Ch. 2156..2160: The Secretly Rich Man Chapter 2156-2160
Chapter 2156
Gerald Crawford: The Secretly or invisible Rich Man Chapter 2156 By the time the others were done, Gerald had just finished his roasted chicken.
Watching as Gerald wiped his hands, Ichiro handed two tissues to the youth before asking, “So… Figured anything out?”
“Hardly. To be completely frank, the information was near useless, so I wasn’t really paying attention. Though I have to say, the roasted chicken is pretty good, so you guys should eat it while it’s hot,” replied Gerald as he wiped his mouth.
“You…! ” growled the other investigators, clearly annoyed that Gerald was just dissing on all their hard work. What a waste of breath!
“What’s wrong?” asked Ichiro.
“Don’t worry, it’s nothing major. Regardless, you guys should start investigating the hotels around the training ground. I advise you to register every non Japanese staying in the vicinity! Believe me when I say that that’s the only information that’s going to be useful for now!” replied Gerald as he waved his hand.
“Do you honestly think that we haven’t already investigated the surrounding area? Also, all the foreigners? Do you think registering all of them and putting them on file is going to be a cinch or something? You’re not even a proper member of the investigation team! What would you know about our work and authority?” retorted several of the other members.
“Just do as he says. Remember, the colonel has given him permission to be on our team, so the colonel and I will be bearing all the consequences. With that said, if you disagree with Gerald, you can either take this to the colonel’s office or leave!” growled Ichiro as he slammed his fist onto the table.
Hearing that, everyone became so frightened that they instantly fell silent. While Ichiro was usually an amiable person, everyone in the investigation team knew that Ichiro was the kind of person who didn’t make any exceptions to who he grew angry at, not even his family. In fact, he had such a bad temper in his earlier years that he was known for driving several people out!
With that in mind, the rest of the investigation team could only yell, “Loud and clear!”
Knowing that they could only obey Gerald’s orders for now, the group of people quickly tidied up their documents before walking out of the office…
Gerald himself simply shook his head before saying, “It’s such a pity that they didn’t eat their roasted chickens…”
Watching as Gerald took the remaining chicken and began feasting once more, Ichiro waited for his secretary to close the door before looking at Gerald and asking, “Truth be told, I’m finding it hard to see the logic of your order… After all, we’ve already scanned through all the hotels in the vicinity multiple times. While it’s true that there are multiple foreigners, none of them look like the murderer at all…”
“Tell me again what that murderer’ s physique was like. And did he leave behind any footprints?” asked Gerald as he looked back at Ichiro.
“From what we’ve gathered, the person is around six feet tall and has a rather sturdy looking figure. Aside from that, his footprints were size twelve… As I’ve previously said, we found nobody who matched the description, which is why we assume that the culprit has left the area,” explained Ichiro.
“Just a thought, but couldn’t the culprit have worn platform shoes? Also, it’s easy to look sturdy if you have piles of clothes on. As for the shoe size, couldn’t the murderer just have worn larger shoes?” asked Gerald in between chews.
“… That…” muttered the stupefied Ichiro as his voice momentarily trailed off…
Chapter 2157
Gerald Crawford: The Secretly or invisible Rich Man Chapter 2157 Though he was in the investigation team, Ichiro didn’t specialize in solving mysteries. The cases he usually dealt with were dangerous, but straightforward. With that in mind, what Gerald had just said had never crossed his mind.
It was also at that moment when Ichiro realized that the footage from the surveillance camera could be completely useless. While it was true that they had managed to capture the man’s face, after hearing what Gerald had to say, Ichiro now wondered if the culprit had been wearing a rubber mask as well…
“I don’t blame you for being speechless. Regardless, that’s why I said the information your subordinates provided earlier was completely useless. It’s also why I told them to quickly identify any foreigners living in nearby hotels. Call it a gut feeling, but I have a hunch that the person is still here,” replied Gerald with a subtle smile.
“… Hold on, why only foreigners?” asked the confused Ichiro.
“You’re free to investigate the locals if you want, but I feel that the murder is more of an act of revenge. After all, the culprit only killed those from Yanam, which is why I don’t think the locals did it. I could be wrong, though,” replied Gerald.
Gerald, for one, knew for a fact that he was only ‘helping’ them in order for him to locate the Crawford cultivator. While he admitted that it was a selfish motive of his, he also believed that the cultivator was the murderer of the Yanam special forces soldier. With that in mind, he had reason to believe that investigating the locals would only be a waste of energy.
“… I see! Either way, don’t you worry! I’ll order my subordinates to run thorough investigations on all the surrounding hotels!” declared Ichiro who now trusted Gerald more than ever. After all, Gerald had just given them new leads to look into. Now, there truly was a chance for them to crack the case!
Gerald himself who had just finished his second roasted chicken released a large burp before saying, “I’m sure you will. By the way, the roasted chicken really is delectable. You wouldn’t mind me taking the rest back, would you?”
As Gerald was thinking about letting Master Ghost have a taste as well, Ichiro simply laughed heartily as he replied, “Feel free! Honestly, if you like them so much, I’m willing to send them to you every day!”
“There’s no need for that. Either way, I’ll be heading back first. I’ll contact you again tonight,” replied Gerald as he carried the remaining roasted chicken away with him…
Watching as Gerald left, Ichiro then stood on the spot for a while, slowly taking the time to process all that Gerald had said. Eventually, he grabbed his coat before dashing off to keep an eye on the investigation efforts…
Gerald himself soon got back with the roasted chicken in hand. Upon entering the room, Master Ghost who was watching television couldn’t help but get to his feet as he asked, “Is that roasted chicken I smell?”
“Bingo. Noda Ichiro, the head of the Japanese military’s investigation team, got them for us. Well, me. I ended up becoming a temporary investigator for them to hopefully ease my search for the Crawford cultivator,” explained Gerald.
“I see. With the investigation team on our side, not only will your odds of finding the cultivator increase, but even if the cultivator discovers you, he probably won’t dare to attack,” replied Master Ghost after thinking about it for a bit.
“Indeed. Either way, eat up. The chicken’s untouched, if you’re worried about that,” said Gerald with a nod as he placed the chicken before Master Ghost.
“Glad to hear. You know, I was just about to head out to get some food earlier, but it seems you returned in the nick of time,” replied Master Ghost as he took a good whiff of the chicken before tearing off a drumstick and stuffing it into his mouth.
“I suppose. Speaking of which, I’m heading out to the hotel tonight to have a look around. With any luck, I’ll find the Crawford cultivator and quickly get rid of him,” said Gerald as he sat before Master Ghost. “Would you like me to join you?” asked Master Ghost with a nod.
“Well, with the investigation team there, you should be safe. With that said, sure, why not?” replied Gerald after thinking about it for a bit.
Chapter 2158
Gerald Crawford: The Secretly or invisible Rich Man Chapter 2158 With night swiftly approaching sometime later, Gerald and Master Ghost quickly began making their way to where Ichiro and the others were.
As for the members of the investigation team, after investigating throughout the day while constantly being urged by Ichiro, they managed to scan through at least half of the surrounding hotels and guesthouses. Aside from being registered, any foreigner living in those places were temporarily detained under the Japanese military, and were currently being guarded by Japanese soldiers…
Regardless, as the duo continued making their way to where Ichiro was, Gerald made sure to detail what he had encountered in the past two days to Master Ghost. After listening to all that, Master Ghost couldn’t help but say, “It honestly surprises me that the investigation team would obey your orders like this…”
To Master Ghost, Gerald should’ve been the prime suspect of Adler’s disappearance. Even so, he was simultaneously glad that the investigation team hadn’t been monitoring Gerald too closely. After all, it allowed Gerald to actually join their team! What more, Ichiro sounded like he really trusted Gerald.
“Truth be told, I wasn’t expecting things to go this smoothly either, though I’m not complaining. Regardless, since I’m making my move under the guise of an investigation team member, the Crawford cultivator will surely not anticipate the presence of
Another cultivator. With that in mind, once I gain sufficient knowledge about him, it’ll be easy for me to take him out,” replied Gerald with a nod as he continued walking forward.
Shortly after they left the training ground, the two of them were greeted by the sight of several investigation team members and nearly endless Japanese soldiers on both sides of the street, all of them vigilantly guarding the entrances of all hotels and guesthouses in the vicinity.
Though several drivers immediately turned to leave the area upon seeing all this, there were still quite a number of spectators. These people lived around the training ground, and they were well aware that it was a rare occasion for the military to get this riled up. With that in mind, it was only natural for them to start discussing what was happening among themselves.
Either way, upon noticing Gerald’s presence, Ichiro immediately dropped whatever he was doing and jogged over to the youth while shouting, “Gerald! Over here!”
Since Gerald had agreed to help him, Ichiro treated him like a friend now, which explained why he dropped the formalities when addressing Gerald.
Smiling in response, Gerald was prompted to ask, “How are things going, Mr. Noda?”
“Things are going well. We’ve temporarily detained all the foreigners living in the vicinity, and they’re currently being guarded by soldiers. Though you told me not to, I also registered all the locals in the area, just in case. Regardless, we’ve found a few suspicious people throughout our investigation, and I’d like you to have a look at them,” replied Ichiro with a grin, clearly expecting the case to be cracked soon.
Ichiro, for one, had a hunch that the culprit was among the people whom he deemed were suspicious. From what he could guess, the person had probably remained here since he still wanted to murder more of Yanam’s soldiers.
“That’s great to hear. Do lead the way,” said Gerald as he turned to look at Master Ghost with a smile.
Following that, the spectators watched as the duo followed Ichiro into one of the hotels…
After walking past the soldiers guarding the hotel’s entrance, Gerald was greeted by the sight of several hotel staff members gathered at the lobby. Though there were soldiers in here as well each
armed with a gun, Gerald was more interested in the six people seated on the couch.
Watching as Ichiro pointed at them, Ichiro himself then said, “Those are the suspects, Gerald. Though you told me that the culprit was probably an expert at disguising himself, I went ahead and gathered people who looked similar to the individual captured on the surveillance system. I don’t plan to let them go till you have a good look at them.”
The second Gerald’s name was mentioned, one of the men seated on the sofa who was wearing a Windbreaker slowly lifted his head. Upon seeing Gerald, he couldn’t help but frown.
The man himself was none other than Amare, the Crawford cultivator…!
Chapter 2159
Gerald Crawford: The Secretly or invisible Rich Man Chapter 2159 Based on the time limit the patriarch had given him, this was supposed to be Amare’s sixth and final day in Japan. If he was still unable to locate Gerald, he would still have to leave tomorrow, thus failing to complete the mission Will had assigned him…
Just as he was feeling that all hope was lost and that he was going to fail to get on Will’s good side, Gerald appeared before him! Amare couldn’t have asked for anything better! Still, with so many Japanese soldiers in the vicinity, Amare knew better than to act rashly. With that in mind, he took a brief glance at Gerald just to confirm his identity before quickly averting his gaze.
The second Amare averted his gaze, Gerald immediately noticed that someone had been staring at him. Raising a slight brow, Gerald then turned to look at the individuals seated on the sofa…
While he couldn’t pinpoint who had been staring at him earlier, the person in the middle stuck out a bit more from the rest. With that in mind, Gerald took a deep breath before activating a small portion of his Herculean Primordial Spirit… Only to realize that there wasn’t even the slightest fluctuation of essential qi. With that, he quickly retracted his primordial spirit.
Though there weren’t any essential qi fluctuations, Gerald couldn’t help but feel that that person wasn’t an ordinary man. Trusting his gut, Gerald made sure to take note of that man…
Seeing that Gerald was staring so intently at those people, Ichiro leaned closer to him to ask, “Do you have any methods to get the truth out from them? Since they’re all foreigners, we can’t just lock them up and interrogate them since that will cause trouble with the embassy.”
“Unfortunately, I’m not the best at interrogating, so I’ll leave that to you guys. Regardless, there are some things that I’d like to think through first,” replied Gerald, his gaze still fixed on the man with the Windbreaker.
Gerald’s intuition was practically screaming that the man in the Windbreaker was the Crawford cultivator. Even so, Gerald wasn’t planning on doing anything till he sensed essential qi from that suspicious individual…
Regardless, upon hearing that, the slightly disappointed Ichiro could only say, “… Alright…”
However, Ichiro’s mood quickly lifted after he reminded himself that Gerald wasn’t a professional investigator. He was just here to help, and it wouldn’t make sense for him to know how to properly interrogate people…
Either way, if they really wanted to get information out of these foreigners, the best course of action would probably be to get the local police officers over. If they set up a temporary interrogation room instead of bringing the foreigners to the police station, it would only become a ‘questioning session’, thus avoiding the embassy’s involvement. Besides, if they did that and the suspects became vindictive, it wouldn’t affect him or his team.
Whatever the case was, after sizing the man up for one final time, Gerald turned to look at Master Ghost before saying, “… Let’s head back for now. We shouldn’t interfere with their jobs.”
Master Ghost had already been with Gerald for such a long time that he could already tell what Gerald’s slightest actions or movements indicated. With that in mind, he simply nodded in response, prompting the duo to leave the hotel…
Ichiro immediately got to work as well, quickly contacting the local police station to get some interrogators over…
Though Gerald remained silent throughout their journey back, upon entering their room and closing the door behind them, Gerald immediately heaved a heavy sigh as he took his coat off. Following that, he lit a cigarette and took two puffs of it…
Chapter 2160
Gerald Crawford: The Secretly or invisible Rich Man Chapter 2160 “Sensed anything back there?” asked Master Ghost who had a vague idea of what Gerald had experienced.
“Indeed… Remember that man in the Windbreaker? One of the suspects sitting on the sofa?” replied Gerald with a slight frown.
“I do. I made sure to memorize all their appearances,” said Master Ghost with a nod.
“Well, I have a feeling that he’s the Crawford cultivator, though I can’t be certain just yet…
Regardless, I’m heading out later tonight,” replied Gerald as he continued huffing on his cigarette. In no time flat, the cigarette’s lifespan had ended…
“Are you planning to secretly get rid of him?” asked Master Ghost.
“Negative. Again, I specify that it was only a gut feeling. Until I’m sure, I won’t lay a finger on him. Regardless, since I was able to notice him, I’m sure he noticed me as well. In fact, it was probably when Ichiro first mentioned my name when I realized I was being stared at. Either way, my plan tonight is to slightly expose my cultivation to draw that person out. Once I confirm that he’s a Crawford cultivator, I’ll get rid of him swiftly,” explained Gerald as he placed his burnt out cigarette in an ashtray.
“I see… Speaking of which, were you able to get a grasp of how strong he was? After calculating for a bit, I feel he’s weaker than you, though you shouldn’t let your guard down till you’re absolutely sure,” replied Master Ghost in a slightly worried tone.
“Don’t worry about it. I don’t really treat anyone from the Crawford family seriously aside from Will who wants to compete with me so much just to secure his position as ‘heir of the Crawfords’. Quite honestly,
I’d like to meet him just to see how well my grandpa’s insight is,” scoffed Gerald before shaking his head with a smile.
“Well… Since you’ve said that, I won’t ask any further than that… Still, do be careful. After all, in the end, the Crawfords are still a cultivating family. After suffering consecutive losses in your hands, I’m just worried that they sent a stronger cultivator after your head this time…” muttered Master Ghost. While it was true that Gerald was inhumanly strong, the Crawfords still had hundreds of years’ worth of experience as cultivators. With that in mind, nobody truly knew how strong that family was…
Hearing that, Gerald simply chuckled before patting Master Ghost’s shoulder as he said, “If you’re so worried, why don’t you do some calculations to see how dangerous this encounter will be.”
“That’s unnecessary,” replied Master Ghost as he waved his hand…
Following that, Gerald took a cold shower. Once he was done, he took the photographs of his parents, elder sister, and Mila out… By the time he finally peeled his gaze from the pictures, the sky was already darkening…
Upon hearing a few messy footsteps walking past his window, be carefully returned the photographs into his pocket before lighting a cigarette and heading toward the window to look downstairs… Only to see Ichiro and the rest of the investigation team walking away.
From how dejected they looked, Gerald figured that they hadn’t been able to gather anything. Then again, if the Crawford cultivator truly was the one responsible for that death, then it was pretty much impossible for regular people like them to gain any new hints.
Whatever the case was, once they were out of sight, Gerald tossed his cigarette away before slipping his coat on…
Soon enough, he was walking past the training ground’s large entrance… and the second he left the area, Gerald immediately activated his Herculean Primordial Spirit, making sure to expel some essential qi at the same time…
Barely even seconds later, Amare who had just been cleared of his suspicion was alerted to the sudden fluctuation of essential qi.
With that, he opened his room window… and in no time at all, his figure vanished from the spot.
He only had a day left before he had to leave Japan… He needed to act quickly or Daryl would surely punish him for returning late…