As the temperature rises gradually, Paris has arrived in the rainy late spring.

For the past few days, Paris has been shrouded in a thick fog with smells, drizzling everywhere, and the streets everywhere have been emptied, and the hustle and bustle of the city has suddenly become quiet.

And around the building of the Ministry of the Interior in Bowo Square, there is even more dead silence.

This low-key baroque building, painted yellow-and-white on the outside, looks bright and conspicuous, but because of its prestige, it exudes an air that no one can approach.

In the drizzle, a tall man in a black coat and a wide-brimmed hat crossed the plaza and came to the gate outside the building, which opened and they entered the building after the guards checked their documents.

Perhaps because of the humidity in the air, the interior building has always had this eerie atmosphere, which makes people quite uncomfortable, but unlike what others think, there are no iron windows and shackles, and there is no screaming, and like the busy civil service offices of other departments, there are employees walking around with papers, and the pace is fast, and the environment is very noisy.

No one paid attention to the men, and he walked into the depths of the building, all the way to an office on the second floor.

After the clerk opened the door, he walked in, then stood straight in front of his desk, then took off his hat and saluted the person opposite.

He was probably close to thirty years old, tall and stocky, and looked energetic, but his expression was stiff and cold, which gave his square face a little more serious, which was very much in line with the atmosphere here.

"Your Excellency, I'm here."

"My friend, you came on time."

The young man sitting behind the desk made a gesture for him to sit down.

This young man was none other than Mr. Lucien de Brey, secretary and confidant of the Secretary of the Interior and lover of Baroness Tangral.

The present Minister of the Interior is the Emperor's uncle, Prince Jérôme, who has always been fond of spending time and drinking too much to pay attention to practical matters, leaving matters big and small to his henchmen.

Therefore, although he did not hold any specific position in the Ministry, and was only one of the personal secretaries of His Excellency the Chancellor, Monsieur Lucien-debré had a transcendent position in the Ministry of the Interior, as if he were a representative of the Minister himself, and no one dared to offend.

"Your Excellency, you called me here today, what task do you have to explain?" The person who came sat down respectfully according to Debre's instructions, his waist straight, but his expression was indifferent, and he could not hear any enthusiasm, only superficial respect.

"I don't have any special task to give......" Lucien de Bray was already accustomed to the way the young man on the other side behaved, so he did not find him rude, "Only, Monsieur Conze, I have received a copy of your report...... The above seems to have questioned my decision. ”

"I don't have any doubts about you, Your Excellency." Kong Ze hurriedly defended himself, "I just think that there is still something worth digging up on that suspect, I implore you not to let him go, give me some more time, let me check him out." ”

"Everyone has a lot to dig into, and it's just a matter of whether to spend that time in the early stage, and my judgment is that it's not necessary." Lucien Debrey impatiently rebuffed Conze's request, "Now we have more important things to do, understand?" ”

Kong Ze froze slightly, he wanted to say something more, but he was still overwhelmed by the other party's momentum.

"Okay, got it." Finally, he took the order with his head held high.

The things these two people are talking about are actually related to Charles-

Not long ago, Charlotte visited Charles and asked him to help her by letting go of a "friend" who had been caught by accident.

Charles reluctantly agreed to Charlotte's request, and then used his relationship with Lucien de Bray to let him go.

In order to curry favor with the Tréville family, Charles' request was immediately complied with by Lucien Debrey, and when he returned to his department, he immediately wrote a note to the people concerned, asking them to release the man immediately.

However, what should have been going well has some twists and turns when it comes to the bottom.

As a high-ranking secret policeman, Kong Ze hoped not to let this person go first, because although this person seemed to have no problems and only made small mistakes, he instinctively felt that this person should have many problems that were worth investigating carefully.

As an experienced secret policeman, his opinion was originally respected by the above, but this time it was different, Lucien Debray, who was eager to curry favor with the Treville family, was no longer patient, and directly ordered Kong Ze not to get in the way, and Kong Ze had no choice but to accept the order.

"Good." Seeing that Kong Ze had succumbed, Lucien Debray was also relieved, he put the report aside casually, and then looked at the young man opposite with a smile, "Claude, I think you should know that although it seems that there are hundreds of thousands of people, the manpower in our department is actually very insufficient, especially the kind of shrewd and capable talents, which are too lacking, and you ...... I think you're one of them. ”

"Thank you for the compliment." Kong Ze didn't know why the other party suddenly praised him like this, so he could only nod cautiously and wait for the other party to explain his intentions.

"As I said earlier, there is an important arrangement for you, and now you should listen carefully." Sure enough, Lucien Debrey immediately entered a new topic, and then picked up another document from his desk and handed it to Kong Ze.

"Have you ever heard of the Count of Monte Cristo?" As Kong Ze reached for the document, Debray suddenly asked.

"I've heard a little, but it seems to have become quite famous in Paris lately." Kong Ze was slightly stunned, and then immediately replied, "I heard that he has a lot of background." ”

"Yes, he does have a lot of talent." Debray nodded, "The document you have now is the report written by our investigators when he first set foot on French soil, you can read it now, it will help you in your next work." ”

"In other words, you want me to continue to spy on him, right?" Kong Ze opened the file, then skimmed through it, and suddenly a question came to his mind......

"Why is it so thin?"

This is indeed strange, it stands to reason that the Count has been in France for a long time, and if the department has been under constant surveillance, it is impossible to write a report that is only a small length.

And he looked through the contents, and found that there was basically no valuable information in it, just a record of the Earl's basic physical characteristics, the characteristics of the people around him, and some abnormalities in his behavior, which was of little help.

"That's a good question." Lucien Debrey smiled slightly, pleased with the secret policeman's sharp mind, "Because at that time we were under some pressure from the outside world, so the investigation had to be temporarily suspended. ”

As he spoke, he raised his index finger and pointed to the ceiling, hinting at where this pressure was coming from, and Kong Ze of course immediately understood.

"So now, why are we going to start the investigation again?" He asked immediately.

"We've also received a push from there." Lucien Debray gestured to the ceiling again.

"In other words, there are people over there who want us not to disturb the Earl, and there are people who want us to continue to turn the Earl's bottom out, right?" Kong Ze fell into a deep groan, "Sir, there is a risk in this. ”

"Yes, there are risks." Lucien Debray nodded, "So we are not going to urge you to go in the name of the Ministry, but we hope that you will assist in the investigation in an independent capacity, so that we will not be offended by either side." ”

Kong Ze finally understood, it turned out that this gentleman hoped that he could conduct a secret investigation of the Count of Monte Cristo in the name of the non-department - although doing so was tantamount to covering his ears and stealing the bell, but as long as there was a name, when something really happened, the ministry would be able to vaguely fool the pressure from the court.

But in this case, the pressure falls on him, and he doesn't want to.

"Sir, I am happy to obey all the tasks assigned by the department, but ......" in his anxiety, he had to harden his head to confront the other party, "but I need specific orders and instructions, and I need the resources of the department, if not these, I am afraid ...... I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to perform such a difficult task. ”

"It's all going to happen, don't be nervous, dear friend." As if he had expected Conzé to say this, Lucien Debrey smiled, "Don't worry, you are definitely not alone, on the contrary, you have a client, although you don't have to report to us, but you have to report to them, act according to their instructions, and report to them every move of the Count of Monte Cristo." ”

"Who are they?" Kong Ze was overjoyed.

"Marshal Tréville and his grandson." Lucien Debrey replied immediately. "I guess that's enough for you, right?"

Enough is enough.

Kong Ze is most afraid that something will really happen, and in the end he will be pulled out to take responsibility, but if Marshal Trevel comes out to take the matter, then there is nothing to be afraid of, no matter what, he can also be said to follow the instructions of this old marshal, and they are enough to take responsibility.

"Okay, I see."

"No, you don't quite understand it yet." Lucien Debray waved his hand slightly, still with that gentle smile on his face, "It's not just Marshal Tréville who is paying attention to this count, there are many people, His Royal Highness the Prince has also asked me before, what is going on with this rich man, so if you can really do a good job, I think many people's curiosity will be satisfied......"

Lucien Debray certainly knew that as an old and sophisticated head of the secret police, Kong Ze's shrewdness and sense of smell would not be inferior to that of others, and he would certainly know how to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages, rather than being a stunned young man. Therefore, in order to avoid the pressure, he may choose to be passive and slack off, deliberately not cooperating with the instructions of the Tréville family, and only thinking about mixing up the time.

So, in order to avoid this situation, he chose to be surrounded by clouds and mountains and fog, and said things very vaguely, giving Kong Ze the impression that "the prince is also paying attention to this matter".

He knew that in this way, Kong Ze would have the greatest enthusiasm to cooperate with the Tréville family.

After all, this Monsieur Kong Ze is an ambitious professional, and he is bent on climbing the ladder, and he will definitely not want to waste the opportunity to be favored by His Royal Highness - and, to be honest, Prince Jérôme does have some interest in the Count of Monte Cristo, and if Kong Ze can really do this, it is only natural that he will be rewarded by His Royal Highness.

"Yes!" Hearing the name of His Royal Highness Prince Jérôme, the Minister of the Interior, Kong Ze quickly straightened his waist and sat more upright. "I'm going to do my best to do this and never let everyone down."

"That's good." Lucien Debray lowered his gaze, then waved his hand, signaling that he could leave, "Prepare as soon as possible, we need you to start as soon as possible, you can make a list of people who need to be transferred, remember, you must be capable and very tight-mouthed, understand?" ”

"Understood!" Conze replied loudly, then stood up and saluted Lucien de Brey.

Then, he put his hat back on and left the office.

The very next day, the unsmiling secret policeman, dressed in civilian clothes, came to the house of Marshal Tréville and stood in front of Charles.

…………………………………

Charles scrutinized the young man standing in front of him.

I have to say that this person does fit the image of the secret police in Charles's mind - tall and athletic, shrewd and capable, cold and ruthless.

He himself seems to be the embodiment of the extraordinarily violent apparatus of the Empire.

Under the accompaniment of the continuous rain outside the window, this person looked so grim that people couldn't help but feel a chill in their hearts.

"You are the same Monsieur Claude Koonzer whom Monsieur Lucien de Bray recommended to me, aren't you?" He asked very kindly.

"Yes, Mr. Treville." Kong Ze bowed slightly to the young man, not slacking off on the other party at all because of his age. "Monsieur de Bray commands me to carry out your instructions with the utmost zeal, and with all my ability."

"Mr. Debray has told me that you are one of the best and most ruthless senior police officers in the Ministry of the Interior, and I trust his judgment, so I don't interfere too much with you, I just want you to do what we need you to do, and the specific means and steps are up to you, and I don't want to interfere with the work of the experts." Charles smiled slightly, then extended his hand to Kong Ze. "Hopefully this time we can have a good time together."

"Yes, sir." Kong Ze also immediately stretched out his hand and shook Charles's hand.

As Charles had expected, Kong Ze's hands were cold and hard, like the iron fist of the law.

He would never forgive anyone who offended him—and that was exactly what the Charr needed.

"Your target for surveillance, you've probably heard him say, yes, it's the Count of Monte Cristo." After letting go of his hand, Charles looked at Kong Ze calmly, "But I want to warn you beforehand, this count is definitely not a character to be messed with, there is definite evidence that he is the leader of a large foreign criminal organization, and there may be many outlaws working for him - and even he himself is absolutely extraordinary, although he has not actually shown it, but from my observation, he is definitely a superb swordsman." ”

"Is it such a tricky character...... Kong Ze muttered to himself, and he had an intuitive understanding of the difficulty of the task.

However, the strength of his opponent did not discourage the secret police, on the contrary, he had a competitive spirit, a determination to absolutely crush the other party—it was with this ruthless determination that he had destroyed too many sinners over the years, and turned them into stepping stones for his own promotion.

He was convinced that this time would be the same, and there would be no difference.

"I hope to find out as soon as possible the origin of this Count of Monte Cristo, his past, his motives for coming to France and, more importantly, what he intends to do." Charles continued to give orders, "...... Also, he has a mistress by his side, named Heidi, and I hope you can find out where she came from and keep a close eye on all the movements of the two of them. ”

"Mistress, why?" Kong Ze was a little strange.

"He who can approach darkness must be dark himself." Charles smiled calmly, "Maybe we can find out something about this exotic beauty." ”

"I'll do everything you tell me to do, but it's going to take some time." Kong Ze didn't ask any more, but accepted Charles's order, "Both of these people are from foreign countries, and neither of them has been paid attention to by the Empire's secret police before...... So I hope you can be a little more patient, we can only come a little bit. ”

"Patience, I have, I will wait for you." Charles nodded, "However, it won't be too long, and this count doesn't seem to be in France for long, and he told me that he might be gone in about half a year, so I hope I've figured out who he really is before he leaves, okay?" ”

"Half a year is definitely enough, sir." With an unquestionable certainty, Kong Ze straightened his waist, "Unless he came up from the moon, I will let you know everything you want to know, no matter how mysterious this person is, he will definitely leave traces in this world, absolutely!" ”

"I just like your confidence, Mr. Kong Ze." Charles laughed, "If you can do this, I assure you that my grandfather will definitely pay you enough." ”

"Yes!" Kong Ze replied loudly.