Top floor suite of the hotel.
Yang Ming, who had just finished his live TV work and returned here, started humming a relaxed tune.
He snapped his fingers, and the lights came on all at once, cutting off his humming.
In front of the floor-to-ceiling window, there was a tall figure sitting with his back to him, a half-cup of warm water beside him.
Yang Ming seemed startled and instinctively grabbed a decorative baseball bat hanging on the wall nearby, slowly moving toward the alarm button.
"It’s me," Captain Griss turned around, squinting and grinning, "I hope you don’t mind the interruption, Mr. Famous Detective."
Yang Ming relaxed, then frowned as he glanced at the only entry door and then at the several hundred meters of empty space outside the window.
He asked in surprise, "How did you get in?"
"Have you forgotten my profession? I am from the Imperial Special Forces, of course, I have some privileges to take shortcuts."
Griss clicked his tongue, motioning Yang Ming to come forward and chat.
Talking leisurely, he said, "I never realized before how wealthy you are. Renting such a huge top-floor suite for half a year? That’s even more than my ten years’ salary."
"Too many fees from announcements, not sure how to spend them."
Yang Ming shrugged, unbuttoning a few buttons on his shirt to reveal a white undershirt underneath.
He went to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of cold drink, and laughed, "Captain Griss, you can’t possibly just show up here to have a drink with me, right?"
"Yes, there’s something I need your cooperation with," Griss smiled, "It’s about your father, Godoy."
Yang Ming’s action of opening the bottle paused slightly, and his brows subconsciously furrowed.
Griss picked up on these subtle expressions.
"We just had a conversation today," Yang Ming inquired, "What’s wrong with him? Is there something illegal involved?"
"Oh, no, no, don’t get me wrong," Griss replied, "Viscount Godoy is a respectable noble, staying in that dull, narrow manor out of reverence for the wishes of his grandfather and father, even though he has the talent and expertise, but still chooses to not even hire a gardener for the yard."
Yang Ming nodded, walked over to the long table, and sat down across from Griss, leaving two meters space between them.
He asked, "Is this related to what Captain Griss is investigating?"
Griss slowly shook his head, "I don’t want to meddle, we are friends, and if you can answer a few of my questions, I will help cover for you."
"Dealing in noble titles."
Yang Ming furrowed his brows tightly.
Griss smiled and said:
"You draw too much attention, many are investigating you. You are smart and ambitious, but this society is far more complex than you think.
"Ship Forest Long-Distance Trading Group, this name should be familiar to you, I’ve accessed your account records, and this group has transferred several sums to you in recent months.
"Considering the scale of this trading group, your wealth as a second-generation rich isn’t that prominent, a few tens of millions of New Federation Coins?"
Yang Ming shrugged, "I don’t know what you are talking about."
Griss slightly narrowed his eyes, speaking slowly, "Noble affairs are none of my concern, I dislike those old nobles, and I had different teams carry out this investigation, they won’t hold all information. Now can you answer my questions?"
Yang Ming looked directly at Griss with clear eyes, smiling, "Officer, you can ask me anytime, I will fully cooperate with you."
Griss’s eyes glinted with faint light, asking softly, "What is your real name?"
"What is your purpose?"
"As you see, to become famous, to become a political star, to gain influence and prestige, to feed back to my noble family."
"Hui, I hope you can be honest with me."
Griss’s gaze became aggressive: "Why did you come to Yaha Star, exactly?"
Yang Ming answered earnestly, "To become famous, to become a political star, to gain influence and prestige, to feed back to my noble family. This is truly the most sincere answer."
Griss slammed a laser pistol on the table, his bearded face still splattered with juice, looking like an enraged lion.
He exerted great force, but uttered a deep voice:
"How long do you plan to play me for, Captain Hanton!"
Yang Ming paused, his eyes filled with confusion.
Griss’s eyes almost spat fire, watching Yang Ming’s eyes intently.
After a few seconds, Griss suddenly revealed a friendly smile, "Sorry, just a little test, did I scare you?"
"Captain Hanton... I heard from Catherine last time, that’s supposed to be the identity of the White Ghost," Yang Ming pondered, "How did you come to suspect me as the White Ghost?"
Griss licked his lips, casually saying, "A bit of male intuition."
"Yes, I am the White Ghost."
Yang Ming nodded seriously, reaching into his jacket pocket.
Griss visibly stiffened, watching Yang Ming’s movement as if facing a threat, subconsciously glancing at the laser pistol on the table.
Yang Ming’s hand moved slowly outward.
Griss’s eyes narrowed slightly, a weak smile forming at his lips.
Yang Ming formed a handgun shape with his thumb and index finger.
Griss instantly grabbed the pistol, pointing it at Yang Ming, the safety mechanism already disengaged.
"Whoa! It’s a joke! Just a joke!" Yang Ming quickly raised both hands.
Griss exhaled in relief, slowly putting down the pistol, frowning, "That’s not funny at all!"
Yang Ming shrugged, "You started the joke first."
"Alright, I think I understand now."