Amidst the Black Goat's curses, Leon, drenched in sweat, carried the bag-wrapped Witch's Broom and followed the crowd to the entrance of the Charl Power Company.
However, he didn't rush to start the investigation but first carefully observed the surrounding situation and walked around the company's outer walls a few times.
Sure enough, in a shady alley, Leon found many people dressed in ragged clothes, "suspicious-looking."
After listening to their conversation for a while, Leon didn't directly inquire but instead quietly blended in, indignantly cursing the shamelessness of the power company, resonating with most of the people, who began to angrily curse along.
After taking careful note of the grievances of these wounded individuals and collecting a wealth of information, Leon finally headed back to the main entrance of the power company, carrying the broom, and walked in with his head held high.
As Leon circled around the power company, the guard had already been watching this suspicious-looking guy. When Leon finally entered the gate, he blocked him, glaring and intimidatingly saying, "Do you know this place is..."
"The Security Department."
Showing his credentials to the burly guard with a suddenly tense expression, Leon sternly demanded, "I'm here to investigate. Take me to see your Security Department's manager."
Recognizing public employee credentials and ranks was a "mandatory course" for guards at large enterprises . After confirming the credentials were genuine and not fake,
facing an assistant-level officer, the wary guard instantly became obedient and directly led him to the Security Department's office without further questioning.
The Security Department manager, after examining the credentials issued by the Purification Bureau, likewise did not—, or rather, dared not, doubt Leon's identity and instead inquired about his purpose with a smiling face.
Seeing the cautious demeanor of the Security Department manager, Leon reckoned that if he merely stated the mission was confidential, the manager probably wouldn't ask more and would just let Leon in to avoid trouble.
The reason was simple, as the Purification Bureau's credentials were indeed effective.
Within the Kingdom's five-tier civil service system of execution, documentation, assistance, and subordination, Leon's assistant-level position was ranked in the Fourth Tier. Although it didn't sound impressive, it was actually a mid-level within the civil service system.
If converted to the Kingdom's military, it would equate to an officer commanding a two-hundred-man company. In outer regions, he might even aspire to a deputy position in a local authoritative department.
Moreover, with Leon being only sixteen or seventeen and his rather imposing surname, it was almost as if "Do Not Mess With" was written on his face. Naturally, the Security Department manager couldn't dare block such a troublesome visitor.
After all, if they really angered the other party, even though Charl Power Company had strong backing, it might not intervene on behalf of a minor manager, and any retaliation would have to be borne alone.
Gazing at Leon's overly youthful face, the manager, around thirty, slightly twitched the corner of his mouth, a subtle disdain unintentionally showing in his eyes.
Not daring to block directly was one thing, but if this "Level Three Accident Handler" came with ill intentions, there were many ways to delay him!
"Hehe, it's not really a big deal."
Reaching into a shopping bag, touching the Black Goat's head, and viewing the Security Department manager's soul, flickering between compliance and resistance, Leon's expression softened, and he smiled gently, "Recently, there've been quite a few disturbances at your company. The department is worried you can't appease these people's emotions, leading them to storm the power company, so they specially sent me to check out the situation."
Hearing Leon inquire about water supply issues, the Security Department manager's heart skipped a beat. He immediately retracted his smile, showing difficulty, and said, "Well... it's not that it can't be told, but the company has regulations for people like us..."
"Brother, I won't beat around the bush with you."
Interrupting the manager's evasion, Leon reached out and pulled out a soft-pack "Gotth" cigarette box. With a skilled knock on the box bottom, he popped a cigarette out, mimicking the harmless smile of a shrewd businessman, he handed the cigarette over amidst the mental curses of the distressed Black Goat.
"Tell me directly, what's really happening with the public water pipes? I just need an answer. Can you handle this matter or not?"
"Well... handle it we can, surely."
Eyeing the high-end cigarette pack that cost three Silver Wheels, the manager resisted the itch, chuckling, "It just takes some time, and the final appeasement depends on the compensation plan ultimately..."
"You better tell me the truth!"
Seeing the soul of the other becoming disorderly under his pull, Leon narrowed his eyes and sharply raised his voice, "I already saw how bad it is outside when I came!
Though you've driven away those blocking your gate, the words 'Either compensate us for medicine, or come drink sewage' on your wall aren't yet cleaned off! Do you think I'm blind?"
"Well... I'm sorry, I'm just a security manager, and as to how many this incident affects and how to compensate, I really don't know!"