Chapter 165 Hidden Clues
Chapter 165 Hidden Clues
Inside the vault, dim yellow light spilled across the yellowed files.
Leo upended the contents of the envelope onto the table.
The first thing to land was an old photograph, its colors already fading.
In the picture, a Japanese man around fifty years old stood in what looked like a laboratory, wearing an impeccably tailored dark suit.
Gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, a gentle smile gracing his face, with rows of precision equipment visible behind him.
Leo's eyes narrowed as he flipped the photograph over.
On the back, written in black fountain pen, was a line of Japanese with French notation beneath:
[Kenichi Yamamoto, Professor at the Institute of Biomedical Research, University of Tokyo. Specializations: Genetic engineering, cellular regeneration, lifespan extension research.]
"A biologist?"
Victoria leaned in, studying the gentle-looking Japanese man in the photo. A flicker of confusion crossed her alluring features. "Since when did The Evernight Order and the Valois family start caring about biomedical research?"
Leo didn't answer. Instead, he continued examining the other materials.
The second envelope contained a thick stack of bank transfer records.
Dense rows of numbers and dates documented years of massive financial transactions between the Valois family and a Japanese corporation.
[Sender: Valois Family Overseas Investment Fund]
[Recipient: The Fujiwara Group (Japan)]
[Amount: $5 million to $20 million monthly]
[Period: 1995-1998]
"The Fujiwara Group..."
Leo narrowed his eyes, his finger tapping lightly on the name.
The Fujiwara family was one of Japan's oldest noble houses.
Though they'd lost many privileges after World War II, they still wielded enormous political and commercial influence within Japan.
More importantly...
Leo remembered clearly—the Japanese sniper who'd tried to assassinate him in New York had worn a tattoo bearing the Fujiwara family crest!
"Interesting..."
Leo set the bank records aside and continued through the remaining materials.
The next several files documented people who'd had conflicts with Erwin's father.
Business rivals, political enemies, even a few opposition voices from within the family itself.
Pierre had clearly invested tremendous time and effort trying to reconstruct the truth of that bloody night twenty-five years ago from every possible angle.
But the information seemed scattered, lacking any crucial chain of evidence.
The only clear leads were the Japanese professor, Kenichi Yamamoto, and the massive financial transfers to the Fujiwara Group.
Leo reorganized all the materials and returned them to the envelope.
"Let's go."
He strode toward the door.
Behind him, the four women exchanged glances, each seeing the same confusion reflected in the others' eyes.
Clearly, the secrets hidden behind these materials were far more complex than they'd imagined.
...
Ten minutes later.
The Swiss bank manager, wearing an extremely obsequious smile, bowed ninety degrees as he escorted Leo's party out through the bank's main entrance.
The black Maybach pulled away from the bank, gliding smoothly through Zurich's streets.
Inside the car.
Leo, seated in the back, handed the thick envelope directly to Olivia in the passenger seat.
"Get these materials back to headquarters immediately."
Leo lit a cigar and took a deep drag. "Focus on two directions. First, that Japanese professor, Kenichi Yamamoto—where is he now, what's he doing? Second, the financial transactions between the Fujiwara Group and the Valois family—what exactly was the money for?"
"Yes, boss."
Olivia accepted the briefcase, opened her laptop, and began transmitting the encrypted files. "However... these are all from over twenty years ago. Many of the leads might have gone cold. I'll need some time."
"I know."
Leo exhaled a stream of smoke. "Not everything Pierre collected is necessarily accurate. He was just a butler, after all. There were limits to what he could uncover."
"So..."
Leo's deep eyes turned toward the rapidly retreating streetscape outside the window. "Besides investigating these materials, we also need to find out who else might have known what happened back then."
"Someone inside the Valois family definitely knows the truth about that bloody night."
"Louis couldn't have pulled off such a massive conspiracy alone. He must have had confidants, accomplices."
"Find those people, pry open their mouths, and we can finally reconstruct what really happened."
He understood all too well how those self-proclaimed gods—the financial dynasties and power brokers of this world—operated. Their tired old cover-up tactics were riddled with holes to someone like him, a Reaper who'd clawed his way through battlefields and countless treacherous conspiracies.
So what Pierre had managed to obtain was likely just scratching the surface.
Olivia nodded, her fingers flying across the keyboard. "Understood. I'll contact Shadow Squad's intelligence network in Europe for a comprehensive infiltration of the Valois family."
"Also..."
She paused, looking at Leo. "Boss, should we position some eyes and ears in Japan in advance?"
"Not yet."
Leo shook his head. "Tipping our hand now would only alert them. Clean up the European situation first. Once we've traced the Valois family leads to their end, then we'll settle accounts with Japan."
"Yes."
Olivia finished sending the encrypted files and closed her laptop.
Serafina, lounging lazily beside Leo against the leather seat, studied him with her long, beautiful eyes, red lips parting slightly:
"Leo, what should we do next?"
"Erwin's already started building momentum. Louis is definitely going to be backed into a corner. Will he make a direct move against Erwin?"
"He will."
Leo nodded without hesitation. "Louis is already cornered. Erwin's appearance is like pouring salt in his wound."
"He'll try everything to eliminate Erwin and salvage the situation."
"Should we protect Erwin in advance?" Ivy asked, worry evident in her voice.
"No need."
A cold smile curved Leo's lips. "I've already arranged for Shadow Squad to provide covert protection around Erwin. Louis's people won't get within a mile of him."
"Besides..."
Leo exhaled a thick stream of smoke. "I'm hoping Louis sends several waves of assassins after Erwin. Each failed attempt will add more tragic appeal to Erwin's story, turning public opinion even more in his favor."
"By then, Louis will become public enemy number one."
Hearing Leo's words, admiration flickered in all the women's eyes.
This was the Reaper's method.
Every step precisely targeted the enemy's fatal weakness.
"Where are we going now?" A hint of confusion crossed Charlotte's striking features.
"Back to Paris."
Leo leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes. "No rush. We'll wait for Olivia's intelligence results, then decide our next move."
"Once everything's in place... I'll personally lead the team and storm the Valois Manor."
"Louis, and that Templar hiding behind him—they'll all go to hell together."
Leo turned his head, watching the constantly retreating streetscape outside the car window.
He remembered something his instructor had said years ago, right after he'd graduated from the FBI National Academy: "A true tactical master doesn't win through brute force, but knows how to achieve maximum results with minimum cost at the optimal moment."
Years of countless classified operations had taught Leo the profound truth of those words.
He wasn't a mindless butcher. Every move had to be precise, leaving no loose ends.
The Valois family might already be caught in a storm of public opinion, but The Evernight Order hadn't fully revealed its hand yet.
If he rashly stormed the manor now, he might kill Louis and that Ashfall, but The Evernight Order's other tentacles would remain hidden in the shadows.
They could easily prop up a new proxy at any time, continuing to manipulate Europe's dark order.
That wasn't the outcome Leo wanted.
He intended to uproot this poisonous tree entirely.
So he had to wait.
Wait for Erwin to fully secure public support. Wait for The Evernight Order to make contact with this "innocent" victim themselves.
Wait for Olivia to trace all the leads and identify the true mastermind from all those years ago.
Then, he'd catch them all in one net!