Many inspectors who receive this kind of case just go through the motions, jotting down a few notes, and there’s not even a follow-up visit, because some things are just nonsense.

But, as it happens, someone did pay attention.

What does this mean?

It means that within the Inspection Bureau, there must be someone paying special attention to this matter. Whenever someone files a report, it quickly reaches another group of people.

“Am I being watched now?”

“Is it because I brought up the self-immolation case, and these people want to confirm whether I saw the red shadow or just stumbled upon it by accident?”

“When Little Ethan died last year, I didn’t dare say I saw the red shadow. If these people know about that, they’ll most likely think I just discovered it by chance, not because I can see the red shadow. Otherwise, I would have reported it last year!”

In just a brief moment, Henry Thompson thought of many things and analyzed a lot.

At least now, he’s a level-three inspector, and he’s the one who just discovered something suspicious about the self-immolation case. Henry Thompson guessed that even if someone is colluding with the red shadow, they wouldn’t deal with him at this point, wouldn’t kill him—otherwise, that would only confirm there’s something wrong with the self-immolation case, and might even cause bigger trouble.

“This is getting more and more interesting!”

Henry Thompson gave a cold snort in his heart, but his face remained completely calm, as if he hadn’t noticed anything unusual, and he continued riding.

That small car he’d been watching quickly disappeared as well.

……

Silver 7219.

In the small car that had just driven past Henry Thompson, at this moment, besides a middle-aged male driver, there was also an ordinary-looking middle-aged woman in the passenger seat.

They looked just like an ordinary middle-aged couple, nothing special about them.

“Didn’t notice anything.”

After driving past Henry Thompson, the car was silent for a while before the woman spoke softly.

The driver seemed not to hear.

After a while, the driver finally said calmly, “It’s probably just a coincidence. He’s probably been paying attention because of Ethan Bolton’s death—Ethan Bolton was his friend.”

The woman nodded slightly.

The car fell silent again.

After a while, the driver suddenly said, “Can’t rule out other possibilities. Keep watching him, but from a distance. Be careful these days—those annoying guys might be coming to Silver City.”

“Understood!”

The woman nodded again. She knew who the driver was talking about—those people really were annoying.

The car fell completely silent.

Chapter 006: Black Panther

“I’m being watched!”

In front of the apartment complex, Henry Thompson stopped his bicycle and slowly pushed it along.

“Little Henry is back.”

“Inspector Thompson, do you have time to come over for a drink tonight?”

“……”

In the complex, the residents who were relaxing and chatting all greeted him warmly.

A level-three inspector might just be a regular soldier in the Inspection Bureau, but in the neighborhood, it’s enough to give people a sense of security and deterrence, even though Henry Thompson looks gentle and lacks the imposing presence of other inspectors.

“Yeah, I’m back.”

Henry Thompson smiled and responded to everyone.

Qiming Community is an old neighborhood that’s been around for many years. The place is a bit run-down. The Thompson Family has lived here for many years—ever since Henry Thompson was a child, The Thompson Family has been settled in Qiming Community.

The complex isn’t big—just six buildings in total. Henry Thompson lives in the innermost one, Building 6, Apartment 302.

All the way, Henry Thompson didn’t ride his bike. He pushed it along, weaving around the broken paths. The roads inside Qiming Community haven’t been repaired in a long time—they’re already in bad shape, and riding a bike is a bumpy ordeal.

Behind him, faint voices of gossip drifted his way.

“This kid Little Henry is a good one, but without elders to watch over him, he’s a bit worrisome. Look, he finally got into Silver City Ancient Academy, but then he dropped out and became an inspector. What a pity!”

“That’s not fair to say. The Inspection Bureau is a good job—an iron rice bowl.”

“Sure, it’s a stable job, but if you graduate from the Ancient Academy, you can make more money, and there’s a better future than being an inspector.”

“……”

The gossip wasn’t quiet, and in fact, these kinds of comments had been repeated many times.

Over the past year, Henry Thompson had often heard such talk.

Henry Thompson never bothered with it, nor did he explain—there was no need.

He was still thinking about what had just happened, and how he should respond next.

The gun in his arms brought some sense of security, but not that much.

“I still lack understanding of mysterious powers, and my actual combat ability is limited. Without a gun, I’m just an ordinary person.”

Henry Thompson had learned some grappling and self-defense—not just because the Inspection Bureau required it, but also because he’d studied it for two years at Silver City Ancient Academy.

His teacher, Scott Foster, was not only a scholar but also a master of grappling and combat. Of course, Scott Foster learned these skills not for fighting, but for physical fitness, to better adapt to various environments.

As his teacher said, at the very least, if you encounter danger, you can run faster.

For professors at the Ancient Academy, every trip outside could be accompanied by danger.

So Henry Thompson knew a bit, but he wasn’t very skilled. All in all, he’d only studied for three years. Compared to ordinary street punks, he was fine, but compared to veteran inspectors, he wasn’t much.

“The identity of an inspector might not be as intimidating as I thought. I wonder how long I can keep this up.”

As he was thinking, a black shadow suddenly flashed past his feet at lightning speed.