Elizabeth Campbell stood up, dragging her casual spaghetti-strap long dress, and approached Brittany Scott while peeling an apple. "We can't go on like this, we can't be passive, you understand? As women, it's a natural advantage, especially for beauties. You're not bad-looking either, with that model's figure. There are plenty of men who would pamper you. Why put up with his nonsense? We have to figure out how to catch him red-handed, so he won't dare act arrogant again."
"Adam't get the floor dirty, I just cleaned it," Brittany Scott retorted with mock annoyance.
Elizabeth Campbell replied, "I'm trying to come up with a plan for you. Why are you resigning yourself to fate? With a guy like this, you need to show him some colors and take some initiative for yourself."
Brittany Scott continued sorting through the case files, saying, "With my many years of criminal investigation experience, Tobby Curry is not simple."
Elizabeth Campbell's playful eyelashes fluttered. "Why do you say that?"
Brittany Scott pulled out Tobby Curry's personal file from the drawer for Elizabeth Campbell to see. "I pulled out Tobby Curry's file today. Apart from eight years of military records, there's nothing particularly outstanding."
Elizabeth Campbell glanced at Tobby Curry's file and pouted. "Then why do you say he's not simple?"
"When he came the other day, I even tried reasoning with him. I had already turned around to leave, but he ignored you completely. I thought he was deliberately showing indifference to pretty women to make them feel he was special. But I was wrong. He genuinely doesn't care if you're a beauty or not. I was as exasperated as you are now. You must be angry why this man doesn't act like other men, tripping over themselves in front of you. So, I even tried inviting him to our department under the pretense of a meal, using the jealousy of other men who adore me to give him a hard time. I must say, this man is very composed, handling it all smoothly. He even outdid our best fighters in our domain, dispelling any doubts about his capabilities."
Elizabeth Campbell scoffed. "What's so strange about having good shooting skills and combat prowess? The bodyguards around my dad are also skilled fighters. It seems like anyone who hangs out in those circles must be proficient in these two areas, right?"
Brittany Scott: "His complexity lies in having no weaknesses!"
Elizabeth Campbell: "What do you mean?"
Brittany Scott: "You and I both have that model figure, right? Yet, with him, there's no advantage at all. There are few men in the world who are not swayed by beauty. It's almost impossible. If there are any, then the beauty simply wasn't alluring enough. The fact that he can remain calm and unmoved in front of both of us, combined with his exhibited strength, makes me think he's not simple. His character, temperament, and skills are like a puzzle."
Just then, I emerged from the room. Seeing the two women staring intently at me made me feel inexplicable as I walked to the fridge to grab a drink before my workout.
After he walked to the other workout area, Brittany Scott continued, "See, if it were any other man, he'd be eager to chat with us and show off a bit, but he completely ignores us."
Elizabeth Campbell glanced at Tobby Curry and said with a sigh, "You know, the more you talk, the more I think he's gay."
Brittany Scott paused, then nodded. "I think so too."
Elizabeth Campbell agreed with conviction. "Definitely. I've never met a man who wasn't entranced by me, unless he's... unusual. He must be gay!"
Brittany Scott: "Why don't you test it out? Walk a lap around him naked and see his reaction."
Elizabeth Campbell elbowed her playfully. "You do it! Wear your police uniform and bring a whip and electric baton."
Brittany Scott: "You're the one who said you wanted to catch him red-handed."
Elizabeth Campbell laughed cheerfully, "Haven't we already caught him now?"
Brittany Scott looked at her curiously.
"We'll just say he's gay, threaten him, so he won't act all high and mighty in front of us," Elizabeth Campbell suggested.
I came out again, my forehead and vest drenched in sweat. I had finished my drink and went back to the fridge to gulp down another one, fully aware of the two pairs of eyes watching me from behind.
I turned around while drinking, looking at the two women watching me intently as if trying to see through me. Finally, both women's gazes shifted to my lower crotch area. They were both seriously wondering if he was 'receiving'.
Elizabeth Campbell, wearing her spaghetti-strap dress, had the thought in her mind to confirm if Tobby Curry was indeed gay, immune to women.
So, instinctively, she lifted her dress with one hand, slowly pulling it up to her thighs, and with her legs together, brazenly flashed me, giving me an unobstructed view.
I, who was drinking soda, was suddenly taken aback by this move, almost choking in rage.
Poof!
I sprayed the soda out from my mouth and nose, coughing uncontrollably.
Elizabeth Campbell quickly closed her legs, letting go of her dress with a gleeful humph. Then she walked to her room. As she passed by me, her eyes held a mischievous and disdainful glimmer.
After I stopped coughing, I wiped the soda from the corners of my mouth and looked at Brittany Scott to ask what Elizabeth Campbell meant by that.
Brittany Scott, finishing tidying up the files and preparing to head back to her room, glanced at my crotch area, then muttered two words through gritted teeth: "Pervert."
What's this?
I was utterly confused.
"Are they nuts?" I thought, finding the two women inexplicable.
After catching my breath and finishing the remaining soda in big gulps, I instinctively glanced down and noticed that my loose workout pants were now tenting unmistakably.
"Safety pants are the most terrible invention in the world, damn it!" I recalled the moment Elizabeth Campbell flashed me, and I could clearly see the safety shorts. And to have those safety pants cause me to lose composure down there? How embarrassing!
I felt tricked by Elizabeth Campbell and shook my head in helplessness. "There's no basic trust between people anymore, sigh."
Nighttime.
The twelve wealthy families, whose children hadn't returned home, were at a loss. After the lawyer spoke to them, with no other options, someone was chosen to call the main police department and inquire.
The vice director of The Summit City Police Department took the call and asked his secretary about the matter.
Vice Director: "Do you know about the detention of twelve people from the East City division?"
Secretary: "The call came to me. I looked into it and heard that the director is not allowing their release."
"Oh?" The vice director furrowed his brow.