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[Experience +1]
After everything with Taren earlier, and with what just happened now, the panel showed his experience had climbed to eighty-two. Chen Mo felt a quiet thrill—and immediately broke into a bright smile as he took the hand Lin Yuxia offered.
"It's fine, it's fine. But you all are…?"
"I heard some suicidal gang scum dragged an LGD officer into the slums—and that it was a male officer—so I came over to take a look," Lin Yuxia said.
She lightly squeezed his fingers with perfect restraint, then withdrew her hand. Her gaze swept the room, landing on the gang members who were now completely cowed under her presence.
"But I didn't expect it to be you. If Ch'en found out, she might…"
"No, no, no—please don't. Whatever you do, don't let her know."
Chen Mo waved both hands in alarm. If Ch'en Hui-chieh learned he'd risked his life in the slums to seduce a gang for intel, the consequences were beyond imagining.
Lin Yuxia couldn't help finding his jumpy, frightened look amusing. "Relax. My relationship with Ch'en isn't as close as you're imagining. You don't need to worry that I'll run and tattle."
"Now hurry back. This isn't a place a man should be coming to."
Chen Mo's tail swished as he thought for a moment. Watching the gang members being hauled away one after another by Lin Yuxia's people, he asked out of curiosity:
"You know about those Infected who escaped from Ursus recently, right? What are you planning to do with them?"
"…That isn't something I should be telling you. And I don't have the authority to 'deal with' them," Lin Yuxia said, turning her head toward the chaotic, ramshackle buildings outside the window. "If you hadn't happened to stumble into the slums today and learned these things, you'd still be going through your work and life on autopilot."
"Stop digging into it, Chen Mo. If someone doesn't want you to know, it's because they don't want you getting dragged into danger."
"Go back now. And don't come running here again."
Chen Mo listened without arguing, and he didn't make any grand declarations like 'If I see it, I have to handle it!'
Because he understood the cause of all this better than anyone.
Still, on the surface he nodded obediently. He and Lin Yuxia had only just met—there was no point in debating with her.
"No problem. But make sure you send these people to the LGD afterward."
Lin Yuxia looked surprised. She'd assumed a man bold enough to walk alone into a slum gang's den would be stubborn in at least some way—but he was unexpectedly compliant.
That was good. He shouldn't be pulled into this mess in the first place.
"Alright. I'll—"
Bang—!
Smoke and the rattle of gunfire abruptly cut her off.
Chen Mo craned his neck, peering past Lin Yuxia into the dark corridor behind her, where muzzle flashes flickered.
"What's going on? What happened?"
"Watch out!"
Lin Yuxia yanked Chen Mo by the wrist and pulled him into her arms, using her body to shield him from the shower of flying debris. Her hand snapped to the sword at her waist, eyes sharp and wary as she stared toward the doorway.
"Who's there?! Show yourself!"
The moment she shouted, the intruder stormed into the reception room with a blinding halo glowing overhead.
Exusiai—dust-covered, gun in hand, breathing hard—whipped her head around, scanning frantically for the one person she'd come for.
And then, as if the world itself obliged her, she saw Chen Mo's handsome face—the one that had been haunting her thoughts day and night.
"Chen Mo! You're oka—"
Her delighted voice dwindled into nothing.
Staring at Chen Mo inside that pink-haired rat's arms, Exusiai felt something clamp down around her throat, leaving her unable to say another word.
Her heart, which had been pounding hot and fast, felt like it had been doused with ice water. In that instant, the heat in her head cleared.
How could… Chen Mo…?
Before, she'd needed endless probing just to hold his hand—yet this rat woman who'd come out of nowhere dared to hold her Chen Mo in her arms so casually.
Her finger slid onto the trigger. The dust on Exusiai's face couldn't hide how cold her expression became.
So this is the target Chen Mo was "seducing"? Then maybe right now I should—
"This isn't Exusiai, is it? Don't tell me the person I accidentally messaged earlier was you?"
Chen Mo, unhurried and utterly unbothered, wriggled free of Lin Yuxia's embrace. Smiling as if nothing had happened, he stepped forward and gave Exusiai's shoulder a solid pat.
"What's with that 'I just got cheated on' face? Ohhh—no way, no way. You didn't misunderstand my relationship with this lady, did you, Exusiai?"
"Uh…"
Why weren't you playing by the rules?!
Wasn't it supposed to be that I catch you in the middle of an affair, and you panic and desperately try to stop me so your pink-haired rat mistress can escape?!
Fine—she knew that was just her own fantasy. And Exusiai also knew that, given their current relationship, she didn't really have the standing to say much to Chen Mo.
But just now, she really had felt terrible—like a rock was pressing down on her chest. For a split second, she'd even wanted to shoot that pink-haired rat in the head and drag Chen Mo away.
Now Chen Mo had derailed her so completely that she didn't even know what to say. She stood there stiffly, flustered, holding it in for ages before she finally managed:
"She didn't… touch you in weird places, did she?"
"Rest assured, Miss Sankta," Lin Yuxia said smoothly. She glanced at Chen Mo, who was still gleefully teasing Exusiai, then continued with a smile. "I have no interest in Chen Mo in that regard."
"But you really should keep a close eye on your man. Don't let him come running to places like this again."
"…I don't need you reminding me."
Exusiai had no goodwill to spare for the woman who'd just taken such a huge advantage of Chen Mo. She immediately reached out, intent on pulling him out of there.
"Let's go, Chen Mo. We're leaving. Now."
"Oh, sure. By the way—your jealous face just now? I recorded it. I'm sending it to Texas and Croissant later."
"Huh?! No—absolutely not! Anything but that! Please, Chen Mo—stop! I'm begging you!"
Watching the two of them bicker as they walked off together, Lin Yuxia sheathed her sword. The heaviness in her chest eased a little.
So Ch'en—the stoic, closed-off type—had an older brother this interesting. He didn't resemble her at all.
With a quiet chuckle, Lin Yuxia turned to the wrecked room and began directing her people to clean up the mess.
But after her subordinates had barely finished repairing the door and started searching the room for remaining bomb fragments, another uninvited guest kicked the door open again—violently.
Thud—!
"…Is this ever going to end?" Lin Yuxia sighed.
The newcomer moved with brisk, commanding force. The moment she entered, she snapped at Lin Yuxia without ceremony:
"Where's Chen Mo? Where did he go?"
The pink-haired rat rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed at the furious little dragon in front of her. She flicked her hand in a dismissive wave.
"He just left. And I suggest you don't chase him right now."
Ch'en Hui-chieh's brows knitted tightly.
"Don't tell me he's still going to investigate this troublesome matter. Tch. I told you—don't let Chen Mo—"
"What are you even thinking?" Lin Yuxia cut in, deadpan. "He just left with his girlfriend. I'm saying you shouldn't go be the third wheel."
The air dropped into a crushing silence.
Seeing the eerie calm on Ch'en's face before the storm—and the bulging vein on her forehead—Lin Yuxia's heart gave a small, uneasy lurch. With a strange expression, she said:
"So you're telling me… you're only finding out now?"
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My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
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