Chapter 155: Follow the Money [ 1 ]

Mikhail Dragunov was halfway through his third meat pie when someone knocked on his door.

The young man glanced toward the entrance, his cheeks bulging with food, before hurriedly swallowing and wiping his mouth with a napkin.

Several empty food containers were scattered across the small dining table, accompanied by an enormous bottle of chilled fruit juice.

He had been enjoying a particularly satisfying afternoon after spending most of the morning sorting through the materials he’d recently purchased from several independent Awakeners.

"Coming!" Mikhail called, pushing himself out of his chair.

When he opened the door, he discovered Jet standing outside with his hands tucked into his pockets.

"Jet! You’re back!" Mikhail exclaimed, his round face immediately brightening. "When did you return? I thought you were supposed to be away for several more days!"

"This morning," Jet answered, smiling at his friend’s enthusiastic greeting. "I finished my business earlier than expected. Mind if I come in?"

"Of course! Come inside!" Mikhail replied, stepping aside before glancing toward the dining table. "Actually, perfect timing. I ordered too much food again, and I was starting to wonder whether I could finish everything."

Jet entered the apartment and examined the impressive collection of empty containers.

"You’ve already eaten enough for three people," Jet remarked, raising an eyebrow. "How exactly did you manage to order too much?"

Mikhail scratched his cheek with an embarrassed expression. "There was a discount if I bought six meals. It would’ve been a waste not to take advantage of it."

Jet shook his head, laughing as he took a seat.

He hadn’t come merely to visit his friend. Earlier that afternoon, Adesewa had mentioned that the investigation into Lucien Veyr’s financial connections had uncovered several unusual purchases involving Awakener materials.

The transactions appeared legitimate at first glance, but some of the listed items had been purchased in quantities that didn’t match their supposed purposes.

That was where Mikhail might be useful.

Although he was only an E-Rank Awakener whose work involved carrying equipment and harvesting monster materials, Mikhail possessed considerable practical knowledge of the trade.

He knew which materials were valuable, which merchants handled particular products, and how prices fluctuated according to demand.

More importantly, he understood how those materials actually moved through Zenith’s markets.

"Mikhail, I need your help with something," Jet explained, retrieving several printed documents from his inventory and placing them on the table. "We’re investigating a company connected to the people who attacked us. Some of its purchases involve Awakener materials, and I was hoping you could tell me whether anything looks unusual."

Mikhail immediately stopped reaching for another meat pie.

"The people who tried to kill you?" Mikhail asked, his cheerful expression disappearing.

Jet nodded. "Possibly. We’re still investigating their connections, so don’t jump to conclusions. I only need you to examine the purchases."

Mikhail adjusted his glasses and pulled the documents closer.

"All right," Mikhail replied seriously. "Let me see what they’ve been buying."

---

The first few transactions appeared perfectly ordinary.

Meridian Security Solutions had purchased equipment maintenance supplies, protective clothing, replacement weapon components, and several batches of low-grade Mana Crystals.

None of those purchases were particularly unusual for a company providing security services to Awakener-related businesses.

However, Mikhail’s expression gradually changed as he examined the remaining pages.

He picked up a pen and circled three transactions.

"These are strange," Mikhail observed, leaning closer to the documents.

Jet glanced at the entries. "What’s wrong with them?"

"Look at the quantities," Mikhail explained, tapping the first transaction. "They’re buying treated Stonehide leather, reinforced tendons from armored monsters, and a large amount of powdered Mana Crystal residue. Individually, those materials aren’t suspicious. But buying them together, in these quantities, doesn’t make much sense for ordinary security equipment maintenance."

Jet studied the figures. "What would someone normally use them for?"

"Stonehide leather is commonly used to reinforce protective equipment, especially armor intended for Awakeners who can’t afford expensive enchanted gear," Mikhail answered, becoming increasingly animated as he explained.

"The tendons are used in certain mechanical launchers and heavy-duty restraints. Mana Crystal powder has several applications, depending on its quality and how it’s processed."

He paused before pointing toward another entry. "But here’s the interesting part. They’re purchasing most of these materials from different suppliers, even though a single major merchant could’ve provided everything at a lower price."

Jet frowned. "Maybe they wanted to avoid attracting attention."

"That’s what I was thinking," Mikhail agreed, nodding.

"But there’s another possibility. Some merchants refuse to sell large quantities of certain materials without additional documentation. If someone wanted to avoid those questions, they could divide the purchases among smaller suppliers."

Jet leaned forward. "Can you tell whether these materials were actually delivered?"

Mikhail adjusted his glasses again. "Not from these records alone. But I recognize two of the merchants listed here. One operates near the eastern commercial district, and the other specializes in surplus equipment from dungeon expeditions."

He examined another page before suddenly stopping.

"Wait a minute," Mikhail muttered, his eyes narrowing behind his glasses.

Jet watched him carefully. "What is it?"

Mikhail pointed toward a transaction dated several weeks earlier.

"This merchant doesn’t sell Stonehide leather anymore," Mikhail explained. "He stopped dealing in monster hides after a warehouse fire destroyed most of his stock. I remember because I tried buying materials from him afterward, and he told me he’d switched to trading Mana Crystals."

Jet examined the date.

The supposed purchase had occurred after the warehouse fire.

"So either the records are wrong, or someone paid for materials the merchant wasn’t selling," Jet concluded.

"Exactly," Mikhail replied, nodding vigorously. "And look at the amount. That’s far more money than the materials would’ve been worth anyway."

Jet sat back, considering the implications.

The transaction could have been fabricated to conceal a payment.

And if that was the case, the other suspicious purchases might serve a similar purpose.

An hour later, Jet and Mikhail arrived at the secure meeting room where Marcus had been examining Meridian Security Solutions’ financial records.