Chapter 346

After hearing Emma’s question, Leon couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh.

“If it were me in your place, then one of us definitely wouldn’t have made it this far. This level of hatred leaves no room for compromise.”

“Also, I finally understand why even the all-powerful Bureau Director can’t do much about your situation.”

“Senior Emma.”

Looking at the semi-abandoned garden where three kids were frantically running around after being chased by a mother bird while trying to grab her eggs, Leon asked softly, “You haven’t taken revenge all these years because there are relevant rules within the Bureau, right?”

“Hmm…”

Emma, also looking at the children, pressed her lips lightly and said, “Unlike you who joined the Cleaning Bureau voluntarily, we who joined through the ‘Pardon Clause’ have to accept special linguistic constraints, promising not to use the anomalous items obtained to retaliate against our former ‘enemies.'”

“If it weren’t for the special circumstances of the Virgo Subdivision and Olivia’s assurance, cleaners like me with high revenge potential would even be forcibly transferred away from our original jurisdiction, forbidden to return to our home country forever.”

“This is one of the conditions under which various kingdoms agree to cooperate with the Cleaning Bureau, providing full financial and intelligence support, and even agreeing to temporary troop mobilization rights. Even becoming a Level 1 Cleaner requires compliance.”

“Ah…I see.”

After listening to Emma’s response, Leon’s eyebrows unconsciously furrowed slightly.

…

The Cleaning Bureau has immense power, yet the reason for establishing such seemingly oppressive rules isn’t hard to guess.

Considering that most anomalous items are born out of extreme emotions and suffering, and that cleaners are constantly exposed to them, their mental states aren’t very stable. Once they acquire enough strength, the likelihood of retaliation is almost 100%.

Taking Senior Emma as an example, without this rule, neither the royal family nor the Gold Nightingale Marquis would allow her to grow stronger within the Cleaning Bureau and then come back to destroy them. They would have killed her immediately upon discovering her possession of an anomalous item.

Immortality is a rare special anomalous trait; most cleaners’ bodies are just slightly stronger than ordinary people. Without special protective anomalous traits, they’d still die instantly if hit in a vital spot.

Without this seemingly absurd rule, many promising anomalous items and cleaners would likely be eliminated before they could grow, drastically reducing the available manpower for the Cleaning Bureau.

It’s even possible that in the past, when the rules weren’t fully established, there were already numerous cases of preemptive “extermination,” leading to severe consequences, prompting the Cleaning Bureau to establish these regulations to ensure its continued normal operation.

On the other hand, this rule that binds but also protects many cleaners probably also protects quite a few scumbags.

Recalling the records of “Baohua’s Sin” and the record of little Elie’s “accidental drowning,” Leon’s eyes involuntarily narrowed slightly, his heart feeling as if something was burning faintly.

“Senior Emma.”

After touching the cufflink containing his sniper rifle, Leon couldn’t resist asking:

“Even though you have a long-range anomalous item, you’re practicing sniping guns—could it be that you’re thinking of…”

“Hmm, exactly what you’re thinking.”

Looking at her daughter, whose dress was covered in dirt, body smeared with grass stains, having transformed from a delicate porcelain doll into a dirty little mud monkey but laughing happily, Emma, standing at the entrance of the garden, admitted lovingly:

“Because of the linguistic constraint, I cannot use anomalous items against that person, so I’ve been specially practicing gun usage. Previously, I wanted to ask for your help, hoping to use the soul vision to lock onto that person’s position from afar and end everything thoroughly. But Olivia temporarily persuaded me to stop.”

“Sorry, Leon, I shouldn’t have dragged you into this.”

“If I had really done it back then, even if you knew nothing, you would have likely faced investigation. Olivia was right; I was blinded by hatred at that time.”

“It’s fine, none of that happened anyway…”

Shaking his head slightly, Leon looked at the three children in the garden, his expression somewhat complicated as he whispered: “Senior Emma, what would the cost be if you completed your revenge?”

“Probably all my anomalous items would be stripped away, and I’d be forcibly sent to the Deathscape.”

Emma stated calmly:

“According to relevant regulations, if this clause is violated, cleaners at the Sub-Bureau Director level can carry out three consecutive highly dangerous cleaning missions. For cleaners below the Sub-Bureau Director level, execution is the only option.”

Sub-Bureau Director? Hearing this, Leon’s expression shifted slightly, prompting him to ask:

“Have you ever thought about…”

“Revenge after becoming a Sub-Bureau Director to avoid immediate execution, right?”

Emma stated calmly:

“I have indeed considered this path, or rather, except for the period when I realized Elie wasn’t my real daughter but merely the reflection of my wish, I’ve always planned this way.”

“Although Elie isn’t truly alive, she does have the soul of my daughter. I don’t want to lose her again and am willing to endure for her sake. But…”

She glanced back toward the direction of the manor’s main building and couldn’t help but give a self-deprecating smile.

“I guess I’m not as good at enduring as I thought.”

…

That…is the crest of the Gold Nightingale family?! Following Emma’s gaze, Leon saw the emerald green crest of the Gold Nightingale on the second floor’s wall, along with workers removing walls decorated with Baohua patterns, causing him to be greatly shocked.

In theory, the Gold Nightingale family and the Baohua family have had extremely close relations, with frequent marriages over the last two hundred years. The Gold Nightingale Marquis herself gained control over the northern trade routes through inter-family marriages.

Therefore, under the current circumstances where Baohua-friendly nobles have either been killed or exiled, from a bloodline perspective, he actually has the right to inherit the Baohua Manor, with an inheritance order comparable to Senior Emma.

But if the Gold Nightingale family is indeed the primary culprit behind the destruction of the Baohua family, how do they have the audacity to move in?

And…aren’t you inviting death?

When Leon noticed Emma’s cold hands and her usually gentle eyes filled with stern killing intent, he couldn’t help but close his eyes briefly, overwhelmed by the Golden Nightingale family’s audacious actions.

If the Gold Nightingale family hadn’t shown up, with Little Elie’s existence, Senior Emma might have been able to continue enduring until the day she became a Sub-Bureau Director.

If Senior Emma wasn’t bound by linguistic constraints and unable to use anomalous items, even the cockroaches in your cabinets would join the punishment!

“I can drive them away!”

Golden Nightingale family occupying the manor = Senior Emma unable to resist taking revenge = violating the Cleaning Bureau’s rules = Senior Emma facing execution!

As soon as this equation formed in his mind, Leon immediately suggested:

“Senior Emma, endure a little longer. I’ll go find the K… ”

“No need.”

Before Leon could finish, Emma rejected his proposal, stating calmly: “Leon, for Elie’s sake, I’ve endured for six whole years. But now, I really don’t want to endure any longer.”

“But you’re already a Level 1 Cleaner. If any Sub-Bureau Director position becomes vacant…”

“The General Bureau is closed now. Without an appointment from a director, even if there’s a vacancy, I can’t fill it, and even if there is one, it may not necessarily be my turn.”

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Gazing affectionately at her daughter holding Melanie’s hand and leading her to look at the flowers she planted, Emma whispered gently: “Besides, to me, this manor really has no value. Those once beautiful memories, when considering the final outcome, all become painful recollections.”

“The reason I’m still here is because Elie can’t leave. She can only exist in this manor filled with my memories. Otherwise, I would have moved out long ago.”

Hearing this, Leon couldn’t help but take a deep breath, emphasizing slightly irritably: “I said it—I can drive them away! You can still live here with Elie later. Just wait until headquarters reopens in half a year…”

“Leon, the key isn’t this.”

Gripping Leon’s subconsciously clenched hand, Emma spoke warmly: “After discovering that the Gold Nightingale family intended to move in, I did consider driving them away and pretending nothing happened, continuing to wait as before. But after thinking about it for a day, I’ve already understood.”

“There are many Level 1 Cleaners with similar strength and more experience than me. Even if there’s a vacancy, it’s highly unlikely that it will be my turn. So, although it seems like just one step away, the true opportunity to take action might take another twenty or thirty years, or even longer.”

“Leon, I can’t wait anymore.”

Gazing at the golden nightingale crest on the main building’s wall, as if making a certain decision, Emma’s shimmering eyes settled firmly.

“Do you remember that single crow that would approach me? It belonged to my younger sister. Her age was a bit older than the current Elie, but due to congenital issues, she was small in stature, almost the same age as the current Elie.”

Glancing back at the three children playing in the semi-abandoned garden, recalling the happy little girl who once ran towards her on the stone path in the garden, Emma spoke softly: “My mother was unwell, bedridden since I was young, and my father was very rigid and difficult to approach. So, she liked sticking to me from a young age.”

“Before that incident, I often spent time with her in this garden. The small greenhouse in front of the garden that was just demolished was built for her. It was her favorite place.”

“She was much livelier than the usual Elie, very similar to today’s Elie. She also liked birds and flowers and enjoyed drawing colorful but ugly pictures with crayons. Perhaps Elie liking these things stems from my longing for her…”

At this point, Emma paused briefly before continuing:

“But she’s dead. Strangled before me, her corpse lying beside my mother. And the execution day was less than two weeks away from her tenth birthday.”

“…”

“She was just a nine-year-old child, committing no crime, but her life ended on that day, never to have a future.”

“Meanwhile, the ones who truly committed crimes can live guilt-free, brazenly moving into her home, demolishing her house with impunity, completely erasing all traces of her existence.”

“Even the person who truly deserves death can live for another twenty or thirty years, growing old and forgetting what they once did, only to face judgment when they’re too frail to remember.”

Retrieving her gaze from the emerald green golden nightingale crest on the wall, Emma turned to Leon beside her, speaking calmly and resolutely: “This isn’t fair!”

“…”

Amidst Leon’s speechless silence, Emma withdrew her gaze, stating calmly:

“Perhaps from the start, I vaguely knew that the current Elie isn’t the real Elie, but due to clinging to this final warmth, I used endurance as an excuse to deceive myself for six years, being cowardly for six years.”

“And now, I’m going to do what I should have done six years ago.”

“As a daughter, I will kill him for my parents! As a mother, I will kill him for drowned Elie! As the last of the Baohua, I will kill him for those clan members whose deaths could have been avoided!”

“…”

…

How can I dissuade her? Looking at Emma beside him, who had calmed down after no longer harboring resentment, Leon felt a chill creep into his heart instead.

If Senior Emma was just provoked by the Gold Nightingale family’s audacious actions and acted impulsively out of anger, then he could try to persuade her to endure a little longer for Elie’s sake.

But judging from Senior Emma’s demeanor, after calming down following her initial anger and contemplating for a day, she has truly decided what she must do, making it impossible to stop her.

“What about Elie?”

With a last hope, Leon tried to remind her: “You said Elie will grow up. Shouldn’t you wait a little longer, at least until she grows a bit more, maybe…”

“Leon, you said you would respect my wishes.”

“…”

“In fact, I know you’re right. Under better circumstances, I might not need to do this, but I’ve waited for six long years and really don’t want to keep waiting.”

Smiling warmly at Leon, Emma gently stroked his furrowed brow, softly requesting:

“Let’s end this topic here. Let’s temporarily forget those troubling things and help Elie have a birthday without regrets, okay?”

(End of Chapter)