Teleporting to her neighborhood, I looked around the place. While the area had suffered during the chaos, it was noticeably better off than most parts of the city. The houses bore signs of repair—fresh paint over cracks, patched roofs, and so scaffolding here and there. People were out and about, repairing fences, sweeping debris, or simply going about their day.
Yuri's house stood out slightly. There was a small, tidy front garden with rows of newly planted flower plants and a neat little pathway leading to the door. The house looked recently repaired and painted with a fresh coat of light blue paint. There were a few potted plants on the porch and so gardening tools near the stairs.
I spotted her in the garden. She was kneeling in the dirt and carefully planting so new seedlings. She was wearing a plain white tank top and faded jeans. Her hair was tied back in a loose ponytail. She looked kinda different from the ga version.
I walked toward the gate, opening it with a soft creak, and stepped onto the garden path.
Yuri looked up, her sharp eyes instantly locking onto . Her brows furrowed slightly, though she didn't seem alard. "Can I help you?" she asked, wiping her hands on a towel she had slung over her shoulder.
I gave her a small smile. "Yeah. I've got sothing for you, Detective Watanabe. Mind if we talk?"
She stood up, brushing the dirt off her jeans. "Depends. Who are you? I doubt we t before."
"No, we haven't, but I did keep you busy since your promotion. Hamrhead, Stryker, illegal experints, mass surrender... You did well. I thought you would also turn out like one of those corrupt cops, but you didn't, which I'm glad to see," I said as I walked up to her, stopping a few feet away.
She narrowed her eyes at . "You're the one behind all that?"
I nodded. "That's right. I wanted to thank you for everything you did. The pressure was very high, yet, you took care of those scum, arresting them and putting an end to their shit. Right now, I have a case that might interest you."
"Everyone back then confessed their cris without a lie. We were surprised. So, if you don't mind asking first, are you a mutant with mind control? Or did you use so hypnosis on them?" She asked.
I put up my hood and showed her my real face. Well, I'm kinda popular right now. So, there is no way she won't recognize .
"Wait... You're him!" She gasped and imdiately took a few steps back. "Aron. The guy who brought back dead to life. You know, I was among them. I died. I rember holding the line at the subway, but then... I know I died, but I can't rember anything."
"Yeah, that's . But before you jump to any conclusion let make it clear. I ain't no God or Devil that people make out to be. I'm just a guy with power who wants to do the right thing. Now, how about we talk inside?" I said with a smile.
"Yes, of course." She invited in.
We sat in her living room. Her ho was clean and tidy. A colorful rug on the floor, so pictures on the wall, a small TV, a little fireplace, and a small collection of books on a shelf. It was like a normal living room. It had a cozy, hoy feel to it. Sigh! I wonder if I will ever get a house like this without soone blowing it up.
Yuri got us both cups of tea and sat down on the couch opposite . "So, what is it you want to talk about?"
"I'm pretty sure you heard about the bank account scam going around the city, right?" I asked, placing the briefcase on the table.
"Yes, I've heard about it," She replied cautiously while watching closely as if I were so kind of rare species. "But so far, nothing's co across my desk with solid evidence. Just rumors and complaints. It's hard to act on those and with the recent incident with cultists and rise in cris, we've been busy. But in my free ti, I did an investigation out of the records, but nothing solid so far."
I opened the briefcase I'd brought, pulling out the neatly stacked files, the drive, and a second drive with the bank manager's confession. I placed them on the table between us, letting her see the contents. "Well, consider these rumors confird. This is everything you'll need to blow the lid off that scam and then so. Hard evidence, digital evidence, even a confession from one of the guys involved."
She leaned forward, her brows furrowing as she picked up one of the files and skimd through it. Her eyes widened slightly as she realized what she was looking at. "These are internal records... nas, account numbers, transfer details... How did you get this?"
I smirked. "Let's just say the bank manager had a change of heart and confessed everything. Turns out he and a handful of board mbers have been freezing accounts, siphoning funds into offshore accounts, and using the chaos to cover their tracks. The drive contains even more juicy details—nas of cops and governnt officials on their payroll."
She flipped through the pages and I could tell from her expression that she was angry. Well, I can't bla her. On the list were so of the nas from her departnt and her new partner was also involved. She must be the one who was alerting those bastards about Yuri's moves. No wonder, she didn't discover anything. "This is... way too serious. If this gets out, it'll shake the city to its core."
"Exactly," I said, sipping my tea. "And that's where you co in. You're one of the few people in this city I trust to handle this the right way. I need you to take this evidence and go after these bastards. Arrest them, put them in the spotlight. Make it public."
She set the files down, looking at with a mixture of suspicion and determination. "And what's your angle in all this? Why co to ? With your power, you could have taken them down yourself."
"My angle?" I leaned forward, my tone serious. "These people have ruined lives. They've stolen from the helpless, caused untold suffering, and profited off the city's pain. I'm done letting scum like that get away with it. But if I went after them myself, it would just add fuel to the whole 'God or Devil' thing people keep spouting about . I need soone grounded, soone who's proven they can do the right thing even under pressure. That's you, Detective Watanabe."
...
Yuri remained silent for a mont, her eyes scanning the files again. She leaned back, exhaling sharply. "Okay, you made your point. I will take it. But you do know that this won't be easy, right? If these people are as powerful as you say, they'll find ways to cover this, or , if I am not careful."
I smirked. "Oh, they will definitely try to do that or worse. That's why I'll be keeping an eye on things from the shadows. If anyone tries to make a move against you or this case, they'll find themselves... unavailable to continue their efforts."
Her lips pressed into a thin line. "And what does that an, exactly?"
"It ans you do things your way—by the book, with the law behind you. I'll handle what the law can't reach. Think of it as a... silent partnership."
"I don't like vigilante justice at all. It goes against everything I believe in."
"Fair enough," I said, shrugging. "But let's be real, Detective. Do you think these people play fair? They've got judges, politicians, even cops in their pocket. You're going to need all the help you can get."
She didn't answer right away, her fingers drumming out a restless rhythm on the armrest of her chair. Finally, she nodded. "I don't like it, but I'll accept it," she said. "Just don't go overboard. I'm trusting you to keep things. contained."
"Deal," I said with a grin. "Now, what's your plan?"
Yuri took a deep breath, her focus shifting back to the files. "First, I'll need to get this evidence into the right hands—people I trust in the departnt who aren't compromised. I'll start with my captain. He's been vocal about cleaning up the force, but I'll vet him before showing him any of this. If he's dirty, I'll skip the chain of command and go directly to the DA."
"Good thinking," I said. "And the drive?"
"I'll have our tech team analyze it. Quietly. If it's as explosive as you say, we'll need a secure chain of custody. No leaks until we're ready to make arrests."
"Sounds like you've got this under control," I said, standing up. "One last thing, Detective. When you do make your move, make it loud. These bastards deserve the humiliation."
Her eyes narrowed. "Don't worry about that. I'll make sure everyone knows exactly what they did. But I'll also make sure they get a fair trial. I'm not stooping to their level."
I gave her a small nod. "Fair enough." I placed a piece of paper on the table. "Here's my number. Give a call if you need anything. And if you are in a life-threatening situation, I'll be there, alright. Call or no call."
Yuri stood, crossing her arms. "I'll keep that in mind. But don't take this as agreeing with your thods. I'm only agreeing to this because I don't see another option right now."
"Understood," I said, turning toward the door. "Good luck, Detective Watanabe. You're going to need it."
As I reached the doorway, she called out, "Aron."
I glanced back.
"Thanks," she said, her tone softer. "For trusting with this."
I smiled. "Just doing the right thing. Bad people must be punished."
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