Countless major conglomerates and alliances have long existed in this world, massive in scale, vying for all kinds of power and resources. Some countries are even already under their control; the appointment and removal of presidents is nothing more than a word from the masterminds behind these conglomerates.

However, there is no hierarchy among them.

The conglomerate ranking that Captain Owen mentioned is actually an internal classification within the Foundation, based on the amount of sponsorship they provide.

Whoever gives more sponsorship to the Foundation, their rank will be a bit higher.

And the reason for this classification...

...William Carter believes what the instructor once said: this is definitely not to give special treatment at certain key moments!

...Nor to trigger internal competition among the conglomerates, making them vie to sponsor!

In short, a level-three conglomerate is already an extremely high rank within the city’s defense line, and cannot be taken lightly.

Especially since these conglomerates don’t just sponsor the Foundation headquarters.

They are also very friendly to the stationed squads in the surrounding cities.

Of course, William Carter wasn’t surprised by the girl’s identity, but rather by:

Since she has such a special identity, which should at least be a secret, why did this Captain just say it outright?

“It’s better to make things clear, so you youngsters don’t get into trouble out of hotheadedness.”

Captain Owen sighed, then suddenly remembered something and quickly reminded William Carter: “But, don’t let anything slip in front of her.”

“Right now, in our office, everyone pretends not to know her identity.”

“……”

“Alright, I understand…”

William Carter nodded with a smile, going along with it.

But as Captain Owen listened, he suddenly looked up at him and said:

“You think we’re just flattering her, playing games with this little girl?”

“……”

“Well…”

William Carter hesitated for a moment, not sure how to answer.

Isn’t that the case?

As if seeing through William Carter’s thoughts, Captain Owen shook his head helplessly and said, “The girl has dreams. She could have had an easy life, but insisted on coming here. Our little research institute is in a tough spot. Now, by pretending not to know her identity, if she wants to become a regular staff member or investigate major incidents, I can clearly refuse. If she makes other requests, I can also pretend not to notice.”

“But once it’s out in the open, how could I refuse her in the future?”

“……”

William Carter couldn’t help but be stunned for a moment, looking at this fox-like, handsome middle-aged man in front of him, suddenly realizing.

“That makes sense…”

Then he became a bit interested and smiled, “But, Captain, can a young lady like her really handle the work?”

“She’s very diligent.”

Captain Owen was full of praise, saying seriously, “Every day, she goes out on patrol right on time.”

“We still need to patrol the streets?”

“No, but we have to assign her something to do, to make it look official…”

“……”

“She’s a good girl…”

Captain Owen praised, “If you tell her to patrol, she’ll patrol, and she won’t get off work until she’s finished.”

“After work, she always takes the subway for two stops before driving her sports car back to her villa to rest.”

“When eating, she always tries to pick the cheapest boxed meal, living frugally and pretending to be poor, afraid we’ll find out her real identity…”

“……”

William Carter became curious: “Then how did you all guess her identity?”

“On her first day reporting in, her father’s secretary called me directly…”

Captain Owen said, “Specifically told us not to let her notice we’re taking care of her, but to take good care of her nonetheless…”

“……”

William Carter was a bit speechless: “That’s tough for you all.”

“No, no…”

Captain Owen suddenly became enthusiastic, waving his hand, “Her father is very generous with sponsorships; our subsidies all depend on her…”

So it’s a willing game on both sides…

William Carter marveled inwardly, while a smile of admiration appeared on his face.

He knew when he returned that this little Scrap Iron City was lively, but he hadn’t expected it to be even more interesting than he imagined.

Just as William Carter was thinking this, Captain Owen, who had just spilled all of Miss Ye’s secrets, suddenly turned to look at William Carter, his smile gentle but with a hint of something else, and said, “However, this young lady is always eager to do something big. She’s turned over all the files here in Scrap Iron City, so… she probably recognized you just now, didn’t she?”

William Carter nodded slightly and said, “She probably did.”

Captain Owen’s pupils contracted slightly, and he suddenly said, “So, you really are him?”

“Three years ago, that massacre case…”

He paused slightly, his gaze fixed on William Carter’s face: “…the murderer?”

Chapter 11: A Way to Protect Oneself

When Captain Owen asked this question, his voice was extremely slow, and there was a hint of uncertainty in his tone.

It seemed that even he hadn’t expected to bring up this question so quickly and so directly, though he knew it was only a matter of time. But such a direct inquiry into the heart of a secret often signals the emergence of variables, and also the birth of danger…