Chapter 16
Ding.
The elevator doors slid open slowly. Inside were three people — two young women from the Internal Affairs Management Department wearing professional skirts. The moment they saw Alex, their eyes lit up. They subconsciously tucked their hair behind their ears, held their folders closer, and greeted him with bright smiles.
Everyone in the headquarters was curious about this newcomer who had arrived with high rank and authority, immediately taking command of the Metahuman Special Response Team. Both his position and his appearance had sparked widespread interest.
News in the police department spread extremely fast when it wasn't related to active cases. Alex's background was already well-known: he was Bert's adopted son, had been specially approved by the Chief, and was now leading the new Metahuman Special Response Team to handle all metahuman-related crimes.
Entering as a First-Grade Inspector and captain of this brand-new unit gave many people the impression that, as metahuman crime increased, this team could eventually evolve into a full department with real power — possibly even equivalent to a division chief. Alex's future looked extremely promising. As a result, the entire headquarters had been buzzing with talk about him all day.
Alex's expression was mild and polite. He smiled faintly and greeted the two women one by one. When he had passed through the Internal Affairs department earlier with Jason, his outstanding looks had already earned him plenty of goodwill from the female staff. These two were among them.
Of course, there was also a group of displeased men.
One young plainclothes officer in the elevator had a gloomy face. He watched unhappily as the two women chatted and laughed with Alex. They were bold, humorous, and flirtatious, their laughter ringing out as they swayed and their chests bounced noticeably. They were being very forward.
The two women even used the excuse of him being new to invite Alex on a date. When he politely declined, they immediately followed up with an invitation to a welcome party for new employees, which Alex also refused with a gentle smile, citing the need to familiarize himself with his work.
Kevin stood to the side like an invisible man, his face twitching. He had never seen the women from Internal Affairs act so aggressively. Today he was truly seeing it — when women decided to go after someone, they could be shamelessly direct.
Especially since the entire building was talking about how Alex had stepped over his boss Al Swan to snatch the captain position of the Metahuman Special Response Team, Kevin felt even more resentful. His gaze toward Alex was filled with hostility.
The elevator reached the sixth floor with a ding.
Alex stepped out first and politely bid the two women farewell. They looked visibly disappointed and reluctant to let him go.
To people he didn't know, Alex always appeared warm, easy-going, and courteous. There was none of the fake gentleness or superiority complex some elites displayed. He could smile and look everyone in the eye equally — even the lowest-ranking staff — giving them a refreshing feeling of respect. His gentle gaze made many women feel their hearts melt like spring snow.
For the men, however, it was much more刺眼 — especially when they saw two quite attractive female colleagues reluctantly saying goodbye to Alex while blocking the elevator doors. Kevin's nose almost twisted in anger.
Once Alex headed toward the Electronic Information Department, the two women finally retreated back into the elevator, chattering nonstop with sparkling eyes, praising how polite and gentle Alex was. They said he made their hearts flutter.
When they expressed regret that they couldn't have a one-night stand with him, Kevin felt his blood boil. He let out a heavy, dissatisfied snort and muttered, "Ignorant women," before stepping out of the elevator and walking in the opposite direction from Alex.
"What the hell? So rude."
"Such a petty man. Nothing compared to Alex."
"Al Swan's subordinates really have no manners."
The two women glared at Kevin's retreating back. They knew their enthusiasm had annoyed him, but they couldn't help comparing him to Alex. Not only Kevin — even Al Swan, despite his background, couldn't compare to Alex in rank, appearance, or the way he treated people. Al's arrogant, condescending attitude was nothing like Alex's handsome, high-ranking, yet warm and respectful demeanor.
After the comparison, the two women lost all interest in Al Swan and continued gossiping excitedly about Alex, deeply regretting they couldn't spend more time with him.
Kevin heard them calling him petty from behind and nearly exploded with rage. He wanted to turn around and argue, but the elevator doors had already closed.
Petty man?
Nothing compared to Alex?
Al Swan's people have no manners?
These words made his liver ache with anger. His face was still flushed red when he returned to his department's office.
The atmosphere in the office was heavy and tense. Kevin saw his boss, Al Swan, sitting in his chair with a dark expression, his fingers continuously tapping on the desk. The surrounding colleagues exchanged uneasy glances and stayed completely silent, only able to listen to the soft but piercing sound of Al's fingernail tapping — tap tap tap tap — which at this moment felt loud enough to stab everyone's hearts.
Everyone had already heard the news: Alex had stolen the captain position from Al Swan.
Kevin looked at his boss's gloomy face, then remembered how the two women from Internal Affairs had mocked him earlier. He couldn't hold back and stepped closer.
"Boss, about Alex…"
Al Swan's tapping finger stopped instantly. The entire office tensed up. Everyone held their breath. His gloomy face and sharp, eagle-like eyes locked onto his partner.
The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Warm sunlight streamed in through the windows, yet it felt ice-cold on everyone's skin.
Kevin's body trembled. Only then did he remember his boss was in a terrible mood. Sweat broke out on his forehead. Al Swan's gaze felt like a predator in the sky preparing to strike, suffocating him.
Kevin gritted his teeth and said, "Boss, we can't just sit and do nothing. The captain position of the Metahuman Special Response Team should have been yours. We need to prove we don't need Alex! You can lead us to capture this metahuman criminal."
Al Swan raised an eyebrow like a hawk spreading its wings. His sharp eyes pierced into Kevin like talons seizing prey. He stared at his partner and said coldly:
"I don't need you to remind me. I'm not inferior to anyone. If our informants had any information, I wouldn't be sitting here."
In the past few days, they had spread out every possible lead, but nothing had come back. Without a target or any clues, they had nowhere to start and could only sit here stewing in frustration, desperately trying to remember if they had missed anything.
Moreover, he had heard that Alex had been collecting information on metahumans for a long time. The Chief had brought him in largely because of that. This only made Al Swan more irritated. He had always dealt with ordinary criminals — he had never faced metahuman crime before. Capturing Multiple with zero leads was proving extremely difficult.
Kevin's back was soaked with sweat. He let out a shaky breath, then remembered seeing Alex earlier. His eyes rolled as he lowered his voice:
"I just saw Alex heading toward the Electronic Information Department."
Al Swan's face remained cold as he thought for a moment. A ruthless glint suddenly flashed in his eyes. He stood up abruptly and grabbed his black leather jacket.
Seeing his boss about to move, Kevin's heart filled with delight. He quickly said, "Boss, let me go!"
Al Swan put on the jacket, adjusted the gun at his waist for comfort, and walked out of the office without looking back.
"No need. You're not qualified."
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