New Gods of North America.

Chapter 609 BUG
In Wayne's own view, for the Detective Agency, the fact that Bishop Tyrell handed over the list before taking office was actually a double-edged sword.

To put it bluntly, this is a fatal "either/or" choice: either pay the price and officially become the personal henchman of the Bishop of Tyrell, or resist and be immediately relegated from a "pawn that could be discarded at any time" to the ranks of "potential enemies."
On the bright side, it could also be seen as the Bishop of Tyrell giving the detective agency an interview opportunity, which at least shows that the detective agency is not yet considered "particularly offensive" by the Bishop of Tyrell. At least they have a chance to "try their best" and strive to "maintain the status quo".

Wayne opted to exploit a bug. Since the list wasn't short, and the names on it all seemed to belong to other companies, the detective agency could screen them, submit assignments regularly, and maintain the Tyrell bishop's patience, while also preventing being discarded once the usefulness was over.
Based on this, the new task of investigating the dock area was like an extra bonus question. Although Bishop Tyrell felt that it was just a random arrangement and he himself did not seem to care much about it, the detective agency had a chance to take the opportunity to earn some points.

This is similar to Wayne recently starting to think about donating things to the college. His participation grade is already in jeopardy, and he's knowingly making a mistake and has no intention of changing it. So, in order to graduate on time, he has to make up for it from other sources.

The current situation in the dock area seems to have the potential to "add points".

After the "wise sage" issued the warning, not only was Lina and her intelligence team extremely busy, but even Inessa stopped helping Willie gather evidence to prosecute criminals for the past two days. Instead, she pulled Connor along to the dock area, clearly showing how much importance she attached to the matter.

Considering Merlin's reaction as well, the potential risks involved are probably quite significant.

If the detective agency can quickly ascertain the situation and unexpectedly present the "main course" to Bishop Tyrell, then the detective agency's existence will seem quite valuable—at that point, Bishop Tyrell probably won't care too much about Wayne's minor "borderline" actions.

So once everyone had arrived, Wayne relayed the findings of Brother Merlin's investigation and also explained his own strategy:

"The restaurants and workshops will continue to operate as usual as possible. Willie, you will continue to keep up the pace and cooperate with the prosecutors in prosecuting gang members, but we will call all the staff back when necessary."

"The remaining people should focus their investigation on the dock area. The intelligence team will continue to gather intelligence covertly, while the others and the sales team can use their identities as health inspectors to conduct open investigations. We must avoid any potential accidents."

Given that it was a large-scale meeting, Wayne's opening remarks sounded rather grand and dignified.
However, he didn't hide his true colors and soon revealed them:

"Regardless of how this matter is ultimately handled, since the Sailors' Gang has already taken action against the sales team several times, we should also take care of them. The Erland thugs who manage the dock where the incident occurred are likely also involved, so we should eliminate them as well if necessary."

"Furthermore, the cathedral and city hall will provide us with some assistance during the plague investigation. Before this matter is resolved, I hope everyone can compile a list of all the gangs in the dock area, including the number of people, their names, and preferably their addresses."

Inesa expressed slight doubt, "If we set aside the workshop and Willie's side, we'll have even fewer people left... The cathedral doesn't seem to have many people involved in the investigation either. Isn't it a bit too hasty to deal with a potential conspiracy that could lead to a plague outbreak?"

Wayne understood what Inessa meant; she probably wanted to eliminate potential problems as soon as possible, dealing with them directly upon discovery.

But some things still need to be shared, so he explained, "Right now, it seems this matter is quite well hidden. The quality of the investigation might be more important than the quantity; more people aren't necessarily better. We need to confirm the situation first, and the subsequent handling can be left to the Cathedral." In short, Wayne wanted a "positive performance" combined with "preserving strength," and incidentally, doing some personal favors.
Discovering the "bomb" in advance is a merit. If it can be dealt with, it will be dealt with as well. But if a serious situation arises, it is enough to notify the evacuation and call for reinforcements in time. There is no need to risk defusing it yourself. You have to consider the cost-effectiveness when it comes to scoring points. Don't be greedy for a little bit of profit.

Lina, that vixen, was clearly well aware of these kinds of schemes. "The cathedral only sent a few people, so we'd better control our numbers and act flexibly to avoid unexpected losses. As for the gang list... if we can investigate them, it shouldn't be a big problem."

With the general tone set, the next step was to continue exchanging information about the current findings. Due to differing focuses, the information gathered by the various groups within the detective agency varied.
Lina was concerned with "where exactly the danger lies," so she inquired about unusual situations along the way, covering a wide range but not delving too deeply. Inessa, on the other hand, seized upon anything that she felt was amiss and began to investigate it thoroughly.
“I went to the scene in the dock area today and checked the condition of the deceased’s bodies separately. They were all killed by blunt force trauma to the back of their bodies. There were no obvious signs of struggle or fighting. The cause of death is too consistent. I think it is unlikely to be a natural accident.”

Wayne and Lena had both been to the scene and agreed with Inessa's assessment.

However, Wayne was curious about another point: "You've examined all the victims' bodies, but you didn't find any influence from any extraordinary forces?"

Inessa shook her head. "Even considering the unusual rats you mentioned, there were no obvious bite marks on the corpses, so it doesn't seem like they died suddenly from the plague. Moreover, I've made some preliminary investigations into the last movements of two of the deceased. Their roommates said that the night before, they might have found a well-paying job, and they were acting mysteriously but seemed quite excited."

“If that’s the case, it must be a coincidence, right?” Lina wasn’t very interested in the dock accident. “I’m not saying it was ‘normal,’ but rather that it probably has nothing to do with the sage’s warning.”

Inessa disagreed with this view, saying, "Even if it's just an ordinary case with more than a dozen people dead, I think it's necessary to bring the murderer to justice."

“We can let Willie and the others investigate at their own pace.” Lina’s mind worked quickly. “Compared to the mad rat caught in the cathedral and the sage’s warning, the investigation of ordinary murder cases should definitely be given a lower priority.”

Inessa thought about it and agreed, "Indeed."

That's all the information we've gathered so far. The criteria for judging many things are largely agreed upon within the detective agency, so there's not much controversy.
The conversation ended quickly, and then Lina looked at Wayne with a puzzled expression: "Since there's nothing special going on, why did you call everyone over tonight?"

Before Wayne could answer, Doug, who had been watching the window, heard the hooting of an owl and immediately stood up. "When the master returned, he said that Brother Merlin from the cathedral would be coming to meet with some partners tonight. His carriage should be outside the wall by now, and I'll go out to greet him."

Lina looked puzzled. "What's going on?"

(End of this chapter)