and handled things firsthand... then Officer Bolton would surely have arrived slowly, as he usually did.

　　If things had gone that way, the media would definitely have made a big deal out of the time gap between the report and the police’s arrival; after all, such “news likely to stir up taxpayer dissatisfaction” easily becomes a hot topic.

　　In the end, to appease public anger, the authorities would have to find a scapegoat; needless to say, that person would be Old Bolton...

　　In this information-rich world, where anyone’s past records and photos can be found, unless you reach a certain rank and can encrypt your personal information, once something happens, not only your career but your entire future could be ruined.

　　However, because of the intervention of Logan Carter, a senior FCPS investigator, most of the details of this case became classified “secrets” kept from the public; the police could use this as a reason to justifiably withhold any information.

　　Even if the media made up stories to attract attention and successfully stirred up public anger, this hot potato could be handed off to the FCPS... at least the local Linyi officials wouldn’t have to worry about their own careers being affected.

　　“Maybe.” After a few seconds, Logan Carter replied, “But I can’t really take credit for that, because I didn’t intend to help him; I just acted out of professional habit and personal principle—I can’t stand it when police officers act indifferent and unhurried after receiving a public call for help, so I stepped in. I didn’t expect to stumble into a major case... I can only say Officer Bolton was lucky.”

　　“Heh... as expected of an elite.” Scram laughed, “Whether it’s a sense of responsibility or execution... you’re just different from the rank-and-file who write tickets.”

　　“That’s a different matter.” Logan Carter said, “It’s not about class; it’s just that in this particular incident, the difference between me and him showed in the outcome. We could look at it another way... if this had turned out to be a ‘false alarm,’ then I’d just be meddling and making a fuss over nothing, wouldn’t I?”