Chapter 353 - The Empty Room

Officer Kenneth Jiang was a revered officer in the Beijing Police Department. Over the years, he had been involved in many big cases and even risked his life to save ordinary citizens. Because of this, it was assumed that he was next in line for the position of Police Chief.

After all, the current Police Chief was getting old and he was looking to retire in a few years. 

However, Officer Kenneth Jiang had a secret that his colleagues didn't know about.

Trojan had scouted him when he was still in the police academy and had helped him pave this path to becoming Police Chief. In fact, he had staged crimes for him to solve as well as people for him to save. It was all done for the sake of getting someone in the top position of the Beijing Police Department for The Organization.

If not for Trojan and The Organization, Kenneth Jiang would just be an ordinary police officer that no one noticed.

Kenneth walked past the Police Chief's office slowly and tried to listen to what was being discussed inside. He knew there were cameras watching the office so he couldn't linger for too long or he'd be suspicious, so he pretended to drop a pen to give himself a little more time.

But, no matter how he stretched his ears, he did not hear anything inside.

He returned to his desk and watched over the door inconspicuously. Last time, when Boginya contacted him, he didn't find any useful information about Halia even though Boginya was sure there was something odd about her. This time, Halia was right there, in the same building as him. If he still didn't find something, Boginya was going to be furious!

So, after 15 minutes, Kenneth stood up and walked past the office again. Again, he tried to listen in on the conversation inside. But, once again, he heard nothing! It was like the room was empty even though he clearly saw the Police Chief, Halia, and a man walk inside.

He bent down to tie his shoelaces and peeked under the door slightly. There were no signs of movement inside and he did not see any shadows. 

Normally, when everyone knew the Police Chief had people in his office, they did not disturb him. It was something he was adamant about. Even if they had something urgent, they were told to call him on his phone instead because he didn't want anyone walking into his office. It made sense. After all, he met with undercover agents, whistleblowers, and all kinds of people to discuss important and confidential matters. But, curiosity got the better of Kenneth and he gently knocked on the door.

All he wanted to hear were any signs of movement from inside. Even if the Police Chief was to yell at him and tell him to go away, it was enough to convince him that nothing strange was going on inside. But, to his surprise, there was no response.

Another officer walked past and gave him the hush gesture. "The Chief is probably ignoring you because he's got guests inside. You should return to your desk before you get in trouble," she said.

Kenneth nodded his head and returned to his desk once again. As he did so, he picked up his phone and made a call, "Something strange is happening in the Chief's office...I think...there's no one inside..."

Even though it didn't make sense, his gut told him the room was empty.

"No one inside?" Boginya questioned. "Are you sure? Did you definitely see them walk into the room and not leave?"

"Yes, I watched them walk in with my own eyes and I've had my eyes glued to the door. I walked past a few times to see if I could get any information, but I didn't hear or see any movement inside. I even knocked on the door but there was no response," Kenneth replied. "I know it sounds ridiculous, but..."

Boginya narrowed her eyes and crossed her legs as she sat down on a bench and looked at the building across from her. The front of the building read, 'Beijing Police Department'.

With a slight smirk, she cut in, "You've done well this time. Leave the rest with me."

She had been in this field for long enough to know the man's suspicions weren't ridiculous at all. Sure, The Organization had a lot of secrets...but it was nothing compared to the law enforcement agencies around the world. Spies, lies, cover-ups, secret agencies, advanced technology, undisclosed experiments...she had seen it all. So, an empty room was no surprise to her at all. It simply meant her suspicions were correct. Halia was more than just an ordinary SPU agent.

...

Over in Shanghai, Avaleigh and Danson celebrated their first contract with dinner. In order not to rush around too much, Danson had booked a hotel for them to stay at and they weren't returning to Hong Kong until the next morning.

As they sat down inside a popular crowded local restaurant, Danson picked up a bottle of beer and said, "Enjoy this while you still can. When you become a household name in China, you won't be able to eat at places like this anymore."

Avaleigh gently lowered the mask on her face and popped a delicious Xiao Long Bao (steamed soup dumpling) in her mouth. Although Macaron had some fans in China, Kpop was a niche market, so it was still possible to walk around relatively comfortably without worrying about being recognized. But, Danson was right, if she became a permanent cast member on the show and the show became a hit, everyone would know who she was. Just the thought of it excited her and frightened her at the same time.

"Thank you so much for your help," Avaleigh said as she smiled at Danson. If not for him, she would still be in a slump, wondering what to do with her future.

Danson laughed and mumbled, "It's not me you should thank..."

"Huh?" Avaleigh asked, not hearing what he said properly.

"You should thank Emerson. I'm only doing this because he's my friend and you're his girlfriend," Danson replied. Of course, he did not reveal that Emerson had founded an entire entertainment agency just so he could help her.

Avaleigh smiled and nodded her head. With this thought, she gave Emerson a phone call. "What are you having for dinner?" she asked. Since she wasn't there to cook for him, she wondered what he ate and if he was having dinner on time.

But, to her surprise, he casually replied, "I'm having dinner at Marissa's place."