She is a natural disaster.

Chapter 21 The Beautiful Detective

Later that day, Anastasia walked out of Mike's apartment.

The two had agreed on the payment for the temporary commission: a custom-made lever shotgun.

While revolvers are easy to carry, they are still just pistols and lack stopping power, especially when facing heavily armored opponents.

Compared to other types of ammunition, shotguns are better due to their greater power. Shotguns can also fire different types of ammunition, such as bird bullets, buckshot, and slugs, each of which has its own uses.

However, a problem arises: while shotguns are great, they are inconvenient to carry.

Anastasia was a relatively thin woman, lacking the tall and strong physique of a man to conceal her firearms.

A standard shotgun is a long gun, typically around one meter in length. This length is long enough for a man, let alone a relatively petite woman.

While shotguns can be made more compact, easier to carry and conceal, by shortening the barrel and stock, Anastasia was, as mentioned before, a relatively slender woman.

Her coat couldn't completely conceal the shape of the shotgun; she couldn't very well stuff the gun inside her skirt, it would be so inconvenient to take it out.

As for why a lever shotgun was chosen, it's because lever shotguns allow for one-handed reloading, which is both stylish and efficient!

Anastasia could also choose a shortened double-barreled shotgun, which has sufficient firepower and is easy to carry and conceal, but she rejected it because she didn't like it.

Not the ugly, short-barreled type, but a lever shotgun! One-handed cocking and loading—it's so cool it'll leave you speechless! She's even thought of a name for the gun: Demon-Slaying Holy Flame!

Anastasia didn't leave the apartment immediately after leaving, but went to the next room.

She stood at the door and knocked. Soon, footsteps came from inside the room.

"It's me. I have some errands to run and will be back before dawn at the latest," Anastasia said through the door.

The temporary assignment was just a temporary job; the more important thing was Mike's personal safety. If something happened to him, it would all be over, and they wouldn't get a single Heller.

"I understand, I'll keep an eye on it," the person inside the door said, without asking Anastasia what she was going to do.

"I'll be back as soon as possible," Anastasia said.

After saying this, Anastasia turned and left. Instead of taking the elevator and leaving through the main entrance of the apartment building, she took the stairs to the rooftop.

The wind on the rooftop was strong, blowing my long hair into disarray.

After Anastasia made sure no one was around, she leaped into the air, her body gliding lightly across the night sky, and landed on another building.

Instead of using the main entrance or walking along the street, they leaped over the rooftops of buildings. This was partly because it was faster, as the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, and partly to avoid potential surveillance.

Anastasia knew very well that she was Mike's greatest protection, and her departure could very well invite a new wave of attacks, so she had to go and return quickly, and try her best to keep it a secret that she had left the apartment.

Anastasia leaped into the air, surrounded by mesmerizing neon lights and below her, on a bustling street teeming with people.

The nights in the new city are always glamorous, with bright lights, bustling activity, and lively entertainment.

But behind the glitz and glamour, unseen evils spread through every block, not with the direct violence of the old city, but just as abhorrent.

Before long, Anastasia stopped on the rooftop of a tall building. Across the street was the Upper Town Police Station, a square, imposing, and old-fashioned building surrounded by high railings.

The police station was still lit up at night, with light shining from every window. There were many people standing in the spacious courtyard; some were leaving, and some were going into the eerie-looking building.

At this moment, Anastasia did not rush to sneak into the police station. She was wondering whether she should jump directly into the yard or walk through the main gate in a dignified manner.

Meanwhile, in the police station, Jolina rubbed her sore eyes.

Although Jolina is young and hasn't been with the police station for very long, she is, after all, a detective and has a basic sense of smell.

This was a warning, a warning to her not to continue interfering in the Mike Montagu attack, a warning that she had better behave herself and not betray the police force.

Jolina realized that the person who had emptied the police force was of a very high rank, at least a senior detective, and possibly even the chief detective of the Upper City Police Department.

If the speculation is true, what kind of conditions could persuade a senior detective to take action against Montague without any scruples?

It's important to understand that Bill Montague is a well-known billionaire with extensive connections in both political and business circles. Taking action against him would have serious consequences, essentially gambling with one's entire fortune and life, betting that Montague would never recover.

Thinking of this, Jolina felt a chill run down her spine.

The Upper Town Police Department has already stepped forward to act as a pawn, but who is standing behind the pawn?

Is it the General Police Station located in the central courtyard, the Security Bureau that leads the police station, or the Chief of the Three Departments who controls the entire city?

Jolina, whose mind was racing, dared not think any further. If she did, Montague would be at odds with the entire political world. In that case, it would be better to order two coffins as soon as possible.

"Merciful God, who has Uncle Bill offended?!"

Jolina covered her bright and beautiful face with her hands and asked her God in a muffled voice.

However, the merciful Lord did not respond to the devout believers. The archives were eerily quiet at night, with only the pendulum swinging back and forth.

Jolina gathered her disheveled long hair, closed her dry and sore eyes, and after resting for only a short while, she continued to read through the old case files that had been piled up for many years, reorganizing and classifying them.

The mountain of old case files is at least ten or twenty years old. The fragile paper has long since yellowed and become brittle. Every time I turn it over, I have to be very careful and dare not even breathe too loudly, for fear that if I breathe too heavily, I will turn the yellowed paper into scraps.

To make matters worse, the writing on the paper used to record old cases was all in tiny characters, making it extremely difficult to read. Jolina felt like her eyes were about to go blind.

"Merciful Lord, who will save me!"

Jolina knew very well that she was in a very bad situation, and that she was now on the opposite side of the Upper East Side Police Department.

The reorganization of the old case files was just a warning; if she ignored the advice and continued to be obstinate, she might be exiled to the old city.

If she surrenders to the police leadership in time and stops getting involved in Montague affairs, her punishment will end there. Although she will be marginalized afterward, at least she won't have to go to the Old Town to take up her post.

Jolina didn't want to go to the old town. She knew her own limitations and that she was powerless to change the chaos and disorder of the old town.

However, Jolene has no intention of surrendering to the police leadership. She will not abandon Mike, her childhood friend, because during that darkest time, Mike was the second person to reach out to her.

Those who transcend are all patients, exhibiting varying degrees of psychological distortion, emotional abnormalities, and extreme mental instability.

Jolena Joyce is a transcendent being, and she is also a patient, but Jolena's psychology is not twisted. Apart from occasionally losing her temper, her emotions are very stable.

Jolene Joyce was a somewhat obsessive person. Once she made up her mind about something, even if it was wrong or even if it would destroy her, she would still go for it without hesitation.

Clang—clang—clang—

The deep, resonant chirping of the clock echoed through the archives, disturbing everyone's peace of mind.

Unable to calm down, Jolina wanted to unwind the clock to stop it from making that annoying noise.

"What are you doing here!"

Just as Jolina raised her head, she saw Anastasia push open the door and walk into the archives.

"You shouldn't have come! Go back now! What will happen to Mike if the police see you? Who will protect him!"

Jolina's voice was very low, her tone anxious, and even carried a hint of reproach.

Just fifteen minutes ago, she was praying to God, hoping someone would come to save her. Now that the savior has arrived, she is unhappy.

"Miss Joyce, do you think I wanted to come to the police station?"

Although it was a rhetorical question, Anastasia's tone was calm and unhurried, giving the impression that she was easy to get along with.

In fact, Anastasia is a very easy person to get along with most of the time. Although she doesn't speak very nicely, she rarely gets really angry.

"I hate the police station. You know, the people at the Old Town Police Station are either incompetent bastards or scoundrels. They're really annoying, more disgusting than the garbage in a dumpster."

Without Anastasia needing to explain, Jolina was fully aware of the Old Town Police Department's character.

"Go back now." Jolina's tone softened. "Miss Angel, Mike needs you more than I do. I can protect myself."

Although Jolene Joyce's danger rating isn't high, she is still a transcendent, much stronger than the playboy Mike Montague.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon,” Anastasia said. “Mike sent me to check on you; he seemed a little worried that you might get whipped by the police station.”

"They won't lay a hand on me in the police station," Jolene said. "If a detective dies in the police station, the Security Bureau, the police department's superior agency, will go crazy."

Although Jolene Joyce is in a precarious situation, and her danger comes from within the police station, the station's boxy, old-fashioned building offers her some protection.

The Upper East Side Police Station could kick Jolina to the Old Town or let her die in a man-made accident, but it would never let her, a detective, die in the police station.

The Upper Town Police Station can't afford to lose face, the Central Police Station can't afford to lose face either, and the Security Bureau can't afford to lose face even more.

"Seeing you're still alive and kicking, I can go back and report," Anastasia said. "But before I leave, don't you want to take the time to say something to me?"

Mike should be more concerned about Jolena's safety, while Anastasia is more concerned about the results of her investigation.

"Okay, I'll try to keep it brief to save time—"

Jolina paused for a moment, then asked nervously, "How did you get in? You didn't just barge in, did you?"