Henry Thompson felt a bit awkward, as if he couldn’t hold it in any longer, but still forced himself to say dryly, “I’m worried about the law enforcement team over there... that they might alert the target, or that something unexpected might happen. I heard... our Inspection Division... seems to have another organization?”

“Enough!”

Jack Smith frowned and said, “Watch your words! I know you may have heard some rumors, but this isn’t something we should be discussing! And another thing, don’t dwell on it. To be honest, if it really comes to that, the trouble will be even bigger! Whenever people from that side show up, it’s always a mess!”

He didn’t want to say much more, nor did he want to talk about the Night Watchers.

The arrival of those people was never a good thing.

Once the Night Watchers got involved, it would be a huge hassle, and their arrival usually brought even more trouble.

So unless absolutely necessary, he didn’t want to have any involvement with the Night Watchers.

The law enforcement team probably didn’t want them involved either.

Of course, if it really came to the point where there was no other way, the Night Watchers would naturally appear, and by then it wouldn’t be up to the Inspection Division whether they wanted them or not.

Henry Thompson nodded, but still reminded him, “Chief, I’ve observed the timing of the self-immolation cases. Every time it happens on a rainy or overcast day. Silver City is about to enter the rainy season again, and it’s been almost a year since the last case. Judging by the usual pattern, if it’s a murder case, I suspect it might happen again soon!”

Jack Smith took this matter seriously and made a note of it.

He had just taken over the case and hadn’t looked into it in detail, so naturally he didn’t know as much as Henry Thompson.

Hearing this, Jack Smith was silent for a moment, then nodded. “I’ll talk to the law enforcement team. You be careful yourself. When you go to check Ethan Bolton’s house, be cautious. Do you need extra people to help?”

“No need!”

Henry Thompson shook his head. It wasn’t like he was looking for trouble, and if he ran into the Red Shadow, ordinary people wouldn’t be able to see it anyway, so they’d be of no use.

If he didn’t run into the Red Shadow, he had a gun and some other arrangements, so it shouldn’t be a big problem.

Besides, most people in the confidential office were clerical staff. If real trouble came, who would protect whom was still a question.

“Then just be careful. Even though the person’s been dead for a year, I don’t think there’s any real danger.”

Jack Smith waved his hand, dismissing Henry Thompson.

……

Henry Thompson quickly left the office, letting out a slight sigh of relief.

Jack Smith still looked out for him.

He walked toward the armory, and with Jack Smith’s authorization, Henry Thompson soon received a deep black handgun, full of metallic heft.

Swirl Gen-3, with an effective range of 50 meters—beyond that, accuracy was nonexistent.

It was said that in some big cities, the Swirl Gen-4 was already being rolled out, with an effective range of up to 100 meters. Of course, Silver City wasn’t big, so it hadn’t been adopted yet. Even the frontline law enforcement teams were still using the Swirl Gen-3.

It came with 18 rounds, loaded 6 at a time, capable of rapid fire—a pretty intimidating weapon.

Before joining the Inspection Division, even though Henry Thompson had entered the confidential office, he’d still gone through a month of crash training, including firearms practice, so he wasn’t clueless about how to use it.

It was just that he’d been in the confidential office for so long, he hadn’t used one in ages.

With a weapon on him, Henry Thompson felt a bit more confident.

He just didn’t know if it could hurt the Red Shadow. That thing was invisible to others, only he could see it. If he shot at it, would it have any effect?

“Judging from what Chief Smith said, the law enforcement team probably doesn’t want to notify the Night Watchers. But time is running out—if the Night Watchers don’t get involved, can they really handle the Red Shadow?”

“What if I say now that I can see the Red Shadow...”

This thought flashed through Henry Thompson’s mind.

But then he remembered the previous case files—some people who could see the Red Shadow ended up disappearing without a trace.

Dead, or something else?

In cases where the Red Shadow was seen, the Night Watchers might have gotten involved, but those people still ended up missing or dead.

Henry Thompson didn’t know if those people had died, or if they’d been absorbed into the Night Watchers.

This uncertainty made Henry Thompson struggle.

If the Night Watchers could and were willing to deal with the Red Shadow, then exposing himself would be worth it. But what if... there was some collusion between the Night Watchers and the Red Shadow?

If he exposed himself too early, would the Night Watchers deal with the Red Shadow, or would they deal with him?

“Mysterious powers... maybe that’s what the Night Watchers are, and the Red Shadow too. Are they on the same side, or enemies?”

Henry Thompson couldn’t tell—he lacked any way to get that information.

If, in the end, they were on the same side, and everyone who discovered the Red Shadow was silenced, that was what Henry Thompson feared most.

Headache!

At this moment, Henry Thompson was deeply conflicted.

He wanted the Night Watchers to take out the Red Shadow, to avenge Ethan Bolton, to avenge his parents, but he also worried that things would go the opposite way, and he’d end up exposing himself and getting silenced by the Night Watchers.

“I’ll wait a few more days...”

Henry Thompson knew he was in danger, but even so, he’d rather wait a few more days to see what the law enforcement team would find and how they’d respond.

Right now, he’d only accidentally discovered something odd about the self-immolation case. He believed that as long as the law enforcement team took it seriously, they’d soon notice it too.