Chapter - 5920

Hearing Charlie's teasing, Jack couldn't help but chuckle. "At first, I thought you were genuinely going to give Victor Steel a Remodeling Pill for free, and I felt a bit sorry for him. But it turns out this pill really gave Morgana a significant boost while ensuring that Victor Steel received nothing from it. That's a win-win situation."

Charlie nodded in agreement. "The pill is indeed valuable, but as long as it achieves the desired effect, it’s worth it."

Jack added, "Victor Steel is really out of luck. He's lost three hands in total now."

Charlie smiled and remarked, "The Mirren family, protected by Morgana, has either committed numerous atrocities or supported tyranny. Their continued existence today is tied to the countless dead soldiers and cavalry guards enslaved by the Warriors Den. Each of them carries original sin. Cutting off just one of Victor Steel's hands is a mercy compared to what he deserves."

Then Charlie continued, "Actually, I first gave him one hand and then took the other. It’s only fair. If there’s anyone to blame, it’s Morgana."

Jack grinned and said, "Absolutely, I think he must despise Morgana more than you now."

Curious, Jack then asked Charlie, "By the way, Mr. Wade, how did you come up with this plan? How could you be so sure Morgana would cut off Victor Steel's left hand again? If it were me, I’m not sure I would do that. The first time he lost his left hand was punishment, and he accepted it. After that, if someone gifted him a pill, I wouldn’t see any reason to cut it off again. Keeping his left hand would not only demonstrate fairness but would also mean he wasted a pill. But if I cut it off again, wouldn’t that be falling into my enemy's trap?"

Charlie smiled and said, "Inspector Lee, the reason I aimed to embarrass Morgana with this pill was intentional. Although Morgana is still alive, the foundational structure and reasoning behind her rule in the Warriors Den are rooted in the feudal monarchy mindset of the Ming Dynasty. Monarchs, wise or foolish, share a common trait: they cannot tolerate humiliation. Yan Zhu Di in ancient days, for example, was a capable ruler in his own right. If someone disrespected him, he wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate entire families. If Victor Steel shows up without his left hand, it would be a significant loss of face for Morgana. She’s aware that I intend to humiliate her with this pill, yet she has no choice but to comply."

Charlie sighed as he spoke, "In fact, I hope Morgana refrains from cutting off his left hand. In that case, the core members of the Warriors Den would realize their mysterious enemy possesses a pill like the Remodeling Pill, which is extraordinary. This would instill greater fear of me among them and decrease their confidence in Morgana."

Jack pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly. "I hadn’t considered it from that angle. It seems my investigative thought process is still quite limited."

Charlie responded, "Every profession has its own expertise, which is why a team needs a variety of professionals to work together. If Morgana had a skilled detective like you at her side, she'd probably have already figured out who I am."

Jack agreed, smiling, "What you say makes sense, but the basic principles governing the Warriors Den also indicate it’s difficult for them to find high-quality talent. Aside from enslaved members, most others are simply from the Mirren family. Those who are enslaved will always harbor resentment, making it unlikely for them to genuinely serve. If the Mirren family could cultivate top talent, that would be different. But if they can't, they'd end up with a makeshift group."

Charlie smiled knowingly. "Just look at the later Warriors Den. Those royal nobles and Eight Banners have enjoyed a life of luxury for centuries. How could anyone emerge to save a crumbling empire? If it weren't for the Four Marshals who sustained the Warriors Den, the royal nobles would have retreated to their homes outside the Great Wall long ago. Moreover, all Four Marshals were Chinese. If Morgana continues to appoint based on personal connections, the outcome of the Warriors Den may indeed be worse than the late Warriors Den. At least it had the Four Marshals to keep it going; she has no such heroes."

Jack inquired, "Is Miss Decker one of those heroes? Didn't you say her talent is extraordinary?"

Charlie replied, "Tara’s talent does stand out. It’s impressive that she has such strength at such a young age, but based on my current understanding, she’s just a military general. Even if she weren’t captured by me, she wouldn’t bring overall improvement to the Warriors Den. What they really need now is a modern mindset."

At this point, Charlie added, "By the way, given Victor Steel's strength, his life wouldn't be endangered even after losing both his hands. It seems he wouldn’t need hospital treatment and likely wouldn’t dare to go to the hospital openly. What do you think, Inspector Lee?"

Jack considered the situation for a moment before responding. "After the incident involving the Remodeling Pill, Victor Steel is completely exposed. It seems there’s no advantage in whether he goes to the hospital or not."

Jack continued, "And I suspect he must be terrified that you might give him another Remodeling Pill. Every time we confront a murder case, especially one with unclear motives and unique methods, we worry most about a second incident occurring before the first is resolved. Such cases differ from robbery, kidnapping, or revenge killings, which typically have clear targets. Instead, cases with unclear motives are often most likely to lead to serial murders. If Victor Steel is cautious, he’d undoubtedly fear facing a similar punishment again. After his first encounter, both hands might warrant Morgana’s ire. Given the lessons learned, the Remodeling Pill is likely something he wouldn't want to experience again. Hiding in a hospital would make his lack of hands known, and it’s clear you wouldn’t use the Remodeling Pill on him again at this point."

Charlie nodded, acknowledging the point. "That makes sense, but it also signals that he’s lost his value within the Warriors Den. They’re aware he’s been exposed and can neither kill him nor allow him to return to the Right Army Governor's Mansion. Allowing him to go to the hospital is just a temporary measure."

Jack then posed a question to Charlie: "Mr. Wade, do you think Victor Steel is still of any use?"

Charlie replied, "It's difficult to say. From an intelligence perspective, all he knows pertains to the Right Army Governor's Office. Now that I’ve grasped the new developments there, he may find he’s become irrelevant in that respect."

He added, "But on an emotional level, he should harbor deep resentment toward Morgana. If I promise him another Remodeling Pill to restore his normalcy after Morgana's demise, he may be more inclined to support me over her."

Jack responded, "That’s exactly my thought. Victor must realize that the only chance he has to regain his normalcy lies with you. If you offer him that possibility, he might turn against us. However, if he’s no longer valuable to the Warriors Den, he won’t be valuable to us either, so there’s no need for us to invest heavily in him."

Charlie said, "Whether he's of value to us depends on his potential future return to the Warriors Den. Does Morgana expect him to fend for himself in Morocco, or will she keep him there until it’s time for the Right Army Governor's Office to reclaim him?"

Jack suggested, "What if we contacted him? Let him know that if he returns to the Right Army Governor’s Mansion in the future and cooperates to provide more information, you’ll restore his normalcy after Morgana is gone."

Charlie replied, "Whether he’s valuable or not remains uncertain. It’s better to avoid any direct contact with him for now."

Jack added, "We could observe him discreetly by setting up some vending machines in the hospital, allowing us to monitor the general situation there. It would be ideal to place them directly in the inpatient section."

Charlie remarked, "Having vending machines in the hospital and inpatient area is standard, but there usually aren’t more than one or two cameras in the public spaces. It would be impossible to identify which ward Victor Steel is in and who enters or exits his room."

Jack acknowledged, "That’s a valid point, but we have a wealth of facial recognition data from the Warriors Den's members. As long as we set up vending machines along the path to the inpatient area, we’ll receive immediate alerts if any of them appear. By tracking their visitation patterns, we can draw conclusions. If no one visits him, it likely means he has been completely abandoned."

Charlie inquired, "What if someone from the Right Army Governor's Office shows up?"

Jack added, "Thanks to our earlier analysis of Napoli International Airport, we have already identified several individuals associated with the Right Army Governor's Office. They’ve all been classified as Level 1 alerts. Any sighting of them near our vending machines will trigger immediate notifications."

Jack continued, "However, the faces we collected might only represent a part of the Right Army Governor's Office. I can order Ai to continuously compare the recognition data from strangers at the airport and dock with the people appearing in the hospital, to identify anyone arriving in Casablanca by plane or boat who then goes to that hospital."

He continued, "Usually, very few people would go straight to a local hospital as soon as they arrive somewhere. If someone arrives in Casablanca and heads directly to the inpatient area, they would seem quite suspicious."

Jack recalled something else. "Didn’t the Right Army Governor’s Office go to Spain? I’ll direct Ai to isolate a filter that will flag anyone who flew or sailed from Spain to Casablanca and then went directly to that hospital. It’s pretty safe to suspect that individual is associated with the Right Army Governor’s Office. Even if Victor Steel turns out to be of no significance to us, he could still provide insights on others in that office. If they really do send someone to see him, he might still hold value. At that point, we could find a way to pass information to him."

"Alright," Charlie nodded. "I’ll contact someone to arrange for the vending machines to be set up in the hospital promptly."

Charlie then added, "Oh, and Inspector Lee, have Ai keep a close watch on Nigeria. The Three Elders staying there is pointless now. They may be preparing to leave and likely won't opt for nearby flights. They might change cities or even countries."

Jack reassured him, "Don’t worry, I’ve already instructed Ai to monitor airports and docks in Nigeria and surrounding regions, focusing particularly on all adult Asian males, especially older men traveling in groups of three."

Charlie confirmed, "Also, have Ai pay attention to any individuals showing up in Buenos Aires, Argentina, or other Argentinian airports in the future, comparing them against our Africa data. If there's a match, we should flag them. The Warriors Den's headquarters might be situated on an island beyond the Antarctic Circle, so wherever these three start from, they will likely return to Argentina in the end."

Jack immediately responded, "Understood, Mr. Wade!"

Charlie concluded, "With Ai, we’ve gained a significant advantage in tracking the movements of Warriors Den members. Moving forward, we’ll be able to monitor any activity from them closely. The map of the Warriors Den will continue becoming clearer with each step we take."