"You bought too much, buddy."
After wolfing down five packs of breakfast and sipping some coffee, Lede finally said to Luo An, who was wiping his desk not far away:
"Our Team Five has just been established recently. Augustus is the group leader, me and Reesi are the senior agents responsible for field work, there are five office agents responsible for technical support, plus you and the new girl, there are only ten of us."
Other investigation teams started with at least twenty members.
"It's also my first day reporting for duty, so it's natural not to know these things."
After wiping clean his own desk, Luo An sat down in his chair with a plop, pointed to the empty office, and then to the clock at the front of the office, asking in confusion:
"It's already 8:30, why is it just the two of us in the office?"
"Because Augustus won't come to work until after nine o'clock. If he isn't here, there's no need for us to arrive too early."
It wasn't Lede who answered, but the office door was opened, and a white woman who was dressed in casual business attire, well-endowed, with long brown hair, and hazy eyes walked in.
Seeing the breakfast on the desk, the woman's eyes lit up, she grabbed one and began eating, then closed her eyes and explained to Luo An:
"Thanks for the breakfast, Luo An."
Seeing the woman eat her way into slumber on the desk, Luo An was quite surprised. Is this also a member of Team Five?
Turning his head toward Lede, Lede shook his head, walked over to Luo An, and explained in a low voice:
"That's Reesi, the senior agent I just mentioned, a lesbian. Judging by the looks of it, she probably went hunting in a bar in the Manhattan District again last night."
"..."
Luo An was silent for a moment, then asked tilting his head:
"The bars in the Manhattan District aren't cheap. Senior agents don't make that much; where does she get the money?"
Luo An was only interested in money, not in other matters.
"Uh."
Hearing Luo An's question, Lede fell silent for a moment with a twisted expression and said:
"Reesi never spends money when she goes out to play, the women spend money on her."
Luo An: "..."
Seems like... maybe I could try that too?
As time slowly approached 8:50, people finally started coming into the office one after another.
After receiving breakfast, everyone's good impression of Luo An +10. They looked up again at Luo An's ordinary handsome face, and their good impression instantly +50.
So that when Augustus walked into the office area with Mona, he was quite surprised to find everyone in the office chatting happily with Luo An.
Except for Reesi, who was still sleeping.
"It seems everyone has already met our number one new member, Luo An."
With a bang on the desk to wake Reesi, Augustus stood at the front of the office and pointed to Mona on his right:
"This is our number two new member, official agent Mona. From now on, we will all work together."
Pitter-patter——
A round of applause broke out, Augustus waved his hands signaling everyone to get back to work, then called Luo An and Mona to the team leader's office.
"Here are your confirmation documents."
Sitting behind his desk, Augustus threw two folders to them, indicating they sign their names, then continued:
"After solving the park murder case, the reward from New York Journalists Association and the bounty on the killer, a total of US$ 55,000, will be issued along with your salaries this weekend. You two can discuss how to split it."
"Thank you, Chief."
Luo An and Mona exchanged glances, each seeing the joy in the other's eyes.
Seeing Luo An not as happy about the confirmation news as about the money, Augustus pursed his lips, pulling another document from under the desk and said:
"While entering Conrad's identity information last night, we unexpectedly found he's also connected to a State Legislator's murder case from a few years back, a legislator he also killed."
Luo An was slightly startled and then seemed to realize something, his expression showing surprise.
"I knew it, your brain is as sharp as mine, both very quick thinkers."
Augustus chuckled and handed the document over to Luo An, saying:
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"That's right, there's also a reward for the legislator murder case, a whopping five hundred thousand dollars."
"Five hundred thousand dollars?"
Upon hearing the news, Mona's eyes practically turned into flashlights.
But upon hearing such a large sum as the reward, Luo An calmed down even more. He put the folder back on Augustus's desk and said with a smile:
"That's too much money."
"..."
Hearing Luo An's words and seeing the calm smile on his face, the smile on Augustus's face grew wider until he finally slapped the desk hard:
"Fu-k! I'm starting to like you more and more! Luo An!"
"I trust the boss. I believe the boss would never shortchange me."
Luo An flattered Augustus a little.
Seeing Mona still dazed to one side, Augustus picked up the folder and slowly explained:
"The State Legislator murder case isn't one we're responsible for. Though we caught the murderer, the investigative team assigned to the case also put in a lot of effort, especially the former team leader, who is now a manager at the Washington Headquarters."
Luo An nodded, Mona remained silent, but seeing Luo An nodding her head, she hesitantly followed suit.
Satisfied that both understood what he meant, Augustus continued with contentment:
"But in the end, we did catch the killer, and it wasn't without effort. After much thought, team supervisor Vireness decided to allocate a special fund to our Investigation Team 5 starting next month, lasting for three months."
Seeing Mona looking a bit tense, while Luo An remained as composed as ever, Augustus's admiration for Luo An grew as he chuckled:
"You two were the main agents who captured the murderer Conrad. The reward money will be distributed at the end of this month, thirty thousand dollars each."
The disparity between fifty thousand and thirty thousand made Mona's face fall.
Luo An, however, nodded very calmly and chuckled:
"Thank you, boss. I knew the boss wouldn't let me down."
"All right, that's it. You can go out now."
Augustus waved his hand, gesturing for them to leave the office, then said earnestly to Luo An before he left the office:
"Keep up the good work, Luo An. Vireness appreciates you very much; your future is brighter than mine."
"Okay, boss. Thank you, boss."
Luo An's smile was even more triumphant.
In this business, you need connections, you need a background.
What if you have neither?
Well, then of course you cozy up to the power players.
Once back at their desks, Mona pondered for a long time before suddenly clapping her hands, startling Reesi who was sleeping next to her.
"What's wrong?"
Reesi opened her eyes in confusion, and Mona hurriedly straightened Reesi's uniform, whispering soothingly:
"It's nothing, it's nothing, just a bug. Go back to sleep."
"OK."
Reesi nodded and turned her face aside, closing her eyes once more.
Mona took a deep breath, suppressing the restlessness in her heart, and slowly moved next to Luo An, whispering:
"Luo An, let's go out for dinner tonight, my treat."
"..."
Seeing the surprise in Luo An's eyes, which then turned into a strange gaze, Mona immediately crossed her arms over her chest and said seriously:
"NO, it's just a simple dinner to express my gratitude. I... I've been feeling unwell these past few days; not appropriate."
"Not feeling well?"
Luo An nodded and then decisively shook his head:
"Then no, I won't go."
Mona: "..."
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