Perun hesitated for a moment and then said quietly,
"But I didn't even complete high school. I don't know how I'll manage this kind of work."
Lukman waved it off calmly.
"It's not that difficult. And I'll help you with everything. You won't be alone in this."
Perun crossed his arms, still unsure.
"Okay… but if I join you, it's obvious I'll be dragged into danger too, right?"
Lukman nodded honestly."Yeah. That risk is there. I'll also give you five dollars per week."
At the mention of money, Perun's attitude shifted slightly. He cleared his throat and said,"Well… I can consider it. Not because of the money," he added quickly, "but because I think I'm already on their radar. I can't completely avoid them anymore."
Lukman gave a short nod."Alright. That's enough."
Meanwhile, Vaelor had reached Eagle Eye Headquarters. Everyone there already knew about the incident that had occurred the previous night at Augustin's office. Inside the room were Augustin himself, along with Robert, Jackson, and Truman.
Vaelor explained the situation clearly.
"Robert received a call from my cousin. He works as a security guard for the governor's daughter. After that, Robert and I went there with the police."
He paused, then continued,
"The situation is under control now. Almost all the attackers were arrested—except one. The leader managed to escape."
"That's all," Vaelor finished.
Augustin leaned back in his chair."How is your cousin? And the governor's family?"
"They're relatively safe now," Vaelor replied.
Augustin nodded."Good. Now, let's return to the case."
He turned to Truman.
"You said you found something in the basement of the art museum."Truman stepped forward and began explaining.
"When Jackson and I were down there, we found photographs of three kidnapped individuals—Helen, Dr. Morris, and Selena. Each picture had a cross marked over it."
The room grew tense.
"There were several bottles of chloroform," Truman continued. "Clearly used for kidnapping. And scattered on the floor were some tablets. It looked like whoever was there left in a hurry—possibly while taking medication."
"We sent the tablets to the lab," he added. "They were identified as Minipress, the same medication used by Kite."
From all of this, we now have enough evidence suggesting Kite is the main culprit."
Vaelor fell silent. Perun's earlier words echoed in his mind—It wasn't Kite. It was something else.
He finally spoke up.
"But wasn't Kite mentally ill? How could someone like that plan something this precise?"
Augustin responded firmly,
"It's not that we want him to be the culprit. But every piece of evidence points toward him."
"And there's more," Truman added.
"We have a witness—Helen. She didn't seem to be lying at all. And when we found Kite—"
He stopped.
Vaelor remained speechless.
Later, Vaelor and Truman stepped outside the office.
After a moment of silence, Vaelor said,"Can we visit Selena's workplace?"
Truman frowned.
"Why? That place is full of women. The cops already checked it."
Vaelor replied thoughtfully,
"It doesn't make sense. Escaping from a place like that with a girl and without being noticed is nearly impossible."
Truman thought for a moment, then sighed.
"Alright. Let's go. But be careful."
They drove to Selena's workplace, a brothel hidden in a corner of the street, an area considered forbidden for most people. Even during the daytime, bright lights glowed from inside, maintaining the illusion of night.
Vaelor and Truman stood at the entrance, visibly uncomfortable.
Suddenly, something soft landed on Vaelor's head.
He grabbed it instinctively. It was a red bra.
Before he could react, Truman snapped, "What are you doing? Why are you touching it like that?"
Vaelor looked confused."Why? What is this?"
A voice came from a window above them. A woman with shiny brown hair leaned out, completely undressed.
"Hey, mister!" she called. "Can you give me my clothes? I was in a hurry and dropped it."
Vaelor and Truman instantly turned their heads away.
Vaelor muttered awkwardly,
"So… this is where it belongs."
"Senior, can you take it?"
Truman scoffed."Oh wow, now you're calling me 'senior'? You already touched it—just give it back."
Vaelor protested,"No, senior—"
Truman cut him off."I'll talk to the head of this place. You return it. And don't throw it. Our duty is to help people."
Truman walked inside.
Holding the bra at arm's length, Vaelor searched for the room. Coincidentally, it was the very first one. He knocked.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed him and pulled him inside.
The woman stood there, still without her bra.
"I want to talk to you," she said.
Vaelor immediately turned around and handed her the bra.
"Please… wear it."
She sighed and put it on, then slipped into a blue, midi-length one-piece dress.
Vaelor turned back."What did you want to talk about?"
She smirked."I was just saying—I can't give you service right now. My shift is over."
Vaelor blinked.
"What? No—that's not why I'm here. I'm here because you needed help."
She stepped closer, wrapping an arm around his neck, whispering teasingly,
"Then help me now."
Vaelor stepped back sharply."I'm an officer from Special Investigation. I'm here regarding Selena's disappearance."
The woman's expression changed."Yes," she said slowly. "I didn't like her."
"Why?" Vaelor asked."Can you tell me about her?"
She folded her arms."You're rude. You didn't even ask my name."
"I'm Vaelor."
She smirked again."I'm Crystie."
Then she sighed.
"Selena was beautiful. Not more than me—but noticeable. She wanted to escape this place. She started looking for a rich man she could take advantage of."
"She found one. They went on dates, chose a hotel. But when she learned Kite was mentally ill, she began avoiding him."
"After Kite disappeared, she wasn't sad. She found another man. Spent time with him. And then… she disappeared."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"This work… nobody here is truly happy. Everyone wants to escape. But the outside world isn't any better. People everywhere take advantage of each other."
She paused, she is on verge of crying.
"Sorry. I got distracted. That's all I know."
Vaelor nodded sympathetically."One last thing—do you know who she was with just before she vanished?"
Crystie answered quietly,"Yes. A psychiatric doctor."
Vaelor thanked her.Before leaving, he said softly,
"There are may things in life bound by fate, fear, and consequences. But what truly matters is what we choose—and the courage to choose it. Even if the consequences are worst."
Vaelor exited the building and found Truman leaning against the car, face turned away.
"I found something," Vaelor said.
"That's good," Truman replied casually.
Vaelor narrowed his eyes."Senior… why aren't you turning around?"
Truman sighed and turned.There were bright pink lipstick marks all over his face.
"I walked into four wrong rooms," he muttered. "All the shifts were ending, and… yeah. I also didn't find the head of this place."
Vaelor found its funny but he control his laugh.
They got into the car.
"Senior," Vaelor said, starting the engine, "let's go to Dr. Morris's clinic."
Truman raised an eyebrow."Why?"
"The clue leads to a psychiatric doctor."
Truman nodded."Oh."