[MHCISQD] Chapter 331: Search

After several consecutive busy days, the middle-aged man's vigilance had greatly diminished, and he felt mentally exhausted.

As he opened the door, he saw two people in black clothing, wearing hats and masks, completely concealing their identities, standing in front of him.

Before he could react, they immediately struck him with their fists.

*BANG!*

*BANG!*

Two punches in succession knocked him to the ground.

Reacting swiftly, Renault caught the falling middle-aged man and brought him into the room.

"Come in, and close the door."

Yuriko entered and promptly locked the office door. The absence of security cameras allowed her to remove her hat and mask.

"What's next?"

"Let's first check the things in the office and his computer. Also, see if there are any hidden compartments or secret compartments," Renault said, taking out a prepared rope and tying the middle-aged man to a chair before starting to examine the documents on the desk.

Nodding, Yuriko walked to a corner of the office and began searching the bookshelf.

After glancing at Yuriko, Renault focused on the documents on the desk. Although there were many items, the contents were nothing special—mostly speeches, visits, and operational reports from various departments.

Finding nothing useful, Renault shifted his attention to the computer in front of him.

The computer was already turned on and in standby mode.

Upon opening it, Renault was faced with a password interface. He took out a USB drive and inserted it into the computer's USB port.

Soon, a small window appeared on the computer screen, displaying lines of code. After half a minute, the window disappeared, and the computer went to the desktop.

"Sento did a good job with this, although his skill points have been distributed rather oddly for a physicist." Renault chuckled, removing the USB drive and putting it back into his pocket, then starting to use the mouse.

"Now, let's see if there are any hidden files."

Though he wasn't adept at cracking passwords, finding hidden files on the computer was a simple task once the password was bypassed.

After all, hiding things was a necessary skill for a guy, even though he might not need it anymore.

Lost in thought, Renault carefully searched the hard drive for information, simultaneously opening the computer's messaging software.

Perhaps due to the automatic password save feature, Renault didn't need to crack any passwords again and could access the software directly.

However, after checking all the contacts and chat logs, it appeared to be all work-related, with nothing suspicious.

Just to be safe, Renault saved the chat records on another USB drive.

With the messaging software checked, he continued examining the hard drive, but there was no useful data, either on the surface or hidden.

After finishing the search, Renault put the computer on standby again, and then opened the desk drawers, but there was nothing significant inside.

Even former leader Hanabata Koku's belongings were nowhere to be found.

With no other options, Renault looked at Yuriko and asked, "Did you find anything?"

"Nothing."

Turning around, Yuriko pointed to the bookshelf. "The books up there are all ordinary ones that you can buy at any bookstore. There are no hidden compartments. And as for secret rooms or compartments, I don't think anything could escape your notice."

Renault got up and walked around the room, but indeed, he didn't find any secret room.

"What should we do next? Interrogate this guy?" Yuriko asked, looking at the still unconscious man on the chair.

Renault shook his head. "No, let's not startle the snake yet. But we can leave something here. I've prepared some useful gadgets for tonight's operation."

He took out a few mini cameras and listening devices from his pocket and handed some to Yuriko. Together, they discreetly placed these devices in hidden spots around the office.

Once they finished setting up, Renault suddenly remembered something. He took the man's phone from his pocket and unlocked it using his fingerprints.

Finally, they found something on the man's phone.

"On New Year's Day, there will be a meeting, and it's this guy's first time meeting Re-Destro? I didn't expect that. This man, who used to be Hanabata Koku's deputy, has never met the highest leader. Seems like Re-Destro operates very secretly, and his identity is rarely known to others. The message doesn't specify the exact time and location of the meeting; it will be announced on the day itself."

It seemed that the surveillance they set up would be effective.

Renault restored the phone's records and put it back in the man's pocket.

They cleared any traces of their presence in the office, put on their hats and masks again, and left the building the way they came, without anyone noticing them.

As for the surveillance cameras in the hallway, they had already been preemptively taken care of, so there would be no footage of them appearing there.

The middle-aged man who was previously bound was now untied and left lying on the floor. Renault wasn't concerned about what he might say after waking up. This was just the first layer of surveillance, and there would be other arrangements later.

On their way back, the siblings were no longer in a hurry.

"How about grabbing a late-night snack? It must have been quite exhausting coming all the way here," Yuriko suggested.

Without hesitation, Renault agreed.

In no time, they arrived at Izakaya Bar where Renault had previously eaten with Ryukyu and Hado.

"I've tried the food here before; it's pretty good. Let's give it a try." Renault said as they sat in a private booth.

He handed the menu to Yuriko, letting her order first.

After looking through the menu, she made her choices, and Renault followed suit, also ordering two glasses of fruit juice.

When the waitress left, Renault leaned against the wall and smiled at Yuriko. "Come to think of it, this is the first time just the two of us are eating out, right?"

Yuriko paused for a moment. It did seem like the first time.

Reflecting on their past experiences, even though she had been living with Renault for less than half a year, she had grown accustomed to it and no longer dwelled on their shared history.

Looking at Renault across the table, Yuriko smiled softly. "You know, you're not doing a great job as an elder brother. Maybe we should switch roles, and I become the elder sister?"

"In your dreams." Renault rolled his eyes.

Just then, both of their phones started ringing simultaneously.

They looked at each other with a knowing expression.

They had been found out.