Chapter 387
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«Seriously? This piece of shit wants to be an investigator of the third rank? Isn't it too much? My son is older than him, but he is still in the army!» … «Ha ha! First, the green night, then the rainbow sun and the Feruz' treasury, and now this? The world is insane!» … «If he becomes an investigator, I will dig up my grandmother from her grave and marry her!»
The investigators were full of righteous indignation. Hatred and contempt distorted their faces, red with rage. All of them had been dreaming of getting the third rank! And now this scarecrow was going to cut the line! They wanted to break his fat neck for this arrogance! Also, they had ganged up on Dick to appease the examiner.
«Please, don't make a fuss.» – Raisen said, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. Then he handed out the assignments and set the timer for three hours. After that, he sat at the teacher's table, looking carefully at the fat guy, ready to catch him cheating.
{Finally.} – Kyon thought as he got started.
He solved the multiple-choice test at once, but he pretended it took him half an hour. The questions were supposed to test his knowledge of the legislation, but this type of testing was highly ineffective. Whatever...
The written test turned out to be much more difficult. It touched upon many facets of the investigator's activity: the mechanism for solving crimes, individual peculiarities of this kind of job, moral aspects of decision-making, and professional ethics. All this didn't only require the right answer, it also had to be correctly formulated. An ordinary investigator of the 4th rank had to thoroughly know his job to pass this test.
As Kyon wrote a few sentences, he could feel the restless examiner rise over him. He stared at his writing with a stern gaze, looking for something to find fault with.
A crooked smile lit up Raisen's face: «Someone has been skipping lessons at school and doesn't know basic punctuation rules! I will be happy to take points for the punctuation mistakes!»
Some of the examinees snorted.
Lovr rolled his eyes and continued writing.
The examiner walked around the room and stopped again near the fat guy, disapprovingly clicking his tongue: «Pffft… So many mistakes… How stupid! These clumsy patterns... I am going to throw up! I was expecting more from someone who dared to jump over the years of hard work as an investigator!»
This cycle repeated every five minutes. Any examinee in Kyon's place would not have withstood the pressure and made a lot of mistakes. That's what Raisen was counting on.
When two out of three hours passed, Lovr got up from his seat and put the completed assignments on the examiner's table: «I am ready.»
The examinees' faces twisted in a contemptuous sneer. He didn't even try!
«What's your rush? Can't wait to get your job? Ha ha! It's really funny!»
Raisen took the first assignment sheet and began to compare Dick's answers with the correct ones. Soon, he let out an annoyed snort: «Well, you've been lucky.» – He took the written assignments and carefully read the text. Gradually, the smile disappeared from his lips. Dick's paper was like a work of art! Everything was perfect about it: handwriting, sentence construction, presentation, content... It was at an unattainable high level! No one had ever written better!
The classroom was stuffed with recording formations, that's why Raisen couldn't flunk anyway on a whim. He couldn't claim there was a mistake if there was none because the examinee could request a review or appeal, which could get Raisen fired!
«Explain what you understand by "teamwork"?» – The examiner asked.
«It's the collaborative effort of a group to achieve a common goal.»
«Okay, but what is a team?»
«It's a powerful unit of collective performance.»
«Alright, what's a common goal?» – Raisen kept pressing.
Kyon had an intense urge to hurt him. He would give a million to hit that arrogant face!
Meanwhile, the other examinees listened to their conversation awestricken. The fat guy seemed to be a walking encyclopedia! The examiner tried to split hairs but failed. There wasn't a moment when Raisen could object, or he risked misconstruing the meaning of the term and the articles of the code, which would make him look like a complete idiot. Raisen had to find a way around and tried to find mistakes in Dick's understanding of what he had said, but it didn't help.
Raisen's face was getting tense. The examinees' glances pierced him like razor-sharp knives. It was a shame! He couldn't flunk this brat! Raisen moved on to checking the next task, hoping to find something there...
When the examinees saw the expression on his face, they wondered what was going on. Why hadn't the arrogant jerk flunk the exam yet? What if they both were on the same side, playing comedy in front of the audience?
Raisen took the second task, then the third, the fourth... the eighth. He was in shock! This fat monster was indestructible. At that moment, the examiner realized that he wouldn't be able to flunk this fat pig if everything went like this. As for the oral exam, he was completely already sure of his competence! Was he dealing with a damn genius? The mere thought of upcoming humiliation made him feel a lump in the throat.
«Is anything the matter?» – Kyon asked with a mischievous smile on his face. – «What did you say about many mistakes in my assignment? No commas, awkward sentences? Huh?»
A grimace distorted the examiner's face. Suddenly a pen "accidentally" fell off the table. When Raisen picked it up, there was an 8 on the assignment sheet instead of the number 9.
«Do you want to lose your job?» – Kyon asked with icy disdain.
«Look what's this!» – Raisen flashed a vicious grin. – «Did you write the wrong task number? Ha ha! Ha ha ha! What a gross, barbaric mistake! Two tasks number eight! My applause…» – Raisen got up and started clapping his hands, unaware how weird it looked. There was no way he could let this monster get a rank higher than his own!
Kyon snorted with contempt: «This scrawled number is even written in different ink. I wonder what the authorities' reaction will be when they find out about this?»
Raisen banged his fist on the table: «Watch your tone when talking with your senior!»
Lovr rolled his eyes and pointed his finger at the next assignment sheet.
When the examiner saw another task with number 9, he could feel his stomach starting to churn. The fat jerk had deliberately provoked him, predicting a possible trick. Had he duplicated the task? The examiner's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
«What will you say this time? Do you think I am messing with you…»
«You are, snotty brat!» – Raisen barked, banging his fist on the long-suffering table. – «Task number eight is done twice! And it means that I am taking ten points from you! You are free to go. Next, please!»
Kyon could hardly hold back his laughter. It would be as easy as pie to challenge the result of the exam.
The other examinees held their breath. Did the fat guy really pass the test with flying colors?
When Dick Baker left the room, Raisen got a call on his sound transmitter. His face immediately turned pale and he ran out, yelling: «Dick Baker! Wait! I… I overreacted!»
«You did?» – Kyon asked.
«Yes… Yes! It's my fault!» – The examiner muttered in a trembling voice.
Kyon returned to receive the official document stating that he had passed the exam, not forgetting to make it clear: «So I passed? Even without taking the oral exam?»
Raisen wanted the ground to swallow him up: «You did.»
«What did you say? I can't hear you. Say it again loudly!» – Kyon held his hand to his ear.
«You passed! Congratulations on getting the job of an investigator of the third rank…»
The other examinees were seething with anger: «How come he passed?» … «What about the oral exam?» … «Are you kidding me? Has he got the job of a high-ranking investigator?» … «You said he didn't stand a chance and helped him to get the job!» … «Oh granny… I am so sorry…»
Raisen's face changed from gray to red. He wished he could dig his fingers into the fat jerk's slanting eyes and plunge them into his brain! If he had any.
«Have a good one.» – Kyon snorted and left the room, leaving about thirty investigators with burning butthurt behind. A bit of darkness in the core felt nice.
Lovr thought that it would take him a week or two to clean up all this mess, but someone from above had taken Raisen down a notch, moving Dick Baker up the career ladder. Lovr was harvesting the fruits of his secret cooperation with the 0th general. He had no doubt it was his doing. He wondered how soon they would meet. Would the general invite him to his office?
Lovr received the papers, the formation of an imperial investigator of the 3rd rank, and the uniform of his size. After he got changed, he went to the fifth floor where the top power of the department was located: almost all the investigators from the 3rd to the 1st rank.
The guards at the elevator of the 5th floor doubted that he was an investigator of the 3rd rank. Finally, they made a call and let the fat guy in.
Kyon saw a wide staircase with metal railings like in expensive hotels. From there, he had an excellent view of the entire investigation department with an open floor plan and some pillars dispersed throughout the area. In the middle, there was a fountain in the shape of a dolphin and a mermaid. The working area was divided into numerous tiny cubicles with glass walls, some of them with matt glass walls. Apparently, they were for the investigators of the second rank. On the right, there was the entrance to the archive of public records. There was also the archive of civil cases, the archive for high-ranking cases, the archive for documents of utmost importance, where no ordinary investigator of the 3rd rank could enter, the analytical department, the conference room, and the canteen.
Investigators scurried back and forth, but it wasn't noisy even if the whole place was a hive of activity. There was a soundproof barrier in each cubicle that helped focus on work. The investigators could even yell at the top of their lungs. No one would hear anything outside.
Kyon looked pleased. The analytics department in Boston wasn't anywhere close to this beautiful place! Everything was perfect here, including work and space efficiency.
First of all, Lovr intended to meet Milin, the head of the department, and gain access to the archive of high-ranking cases ("A" and "S"), the entrance to which was open only for investigators of the second rank and above. He didn't want to do it the hard way, solving cases of "B" and "C" rank. They might fire him without much ado if they didn't see his value!
As Kyon went downstairs, he immediately attracted the attention of all the investigators. The silent question "what the..." was written all over their faces. He headed to the head office without saying a word while everyone around stared blankly at him.
High-ranking investigators were usually 30-35 years old or at least 25 in exceptional cases. This one was still a boy! And his looks... A walking nightmare!
As Kyon approached the door to the head office and pressed the button, two aggressive investigators stepped from the crowd that surrounded him. However, the saving green light let Dick Baker inside.
«What the…» – «What the…» – The head of the department winced, adjusting his glasses. – «Are you… Dick Baker? The brat that was imposed on me?»
«The very same, Mr. Milan!» – Kyon greeted him with a gallant smile, taking a seat.
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«Seriously? This piece of shit wants to be an investigator of the third rank? Isn't it too much? My son is older than him, but he is still in the army!» … «Ha ha! First, the green night, then the rainbow sun and the Feruz' treasury, and now this? The world is insane!» … «If he becomes an investigator, I will dig up my grandmother from her grave and marry her!»
The investigators were full of righteous indignation. Hatred and contempt distorted their faces, red with rage. All of them had been dreaming of getting the third rank! And now this scarecrow was going to cut the line! They wanted to break his fat neck for this arrogance! Also, they had ganged up on Dick to appease the examiner.
«Please, don't make a fuss.» – Raisen said, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. Then he handed out the assignments and set the timer for three hours. After that, he sat at the teacher's table, looking carefully at the fat guy, ready to catch him cheating.
{Finally.} – Kyon thought as he got started.
He solved the multiple-choice test at once, but he pretended it took him half an hour. The questions were supposed to test his knowledge of the legislation, but this type of testing was highly ineffective. Whatever...
The written test turned out to be much more difficult. It touched upon many facets of the investigator's activity: the mechanism for solving crimes, individual peculiarities of this kind of job, moral aspects of decision-making, and professional ethics. All this didn't only require the right answer, it also had to be correctly formulated. An ordinary investigator of the 4th rank had to thoroughly know his job to pass this test.
As Kyon wrote a few sentences, he could feel the restless examiner rise over him. He stared at his writing with a stern gaze, looking for something to find fault with.
A crooked smile lit up Raisen's face: «Someone has been skipping lessons at school and doesn't know basic punctuation rules! I will be happy to take points for the punctuation mistakes!»
Some of the examinees snorted.
Lovr rolled his eyes and continued writing.
The examiner walked around the room and stopped again near the fat guy, disapprovingly clicking his tongue: «Pffft… So many mistakes… How stupid! These clumsy patterns... I am going to throw up! I was expecting more from someone who dared to jump over the years of hard work as an investigator!»
This cycle repeated every five minutes. Any examinee in Kyon's place would not have withstood the pressure and made a lot of mistakes. That's what Raisen was counting on.
When two out of three hours passed, Lovr got up from his seat and put the completed assignments on the examiner's table: «I am ready.»
The examinees' faces twisted in a contemptuous sneer. He didn't even try!
«What's your rush? Can't wait to get your job? Ha ha! It's really funny!»
Raisen took the first assignment sheet and began to compare Dick's answers with the correct ones. Soon, he let out an annoyed snort: «Well, you've been lucky.» – He took the written assignments and carefully read the text. Gradually, the smile disappeared from his lips. Dick's paper was like a work of art! Everything was perfect about it: handwriting, sentence construction, presentation, content... It was at an unattainable high level! No one had ever written better!
The classroom was stuffed with recording formations, that's why Raisen couldn't flunk anyway on a whim. He couldn't claim there was a mistake if there was none because the examinee could request a review or appeal, which could get Raisen fired!
«Explain what you understand by "teamwork"?» – The examiner asked.
«It's the collaborative effort of a group to achieve a common goal.»
«Okay, but what is a team?»
«It's a powerful unit of collective performance.»
«Alright, what's a common goal?» – Raisen kept pressing.
Kyon had an intense urge to hurt him. He would give a million to hit that arrogant face!
Meanwhile, the other examinees listened to their conversation awestricken. The fat guy seemed to be a walking encyclopedia! The examiner tried to split hairs but failed. There wasn't a moment when Raisen could object, or he risked misconstruing the meaning of the term and the articles of the code, which would make him look like a complete idiot. Raisen had to find a way around and tried to find mistakes in Dick's understanding of what he had said, but it didn't help.
Raisen's face was getting tense. The examinees' glances pierced him like razor-sharp knives. It was a shame! He couldn't flunk this brat! Raisen moved on to checking the next task, hoping to find something there...
When the examinees saw the expression on his face, they wondered what was going on. Why hadn't the arrogant jerk flunk the exam yet? What if they both were on the same side, playing comedy in front of the audience?
Raisen took the second task, then the third, the fourth... the eighth. He was in shock! This fat monster was indestructible. At that moment, the examiner realized that he wouldn't be able to flunk this fat pig if everything went like this. As for the oral exam, he was completely already sure of his competence! Was he dealing with a damn genius? The mere thought of upcoming humiliation made him feel a lump in the throat.
«Is anything the matter?» – Kyon asked with a mischievous smile on his face. – «What did you say about many mistakes in my assignment? No commas, awkward sentences? Huh?»
A grimace distorted the examiner's face. Suddenly a pen "accidentally" fell off the table. When Raisen picked it up, there was an 8 on the assignment sheet instead of the number 9.
«Do you want to lose your job?» – Kyon asked with icy disdain.
«Look what's this!» – Raisen flashed a vicious grin. – «Did you write the wrong task number? Ha ha! Ha ha ha! What a gross, barbaric mistake! Two tasks number eight! My applause…» – Raisen got up and started clapping his hands, unaware how weird it looked. There was no way he could let this monster get a rank higher than his own!
Kyon snorted with contempt: «This scrawled number is even written in different ink. I wonder what the authorities' reaction will be when they find out about this?»
Raisen banged his fist on the table: «Watch your tone when talking with your senior!»
Lovr rolled his eyes and pointed his finger at the next assignment sheet.
When the examiner saw another task with number 9, he could feel his stomach starting to churn. The fat jerk had deliberately provoked him, predicting a possible trick. Had he duplicated the task? The examiner's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
«What will you say this time? Do you think I am messing with you…»
«You are, snotty brat!» – Raisen barked, banging his fist on the long-suffering table. – «Task number eight is done twice! And it means that I am taking ten points from you! You are free to go. Next, please!»
Kyon could hardly hold back his laughter. It would be as easy as pie to challenge the result of the exam.
The other examinees held their breath. Did the fat guy really pass the test with flying colors?
When Dick Baker left the room, Raisen got a call on his sound transmitter. His face immediately turned pale and he ran out, yelling: «Dick Baker! Wait! I… I overreacted!»
«You did?» – Kyon asked.
«Yes… Yes! It's my fault!» – The examiner muttered in a trembling voice.
Kyon returned to receive the official document stating that he had passed the exam, not forgetting to make it clear: «So I passed? Even without taking the oral exam?»
Raisen wanted the ground to swallow him up: «You did.»
«What did you say? I can't hear you. Say it again loudly!» – Kyon held his hand to his ear.
«You passed! Congratulations on getting the job of an investigator of the third rank…»
The other examinees were seething with anger: «How come he passed?» … «What about the oral exam?» … «Are you kidding me? Has he got the job of a high-ranking investigator?» … «You said he didn't stand a chance and helped him to get the job!» … «Oh granny… I am so sorry…»
Raisen's face changed from gray to red. He wished he could dig his fingers into the fat jerk's slanting eyes and plunge them into his brain! If he had any.
«Have a good one.» – Kyon snorted and left the room, leaving about thirty investigators with burning butthurt behind. A bit of darkness in the core felt nice.
Lovr thought that it would take him a week or two to clean up all this mess, but someone from above had taken Raisen down a notch, moving Dick Baker up the career ladder. Lovr was harvesting the fruits of his secret cooperation with the 0th general. He had no doubt it was his doing. He wondered how soon they would meet. Would the general invite him to his office?
Lovr received the papers, the formation of an imperial investigator of the 3rd rank, and the uniform of his size. After he got changed, he went to the fifth floor where the top power of the department was located: almost all the investigators from the 3rd to the 1st rank.
The guards at the elevator of the 5th floor doubted that he was an investigator of the 3rd rank. Finally, they made a call and let the fat guy in.
Kyon saw a wide staircase with metal railings like in expensive hotels. From there, he had an excellent view of the entire investigation department with an open floor plan and some pillars dispersed throughout the area. In the middle, there was a fountain in the shape of a dolphin and a mermaid. The working area was divided into numerous tiny cubicles with glass walls, some of them with matt glass walls. Apparently, they were for the investigators of the second rank. On the right, there was the entrance to the archive of public records. There was also the archive of civil cases, the archive for high-ranking cases, the archive for documents of utmost importance, where no ordinary investigator of the 3rd rank could enter, the analytical department, the conference room, and the canteen.
Investigators scurried back and forth, but it wasn't noisy even if the whole place was a hive of activity. There was a soundproof barrier in each cubicle that helped focus on work. The investigators could even yell at the top of their lungs. No one would hear anything outside.
Kyon looked pleased. The analytics department in Boston wasn't anywhere close to this beautiful place! Everything was perfect here, including work and space efficiency.
First of all, Lovr intended to meet Milin, the head of the department, and gain access to the archive of high-ranking cases ("A" and "S"), the entrance to which was open only for investigators of the second rank and above. He didn't want to do it the hard way, solving cases of "B" and "C" rank. They might fire him without much ado if they didn't see his value!
As Kyon went downstairs, he immediately attracted the attention of all the investigators. The silent question "what the..." was written all over their faces. He headed to the head office without saying a word while everyone around stared blankly at him.
High-ranking investigators were usually 30-35 years old or at least 25 in exceptional cases. This one was still a boy! And his looks... A walking nightmare!
As Kyon approached the door to the head office and pressed the button, two aggressive investigators stepped from the crowd that surrounded him. However, the saving green light let Dick Baker inside.
«What the…» – «What the…» – The head of the department winced, adjusting his glasses. – «Are you… Dick Baker? The brat that was imposed on me?»
«The very same, Mr. Milan!» – Kyon greeted him with a gallant smile, taking a seat.
Seriously? This piece of shit wants to be an investigator of the third rank? Isn't it too much? My son is older than him, but he is still in the army! Ha ha! First, the green night, then the rainbow sun and the Feruz' treasury, and now this? The world is insane! If he becomes an investigator, I will dig up my grandmother from her grave and marry her! The investigators were full of righteous indignation. Hatred and contempt distorted their faces, red with rage. All of them had been dreaming of getting the third rank! And now this scarecrow was going to cut the line! They wanted to break his fat neck for this arrogance! Also, they had ganged up on Dick to appease the examiner. Please, don't make a fuss. Raisen said, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. Then he handed out the assignments and set the timer for three hours. After that, he sat at the teacher's table, looking carefully at the fat guy, ready to catch him cheating. {Finally.} Kyon thought as he got started. He solved the multiple-choice test at once, but he pretended it took him half an hour. The questions were supposed to test his knowledge of the legislation, but this type of testing was highly ineffective. Whatever... The written test turned out to be much more difficult. It touched upon many facets of the investigator's activity: the mechanism for solving crimes, individual peculiarities of this kind of job, moral aspects of decision-making, and professional ethics. All this didn't only require the right answer, it also had to be correctly formulated. An ordinary investigator of the 4th rank had to thoroughly know his job to pass this test. As Kyon wrote a few sentences, he could feel the restless examiner rise over him. He stared at his writing with a stern gaze, looking for something to find fault with. A crooked smile lit up Raisen's face: Someone has been skipping lessons at school and doesn't know basic punctuation rules! I will be happy to take points for the punctuation mistakes! Some of the examinees snorted. Lovr rolled his eyes and continued writing. The examiner walked around the room and stopped again near the fat guy, disapprovingly clicking his tongue: Pffft So many mistakes How stupid! These clumsy patterns... I am going to throw up! I was expecting more from someone who dared to jump over the years of hard work as an investigator! This cycle repeated every five minutes. Any examinee in Kyon's place would not have withstood the pressure and made a lot of mistakes. That's what Raisen was counting on. When two out of three hours passed, Lovr got up from his seat and put the completed assignments on the examiner's table: I am ready. The examinees' faces twisted in a contemptuous sneer. He didn't even try! What's your rush? Can't wait to get your job? Ha ha! It's really funny! Raisen took the first assignment sheet and began to compare Dick's answers with the correct ones. Soon, he let out an annoyed snort: Well, you've been lucky. He took the written assignments and carefully read the text. Gradually, the smile disappeared from his lips. Dick's paper was like a work of art! Everything was perfect about it: handwriting, sentence construction, presentation, content... It was at an unattainable high level! No one had ever written better! The classroom was stuffed with recording formations, that's why Raisen couldn't flunk anyway on a whim. He couldn't claim there was a mistake if there was none because the examinee could request a review or appeal, which could get Raisen fired! Explain what you understand by "teamwork"? The examiner asked. It's the collaborative effort of a group to achieve a common goal. Okay, but what is a team? It's a powerful unit of collective performance. Alright, what's a common goal? Raisen kept pressing. Kyon had an intense urge to hurt him. He would give a million to hit that arrogant face! Meanwhile, the other examinees listened to their conversation awestricken. The fat guy seemed to be a walking encyclopedia! The examiner tried to split hairs but failed. There wasn't a moment when Raisen could object, or he risked misconstruing the meaning of the term and the articles of the code, which would make him look like a complete idiot. Raisen had to find a way around and tried to find mistakes in Dick's understanding of what he had said, but it didn't help. Raisen's face was getting tense. The examinees' glances pierced him like razor-sharp knives. It was a shame! He couldn't flunk this brat! Raisen moved on to checking the next task, hoping to find something there... When the examinees saw the expression on his face, they wondered what was going on. Why hadn't the arrogant jerk flunk the exam yet? What if they both were on the same side, playing comedy in front of the audience? Raisen took the second task, then the third, the fourth... the eighth. He was in shock! This fat monster was indestructible. At that moment, the examiner realized that he wouldn't be able to flunk this fat pig if everything went like this. As for the oral exam, he was completely already sure of his competence! Was he dealing with a damn genius? The mere thought of upcoming humiliation made him feel a lump in the throat. Is anything the matter? Kyon asked with a mischievous smile on his face. What did you say about many mistakes in my assignment? No commas, awkward sentences? Huh? A grimace distorted the examiner's face. Suddenly a pen "accidentally" fell off the table. When Raisen picked it up, there was an 8 on the assignment sheet instead of the number 9. Do you want to lose your job? Kyon asked with icy disdain. Look what's this! Raisen flashed a vicious grin. Did you write the wrong task number? Ha ha! Ha ha ha! What a gross, barbaric mistake! Two tasks number eight! My applause Raisen got up and started clapping his hands, unaware how weird it looked. There was no way he could let this monster get a rank higher than his own! Kyon snorted with contempt: This scrawled number is even written in different ink. I wonder what the authorities' reaction will be when they find out about this? Raisen banged his fist on the table: Watch your tone when talking with your senior! Lovr rolled his eyes and pointed his finger at the next assignment sheet. When the examiner saw another task with number 9, he could feel his stomach starting to churn. The fat jerk had deliberately provoked him, predicting a possible trick. Had he duplicated the task? The examiner's eyes nearly popped out of his head. What will you say this time? Do you think I am messing with you You are, snotty brat! Raisen barked, banging his fist on the long-suffering table. Task number eight is done twice! And it means that I am taking ten points from you! You are free to go. Next, please! Kyon could hardly hold back his laughter. It would be as easy as pie to challenge the result of the exam. The other examinees held their breath. Did the fat guy really pass the test with flying colors? When Dick Baker left the room, Raisen got a call on his sound transmitter. His face immediately turned pale and he ran out, yelling: Dick Baker! Wait! I I overreacted! You did? Kyon asked. Yes Yes! It's my fault! The examiner muttered in a trembling voice. Kyon returned to receive the official document stating that he had passed the exam, not forgetting to make it clear: So I passed? Even without taking the oral exam? Raisen wanted the ground to swallow him up: You did. What did you say? I can't hear you. Say it again loudly! Kyon held his hand to his ear. You passed! Congratulations on getting the job of an investigator of the third rank The other examinees were seething with anger: How come he passed? What about the oral exam? Are you kidding me? Has he got the job of a high-ranking investigator? You said he didn't stand a chance and helped him to get the job! Oh granny I am so sorry Raisen's face changed from gray to red. He wished he could dig his fingers into the fat jerk's slanting eyes and plunge them into his brain! If he had any. Have a good one. Kyon snorted and left the room, leaving about thirty investigators with burning butthurt behind. A bit of darkness in the core felt nice. Lovr thought that it would take him a week or two to clean up all this mess, but someone from above had taken Raisen down a notch, moving Dick Baker up the career ladder. Lovr was harvesting the fruits of his secret cooperation with the 0th general. He had no doubt it was his doing. He wondered how soon they would meet. Would the general invite him to his office? Lovr received the papers, the formation of an imperial investigator of the 3rd rank, and the uniform of his size. After he got changed, he went to the fifth floor where the top power of the department was located: almost all the investigators from the 3rd to the 1st rank. The guards at the elevator of the 5th floor doubted that he was an investigator of the 3rd rank. Finally, they made a call and let the fat guy in. Kyon saw a wide staircase with metal railings like in expensive hotels. From there, he had an excellent view of the entire investigation department with an open floor plan and some pillars dispersed throughout the area. In the middle, there was a fountain in the shape of a dolphin and a mermaid. The working area was divided into numerous tiny cubicles with glass walls, some of them with matt glass walls. Apparently, they were for the investigators of the second rank. On the right, there was the entrance to the archive of public records. There was also the archive of civil cases, the archive for high-ranking cases, the archive for documents of utmost importance, where no ordinary investigator of the 3rd rank could enter, the analytical department, the conference room, and the canteen. Investigators scurried back and forth, but it wasn't noisy even if the whole place was a hive of activity. There was a soundproof barrier in each cubicle that helped focus on work. The investigators could even yell at the top of their lungs. No one would hear anything outside. Kyon looked pleased. The analytics department in Boston wasn't anywhere close to this beautiful place! Everything was perfect here, including work and space efficiency. First of all, Lovr intended to meet Milin, the head of the department, and gain access to the archive of high-ranking cases "A" and "S", the entrance to which was open only for investigators of the second rank and above. He didn't want to do it the hard way, solving cases of "B" and "C" rank. They might fire him without much ado if they didn't see his value! As Kyon went downstairs, he immediately attracted the attention of all the investigators. The silent question "what the..." was written all over their faces. He headed to the head office without saying a word while everyone around stared blankly at him. High-ranking investigators were usually 30-35 years old or at least 25 in exceptional cases. This one was still a boy! And his looks... A walking nightmare! As Kyon approached the door to the head office and pressed the button, two aggressive investigators stepped from the crowd that surrounded him. However, the saving green light let Dick Baker inside. What the What the The head of the department winced, adjusting his glasses. Are you Dick Baker? The brat that was imposed on me? The very same, Mr. Milan! Kyon greeted him with a gallant smile, taking a seat.
