Matthew Brooks glanced toward the west, but Third Young Master's rickshaw was already out of sight. He quickly withdrew his gaze and stood at the street corner as if nothing had happened. Matthew Brooks tried his best not to look west again. Since they couldn't smoke, Caleb Bennett became unusually irritable after standing for just a while.

"This damn weather, Matthew Brooks, let's go to the east end." Caleb Bennett waited for a bit, but finally lost his patience. Catching suspects was never really their job anyway. Besides, today was the Dragon Boat Festival—they ought to head back early. If it weren't for a mission from the Special Services Division, they'd either be at the station or at a teahouse, sipping tea and snacking on sunflower seeds.

"That might not be a good idea." Matthew Brooks said hesitantly. He kept thinking: why did Shawn Benson come here, and could the person in Third Young Master's rickshaw really be Howard Clark? He knew Third Young Master was acquainted with Howard Clark; as soon as they got back, he'd know the truth. Although he was a policeman, if Howard Clark really managed to get away, he'd actually feel relieved.

"Why don't you get it yet? Shawn Benson came here in person—what business do we have here anymore?" Caleb Bennett looked at Matthew Brooks with some dissatisfaction.

Matthew Brooks's personality was becoming more and more like that of a policeman—smooth and timid when dealing with things. Sometimes this was a good thing, but at other times, it was a sign of incompetence and mediocrity.

Caleb Bennett's instincts were spot on. As they walked east, they quickly ran into people from the Special Services Division. Just as Caleb Bennett had said, something was bound to happen today. Despite the ironclad encirclement, they still failed to catch Howard Clark, who managed to escape. And he got away early—if the Special Services Division had arrived just a few minutes sooner, they would have caught Howard Clark. But it was precisely those few minutes that left them empty-handed.

"Why aren't you at your assigned posts? What are you doing back here?" Leonard Hale personally led the team today. He had thought Howard Clark was a sure catch, but ended up with nothing.

Howard Clark had just left, and they arrived at Wenhua Bookstore right after. Leonard Hale was fuming. When he left, he had patted his chest and assured both Littlefield and Shawn Benson that he would definitely bring Howard Clark back. Now, seeing Caleb Bennett and Matthew Brooks leave their assigned positions without permission, he naturally made them the target of his anger.

"We came all the way here and didn't spot any suspicious individuals," Caleb Bennett said firmly. Dozens of people had been mobilized, yet they hadn't caught the suspect—this operation was a complete failure. And when an operation fails, someone has to take the blame. He had no intention of being Leonard Hale's scapegoat.

"Whether or not you found any suspicious individuals is not for you to decide," Leonard Hale snorted coldly, ignoring Caleb Bennett and leading the Special Services Division west along Taigu Street. If Howard Clark was going to escape, he would definitely head west, because once he crossed Gujiang, he'd be in the guerrilla zone.

All along, Matthew Brooks had always followed Caleb Bennett's lead. Besides learning some survival skills from Caleb Bennett, there was another reason: when the sky falls, the tall ones take the brunt. This, too, was a kind of survival strategy.

"Just now, Director Benson personally checked our work—he didn't say we were negligent," Caleb Bennett said unhurriedly. Although Leonard Hale was the deputy director and action team leader of the Special Services Division, the division belonged to Shawn Benson; Leonard Hale was just Shawn Benson's dog.

"You..." Leonard Hale was at a loss for words. Shawn Benson had indeed been acting strangely today—he put Leonard Hale in charge, yet kept patrolling everywhere. On the surface, it looked like he cared a lot about the operation, but in reality, he was seriously interfering with Leonard Hale's work.

"Deputy Director Hale, since the mission failed, can we go back to patrolling now?" Caleb Bennett said, his meaning clear: as a patrol officer from the Security Division, catching underground party members was never really his job.

"All the Security Division people can leave. It makes no difference whether you're here or not," Leonard Hale said sarcastically. He had never agreed with involving the Security Division in such operations. Since it was confirmed that Howard Clark was an underground party member, the Special Services Division should have sent more people. But Shawn Benson only gave him three, and since Howard Clark got tipped off early, he didn't even get close to catching him.

Caleb Bennett wouldn't argue with him, nor did he dare to. Leonard Hale's words made it clear that the Security Division and the Special Services Division were separate. Caleb Bennett took Matthew Brooks back to the Security Division to report, returned their guns, and then went back out on patrol with just their batons. The rain outside was getting heavier, but without the rifles, they felt much more at ease.

Guns can give people a sense of security, but they also increase the risk. Caleb Bennett had often warned Matthew Brooks that as a policeman, if you can avoid carrying a gun, you should.

……

"Brother Thompson, thank you. I'll treat you to a meal next time." Shawn Benson stood at a second-floor window, watching Caleb Bennett and Matthew Brooks walk out of the police station, smiling as he spoke. Although Leonard Hale's mission had failed, his cooperation with Charles Thompson had gone smoothly.

"We're all just working for the Japanese—what's there to thank me for?" Charles Thompson sighed. Since Shawn Benson had brought up Littlefield, he really had no way to refuse.

"Your men may be incompetent, but sometimes, even incompetent people have their uses," Shawn Benson laughed heartily. Matthew Brooks and Caleb Bennett hiding out in a noodle shop—what kind of policemen did they look like? People like that could only muddle along in the Security Division; if they were in the Special Services Division, he would have kicked them out long ago.