“Later, you accidentally obtained a video of your friend being killed. However, you didn’t call the police; instead, you kept the video. Maybe you didn’t trust the police, maybe you wanted to take revenge yourself, or perhaps it was both reasons. You were very patient, always waiting—waiting for what you considered a flawless, unassailable opportunity. In the end, after more than two years, you finally got such a chance: Edward King made a huge mistake and had an affair with Michael Bolton’s wife.”

“You first went to Michael Bolton, negotiated terms with him, and then used that video to threaten Edward King, luring him out to meet you. Edward King thought you just wanted to extort some money from him, but he never imagined that what you wanted was not only his money, but also his life…”

“He deserved it.” James Carter could no longer listen. He clenched his fists tightly, and even his narrowed eyes couldn’t hide the sharp light within.

He gritted his teeth and said harshly, “A life for a life, a debt repaid with money—that’s only right and proper. What’s wrong with what I did? Edward King should have died long ago. Letting him live for more than two extra years was already heaven’s mercy.”

“Whether someone deserves to die is not for you to decide, but for the law to judge. If everyone solved problems with vigilante justice like you, what use would the law be? What use would the police be?”

“The law? The police? If the law and the police could punish all those who commit heinous crimes, who would risk everything? If the law and the police lose fairness and justice, can they still be called law and police?”

The middle-aged man didn’t respond, staring unblinkingly at James Carter.

The car suddenly became quiet, so quiet that one could hear their own heartbeat. It felt as if a century had passed before the middle-aged man slowly spoke: “Yes, that’s why there need to be people to maintain the fairness and justice of the law.”

James Carter looked at the middle-aged man in confusion.

The middle-aged man said seriously, “I’m not a policeman. I’m an auditor.”

“An auditor? The kind that checks finances?” James Carter asked instinctively.

Pfft! The middle-aged man laughed, nodded, then shook his head, saying, “You know quite a bit, but what you’re talking about is a financial auditor. That doesn’t have much to do with us.”

“Then you are…”

“A government agency.”

The confusion on James Carter’s face deepened.

“Are you brave enough?”

“What?”

“Or rather, are you afraid of death?”

James Carter was stunned by the question; he didn’t even know why he was being asked this.

“If you’re brave enough—not afraid of death—I hope you can join us as an auditor. I think you must have a deep understanding of the harm caused by social injustice, and the auditor’s duty is to investigate injustice and punish wrongdoing. So, are you interested?”

He wasn’t here to arrest him, but to invite him to join! This 180-degree turn caught James Carter completely off guard. He stared at the middle-aged man, unable to react for a long time.

After a while, he muttered, “I… I don’t even know you.”

“But I know you! Little Henry.” As the middle-aged man finished speaking, the person in the driver’s seat turned his head, looked at James Carter with a smile, and asked, “Do you remember me?”

James Carter looked up, stared intently, hesitated for a moment, then couldn’t help but open his mouth wide, pointing at the driver and saying, “It’s… it’s you?”

Chapter 11 Invitation

James Carter recognized the driver. Although they had only met once, he would never forget his face, because he was the mysterious man who had given him the video back then.

“Young people have good memories. Only met once, but after more than two years you still remember him.” The middle-aged man nodded and said, “At that time, we were investigating a major case. We were actually lying in wait there to investigate someone else, but accidentally recorded the scene of your friend being killed. Because the case we were working on was very important, we didn’t want to, and couldn’t, reveal our location. So, we couldn’t give the video directly to the police. After some discussion, we decided to give it to you first. After all, the victim was your good friend. We figured you would definitely hand the video over to the police. But to our surprise, you kept the video for yourself.”

So that’s how it was! James Carter finally solved a mystery in his heart. The reason the mysterious man gave him the video was to have him pass it to the police, since they themselves couldn’t come forward.

“Since then, we started paying attention to you, keeping an eye on your actions from time to time.”

“So, you know everything about me, and you’re still in the same place. You even recorded everything that happened on the rooftop last night.”

“That’s right. I’ve studied your planning in this matter carefully. It wasn’t a perfect plan, but your patience, depth, and sense of timing are all things I admire. The auditor needs someone like you right now. Join the auditors, and I’ll help you cover up this matter. Otherwise, I absolutely cannot allow someone like you to go astray and harm society.”