Chapter 62

"Officer Zeiss, please take a seat." Fang Puxin's voice sounded at just the right moment, his immaculate police uniform lending weight to his words.

"Thank you." Zeiss nodded slightly at Fang Puxin and sat in the seat reserved for him by the Major Crime Unit.

The Major Crime Unit had not anticipated that reinforcements would consist of an entire team, so only one seat had been prepared. However, Yu Mei and Tan Song reacted swiftly, immediately giving up their own seats and standing behind Shao Qiaoqiao and the others.

When the North American team took their seats, their movements were synchronized, exuding an air of elite precision—especially their Chinese team leader. Handsome, tall, and impeccably dressed in an expensive suit, his demeanor was proud and refined, forming a stark contrast with Xu Zhangying sitting directly across from him.

Xu Zhangying wore a black T-shirt and shorts, his neck and arms still wrapped in white bandages, his hair unkempt and loose. More importantly, his entire demeanor radiated that of a laid-back slacker. If not for the AGB badge pinned to his chest, he would have looked no different from an ordinary person chilling at home.

Yan Jianbai and the North American team quickly exchanged personal information. The two officers Zeiss had brought with him were Vincent, an American, and Cooper, a Canadian—both Alpha males. Vincent was around the same age as Zeiss, while Cooper was slightly older, appearing to be in his early thirties.

When questioned by Yan Jianbai, Zeiss replied calmly and confidently, "My father is an American of Chinese descent. My Chinese name is Zhang Jingzhi. Call me whatever you’re comfortable with."

Foreigners indeed placed less emphasis on titles and formalities. In this regard, Xu Zhangying's team had never made the Major Crime Unit feel any culture shock from the start. Yu Mei and Tan Song, standing out of everyone’s line of sight, exchanged sidelong looks, looking back and forth between Xu Zhangying and Zeiss.

"Zeiss, why did you come personally?" Once the introductions were over, Xu Zhangying was the first to speak.

Zeiss turned his head, his narrowed eyes bright as they fixed on Xu Zhangying. "Standard procedure. I don’t understand the premise of your question."

Xu Zhangying smiled. "Just curiosity, of course. It’s pretty unusual for a second-level officer like you to personally request reinforcements. That’s inherently abnormal."

Zeiss stared at Xu Zhangying, a smirk appearing on his face. "My choice of action is based on my own considerations. Do I need to explain my thought process to you?"

"Forget it, that sounds like a drag. I don’t want to hear it anyway," Xu Zhangying replied with a bored expression, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair, much to the nervous glances of Shao Qiaoqiao and others.

Yet, upon hearing Xu Zhangying’s response, a flicker of amusement flashed in Zeiss’s eyes. He studied Xu Zhangying intently before chuckling lightly. "However, the reinforcement request was issued by the Asia Branch office. I was also surprised that you, Edmund, made such a rare mistake. Or perhaps, dealing with Life is simply too challenging for you."

"Yikes," Yu Mei whispered to Tan Song. "Foreign workplaces are terrifying—no beating around the bush, just straight to the point."

Li Jiali, standing behind Xu Zhangying, had initially looked uneasy, but now her face was completely livid. She might as well have had "I want to gun down this team" written across her forehead.

At this point, the American beside Zeiss seemed to notice Li Jiali’s hostility you could cut with a knife. Vincent smiled and said, "You must be Lilly? You’re quite famous—I’ve heard of you."

Vincent’s Chinese was decent compared to Benjamin’s, but it was still passable. Li Jiali neither confirmed nor denied, simply glancing at him. Vincent then added curiously, "Has the AS03 Team always been just two people all these years? You must be the smallest team in all of AGB."

"Not anymore," Xu Zhangying proudly extended his hand, introducing the third member sitting across from them. "This year, we’ve added a new colleague—Benjamin. His internship period ends by the end of this year."

"An intern?" Vincent and Cooper turned their heads, as if only just noticing the Frenchman squeezed in among the Major Crime Unit officers. Benjamin, suppressing his nerves, managed a nervous grin in their direction.

But the next second, Vincent laughed incredulously. "No shit you needed backup. Sir, ever thought about improving the quality of your team?"

"You’re only three yourselves!" A voice brimming with anger suddenly rang out from the corner of the desk. The North American team instinctively turned toward the source.

It was Qi Feng. Her narrowed eyes burned with displeasure. Vincent studied the furious female alpha officer for a moment, about to respond, when Fang Puxin sternly interjected, "Qi Feng, stand down."

Qi Feng glared fiercely at the North American team before falling silent. Vincent, having been rebuked by an unrelated Chinese officer, also felt a pang of frustration and leaned back in his chair, temporarily closing his mouth.

Zeiss withdrew his gaze from Qi Feng and met Xu Zhangying’s faintly mocking eyes. A trace of derision flickered in his own as he spoke. "As a team leader, building your team is part of your responsibilities. The size and structure of a team require constant adjustment. Edmund, you’ve been coasting along for years. This mission’s failure should serve as a reality check."

"Really?" Xu Zhangying rubbed his chin nonchalantly. "Though I don’t actively compete, our team’s performance has been excellent. And you’ve been mistaken about one thing this whole time."

He raised a finger, smiling. "The reason we needed reinforcements wasn’t due to a mission failure—it’s because our team’s luck is next-level. For the first time in eleven years, AGB’s direct confrontation with Life was triggered by our Asia Branch’s Team 03."

The Major Crime Unit rarely got to see such a "sparring" Xu Zhangying. Yu Mei, Tan Song, and Song Yuli—the trio of onlookers—once again happily enjoyed the spectacle, though they lamented that Zhao Yang, the loose cannon, wasn’t present to witness it.

Zeiss’s icy stare pierced through, his tone haughty. "Luck proves nothing. Your AS03 Team—a beta, a female alpha, and now an intern—not only operates inefficiently but also has almost zero risk tolerance. Of course, this is just a reminder. Whether you take it to heart is your prerogative."

Xu Zhangying tilted his head thoughtfully and asked, "Zeiss, how many people are in the NA04 Unit now?"

"Ten," Zeiss replied, looking at Xu Zhangying.

The Major Crime Unit team was startled, especially the younger members like Shao Qiaoqiao and Tan Song. Xu Zhangying's team was their first collaboration with AGB, so they had assumed three members was the standard size. No wonder the North America Branch team had been so critical—the gap between ten and three was enormous.

"A team of ten male alphas," Xu Zhangying chuckled, sounding almost regretful. "That means you only take on high-priority cases. So, you were never meant to handle the 523 case in the first place. Pity—you were destined to miss out on our kind of luck."

The North America Branch team's expressions finally darkened, while Xu Zhangying visibly brightened. He straightened up and wrapped up the pleasantries: "Alright, enough catching up. Zeiss, didn’t you want to exchange information with me in person? Since this is the 523 case’s jurisdiction, I’ll let you start first."

Zeiss glanced at Xu Zhangying, who had folded his hands, and said nothing further. Instead, he raised his right hand, signaling Cooper beside him to produce the laptop and documents.

Shao Qiaoqiao stepped forward, efficiently taking the computer from the AGB Officer and helping connect it to the office display screen.

Everyone finally relaxed, knowing the AGB power struggle had temporarily ended.

Xu Zhangying appeared composed, but he was drained. He had never been good at competition, even back in school. While the Asia Branch had a competitive environment, the North America Branch’s overtly confrontational approach was even more unbearable.

*Damn it, Zeiss and Amber are both insane. A North America Branch Deputy Superintendent personally crossing regions for backup is just looking for trouble.*

Lost in thought for a few seconds, a pale, slender hand suddenly appeared in front of him. Xu Zhangying focused and saw Xia Qing holding out his watch.

He looked up at Xia Qing’s calm, handsome face and couldn’t help but smile. He extended his left hand under the table, and Xia Qing secured the watch back onto his wrist.

Once it was secured, Xu Zhangying took the phone Xia Qing handed him, verified the settings, and then lifted his head—only to lock eyes with Zeiss, who had been staring at him. The man’s usually arrogant, aristocratic expression had cracked, revealing a flicker of shock.

*What the hell is that look?*

Xu Zhangying gave Zeiss a puzzled glance before turning his attention to the display screen being set up.

"Done," Shao Qiaoqiao said efficiently, standing straight and returning the laptop to Cooper before resuming her seat.

Xu Zhangying and the others refocused, adjusting their posture as they turned toward the North America Branch team.

"I need to know the AS03 Team and Officer Yan’s current understanding of Nereid, as well as your top priorities," Zeiss said, his tone measured and authoritative.

Nereid was the name of the yacht company, translated as *Sea Nymph*—a fitting allusion to its dark criminal dealings.

Xu Zhangying flipped through his documents without looking up. "Based solely on the evidence video your team sent, we’ve deduced that the five victims in the 523 case might be linked through this company. Right now, our main concern is whether you’ve confirmed this connection."

As he spoke, Benjamin, standing nearby, handed Zeiss and his team the victim profiles from the 523 "living artwork" case—standard procedure for intelligence exchange.

Cooper tapped a key, and a scanned document appeared on the screen, displaying personal files of nearly 30 omegas and betas. As he scrolled, different faces flashed before the group.

Cooper stated coldly, "These are the employee records we found in the safe after arresting Nereid’s chairman yesterday. They detail illegal trafficking operations provided by the company over the past three years. So far, we’ve only identified Victim 256, Wang Tianxiao, and Victim 456, the Thailand victim, among them."

The group immediately recognized the two familiar faces on the screen. The files were comprehensive, even including the victims’ family backgrounds and government IDs.

Yan Jianbai asked in a low voice, "What about records from before three years ago?"

Vincent shrugged. "All destroyed. And the company doesn’t keep track of where these omegas end up."

Xu Zhangying followed up, "Have you investigated the company’s network? Where do they source these omegas? How are the company’s funds allocated?"

Cooper’s green eyes locked on the Beta superintendent’s face before he answered, "Our joint raid with local police on Nereid was less than 24 hours ago. Based on current financial records, we’ve established the company is owned by a Canadian conglomerate called Nauron, held through one of its overseas shell companies."

"What’s the stake?" Xu Zhangying asked.

*Forty percent,* Cooper replied.

Xu Zhangying nodded and looked up at Zeiss, his expression unchanged as he said, "So this Nauron Group is your team's primary target?"

Cooper and Vincent froze instantly, staring at the bruised beta, an uncontrollable sense of dread creeping into their hearts.

Zeiss, however, wasn’t as shocked as the other two alpha officers. He merely let out a cold laugh. "We would’ve told you eventually. But now that you’ve figured it out so keenly, you’ve thrown off the flow of our intel exchange."

Xu Zhangying shrugged indifferently. "This isn’t some straight-up trade. We’re not hiding anything from you—no need to be so tight-lipped."

Zeiss fixed his gaze on Xu Zhangying for a moment before saying nothing further, simply tilting his head slightly to signal Cooper to continue.

Cooper paused in thought before speaking. "During our preliminary investigation into the cruise company, we found that its criminal operations were split three ways: client sourcing, workers, and transaction venues—each controlled by different factions.

In other words, the arrested Nereid management team was only responsible for providing the transaction venues. The victims weren’t supplied by them, nor were the clients—those were handled by other factions. Our other team members are currently interrogating and tracking these two organizations via IP traces, so we can’t provide specifics yet."

"Understandable," Xu Zhangying said with a tolerant smile. "We and Captain Yan’s team have unfortunately gotten way too familiar with such cunning tactics."

The Major Crime Unit members also chuckled bitterly. Since investigating the 523 case, the conspiracies and criminal networks behind it had seemed to split endlessly like Russian dolls, with Life more like a ghost—damn near impossible to pin down.

Cooper then added, "So currently, we can’t confirm whether the other three victims besides No. 256 and No. 456 are connected to the cruise company. Since records are only kept for three years, it’s possible they were former employees."

Vincent shrugged. "That’s why we’ve only interrogated the arrested personnel regarding the cases of victims No. 256 and No. 456, getting the first round of statements.

But I doubt these materials will be of much use to your case. We’ll need to wait until our team tracks down the organizations behind Nereid to trace the criminal activities back to China—"

"Won’t take that long." A voice suddenly cut off Vincent’s spiel.

Vincent looked up and saw the young man who had him both curious and wary the moment he entered the office.

Because he’d been forced to get a chip before entering customs, he could barely sense pheromones now, making it impossible for him and Cooper—both alphas—to discern others’ pheromone levels or even genders for the first time.

Yet the moment he stepped into the room, he sensed something unusual about the young man sitting beside the legendary beta officer. He must be a high-ranking alpha. This judgment didn’t stem from pheromones but an instinctive intuition—and he could tell Cooper and Zeiss had noticed it too.

Vincent flashed a bright, American-style grin, though it made him look like a golden retriever puppy. "Hello, and you are?"

Fang Puxin realized they hadn’t introduced Xia Qing yet and quickly addressed the North American team. "This is Professor Xia Qing, a criminal consultant for the 523 case. Breaking the case early on relied heavily on Xia Professor’s insights."

"If I’m not mistaken," Zeiss said, his gaze sharp as a tack fixed on Xia Qing, "—this Mr. Xia is the chair of the LSA Youth Society, Professor Xia?"

Though phrased as a question, his tone made it clear he already knew the answer.

"Yes." Xia Qing lifted his eyes to meet the North American team’s gaze, his handsome face expressionless.

"Oh, how interesting," Zeiss remarked, sneaking a glance at Xu Zhangying beside him. "I never expected AS03 Team’s mission would not only lead us to Life but also to such a big shot."

Only when Zeiss mentioned the LSA did Vincent and Cooper realize why they’d felt that weird vibe earlier. They stared at the young man in shock—was he really that top-ranking life scientist from the LSA?

"See?" Xu Zhangying crossed his arms and leaned onto the desk, grinning at the North American team. "I told you our AS03 Team has great luck. Wanna defect?"

"No thanks," Zeiss replied coldly.

After digesting this for a moment, Vincent suddenly turned to Xia Qing and asked cautiously, "Professor, what did you mean earlier by ‘won’t take that long’?"

Xu Zhangying straightened up, his expression serious as he jumped in, "It means we don’t need to wait for you to trace from the cruise company to the conglomerate. Just hand over the investigation records on No. 256."

Vincent looked baffled. "Why?"

Xu Zhangying smiled and snapped his fingers. "Intel exchange time."

As soon as he finished speaking, Benjamin, who had been standing by like an eagle-eyed assistant, swiftly handed a fresh stack of documents to the North American team.

"We believe the key figure in Case 523 is Victim No. 256, Wang Tianxiao, who had a special relationship with Victim No. 412. She was introduced to the cruise company by Shen Feng, a member of LEBEN. We suspect she must have leaked Shen Feng’s secrets to a high-ranking member under certain circumstances, leading to her and No. 412’s deaths."

While Zeiss and the others were reviewing the documents, Xu Zhangying got straight to the point and pointed out the crux of the case.

At that moment, Zeiss stiffened when he saw the words "David City" in the materials. His eyes flickered with disbelief as he looked up at Xu Zhangying and said coldly, "You’ve personally encountered LEBEN?"

Xu Zhangying pointed at himself and said wryly, "Why do you think I ended up like this?"

Zeiss: "Injured during a mission."

Xu Zhangying replied frankly, "Exactly. Everyone in this room has had direct contact with LEBEN—I was just a bit unluckier and ended up like *this*."

Though he was the one who accidentally injured himself while blowing up the enemy, he still claimed he was beaten. The Major Crime Unit members and Li Jiali all mentally groaned, but everyone kept a solemn expression—after all, Officer Xu was covering for everyone, so they had to play along.

When Vincent and Cooper heard that the seemingly unremarkable Major Crime Unit members had all encountered LEBEN, they immediately scoured the files in disbelief, only to find them incomplete. They then stared blankly at the composed officers around them.

But Zeiss zeroed in on the latter part of Xu Zhangying’s words, asking with a hint of anger, "Why didn’t you mention earlier that you were injured by LEBEN? How did they hurt you?"

Xu Zhangying hadn’t expected Zeiss to press about his injury. He avoided the question and instead said bluntly, "You initiated this cross-regional collaboration without intending to share core intelligence with us, didn’t you?"

Zeiss paused briefly, then his expression returned to its usual coldness. Staring into Xu Zhangying’s eyes, he replied after three seconds, "Yes. Our security clearances are too far apart. Naturally, we couldn’t disclose all intelligence to you."

Xu Zhangying straightened up with a smile. "Then now, as the additional personnel from the North America Branch, will you rethink your stance?"

Only then did Li Jiali realize—Vincent and Cooper’s earlier vagueness was because the North America Branch hadn’t planned to share all intel with them.

No wonder Xu Zhangying had specifically prepared two files for Benjamin last night, instructing him to hand them over to the North American team in sequence based on his cue. He had seen through their game.

Zeiss tightened his grip on the documents before relaxing his fingers and saying coldly, "I need to contact the director."

With that, the top-ranking Officer stood up, gave Xu Zhangying a firm look, and his two fellow Officers immediately rose as well.

"You two stay," Zeiss said.

Vincent and Cooper exchanged a glance and sat back down.

"Officer Zhang, take care," Xu Zhangying feigned concern to the retreating figure.

Before the words fully left his mouth, Zeiss stopped, turned, and pinned Xu with a glare.

"You’re coming too. I need you to explain directly to the North America Branch director," Zeiss said, his tone icy.

"Ah, me too?" Xu Zhangying’s grin dropped instantly.

The AGB Inspector from the North America Branch stood motionless, staring at him expressionlessly.

Xu Zhangying seethed silently but ultimately, under the North American team’s watchful eyes, limped after him on his crutches.

The moment they stepped out, Li Jiali and the others could still hear Xu Zhangying grumbling, "Is your director allergic to daylight? Can’t we just call him here?"

After the two AGB Inspectors left, the North American and Asian teams were left staring at each other in tense silence, the office eerily quiet except for the sound of breathing.

By the window, Xia Qing studied Xu Zhangying’s empty seat, deep in thought.

Just then, the American Vincent cut in, "Professor, did you work with Officer Edmund on this case?"

The question made no sense, drawing puzzled looks from Xia Qing and the entire Major Crime Unit.

"Yes. Why?" Xia Qing replied, his voice flat.

"Nothing, just thought it was a bit odd," Vincent and Cooper exchanged a glance, shook their heads, then looked at Li Jiali before finally falling silent.

"What's odd?" Qi Feng, who already disliked him, asked bluntly anyway, risking a scolding from Fang Puxin.

"Just... not what we expected," Vincent replied awkwardly with a forced smile. "After all, that Edmund really hates prime alphas, doesn’t he?"

"What kind of rumor is that?" Tan Song said disapprovingly. "Officer Xu even has prime alpha friends—he doesn’t discriminate against anyone."

Li Jiali crossed her arms and gave Vincent a mocking look. "He just hates your boss, that’s all. And coincidentally, your boss is the only prime alpha in the whole AGB."

The MCU members mentally groaned, Damn. No wonder he acts so elitist.

"So that’s how it is," Vincent looked even more embarrassed. But after a few seconds, he asked again in his broken Chinese:

"But weren’t they each other’s first partners back in the day?"