Luke was the first to hit the ground, as a wave of heat swept by, leaving his ears buzzing from the explosion.

Xiao Hei patted Luke's shoulder, "Captain, are you hurt?"

Luke pointed at his ears, then checked Xiao Hei's condition. Seeing no sign of injury, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Luke gestured to communicate with Xiao Hei, then looked over at Nami Inoue, who was too scared to move, lying on the ground without any signs of injury.

As for Lucy, she wriggled her plump body under the table.

The large office area was in chaos, with many people screaming and fleeing in all directions.

Luke couldn't do much now; the explosion had everyone's ears buzzing, and with the surrounding chaos, screams and shouts rising and falling, no one might hear him even if he shouted.

In such a critical situation, even if they heard, they might not listen to him.

So Luke stayed put, not moving—first, he wasn't sure if there were more bombs, and moving around might be more dangerous; second, he was trying to prevent anyone from tampering with the explosion site.

After a while, it quieted down around them, and with no more explosions, Luke stood up to help Xiao Hei disperse the crowd and maintain order.

Luke walked to the window of the manager's office and peeked inside. The office was a wreck; a man lay by the desk, covered in blood, his body severely injured—a terrifying scene.

Luke opened the office door, his gaze sweeping over the items inside, finding no suspicious dangerous objects.

Luke approached the injured man to check his condition–he had lost all signs of life.

Judging by the scene, the explosion marks were most evident around the desk, and the victim's wounds concentrated mainly on the front side of the body.

Luke speculated that the explosive device had been placed on the desk when the explosion occurred.

Due to the explosion, the office was severely damaged and chaotic; even if there were clues, they would be hard to find.

Luke took several photos of the scene, then temporarily exited the manager's office.

Xiao Hei was still maintaining order.

Luke took out his phone, dialed Reid's number, and briefed him on the situation.

Then, Luke called Matthew to ask him to investigate whether any retired soldiers were among the employees of the bankrupt slaughterhouse.

Nami Inoue came over and asked, "Captain Li, how's Javier Hagen, the manager?"

Luke shook his head, "He was too close to the bomb and has lost all signs of life."

We need someone brave, who knows Javier Hagen well, to help identify the deceased."

Nami Inoue said, "Sorry, I haven't had much contact with Manager Javier Hagen." Her gaze shifted to the chubby black woman, Lucy.

Lucy, with a trembling voice, said, "If you need, I can find his photo."

Luke shook his head, "Javier Hagen's facial injuries are severe; photo comparison alone can't confirm identity. We need someone familiar with him."

Of course, the most accurate would be DNA identification, but as the frontline officer in charge, Luke can't just wait for the forensic report; he needs to make his own judgment to steer the investigation direction before it arrives.

Lucy took a deep breath, "Okay, I'm willing to help you identify."

"You're brave," Luke prepped her mentally in advance, "The scene in the office might be a bit gruesome, I hope you're mentally prepared."

Lucy glanced toward the office, a bit hesitant, "Actually, there's no need to identify. I just delivered a package to Manager Javier Hagen; I'm sure it was him in there alone."

Luke raised an eyebrow, "You just delivered him a package."

"Yes."

"What package?"

"It was his courier, wrapped in a black bag. I placed it on the desk, and he asked me to leave."

"How long after you delivered the package did the explosion happen?"

"About ten minutes," Lucy showed a wary expression, "Oh God, you're not suspecting me of planting the bomb, are you?"

I swear, I absolutely didn't."

Luke reassured her, "Lucy, don't get worked up; I'm just conducting routine inquiries. I'm not saying that package is necessarily the bomb; just tell me the source of that package, OK?"

Lucy sank into a chair, her right hand covering her forehead, "I went to the mailroom to pick up documents; the mailroom staff mentioned two parcels for the news department, so I helped bring them back."

One of the parcels was addressed to Manager Javier Hagen, and I delivered it to his office. That's all there is to it.

Even if I hadn't delivered it, someone else would've.

Even if that package was indeed a bomb, it has nothing to do with me."

Luke kept his eyes on Lucy's expression, seeing no obvious sign of lying, but caught another important point, "You brought back two packages."

"Yes, but the other package wasn't addressed to Manager Javier Hagen."

"Was the sender the same person?"

"I didn't pay attention."

"Think carefully, were there any similarities between the two packages?"

"Yes, both were wrapped in black plastic."

Luke realized there might be a new problem; two parcels could very well mean two bombs, and he asked,

"Where's the other package?"

"The address was for the news department, but I don't know the recipient. I assumed it was for a new intern reporter and left it at the front desk."

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