"No way…! That man really joined the Lungmen Guard Department?!"
"…Fire Drake, huh. A gangster through and through, and yet he's wearing that official dog-skin."
"Tch. What's an LGD mutt doing in here?!"
The room was practically boiling over.
A figure who could reshape an entire district's power balance—male or not—was known to every gang in Lungmen.
Nobody present was a small-time player. The instant they confirmed he was the Fire Drake, if not for fear of his strength, they would have rushed him on the spot just to test him.
A rising star from the underworld, only to turn around and pledge himself to the authorities—Lungmen's whole criminal scene had nearly become a laughingstock because of it.
They'd been figuring out how to deal with him. No one expected to run into him here.
The gang boss signaled to a subordinate at her side, then forced herself to stay calm and sat back down in the head seat.
"Fire Drake… we don't have anything you need here."
"True. But I've got something I want to ask."
Chen Mo spoke as he casually pulled out his phone and began recording the entire room. As their faces darkened further, he laid out his question.
"Tell me—why did the slums suddenly fill up with so many people?"
"…You don't seriously think you can insult us this openly just because you're the Fire Drake, do you?"
Chen Mo considered it for a moment, then nodded honestly.
"Yeah. Isn't that exactly how it works?"
The atmosphere turned instantly lethal.
Every vicious-looking woman in the room wanted to tear Chen Mo apart. Even the boss—who had always feared his power—couldn't stop the veins from bulging along her clenched fist.
That arrogant posture… it really made people want to explode.
"No comment," the boss snapped. "LGD—there's no obligation for us to tell you the truth."
She rose slowly. The long scar on her face twitched, clear proof she was barely holding back her fury.
"Now get out of my territory. Does an LGD Special Ops officer get to invade Lungmen citizens' privacy whenever he wants?! You—"
"Hold on, hold on!"
Chen Mo cut her off with a raised hand, then smugly patted the badge on his chest.
"Take a look. I'm the captain of Special Ops Division Seventh Squad. I have the authority to investigate anywhere in Lungmen. If you refuse to cooperate, that's obstruction."
"Now answer my question nicely. Otherwise, all of you can come drink tea in an LGD interrogation room."
The silver-haired, strikingly handsome man lifted his chin, making the women around him feel two things at once—seething rage and a filthy, covetous hunger.
The spacious reception hall fell silent again. The boss finally abandoned the idea of talking him into leaving.
"Fine," she said coldly. "Then don't blame us, Fire Drake."
Beep—beep…
The sudden ticking sound made Chen Mo blink. He scratched his cheek, staring curiously at the detonator in the boss's hand.
"You planted bombs in here? Planning to take me with you?"
"No choice," she replied evenly. "You're the Fire Drake. I know we don't have the ability to fight you head-on."
There wasn't a trace of fear on her face. Neither did any of the other higher-ups show panic.
They were betting he wouldn't dare make a reckless move.
Chen Mo looked at the gang leaders—so confident, so sure of themselves—and drew his exquisitely crafted sword, Ash, then drove it into the floor at his feet.
Not like he had no options.
"You really want to make it this ugly?" he asked.
"The moment you infiltrated right in front of us, there was nothing left to talk about, Fire Drake."
Seeing he had no intention of backing down, the boss tensed and set her thumb on the switch.
"Now get the hell out! If you don't want to end up seriously injured—and drag innocent people down with you—then hurry up and—"
"Go ahead," Chen Mo said. "Press it."
"…What?"
Under the boss's stunned gaze, Chen Mo unleashed his Arts, feeding it through Ash and into the floors and walls of the entire building.
Heat—horrifying, impossible heat—spread outward.
Where the Originium bombs had been placed, the material began to warp, melt, cave in. Even metal ran like water, dripping in molten streams.
The terrifying temperature ignited old paint and coatings. A foul, choking stench filled everyone's lungs.
There was no explosion.
No blast wave.
No sky-filling fire.
The perfectly arranged, omnidirectional detonation that should have shredded Chen Mo into pieces… fizzled out like a badly timed, muffled fart trapped in someone's trousers.
The abrupt outcome left everyone staring, dumbstruck.
"H-How is that possible…"
"The bombs… the bombs melted…"
"I thought his Arts were just flames!"
Panic spread. Their earlier confidence evaporated in an instant.
The boss hammered the detonator again and again, but all she got back was the chaotic, frightened movement of her subordinates.
Chen Mo lifted Ash and walked forward at an unhurried pace. Hearing their babbling, he curled his lip in disdain.
"Uneducated. Who told you my Arts are 'only flames'?"
Thank Talulah—somewhere far away. That trick she used against W really was effective.
As Chen Mo advanced, silently offering gratitude to the blood relative he had never met, he swung his blade and cleaved through the table blocking his path.
No one on either side—despite holding weapons—dared to stop him.
The black edge of Ash came to rest against the boss's throat.
"Now," Chen Mo said, "you ready to tell me what you know?"
"…The extra people in the slums are from Ursus."
With the situation settled—and with that nightmare blade at her neck—the boss no longer had any desire to resist. She lifted her chin, terrified he'd cut her throat, and spilled everything she knew in a rush.
"There are refugees who fled here, persecuted Infected… and even some… people with bad intentions mixed in."
She stole a glance at Chen Mo's thoughtful expression. When he didn't immediately take her head off, she hurried on.
"Over there, it's chaos. Even now, more refugees and Infected keep pouring toward Lungmen."
That sounded awfully familiar. Don't tell him Talulah had already started.
It was highly likely.
But for now, it still wasn't something that directly involved him. Chen Mo ordered everyone present to squat down with their hands on their heads, sent his location to Bai Li, then muttered while rubbing his chin:
"I really don't want to fight her…"
Bang!
The locked door exploded inward.
Chen Mo turned, curious—and saw dozens of figures flooding into the room, pinning the Black Hand members to the ground and securing them with practiced efficiency.
"Hey—who the hell are you people? Snatching prisoners right in front of the LGD?!"
Chen Mo lifted Ash slightly, about to give them a warning. This was his case—no way was he letting some random group steal his achievement.
"You're Ch'en's older brother?"
A crisp voice—half amazement, half admiration—interrupted him.
From the pitch-black hallway, a pink-haired rat woman walked up to Chen Mo. She shook her head lightly, as if shaking off a momentary daze, then extended a hand with a smile.
"Ever since I heard about you, I've wanted to meet you. Looks like I finally got my wish."
"Nice to meet you, Chen Mo. I hope my uninvited arrival didn't ruin your mood."
-------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
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