According to Henry Thompson himself, it was to get his salary in advance. The tuition at the Ancient Institute was too high, the expenses too great, and he had run out of money.

But as a student of the Ancient Institute, was the lack of tuition really the reason?

The laughter gradually died down as several leaders from the Inspection Division arrived.

The Silver City Inspection Division is the headquarters of the law enforcement agency in Silver City.

In addition to the headquarters, the Inspection Division also has four branch offices in Silver City.

And the headquarters itself has multiple departments. The Confidential Office, where Henry Thompson works, is mainly responsible for case file archiving, reopening old cases, reviewing unresolved cases, meeting minutes...

The Confidential Office is not a frontline department and rarely participates in external law enforcement.

Of course, if other departments are short-staffed, Henry Thompson and his colleagues may be temporarily assigned to help out, but overall, it’s still clerical work.

……

As the leaders arrived, everyone began another busy workday.

Henry Thompson doesn’t have a private office. As a Level 3 Inspector who’s only been on the job for a year, he’s not qualified for one. Previously, Ms. Grant and Mr. Carter were both Level 2 Inspectors, and they didn’t qualify either.

Henry Thompson’s desk is located near the restroom in the office area. There isn’t much of a smell, but with people constantly coming and going, it’s a bit noisy. The older staff in the office don’t like this area.

Henry Thompson’s desk is right next to Anna Brooks’s, and the two of them work face to face.

Anna Brooks only started six months before Henry Thompson, so she’s also considered a newcomer. Neither of them has much seniority.

But soon, the Inspection Division will be recruiting new staff, and the two of them will finally shed the “newbie” label.

Henry Thompson was looking down, reviewing some files, when he heard a light tapping from the desk across from him. He looked up to see Anna Brooks lying on her desk, gently tapping it. When she saw Henry Thompson look over, she beamed and whispered, “Henry Thompson, the Inspection Division has an off-site assignment coming up. We can go out for a month. Want to apply? Let’s go together—spend a month outside, the task is really easy.”

Henry Thompson was slightly taken aback, thought for a moment, then quickly shook his head. “No, there’s nothing good about going out, and… it might not be safe.”

“It’s very safe!”

Anna Brooks looked a bit frustrated. “It’s just accompanying the Silver City Ancient Institute…”

At this, she paused, as if she’d just remembered something. Looking at Henry Thompson, she seemed to understand and apologized, “Oh, I almost forgot! You don’t want to see your old classmates and mentors, right? I heard the team leader for this trip is Professor Scott Foster…”

She cursed herself inwardly for forgetting.

Scott Foster—wasn’t he Henry Thompson’s mentor at the Ancient Institute?

It was said that this mentor valued Henry Thompson highly, but because Henry Thompson refused to listen and insisted on dropping out, he almost got beaten up by Scott Foster. The incident caused quite a stir at the Silver City Ancient Institute, and many students criticized Henry Thompson for not appreciating the opportunity.

Who is Scott Foster?

He’s one of the top big shots at the Ancient Institute, someone many students dream of apprenticing under, but he rarely accepts anyone.

Henry Thompson just smiled and didn’t argue.

Does he not want to see them?

Not really.

The rumors outside are exaggerated. In reality, it wasn’t that dramatic. Mr. Foster just felt regret over his decision. A few days ago, Henry Thompson even visited his teacher’s home for dinner. It’s nothing like the rumors about meeting and getting beaten up.

Of course, there’s no need to explain these things. Let people say what they want; the more you explain, the more complicated it gets.

“Mr. Foster leading the team…”

He silently repeated it in his mind. Mr. Foster is one of the top professors at the Ancient Institute. If he’s leading the team, security shouldn’t be too bad. Whether it’s the Inspection Division or other departments, they’ll all take precautions.

He really doesn’t have much to worry about. Besides, the Inspection Division’s involvement is probably just for show. The real responsibility for Mr. Foster’s security likely doesn’t fall to small fry like the Inspection Division, but rather to the Night Patrol, which he’s heard about over the past year.

The Night Patrol is an enforcement agency similar to the Inspection Division.

But unlike the Inspection Division, which handles public cases, this agency seems to deal only with mysterious or unresolved cases. Cases that the Inspection Division can’t handle, or has no leads on, are handed over to them.

Outsiders don’t know about it, and even most people in the Inspection Division aren’t aware.

But since Henry Thompson works in the Confidential Office, mainly handling case archiving and tracking unresolved cases, he has some vague knowledge.

“Night Patrol!”

Henry Thompson silently repeated the name. His decision to drop out and become a Level 3 Inspector at the Inspection Division was largely because of the Night Patrol—or rather, his main goal was to get there.

Of course, he’s never told anyone about this.

The agency is too mysterious. Before joining the Inspection Division, Henry Thompson had never even heard of it. But he learned a bit from his mentor Scott Foster, who told him such an agency existed—something ordinary people would never know.

But before dropping out, Henry Thompson learned that the Inspection Division is actually a subordinate agency under the Night Patrol. Outsiders don’t know this, but Henry Thompson once heard Mr. Foster mention that some promising talents from the Inspection Division might be transferred over.

“It’s been a year. Now I’m considered a model Inspector, with roots in the Inspection Division. I wonder if I’ll get a chance to come into contact with the Night Patrol.”

Henry Thompson thought to himself, feeling a bit eager, but he suppressed it, keeping his expression calm and betraying nothing.

It should be soon!