Strauss immediately knew that this "Max" was a separate individual. Even though they had the same face, he was certain… this "Max" was definitely a different person from Maximilian.
But when he saw that "Max" was listed as the twin brother of the suspect, Maximilian, Strauss felt a wave of incredulity. How could such a harmless, ordinary-looking guy be the twin brother of Maximilian? If someone had told him they were the same person before he saw the picture, he would have believed it.
Strauss didn't second-guess; he immediately responded to the email, instructing the Citizenship Registration Center to approve both brothers. Since Maximilian and Max lived in the same house, he could use Max to get to Maximilian.
If their suspicions—that Maximilian might be Blood Mongoose's protégé—were true, then it was likely Maximilian wouldn't be home very often. Hell, even the address on his registry could be fake.
But a normal guy like Max Sterling Graham? He'd be much easier to track. He'd likely use his real address. If Maximilian turns out to be a villain or a threat to the UEC, then Strauss could use Max to get to him.
With that matter settled Strauss continued his work. There was still a mountain of things to do today, especially after the break-in by that mysterious thief last night. He needed to oversee security checks and maybe interrogate a few crooked employees who might have sold their security credentials on the black market.
Strauss worked meticulously through the day until the sun dipped low. It was now 5 PM.
"Hello, Mr. Strauss. I'm not late, am I?" came an old voice with a southern drawl. Strauss, who had been overseeing the lobby security at the IHB building, turned toward the sound.
It was none other than Old Cowboy, the man Strauss had requested to escort him to Blood Mongoose's daughter's safe house. The old man had known Blood Mongoose personally and was familiar with him, making Old Cowboy the ideal choice.
"No, Mr. Blackwood, you arrived just in time," Strauss replied, shaking his hand firmly.
The two of them got into the armored UEC service vehicle and drove toward the city's outskirts.
After 15 minutes of driving, they arrived. The surrounding neighborhood was quiet and somewhat desolate. The area wasn't connected to the slums near the Fringe Gate. Instead, it bordered the agricultural zone—Agro-Towers, massive, tower-like farms where crops were grown vertically.
There were many such towers in the farming sector of the city. Most farms were under corporate control, with only 20% managed by the UEC. Corporations didn't like outsiders snooping around, which explained the sparse population.
The people who did live in the area mostly worked for farming corporations and had moved into corporate dorms near the farm complexes, leaving many of the houses here abandoned.
"These houses are mostly abandoned. Hope our girl didn't end up living in one of those corporate dorms," Old Cowboy remarked in his usual southern drawl, eyeing the state of the abandoned homes in the area.
"That's impossible, Mr. Blackwood. According to UEC protocol, the family of a top contributor receives a substantial pension from the UEC until death. And I can assure you, that pension is at least twice the salary of a regular worker at a farming company," Strauss replied as he drove, eyes focused on the road.
"Besides…" he continued, "any change in address must be reported immediately by whichever party made the change. If the company she works for tried to move her into a dorm, they'd be required to report it to the UEC. That would trigger an inspection of the new residence. Blood Mongoose was one of the top contributors to UEC stability. He received the best from the UEC. His family is entitled to the same."
"It's near," Strauss added, glancing at the GPS as it indicated they were approaching the target location.
When they arrived, the house before them was in a state of neglect. Shrubs, vines, and trees had overgrown, nearly swallowing the building. The grass was uncut, wild, and the walls were covered in thick vines.
"I don't think anyone's been here for a long time," Old Cowboy muttered, stepping out of the car to inspect the surroundings.
"No… That shouldn't be possible. This is…" Strauss trailed off, disbelief in his voice as he followed him out of the car.
The two men cautiously walked toward the house, wading through the tall grass. But just before they reached the entrance, a silhouette emerged from the doorway.
A man stepped out, wearing a white T-shirt and jeans with short leather boots. The shirt clung to his muscular frame, and his eagle-like eyes locked directly onto Strauss and Old Cowboy, his gaze sharp and intimidating. In his hand, he held a small paper bag bearing the logo of an expensive cake shop.
"Maximilian Sterling Graham…" Strauss said the name stiffly, unsure of the man's intentions—whether he was friend or foe. "Why are you here?" he asked suspiciously.
— Maximilian POV —
After I trained Ricardo and his group all morning, I told them to head back early because I had some business to attend to. I needed to keep my promise to that Blood Mongoose guy—I planned to visit his daughter's safe house.
I freshened up, changed into some casual clothes, and looked at my wardrobe.
"Yeah… I don't have any formal wear… maybe I should find some time to buy a suit," I muttered after seeing the state of my wardrobe.
[Huh? Oh! Are we going shopping!? That's great! When!? ヽ(〃＾▽＾〃)ﾉ]
"Why are you so excited? You act like we're going on a date," I replied, deadpan.
[(๑>ᴗ<๑)]
"You're acting strange… are you sure your—what's it called—ah! Your emotion simulator module or something isn't going haywire? Because you're acting like a girl excited for her first date."
[It's because I am a girl! No—I'm a woman! Of course I'm excited about shopping! (╬ᇂ_ᇂ)]
Huh? Is this system right in the head or something… Wait, a girl? …a woman? Hmm… suspicious…
"Okay… if you're that excited, I'll find some time to go shopping," I said. I'll humor her for now.
[Really!? When!?]
She seems very excited…
"Soon. Let me finish this business with Blood Mongoose's daughter first. I don't think it'll take that long."
[Then! What are you waiting for!? Let's go to her house already and check on her so we can go shopping! (ﾉ≧∀≦)ﾉ]
After that, I took a taxi to the address I got from the data last night.
It took about half an hour to reach the destination from where I was. I paid the fare and walked toward the house.
"What the hell…?" I muttered.
The current state of the house was no different from one that had been abandoned for years—vines, overgrown trees and grass, shrubs everywhere… and most notably, the moss-covered stone path leading to the door.
[Ughh… from the look of it, our shopping might not happen anytime soon. (=3=)]
"C'mon, don't be like that. I'll try to finish this as soon as possible, okay?"
Why do I feel like I'm consoling a girl who just found out her dad is too busy to take her to the amusement park?
I cautiously walked into the house. It was dark inside. A dust-covered cup of coffee sat on the tea table in the living room, the remaining liquid dried at the bottom. Next to it were some half-eaten cookies… and there were traces suggesting that something had dragged and eaten parts of the cookies—maybe rats?
I explored the house further. The bedroom door was left open, and the bed looked like someone had just gotten up and never returned.
I walked to the bathroom. It was dilapidated—there were signs that water had recently run, but it had since dried up.
Then I went into the kitchen… and it was a mess. There were clear signs of a struggle. Judging from the evidence, more than one person had been involved. But the trail had gone cold—too much time had passed.
A pot with dried-up stew sat on the stove, filled with rotting meat and vegetables. Then I noticed something—a small syringe dart, embedded in the wooden floor. I picked it up and examined it.
From Blood Mongoose's knowledge, I identified it as a tranquilizer dart, specially designed for rapid subdual. It was filled with a powerful hypnotic agent—strong enough to put a mutated beast to sleep in one shot. The syringe was smart: it could detect the target's condition and administer the necessary dosage to induce sleep.
In conclusion, this wasn't something a low-level thug or your average crime syndicate could get their hands on.
I stored the syringe in my system storage, then walked back to the bedroom. I grabbed a notebook I found there and stored that too, before heading back outside.
Just as I was walking out, I noticed two men approaching the house—Strauss, and an old man in a cowboy getup.
"Maximilian Sterling Graham…" Strauss said, pausing with visible caution. "Why are you here?"
[Ohhh!? Isn't that the guy you knocked out last night? And that old man… isn't he a hero? Max! I think you can farm VP points from them! (≧▽≦) ] the system said excitedly.
{How so?}
[Act like a villain! Choose a character—any character—and play the part! Just like when you fell into your chunibyou moment and acted like a mentor from a shonen manga while beating up Ricardo and his gang.]
{Hey!}
[ (≧▽≦) ]