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“It was you—!” The moment Lauren’s sharp shout rang out, Lilith finally snapped out of her brief daze. She was still somewhat confused. But when she lowered her head and saw the dagger clenched tightly in her hand, her expression instantly became a complicated mix of emotions.

She had no idea why she had picked up this damned dagger. What she did know was that the situation was extremely bad. Late at night. A secret chamber. A dead body. A murderer. And in her hand was what appeared to be the murder weapon. Worst of all, Lauren had walked in and witnessed this exact scene. Anyone who saw the current situation would naturally arrive at the same conclusion.

Lilith raised her head and met Lauren’s furious, shocked gaze. Embarrassed, she scratched her cheek awkwardly.

“If I said I was being framed right now… would you believe me?”

Lauren ground her teeth together. “What do you think?”

‘Ah. It seems she’s not convinced at all.’

“This is going to get troublesome, isn’t it?”

Lilith felt genuinely troubled, but she made no move to resist. She allowed the late-arriving officers of the Inspection Bureau to rush in and place shackles on her wrists. Being framed was an incredibly unpleasant experience, but she also wanted to know who exactly was behind it.

***

Inspection Bureau, conference room.

The sky remained dark. It seemed as though tonight’s darkness was unusually long. An emergency meeting was being convened. The meeting had been called by Lauren, and only a handful of people were qualified to attend.

In fact, not even all of them had been summoned. Only the oldest and most experienced Deputy Inspectors, those who had served alongside Adrian the longest and whom Lauren trusted the most, were present at this meeting.

The news capable of shaking the entire Inspection Bureau to its core remained sealed away by Lauren. At present, only she and the few officers responsible for arresting Lilith knew the truth.

As a result, the veteran Deputy Inspectors who had been dragged out of their beds were still drowsy, some even carrying traces of irritation. None of them understood what kind of matter could justify calling a meeting at such an hour.

Yet the moment they got a clear look at Lauren, every trace of sleep vanished, and the irritation brewing within them disappeared completely. Because Lauren looked utterly exhausted. Fragile. The corners of her eyes still bore obvious tear stains. It was the face of someone who had just endured a grief too great to bear.

Lauren had served as Deputy Chief Inspector for three years. Throughout those three years, she had been an exemplary deputy, a capable leader, and a strong, decisive woman in the eyes of everyone within the Inspection Bureau. She had never shown weakness to anyone. Nor had anyone ever seen her in such a state.

Therefore, the fact that she now stood before them like this could only mean that something truly catastrophic had happened.

The Deputy Inspectors exchanged glances. In the end, it was the most senior among them, the veteran who had followed Adrian since the founding of the Inspection Bureau, who spoke first.

“Deputy Chief Inspector Lauren, may I ask… what exactly has happened?”

Lauren looked at him, indescribable sorrow surfacing in her eyes. “You should all prepare yourselves mentally.”

The veteran Deputy Inspector replied, “This old man has served as an inspector for decades. I’ve seen every kind of case imaginable. My heart became as hard as iron long ago. Whatever it is, Deputy Chief Inspector Lauren, please speak plainly.”

Lauren swept her gaze across the room. “Are all of you prepared?”

“Of course.” The other Deputy Inspectors nodded in agreement.

After hearing their responses, Lauren fell silent once more. Her head lowered as she stared at some unknown point before her. Everyone present possessed sharp senses and keen perception, however, and they could clearly hear her heavy breathing.

She was regulating her breath. It seemed that merely speaking the news aloud was already a tremendous burden for her. The atmosphere among the Deputy Inspectors grew increasingly heavy.

Finally, Lauren raised her head. The turmoil in her eyes had disappeared. Calm returned to her gaze. For a moment, she seemed to transform back into the formidable woman everyone knew.

Looking at each person in the room, she spoke softly, yet with unmistakable authority. “From this day forward, I am the Chief Inspector.”

“What?!” The room erupted in shock. Before Lauren had spoken, they had already considered countless possibilities.

For example, an enemy agent could have infiltrated the Inspection Bureau. Or a fellow officer could have been framed. Or perhaps the Moon Demon had launched their attack ahead of schedule.

They all possessed exceptional composure. Even if they heard news like that, they would not be shocked. They would calmly accept the situation and immediately begin discussing countermeasures.

After all, unexpected incidents and sudden crises like these had occurred countless times throughout their long careers. Yet none of them had expected Lauren’s announcement to be this.

From this day forward, she would be the Chief Inspector? Then what was to become of Chief Inspector Adrian? They were the oldest veterans of the Inspection Bureau and Adrian’s most trusted subordinates. They knew that Adrian had always been grooming Lauren as his successor. Even so, caught completely off guard, they could not accept this.

As a result, the Third Deputy Inspector, the most hot-tempered among them, slammed his hand onto the table and sprang to his feet.

“On what grounds? Where is Chief Inspector Li? Shouldn’t an order like this come directly from the Chief Inspector himself?”

Every Deputy Inspector fixed their eyes on Lauren, demanding an answer. If that answer failed to satisfy them, then no matter how outstanding Lauren’s past performance had been, she would never become the Chief Inspector of the Inspection Bureau.

“I know that such an appointment should be announced by Chief Inspector Li.” Lauren calmly endured the blade-like gazes directed at her by the veteran Deputy Inspectors. She had already experienced grief that tore at the heart. Compared to that, these stinging looks were no more than a passing breeze. “But he cannot issue that order.”

“Cannot issue it?” The room grew even more confused. Did he have some urgent matter to attend to? But hadn’t everyone attended the same meeting at noon? If he truly intended this, why hadn’t he announced it then?

“Because he is dead.”

“Even if he is dead, that still shouldn’t—” The Third Deputy Inspector slammed the table again, unable to accept the logic. Because under any circumstances, the appointment of a new Chief Inspector should have been carried out personally by Adrian. Even if he had already… Wait. Already what?

The Third Deputy Inspector—or rather, every Deputy Inspector present—thought they had misheard. So they asked again.

“You said… Chief Inspector Li… what happened to him?”

“I said that the former Chief Inspector is dead.” Lauren’s gaze remained steady. Only now did the others realize that it was not calmness. It was deathly stillness. Like the eyes of a corpse that had lost its soul. Yet that corpse still stood before them, announcing the death of another corpse.

Shock. Confusion. Disbelief. The Deputy Inspectors looked at one another, seeing the same emotions reflected in every pair of eyes. None of them believed Lauren was lying. Because Lauren never lied. Especially not about something like this. Then it had to be the truth. The Chief Inspector of the Inspection Bureau was truly dead.

After a brief silence, the group accepted the reality far more quickly than anyone might have expected. Because there was a limit to how much shock a person could experience at once.

Moments ago, they had already been stunned by Lauren’s declaration. As a result, when this devastating news arrived without warning, they found themselves accepting it with surprising speed. Perhaps that was precisely why Lauren had chosen to announce the death in this manner.

From the very beginning, she had never been someone who cared much for authority or power. The only reason she had joined the Inspection Bureau in the first place was because of Adrian. And now, Adrian was dead.