CHAPTER 498: CHAPTER 498: CAN’T STAY TOO LONG

"Wait a moment!"

Gene Young suddenly spoke, and Evelyn Clayton halted her steps, turning around to look at him.

In the instant their eyes met, Evelyn caught a fleeting glimpse of deep struggle in his eyes, which finally settled into determination.

Evelyn was a bit taken aback, her clear eyes turning red, and as she looked at Gene Young’s face, the image of the old Officer Young suddenly became clear.

It was as if she was transported back to the year she was ten, filled with sorrow, yet an incomparable sense of peace.

"Miss Clayton, if you want to reopen the investigation of that old case, I will assist you."

When Gene Young said this, the gravity of it was implicit.

There was undoubtedly someone covering the case back then.

Continuing the investigation would be tantamount to challenging that person.

The terrifying part was not just that this person might be very influential, but that they had no idea who he was.

Evelyn swallowed the pain in her throat, and after a long while, said hoarsely, "Officer Young, I don’t want to drag you into the mire."

She had already decided to investigate the truth behind her father’s death, regardless of what lay ahead, Evelyn would resolutely carry on.

However, Gene Young perhaps hadn’t fully thought it through; he was merely propelled by zeal.

Yes, zeal.

Even though Gene Young seemed like such a cold and indifferent person.

"This isn’t entering a mire." Gene Young was incredibly earnest, and as he spoke, he even showed a slight bitter smile, "Actually, in the second before you stood up, I was still torn. But this inner conflict didn’t begin only when I saw you."

"Long before, since my father fell ill, or perhaps you could say, ever since I heard from my father about a little girl whose father died under mysterious circumstances—despite all evidence pointing to murder, it was ruled as an accident—I began to ponder whether I wanted to carry on my father’s mission and seek justice for that little girl."

He gazed at some void, his tone light yet firm, "Back then, I was just seventeen."

Old Officer Young had waited for that call for many years.

It wasn’t that he could only gather clues from Evelyn; he simply wanted to find courage, a reason, for himself.

Because old Officer Young knew full well how vast and intricate the web was behind this matter.

What he needed wasn’t just support, but more importantly, the strength of his own convictions.

But that call didn’t come until a decade later, and by then, he was old and frail.

Evelyn held back tears, and after a long time, turned her gaze away.

"Officer Young, I have to admit, I do need help from someone like you. But I don’t want to drag you into troubled waters... How about this, consider it for three days. In three days, when I’m almost done with my current tasks, I’ll find time to visit old Officer Young. Then you can decide whether you want to help me, okay?"

Gene Young raised his eyes to meet Evelyn’s gaze, and after a long moment, solemnly nodded.

As she left the café, Evelyn watched Gene Young return to the Vernal Street Police Station across the street. Her heart, clouded with gloom, hadn’t fully cleared, but felt a bit of ease.

She walked towards the roadside, where a silver Aston Martin slowed down, matching her pace.

Instinctively, Evelyn looked over, and the car window slowly rolled down to reveal James Grant’s slightly furrowed face and focused eyes.

"Why are you here?" Evelyn paused, her eyes flickering slightly.

James Grant pressed his lips together, his voice low, "Get in the car first, we can’t stop here for long."