Chapter 389: Strong Measures_1

Chapter 389: Chapter 389: Strong Measures_1

At night, Aiden stepped down from the hired carriage and strode towards his own apartment. It was already very late, and there were hardly any pedestrians on the street. Coming home after a night shift was not an unusual occurrence for him.

The moment the carriage left, Aiden saw a tall man standing under the streetlamp near the apartment. He stood there quietly like a signpost, seemingly waiting for someone.

Upon seeing Aiden descend from the carriage, the man immediately approached, "Mr. Galrod?"

Leaning on his cane, Aiden stared at the man’s face and replied bluntly, "I don’t seem to know you."

In a situation like this, he could somewhat guess the man’s identity.

"Gistas Royal Secret Police Intelligence Department action team leader, you can just call me Roddy," the man introduced himself with a smile, hat in hand.

"Being so forthright with your identity isn’t something a competent intelligence officer should do," Aiden blinked.

The name was most likely a pseudonym, but this identity was definitely real.

What was to come, would always come; after the bribery attempts failed with the middle management of the prison, it was only logical for them to come to him.

Recent events were not particularly peaceful, but he insisted on taking the nightly path back to his place, instead of staying at the prison, to meet with the other party in person.

"Anyway, you must have guessed who we are, right? Making our identities clear here is to show our attitude. Unless necessary, we do not wish to be your enemy," the man said politely with a smile, "May I have a word with you aside?"

"No," answered Aiden, "Rather than with you, I’d prefer to talk directly with your highest superior. He’s come to the autonomous state as well, hasn’t he?"

Action team leader Roddy was startled. The fact that Earl Heinz Rodman personally came to the autonomous state was a secret; so far, their superior had only operated from behind the scenes, but this man had mentioned it casually.

Did he really know, or was it just a probe?

Roddy kept his composure, about to say something, but suddenly his tongue seemed tied.

It was only a momentary hesitation, though, and after quick thought, he responded with a smile, "What do you think?"

Quick reaction there, Aiden noted internally.

However, the other party did not directly deny it either. From this point of view, although not one hundred percent certain, it was very likely that Earl Rodman himself had indeed come to the autonomous state to oversee the operation personally.

It was not in vain that he had been carrying the "Wordless Code" and insisting on taking the nightly route these past few days.

Roddy felt a cold sweat breaking out on his body. In that instant, the rule "lying forbidden, violators to be punished corporally" naturally came to mind, and he instinctively sensed the danger, choosing not to directly defy the command.

Whether it was dark magic or some other method was irrelevant. What mattered was that he realized he had no means of counteracting it.

With the precept of not being able to tell lies in front of this man, there were not many secrets to be had. Some more sensitive and prickly questions, when not denied, were an answer in themselves.

"Why not listen to what we have to say first?" Roddy surrendered, raising his hands.

"What is there to talk about? In the end, you just want to bribe me, right?" Aiden replied indifferently.

Since the secret police could not get through to the middle management, they could only try to establish a connection through him. It was difficult to intervene directly in the internal affairs of Rose Iron Prison from the prison administration, and in the end, they still had to go through him, the warden.

"The check has been slid under the door of your room, it’s three times the amount we discussed before, of course, this is only the deposit, the actual payment will also be tripled," Roddy said as he adjusted his top hat, "I hope you will accept it with pleasure."

"It’s not another worthless check that can’t be cashed, is it?" Aiden said sarcastically.

"As long as you are willing to complete the transaction, we guarantee that such a situation will not occur," Roddy said earnestly.

"You’ve already blabbed to the prosecutor’s office about trying to bribe the prison, and even though I am the head of this prison, to have someone commit a crime right now... the risk you’re asking me to take is just too great," Aiden stated.

𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"If you’re worried about any lingering concerns in the autonomous region, our country is willing to offer you protection," Roddy offered.

"It’s not going to result in silencing me after offering protection, is it?" Aiden said with a smile.

"No, what we want is just a result. As long as we get the result, it doesn’t matter if the whole world knows, we have no need to silence you to cover our tracks," Roddy said seriously, "Bearing a bad reputation for our country is our duty."

Aiden understood what they meant, as long as Sera was dead, there would be no one who could pose a direct threat to the new king’s position. Even if it became known to the world that the royal secret police had found a way to assassinate Sera, the opposition’s nobles and ministers would still be latched onto the feudal monarchy and would not conspire with the Republicans. Someone had to sit on Gistas’ throne, and unless things reached the point where the opposition had to overturn the entire royal family to change dynasties, they could only bow down to the new king.

In other words, as long as the deed was done, there would be no need for the king to silence him in particular.

"But that is not my responsibility," Aiden responded bluntly, "I do not wish to carry that bad name; we are not the same kind."

"We can negotiate the terms again..."

"Sorry, but I happen to not be short of money," Aiden replied coolly.

"All right then," Roddy gave up quickly, doffing his hat, "if that’s the case, then I won’t impose any further."

As he turned to leave, Aiden called out to stop him, "Don’t be in such a rush to go, why not have a little chat first?"

Looking down, Roddy said, "Your way of keeping me here is a bit forceful."

Aiden held a pistol in his hand, the darkened barrel aimed straight at Roddy.

"Without this, you might have had to be polite with me for a bit longer," Aiden said with a smile, "I have quite a few things I’d like to consult with you about, and as it happens, my place is nearby. How about a cup of tea before you go? Have you set up an ambush at my home?"

"We haven’t done that," Roddy replied, raising his hands.

"Then let’s go."

Aiden, with the gun pointed at Roddy, made him walk into the house, leading straight back to his own room, and before entering, he had Roddy go in first.

Indeed, there were no signs that the room had been tampered with, save for an additional envelope on the floor.

As Aiden closed the door, Roddy suddenly began to speak, "Although I said I didn’t set an ambush, it doesn’t mean we don’t have a backup plan. Warden, what you’re doing is only causing trouble for yourself."

"Don’t twist the facts; I’m just normally managing my own prison, it’s clearly you who are bringing trouble to me," Aiden replied calmly.

"We really don’t want to be your enemy, but we must complete our mission," Roddy spoke evenly, "Actually, we are also quite adept at the more forceful methods, it’s just a matter of sequence, that’s all."

No sooner had Roddy finished speaking than Aiden heard a strange noise coming from the lock on the door behind him.