"You were not clear, but after you take me inside, you can help me find out."
"This... Although you are with the police department, these matters are company secrets. No matter what, I'm still the Security Department manager, and I can't just..."
"The reason I came to you and not someone else is precisely because you're the security manager!"
Leon quietly stepped forward half a step, staring into the eyes of the somewhat flustered security manager, lowering his voice again, speaking in a warm, coaxing tone,
"I originally thought I didn't need to remind you of these things, but you don't seem very self-aware, do you?
Old brother, use your brain! If something really happens later, once the mob storms the hydraulic company, will those above let you allow them in? Or will they have you stop them?
During the process of stopping them, if blood is shed, or if those patients who can't afford treatment and are carried over end up dying, do you think in the end, this matter might be blamed on you, the security manager, acting on your own?"
After hearing Leon's hypothetical scenario, the security manager's expression couldn't help but change slightly, sweat faintly visible on his forehead.
"I'm just following the rules, and besides... this... there's no certainty it will escalate, and the company may not necessarily..."
"Stop making excuses! A company that would save costs by directly pumping sewage into public water pipes, do you think it cares about the life or death of a manager like you?"
Glancing at the other's increasingly unstable Soul Flame, judging that the psychological defense line had wavered, Leon grabbed the security manager's hand forcefully, shoving an entire box of cigarettes into it.
Then, he pried open his fingers one by one, pressuring his hand to hold the cigarette box tightly, and leaned in closer, speaking softly like a whisper,
"Think carefully. This matter isn't really that hard. There are really only two outcomes.
The first, I conduct a serious investigation, and you cooperate well.
If something happens afterward, the police department can prepare and control the situation early on. You might even gain credit for notifying in time and cooperating well.
The second, you deliberately conceal the situation at the hydraulic company, delaying my investigation.
If a big mess ensues and the department's reputation is tarnished, I'll bear the brunt of it, while you'll be blamed for inciting a bloody conflict, fired from the hydraulic company, and your family will be sent scavenging in the slums."
*By subtly limiting the scope of the other's thoughts to either yes or no,* Leon, who was secretly keeping his heartbeat steady even as it raced furiously, continued speaking steadily to the manager sweating profusely before him,
"Have you ever been to the slums of Capital City, old brother? Have you seen how people live there?
If you don't know, I can tell you. They wear tattered clothes they picked from the trash, even draping themselves with shrouds stolen from funeral parlors.
They scavenge trash bins alongside crows and stray cats, digging through toxic alchemical waste dumps for a whole day just to find a few pieces of scrap metal that can be exchanged for half a Copper Wheel.
Moreover, every winter, whenever it snows heavily, the next day's garbage heaps from the Department of Road Administration's cleaning vehicles would mysteriously gain a few lifeless, rigid corpses that even wild dogs can't gnaw...
Old brother, think carefully. If you choose this path, will you and your family become one of them this year?"
After painting a picture of his grim future, watching the opposite party's soul flames billow with towering black fire, Leon, realizing the timing was right, abruptly released his grip, suddenly stepping back more than half a step.
Within the security manager's soul, the gray-white defense line thinner than an eggshell was completely burned through by the surging black flames beneath.
Leon's sudden retreat without warning seemed to remove the last barrier between him and the slums, causing the pale security manager to instinctively follow, clutching Leon's arm tightly, stammering,
"You... I can take you to some... some less important places, but you can't betray me! If you betray me, I'll... I'll..."
"Heh, you can be completely at ease about that."
After once more observing the other's soul state, confirming "defense breaking" had occurred, Leon, maintaining an outward calm yet having a heart rate nearing one hundred sixty, smiled and replied with a counter-question,
"Do you think betraying a security manager like you would bring any benefit to me?
Do you think it would make sense to provoke public outcry for mutual destruction, or to let those above know I obtained information through improper means? Or make it easy for the hydraulic company to accuse me of stealing secrets?
Relax, I'm not stupid. Why would I engage in something with absolutely no benefit and full of trouble?"
Looking at the young man smiling kindly before him, the security manager suddenly felt his vision blur slightly, as if seeing two sharp, black-tinged horns hovering above the other's head.
Trembling violently, he dared not look at this seemingly simple-minded young demon any longer, quickly turning his head, slightly hunched, leading Leon toward the records room.
*'Tsk tsk tsk... Resentment, betrayal, jealousy, fear... Kid, you're remarkable!'*
Looking at the almost completely blackened soul of the manager, Black Goat couldn't help but widen its eyes, marveling in Leon's mind,
*'Just listening to a few words from you, how is his soul so deeply stained? Do you... could you possibly possess another Anomalous Object? But I don't feel anything else there!'*