The detective is dead, I did it.

Chapter 54 A Very Familiar Relationship

"So, I need to confirm something." Lina stood up, walked to the open space in the center of the living room, turned to face Li Ang, and said, "Can you demonstrate your abilities?"

Li Ang stood up, walked to the opposite side of her, and extended his hand. His right hand loosely clenched, and black energy seeped from between his fingers, quickly condensing into a jet-black single-edged blade in his palm.

Lina looked at the knife and narrowed her eyes slightly.

She reached out, her fingertips lightly touching the blade, then slowly sliding down the side of the blade from the hilt to the tip.

Then, he put his index and middle fingers together and lightly flicked the blade.

The blade emitted a low hum, and the patterns on the blade suddenly lit up for a moment, as if in response to her touch.

"It is indeed an Armament-type ability." She withdrew her hand, took a step back, and said with a complicated look in her eyes, "And it's not an ordinary Summoning-type ability. Just like Charlotte said, it seems to be able to determine whether the other party is a criminal."

Li Ang sheathed the black blade in the void, the black aura dissipating between his fingers without leaving a trace.

"This is really interesting." Lina walked back to the sofa, sat down again, picked up the folder and flipped through it. "Not only is it an acquired awakening, but it's also such an interesting weapon-type summoning ability. This is the first time in the history of the association."

She looked up at Li Ang, her eyes sparkling with a curiosity similar to that of a scientist discovering a new species.

"I hope you can cooperate with me to take a comprehensive ability assessment at the association."

Lina's tone shifted from tentative to inviting, and then from inviting to almost pleading.

"It won't take up too much of your time. It's just a blood test, some basic tests, and recording of your ability data. The whole process will take no more than three days."

"Three days?" Li Ang frowned.

"That's assuming everything goes smoothly. If there are any anomalies in the data, it might take up to a week," Viola added, her tone somewhat urgent. "The association will provide you with all your food and lodging needs, and there will be corresponding compensation after the testing is completed..."

"I refuse." Li Ang didn't let her finish speaking.

Viola's expression froze for a moment.

She was clearly not used to being interrupted, and even less used to being rejected so directly.

Why?

"Because I don't like being used as a guinea pig. Like a lab rat. I also have a younger sister who needs my care, so I can't agree to that."

After the initial surprise, Lina chuckled at Li Ang's refusal, "Guinea pig? Your analogy is quite interesting. Although the testing does have some risks, it's still within a controllable range."

She leaned back on the sofa, crossed her legs, and said, "But you're right, I shouldn't have made that request when you just finished a difficult case. I didn't think it through."

As a high-ranking figure like the vice president of the association, the fact that he took the initiative to apologize to Li Ang made Li Ang look at him with new respect.

She picked up the folder from the coffee table, opened it, wrote a few words, then closed it and put it aside.

"I'll process the registration as soon as possible. Charlotte's guarantee, plus my review, is more than enough. I believe it won't be long before you're a true armed detective."

Her tone became more businesslike, "However, the association may pay closer attention to your subsequent case handling."

"After all, there's no precedent in the association's system for someone who awakens their armed abilities later in life, so everyone's watching. Not monitoring, but... not knowing how to deal with you."

"I understand," Li Ang replied.

"If you change your mind, feel free to contact me." Lina took a business card out of her pocket and handed it over.

The business card was pure black, without any patterns or decorations, except for a name and an address printed in silver lettering in the center.

Li Ang took the business card, glanced at it, and put it in his pocket.

"By the way," Lina glanced around the living room, her gaze sweeping over the empty sofas and the two cups of black tea that had gone cold on the coffee table, "where is Holmes Junt? I have something important to discuss with her."

"She...is upstairs."

Li Ang wasn't sure if Charlotte had actually been resurrected, but even if she hadn't, the vice president in front of him should know about her abilities.

If they knew, they wouldn't be too surprised if the other party saw Charlotte cosplaying as a corpse on the floor.

"Are you resting?"

"Yes..." Li Ang thought for a moment, "...change clothes."

"Then I'll go upstairs to find her." Lina stood up, straightened her skirt, and walked towards the stairs.

Li Ang followed behind her, watching her walk to Charlotte's room, put her hand on the doorknob, and push the door open without even knocking.

The moment the door opened, Li Ang saw the scene inside the room.

Charlotte was indeed standing in front of the dressing mirror changing her clothes.

She was wearing only a very thin petticoat, the fabric clinging to her body.

The petticoat's shoulder straps were so thin they looked like two threads, barely hanging on her shoulders, revealing a large expanse of her fair back and shoulder blades.

Her skirt only reached mid-thigh, and her two straight, long legs gleamed softly in the morning light. She had also taken off her white stockings and tossed them onto the bed, revealing ten delicate white toes.

She heard the door open, turned her head, and saw the two people at the door, as well as Li Ang staring at her.

But there was no screaming or panic, and they didn't even speed up their movements.

She simply took a light gray long dress from the wardrobe, unfolded it, and put it over her head, letting the fabric slide down her body to cover her petticoat and exposed skin.

Then she zipped up the side zipper, straightened her neckline, and used her fingers to pull her long, loose hair out from under her collar—the movements were fluid and natural.

After doing all this, she turned around and faced the two people at the door. There was no embarrassment or shyness on her face; she just spoke with displeasure.

"You didn't knock."

"Given our relationship, I don't think it's necessary," Lina said matter-of-factly.

Charlotte merely glared at her, then glanced at Li Ang behind the other woman and said calmly:

"This will not be repeated."

Charlotte bent down and picked up the blood-stained white shirt she had taken off from the ground. The blood had dried to a dark brown color. She casually tossed it into a laundry basket in the corner.

She then walked back to the dressing mirror, picked up a comb and combed her somewhat messy white hair, then took out a silver hairband from the drawer and loosely tied her hair at the back of her head.

After doing all this, she looked at Lina again.

"Speak. What is it that requires the Vice President to come all this way in person?"

Charlotte thought that the woman in front of her never came to her with good intentions.

Lina first glanced at the blood-stained clothes in the basket in the corner, then looked away and glanced at Li Ang.

Its meaning is self-evident.

"He can hear," Charlotte said.

So Lina went in and found a chair to sit down.