Ch'en recalled the first time she saw the subordinate sent by Wei Yenwu. That man carried an indescribable, peculiar aura that felt extremely dangerous. He was the type of person you could tell wasn't a "good guy" just by glancing at him. If Ch'en had run into him while on patrol, her first instinct would have been to run back and check his criminal record immediately.
"So that's why you're out here?"
Hearing Ch'en's explanation, Jeanne finally understood how she had managed to carve out time today. It seemed Ch'en was worried she wouldn't be able to restrain herself from picking a fight with the man.
"He cleared the room. Said he couldn't conduct a proper interrogation with me standing there. So, consider it a short vacation for the both of us."
Even though Ch'en phrased it that way, if any of the officers nearby had heard her, they would have felt an urge to complain but wouldn't have dared to speak up. It was true—the look of pure loathing on Ch'en's face during the interrogation was so obvious that even the surrounding officers instinctively moved away from her position.
The interrogator might not be a saint, but having Ch'en standing behind him radiating enough killing intent to boil water... it wasn't exactly easy on his psychological state, either.
Despite this, everyone's attitude toward the interrogation mirrored Ch'en's. In a situation like this, such measures were necessary—but "necessary" didn't mean they liked it.
Ch'en had even heard rumors that a Columbian company called Rhine Lab was quite interested in the research of that "Doctor" and was willing to pay a heavy ransom to get him back.
"In other words, there's a chance they might be secretly released. I'm a bit sorry for you; after all the trouble you went through to catch them, they might escape justice so easily."
As she spoke of these things, an embarrassed expression crossed Ch'en's face. She felt quite bad telling Jeanne this. She didn't want to let those two go either, especially characters who held such deep, dark secrets.
But looking at the current situation, even though the other side wasn't being overly aggressive yet, their intention to reclaim their people was crystal clear. If it weren't for Wei Yenwu standing his ground, and the fact that the LGD had the moral high ground in this incident, those scoundrels would have been bought back with "investments" long ago.
Especially the Columbian researcher; his crimes could be downplayed if one tried hard enough. They could claim he was just a poor judge of character, deceived by that Ursine. As for the human experimentation... well, his subjects were Infected. In this world, the punishment for experimenting on Infected was unfortunately not that severe.
"I didn't expect them to actually try that! Though I foresaw it, I don't know whether to call it 'unexpected' or 'entirely expected' now that it's happening."
Upon hearing this, Jeanne didn't look angry. Instead, her face showed a mix of speechlessness and helplessness. She had indeed anticipated that the backers of those two would do whatever it took to bail them out and ensure they never leaked any secrets.
This was evident from the expressions on their faces when they were arrested. The look on the Ursine's face after being shoved into the police car said it all. He looked regretful and annoyed, but there wasn't a hint of the terror one usually sees in someone who has been caught red-handed. He clearly had a backup plan.
Even if Ch'en told her right now that Ivanov had a private squad ready to break him out at any moment, Jeanne wouldn't be surprised. Characters like him usually value their own lives above all else. Keeping a "useless" team on the payroll just for an emergency extraction was well within the realm of possibility.
"If you're angry, you can just yell. It's just us here. But whatever you do, don't keep it bottled up. You just woke up; don't let the anger get to you," Ch'en said worriedly, noticing Jeanne's slightly mocking smile.
She had prepared herself for Jeanne to point at her nose and curse her out after hearing this news. Putting herself in Jeanne's shoes, if a criminal she had risked her life to catch was just handed back by people she trusted instead of being punished, Ch'en wouldn't be able to hold back either.
She really couldn't tell what Jeanne was thinking. I'd rather you curse at me than speak so ambiguously! Ch'en thought. Stop with that smile—I can't tell what your attitude is at all!
"Huh? You misunderstood. I'm not angry at all. Really, believe me!"
Seeing Ch'en's tentative questioning, Jeanne looked at her with an expression that said "I'm not joking," hoping the other woman could read the truth in her eyes. Besides, since she had already guessed this would happen, how could she not have made preparations? She had made plenty of them long ago.
"However, let me give you a tip: when those sides come to collect their people, make sure they repeatedly confirm that you haven't tampered with them. Tell them to watch out for a 'scam'!"
Jeanne had a mischievous smirk on her face as she said this. She looked like someone who enjoyed watching the world burn and was eagerly anticipating a future scene. It was as if she were looking forward to them taking the prisoners back—completely opposite to the burning rage Ch'en had expected.
"Are you planning to kill them in transit? Don't be impulsive! It's not worth throwing your future away for two pieces of trash like them."
After a moment of silence, Ch'en thought of a crazy idea that no one would dare realize unless they were exceptionally bold. But then she remembered this "sister's" track record in Lungmen—she was basically made of courage. It seemed like nothing in this world could make her feel fear.
(Jeanne: No, there are things. You just haven't seen them. For example, Higher Mathematics exercise books that even gods and ghosts would loathe. That is my enemy for life!)
But even that wasn't a reason to attack a national convoy! If she were labeled a dangerous element and wanted across the continent, she'd have to spend the rest of her life in the wilderness keeping company with rabbits.
"How is that possible? I'm a law-abiding citizen, aren't I? If I didn't just stay in Lungmen temporarily, I could probably compete for 'Model Citizen of the Year'."
Jeanne waved her hand, signaling she wouldn't do something so brainless.
"What I needed to do was already completed that day. As for what happens next... well, we just have to wait for the seeds to take root and sprout!"
Jeanne gave a meaningful smile. It seemed no sensational news had broken yet; otherwise, Ch'en wouldn't still be in the dark about the secret of that dragon-shaped brand. Did they really think the Noble Phantasm explosion only destroyed a few cameras? The flames of vengeance were merely collecting interest; the real eruption hadn't happened yet.
"So mysterious... just speak clearly! Fine, since you're okay, I'll be heading out. The interrogation over there should be yielding results by now."
With that, Ch'en stood up to take her leave. Since Jeanne was fine, she wanted to get some things done before those two scoundrels were taken away.
"Good luck. While Chief Wei can still hold off those jackals, you might still be able to get a lot done."
Before she left, Jeanne gave Ch'en a word of encouragement, hoping she could achieve her goals in the coming days.
"I should be able to. Anyway, those people won't be seeing Wei Yenwu anytime soon. According to his adjutant's public statement, he ate some fruit at home and had a relapse of diabetes. He's currently 'recuperating'."
Ch'en couldn't help but laugh at the rumor she had heard. A man who could swing a sword and unleash shockwaves with his bare hands... how could he get a diabetes relapse from eating fruit? Even if he chewed on rock candy all day, it seemed unlikely.
Right at that moment, Ch'en's phone suddenly rang. She searched through all her pockets before finally finding it in the back storage of her motorcycle—she must have tossed it in there and forgotten.
"Hello? Who is it? Ah, ah... sorry, I left my phone in the bike... right, yeah, she's fine now..."
Jeanne didn't know who was on the other end, but based on the tone, it was an acquaintance. After a short while, Ch'en hung up and looked at Jeanne with a complex expression.
"Lady Fumizuki says... she invites you to have dinner at their home tonight."