Monica had been Ivan's colleague in the past.
She had even once confessed to him, hoping they could start a relationship.
But Monica's personality was just as strong as Ivan's former self—both were the dominant, stubborn type.
On top of that, they worked in the same line of duty.
So the original Ivan had rejected her confession without hesitation.
Fortunately, Monica was straightforward by nature.
She hadn't cut ties with him after being rejected.
Instead, after several missions together, the two had become very good friends.
The kind who could grab a quiet drink together at a small bar after work.
"This isn't something I can explain over the phone," Monica said seriously.
"Where are you? I'll come to you."
Ivan hesitated.
To be honest, he could obtain the information he needed from Monica.
But he didn't want to drag her too deeply into this investigation.
It was too dangerous.
However, Monica was already investigating Kojima Foods herself.
And Ivan had no intention of acting tonight anyway.
So he finally said,
"Come downstairs in ten minutes. I'll pick you up."
After hanging up, Ivan ate while directing Pike to drive toward Monica's neighborhood.
Her apartment complex wasn't far from Ivan's own home.
When the truck arrived, Ivan immediately spotted Monica waiting by the roadside.
She wore faded jeans and a women's jacket over a black inner shirt.
A baseball cap sat on her head.
Her shoulder-length hair was tied into a ponytail that swayed behind her.
The whole look gave her a sharp, capable presence.
"Get in."
Ivan stopped the truck.
The cabin now contained only him.
Pike had temporarily been moved to the cargo compartment.
"Where did you get this truck?" Monica asked as she climbed in.
"There's a weird smell."
She sniffed the air again.
Then her expression changed slightly.
"A corpse transport truck?"
"Yep. Your nose is sharp," Ivan said.
He wrinkled his nose as if noticing the smell too.
But his eyes lingered on Monica for a moment longer before he stepped on the gas and drove slowly through the streets at about forty kilometers per hour.
Monica had a high, straight nose that gave her face a strikingly defined shape.
Her lips were slightly full, but balanced perfectly with her features.
"I thought you were investigating the new narcotics case," Monica said as she opened her backpack and took out a stack of documents.
"How did Kojima Foods get involved?"
She glanced around the cabin.
"This truck… it's connected to Kojima Foods too, isn't it?"
"Yeah. I stumbled onto some information about them while investigating," Ivan replied.
He didn't immediately mention the truck.
Instead, he spoke about what he had learned earlier that day.
"In the Anbor District and the Huai District, gangs have been collecting Kojima Foods' sausages."
Monica's expression changed slightly.
"There's been no such report from the teams covering those areas."
"Looks like your workload just increased," Ivan said sympathetically.
But Monica shook her head.
"It won't."
"The investigation team has already been reassigned."
"The investigation into Kojima Foods was officially completed this afternoon."
"The factory was declared clean."
Ivan turned to look at her in surprise.
"You went there?"
"Yes," Monica nodded.
But her face darkened.
"When we conducted the inspection, we were monitored the entire time by factory personnel."
"Just before we finished, the Chief Justice of Kakin personally called to ask about the situation."
"Chief Justice Correa?" Ivan asked.
"Yes."
Monica's face looked grim.
"You know what that means."
Of course Ivan understood.
Correa's involvement was a clear signal.
It meant Kojima Foods had the backing of the Kakin royal family.
From the very beginning, Monica's team had never truly been there to investigate.
Their role had simply been to perform a show for the public.
"Didn't you watch the news?" Monica continued, confirming Ivan's conclusion.
"The TV stations reported it."
"Kojima Foods has no issues."
"The factory is clean and hygienic."
"The finger incident was declared a malicious act of unfair business competition."
"Kojima Foods plans to sue the person responsible."
"And the judicial authorities have opened an investigation."
"You?" Ivan asked.
"No," Monica said.
"My job there is finished."
"The next investigation is about illegal wildlife trafficking."
She spread the documents across the dashboard.
"If you're curious about Kojima Foods, you can look through these."
"But don't try to stir up trouble."
The documents Monica brought were her personal notes and collected information.
And from her tone, it was clear she was trying to dissuade him.
"The waters around Kojima Foods are too deep," she said.
"Our team only inspected the food processing area."
"There were many parts of the factory we weren't allowed to enter."
"And most of the guards there…"
"…belong to Kakin mafia families."
Ivan pulled the truck to the roadside and stopped.
"Could you tell which family they belonged to?"
Monica's notes were thorough.
But most of it consisted of rumors and speculation.
None of it qualified as solid evidence.
"I saw quite a few members of the Ai-Ai Family," Monica said honestly.
"You know I've dealt with them before."
"I recognize some of their top guys."
She glanced at him.
"If you ask me, you should just go through the motions with the narcotics investigation into the Gashaya Family."
"No matter how you handle it, that case is a thankless job."
"And it could easily bring you trouble."
"I know," Ivan said, putting down the documents.
His knowledge of the Ai-Ai Family mostly came from the manga.
But in the manga, the Ai-Ai Family was already under Morena Prudo, after she overthrew the previous boss.
What the family looked like now, Ivan didn't know.
And Morena herself was an extremely dangerous figure.
From the very beginning, her goal had never been the petty struggles within Kakin.
She wanted to destroy Kakin entirely.
Perhaps even destroy the entire world.
She was completely insane.
Still, Ivan wasn't surprised to hear the Ai-Ai Family connected to Kojima Foods.
After all, both the Shu-U Family and the Gashaya Family had already appeared in this chain of events.
As for the narcotics investigation involving the Gashaya Family—
Ivan had long known that case would be complicated.
For a moment, silence filled the truck.
Monica took a pack of women's cigarettes from her pocket.
She rolled down the window and lit one.
"Do you really have to go?" she asked, exhaling a cloud of smoke.
"Did you visit the slaughterhouse during your inspection?" Ivan asked instead.
There had been no mention of a slaughterhouse in Monica's files.
He didn't know whether she had deliberately left it out or simply didn't know about it.
According to Pike, anyone who approached that place could immediately sense something was wrong.
Monica's expression changed sharply.
"How do you know about that place?"
"You went to Kojima Foods already?"
"That's impossible!"
"If you'd seen him, there's no way you'd still be sitting here unharmed!"
"Who is 'him'?" Ivan asked.
His eyes locked onto Monica's.
He could tell she had no ill intentions toward him.
Her attempt to hide things and her constant warnings came from genuine concern.
She didn't want him walking into danger.
But at this point—
This wasn't something he could simply abandon because it was dangerous.
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