Very late, very late, the kind of night that can be referred to as the time from late night to early morning. Vertex 23S. Updated soonest Zach and Lois are engaging in... a very reluctant blood exchange.
It's so weird. With Murphy less than 30 meters away in a straight line, the two vampires really couldn't find any feelings. As a result, the blood exchange became a matter of coping, with both parties using a 'working' attitude. Do…
the phone is ringing.
It was a relief for both of them. "Is it four o'clock?" Zach asked casually while arranging his clothes.
"Two o'clock." Louise was not about to get out of bed, so she took "Cain of God's Punishment" from the dressing table.
"Sorry, I was just a little distracted." Zach looked back at Louise. You can think of this as a man apologizing for his poor performance.
Louise smiled in understanding, "I know, go answer the phone."
Zach nodded and opened the door to the master bedroom. James stood at the door. He glanced at the dark bedroom and immediately turned away, "I can't sleep." James only woke up during dinner and is sleeping now. Then someone asked, "Who would call you so late?"
Zach ignored James, closed the door, and walked to the office, walking a little faster because he didn't want the ringing of the bell to wake up the two girls.
When he picked up the phone, James trotted after him.
"Grand Funeral Home." Tiger Balm's opening line.
"Zach? Great, you're awake." It was Chapman's voice, but his voice sounded like he had just woken up, "Uh, um..." He seemed to be organizing his words, "Uh, that's it, just now The station received a call from Vega Police Station, asking about witnesses in a serial murder case... "
Zach handed the phone directly to James.
Although James looked puzzled, he still held the receiver and listened.
Chapman, "I don't know anything about the serial murders in Vega City, but Vega said that someone from our side contacted them before and said that we had a witness or something, and he used, uh, my police number. Report made.”
James glanced at Zach and twitched his lips, "It's me."
Weiss on the other side of the receiver was stunned for a moment, then said, "Detective Lance?"
"It was me, the one who contacted Vega Police Station. I was on vacation. I didn't want to use my own or Wes's identity to do things, so I used yours." James frowned, "Sorry." It's nothing. A feeling of sincerity.
"Uh, okay." No matter whether the apology was sincere or not, Chapman on the other side of the receiver had nothing to do, so, "Except for Newton, we have almost no other police stations contacting us. The superintendent is a little unhappy that I messed up. Contact people in other cities. Now, I was called over by the bureau to make a written report. Well... What should I, uh, write?"
"Ask him why he called me." Zach gestured to James.
James obviously didn't like being ordered around by Zach, but given the situation, he had nothing to resist, "Why did you call Grande?"
"Vega City." Chapman answered simply, "You and Zach just came back from Vega, right? I guess it has something to do with you."
James didn't need to repeat the answer, Zach could hear it anyway.
Chapman added, "Is it really about you? Uh, murder?"
James curled his lips and said, "It has nothing to do with me. It was Zach who heard the murder." He sold Zach without any hesitation.
"Oh." Chapman responded and stopped talking. He was waiting for instructions from here to ask his question: how to write the report.
"You tell Chapman and ask him to write that he received an anonymous police report. The reporter said that he heard something disturbing and didn't know what to do, so he reported the crime in Barton. Then Chapman conveniently contacted Contact the Vega Police Department," Zach suggested.
James looked at Zach with his mouth crooked for a while, and then spoke into the receiver, "Just write that you got the information from a sensitive informant and verify it with Vega Police Station. Over there, Vega Police Station If we still need cooperation, it can only be done through you. You don’t need to write any names or details in the report.”
Zach looked at James speechlessly, "Meaning?"
James ignored Zach, "You don't have to worry about it, Inspector. Once the report is sent to Darcy, Darcy will naturally not continue to interfere."
"Uh, why?" Chapman asked on the receiver.
"The West is enough for Darcy to ignore. He knows that he, a successor, has no right to take care of the affairs of the West!" James' tone was completely devoid of any respect for his superiors. To be honest, we should also give up James' concept of superiority and inferiority. This guy can't teach it. "Darcy can guess who the sensitive informant is with his butt." He glanced at Zach and said, "He won't even care about it. He just treats it as insurance."
But this logic is so rigorous that there is nothing to say.
"Okay." Chapman agreed, "Then if the Vega Police Department continues to contact me, will I ask them to come to you directly?"
"kindness."
"Okay, then I'll go to the bureau." Chapman hung up the phone.
Zach had no reason to leave the office and go back to the master bedroom. He just looked at James behind the desk for a while, with a hint of curiosity, "You want to help the Vega Police Department investigate this alien murder case?"
Without looking at Zach, James corrected Zach's wording, "Serial Murder."
"Hmph." Zach laughed and snorted, "It's up to you."
Humph, because James is still James, the James who is used to refuting whatever Zach says. Laughing, we understand that something, recognized in James' mind, is changing about the victims expanding from humans to aliens.
"But as I told you before, I just heard the process of a murder. I don't think I can be of any help to the Vega Police Department."
James glanced at Zach, "I'm hungry. Make me something to eat."
Zach was stunned for a moment, then smiled and nodded. Don't take this as a rude request, it's better to have something to do to kill time than to do nothing and immerse yourself in the weird atmosphere in Grande now. Zach stood up, "What do you want to eat?"
"Anything hot." James didn't ask for it.
The two moved to the kitchen, where Zach began preparing James' food. James didn't look like he wanted to help. He stood at the kitchen window and looked in the direction of Benjamin's warehouse, "Are the two people sleeping over there?"
"No." Zach replied while doing things, "Benjamin was asking Murphy about my marriage to her."
James looked back at Zach, "I've never thought Benjamin was the gossiping type."
"He's not." Zach shrugged, "He just knew I was listening, so he asked deliberately to provoke me."
James frowned, "What's going on with you two?" Lest Zach answer the wrong question, "I'm asking you and Benjamin."
Let me explain here, believe me, James himself definitely does not want to talk about Murphy with Zach, because the 'relationship between a man and two women' in this story at this time is not just Zach. And James definitely didn't want to get into trouble.
"A few days ago, the day you came back." Zach glanced at James, meaning that 'the trouble you brought back' was not sincere, it was just to spite James, "Director Cologne told me about Zumen's Office Some, um, 'worries'. I told Benjamin, but it was taken as malicious. So, Benjamin is unhappy with me, and I am unhappy with him."
"What's wrong with the Ancestors Office?" James frowned. To say that the guy in this city who is most unhappy with the nature of the Ancestors Office is probably James.
"It's nothing, it's just that Benjamin doesn't have a job on the surface, and the business of our firm cannot be shown on the surface at all. As the police chief, Colon can't stand it."
James curled his lips and said something unexpectedly objective, "This is a bit deliberately targeted."
Zach looked at James in surprise, "Thank you, you understand~"
James tilted his head, as if he didn't want to reply. But he still spoke, "So Benjamin is ready to solve it."
"I don't know." Zach shook his head, "He doesn't care, and I don't want to care either."
Zach thought that James would continue to ask questions about whether there was anything done in the office that warranted the attention of the police. After all, Cologne may wholeheartedly believe that Zumen Firm is an illegal institution, but James should understand that the criterion of 'illegality' has no meaning for Zumen Firm.
But James once again surprised Zach, "Why did Benjamin accept the commission?"
Zach didn't understand the question, but fortunately James added, "Why does Benjamin do things for aliens in this way? I mean, uh, what does Benjamin need money for? He doesn't have to raise Alice or Hank, Uh, what's wrong with his own words? Why do he do this, uh, to make money, so that the wolf-body consciousness that occasionally comes out can go shopping in Beiqi?"
Zach was stunned for a moment, and then laughed uncontrollably, "Haha! I have to convey your conclusion to Benjamin! You are a genius~"
James stared at Zach with a sullen face, "You are sick! Benjamin won't blame me, but he must think you are provoking! Do you still want to reconcile with Benjamin?"
"Oh? Do you hope that Benjamin and I will reconcile?"
James curled his lips and remained silent.
"Haha, don't worry, Benjamin and I are not at odds, we are just unhappy with each other~" Zach said lightly, "Your food is done~" Zach held a plate of scrambled eggs in his hand. Seriously, Zach wouldn't bother himself with making complicated food to feed humans in the middle of the night.
James took the plate and took a bite, "Good job."
"Just make do." Zach tidied up the kitchen. In fact, it's all quite... dreamy. Who would have thought that James and Zach would be chatting about everyday things in the dead of night.
"But seriously, I can understand you doing Grande, but I don't understand Benjamin doing Grandfather's Office." James spoke while chewing dry scrambled eggs.
"I don't know either. But." Zach tilted his head, "If I had to explain, I guess this is Benjamin's compensation for his Alpha status." Zach raised the hand with the thimble, but Thimble made no attempt to join in the conversation.
James thought for a while, "Benjamin is Alpha, he is a leader, he has the instinct to meet the needs of his subordinates, but he has no subordinates, except Matthew, who lives a very normal life. So, he decided to help Other alien races." In this dreamy situation, James was carefully understanding what Zach said, "The Ancestors Firm, 'Ancestors', the name itself is a symbol of Benjamin himself. That, the form of this commission, It's just that Benjamin brought a model to rationalize motivations." He glanced at Zach and said, "The human model, delegation, was invented by humans to simplify the model of profit motivation. Benjamin achieved the psychological achievement of 'satisfying the needs of subordinates'. The entrusted aliens get tangible benefits and won’t question Benjamin’s true motives because they paid the reward, and they don’t have to question it either. A win-win situation.”
Zach gave James a look of admiration, "I'm surprised by your, um, insights~"
James curled his lips. He didn't need Zach's approval, "Huh, in comparison, Benjamin is much deeper than you. You, huh, maintain Grande just to maintain your citizenship." The same goes for James. Enough, I have to attack Zach.
"Hehehe, I don't need depth, the length of my life can crush everything~" Of course Zach will not be attacked in vain.
James curled his lips and picked up the food quickly, as if he didn't want to talk anymore.
Zach stayed with James for a while and became bored. Getting ready to go back to the bedroom, she didn't want to exchange blood. Maybe Louise, who was reading, would have some new topics to talk about to pass the time...
"I understand the reason why Zach made the commission, and the reason why Benjamin made the commission." James suddenly spoke, his voice was very low, like mumbling to himself, "Then, why do those aliens from the Sabbat make the commission? "This question was asked by James, but he didn't seem to notice that he said what was in his mind.
Zach walked out of the kitchen, came back with raised eyebrows, looked at Zach, "What did you just say?"
James was shocked and said, "What? I didn't say anything." He frowned and continued to pick up the food.
Zach walked towards James with an interested smile on his face, "No, you said it. You are thinking about the social system created by the Sabbat in the West~"
"No, I didn't." James turned around, inexplicably... cute.
"You have~" Zach moved along, "You are thinking about the relationship between alien races and human society~ From the familiar me and Grande, then Benjamin and the Ancestors Agency, and finally, the Sabbat and the West~"
"I didn't." James frowned and glared at Zach.
Zach kept smiling, and did not continue to 'force' James, but said, "Wow, Wes is really right, you have changed~"
"Wes?" James couldn't praise him either, and was easily taken away by Zach, "What did he say about me?"
Zach didn't answer, "Dell's matter really affected you, right?" Does it sound inexplicable
"I don't know what you're talking about." James turned around again with a sullen face.
Zach continued to move and put his hand on James' shoulder, "The fish is starting to really think about the environment in which it lives."
Since he obviously couldn't get rid of it, he could only stare at Zach, "I don't know what you are talking about!"
"You understand~" Zach patted James, "Finally~ Haha, I'm optimistic about you, keep working hard~" Zach left this inexplicable encouragement and turned around and left.