Zach is in denial mode now, not the kind of denial that comes with the Grief Pentalogy, Zach has nothing to grieve for, at least not yet for sure. Vertex 23S. Fastest updated Zach's refusal was to isolate everyone, including Louise who rushed back from the North District. Zach locked himself in Grande's office.
So, let's enjoy the quiet of Grande's office for a moment before describing the chaos outside.
One, two, three...or counting backwards, counting how long this silence can last.
Zach was pacing, back and forth without making any sound. Every time he passed by the desk, Zach would glance at the puppet standing on the desk.
Three, two, one. The silence is over.
It started with a close knocking sound, coming from the contact surface between the standing doll and the tabletop.
Zach stopped pacing and looked at the puppet on the table. Yes, the soul puppet that can only affect Sam's soul, "Sam? Is that you?"
The vibration of the soul puppet lasted for two seconds, and then returned to silence.
At the moment Zach was about to decide to take the first step into grief.
"It's me." The soul puppet made a voice.
Zach closed his eyes and opened his face with a smile, "You should tell this thing takes time to work."
"I don't think you have the patience to listen to me explain the principle of this thing in detail." Sam's voice seemed to have no special emotion, "And I didn't expect to use this thing so soon."
"Me too." Zach stretched out his hand to get the soul puppet, but took it back before he touched it, "Can you move?"
The soul puppet's body began to be covered with dark red spells, and it hung in the air, which was considered an answer with action.
But then he looked at the suspended puppet and frowned, "Don't you have any covert methods of action?"
"Yes, you can put me in your pocket."
Zach curled his lips and held the suspended puppet. The dark red spell disappeared in a very cooperative manner, "Maybe I should make it into a necklace or a bracelet, so you can wear it."
"You want to touch my skin forever from now on." The corners of Zach's mouth twitched slightly. It is impossible for anyone to empathize with Zach's thoughts at this time. A living person (soul) will maintain the most intimate contact with his body at all times.
"Uh... I didn't expect that. Then, pockets are good."
Tsk. That's not what Zach meant. But now that Sam mentioned it, Zach put the puppet back on the table, "I don't understand, what do you mean, are you hurting your soul by contacting me?"
"Uh, no. It's not me who touches you, it's... the wood. I'm inside the wood. But if you get injured, bleed or something, and penetrate into the soul puppet, I will definitely be affected."
I believe everyone will understand it now without specifically explaining it. Sam is dead, and it is his soul that is talking to Zach now.
"Then why use wood?" Zach was a little speechless, "Can't you find a better material?"
Sam was quiet for a while, "Yeah. Yes, why should I use wood."
I mean, is it useful to say this now? No!
"Uh, forget it." Zach picked up Sam again, "Pants or jacket?" As a guy who ordered people to commit suicide, Zach could only give Sam some comfort options in this place.
"The pocket where you put your money. It feels more important."
With nothing to argue with, Zack put Sam into his inside coat pocket.
It's time to leave the office.
Originally, the first person to greet him should be Louise, who had been waiting at the door, but there was something disruptive. James rushed over in one step, got stuck between Louise and Zach, and pushed Zach directly back to the office. Coulson, Weiss, and any police officer didn't have time to react. James had already slammed the door with his backhand. "I will interrogate him!" Bang!
Zach looked at the main seat behind the desk that James had taken the first step in as soon as he entered the office with no expression, probably to reflect the word 'interrogation' he just used.
"Sit down!" James pointed to the guest seat in front of the desk. The notebook with the police logo had been taken out and placed on the table. He held the pen and stared at Zach. "First question, do you know the attackers? people!"
Zach didn't answer immediately. He slowly sat down opposite James and looked at James, "Are you so professional?" He asked a question that was off-topic, "Do you live here, or do you admit that you are just here?" Rand spent the night. But still, I think the police should exclude police officers who are directly related to the case when handling cases to prevent personal emotions from affecting justice."
Is James professional? This is a question we can never objectively evaluate. All we know is that he was never professional here at Zach.
This time was no exception. He was taken away by our vampire very easily.
"No one! No one needs to know that I'm spending the night here!!" Staring at Zach almost ferociously, "Unless you have to explain to those police officers that the owner of Grande never sleeps in the master bedroom!!"
"You're too cunning." Zach didn't need to respond ferociously, he was quite calm, "It's because you took our bed that we slept in the basement."
"Never mind you! Anyway, if you want to explain how two people slept on a stone platform in the basement, just tell everyone that I occupied your bed!" He was lying without any subtlety.
However, James, who had been led into his own rhythm by Zach, could no longer take the initiative. "Okay, but your partners know the truth." Coulson and Wes, "So I can't see What's the point of you rushing in like this first? Haha." Zach smiled, "Unless you're worried about me~" Teasing James? Why not? I haven’t done this for a long time. Even if it’s just for the purpose of adjusting my mood, it’s worth it. “You want to know what’s going on before anyone else~”
James' face started to turn red, which was proof that Zach was right.
Then keep up the good work, "It's possible that you're just worried about yourself. Grande doesn't seem to be safe anymore. You have no place to protect yourself~"
Just when you thought people's faces couldn't get any redder, James's face gave you proof that they could.
"It's okay, I won't blame you~" Zach looked very generous, leaning back on the chair comfortably, as if he were at home, "Speaking of which, is it really necessary outside?" Zach was just grabbing James was speechless at the moment to obtain information, "I can understand searching the employee living area. But, does it need to be as detailed as Grande's search?"
Zach didn't really get out of the office, so I can only give you a summary.
The entire Grande was filled with police. Except for the office that was isolated due to the owner's refusal, every inch of the Grande was inspected by the police and every person was interrogated.
"You don't want it?" James calmed down the color on his face and stared at Zach, "Huh! If you don't want it, just bear with it! This shows that the police value you!"
This is the inevitability of the so-called victim. Once victims in various situations seek protection after their interests have been violated, their interests will be further violated by those who protect them.
Putting it here in Grande just explains the current situation in Grande. Grande was attacked and an employee died (Sem). This was the damage that Grande had already suffered, and then the police came and started a second round of injuries to rule out Grande being attacked further, searching every corner of Grande for any explanation for the initial attack on Grande. clue.
Oh, I know some people may want to ask, who called the police. After all, we all know that Jin controls the Grande side and Mo controls the Tombs side. No one was going to give Grande a bunch of police officers to get in the way of.
Answer everyone, old Hank. Explain later.
"The last time the police paid attention to Grande, Chief Pierce came in person." Do you still remember this? It doesn't matter if you don't remember. Anyway, one person died. "I didn't sense Chief Cologne."
"The director has gone to the North District." James probably didn't realize now that he didn't need to answer Zach's ~ "Apply for more protection for you!" He only focused on his own irritation.
"More protection?" Zach actually asked the speechless information from James, "Well, almost all the police from the Southern District Police Department are in Grande, isn't that enough?"
"Obviously not enough!" James was very irritated. "The only protection policy of the Southern District Police Department is closed surveillance!" I'm sorry, everyone still has to think of Director Pierce, the dead guy. "You know best. You I experienced it once." That was when Wes had just returned to Barton. During the Fight Club infiltration operation, Grande was arrested by the Southern District Police for cooperating with the police's actions and completely blocking the leakage of information about Wes' identity. The bureau 'protects' it. Have you remembered? "But obviously that kind of protection is useless to you!" James also helped Zach whitewash it. It was not useless, it would have the opposite effect. Everyone should remember that Zach blew out the tires of the car protecting the Grand Police before running to Room 105 of the inn to meet James and Wes.
"I don't need protection." Zach shook his head. The only annoyance in his heart was Old Hank, the caller.
"It's not up to you!" James replied gloomily, "The day before yesterday, you contacted the witnesses of the self-bombing case in the North District. Yesterday, you helped the Southern District Police Department get the initiative in the case. You just went to the Southern District Police Station early this morning. I gave Coulson information about the self-destruction case, and not long after I came back, I was attacked by the same self-destruction! Director Cologne thinks you need to be protected, so you need to be protected!"
Well, after James sorted it out like this, Zach couldn't find a point to turn around for a while. Why. Talking about all these things can only make Zach speechless now. The conversation with Cologne at the Southern District Police Station in the morning probably played an important role in Cologne's decision to protect Zach.
Zach could only say, "I hope Director Xi in the North District will be more conscious."
This means that some people understand that Zach does not need any form of protection, and this group of people includes Darcy. The person who was forced to protect Zach was Cologne, who didn't know what Zach was. There was no way to count on this. Darcy could only hope that Darcy would consider Zach's senses when sending people...
Zach raised his eyebrows and looked at James, "Why don't you recommend yourself? Come and protect me."
First there was silence, then "Hahaha."
"What's so funny? Then you have a legitimate reason to live in Grande." Sincerely, for the first time, Zach didn't understand the motivation for James' behavior.
"The funny thing is, I recommended myself!" James' mood changed really quickly, and he returned to gloomy, "Wes also recommended himself, and even Coulson also recommended himself! And guess what?"
Zach didn't know whether he should laugh or cry, "So Director Cologne was angry that none of his men had professional ethics and went to the North District to apply for personnel support." Isn't it, in order to protect a very important person? resources and abandon the entire case. The quality of police detectives nowadays is really worrying.
James acquiesced without speaking.
"Okay." Zach waved his hand to James. There was nothing more to do, and the rhythm was returned to James. "Put away your notes and ask."
"Where is Sam?!" James was also interested and gave up the original question, "Is he dead or something?"
Zach watched James put away the notes before taking out the soul puppet in his arms and said, "Say hi to James."
Sam, "Hi."
James stared at the soul puppet for a while, then the corners of his eyes twitched away, "What the hell happened?!"
"Of the three Zmichs, Bumi and I eliminated one, and Sam restrained one. The last one refused to chat with me, and then suppressed Bumi..."
It's so rude. James wanted to ask something himself, but he had to interrupt himself, "Zimich? Vampire? Is this an alien incident?!"
"Are you going to let it go now?" Zach looked at James with a smile on his face, "Just because this is an interracial incident."
"You! Keep talking!"
It's okay, at least I'm willing to listen to it.
"Humans appeared in the body of Zmich who refused to talk to me." Zach was distracted for a moment and listened to the voices outside. It was Mo explaining to the police that the blood in the basement was used to make Republican cuisine. Then Zach continued, "Then as you police discovered, he blew himself up."
"What about Zmich?"
"Dead, maybe not yet." Zach shrugged, "The human self-destructed in his body. If our understanding of soul expansion is correct, he should be in an infinite loop at that isolated point in time." Zach looked thoughtful, "With Zmich's body, if I give him two days, he will starve to death."
James responded well and stared at Zach, "So you have a living person now?! Just no longer in this world?! You can find out if you go to Walter or something and ask why you were attacked??"
"Didn't I just say that guy wouldn't communicate with me?" Zach just reminded James, not sarcastically, because this thought also appeared in Zach's mind and was rejected for the same reason, "And , we have never seen a living creature or a human being in Zmich’s body. To be honest, I am not sure that Zmich was still alive before the human self-destructed. It happened too fast.”
"Then why not ask Zmich??"
Zach looked at James for a while, "I'm going to go, wait for Sam to come back..."
"Wait a minute! Sam! What's going on with Sam?!" James glanced at the soul puppet instinctively, but immediately moved away. James needed to know what this thing, yes, thing, that said 'Hi' in Sam's voice was before he could decide how to look at it.
"I made a decision." Zach also looked at the soul puppet, "Either accept that Sam may be completely swallowed by Zmich and then turn into the kind of human being who can self-destruct, or let Sam give up human life on the spot... "
"Wait! Wait! What?!"
Zach was silent for a while, "I don't know, it was just my instant judgment at that time." Zach frowned and tried to explain, "A human who can self-destruct appears from Zmich's body, and Zmich gives up." He defensively pounced on Sam, the only human at the scene." Zach looked at the soul puppet, "You have to ask how logical my decision is, I'm sorry, I don't have it."
"You don't have to be sorry, I have the same judgment." The soul puppet answered Zack, "Before you gave me the order to commit suicide, I watched that Zmich rush towards me, and I had an ominous premonition." Then. It's a little slow, "When I repeat the death reappearance, the feeling becomes very strong." This is the reason why Zach walked quietly in the office. If anyone cares about what he didn't explain just now, "I'm glad you You gave me the order and asked me to take action. Otherwise, I would probably stand still and hesitate." He continued, "Also, you specifically waited for me to enter the soul puppet. Although it was completely unnecessary, after the necessary process of the earth-binding spirit passed, No matter where you are, my soul will come back here."
The conversation started.
"Uh, you should have told me this sooner."
"Same, I don't think you have the patience to listen."
James, "I'm still here!"
"Oh. Please."
"Tsk! It sounds like another Zmich is going to attack Sam, right?! And then you just let your wizard commit suicide! Like this?"
"Completely correct."
"What about Zmich?"
"Burned to death."
"The bullet hole in Sam's body is..."
"Old Hank beat him up later. Unless your police can analyze the wizard's suicide method, I think this is helping you." Zach was just objectively evaluating Old Hank's behavior. On the contrary, the reason why Old Hank called the police
"Why call the police!! You should solve this kind of thing by yourselves! Humans in Zmich's body?? Oh my god, I don't even know how to describe it! Alien incidents, aliens solve them! You said so!!" Sure enough, James isn't letting this go.
"Hank called the police." Zach shook his head. "Sem died as a Grande employee. Hank thought this was a good opportunity to make Grande's boundaries clearer."
Everyone can understand what this means.
The human beings in Grande are Old Hank's expectations for Grande's future. There is no Sam who will eventually leave and follow Zach. But Sam is a wizard, a wizard who lives a normal life like an ordinary human being. When Old Hank was cultivating loyal employees for Grande's future in the employee area of Grande, he occasionally saw Sam, who was not under his control, wandering among his employees. Wouldn't he be a little unhappy
Here's the answer.
"Hank prohibited me from using any form to continue the human existence of Sam. He said that Samuel (Sam) is dead when he dies. I still have my wizard, and that is enough for me. Don’t create any trouble for Grande’s future that I won’t deal with in the future anyway.”
James was conscious and remained silent to listen.
"So, we let Sam's death become a fact. Then, it was Old Hank who called the police in order to prove that Grande valued his employees." In case James didn't understand, "Basically, Old Hank was making full use of Grande's employees." The death of Rand's employee will teach a lesson to the employees he wants to retain." Zach tilted his head, "Including how old Hank handled Sam's body before your police arrived."
James made a fist. Because he heard that the future of Grande prepared by Old Hank was probably on the opposite side of the bright side of this city.
Zach was about to conclude, "So James, if you want to solve the case, follow Old Hank. I believe that Old Hank already has a complete response plan, and may even provide you with some exits for the self-destruction case. You must admit it. , with the appearance of Zmich this time, the self-destruction case is getting closer and closer to the direction of an alien incident. You may need a solution from the human direction."
"*!"